Blog Archives - The Language Club: Translation and Localisation Agency

Localisation and How it Compares to Interpretation and Translation

24/2/2015

How are localisation, translation, and interpretation different? When we talk about translation, the intention is to send a message across an intercommunicative boundary that separates the thoughts and ideas of the speaker one language to the speaker of a different language. To localise is an entirely different act. Localisation involves conveying the feeling that the person is speaking to you shares certain national similarities with you. While it may be easy to understand written work that is in your native language, if the piece is not localised to your personal dialect, you may not feel as connected to the speaker. Because some languages do not correlate one-to-one in their phrasing, it is often necessary to paraphrase the words of one speaker so that the audience of a different language is able to understand. An expert interpreter is able to accomplish this while remaining as true to the speakers’ original ideas as possible. Remember, one would interpret a dialogue, and one would translate written text. In a world that is becoming increasingly globalised, with more and more international ties being formed every day, the importance of that little personal touch in your writing becomes all the more vital to establishing good relations.

Picture this scenario, a Spanish textile conglomerate is working on establishing a merger with its partner over in Mexico. Needless to say, a fair amount of communication is involved between parties on both sides. Because the Spanish company representatives want to make the best possible impression on their overseas partners, they should utilise a localising service to ensure that every measure has been taken to reinforce the commonality and mutual interest of both sides as they both speak Spanish albeit different dialects. If an Australian stockholder wanted to find out how this would affect his shares, he would use the services of a translator to request a written report. Suppose the Spanish CEO wanted to give a presentation to a subsidiary company headquartered in France. He could best accomplish this with the assistance of an interpreter.

As you can see, localisation is less crucial to the overall understanding of another individual, and is really more often used in instances of particular formality. As we continue to see technology increase the interconnectedness of regions with similar languages with different dialects, it is quite possible that professions involving expertise in this field will experience rapid growth. Another thing to consider is the impact this will have on the education system in different countries. For example, strict adherence to certain spellings or phonetic pronunciations may become more relaxed as dialectic uniformity begins to emerge.

Learning a language – Abroad or at home?

17/2/2015

Many people consider the task of perfecting a language only possible if you spend time in a country where it is natively spoken so that you are completely immersed. It is true that travelling to a country where the target language is natively spoken has many benefits and can dramatically speed up the process of reaching a point where you are able to hold a conversation and be understood. Within the country, there will never be a lack of people to practice with; simple, everyday tasks, such as going to the shop will force you to speak the language, and being constantly surrounded by the language will hugely increase your vocabulary without you even realizing.

However, there are reasons why learning a new language within your own country can actually be a better option. In terms of grammar, for example, staying at home and simply teaching yourself from a grammar book is potentially the best way to do it. Picking up bad grammatical habits from locals is one of the bigger risks of practicing a new language abroad. From personal experience, I have also noticed that when practicing speaking the language abroad, local native speakers are often hesitant to correct mistakes that you make for fear of seeming impolite. Although this may help a conversation flow more smoothly without either person feeling uncomfortable, it can cause these mistakes to be reinforced and therefore they are likely to be repeated in the future. With this in mind, it is important to realize that those aspiring to study a new language should not be put off the idea if going abroad to learn it is simply not possible, as it is not necessarily always the best option.

If you are attempting to learn a language without travelling, one important thing to remember is that every day immersion in the language is absolutely essential, even just for a couple of hours, whether that is watching a film in the language, listening to the radio, reading a book etc. which can all be done in the comfort of your own home, and thanks to the internet access to these resources is easy. In most cases, TV and radio presenters will speak in a neutral accent, making understanding easier and therefore making the whole tasks more useful. For many, the main struggle comes when trying to find a way to practice actually speaking the language. After reading online, a couple of ideas that stood out to me were suggestions to speak to your pet, or to yourself. Although I am unsure of how beneficial this may be, it does seem quite a popular option!

What may surprise many new language learners is the number of native speakers within their own city. In my own experience, having not yet been able to travel to Italy, finding an Italian tandem partner has been the most useful thing I have done. Luckily, I was introduced to my partner through a university programme, but I am aware that there are a number of websites online, available to anyone, that can put you in contact with people in your own city that are looking to practice English, and will help you practice their native language in return. The way it usually works is to meet once or twice a week for an hour or so, and spend half the time speaking English, and half the time speaking the other language. The great thing about this is that your mistakes will be picked up on and corrected, as your partner will be aware of their role in helping you improve. Alternatively, if you have a friend that is learning the same language as you, spoken practice with them is helpful as they will speak at a slower pace making it easier for you to understand.

