Tips On How To Start a Career In Translation by Angelo Castelda

Becoming a language professional is a good career choice because language is universal. Everyone uses language every day of their lives, which means there are always careers in language. One viable career in this field is translation, which is very popular.

Translation professionals can work in-house or freelance in both the public and private sectors. They are trained to translate one language into another professionally. Typically, translators work with written languages while interpreters work with spoken languages, although both jobs involve working between at least two languages.

Speaking more than one language will get you one step closer to being a professional translator. However, there are different routes you can take with this job. Here are some useful tips to help you get started.

Hone your skills in your source language

Your target language is your native language; the one you’ve been speaking since birth. So the first thing you should do is to study and train in your source language extensively.

If your target language is a common one, then you’re likely to find more translation jobs. However, with a common language, expect more competition from other translators.

For example, professional English to Filipino language translation in the Philippines is common because English is their second language. That’s why translators have to study and train to be better than their peers to land more jobs.

Getting advanced degrees in your source language will also set you apart from your peers. You can choose to study in a school or earn a degree from an online university and then take language exams to measure your fluency.

Consider specializing in an industry

You can work in different industries as a translator. Specializing in one will help you to work in specific sectors. You have to know the jargon and terminology to work in specific fields.

You can look for a tutor or online learning resources to help you specialise. For example, you could study Spanish medical terms to learn how to translate them into your target language.

Get accredited or certified

Much like language teachers, translators can also get certified or accredited. Being certified by a credible certification provider in language translation will boost your chances of landing a job in both the public and private sectors.

If you plan to work in an industry, there are also industry-specific certifications you can get offered to interpreters. Although it’s not for translators, getting an industry-specific certification for interpreters still shows you know and can translate language in a specific field. Thus, it’ll still help in landing you a job.

Learn translation-related computer skills

Many translation jobs require a good knowledge of computer programs. Computer programs can help translators to work faster and more efficiently. You will find many job opportunities that require knowledge of those programs, so learn how to use them.

Some language translation programs commonly required by agencies include:

• memoQ
• SDL Trados Studio
• Memsource
• Wordfast

Some translation software is free, while others are available with one-off payments or paid subscriptions. These tools help improve translation in different ways and can help with spelling and grammar corrections and analyzing points where text has been mistranslated.

Gain experience

The sad reality is that you need experience to land a job also applies to becoming a professional translator. Before you begin searching and applying for job openings, you should first gain experience.

You can do so by working as a freelance translator. This is a good way to gain experience that you can add to your resume. Once you get contracted for more freelance work, you’ll gain more experience and be able to earn more.

You may get your first translation gig from an acquaintance or business connection and many companies accept freelance translators for online work.

Let's Round-Up

There are various options for linguists looking to work as translators. But before you apply for any job, you have to do your due diligence. Make sure that you're a translator that companies will seek to hire.

Angelo Castelda is a freelance writer from Asia. Besides writing, he also spends his time traveling and learning about diverse cultures and languages, which opened his heart more to learning and imparting knowledge about language translation.

How to Deliver Better Healthcare by Using Medical Translation Services by Ofer Tirosh

Productive and efficient communication is one of the main factors in delivering better healthcare. With strong communication, patients can learn how to take their treatments, can ask questions about conditions that are bothering them, and can discuss how they are being cared for. One of the hardest barriers to overcome in healthcare communication is the language barrier. As such, we’ve taken a look at how medical translation services can help you deliver better healthcare.

Why is Medical Translation Important?

If you work in healthcare, medical translation is a service you simply can’t ignore. The importance of medical interpreters was displayed when they played a decisive role in the creation and implementation of government policies regarding health and disaster response and mitigation

According to Medicare and Medicaid Services, a 2017 survey asked healthcare providers to estimate how many of their patients spoke a language other than English at home. 23% of respondents estimated that 21-40% of their patients spoke a language other than English at home. 9% estimated that 41-60% spoke a language other than English, 5% estimated that it was 61-80% of their patients who did so, while 3% of respondents estimated that 81%-100% of their patients spoke an alternative language to English at home.

The wider societal figures help to put this in context. Between 2009 and 2013, about 25 million people in the US spoke English less than very well, according to the US Census Bureau.

Cleary, people who speak another language make up a large portion of patients. And healthcare providers must communicate well with those patients if they wish to deliver the best possible care.

The report from Medicare and Medicaid Services also asked how providers meet the needs of patients who speak another language:

• Just under 24% said they are contracted with interpreter services.
• Only 10% said they track language preferences in medical records.
• Around 16% said they did not know what strategies were used to address language needs.

Large parts of the medical industry have a long way to go in meeting the language needs of its patients, according to this survey.  

Being sick can already be a harrowing experience. When the healthcare providers are difficult to communicate with because of language barriers, it can be downright frightening, as you struggle to understand what is wrong with you and how to treat it. On the provider’s end, it can be stressful not to know if the patient is understanding vital treatment instructions.  

Medical translation can deliver a more comforting experience for patients and a smoother, faster process for healthcare providers.

What Is Medical Translation?  

 An important distinction to start with is the difference between medical translation and interpretation.

Interpretation covers any type of service that converts spoken language as it’s being said. In healthcare, interpreters are often present in the examination room with the patient and the doctor. More recently, due to quarantining and the increased convenience of portable devices, video remote interpretation is becoming more popular in the medical field. The interpreter simply works over a video call instead of in person.

What does translation mean in medical terms? And what is a translation service? Medical translation handles converting written text into another language (or perhaps verbal commentary in the case of audio or video translation). Medical translation may handle documents such as medical bulletins, drug data sheets, training materials, and plenty more. It can include functions within healthcare as well, such as medical device manufacturing, medical marketing, or documentation for clinical, regulatory, or technical needs.

