Fillers, at times referred to as “crutch words” are words or phrases that are repeated frequently when speaking out of habit. We even use them reflexively, that is, we do not realize that we say. It is an automatic resource in which we “lean on” when we’re not 100% sure of what to say to [...]
Posts Tagged ‘English’
Fillers
Monday, August 2nd, 2010Acronyms and Abbreviations
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010There is little consensus in the English world on the distinction between acronyms and abbreviations when dealing with shortened versions of words and phrases. Here are some aspects to consider: Abbreviation The most general term, which loosely applies to all shortening of words or phrases, is “abbreviation”. This term covers all examples, from contracting the [...]
Medical Translations: Drugs and Medications
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010For translations in the medical field, including for medications, it is especially important to avoid all errors in comprehension, change or suppression of information, since in this case, as opposed to other cases where the consequences are “merely” monetary, here the correct or incorrect translation of a particular word or even getting a dosage wrong [...]
Time for Tricky Tongue Twisters
Thursday, July 15th, 2010Tongue twisters, those mystifying turns of phrase with repeated phonemes, alliteration or rhyme which present difficulty in pronunciation, are a universal phenomenon. They are a part of our experience growing up as English speakers and they exist in similar forms for children in other parts of the world. Who doesn’t want to show off and [...]
The World Cup: Much More Than A Championship
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010The FIFA World Cup is one of the great spectacles known to man. It carries more weight for some people than for others, but it is a part of everyone’s life. It is a common topic of conversation, even for those who are not normally soccer fans, even in countries whose teams are not participating [...]
Cost per Language Pair
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010In previous posts we have discussed the different ways of quoting a translation project, such as per word, per page, per hour of work if the work involves images, etc. But one of the fundamental factors, if not the main factor, when determining the cost of a translation is the pair of languages involved. Generally, [...]
Subtitles for Movies and Television Shows
Thursday, June 17th, 2010These days, subtitles are available for all forms of entertainment: in the movies, on television, and even at the opera. People from completely different cultures who speak different languages are often interested in the same subjects. For example, the blockbusters made in Hollywood often debut on the same day throughout the world and the audience [...]
Languages at the FIFA World Cup
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010As I write this, the second week of the 2010 World Cup is in full swing in South Africa. The euphoria generated by the event can be felt throughout the entire world. Most significant are the numerous preparations and needs that arise in the host country, which include matters of language and communication, not only [...]
World Affairs Article: Let Languages Die
Friday, January 8th, 2010Esteemed linguist John McWhorter has published an article on the coming century in language evolution. Working on the idea that 90% of the world’s 6,000 languages will not survive to be in use in 2109, Mr. McWhorter then tells us why that’s not such a bad thing for him. The basis for his argument is [...]
Using Latin in Legal Documents (With Glossaries)
Friday, December 4th, 2009Anyone who has ever translated or taken part, in any capacity, in a legal proceeding can attest to the fact that there is a multitude of phrases and expressions that are pure Latin and yet are used in documents in many languages without translation. They remain unchanged to maintain uniformity throughout the world in various [...]
Specialized Translation Agencies
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009I recently read an article about the new national certification given to medical interpreters of Spanish in the United States. I think this is actually quite important, especially for the people who are receiving medical services. Unfortunately, these people have a very low level of education. In addition, they are looking to include languages besides [...]
Translator Training
Friday, November 27th, 2009This concept is extremely important. I am not just talking about the education that a translator receives in their studies, but also about culture in general, which is even more important when a translator is specialized in a certain field or fields. A translator’s training consists in their ability to master their mother tongue: writing, [...]
The Pashto Language
Friday, November 13th, 2009Spoken by the Khan’s or Pashtuns (inhabiting Afghanistan and the west of Pakistan) as well as by groups in India, it is one of the official languages of Afghanistan, along with Dari. With regards to the linguistic history of Pashto, it comes from the Indo-European language of families, discussed HERE, and more specifically forms part [...]
The Importance of Language on Websites
Friday, November 13th, 2009As I was searching for something on the Internet, I came across a very interesting point that brings up a topic of great importance for us today. “If I can’t read it, I’m not buying it”. This is something often heard from people who are trying to make purchases online. A lot of companies have [...]
Translations for India
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009India’s market is one of the largest in the world, with over 1 billion people and a growing economy. However, given the scope of its population and its millennia-long history, the demographics cannot be categorized clearly and easily, which is also true for its neighbor China. First, the Constitution establishes that all federal government business, [...]
Machismo in Spanish Writing?
Friday, September 25th, 2009I frequently notice in translations from English into Spanish that the translator attempts to make explicit an author’s reference to both sexes with the following type of construction: Todos los/as niños/as deberán entregar esta documentación. The idea is that in this way, “las niñas” (the girls) aren’t left out of the picture. However, according to [...]
Happy National Punctuation Day!
Thursday, September 24th, 2009Let us take this time to celebrate National Punctuation Day, wherein everyone must take a little extra time to focus on proper grammar usage and not fill the world with poor style and embarrassing mistakes. Visit the website to brush up on anything if you need to. Someday, I hope that we will live every [...]
