April 8, 2009
Multi-Languages Website Translations
Dear folks,
Thank you for being supportive of our blog with you comments and readership. Without your comments, it would make us wonder whether anyone ever reads anything on this site at all!!
Back to translation, have you ever had the experience of stumbling upon a word and need a quick translation to be done?
There are a few websites that can do the trick, though not always accurate. But for the one or two word kind of translation, it should not be a problem.
- http://translate.google.com.sg/translate_t#
- http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
- http://www.stars21.com/
- http://www.freetranslation.com/
- http://www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html
My favourite these days is Google. It is pretty accurate, and there is a possibility of us giving suggestions to the translation if we feel it is not good enough. But if you were to translate sentences, then you will need to find someone who knows that language to proofread it. As it is a direct translation, the structure of the language is messy and the grammer may not be right.
You can have fun with these free online tools, and may even conjure up a letter to your friend in a foreign language. However, the other party may never know what you were trying to say at all!
March 30, 2009
Interpretation is Not an Easy Job
I have tried interpretation myself, be it simultaneous or consecutive. It feels as if you are a split person, having the left side working quite differently from the right side of your brains! The ears would listen in 1 language, and the mouth would reproduce the words in another language, almost at the same time.
A good interpretor does not allow for a lag in the speech. He or she will start almost at the same time as the speaker. It is as if the interpretor is the speaker! It takes a lot of knowledge on the topic as well as understandingof the speaker. If the interpretor has worked with the same speaker for some time, he or she will be able to guess what the speaker want to say in the next sentence. This takes a lot of practise, and not to say, much more energy and concentration on the matter.
Why more energy? A good interpretor not only translates verbally the words, he or she would transfer the emotions of the speaker to the audience too!
Not all translators can be interpretors. For translation, you have all the time in the world to slowly “digest” the source and “spit out” the translated words. It is not so for interpretation. Even for consecutive interpretation. You would only have that sentence length of time to process the source and form the correct words.
It is a very challenging job and I did enjoy my experiences as an interpretor. So, for those who would like to try out interpretation, you can start with listening to some audio and translate on the spot. You can record what you have interpreted, so that you can check back on your translation later on.
Have fun!
March 23, 2009
Hurray to the Translators in the World!
Seeing that translators are now becoming the up and coming industry, this shows how closely knitted our world has become. The need to communicate with our counterparts in other parts of the world has made this industry boom over the past few years.
Translation has now become a BIG part of our lives, knowing that with globalisation and migration of people, culture and businesses, it is ever so important to know other languages.
I used to learn French, and while I dragged my feet to the language school ever twice a week, I used to wonder whether I would ever need the language, since most people that I come into contact with at that time speak English or Chinese. However decades down the road, I master the courage to take up the language again, because now the need has come for us to communicate with clients overseas! Well, everything starts and happens for a reason, isn’t it?
The article in TIMES magazine has really pleasantly amazed me, and I see this industry still growing as the need to reach a wider network of people increases. Thus we are in a very exciting role, with more opportunities to translate different kinds of materials, and learn much more than what 1 culture can offer to another.
3 Cheers to the Translators in the World! 
February 23, 2009
Book Translation – Keeping the Faith Part 2
As the saying goes…”Whatever happens, happens for a reason”
After I have read Paulo Coelho’s The Fifth Mountain, I continue to read his another book entitled “Like the Flowing River”. This is a collection
of reflections from Paulo Coelho. In this riveting collection of thoughts and stories, he offers his personal reflections on a wide range of subjects from archery and music to elegance, travelling and the nature of good and evil.
What actually caught my attention is when I read a particular short story on “The Other Side of the Tower of Babel”. In this story, he pays his respect to the Holy Translator, Saint Mesrob. Below is an extract of what Paulo had wrote and it best summarize the importance of a good book translator:
“Today is 9 October, 2004. The town is called Oshakan, and Armenia, as far as I know, is the only place in the world that has declared the day of the Holy Translator, St. Mesrob, a national holiday and where they celebrate it in style. As well as creating the Armenian alphabet (the language already existed, but only in spoken form). St Mesrob devoted his life to translating into his mother tongue the most important texts of the period, which were written in Greek, Persian or Cyrillic. He and his disciples devoted themselves to the enormous task of translating the Bible and the main literary classics of the time. From that moment on, the country’s culture gained its own identity, which it has maintained to this day.
The Holy Translator. I hold the flower in my hands and think of all the people I have never met, and perhaps may never have the opportunity to meet, but who, at this moment, have my books in their hands, and are doing their best tremain faithful to what I have tried to share with my readers. I think, above all, of my father-in-law, Christiano Monteiro Oiticica (profession: translator), who is today in the company of angels and of St. Mesrob, watching this scene. I remember seeing him hunched over his old typewriter, often complaining about how badly paid translation was (and, alas, still is). He would immediately go on, though, to explain that the real reason he translated was because he wanted to share a knowledge, which, but for translators, would never reach his own people.
I say a silent prayer for him, for all those who have helped me with my books, and for those who have allowed me to read books to which I would never otherwise have had access, thus helping – anonymously – to shape my life and my character. When I leave the church, I see some children writing the alphabet with sweets in the shape of letters and with flowers and more flowers.
When man grew ambitious, God destroyed the Tower of Babel, and everyone began to speak different tongues. However, in His infinite grace, he also created people to rebuild those bridges, to enable dialogue and the diffusion of human thought. This person, whose name we rarely take the trouble to notice when we open a foreign book, is the translator.”