In conclusion, there are as many benefits of going abroad to learn as there are to staying at home. My personal advice, advice that I have followed myself throughout the process of learning Spanish, would be to gain a grammatically correct knowledge of the language, learn vocabulary that is not only specific to a certain region, and generally build up your language skills at a pace you are comfortable with, and when you do feel confident enough, take any opportunity to go to the country and polish up your new skills. If this seems like too much of a long process, which it may be for those who are keen to travel, opting to learn from scratch in a foreign country will definitely give you the benefit of the process being quicker, however just be aware of the risk of picking up grammatical imperfections and a few other bad habits!

The Benefits of Translating Your Website

16/2/2015

With the emergence of internet, we have more access to the global markets and websites now. So, even though, your business might be based locally, and you have local websites, it could have web traffic from around the world. But, chances are that your site caters only to the localised market, as it is written in the local language. So, what should one do? Well, one can go for the web translation services, so that your business can have a further reach. It can be made accessible to the international audience, as well.

There are special translation agencies, which can help in doing the translation for you. They will be able to convert all the materials on the site into the target language. Given below are some of the main benefits of translating the website.

• Your business can expand, and can offer the services to the international clientele, as well.

• You will be able to get more number of customers for your services, and your business opportunities will improve, manifold.

• When the international customers see your site in your local language, they would be naturally inclined to get it translated, using the machine translation. And, this could result in improper translated material, which will not convey the right message. So, it is essential to get it translated by human beings, so that it can reach out to the audience.

• When the content is translated accurately, it will have more appeal to the customers and will build the confidence in them.

• Making use of the translation agency will ensure that the content is translated in a localised way. They will keep the local trends in mind, while doing the translating work.

• The translator will translate the work accurately, with the proper grammar and spellings. This will ensure that the content is written, as it is, and does not lose the meaning. And, it can reach out to the international audience.

Now that you have learnt so many benefits of getting the website translated, go for the best translation agency, which can do quality translations for you. While there are many agencies and freelancers available, one should hire the best translator for doing this kind of work, as it will make it more effective, and worthwhile. They will do the work accurately, and make use of the best-practices for doing the work. Reach out to many more customers world-wide, and make a good presence on the net.

Translation services and how important they have become to business

16/2/2015

Thanks partly to globalisation, many businesses have developed into multinational organisations. This has led to translation and interpretation services becoming a vitally important means of maintaining communication between trade partners, or even overseas branches of the same company.

Translation and interpretation services have developed into an expanding market: outsourced translation services were worth £21 billion in 2012, and, even with a recession, managed to grow by 12.17%, demonstrating how important these services have become to business life.

Businesses are beginning to acknowledge how the worth of developing markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China and are beginning to realise the importance of using translation services are in order to break through into these markets. Hence the growth of the translation and interpretation sector and the corresponding increased use of freelance translators.

This is where The Language Club comes in. Often, finding high quality translators and interpreters can be a risk if you're unsure where to look. We have built up an ever expanding register of professional, efficient and high quality linguists who work exclusively in their mother tongue to provide you with a reliable, efficient and high-quality service for your business' linguistic needs.

We can help you to embrace increasing trends towards multi-nationalism and expand the reach of your business.

How to Become a Translator

16/2/2015

1. Know your languages inside out: Often people think they can pass off translation work through software such as Google Translate; this will not work if you want to cut it as a professional translator. Languages all have their own nuances and idioms, which are often not picked up by computers, and this is why the services of a high quality translator are invaluable to companies.

2. Find a Translation and Interpretation class: If you want to be a high calibre translator, being around other linguists will help no end. Classes which bring translators together to constructively criticise each other’s work will double as proofreading practice, which is another skill a translator needs in order to make sure their work is finished to the highest possible standard.

3. Immerse yourself in your second language: Travel! If you can, living in the country of your second language will be an immersive experience which will mean that you’ll come back thinking in your second language. This is a huge advantage for a translator, as it means you can work faster and with an almost native level of accuracy. Just don’t find the local expat bar!

4. Volunteer: Volunteering is a sure-fire way of getting your name out there; the more you do, the more people you meet. If you’re going to be a freelance translator, making connections will be vital when you start applying for work. Volunteering also means you will have experience on your CV, which will also help when it comes to future translation work as it shows employers you’ve been working over a consistent period of time. Also, volunteering helps you maintain and improve your skills, which will assist you when it comes to getting paid work.