Accuracy is paramount. A mistranslation in the medical industry could have disastrous consequences. It could mean a drug is misrepresented, instructions for using a medical device could be wrong or someone could administer a treatment improperly. As such, decent medical translation services work in several steps to ensure quality:

· Initial communication between the client and translator establishes any medical terminology or meanings that should stay intact in the text.

• The text is extracted from the original document.
• That text is then line-by-line translated into the new language.

· An editor typically checks to make sure the translator followed certain medical terminology, overall meaning, and standards within the industry.

• The translation is put back into its original format.
• A proofreader looks over the document, checking for larger issues like layout problems.
• After these steps, the document gets sent back to the client.

This is an example of what medical translation tends to look like. The stages can vary slightly. For instance, larger translation agencies might have multiple people at different stages of the process, whereas a single translator could handle different stages themselves.

The important point to take away is that a good medical translator or agency will have multiple stages of review. They will check the document against approved medical terminology and industry standards.  

How to Find Top Medical Translation Services

Because medical translation is so important, you need to make sure you are sourcing and vetting your medical translation service well.  

A top way people find translation services is to ask around their professional network. If people have had a good experience with a translation service, they may be inclined to recommend it. You might also search online. Either way, make sure a medical translation agency is at the top of its game by checking that: 

• The website is professional and modern.
• The agency or translator has some way to prove they are experienced through portfolios of past work, client testimonials, or references.
• Your point of contact is timely and detailed in their communication; they should be able to outline quickly their whole process for assuring quality reviews, for instance.
• The agency or translator is knowledgeable about industry standards and medical terminology for their type of translation work. For example, certain ISO types for medical device manufacturing.
• The translator has some type of professional development, such as a degree in translation, volunteer work, internships, or agency work, and that they belong to a professional organization for translators and/or are certified.  

By properly vetting your medical translator, you can better assure that the translation you get back will be accurate and comply with industry standards. This is key to driving up standards for non-English speaking patients across your healthcare provision.

Ofer Tirosh is the CEO of Tomedes. He is an author who focuses on linguistics and the importance of foreign language in globalization and localization.

Why You Shouldn’t Rely On Machine Translation by Emma Collins

Faster and cheaper – these are the two key advantages of machine translation. Technology has enabled us to rely on machines to translate heaps of information all at once. However, there are still several downsides to the service. For one, accuracy isn’t always on point, which is where human translation comes in.

The Shortcomings of Machine Translation

However promising machine translation is, there are still several types of document that probably won't be translated perfectly. Here are some examples.

Medical Documents

Medical documents like dossiers, user guides, and research protocols require the utmost care when translating. After all, it could be a matter of life or death. Medical reports must be translated accurately. Unfortunately, machine translation can't guarantee that.

One of the pitfalls of machine translation is its over-literal translation. Since there can be a lot of medical jargon in documents, the context can be hugely important and you need to get every term right.

Speed is also an important factor. Although human translators translate at a slower rate, they can ensure that the proper meaning is retained.

Legal Documents

Legal documents are usually highly confidential so using free machine translation tools can be too risky. Free translation services like Google Translate or Bing Translator store the text you input to improve performance. Although this is a legitimate reason, this can pose a threat to your data privacy. Legally binding contracts, for example, should never be run through these tools.

Using free machine translators can seem cost-effective at first but the mistakes can be expensive. It’s better to put your trust in professional translators who can keep sensitive information safe.

Immigration Documents 

Machine translation is not consistent across different languages and immigration documents often contain specific content that may not be easily translatable to certain languages. Machine translation also does not offer any understanding of cultural references that can be integral to your immigration documents.

Moreover, birth certificate translation requires careful analysis of the different formats of birth certificates. For example, if you want to translate your birth certificate in the US, you need to adhere to the rules of the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS). They have a rigid set of rules that you need to consider if you want to have a smooth immigration process.

These nuances are considered by human translators as they always seek advice from professionals.

Marketing Materials

Translations should not only convey information but also emotion. Although machine translation could work with technical content, it cannot be used for marketing.

Advertising and other marketing strategies are directed towards humans. Effective marketing aims to persuade and this is usually done by evoking emotional responses to change people’s behavior. Machine translation fails to convey nuance.

If marketing content is produced by machine translation, the editorial touch could be lost and it won’t be effective. Being too literal in your approach rarely succeeds and slogans and taglines work because it creates an effective call-to-action that's aimed at humans. As such, you have to leave it to marketers and human translators.

Financial Documents

Financial documents like financial statements, SEC filings, and business correspondence, follow a certain format to comply with different regulations. Outside the format, these documents also require an extensive understanding of the specialized language of global trade and financial reporting.

Financial documents contain several figures that machine translation can’t comprehend. Hence, you need to find people who can grasp the relevance of these figures. What does it mean to have "x amount of sales"?  Financial documents are often written with insights that machine translation can’t capture.

Lastly, you also need to consider the readability of your documents. Even if you were successful in translating your financial documents, you also need to ensure that it can be understood by your readers.

Machine Translation Efficiency

Machine translation has gained popularity because of its efficiency. However, efficiency doesn't always translate to accuracy.

In any document, accuracy is always a priority and is paramount to almost any type of service. A single translation error can lead to serious consequences. Although still imperfect, human translators could offer context and understanding that can produce a more reliable translation.

Emma Collins is a creative thinking content creator who specializes in blogging and copywriting. You can find her on Twitter.

How And Why To Paraphrase Text By Using Back-Translation by Beatrice Beard

It can be a real chore having to paraphrase a block of text. Reading and paraphrasing text takes a good amount of time and often requires the help of a thesaurus to guide you through the changes.

