Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 10:27 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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Yes, they can and in the world of business they should be. The quality of a translation could well be the deciding factor that makes or breaks a business deal. Technology has made the world smaller and communication easier making the need for clarity of utmost importance. The clear concise translation of a document is as critical as the content and should be considered the first step in a successful exchange. For instance, a translators must be aware that certain expressions, sentence structure and rules of grammar are unique to the source language. These subtleties must be clearly understood so that the translation most closely interprets the meaning of the original text and not just the word-for-word target language equivalent. It is the meaning that needs to be translated not …
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Posted in: Spanish Translation, Translation Services
Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 5:26 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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Localizing the content of a website (translating and adapting the website for foreign audiences) is a bit more complicated than just translating the site’s content. Website localization requires extensive experience, knowledge of the target audience/country and even understanding of the legal requirements in the target country. We have just written a small articles with 5 of the easiest things you can do to make sure that your localization project runs smoothly. This article is not all inclusive by any means, but it will help to define some of the critical issues that are to be taken into account. Click here to read full-article: 5 Tips for Successful Website Localization
Posted in: Website Translation
Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 11:27 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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In some parts of the country there is a shortage of doctors that can speak their patient’s language. Bakersfield.com recently reported that California has a shortage of medical professionals that reflect their patient populations. In one California county, Hispanics make up to half of the population but only about 5% of the local doctors report having a Hispanic background. One alternative is to provide a Spanish translator who provides Spanish medical translations between patient/doctor communications. However, this solution ads to the cost of providing medical services. UCLA started a program to address this gap by bringing Latin American trained students into the family medical residency program. This effort aims to bring native Spanish-speaking students to serve these communities. This is easier said than done. The health care system in the USA …
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Posted in: Medical Translation, Spanish Translation
Monday, August 15, 2011, 11:34 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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There are many things for which we do not have words in our own language. But if we search other languages, chances are that we will find the right word. There is a very common word in Spanish that describes the feeling that something is too sweet. The word is “empalagante” which has no direct English translation. You don’t have to be a Spanish speaker to have the experience, but you have to be one if you want a precise word to describe it. There are many words in sanskrit that have no translation into English, many of which have made it into our lexicon. Karma (the cosmic law of cause and effect that carries from one life to the next), mantra (words that are repeated to have an effect …
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Posted in: Language Topics, Russian Translation, Spanish Translation
Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 11:58 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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Mexico has dozens of native languages that are spoken in remote areas of the country. Most of these languages are no doubt going to go extinct in the near future. One of these languages is Ayapaneco, a language that only has two surviving speakers in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco. The Guardian declared this language is about to dissapear from the face of the earth when these two old men die. We found this video interview of one of these speakers. You will need translations from Spanish to English to understand the interview since it is in Spanish, but it is worth watching. The interviewer mentions that once a language disappears the stars, the sun and the moon won’t have that mirror to reflect on.
Posted in: Language Topics
Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 2:33 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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We have all heard about the importance of listening to clients to achieve success in the marketplace and many companies are successful in addressing these needs. Have you ever considered listening to your clients in a foreign language? Consider the case of two companies that recently launched a project to do exactly this, Hilton Worldwide and Starwood Hotels. The Wall Street Journal recently published a success story and how they used Chinese translation as a strategic marketing tool to address their client’s needs. Starwood began by noticing the amount of Chinese clients subscribing to Starwood’s loyalty program. Matt Gaghen, Starwood’s VP for brand management, spent a year researching the Chinese market and discovered that language and food were the two most important issues for Chinese travelers. To address these needs, Starwood launched a program called “Starwood Personalized …
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Posted in: Chinese Translation, International Business, Translation Services
Monday, August 8, 2011, 6:35 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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There are many examples of translators that have played a pivotal role in history. One of the most famous Chinese translators was Yan Fu (1854-1921), a translator and scholar who was responsible for the Chinese translation of several important western works. Among these works he was the first to introduce the concept of natural selection, Darwin’s 19th “idea of century” into China. As a promising young scholar in his native Fuzhou, Fujian Province, he was given the opportunity to study abroad in the Naval Academy in Greenwich, England where he gained his English language skills. His years in England exposed him to many western ideas. He was struck by the implications of Darwin’s theory and was mesmerized by the impact it was having in the West. He was eager to share these ideas …
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Posted in: Translation Services
Sunday, July 17, 2011, 10:12 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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Seldom does one come across a phrase so powerful that it immediately evokes a strong message and it becomes part of culture itself. “Lost in Translation” is one of those phrases, popularized by the famous 2003 film starring Bill Murray. Search for the phrase in Google and you will get a staggering 10 million webpages that mention it. It often seems that every other article about translation makes a passing reference to this powerful and evocative phrase that says so much with so little. But many great translators have proven that the opposite is true, “Found in Translation” is a goal that they often achieve. There are plenty of famous examples of Spanish translators, French translators and German translators that have created translation masterpieces. Would you experience a book differently …
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Posted in: Language Topics, Translation Services
Friday, July 15, 2011, 7:27 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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Many companies in the USA have had the luxury of not developing overseas markets for their products and service. This is changing because growing sales in the current sluggish US economy is not as easy as it once was. Companies in smaller economies have traditionally been forced to seek growth outside their domestic markets if they aspire to become world-players. Germany is an excellent example of a country that has focused on developing international markets for their products and services. The result of this focus is measureable. According to a new study published by Ernest & Young which analyzed the annual reports of the 30 companies that compose the German Stock Index (or DAX), 28 out of the 30 companies report that at least 75% of their sales are from …
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Posted in: International Business
Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 7:02 pm
Posted by Richard Allenby
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There is a growing body of evidence that language develops and evolves in similar ways to biological evolution. The effort to find the “DNA” of language is widely referred to as structural phylogenetics. Researches look for words and sounds across languages that resist change as biologists would look for genes that do not mutate through many generations. Linguists and scientists use complex computer models to detect and trace these words. Structural phylogenetics has been used to tackle questions that have never been fully answered about the origin of some languages. One of these languages is Japanese whose origin has been clouded in mystery. One recent study about the Japanese language hints at the origins of the language. According to the study and the article that was published in Physorg.com most …
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Posted in: Language Topics
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