Art today is one more example of the global panorama that defines our period. The undeniable internationalization of the majority of works of art led me to do some research on the role that our profession plays in the field.
The title of a work is a linguistic representation that is entirely conditioned by its expressive [...]
Archive for the ‘For Translators’ Category
Translation or Transcreation in Art
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010Client Glossaries
Friday, January 15th, 2010As we have brought up in other posts, large translation projects need more care and attention in order to maintain consistency in the translation throughout the document(s). This coherence in terminology must be respected by all members of the work team.
The client can be the one who provides the list of terminology through the use [...]
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 that [...]
Translation Studies
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010Texts have been translated between languages empirically, by hand. This doesn’t mean that people have not spent time reflecting and theorizing on the art of translation or that the great translators of history have stopped proposing their own theories.
However, only recently have linguists elevated translation to a scientific category by creating a branch of applied [...]
Christmas in Russia – Ded Moroz
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009We are all aware that celebrations vary from country to country, but one that sticks out for its unique nature is the Russian figure of Ded Moroz (literally “Grandfather Frost”).
He was a legend of folklore for many years as a dark and wicked figure who stole children and would demand presents from the parents to [...]
Book Club Meeting #2
Saturday, December 19th, 2009Just in time for Christmas, I have found “On the Death and Life of Languages” by Claude Hagege is now available at my favorite bookstore and I must say that I am intrigued.
Here is a description from the publisher:
Twenty-five languages die each year; at this pace, half the world’s five thousand languages will disappear within [...]
The Punjabi Language
Friday, December 18th, 2009It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of languages of the Indo-European family, which we spoke of HERE.
It is mainly spoken in the Punjab region (between India and Pakistan) and, globally, there are some 100 million speakers of this language.
It derives from dialects such as Hindi and it basically employs the Gurmukhi alphabet for writing, which [...]
Automatic Translation Websites
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Several websites have popped up that are in the business of automatic translation. Some of them are just general, and others are specialized in certain subjects and offer their services to anyone who is looking to translate any word or phrase.
We also have online dictionaries that are specific to fields such as medicine, legal, technical, [...]
When Translation and SEO Collide
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Working as a translator (or at least a good one) implies exercising a high level of attention to detail, the kind of nit-pickiness that will drive your friends mad but which will elate your clients. Translators need to have a strong command of both their source and their target languages to be able to do [...]
The Importance of Language in Diplomacy
Sunday, December 13th, 2009The United States government has a high demand for linguists. President Obama’s administration is looking to put more emphasis on diplomacy through more effective multilingual communication in all areas: intelligence, defense, State Department agencies, etc.
The ILR (Interagency Language Roundtable) was created and includes several agencies of the State Department. Its main focus will be increasing [...]
Is “usted” Really Always the Best Option?
Saturday, December 12th, 2009I’ve noticed lots of confusion regarding this matter: many people are under the impression that it’s correct to use “usted” at all times, in all cases.
I’m afraid that that’s not correct, however: not always, not in all cases. It depends on the objective to be accomplished.
According to the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=usted):
“Usted” [...]
Why Multilingualism Counts for So Much
Friday, December 11th, 2009As a translator and as someone that is surrounded by multilingual individuals on a daily basis at work, I’d have to say that I find the process and the effort of grappling with various languages to be enormously rewarding. As somebody that grew up in a multilingual home I am convinced it is something that [...]
Monkeys Can Now String Words Together to Make Sentences
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009I have already touched upon how our simian relatives seem to be making strides in communication with language here. Now word comes from the Ivory Coast that it appears that the Campbell’s monkey in the Tai National Park there is able to take its simple calls (“hok hok hok!” or “boom boom”) and combine them [...]
The Persian Language
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, which we spoke about HERE.
More than 60 million people are native speakers of this language, and they are distributed across Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Oman, the Arab Emirates and India, as well as members of the Persian diaspora.
The ISO and the Academy of Persian [...]
More Automatic Translation Gadget News
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009As a translator, it is with a fair share of trepidation and chagrin that I “celebrate” news (such as the topic of today’s post) relating to new gadgets that facilitate–or usurp!–the job of the translator or interpreter. Nonetheless, the gadget we’re going to be looking at here is just too nifty to disregard, and, thankfully, [...]
Thanksgiving
Friday, November 27th, 2009Thanksgiving has yet again befallen us, and all around the US (and in the many parts of the world where American expats and Americanophiles happen to be tucked away) folks are likely enduring the several hours of fasting to make space for the turkey, gravy and stuffing bedecked eat-a-thon that descends right about nightfall.
Despite the [...]
What is Trados?
Saturday, October 24th, 2009When you are looking to pay for a professional translation, the is a good chance you will come up against a magic word: Trados.
What exactly are they talking about? It’s actually quite simple: it is a very popular translation software that helps translation clients in a great way. The program creates translation memories of the [...]