There are lots of reasons that you might want to paraphrase text and it's becoming an increasingly important job as content development has become more and more important online. There are also more nefarious reasons (like wanting to take someone else's writing) but there are plenty of interesting reasons as to why you need to get the job done. 

Given that it's tedious doing it by hand, how can get it done more easily? Through back-translating. 

Let's take a look at how that works.

The Back Translating Process

The process of back translating involves Google's 'Translate' tool, traditionally used for giving translations into one of the over 100 languages that Google offers. "The process is a three-part one, that is very simple and only takes a matter of seconds initially and will speed up your paraphrasing job", explains Chloe Calhoun, writer at WriteMyx and BritStudent.

Step 1: Take whatever the piece of text is that you want to paraphrase and put it into Google Translate. Make sure that it isn’t too long. Google Translate has a 5000 character limit so make sure that your block of text fits in with that. 

Step 2: Translate the text into a foreign language. Ideally, choose one that is noticeably dissimilar to English. Try languages with non-Roman alphabets, or which are simply very different from English. I find that Korean, Irish and Russian are all quite effective languages.

Step 3: Translate the resulting foreign text back into English. The text you are left with will be similar to the original but have some noticeable differences between individual words and turns of phrase.

There you have it, a nice and convenient way to paraphrase text and come up with something similar but different. The work of only a few minutes.

Why Back-Translate Text?

There can be many different reasons that you might want to perform this process and everyone will have a particular desire for having back-translated paraphrased text.

Having the meaning preserved across lots of subtly different texts can be useful for data scientists who need large swathes of textual data to experiment on. This sort of 'multiplying' effect can be useful for lots of other areas as well but will depend on the individual.

“People do try and use back-translating as a method for plagiarizing work. A word of warning if this is you. If you are using it for anything where that is expressly discouraged, you will almost certainly get caught”, says Laura Park, lingua blogger at 1Day2Write and NextCoursework. It won't fool anyone who is on the lookout for it, so it is not recommended. Furthermore, plagiarizing, in general, isn't recommended. Just write it yourself, it shouldn't be too complex.

Another reason to back-translate is to compare translations and refine the meaning. The way that a back translation will take on synonyms and offer alternative turns of phrase is a really interesting way to look at improving and sharpening translation. You can back translate into different languages or the same language multiple times and you will keep landing on different versions of the same text. It gives you a new way to look at language and translation. You can also compare the translations given to the same piece of English text by different languages which can be useful for anyone involved in linguistics to make interesting judgements about the nature of the different languages that are being tested. This can be a really interesting process that can teach a lot.

Hopefully, this article will help you next time you need to paraphrase text for whatever reason that you might have. It's not in the least bit complicated and we should be grateful that such a useful tool is so readily available to us for our use.

Beatrice is a professional copywriter at OriginWritings and AcademicBrits specializing in academic literature. She is considered a wonderful resource in her work at PhdKingdom, where she advises beginner writers uncovering all the peculiarities of creating content that sells.

5 Ways Professional Translations Can Help in Business Growth by Vanessa Anderson

Rapid expansion and access to foreign markets is the aim of many businesses. In the competitive environment of the business world, if you want to make your mark and leave a lasting impact on the target markets, you have to provide them with a customized experience. For targeting foreign markets, the first thing required is a translation of your online profile into their mother tongue.

Language barriers are one of the biggest hurdles that impact your traffic and rate of conversion. If you want to cater to a diverse audience, you must make sure that these are communicated in a language that they completely understand.

Your company website basically serves as your online office. It's a place where potential clients can get to know more about your products and services. How it appears and what content is available also reflects your professional efficiency. It's critical that your content is available in the local language of the target market.

For a quality translation of your website and other content, it's important that you hire a reliable, qualified, and experienced translation partner. Their service can add value to your business by tailoring your content so that it's suitable for the audience.

No matter what you do, if you're after global success, you are advised to take translation services for creative translation of your brand profile. It will add to your credibility and improve online visibility as well.

If you are still having second thoughts regarding the importance of business translation, we've got you covered. Here are 5 major ways through which translations can help in your business growth.

Easy Access to Global Markets

You must be aware of the fact that the world does not only revolve around English-speaking people. For catering to other lucrative markets all around the world, it's vital that you get your business website translated into their language. Expanding your business into new markets is not easy. However, if you present content in their own language, you can become successful in less time. Simply put, making your website multilingual will make it easier to access multiple foreign markets. Therefore, you must hire professional translation partners for transforming your content into their native tongue.

Effective Localization

Another major perk of taking translation services for your business is that you will get culturally tailored content which will help in enticing the foreign target audience. Professional translations customize the content to cater to local sensitivities and integrate said cultural sensitivities. In short, the professional translation services transcreate your content to make it resonate with the foreign audience so that it can leave a positive impact on them and improve your credibility. The more localized experience you provide them, the more your rate of conversion increases.

Fruitful Marketing Resource

Your translated website can add to your marketing efforts and help your business to grow. In addition to the translation of your websites and other online material, the translation of marketing content is also important. Targeting the foreign audience with customized content will deliver enhanced impact. This is where translation services can be valuable.

Increased Customer Satisfaction

Along with several other tips of attracting new target markets, the most effective one is providing them with a comfortable and pleasant experience. When a non-English speaking audience visits your website and finds the content tailored in their own language as per their regional and cultural preferences, it makes them feel valued. Related content can provide potential and regular customers with an enhanced experience. Thus, translation services can aid in improving your customer engagement that can add to your business growth in the long run.