The above extract has touched my heart when I read it. In this commercial world, some people has failed to comprehend the importance of translation. They fail to understand that a translator takes much effort and time to produce a good translation work. My kudos to those professional translators in the world. Thanks for being the Bridge Across Cultures in this world!
February 19, 2009
Book Translation – Keeping the Faith!
I have just finished reading “The Fifth Mountain” by Paulo Coelho. For those who do not know him yet, he is the same author who wrote the international bestseller “The Alchemist”. This book “The Alchemist” has been translated into over 60 different types of languages and has sold over 75 millions copies!
As I am reading “The Fifth Mountain”, I found that it is immensely intriguing and it keeps me reading on to find out what will happen to the main character, Elijah. It is a story about a person finding his own courage and commitment to his higher purpose. All of us have our higher purpose when we are born, but many of us choose to ignore or defy that purpose.
Well for me, this book brings a great sense of inspiration to me. I will follow my instinct and achieve my higher purpose in life – to serve mankind through better communication and education.
Because Paulo is a Brazillian writer, so I assume that the book is written in Portugese and translated into English and other languages. Kudos to the translators who did a marvellous job. The whole book is very well written and the principles behind it are timeless. I believe the team of translators and editors have spent lots and lots of time doing research, translating, proofreading, re-editing and proofreading the content before it is good enough to be published. The team effort and synergy is enormous.
I guess the translators and editors have a great responsibility to the author and the readers. The writing style and flow must be consistent without losing any flavour as compared to the original copy.
We are in the midst of doing a book translation. Hence, we can share their feelings and responsibilities. We will definitely keep you update on our new book launch.
For those who would like to have a read of the reviews or to get the book, here’s it:
February 16, 2009
The Craft Of Translation
In order to be always improving ourselves, we need to read. I once heard from a friend who’s father is a translator, that they have shelves and shelves of books at home for his translation purposes. Not only do we have to be good in the source language, we also have to apt in the target language.
Thus I was actively searching throughout the internet, trying to find out what kinds of books to read, and I stumbled upon this.
It will not serve as a theoretical book to how you can translate your work, but it is a beginning to your work interest.
Of course once again not only do we need to take into account being a linguist, we also need to remember to localise the language to the specific area to which you are translating for.
A starter for your meal, I might say…
February 11, 2009
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Successful Translator?
Recently, I just watch this movie “Slumdog Millionaire”. It is a very compelling movie illustrating a man’s journey in finding his own dreams, true love and destiny.
It strikes a deep thought for me. We will never know our true purpose until we step out and start this self-discovery journey. We just gonna keep on believing and taking actions towards our dream.
When I first joined my friend’s translation company, a lot of my people (even my family members) start to question me. Are you making the right move? What if the situation does not turn out the way that you want? Are you getting enough to spend each month? Blah…Blah…Blah. Lot of negativities being thrown to me.
I have been with my company for almost 2 years now. Looking back, it has been a very fruitful experience for me. We have led our company to new heights each year. Our team of translators has also grown in size to over one hundred till now. This is definitely a more challenging experience than my previous engineering job. Besides equipping with good translation skills, I also need to do project management, sales and marketing and leading my own translator teams. The true joy is seeing your company and yourself growing daily.
If you ask me, what it takes to be a Successful Translator? Is it…
a) Passion
b) Perseverance
c) Continuous Learning
d) Continuous Improvement
Well, my answer is all of the above. Hopefully at the end of our journey, we would become a better person to our society and this world. And not forgetting, to fulfill our ultimate destiny and purpose in life.
Well, some said it is written.
February 8, 2009
The Two Main Kinds of Interpretation
To follow on the topic of the difference between translation and interpretation, there are several kinds of interpretation in the industry. However, the two main kinds of interpretation are simultaneous and consecutive.
For simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter would have to verbally translate the message that the speaker is saying almost as quickly as how he or she can understand from the source language. This kind of interpretation normally occurs during a seminar or a large event whereby the target audience who needs the interpretation would be using earphones. The interpreter would normally be standing behind a sound-proof booth, so that his voice would not interfere that of the speaker.
In this case, it would be good if the client/speaker can provide reference materials for the interpreter to prepare the topic in advance, in order to also make sure the content is correctly delivered.
Sometimes 2 interpreters is necessary for this kind of job as it calls for much concentration and energy.
As for consecutive interpretation, the interpreter has ample time to digest or take notes of what the speaker is saying, then translate it out after the speaker has finished his sentence(s). This type of interpretation is not as tiring as that of simultaneous one. Of course it would still be good if reference material can also be provided. In this case the interpreter may stand beside the speaker during the seminar, and the audience do not need earphones.
If you know what kind of event your company is having, you can easily define what kind of interpreters you require, so that the interpreters know what to expect.
February 5, 2009
Do You Know the Difference between Translation and Interpretation?
Often, we will get client inquiring for translation service when in fact, they require interpretation service. Then we will spend the next few minutes explaining to them what is the difference between the two terms.
So why people get mix up with the 2 terms? People associate translation as “converting” from one language to another language. So anything to do with language conversion, it will mean translation whether it is for document or verbal. Interestingly, interpretation means oral translation.
I will usually explain to them that if anything that is to do with writing or brochure, it is translation. And if anything that is verbal, it is interpretation. Upon hearing this, our client is more aware of the difference. Hence they can tell their inquiry to us clearly. In this way, we can also tend to their inquiries faster.
This is what we call effective communication and good services to our clients.
So do you know the difference between translation and interpretation now?