5. Take a language proficiency test: There are many language proficiency tests you can take. The recommended one in the UK, however, is on the Language Line solutions website. This will ensure your knowledge is up to scratch for a translator and interpreter.

6. Get working: Sign up to translator and interpreter forums, and monitor them for any work postings you may be suitable for. This isn’t the only way to do it- send your CV to as many employers as you can.They probably will want to test your level of skill again in order to make sure you’re up to the job, but it’s necessary to ensure they’re getting what they pay for.

7. Have a niche: This is probably one of the most important parts of being a freelance translator, as specialised translators earn far more money because they’re in demand within certain sectors. For example, if you have a knowledge of the medical profession and have a great grasp on medical vocabulary then health services and pharmaceutical companies will want you translating for them. This doesn't mean you shouldn't go for jobs which aren't in a specialised field, but if you can get work in a niche area then those jobs will probably pay more. When you've got through these steps you’ll be well on your way to having a long and successful career in the translation industry. Good luck!

How important are Obscure Languages?

11/2/2015

Language is an important tool people use to interact with each other. We use language in order to let others know how we feel, our needs, and ask questions. We change how we use language for each situation. Communication is a two way process. Therefore, it is important that both parties use the same language.

Therefore, in order to communicate with more people, a person must know the top languages used within a particular region. At present, the most popular languages based on the number of speakers are Mandarin, Spanish, and English. That means there’s no need to know about obscure ones right? Wrong.

Obscure language is still important in this day and age. Obscure languages are still in used in some places. To those people, their dialect is not obscure. It only means that a small number of people use it daily, but they rely on it to communicate with each other.

A foreign language can be considered an obscure one just because the majority of the planet’s population doesn’t understand it. It can be used by the entire country and still be considered obscure by the Western world.

Some obscure languages are important. One such example is Latin, which is described as a dead language. It is still used in various academic fields such as law, medicine, history and theology. People who pursue further study in those fields are encouraged to learn Latin as well in addition to their actual coursework.

Latin might be considered dead, but it is the basis of several languages such as Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Learning Latin will allow a person to pick up the said languages. Someone working in a translation agency might want to know Latin to be a valuable asset of the company. Latin phrases are also absorbed into the English language. Learning Latin can help a person improve one’s command of English.

In globalisation, it is important to know obscure languages. While knowing a well-known language gives one advantage, knowing the obscure language of the region can help businesses penetrate the market. The business will be perceived as being sincere in providing something to the community instead of just a capitalist trying to earn profits from them

A translation agency that specialises in obscure languages provides a valuable service. Their grasp of a certain dialect can help businesses penetrate a specific market. There will always be a need for their service.

Obscure languages might not seem to be important to many people, but they are important for those who use them. Even learning a dead language such as Latin is useful at present. All languages are the same. They are used to communicate with one another and, therefore, all of them, even the obscure ones, are important.

The importance of protecting a language

9/2/2015

Language is at the heart of cultural identity; it unites a community and expresses how

they see and interact with the world. It is a living entity that is forever evolving,

adapting to its environment and reflecting the change and development of a society.

Translating from one language to another can pose real problems when the sentiment

of one cannot be accurately expressed in the other- certain perceptions and notions

can be specific to a language and its speakers and a linguistic equivalent may not

even exist. An example of this would be the Romanian word Dor which ‘expresses the

longing for a loved one, with implied sadness and the need to sing sad songs’,

exemplifying how a language can affect the way in which its speaker experiences the

world around them via the vocabulary at their disposal. It is for this reason, among

others, that linguistic groups strive to protect their language.

The French are famous for the fierce protection of their language through the body

that is L’Académie francaise, established in 1635 which attends to all matters

concerning the French language. Currently, it is swimming against the tide of

anglicisms slipping into the French language from all angles. It has reached the point

that 2014 has been dedicated to the reconquête de la langue français. They are

fighting back against ‘hashtags’ and the like and providing an authentic French

alternative in a desperate linguistic preservation attempt, #mot-dièse.

But the French are not the only ones waging a war against linguistic impurities. The

Chinese have embarked upon a similar project responding to the fact that their

language now has over 200 English loan words in their dictionary.