SEO

One of the most beneficial aspects of translating your company website is enhanced online visibility. By taking the assistance of expert translators, you can boost your SEO and get higher rankings on multiple search engines. Multilingual SEO can help your website to get improved ranking on different search engines including Google, Yandex, Baidu, and others. Thus, if you want to be a big name all across the globe, translations from a reputable company can help you achieve this.

Hiring a credible translation agency can add to your business growth. In fact, it is essential for attracting foreign markets. A meticulously translated content can add to your credibility, help in marketing and improve online appearance. If you aspire to go global, you must consider taking translation services.

Vanessa Anderson is an enthusiastic creative writer. In addition to writing for multiple foreign corporations, she enjoys writing poems on current social issues.

5 Major Challenges of Becoming a Freelance Translator by Kristin Savage

Starting a career can be a rocky road for people in most professions. You're entering a completely new chapter of your life and you have no idea where to start or what to expect. Suddenly, you're no longer in school and the fight for your place in the market is beginning.

The same is true for freelance translators. Even though you initially may feel that your knowledge of the languages and internet access is everything you need, there's more to it than that. The truth is, there are some major challenges ahead and you won't be able to avoid them all. However, you can overcome these challenges if you put in some serious effort and arm yourself with patience and persistence.

Here are 5 major challenges every new freelance translator needs to face at the beginning of their career.

1. Finding Clients

First things first, you need to decide where and how you’re going to find clients. You may think that all you need to do is set up a social media account and wait for the offers to come rolling in. However, that’s not how things work.

Setting up a business page on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., is a good start, but it won't take you very far. The truth is, you need to start networking.

Start by creating a profile on freelancing websites and start hunting for gigs. Be persistent and send as many proposals as possible since the first job is always the hardest to get.

Apart from freelancing platforms, get in touch with translation agencies looking for remote translators. Regardless of the job openings they have, reach out to them and let them know that you're available for projects.

The bottom line is, if you want to succeed as a freelancer, you need to be applying for jobs, sending emails, calling and asking questions tirelessly. It's the only way for you to seal that first deal.

2. Setting a Price

Another challenge that many freelance translators face is setting a price. You need to set the rate which suits both you and your client.

But how can you know what’s the right price?

Rule number one: do not underestimate yourself. Just because you’re new doesn’t mean you should be charging less than everyone else.

Rule number two: do not overestimate yourself. You know you’re good, but the market still doesn’t. Don’t go crazy with your initial rate.

The best recipe for setting the perfect rate is research. Sniff around and learn about your competitors. Find out how good they are, how many clients and working experience they have.

Once you have a clear picture of what’s on the market, you’ll be able to set the perfect rate for yourself at your beginning.

Remember, once you get on your feet and seal a couple of deals, you’ll be able to slowly increase your rate.

3. Managing Deadlines

Deadlines are a translator’s worst enemy. Or are they?

Many freelance translators will tell you the worst thing about their job is the impossible deadlines they constantly need to deal with.

Their clients seem to be unreasonable when it comes to setting the deadline. This is why it often happens that a freelancer needs to work all night in order to meet the deadline.

Why does this happen?

The truth is, newer freelancers tend to accept as many projects as possible rather than refusing offers and letting their clients down. This is normal and not at all surprising. However, this strategy may start working against you.

What if you take on too many projects and fail to complete them?

What if you complete them but it turns out to be low quality?

“Instead of embarrassing yourself in front of the clients, it’s better to stay organized and modest.  Take only the projects you’re absolutely certain you can complete in time” says Dina Indelicato, a content contributor at PickWriters.

As time goes by, you’ll be able to make the right judgment call and take the exact amount of work you can complete properly.

4. Standing out from the Competition

Let’s be honest, the competition on the freelancing market is harsh. Especially if you’re only just getting started. There are people with much more experience killing the game and you’re supposed to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

But, how can you do it?

In order to make the difference between yourself and the competition, there’s a couple of things you need to cover:

• a killer CV
• a great cover letter with strong points and a personal note
• confidence
• social media as a portfolio

You have nothing to lose so make sure to invest all your efforts into creating the perfect application documentation and a winning attitude.

5. Time Zones and Cultural Differences

When you’re a translator, you’re often collaborating with or working for people from different cultural backgrounds. This means that your viewpoints might be different and you might experience some trouble communicating with them.

The time zones are always a barrier but with a bit of understanding, you can easily establish a regular communication flow with your clients.

Cultural differences are the tricky part. In order to be a good translator, you need to know how to deal with culture-specific references within the text. Don’t be hasty when making translating decisions. 

Keep in mind that the reader of the target text might not be familiar with the source text and the circumstances it was created in.

Starting out as a freelance translator implies that you need to be ready to take things into your own hands and start fighting for your spot. It’s highly important that you’re determined to succeed and you’re aware that it’s not going to be as easy as one might think.

The challenges listed above are something most freelancers have to deal with when starting out. Luckily, you’re now ready to face them and overcome them. Preparation is key, so think about the solutions for each of these challenges and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she had found herself as a freelance writer. You can find her on Facebook.

Difficulties Professional Translators Face at the Start of their Careers by Jeff Blaylock

Have you just graduated university? Congratulations! Translation requires a profound understanding of at least two languages as well as language skills. Before you start writing your CV, take the time to sit down and think about the challenges that lie ahead. So what should you be thinking about?

Specialization

When you start your translation career, you should have a specialization in mind. Think about the types of texts you enjoy translating. In order to specialize, you're going to need to be an expert in the field, have a profound knowledge of the terminology, and be familiar with all the writing conventions of your specialization. Common specializations include medical, legal, and academic translation.

