Language Translation, Inc.

France votes to give greater role to regional tongues

Betty Carlson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:54:12 +0000

A recent parliamentary vote in France has given over 20 regional languages recognition — despite cries of outrage from L’Académie Française. According to Article 75 of the revised constitution, languages such as Breton and Occitan are now officially “part of France’s heritage,” and may soon be incorporated into road signs and certain documents.

“Drivers will now have to head hanternoz, as well as nord, to reach the pretty Breton villages of the Cotes d’Armor, and when they sit down in a restaurant, they will order pesk as well as poisson,” reports Peter Allan for Telegraph.co.uk. “Meanwhile, words like douar (Breton for earth), focu (Corsican for fire), hemmel (Alsatian for sky), and pechou (Franco-Provencal for small) could become as ubiquitous as ‘le chewing gum’ and ‘le hold-up’.”

As Allan points out, the move may get the linguistically conservative Académie Française worked up about issues other than the incursion of English words into French!

Betty Carlson

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Translators need to hone multimedia skills

Betty Carlson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:55:31 +0000

In the not-so-distant past, translators wrote out their translations on paper and could use only books and dictionaries they owned, or which were available at local libraries. The computer era has obviously changed the nature of language translation work immensely.

Of course, translators have been using word processing for years to perfect their texts and make necessary changes quickly. Internet also provides multiple resources, from online glossaries to the ability to compare translations to existing documents in the target language. And special translation software now allows professional translators to build up their own glossaries and have access to numerous linguistic tools.

Mastery of multimedia skills may be the next technological challenge for the translation profession. According to Professor Roberto Mayoral Asensio of the University of Granada, multimedia products will soon represent the majority of documents to be translated. “Products to be translated change and update, professionals must have new abilities and every translator…will have to combine new skills,” explains Asenio. “Even general translators will have to be able to use translation systems like subtitling, dubbing or voice-over and adjustment techniques.”

Translators be warned: the translation world is constantly changing — so keep your technological skills up to speed!

Betty Carlson

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Top three tips for cross-cultural communication

Betty Carlson — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:20:44 +0000

When dealing with foreign business partners, the ideal situation is to have an interpreter available. However, we all know this is not always the case. Here are our top three tips for effective cross-cultural communication — especially when all parties are not using their native language.

Keep it slow and simple: If you have ever struggled with trying to understand colloquialisms or multi-party conversations in a foreign language, you know it isn’t easy. When communicating with speakers whose native language isn’t English, slow down your pace, separate words more clearly and try to avoid colloquial expressions like “I think we’re all on the same page here.” Of course, be careful not to take on a condescending attitude — and especially remember that foreign language speakers are generally not deaf! There is no need to yell to get your message across.
Use paper when needed: Sometimes your foreign business partner may not understand your accent or regional pronunciation of a word, but will recognize it when he or she sees it written. Paper or whiteboards can also be helpful when communicating numbers, which are often difficult to catch in a foreign language.
Do your research: The people you are working with will probably have taken the time to explore American business etiquette and behaviour. Do the same and both parties will be able to meet halfway on important etiquette issues such as hierarchy, greetings, and invitations.

If you keep a sense of humor yet remember the importance of your inter-cultural business deals, everything should go smoothly. But if you know that you will be meeting with major linguistic hurdles, the use of a qualified professional interpreter can save you time and prevent costly confusion.

Betty Carlson

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Hitting the language learning wall

Betty Carlson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:19:15 +0000

Athletes often talk about “hitting the wall” in their performance capacity, but have you ever thought of the same concept in language learning? In fact, learning a new language is not a linear process, but takes place in bursts and plateaus. Eventually, just about everyone learning a new language will hit a wall — or walls.

If you are studying a European language such as Spanish or German, the basics may seem quite simple. Both languages include many cognates, or words that resemble or are identical to their English equivalents. In German, the basic structure of simple sentences greatly resembles English structure. So if you are a beginner who works hard, you will probably feel you are progressing quite nicely in these languages.

As you advance in your learning, though, you will inevitably encounter some frustrating difficulties. Spanish and French verb conjugations are notoriously difficult compared to their English counterparts. German, on the other hand, has relatively simple verb conjugations but many extremely long nouns, plus three noun genders to master: feminine, masculine and neuter.

When you feel yourself “hitting the wall,” don’t get frustrated. Remember that even keeping up the language level you have is quite an accomplishment. You may want to look for something new in your language learning process to help you break down your biggest barriers: a new language class, audio help in the form of CDs or Podcasts, or — ideally — a trip to a country where you can put your language skills to use. The latter option may be pricey, but is often the best way to truly break through your personal language walls.

Betty Carlson

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Don’t fool yourself — computers can’t perform accurate translations

Betty Carlson — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:06:56 +0000

Google’s recent announcement that they will be getting involved in “human” translation services proves what we have known for a long time: in the forseeable future, machines will not be able to do the job of a qualified human translator, because they cannot understand the complex cultural and linguistic nuances present in all languages.

There are plenty of examples of amusing machine-generated translations. One of my French college English students once turned in a paper to me that showed all the signs of having been “written” by a machine translator. Even while trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, the proof came at the end of his homework assignment: one of his free-time activities was listed as “tennis shoe, practiced for 5 years.”

How could this error come about? Well, the French word for “basketball” is “le basket,” and certainly every French basketball player knows that the term comes from English. But “un basket” is also a tennis shoe – and my student found himself in a rather unfortunate, albeit hilarious, position.

It is easy to find translation programs online — as a service to our customers, our own website even links to one. But remember that they remain tools; like dictionaries, they can help you understand the general gist of a text, or give you different possible translations for a word. However, take a lesson from my student — don’t count on them for an accurate, professional-quality translation.