Languages are dynamic structures and are constantly in a process of subtle change

though efforts to protect them are not without reason. On average, a language dies

every two weeks and it is predicted that by the end of the century, half of the worlds

6,700 languages will cease to exist without the implementation of urgent efforts to

protect minority languages and dialects. It is therefore vitally important that

language and linguistic diversity is protected. This is particularly true for the minority

languages most at risk as language is what maintains distinct social groups and

communities in the face of marginalisation and globalisation. The world may use

English as a conduit of communication but to neglect a language is to neglect a

culture, an identity and a community.

The Importance of Foreign Language in the Business World

2/2/2015

The business world has gone global these days, and this has made it more important to learn a foreign language in order to have better career opportunities. The finance and sales industries need people who are versed in Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin, and other key languages. Workers who work on commissions or introduce products in other countries would benefit from learning another country’s language.

At present, students taking up foreign languages are on a decline. Some people think that Google translation is enough to allow them to do business with companies from other countries. According to a report, Scottish businesses often choose to deal with English speaking countries only and they missed out on a lot of foreign investment that could have helped during the economic recession.

The need to learn a foreign language is important if businesses want to prosper and expand to foreign markets. At present, companies hire a translation agency in order to overcome the language barrier. Their services are needed in order to coordinate business with foreign companies.

It is also observed that visitors to websites that are not available in their native languages are more likely to lose interest in what the websites have to offer. The websites without an option in the native language feel impersonal. Translating the website will give the business an advantage over its competitors. It shows that the business has a long term commitment to the foreign market.

In today’s business world, businesses can’t afford to miss out on opportunities that come from online marketing campaigns. The fastest way to reach out to international markets is through a website. A translation agency can do the translating of the website to reach out to the foreign consumers. This will improve the overall marketing campaign in that particular country. It is important to hire an agency that knows the culture and can make the content appropriate to the country. This will ensure a more rational result that incorporates the cultural beliefs of the country.

A person who knows a foreign language can be a useful asset to companies looking to expand to other markets. Knowing the native dialect of the region where the company plans to relocate can give the person the advantage as one becomes an indispensable part of the business.

Foreign language opens the doors to a lot more opportunities in the business world. It is not just the simple understanding of an accent. On a positive note, the lack of foreign language knowledge has led to the demand for the services of a translation agency. Its job has become more important today than before.

Therefore, it is important for people to learn a foreign language. Not only will they learn the culture of other lands, it will make it easier to accept their beliefs as well. The world is continuing to evolve, and there might be a time when English is not the default language of the business world. Translating will be an important task for companies and will give them an advantage over their competitors.

Importance of Human Translation over Google Translate

1/2/2015

Google Translate and other machine translation services have made it easier for individuals and businesses to communicate with people from different parts of the globe. There are cheaper than employing a human for translation jobs. However, there are advantages of a human translator over machine interpretation.

Human Translation has Better Flow

Human interpretation often has better flow compared to machine translation jobs. Machines only translate the words while humans get the concept of the message. This is important when considering localisation of the website. Visitors are turned off when the message is a literal translation instead of conveying the branding.

While there are times when machine translation is sufficient for the job, companies should employ a human to interpret business documents and website contents to have consistency with regards to the branding.

Human Translation is better in Marketing

Machine translation doesn’t work with marketing campaigns, which are often dynamic and creative. Companies spend millions to develop its branding and put the service or product in the best light possible. Machines lack creative thinking that will make translated marketing material duller than the original. It would be a waste of the company’s advertising money to have a machine interpret the marketing campaign.

It is best to get a human for translation jobs related to marketing campaigns. The human must have a marketing background in order to help translate the marketing efforts to another language without flattening it. That way, the brand identity, is kept even in other languages.

Human Translation is best for SEO

Machine translation doesn’t help in attracting visitors to a website. Keywords that are translated are not the terms that the local internet users are looking for. This is why there is a need for human interpretation for keywords, which are part of the website’s content and meta-data.

The web page must target the terms to optimise it for search engines. Machine translation jobs usually take the literal meaning of the terms. This means that the keywords end up translated and not researched according to the local market. This makes the content to be irrelevant to the keyword research.

Google and other search engines also assess the quality of websites and machine translations are sometimes poor in quality. Poor assessment could lead lower ranking in the results, which is something that is hard to recover from.

There are advantages and disadvantages of using machine translation. The only disadvantage of using a human for translation jobs is the expense. With a human, companies don’t need to recheck the translation them. It is easier to hire a translator with a marketing background who can also edit the content. Companies should keep in mind that customer service and quality is the most important thing.