Setting Your Rates

New translators often find setting their rates difficult. You should check the average prices for your language pairs and for translators where you are. A translator's rates will vary depending on their speed, experience, and expertise. Make sure that your price is fair, reflecting your translation skills.

Given that new translators will have little to no experience, it's understandable that their rates will be lower than their experienced counterparts. However, make sure you're not working for peanuts since this will have a negative effect on your self-esteem and on how potential clients see you.

Investing in Knowledge

Young and ambitious translators often make the mistake of thinking that once they've got their degree, they know everything they need to know about translation. However, after several years in the industry, you'll see just how little you knew.

Many new translators end up having to make several concessions. Firstly, it'll be difficult to command the same salary as other translators who've been in the industry for a while. To circumvent this problem, you should invest your time gaining new translation skills. By improving your skill set, you'll find it easier offsetting any lack of experience.

Since you'll probably have more free time when looking for your first projects, you'll have a lot of time for personal development.

Using Technology

Time is money. If you want to work more effectively, you should use modern technology to help you translate more quickly. While older translators might be averse to using modern technology, younger translators probably already have a good understanding of the latest technology.

When it comes to translation, both speed and quality are hugely important and clients almost always ask for both. Using CAT tools can help you translate more quickly but you can also use technology to watch webinars and complete digital training programs.

Enjoying Translation

You should enjoy your work. Of course, there'll be hard times when you're only thinking about your paycheck, you'll doubt that you made the right decision, and you'll start thinking you've chosen the wrong career. Translation is tough and it can be so mentally draining that you can start feeling trained after spending just five hours translating. Make sure you rest as much as possible.

Make sure that you keep developing your translation skills at time like these. They'll come in handy when things get difficult.

Jeff Blaylock is a freelance writer and translator who's worked for customwriting.com for five years. He's a passionate traveler who loves nature. He loves spending time in libraries and learning new things.

Languages Online: The Best of November 2017

Here are our favourite stories about language from last month. Let's dive straight in...

10: 6 Steps To Listen Your Way To A Better Accent In Any Language on I Will Teach You a Language

If you're struggling with accurately replicating the accent in your foreign language, this article shows you how to do it by just listening. While it only features 4 steps when we first published it on our Facebook Page, two more steps have been added. This article just keeps on giving.

9: Kazakhstan Is Changing Its Alphabet - Here's Why on The Independent

This article covers the news that Kazakhstan is looking to adopt the Latin alphabet. While the country has traditionally used the Russian Cyrillic script, decisions have been made to use the same alphabet as many countries in the West do in order to improve the country's global integration.

8: J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' Translated To Scots, Marking 80th Language on NPR

Harry Potter fans north of the border (if you're in the UK) should rejoice at the news that the first book has been translated into Scots. You should listen to the interview on NPR to hear a sample of it.

7: We put Google's new language-translation headphones to the test with 10 different languages — here’s how they did on Business Insider

There's been a lot of buzz about Google's headphones and how they'll do away with translators by giving everyone access to live interpreting wherever they go. However, as Business Insider found out, they're not ideal.

6: Why written languages look alike the world over on Science

While you wouldn't say that the Latin alphabet and the Cyrillic script are the same (Kazakhstan is looking to change from the latter to the former, after all), there are a number of characters in both that have very common roots. In this article, you'll find out why there are so many similarities between human writing systems.

5: No more middots: French PM clamps down on gender-neutral language on The Guardian

The French language's latest controversy comes in the form of gender. French is now trying to include gender-neutral versions of words to rectify the problem with middots, a punctuation mark that looks like a full-stop but in the middle of a line. Traditionalists, including the French PM, are not happy.

4: Five languages Brexit Britons should learn on Financial Times

Without trying to speculate on the future of the UK, it's fair to say that it probably wouldn't be able to survive as an isolated nation like North Korea. This means that languages are still going to be useful in the future and here's an interesting article on which languages might be useful for those in the UK.

3: From inboxing to thought showers: how business bullshit took over on The Guardian

If you're like me and you hate business English, you should definitely check out this article. Unfortunately, it looks like the ridiculous use of English employed in offices and boardrooms around the country isn't going anywhere, though.

2: What are the Most Spoken Languages in the World? on Fluent in 3 Months

Which is the most spoken language in the world? Should you just count native speakers or should you consider how many people speak it as a foreign language? What about those who learn the language as a foreign language? There are a lot of questions to answer just to answer a seemingly-simple question. This article aims to address a few of them.

1: A ‘critical juncture’ for language learning in the UK on Times Higher Education

Our most popular article this month was on the future of learning languages in the UK. As you may have heard, the UK is leaving the European Union. With a potentially-massive political shift occurring, the UK has a lot of questions to answer about how it's going to conduct itself in the future and how it teaches foreign languages is one of the biggest questions.

Were there any great language articles in November that we missed? Feel free to tell us and our readers about them in the comments below.

It's So Fluffy! What Does "Fluffy" Mean If You Don't Speak English?

The other day I came across something sort of weird... the word "fluffy" isn't very universal. Sure, a lot of languages have similar words, but none are exactly the same. I currently live in Spain, and I've found that my Spanish-speaking friends who speak English understand it, while those who don't can't find a useful translation that really encompasses everything the English word means.

So what does it mean? If you look "fluffy" up in a dictionary, the first definition you might get is: "of, resembling, or covered with fluff".

You must admit, that's pretty useless if you don't know what "fluff" is.

Apparently, "fluff" is "soft fibres from fabrics such as wool or cotton which accumulate in small light clumps".

In English, clouds can be fluffy, clothing can be fluffy, and above all, soft toys can be fluffy. If you've ever seen the film Despicable Me (in English), you'll have seen, without a doubt, the best example of "fluffy" in use.

