breaking the language barrier http://www.todaytranslations.com/press-room/feed en Today Translations http://www.todaytranslations.com www.todaytranslations.com/favicon.ico www.todaytranslations.com/ breaking the language barrier Bear some of the following in mind, when considering, whether to use a translation service or not. You would also be well advised to think about using a quality professional translation service, rather than going on the cheap, or indeed using Google Translate. An abortion in Portuguese may refer to either a miscarriage or an abortion. It is the verb that changes the meaning of the word. Considering how sensitive a subject this is, the importance of medical translation cannot be underestimated. Whether for words such as this, or indeed any other medical term, its vital to ensure correct translation is carried out. That goes for instruction on medical devices, bedside interpreting and every facet of the medical sector, in what is an increasingly multilingual, globalised society. Within the realm of health and safety, in the food and beverage sector, mistakes can also prove harmful, if not outright fatal. The following in a UK Health and Safety document could lead to problems, for example: ‘Vegetarian food must be kept separate from meat and clearly ladelled.’ Such instruction can cause all manner of confusion. Less serious perhaps, expiry dates are still potentially harmful, not least to the image of a company’s product. Note this statement on a packet of sandwiches in Crete: – ‘Best before seven days later.’ So how are you supposed to know, if safe to eat then? The proof of the pudding is in the eating, I suppose, but I’d rather not take the chance. Companies that do not want to alarm their customers, or indeed make them ill, would do well to hire a professional translation service, particularly when targeting non native language speakers, and foreign markets. There is humour to be gleaned from all the poor translations that litter our world, but for health and safety’s sake, along with the vital nature of the medical sector, it shouldn’t’ be treated as too much of a laughing matter. Today Translations has considerable experience in worldwide multilingual translation within the medical and food and beverage sectors. Our translators ensure that medical and health and safety advice is accurate and fit for purpose. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/03/25/the-consequences-of-poor-translation http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/03/25/the-consequences-of-poor-translation 1301043605 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed We now live in a global economy and for companies this means communicating with customers on an international level. Speaking to customers in their native language displays your commitment to cater for their requirements. If your marketing messages are spoken or written clearly and features local culture then it gives a very positive effect.  The majority of businesses around the globe cannot afford to employ a full-time multilingual translator or copywriter. It is much more likely that you will seek the services of an expert translator or go through a translation company. Trust is crucial when working with translators, much in the same way as when you use an electrician or plumbing service. Customers often don’t know precisely how an electrician or plumber can repair a sink or add a new socket, but they do. How a translator is able to turn a document from one language, into another is known only to the translator. Ultimately it is their coaching, experience and intuition which enable them to translate material so well. A sensible way to obtain the most out of your translator is by working closely with them ensuring that the desired tone is accomplished. Taking shortcuts can not work in translation. If you try and rush a translator the material will suffer and so will your business. If you simply leave a translator without any direction the material will also suffer. Timing is essential to successful translation. Leaving a translation project to the last minute will only lead to failure. It is similarly risky to make significant alterations to any translation project half way through. Translators will need to carry out research, collaborate and proofread, all of which takes time and planning. Furthermore a translator might have to wait for feedback from a colleague. In some cases a business will need to use certified translation. With this form of translation the translated document comes with another document which says that it is correct, accurate and represents the same meaning as the original document. This sort of translation is usually a little more expensive but used only when necessary. For any business or individual using a professional translator the greatest concern is accuracy. Although not always feasible, having the document verified is a good strategy. For personal documents the odd error might not matter but in business one slip-up could make or break a deal. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/03/17/getting-the-most-from-your-translator http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/03/17/getting-the-most-from-your-translator 1300376312 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Legal systems seek to establish clearly defined rights and duties for certain individuals. However, each country has its own particular legal terminology and linguistic structures. For this reason, legal translation is essential to ensure reliable correspondence of these rights and duties from the original text into the translation. Thus, legal translation into foreign languages is not a simple task. In fact, you need to have certain knowledge of law and order to understand the legal documents in your own language. For this reason, it only can be carried out by a qualified translator who not only understands legal terminology but also has an understanding of the common law and civil legal systems which are employed throughout the world. One must take into account that textual conventions depend on the culture of the original text and that they probably do not correspond with those in the final text. Hence an accurate translator should identify the target language structure with the same function as that in the original document. To do this requires an exhaustive process of documentation that will lead to a reliable and accurate legal translation where every single detail has been deeply studied. Do not spend your money and time on translation companies that do not guarantee the accuracy that a legal translation requires. Instead, rely on a trustworthy company that understands that the mistranslation of a passage in any legal document could eventually lead to lawsuits and a loss of money. In addition, as legal translation requires very specialist knowledge it is best to only use translators who are suitably qualified to translate legal documents. Whether you require the translation of a contract, power of attorney, witness statement or the transcription of an evidentiary tape, you should be assured that the translated document returned to you will be 100% correct. Obviously, confidentiality is very important, and all documents received should remain within the strict privacy guidelines. Legal translation involves Certificates of Accuracy or Witness Statements that may be required by certain authorities and government bodies. In this sense, some companies can also provide this authorization by a notary public. You need a specialized legal translator for whatever field of law you require for your translated documents or court interpreter. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/02/19/legal-translation-into-foreign-languages http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/02/19/legal-translation-into-foreign-languages 1298115018 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed When the world’s two most powerful leaders meet you would expect the translation service they receive is faultless. The recent visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to America’s capital cannot be underestimated as the relationship between these two countries impacts almost everyone else on the planet in some way. Sadly President Obama is not fluent in Mandarin and President Hu Jintao is not fluent in English. As a result the two leaders communicate with each other and to the press through translators and interpreters throughout the visit. Behind the scenes there will be additional meetings taking place between key diplomats of both countries and the professional translation they receive is crucial because all successful relationships depend on good communication. However, on this occasion the translation the two leaders received was not always up to the standard they would have hoped. During a press conference with the Chinese leader, President Obama believed that simultaneous translation was being carried out. This was not the case, so the interpreter had to translate a long response from Obama. This is a difficult job for a translator and Obama was clearly aware of this as he said “I apologize. I thought we had simultaneous translation there, so I would have broken up the answer into smaller bites”. This is where the story gets really interesting. Because the question was regarding human rights and Chinese President Hu Jintao was unable to answer this sensitive question due to what he described as a “technical translation and interpretation problem” which the media believed was his way of avoiding the subject altogether. If you watch the news conference you see that both leaders played around with their earpieces quite a bit. This is a sure sign that they are having translation problems. Later in the news conference the question over human rights was put to him again and he was happy to answer and at some length too. What does this tell us about translating for world leaders? The answer is clear. Do not make any mistakes because media reports are now instant and can be read by millions around the world in seconds. It is also important to make sure everyone is fully aware of what type of translation is taking place. As a final thought, have you ever wondered how the Americans and Russians avoided nuclear war? They both used an excellent translation company between 1947 and 1991 and they have been in touch with both America and China reassuring them that they will be available should they be needed. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/01/26/chinese-president-lost-in-translation http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/01/26/chinese-president-lost-in-translation 1296042913 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Learning new languages as an adult, some will say is impossible. You will often hear people saying how they wish they could speak a foreign language or how they should have paid attention to their Spanish, French or German teacher. For most people, understanding how the human brain can learn a new language is just a mystery. In fact unless you are a neuroscientist there is probably very little you actually know about the brain, other than it is quite simply remarkable. Scientists have conducted research which has led them to believe that learning a new language is possible for pretty much anyone. According to Cambridge scientists the brain can learn a new word in less than fifteen minutes. Apparently anyone can learn a new word in a foreign language by listing to it 160 times over and over. By doing this your brain will have formed a whole new network of neurons specifically tasked with remembering that particular word. The scientists at Cambridge also found that this process actually happens much quicker than previously thought. So what does this mean for aspiring professional translators and other linguists? Well the research suggests that practise really does make perfect. To perform world class simultaneous interpreting means going to the country of the language you specialize and immersing yourself in the words and the local culture. The research conducted at Cambridge did not require the volunteers to repeat the word back. What this shows is the power of listening. Therefore by surrounding yourself in a foreign language, where all you have to listen to is a foreign language will, without much effort, help improve your knowledge. The Cambridge scientists did add that by repeating words back it would probably extend the new neural networks which are created and form strong connections with the parts of the brain responsible for speech. For language students and translation professionals, the research conducted at Cambridge University demonstrates that by using your ears alone, you can make the brain better at translation. The implications of the research could have a big impact on how we learn even though the research was initially aimed to help stroke patients regain their speech. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/01/19/learning-new-languages-is-easier-than-originally-thought http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/01/19/learning-new-languages-is-easier-than-originally-thought 1295441747 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Globalisation has transformed the world but it has also had a debilitating effect on the earth’s languages. According to UNESCO, there are now 3,000 endangered languages worldwide. Since 1950, 350 languages have become extinct. That is out of a total of an estimated figure of 6,000 languages still in active use. So why is it that some languages such as Welsh are thriving, and the number of speakers growing, while the Irish, for example, appear to have great difficulty in halting the Gaelic language’s steady and gradual decline? According to statistics the Welsh claim to have 611,000 speakers with just 391,000 native speakers left in Ireland. Ironically the Irish have done more to arrest the decline than ever before, with more Gaelic being spoken on local and national radio, as well as a television channel devoted entirely to broadcasting in the national language. Relative to the rest of the planet, the Welsh and Irish seem to have healthy numbers still speaking the native tongue. In the rest of Europe, 49 languages are spoken by less than 10,000 people. In Brazil alone, there are 35 critically endangered languages, while in Vietnam 37 languages are in the recently released Endangered Languages Database, ranging from extinct to vulnerable. The aforementioned Endangered Languages Database from the University of Cambridge World Oral Literature Project lists languages from around the world that are extinct, endangered or nearly extinct and it is their findings that have drawn attention to the scale of language erosion. Is it something we should be concerned about or is it all down to nature, and best left to die out, if no longer widely used? Of course there are many people who take it upon themselves to preserve languages when everyone else seems happy to consign them to the past. Are they deluded cranks or are they doing humanity a favour? What is apparent is that when a language is allowed to die, a great deal of culturally accumulated knowledge and ways of thinking may well die with it. Even if there seems little hope of saving it, a language can still be preserved as a museum piece to be spoken and parsed by language boffins, when the community at large long ceases to care. Even if only maintained in incubator like conditions like this, future generations have the opportunity to understand how their culture has evolved and the language that once helped to shape them. Once a language is determined to be endangered, there are two basic steps that need to be taken in order to stabilize or rescue it. The first is language documentation and the second is language revitalisation. Language documentation is the process by which the language is documented in terms of its grammar, its lexicon, and its oral traditions (e.g. stories, songs, religious texts). Language revitalisation is the process by which a language community through political, community, and educational means attempts to increase the number of active speakers of the endangered language. This process is also sometimes referred to as language revival or reversing language shift. While everyone is familiar with the languages that dominate the world such as Mandarin, Arabic, English, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, German and Portuguese it would really take from our rich language tapestry if the present rate of erosion continues. In the modern era, translation and interpretation from Mandarin to Portuguese or Russian to Korean are everyday activities, and long may it continue. What we do not want is an ever more one dimensional world, where only the strongest languages survive and once proud native tongues are allowed to die. We at Today Translations hope to accumulate more translators from revived languages into the future, and if every country or region shows the positive attitude to their language that the Welsh do, then that is not an unrealistic expectation. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/01/12/languages-under-threat http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2011/01/12/languages-under-threat 1294828611 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed The London Olympics in 2012 seem just around the corner. The first Olympic venue has been completed at the Lee Valley White Water Centre and the wooden track has been put down in the Velodrome. Everything is on schedule and as far as we know, on budget. What many people will be surprised to hear is that English is not going to be the official language for the Olympics in London 2012. So if not English what other languages? Well if you were to go by the number of speakers and ignore English, Mandarin Chinese would probably take gold, Spanish silver and Hindi bronze. The Opening Ceremony at the 1896 Athens Olympics However the official language for the Olympic Games is not Mandarin Chinese, Spanish or Hindi. As we all know the Olympics were started by the ancient Greeks but what many people do not know is that the closest thing to an ancient Greek Olympics since the end of great ancient civilization was a national Olympic Games held in 1866 at London’s Crystal Palace. The International Olympic Committee is the organisation which ultimately controls the Olympic Games. The organisation was created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894. Pierre de Couberrtin was French is without question a big part of the modern Olympics and so the official language for the Olympic Games is French. If you think you will need English to French translation throughout the games, fear not. English is another official language of the Games. The BBC commentators will not be dubbed in French or trying to speak French. French will however take precedence over English at all ceremonies including the presentation of medals. There are languages spoken from all over the world here in London, one of the world great capitals. Hosting the Olympics is a great privilege and sometimes people and the media get caught up with the cost and ignore the great tradition, the honour and the massive investment in a part of London which is really going to change lives. For a translation company, the Olympics are a fantastic business opportunity. There will be groups of foreign officials and dignitaries from all over the world and it will be vital for them to communicate effectively which may require simultaneous interpreting or telephone interpreting. So after originating in Greece, then forgotten for 1500 years, revived in England and Greece by a Frenchman the Olympics are a symbol of international cooperation and something all mankind can be proud of. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/12/14/french-win-gold-for-london-2012-olympics http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/12/14/french-win-gold-for-london-2012-olympics 1292321439 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed We, at Today Translations, are in the habit of stressing the importance of correctly translating your message. Mistranslations can make a business look foolish, but some people never learn. We all have stories of being in foreign parts and seeing funny signs at your accommodation or oddly named products in supermarkets. For your pleasure, in this festive period, here are some more. In Tokyo, a hotel prominently displays the sign, ‘Swindlers dangling around the hotel at night have no connection with the management.’ Not the most reassuring message about either the neighbourhood you’re staying in, or indeed the management. By disassociating themselves so pointedly from the ne’er do wells outside, are they not protesting a little too much? Near another establishment in Cala D’Or, Majorca, guests will note that, ‘The swimming pool water is tasted twice a day by the council.’ So the public authority pools must be a step up from the common or garden pools you find in the typical hotel then? In the mind’s eye men in suits get down on hands and knees and scoop pool water into their discerning mouths twice daily. They gargle and gargle until they are satisfied. Well if it’s good enough for them to taste, its good enough for us to swim in, so hurrah for their initiative! On to Munich and after your long journey you might be put off from having a nightcap by the sign in one hotel room, which reads ‘In your room you will find a minibar filled with alcoholics.’ So what are we talking about here – alcoholic dwarves when you open the door? Inebriated Leprechauns that Pest Control have been unable to discourage? Besides the expense, it’s another reason not to indulge. Next morning if you’ve braved that minibar, you may decide to give your morning meal a skip or even sleep through. This is forbidden in one inn in Egypt, where a sign declares ‘Breakfast is obligatory.’ The words seem to be an ominous warning. Dare you risk a lie in? Later in the evening, your appetite might have recovered from force feeding, sufficiently to have dinner. A glance at a menu if staying at a particular hotel in Switzerland might make you think twice, if you like rump steak, or ‘Cow’s bottom’ as it’s described, with painful accuracy on the bill of fare. Have the Swiss a problem with the use of euphemisms? But you don’t have to be a non native English speaker to make mistakes with the language. As seen in one small hotel in Cornwall, ‘Will any guests wishing to take a bath please make arrangements to have one with Mrs Harvey’, you might get a lot more than you bargain for if you wish to take a bath in that West Country lodgings. Mrs. Harvey, too, may have to dissuade the unwarranted attentions of guests eager to make her acquaintance in the tub (as seems the decorum indicated). So whether it’s Spanish to English translation, German to English translation, Arabic to English translation, French to English translation, Japanese to English translation and indeed vice versa, you can never be too careful. If you’re in Cornwall, Today Translations might not be able to help you, and you will just have to take your chances! ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/12/09/more-than-words http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/12/09/more-than-words 1291888694 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed The figure of benevolence and fun we nowadays refer to as Santa Claus originated in the 4th Century in a part of the old Greek empire, which is now modern day Turkey. So whether Saint Nicholas of Myra spoke Turkish or Greek, it is hard to establish. If the former, he would today be known as Noel Baba, the latter Άγιος Βασίλης or Saint Basil and as a Bishop he was renowned at that time for his generous gifts to the poor. 700 years later his remains ended up in Bari as the Italian city sought to profit from the remains of the Saint, or Babbo Natale in Italian, for the burgeoning pilgrimage industry of that time. The Irish have since disputed that Italy continues to hold the relics, and say that ‘Daidi Na Nollag’ was moved again, this time to the Emerald Isle, where his final resting place is cited as Jerpoint Abbey in Kilkenny. The international desire to own Father Christmas doesn’t stop there. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of both Amsterdam and Moscow, where he is called Дед Мороз (Ded Moroz), or in English, ‘Grandfather Frost.’ The Dutch refer to him as Kerstman. Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas and Sinterklaas, merged with the British character Father Christmas to create the character known to Britons and Americans as Santa Claus. While the original Saint did have that distinguishing white beard, the anglicized version from the 17th Century starts to look even more recognisable to the modern audience – a jolly, rotund man, but with a green rather than red robe. In Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’, Father Christmas’s cheerful character continued to take shape and it was a version of that vision that came ashore in colonial America to receive its final embellishment, where the British, Dutch and American perceptions fused. In Washington Irving‘s History of New York, (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into “Santa Claus” (a name first used in the American press in 1773), a figure mockingly based on a thick set Dutch sailor, common to that era, and for the first time shedding the bishop’s clothing. In 1863, a picture of Santa illustrated by cartoonist Thomas Nast appeared in Harper’s Weekly, and then in the 1930s, artist Haddon Sundblom added the final touch in his portrayal of Santa Claus for a Coca Cola advertising campaign. It is that image, evolved over 1600 years, that has finally etched itself in the human mind as the true Santa Claus. In between Irving and Sundblom’s efforts, Frank Baum’s ‘The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus’ confirmed Father Christmas’s raison d’être, spreading joy by bringing toys to children around the world. Because of all of the countries in the world he must reach on Christmas Eve, Santa doesn’t yet have the time to stop and speak, or leave notes, to children on his travels. Should he ever decide to break with protocol, Today Translations has the global capacity to cope with all of his translation and interpreting needs. Happy Christmas! ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/26/santa-would-choose-today-translations http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/26/santa-would-choose-today-translations 1290765591 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed There are so many examples of poor translation, maybe a reality television programme called ‘When translations go wrong’ wouldn’t go amiss. The latest example to catch our eye is one that embarrassed Her Majesty’s Prison Service this week. A translation error at Lincoln Prison meant an exercise yard was labelled as an “execution yard” in the draft of an information booklet for Russian inmates. While the people of Russia may be used to a harsh penal code throughout its history, they may have been surprised to see that tradition being carried on in British nicks. Worryingly, the mistranslation at HMS Lincoln Prison was only picked up at the proofing stage, according to the Ministry of Justice. Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: “This is an example where actually making sure prisoners have properly translated material is important. “You could treat it as a bit of a joke unless you were that prisoner and you didn’t understand how the British prison service worked and came from a country that still had execution yards. It wouldn’t be a funny thing for him.” The report praised the prison for having a better range of translated information for the 82 foreign national prisoners, but said staff had raised concerns that some translations were not “entirely accurate”. It wouldn’t have been much consolation for a random Russian-speaking prisoner, when the warden is urging him out to exercise, and all he sees is an invitation to certain death. It might make him pine for the Russia of old, when even the prospect of hard labour at the Gulag, was arguably better than sudden extinction in deepest Lincoln. Perhaps the Prison service would be better off if it had come to Today Translations for its quality Russian translation. Our Russian to English translation would mean a more humane experience for those Russians who find themselves incarcerated at her Majesty’s Pleasure. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/19/time-for-your-execution-%e2%80%93-i-mean-exercise http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/19/time-for-your-execution-%e2%80%93-i-mean-exercise 1290185128 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed We now live in a truly global marketplace and for businesses this means communicating to customers on an international level. Speaking to customers in their native language shows your commitment to cater for their needs. If your marketing messages are spoken or written clearly and incorporates local culture then it gives a very positive impression. The majority of businesses around the world cannot afford to employ a full time multilingual translator or copywriter. It is much more likely that you will hire a professional translator or go through a translation company. Trust is crucial when working with translators, much in the same way as when you hire an electrician or plumber. Customers often don’t know exactly how an electrician or plumber is able to fix a sink or add a news socket, but they do. How a translator is able to turn a document in one language, into another is known only to the translator. Ultimately it is their training, experience and instinct which enable them to translate material so well. The best way to get the most out of your translator is by working closely with him ensuring that the desired tone is achieved. Taking shortcuts does not work in translation. If you try and rush a translator the material will suffer and so will your business. If you simply leave a translator without any guidance the material will also suffer. Timing is crucial to successful translation. Leaving a translation project to the last minute will only result in failure. It is equally risky to make major changes to any translation project half way through. Many translators will have to carry out research, collaborate and proofread, all of which takes time and planning. Furthermore a translator might have to wait for feedback from a colleague delaying the project further. In some cases a business will have to use certified translation. With this form of translation the translated document comes with another document which says that it is correct, accurate and represents the same meaning as the original document. This type of translation is usually a bit more expensive but used only when necessary. For any business or individual using a professional translator the biggest concern is accuracy. Although not always possible, having the document verified is a good strategy. For personal documents the odd mistake might not matter but in business one mistake could make or break a deal. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/11/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-translator http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/11/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-translator 1289472881 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed A quick trawl of Google’s collation of world news on any given week leaves no doubt as to the serious implications of poor or indeed absent translation. A man accused of murder in New Jersey is now being seen by supporters as having his human rights trampled, after a police interpreter failed to translate his request for a lawyer, while in custody. Authorities had said that the Ecuadorian national had confessed to the murder of his wife, but now the matter is in doubt. By not directly translating the defendant, there had been an assumption that the man had waived his rights to an attorney. When a video of the interview was produced the oversight was exposed. In New York, a Greek interpreter was dismissed by a judge for failure to interpret in a satisfactory and fluid way. The incident occurred during the trial of Israel Feliciano, 41, who’s accused of murdering a Pizza Store Manager. The interpreter in question was deemed not good enough to translate the testimony of the murdered man’s wife, who had witnessed the crime. The judge had the Greek interpreter replaced after noticing that the victim’s wife was unable to understand her. Meanwhile in Ontario, Canada, it’s an altogether different problem, where it’s not about the quality but rather the quantity of interpreters available to courts. For the want of a fully accredited Mandarin interpreter a high profile court case has been affected. Toronto grocer David Chen was in the dock controversially accused of a citizen’s arrest of a thief near his store. Chen was due to face charges of forcible confinement and assault of the thief. It also should be noted that there is a high failure rate (34%) in tests to qualify court interpreters in Ontario, as that province rightly maintains a high quality service, and screens candidates to ensure they are meeting the level required. That’s not unlike the quality required to be a translator or interpreter with Today Translations, where only the cream of the crop of linguistic talent are chosen to meet our clients’ needs. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/03/crimes-of-translation http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/11/03/crimes-of-translation 1288785152 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed A recently published report in America has looked at the market opportunities for translation and localization services in the pharmaceutical and medical devise sectors. The research has shown that there is huge demand for language and translation services in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. It is estimated that the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing translation market in the US was worth $75 million in 2009, while medical equipment and supplied manufacturing translation was worth $100 million. In Europe there are over 10,000 pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing companies and the research suggested pharmaceutical translation sector was worth $265 million in 2009. The report was compiled with statistical analysis and included interviews with major buyers of translation services who operate in the life sciences field. The buyers described what they seek in a translation company and looked into to the current and emerging trends in the pharmaceutical industry affecting medical translation. From the research has come a clear message. The life sciences business community expects there to be fast growing demand for translation services, localization and cultural customization, particularly in Asian languages. Part of the reason why there is such emphasis on Asian languages is because in areas such as India and China there is huge potential for large clinical trials. In addition to this Asia is a fast growing region and home to well over a billion potential consumers. The research went on to indicate that life science firms seek five particular things from their translation suppliers. These include technical expertise, willingness to collaborate financial stability, adaptability and a commitment to quality. It is also interesting to read that pharmaceutical and medical companies report low levels of confidence in the quality of work carried out by translation firms. Having an ISO accreditation typically does little to change this and it is more likely that a translation sample will be requested in order to assess quality. The research has sent out a strong message that in order for a translation company to win business with pharmaceutical and medical companies, the service must be quality. There are no rooms for errors and the pharmaceutical and medical companies will be loyal only to those who are the very best. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/10/29/medical-translation-growing-at-record-pace http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/10/29/medical-translation-growing-at-record-pace 1288360254 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed The demand for translators has been strong in Europe over several years. The main reason as to why this has been happening is because between 2004 and 2007 the number of official EU languages expanded from 11 to 23. In fact in 2007 an EU study found that of around 2,000 businesses, 11% had lost contracts because of a lack of language skills. Furthermore, it is predicted that the EU translation and interpreting industry is forecast to grow 10% annually and will be worth €20 billion by 2015. The European Commission has responded by launching a new drive to encourage more universities to offer translation courses. Known as ‘European Masters in Translation’ (EMT) the network of universities is hoped to help meet the growing demand for professional translation. In addition to this the EMT network is designed to add authority to the translation industry which does suffer from a lack of recognised standards and regulation. It is important to distinguish between for example a language degree and a translation degree. The language course might offer you fluency but does not prepare you for simultaneous translation, adapting translations for local needs and in general the business side of translation and interpreting. The EMT would require the university to have its course assessed by translation experts who have already earned the EMT status. Although still in its early years the EMT network is hoped to become recognised as one of the best in the translation industry. Sadly there are many EU translators who are approaching retirement but are not being replaced at the same rate. The EU language departments work to a very high standard which means that at this time only thirty percent of those applying for positions will be accepted which is only worsens the situation. For individuals looking to join a translation company, having the EMT status would provide employers an excellent reference to the candidate’s training. The employer would be safe in the knowledge that the candidate has been trained for specific translation services rather than just learning a language. For many aspiring translators and interpreters the ultimate ambition is to work for organisations such as The United Nations or the European Union. Many will start there early career in a translation agency and slowly build their way to these large and highly respected organisations. If expanded the EMT qualification would be a highly valued and practical qualification which would do wonders for the translation and interpreting industry. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/10/15/eu-urges-universities-to-offer-more-translation-courses http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/10/15/eu-urges-universities-to-offer-more-translation-courses 1287162883 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed It was one of those rare occasions when all nations came together to celebrate a global good news story. A cacophony of languages from round the world were represented by the huge international press corps that descended on San Jose’s aptly-named ‘Camp Hope’ on Wednesday the 13th of October. The rescue of the 33 Chilean miners has captured hearts and minds the world over and it’s a collectively positive feeling not seen since Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon. Emerging from the darkness provoked by ongoing widespread recession this human story has once again tapped into a universal need for positivity. More than 1,000 journalists from every corner of the planet turned out in the early hours of Wednesday morning to watch the unfolding rescue of the 33, who have been buried deep underground for 70 days. The level of interest in the event in this remote corner of South America is indicative not just of the fascination with the miners’ unlikely escape from certain death, but also perhaps the appetite of people for some feel good news, following the relentless barrage of media devoted to financial misery in the last two years. As the miners were rescued one by one, press conferences were held with professional translators and interpreters on hand to relay the up to the minute experiences and first hand accounts from the rescued men to enraptured audiences back home. It must be one of the most pleasing assignments ever engaged in by the translators and interpreters privileged enough to be there, as they sent forth the message around the world. ‘Los 33’ will be saved. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/10/14/the-world-rejoices-in-different-voices http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/10/14/the-world-rejoices-in-different-voices 1287048020 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Simultaneous translation is perhaps one the hardest forms of translation possible. It requires a level of translation that is rarely found elsewhere. With written translation the translator has time to think about the translation. Simultaneous translators have a fraction of time to call upon his training and experience. For the best possible translation there is no question that it requires a fluent level of understanding of two languages. Simultaneous translation is a key service for various organisations. In politics clear communication is essential, and therefore so is translation because without it communication might not be so clear. One organisation which has a greater need than most for translation is the United Nations. As an organisation which brings countries together, it is inevitable that there will be a need for translation at the UN and with 192 member countries that’s a lot of translation. There are six official languages of the United Nations which include English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. However that does not mean these are the only languages used at the United Nations. At major UN meetings there could be over one hundred different languages spoken between members. In the most recent general assembly of the UN, the translation provided by the organisation wasn’t quite up to its usual high standard. The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was making a speech to the UN general assembly, or at least what was left of it after several countries walked out, and it quickly became clear that there was a problem with the simultaneous translation. After experiencing technical problems, the audience who were using headsets in an attempt to hear what the Iranian president was saying in their own language, heard the following statement: “The interpreters would like to state that they are reading from a written text translated into English.” As a result the translation of the Iranian president’s speech wasn’t totally accurate. The best simultaneous translation can convey the tone and emotion in what is being said. Translating a speech written in Iranian and then translated into English and then another language isn’t going to be totally accurate. The UN is a big and important global organisation. With this in mind, if they want to complete their global objectives there are going to need translators and lots of them. As the world gets smaller thanks to technology the demand for translation will only grow and it is the major languages around the world that dominate further. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/09/28/simultaneous-translation-goes-wrong-at-un http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/09/28/simultaneous-translation-goes-wrong-at-un 1285683128 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed For some countries translation is a relatively straightforward. If you were to ask anyone in the UK “what do they speak in America?” the response would invariably be English. If you were to ask someone in the UK what language to they speak in France the answer would be French. There are however some countries where language is a bit more complex. In 1961 India carried out a census which recognized 1652 languages. A later census, carried out in 2001 found that there are 29 languages spoken by more than a million native speakers. This is what makes Indian translation such a challenge. The language spoken in India very much depends on whereabouts in India they are. The constitution of India states that “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.” However, and this is completely true, in England all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice every day. In other words, just because the Indian constitution says Hindi is the official language, it doesn’t mean it is the only language. Other languages include: Bengali (83 million speakers), Gujarati (46 million speakers), Kannada (38 million speakers), Malayalam (33 million speakers), Marathi (72 million speakers), Punjabi (29 million speakers), Tamil (61 million speakers), Telugu (74 million speakers) and finally Hindi (over 200 million speakers). India presents a fascinating challenge to linguists, translators, and businesses. The Indian economy as attracted much interest and investment from countries all over the world but how many have considered the language barrier? If a business has not prepared for this it could prove to be a significant stumbling point because without clear communication it is so easy for a service or product to end up lost in translation. On the other hand some may have theorised that because English is spoken by over 200 million Indians there is no need to place as much emphasis on language. Research does suggest that English is being studied at a tremendous rate and that although several native languages will continue to exist, the number of those who speak English as a second language will continue to grow rapidly. For a translation company the challenge of accurate Indian translation is a big one. In fact one could argue that it is unfair to group to gather so many languages under one ‘Indian translation’ category. Indian translation as a term is very inaccurate. Individuals, organisations and businesses need to be much more specific, e.g. English to Hindi translation or English to Bengali translation and so on. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/09/16/indian-language-challenges-translation http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/09/16/indian-language-challenges-translation 1284647245 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed 1. Martin Luther King – I have a Dream Aug. 28 marked the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. Full speech in video below. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon-light of hope to millions of negro slaves, who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 100 years later, the negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we’ve come here today to dramatise a shameful condition. In a sense, we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a cheque. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men – yes, black men as well as white men – would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note in so far as her citizens of colour are concerned. Instead of honouring this sacred obligation, America has given the negro people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked “insufficient funds”. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillising drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquillity in America until the negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed the negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realise that their destiny is tied up with our destiny, and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For whites only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow. I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day, on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the south with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!” And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside. Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” Speech copyright © 1963 Martin Luther King Jr, copyright renewed 1991 Coretta Scott King. All rights reserved Reprinted by arrangement with the Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr, c/o Writers House as agent for the proprietor, New York, NY ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/09/01/the-best-speech-ever-part-1 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/09/01/the-best-speech-ever-part-1 1283330204 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed The Welsh language has suffered another blow in recent news. With cost cutting being a major part of the coalition strategy to reduce the UK’s deficit, it appears that Welsh translation services for community councils could be an early victim. What makes this particularly tragic is that in parts of Wales the predominant language Welsh. Unfortunately councils have opted to conduct all its meetings in English because it cannot afford the simultaneous translation service required. With simultaneous translation those unable to speak welsh can hear any Welsh discussion through an earpiece that is provided. Without this translation service some have argued that it will erode democracy and that the Welsh language will suffer. So how might you ask does the Welsh speaking town understand what is going on at a council meeting without such a vital service? In a predominantly Welsh speaking town or village there will usually be someone who can also speak English well enough to translate what is being said. The problem with this is that the 1993 Welsh language act which places a responsibility on public bodies to treat Welsh and English on the basis of equality when providing services to the public. One could very easily argue that without the simultaneous translation service local councils are avoiding their legal obligations. This matter is yet to be finalised and the ramblings will most likely go on for some time because Welsh is a language that the country does not want to lose. It is part of their culture and identity which they are rightly proud of. As the world grows smaller, minority and tribal languages are inevitably the first to suffer as they become unsustainable and enveloped by other bigger languages. Evolution is not just limited to animals but also to languages. The survival of the fittest suggests that by the year 2100 90% of the world’s languages will no longer exist. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/24/english-languages-bulldozes-welsh-speaking-towns http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/24/english-languages-bulldozes-welsh-speaking-towns 1282664769 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed The English Oxford dictionary has added more than 2,000 words in its annual update which all our readers will be delighted to hear includes the word – Vuvuzela! Yes it is official! The editorial team for the Oxford English dictionary had no choice but to add the word vuvuzela. After a world cup with plenty of controversy such as being legally allowed to karate kick an opponent in the chest, national teams going on strike, a football as predictable in flight as a psychotic bird and blatant goals being disallowed, the vuvuzela’s addition to the oxford English dictionary seems justified to say the least. The Vuvuzela finally has the recognition it deserves and all those BBC viewer complaints about it sounding like a stampede of elephants or the biggest bee hive in the world was a massive help and your contribution is certainly appreciated. Shortly after the World Cup finished the translation service specialists, Today Translations carried out some research amongst 320 linguists and translators from over 60 countries and quickly discovered that the word ‘vuvzela’ was reported as the star performer and the word of the world cup. Furthermore, Jurga Zilinskiene MD of the translation company Today Translations, quite rightly predicted that “Long after individual matches and goals are forgotten, this will be remembered as the Vuvuzela World Cup. Thanks to the World Cup, vuvuzela has the entered the shared language of the world and joined the ranks of words that need no translation.” It has also come to light that there are in fact millions and millions of words which haven’t been approved. These are held in a very secretive vault, in filing cabinets at the Oxford University Press. Sounds more like some department of MI6 but some of these words date back hundreds of years and it really does sound like the kind of room a linguist would be happy to be locked in and for the keys to accidentally go missing for some time. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/19/oxford-dictionary-welcomes-vuvuela http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/19/oxford-dictionary-welcomes-vuvuela 1282212455 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed The recent news that the German economy grew by 2.2% between April and June has been hugely encouraging for all EU member countries. For Germany it was a record smashing period. The quarter-on-quarter growth has never been seen in reunified Germany and is testament to how well they are battling out of the recession. Germany is the biggest economy in the EU. According to the IMF (International Monetary Fund) in 2009 the German economy was the 4th largest in the world, with America first, Japan second and China third. The Eurozone itself is an economic powerhouse but in the wake of a global recession many EU member countries have had to impose significant if not major austerity measures. The most notable and widely reported have been in Greece, Spain, Romania, Ireland, France and the UK, but if truth be told all EU members have paid a price. The areas of society which have been hit hardest are state wages and pensions combined with broad attacks on social welfare systems. Other areas such as defence, education and major state development projects are likely to suffer as well. Let there be light On a much chirpier note the German economy does have a significant advantage over many other countries in that they are arguably the finest engineers in the world. The demand for German engineering will remain strong because emerging economies are becoming more industrialised which requires bespoke engineering. Germany is a world leader in the production of components for power plants and other major infrastructure projects. In China, German engineering and manufacturing businesses are so crucial that plants and factories have been set up abroad. Some might argue that this devalues Germany’s domestic engineering market but it is another cog in the chain of a globalised world. English to German translation or German to English translation also benefits because it is common for a German manufacturing company based in China to use English as the primary language because more Chinese people speak it and because it is the international business language. The growing middle classes of developing economies demand more in the way of consumer products, particularly luxury cars such as BMW and Mercedes. Sales to India for Mercedes doubled from January to July and tripled in the same period in China. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/16/english-to-german-translation-eurozone-depends-on-german-export http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/16/english-to-german-translation-eurozone-depends-on-german-export 1281967039 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Japanese to English translation is a well established and key international service. As the world’s third largest economy the country plays a crucial part to the global community and as such the demand for English to Japanese translation or Japanese to English translation is expected to remain strong for the foreseeable future. According to the Japan Foundation, which is an independent administrative organisation aiming to promote Japanese education overseas has performed regular surveys since 1979, and in their most recent (September 2009 to January 2010) the foundation found that 3.65 million people worldwide were learning Japanese, which is up 672,00 from three years earlier. Yoshiyuki Nishizawa, special assistant to the president of the foundation stated that “We’re relieved to find the number of Japanese learners worldwide has increased, even though Japanese-language education has been facing such challenges as the global economic crisis and the increasing popularity of Chinese,” 21st century Gold rush Yoshiyuki Nishizawa’s statement highlights a big challenge being faced by the Japanese language and Japanese translation, which is the growth of Chinese language, and therefore Chinese translation.  China’s economy in 2009 was listed as the world’s fourth largest by the World Bank, trailing Japan very closely. In addition the Chinese economy has been one of the world’s fastest growing economies despite the economic difficulty. Chinese is also a language which is being learnt by vast numbers in the western world because of business opportunities. In many respects it is a new frontier for business, almost like a 21st century gold rush. Waking up to Tokyo Japan is a well established economy and key part of the global community. It is natural to have changes regarding the use and education of languages as the world is not a static place, but one that evolves in relation to the way the world changes. English to Japanese translation or Japanese to English translation will continue to be a key service and part of business both in Japan and major international hubs such as London and New York. For example it is common practice for a morning stock trader in London to check how the Japanese Nikkei 225 index has performed during the early hours and gives a good overview of the Asian markets generally. Japanese culture is highly respected due to its complexity and richness. Their society has an ancient culture which still forms a key part of their identity today, for example the samurai culture is still practiced to maintain the tradition and items such as samurai swords are hugely collectable. Furthermore modern Japanese culture which includes karaoke, manga comic books and anime cartoons are followed fanatically around the world. Their cuisine is loved and hugely popular in cities everywhere. In fact Tokyo has more 3 Michelin star restaurants than any other in the world. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/13/japanese-translation-stands-strong-in-language-battle http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/13/japanese-translation-stands-strong-in-language-battle 1281707188 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed English to Arabic translation is becoming an increasingly growing requirement for growth businesses in London. Over hundreds of years foreign culture has played a huge part is shaping London society and in these days of globalisation this has become truer than ever. Trade is the driver in the recent upsurge in language translation requirements. Each country works differently, for example in Germany manufacturing and exports are key industries, whereas here in the UK there is a service based economy. All modern economies though, depend greatly on exports as a means for revenue. And so it follows that increasingly, those small and medium-sized businesses that make up much of the London economy are realising that it makes business sense to reach out to the potential customer in their own language. “Reaching out to potential customers in their own language does not have to be difficult”, said Elliott King Director of web agency, MintTwist Ltd. “Engaging customers in their own language on your own website will often nudge a potential client in their initial decision to make contact. Correctly done, the prospect will understand that they will need to have the follow-up conversation in English, and in somewhere like the Middle East this is a non-issue as English is the business language right across the region. It’s about respect – by engaging the customer upfront in their own language, the chances of winning new business goes up significantly”. Today, London is one the major financial centres in the world. The location is ideal for International businesses. New York is an eight-hour flight and the US is five hours behind. Europe is a quick trip under the channel and the UAE is just a seven hour flight. Tokyo is about eight hours ahead of us with Hong Kong a little less. From a purely financial markets based perspective there is no denying that being in London gives a business a strategic advantage. Clients from the Middle East and elsewhere understand this and they want to buy in to the small and medium-sized services businesses that exist in London. Many of them, would just like to see those same London businesses make the first move by getting some of their website translated by a professional translation services company. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/09/the-business-power-of-a-website-translation http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/09/the-business-power-of-a-website-translation 1281368046 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Chinese web surfers have been going Gaga about translating English language phrases. Now there is a new Chinese Lady Gaga that has emerged on YouTube.  He looks set to be a real star. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/04/oh-my-lady-gaga-the-chinese-lady-gaga-has-been-found http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/04/oh-my-lady-gaga-the-chinese-lady-gaga-has-been-found 1280914474 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Automatic translation has come a long way since the early days of the internet, when it seemed inevitible that we would all be using binary digits to translate between different languages. But, even the sophisticated language translation systems of today are still a far cry from a professional translation services. The automatic language translation of natural language is still limited because the power of the software and machinery are still holding things back. Or is it because the subtleties of language and translation were far more complex than most people gave credit for? Even today, the most automatic langauge translation system, including Googles own sophisticated pice of kit that is built in to the Chrome browser, cannot guarantee a perfect language translation of documents. Moreover, nobody would dream of trusting the intricacies of a novel or a poem to a machine. “The myth of fully automated translation is just that – a myth,” says Jules Simons, an independent translator for the UN, “Languages are just too complex for us to be able to make an automatic language translation system that deals with the whole process.” Not everyone agrees. “Automated translation works well enough if you simply want to get an understanding of a document,” says Eric Blassin, head of technical development for a US company that claims to be the world’s largest commercial translation services group. This is described as a “gisting” system. It will give you the gist of a document, although at the risk of significant errors or loss of sense. Automated translation can, however, save a translator time – he or she acts as a reviewer, correcting errors and mistranslations rather than working on the whole text from scratch. Today Translations’language translation professionals will work with clients to not only convey the meaning of the text, but also its rhythm, tone, melody, and allusions or metaphors.  Today Translations make use of systems that will speed up their work to enable them to provide a highly professional service at a very low price. Their talented staff of translators understand the importance of specific language traits present in todays business cultures. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/04/automatic-language-translation http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/08/04/automatic-language-translation 1280913315 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Ever since the 1970’s and the birth of the package holiday which guaranteed sun, sea and fun in abundance the British public has flocked to Spain and in particular the Costa del Sol. In certain parts of the coast it would not be uncommon to find cafes serving English breakfasts or fish and chips. Put it this way, it is unlikely you will need to translate English to Spanish because the local population is so well experienced in handling British tourists. Spanish translation to English happens most on the Costa del Sol because that is where the majority of British tourists go. On the other hand there are much quieter parts of the country which can offer so much more in the way of culture and natural beauty. When you compare towns such as Granada and Salamanca to say Valencia or Bilbao you can see two very different sides of Spain. In Salamanca and other towns there is plenty of stunning classical architecture which is reminiscent of times gone by when the world was a much simpler place and a time when you would worry about the health of your chickens rather than the health of your bank balance. In stark comparison to this you have a city like Valencia. Evidence of the 21st century is abundant in the architecture of buildings but also the city itself. The roads have been built in a very well thought out and deliberate way, with the focus being on functionality. However it would be wrong to label Valencia as completely modern 21st century city, indeed there is some amazing architecture from the past in the very heart of the city which reflects the cities naval history. This summer has in fact been somewhat different and in many ways challenging for Spain. A combination of the economic uncertainty and a poor euro exchange rate has left the Costa del Sol with acres of empty beaches and very little in the way of English to Spanish translation. According to The Office for National Statistics 15% more Brits holidayed in the UK compared to last year and the country which missed out most was Spain with the number of visitors down 19%. Exactly how much of an impact this made on Spanish to English translation is hard to gauge however with fewer tourists it is hard to imagine the industry being at its best. What many people are asking now is has the Spanish bubble burst? The answer is no. There will always be some years when due to whatever circumstance tourism will suffer, but because of its location and climate Spain will always attract tourists. Moreover it is a crucial part of the Spanish economy so as far as they are concerned it doesn’t really matter where tourists come from, so long as they come. The recent announcement that Michelle Obama will be travelling to Spain for a holiday will be eagerly anticipated by many in Spain and after the country were crowned as World Cup winners she should arrive in a country full of energy and optimism about their future. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/27/has-the-spanish-holiday-bubble-burst http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/27/has-the-spanish-holiday-bubble-burst 1280229677 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed English to Arabic translation has been increasing in demand quite steadily over the last fifteen years. It is no coincidence that in the last fifteen to twenty years countries such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Doha have experienced rapid growth in terms of infrastructure, investment and wealth. Gulf Emirate States such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Doha fuelled their growth by selling the world’s most lucrative and sought after commodity, oil. This enabled the region to improve and build up its infrastructure and it did so with huge ambition and vigour. The explanation is simple. Oil is a natural resource and sooner or later the oil wells will be drained dry. So thinking about this in the long term the leaders of Emirate States had make them much more than oil distributers. They turned their states into tourist destinations and financial centres. Being only a seven hour flight to London, places such as Dubai are easy to reach, get a lot of sunshine, not too far away from eastern financial centres such as Shanghai, Singapore and Hong King. Needless to say, where there is opportunity there is business. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) created the opportunity for investment and predictably businesses followed suit. One might argue that the opportunity came too fast and was premature. There were media reports in late 2009 that Dubai might need to be bailed out by the Americans or the IMF because it borrowed money and the ‘Credit Crunch’ was somewhat spoiling the business plan. And indeed there was borrowing but it was never realistically going to bring them down to their knees. Despite the ‘Credit ‘Crunch’ during 2008/2009 economies around the world are much more stable. However it is now European countries which are imposing austerity measures and doubt still remains over the British and American economy. Unfortunately the recovery still has a way to go. Forbes magazine is one the most respected business magazine’s in the world and it is published everywhere to an audience of 6 million readers and their website is viewed by more than an estimated 18 million people per month. If you combine that with the other Forbes media websites it is estimated that approximately 40 million businessmen and businesswomen will use their sites. In a move which reflects the growing financial prowess of the UAE Forbes announced the signing of an agreement to launch Forbes Middle East in partnership with Aran Publisher House. The launch is going to be held in Dubai and the first issued has been penned in for October 2010. Whilst English to Arabic translation has been growing service in many places around the world, one could easily argue that the trend will continue and will perhaps accelerate in the coming years. This is because as companies grow in places such as Dubai they will also want to expand to other countries which will create further demand to translate English to Arabic. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/21/english-to-arabic-translation-forbes-middle-east-to-launch-in-october-2010 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/21/english-to-arabic-translation-forbes-middle-east-to-launch-in-october-2010 1279702419 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed Certified translation There are many businesses and individuals who require translation services and specifically certified translation. For some businesses it may be more frequent and for individuals it might be common for the translation to be a one of. However these individual translations could be very important, say in translating your birth certificate so you can apply for citizenship or a passport. For businesses which deal with legal matters every document that enters a court room is going to be very important. For a business that is entering a foreign market the challenge of accurate translation also requires an in depth understanding of that country’s culture. Ultimately culture has a big impact language and therefore needs to be incorporated into the translation service. So to any company considering going into Europe, China, America, South America, wherever it may be, if you don’t use accurate translation which does require local knowledge you will pay the price. If a business is going into foreign markets that would typically be an encouraging sign. After all it is costly and can be risky so to be in that position means you are probably doing something or several things right. For well established companies with larger budgets at their disposal there can be no excuse for poor planning or execution. However one problem still remains, which is how will you know your translated document is in fact accurate and culturally sensitive? The very reason you had the document translated in the first place is because you can’t speak the language of the country the document has been translated into. How can you distinguish accurate translation from one company’s translation to another? Thankfully within the world of professional translation services it is possible to distinguish between the very best and most accurate translation from the most average of translation which is riddled with cultural errors. Certified Translator To find a company which can do the most professional translation work there are a couple of things you need to look for. The first is whether or not the translation company is a member of the Association of Translation companies, where each member is carefully vetted before admission to the association. The second aspect to look for is the range and type of services the company offer. For example if a company is only dealing with a couple of languages and only in a generic way, it might be best to steer clear. However if a company can do financial translation, medical translation, industrial translation and finally and most importantly an affidavit service, you’re on to a winner. Many people are in fact unaware of this service or don’t quite understand it completely. So to shed a little more light on the subject it can be described as legally verified translation. For example your translation company using a certified translator will translate the desired document and will then have it signed of in person by a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths, verifying the accuracy of the certified translation. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/19/how-to-trust-a-translation-company http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/19/how-to-trust-a-translation-company 1279529705 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed They made an infernal noise during the World Cup. They prevented commentators from hearing their own voice. People bought them in their thousands and annoyed their neighbours. But the vuvuzela has helped the translation company Today Translations make another big noise all around the world. Our news story, which reported on our global poll of language experts into ‘the word of the World Cup’, has been picked up by news and social media outfits throughout the footballing world and beyond. Yahoo! Spain, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace (France), South Africa’s Times Live, the New Zealand Herald, The West Australian, Yahoo!7 Sport (also Australia), Venevision TV and Globovision TV (both Venezuela) and Zee News (India) were just some of the outlets that reported on the story. News groups from Mexico, Canada, Chile, the Middle East, Turkey, Argentina, Spain, Belgium and the Philippines also got in on the act, as well as numerous weblogs and micro-blogging site Twitter. For the survey, over 300 linguists in 60 countries voted vuvuzela the single word ‘that has made the biggest impact on the 2010 World Cup, and that it will be best remembered for’. The word beat ‘waka’ (from ‘Waka Waka/This time for Africa, the official World Cup song), ‘Jabulani’ (the official match ball), Zakumi (the World Cup mascot) and ‘bafana’ (as in bafana bafana, the South African team’s nickname) to the title. MD of Today Translation Jurga Zilinskiene said, “Long after individual matches and goals are forgotten, this will be remembered as the vuvuzela World Cup. Thanks to the World Cup, ‘vuvuzela’ has entered the shared language of the world and joined the ranks of words that need no translation.” Jurga believes it has made the biggest World Cup impact of any word since 2006′s WAGs (wives and girlfriends). “WAGs was probably the word of the last World Cup. But the big difference is that it was mainly a British term, whereas ‘vuvuzela’ is now a global one.” ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/15/translation-company-poll-makes-a-big-noise-all-over-the-world http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/15/translation-company-poll-makes-a-big-noise-all-over-the-world 1279195375 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed In a global poll of language experts across more than 60 countries the word “Vuvuzela” outperformed “Waka Waka”, “Jabulani”, “bafana” and “Zakumi”. It has without question made the biggest World Cup impact of any word since “WAG’s” in the 2006 World Cup. “Vuvuzela” has been voted the “word of the World Cup”, in a global poll of language experts and translation services in over 60 countries. The linguists voted it the single word “that has made the biggest impact on the 2010 World Cup, and that it will be best remembered for”. Vuvuzela, the long, coloured plastic horn or trumpet blown loudly by World Cup spectators, won a landslide victory in a survey of linguists conducted by Today Translations, a London-based translation company with a network of 2,600 linguists in over 60 countries. It far out-pointed “Waka” (as in “Waka Waka”/ “This Time for Africa”, the official World Cup song, sung by Shakira), which came in second place, itself well ahead of the three words in joint third place: • Jabulani (the official match ball of the World Cup) • Zakumi (the official World Cup mascot), and • bafana (as in “bafana bafana”/”the boys the boys”, the nickname of the South African national team) Over 320 linguists from over 60 countries voted in the poll. “Long after individual matches and goals are forgotten, this will be remembered as the “Vuvuzela World Cup”, predicts Jurga Zilinskiene, MD of the translation company Today Translations. “Thanks to the World Cup, vuvuzela has the entered the shared language of the world and joined the ranks of words that need no translation.” In fact, adds Zilinskiene, it has made the biggest World Cup impact of any word since  “WAGs” – the acronym for “Wives And Girlfriends”, particularly those of the England football players. “WAGs was probably the word of the last World Cup, in 2006”, says Zilinskiene. “But the big difference is that it was mainly a British term, whereas “Vuvuzela” is now a global one.” Origins of the term “vuvuzela” The origin of the word “vuvuzela” is disputed. “Some argue that it originates from the Zulu for ‘making a loud noise. Others maintain it relates to township slang for the word ‘shower’, because it ‘showers people with music.” Another theory for the latter derivation is that it resembles a shower-head. Wikipedia adds: “It was first used in South Africa from the Zulu language or Nguni dialect meaning to make a vuvu sound (directly translated: vuvu-ing)”. And the runners-up were… Second place in the poll went to “Waka”, as in “Waka Waka”, the title of the official 2010 World Cup song, sung by Shakira. The English title of the song is “This Time For Africa”, but, according to the most common view, the word “waka” is a Swahili or Kiswahili word variously translated as “shine”, “be lighted”, “blaze” or “burn brightly”. In joint third place was “Jabulani” , the name of the official but controversial World Cup ball. It means “rejoice” or “bring joy and happiness” in Zulu. Also joint third was “Zakumi”, the official World Cup mascot and a cheery leopard with green hair.  “His name”, says Wikipedia, “comes from “ZA”, the ISO code for South Africa and “kumi”, a word that means ten in several African languages.” The final word to share joint third place was “Bafana”, as in “Bafana Bafana”, the nickname of the South African national football team. “Bafana” literally means ‘the boys’ in Nguni languages such as IxiXhosa and IsiZulu. ... http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/13/translation-services-vuvuzela-named-word-of-the-world-cup http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/2010/07/13/translation-services-vuvuzela-named-word-of-the-world-cup 1279018163 http://www.todaytranslations.com/blog/feed