Betty Carlson

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Enthusiasm for learning English sweeps China

Betty Carlson — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:49:03 +0000

Boosted by the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Chinese have never been more enthusiastic about speaking English. Of course, many young people already study English in school — but the recent surge in interest for the English language crosses all age groups.

An in-depth article from CCTV.com reports on how even retired Chinese citizens are going about learning this new language, despite the steep learning curve. Remember, English is as difficult for them as Chinese is for us! For example, a retired couple, 65-year-old Wang Xiuqin and 72-year-old Lv Baoli have been studying English for five years. The report claims it is “one of their major enjoyments in their retired lives.”

In fact, Chinese people of all age groups are increasingly interested in becoming conversant in English. “Clearly, learning English is a passion for many people in China,” reports CCTV. “But different individuals do it for different reasons. For the elderly who are retired, it is one way to keep busy and make new friends. For the young, it’s for much more practical reasons. Proficiency in English is fast becoming a vital prerequisite to a successful career.”

Betty Carlson

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European nations working on language changes

Betty Carlson — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:52:43 +0000

Several European nations have recently undertaken reforms to simplify or standardize their national languages. Hungary, Malta and Portugal have all carried out measures to clean up some fuzzy areas in Hungarian, Maltese and Portuguese, respectively.

In late July, Portugal’s head of state, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, signed the Orthographic Accord in order to standardize Portuguese spelling. The agreement had previously been approved by the legislatures of Brazil, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Principe, where Portuguese is also spoken.

While Portugal is trying to eliminate inconsistencies among the different types of Portuguese used around the world, fellow European nation Hungary has undertaken a spelling reform to simplify written Hungarian. Written Hungarian is complicated by complex spelling rules involving lower and upper case, hyphenating words and the use of suffixes. While some simplification is planned, the main goal of the Hungarian reform is also to standardize usage.

Finally, the tiny island state of Malta has approved changes to simplify Maltese, which along with English is one of the European micro-state’s official languages. “After one-and-a half [sic] years of work, the National Council for the Maltese language has come up with a set of rules in a bid to try to simplify Maltese spelling and accommodate the foreign words that have flooded the language, ” writes Paul Cachia. “The Council, headed by Prof. Albert Borg, has looked closely at Maltese orthography and made proposals to trim antiquated spelling rules.”

As we can see, languages live, grow and change with time — both naturally and officially.

Betty Carlson

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Holidays should be full of cheer for e-commerce sites

Betty Carlson — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:38:18 +0000

Despite the current economic situation, Internet shopping sites may see an upswing in their 2008 holiday sales as strained consumers look for bargains on the Internet. This projected sale increase will especially benefit sites offering good value and attractive discounts.

“The upcoming holiday season is expected to be highly promotional, with online retailers using offers of free shipping to entice consumers to shop,” writes Chantal Todé for DMNews in an article entititled Happy holidays forecast for e-commerce. “However, Ellen Davis, VP at the National Retail Federation, posits that as transportation costs rise, retailers may pay for the cost of bigger free shipping programs by spending less on advertising and site improvements.”

With more bargain-hungry consumers ready to surf the Web for good deals, cutting down on ads and other site improvements may prove risky. In fact, isn’t this just the time for e-commerce sites to focus on better marketing, more attractive sites and a wider international scope?

Betty Carlson

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Poland may drop voice-overs on TV broadcasts

Betty Carlson — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:09:53 +0000

In film and television dubbing, casting can be a big issue. Whose voice will be able to convince audiences that Johnny Depp is speaking French, or that Julia Roberts is speaking Spanish? In Poland, the entertainment industry doesn’t face that problem: films and shows have traditionally been dubbed by lektors – men who read the script in Polish, adding no emotion or expression whatsoever. While the lektors read, the audience barely hears the English dialogue in the background.

This practice, apparently rooted in Poland’s communist past, has remained popular, but is now being called into question.

First, some shows just don’t cut it with male-only voices — Desperate Househusbands anyone?

Second, some Polish government officials have recently touted the benefits of broadcasting TV programs with Polish subtitles. According to Education Minister Katarzyna Hall and Minister of Science, Professor Barbara Kudrycka such a practice would “quickly and naturally lead into an improvement in the knowledge of foreign languages, particularly English” in Poland.

Audiences and TV channels are not convinced. “Representatives of Polish TV channels are much less enthusiastic about a possible switch from the current practice of using voice-over to subtitling foreign broadcasts…due to the viewers preferences,” reports The News.pl. “Polish TV viewers simply cannot be bothered to read the small print at the bottom of the screen and instead, they prefer to follow the action and listen to a speaker in the background.”

So, do lektors have a future in Poland? Only time — and government policy — will tell.

Betty Carlson

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What is a false friend?

Betty Carlson — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:15:13 +0000

In the field of foreign languages, “false friends” are pairs of words that appear to be similar, but actually differ in meaning. For example, in French, the verb “attendre” means “to wait” – quite different from the English sense of “to attend an event.” False friends are treacherous for language learners because they are so tempting to use, but they can lead to marked misunderstandings.

Many Spanish words look or sound similar to English words, but some are of course false friends, or falsos amigos. Gerald Erichsen of About.com has compiled a list of the most frequent confusing Spanish/English pairs, and it makes for interesting reading whether you speak Spanish or not. For instance, en absoluto means “not at all” or “absolutely not” – exactly the opposite of what you might expect. Confusion obviously ensues if a non-native Spanish-speaker misuses or misinterprets that expression!

Even reasonably fluent language speakers can be confused by false friends, and poorly translated documents and websites abound in them. That’s why it’s essential to use a professional language service provider such as Language Translation, Inc. for your important business, medical, and legal language translation needs.

Betty Carlson

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