In the film, a young girl named Agnes sees a plush unicorn toy at a funfair and exclaims "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!", a perfectly natural reaction to such an incredible and "fluffy" prize. Take a look at the following clip:

As you can see, you can check out this scene out in a multitude of languages. If you go straight to European Spanish, which started the whole debate, you'll see she uses the adjective blandito (soft), while the Mexican Spanish version uses hermoso (beautiful). Here's the European Spanish version for your viewing pleasure:

I'm not criticising the dubbing here, but just pointing out that maybe "fluffy" doesn't really exist or work well in Spanish. However, let's have a look at how they dealt with it in France...

The French version says C'est trop génial!, which is more or less "It's brilliant!", which completely ignores the plush and fluffy nature of the soft toy. However, it doesn't make the scene any less cute!

These aren't the only two examples. The Italian version uses morbido (soft) and the Portuguese version uses fofo (cute).

However, I don't think it's just a Romance language issue! For Danish, they chose to use nuttet (cute).

From the versions available, I reckon German comes the closest with the term flauschig, which apparently means "fleecy" (though I'm not a German expert). To me, that seems quite adequate when it comes to describing the unicorn, don't you think?

Finally, there's the Swedish version, for which I have no idea. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Here it is:

Apparently the word is fluffsi, or something like that. Is this accurate or a loanword?

When it comes to the word "fluffy", is it uniquely English or just a lacuna between English and Romance languages? Do you have a better translation in your own language? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below, especially Swedish speakers, since your dubbing has me bamboozled!

Languages in the News: July 2016

July has been quite a month for language news. Today we thought we'd look at some of the best language related stories from this month. Let's get straight to it!

Right at the start of the month, Forbes posted an interesting article on Facebook on how it shows posts in the user's language. A fascinating read, you can read the full article here.

The Conversation explored the massive benefits of learning another language, particularly in terms of happiness. You can check out their article on the secrets of happiness through language learning here.

Calgary, Canada, the area that originally was
and still is the home of the Tsuut'ína Nation.

Meanwhile, in the UK, The Guardian was looking at how cathedrals around the UK were teaching Latin and it was far more popular than expected. Feel free to look at the article here.

Canadian media was looking at the languages of the Tsuut'ina Nation, and how native speakers of the language were targeting youth in order to promote the language. Read the article here.

On FiveThirtyEight, there was an interesting article on emojis and how companies are looking at the best ways to merge language and emoji. Check out the article on making your messages more interesting here.

Towards the end of the month, we were back with The Guardian looking at the Stroop Test and how to try out your own psychological testing at home. If you feel like testing your friends and family with language-related psychological testing, check out the article here.

That's our news for this month! If you have any stories we missed, feel free to share them in the comments below!

The Language of Pokémon

Pokémon has been dominating the news recently. Older readers probably remember the phenomenon surrounding the franchise in the late '90s with the TV show, trading card game, and first generation of video games that got tonnes of people obsessed with catching them all. Now, after years of steady global popularity, it looks like the franchise has struck gold with the "Pokémon GO" app.

Now I'd like to look at some of the interesting linguistic features of Pokémon. Firstly, the name:

Pokémon, portmanteau

For those not familiar with the franchise, it's Japanese. However, the name isn't really Japanese, it's a portmanteau of English words that Japanese borrowed. In Japanese, the franchise is called "Poketto Monsutā" from the English "Pocket Monster". The Japanese was then shortened and merged to make "Pokémon".

Taking Pokémon around the world

Aside from the stories, the battling, and trading, the fact that Pokémon went global gave rise to some very interesting translations. Today I'd like to look at some of the best Pokémon from the first generation (also featured in Pokémon GO), and some of the most interesting translations used.

Scyther

Scyther is a bug/flying type Pokémon, and looks like a praying mantis with scythe-like blades for arms. In Japanese it was called strike, but the French name is awesome! It combines the French for insect (insecte) and the gardening tool pruning shears (sécateur), to make "Insecateur".

Alakazam

Alakazam has an amazing name, since it's the third of three evolutions, the first and second being "Abra" and "Kadabra"... get it? Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam.

Gyarados

Almost everywhere in the world, this Pokémon is a portmanteau of two monsters from Japanese monster movies, Gyaos and Rodan. However, for the French translation, they decided to go with Léviator, from Leviathan. Pretty cool, right?

Arcanine

The fire-type dog is a portmanteau of arcane and canine in English. However, in Japanese it is actually called Windie, due to its speed. Clearly that wouldn't have sounded right and needed to be changed.

Gengar

The name of this ghost-type Pokémon in Japanese was taken from the German word doppelgänger. In most countries, it goes by Gengar. However, the French translation went above and beyond when they combined the words for ectoplasm and plasma to call it Ectoplasma.

Dragonite

The dragon-type Pokémon has a cool name in both French and German. In French, it combines the Latin word for "dragon" and the French for "colossal", giving the name Dracolosse. I reckon German wins this localisation battle with Dragoran, from the words for "dragon" and the verb "to riot", randalieren.

Blastoise

In English, this water-type Pokémon's name is a portmanteau of "blast" and "tortoise". Everywhere but France kept it the same, with France opting for a portmanteau of the French for "turtle" and "tank", to give Tortank.

Charizard

The most popular of the original 150 Pokémon. This dragon-like fire/flying-type Pokémon is not only awesome in appearance, but its name in most localised languages is awesome. Of course, English is a combination of "char" and "lizard". In French it's Dracofeu, from "dragon" in Latin and "fire" in French. German wins this round with a combination of "ember", "dragon", and "rocket", giving us Glurak. Regardless, you probably want this Pokémon in your team.

Now get out there and catch them all!

Why Bad Translation Is Bad for Business

I was reading an article on the BBC today about how Iranian state media isn't happy about some English-language clothing and claims it to be offensive. If you're interested in the story, you can find the article here. This got me thinking about some of the awful English I've seen on clothes around the world.

Whenever I find myself outside of the UK or English-speaking countries, I can't help but giggle to myself when I see someone wearing clothing with terrible or poorly translated English on it. If you'd like to amuse yourself with nonsense English, a quick internet search will reveal plenty of brilliant nonsense that people unknowingly sport on their t-shirts as they leave the house. One of my personal favourites is "The pig is full of many many cats", whatever that's supposed to mean.

This phenomenon extends far beyond clothing, though. There are also examples of bad English tattoos, which are far more unfortunate than a dodgy translation on a t-shirt (and a lot more painful to get rid of). The internet is a also great resource for finding them, including (but not limited to): "I'm awsome", "beliefe in dreams", and "What didn't killed me, made me stronger".

These examples are unfortunate for some, but not really a problem. However, bad translation has become a problem in South Korea, where the government has had to set up a task force dealing with horrendous menu translations. Food experts and language experts are helping create better restaurant translations in English, Chinese, and Japanese. There's another good article from the BBC about it here.

If you're buying or making a cheap t-shirt, you probably don't care about hiring a professional to translate or proofread it before it goes into production. If you're getting a tattoo on a drunken night out, you're probably beyond the point of thinking twice about the spelling, grammar, and punctuation that's going to be put permanently on your body.

Good translations can sell good products.

What really gets me, when it comes to restaurants, hotels, and plenty of other businesses, is how little some seem to care about their translations. I've seen so many horrendous restaurant menus (in some very good restaurants, too) that could have been translated perfectly, but weren't.

Maybe it's to save some money. Maybe there's someone at your restaurant who's pretty good at a foreign language, so why don't you get them to translate your menu? That's a huge mistake! Restaurant menus, in terms of words, are generally quite short and simple for a professional translator.

These kinds of documents are a piece of cake for a qualified professional native translator, especially one who lives or has lived in your country, is familiar with the cuisine, and will create a better and tastier-sounding menu than Google Translate or a staff member who's okay when it comes to chatting to foreign customers.

The same goes for all documentation across all businesses. When someone visits your business, whether in person or online, you don't want a poor translation representing you. In a busy market, customers will stop at places where they know what they're getting, not places where they're confused as to what's on offer. Is it really worth running that risk with nonsensical translations?

I certainly don't think so, and I'm fairly certain our fellow language lovers will agree with me. To deliver a proper message in a foreign language, you need a real translator!

What are some of the worst translations you've ever seen? Did it put you off doing business with them? Tell us about your terrible or hilarious experiences in the comments below!

Translating Culture and Cultural Phenomena

Religious imagery plays a huge part in
Semana Santa.

This week, in Spain at least, is Semana Santa (Holy Week). If you've never seen the spectacle before, it's incredibly impressive. I'm currently in Málaga in southern Spain, where the festivities are quite vibrant and inexplicable. That's why today I thought it'd be useful to look at translating culture and cultural phenomena.

When it comes to translating cultural phenomena, things can get quite tricky for a translator. As such things are usually unique to a region, country, or even language, a direct translation probably won't exist because the thing itself neither exists in the target culture nor the target language. That's when creative translation practices can come in handy.

Is your audience familiar with the practice?

Before you start translating, you should think about who is going to read your text. For example, if I was writing an English-language article for British expats who live in Spain, I could just leave cultural terms in the original Spanish. This is because the readers would likely be familiar with the Spanish terminology, despite preferring to read articles in English.

What if your audience isn't familiar with the practice?

Say your target audience is unfamiliar with Spanish culture. In this case, I would have a bit more work to do. I can't really invent words for the terminology, as the practices don't exist in English-speaking culture. In this case, I would have to be more creative. For example, rather than trying to find a vague term to describe a specific cultural idea, I might need to keep the word as it is, but add a brief description to the sentence.

Semana Santa celebrations in Sevilla, Spain.

Is it really OK to not translate a word?

Of course it is. Languages borrow words from other languages all the time. In fact, we've done plenty of posts on loanwords that have made their way into the English language. Sometimes, as a translator, the words just don't exist in the target language. In this case, you may have to just keep them in the source language and explain them in the target language. If your audience understands the culture as it was described in the source text, then you've done your job. Well done!

Is there a specific cultural phenomenon that you've found hard to translate? What was the most complicated cultural element you've translated? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

Translating Numbers and Money Around the World

Last Wednesday, we looked at the differences between different time and date formats around the world and how, as a translator, it's important to get them right depending on the language you're using. Today I thought we could continue with numbers, since it's not just words that are affected by translation.

Numbers

When it comes to numbers, it's important to understand the "scale" commonly used in that particular language or region.

For example, in English, a "billion" can be two different numbers, depending on whether you are using the long scale or the short scale. As it's more common in the English-speaking world, I'll talk about the short scale first.

The Short Scale

In the short scale, you have thousand, million, billion, and trillion, and each of these is 1,000 times bigger than the last.

Using the short scale, a billion (1,000,000,000) is a thousand million. A trillion (1,000,000,000,000) is a thousand billion. Put simply, each new term has three more 0s after it.

The Long Scale

In the long scale, each term is a million times bigger than the last. Hence a million remains 1,000,000, but a billion is now 1,000,000,000,000.

The long scale is fairly common throughout Europe (with the exception of the UK). You can spot the long scale by its use of words similar to "milliard" (1,000,000,000) and "billiard" (known as a quadrillion in the short scale).

The long scale was previously commonplace in British English, whereas the short scale was used in American English. However, both varieties now generally use the short scale.

Writing or Representing Numbers

Of course, there's also the little matter of typing out those numbers. In my examples, I used the practice common in British English, separating each set of three digits with a comma, starting from the end of the number.

Then there's the matter of decimal places. In English, it's usual to separate decimals with a full stop (or period in American English). This means one half is written 0.5 when using decimals.

However, if you speak another language, you might be familiar with a system that works the other way round. So a million can be written either 1,000,000 or 1.000.000, depending on where you're from and the language you speak. This also means that one half can be written 0.5 or 0,5 depending on the system you're using. Make sure you take care!

Money

Money talks, and if you make a mistake with it in your translation, there'll only be bad things to say about you. This is when knowing the practices related to writing numbers becomes very important. Aside from making sure you are using the right scale and the correct separators, there's also the issue of currency names, and how they should be written.

For example, here in the UK we have the pound sterling, also known as pounds or GBP. One pound can be divided into one hundred pence. One pound and fifty pence is therefore written as £1.50, placing the symbol at the front and separating the subunits of the currency with a point.

However, if you're using Euros, you tend to see the symbol written as the separator. Therefore if we had one euro and fifty cents, it could be written 1€50.

Make sure you're aware of best practices when it comes to numbers and money, because they make the world go round!

Translating Dates and Times Around the World

If you're familiar with the internet or live in the United States, you may have heard that Monday was Pi Day. If you're not familiar with Pi Day, it takes place each 14th March in celebration of the mathematical constant pi (π). This date was chosen since it corresponds to the first three digits of pi as written using the US date format (3/14).

However, if you're from a country that doesn't write dates as they do in the US, Pi Day doesn't make much sense. When it comes to translation and learning languages, knowing how numbers are represented can be very important. Since we've just been talking about Pi Day, let's look at dates first.

Standardised times and dates are imperative in aviation.

Date Formats

When you write the date, the format may change depending on the language or region. The US uses a Month/Day/Year format, which means today's date would be written 3/16/2016 in full.

As a UK native, I am much more familiar with a Day/Month/Year format, which shows today as 16/3/2016.

In certain regions and languages, it is also acceptable to write the date starting with the year, then the month, then the day. That would make today's date look like 2016/3/16.

In addition to the order of the numbers, there are also the separators to consider. Thus far I have only used slashes (/), but depending on the region, dots (.), hyphens (-), and spaces can also be used.

Time Formats

When it comes to time, the two most common formats are the 12-hour clock and the 24-hour clock. As the name suggests, the 12-hour clock only includes the numbers from 1 to 12, with the numbers repeating after midday and midnight. The 24-hour clock goes from midnight to midnight without the numbers for the hours repeating.

There are very few languages that use the 24-hour clock when speaking. In English, you don't say "fifteen o'clock". When it is spoken, it's usually what is called "military time", whereby the entire time is said without separators like "fifteen hundred hours", meaning "1500", or "3 o'clock in the afternoon".

However, in French, for example, the 24-hour clock is referred to when speaking, alleviating the need to ever really refer to the time of the day.

In Translation

With all these different formats, it is very important when translating to be familiar with the conventions of the language and even the region you're translating for. Making a mistake with the dates and times in a text could make you look unprofessional and make the text ambiguous, confusing, or in a worst-case scenario, useless.

These practices can be hugely important when it comes to things such as contracts or medical records. In fact, a mistake on a medical record could result in patients being given treatment at the wrong time of day or even on the wrong date!

Languages in the News: February 2016

As we reach the end of the year's shortest month, we're going to look back at languages and language in the news across the world wide web.

End of the circumflex? Changes in French spelling cause uproar

At the start of the month, there was an interesting article on the BBC looking at spelling changes in the French language. The Académie française is no stranger to causing controversy with its often out of touch suggestions for protecting the French language. This time, however, it was a simple spelling reform that caused the trouble. While its spelling reforms were designed to make spelling easier, most of them, particularly those that removed the circumflex, were met with anger and outrage. You can read the story on the BBC, here.

Preserve rare languages to spread benefits of multilingualism, says expert

The Guardian had an intriguing article discussing rare languages that was certainly worth reading. Since multilingualism is scientifically proven to be beneficial, protecting the world's rare languages is key to ensuring that more multilingual people remain on the planet in order for everyone to benefit from multilingualism. You can read the article here.

You can see where people live, but not the languages they speak.

10 languages Google Translate lacks and where to find them

Google Translate is a controversial topic here at The Lingua File. While we hate it being used in place of real translation and as an excuse not to promote language learning or multilingualism, we do appreciate that it is incredibly impressive in terms of studying language and the immense amount of work that has gone into it.

Geektime had a fascinating article this month on the shortcomings of Google Translate's language choices, since it doesn't feature some of the world's most spoken languages. You can read the article here.

What Oregon city speaks the most languages?

There was a great article on koin.com that listed the US's most multilingual cities by state. This one is for the language lovers out there wholove statistics! You can read the article (and see the stats) here.

A Picture Of Language: The Fading Art Of Diagramming Sentences

Anyone who studied linguistics will be familiar with this practice. NPR covered the decline of sentence diagramming, where language is used to create a picture that almost looks like a subway map.

The article looks at the controversial linguistic method. Some educators swear by it, while others debunk it as complete nonsense that serves no purpose in terms of understanding language. Love it or hate it, you can read all about it here.

Were there any articles about language and languages during February that you think deserve a mention? Tell us about them in the comments below!