YakuYaku

Why The Tranzlation Industry Is Like Hella Lame

contact@yakuyaku.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:05:03 +0100

WHAZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP?! You know what? The tranzlation industry is like, hella lame. On the real. Itâs getting to be so that an honest, hardworking trizz-anslator such as myself â who is awesome â canât even get real work and stuff. I been working for like hella days â like years even- as a professional American-Canadian tranzlator and obviously I got MAD SKILLZ WHUUUT. But cuz the industry is full-on wack these days, itâs like I gotta get a real job with a boss and customers and stuff, otherwise I canât even pay for my beard manicures and my premium top-shelf hizz-eadbands. People be calling me up on the Peanutphone and be like âHAY YO PEANUT, I WANT YOU TO BUST OUT YOUR TRANZLATION SKILLZ ON THIS HERE VIDEO GAME,â and Iâm like âWORD, I CAN DO THISâ but then they want stuff like âinvoicesâ and âpurchase ordersâ, and some other garbage I ainât even never heard of before, like âproofreadingâ and âspellcheckâ and stuff. You want me to prove that I read your text? What is you? Stupid? Itâs like, how the hell is I supposed to TRANZLATE some words if I donât read them words first?! Thatâs hella dumb. Of course I read that shizz. Well, most of it, at least. If some of the words is big I usually just cut those ones out cuz Iâm clever like that. And then these fools want me to âspellcheckâ. Iâm like I DONâT EVEN PLAY HOCKEY, SON. On the real, yo. When a dude send me a bunch of words and be like âHAY YO PEANUT WHERE THEM TRANZLATION SKILLZ AT SON?!â he also usually wanna be giving me a time limit, too. Some people call it a âdeadlineâ. He says âHAY YO PEANUT DELIVER THIS BACK TO YOUR BOY BY MONDAY THE 5TH, SONâ and Iâm like what? DELIVER this? Like Iâm some kinda pizza boy or some wack nonsense? Peanut donât play that. PEANUT get you your wizz-ords when PEANUT FEEL like getting you your wizz-ords. Word. Just last month this dude wanted me to tranzlate his text into some kinda wack boingboing language that I donât think even exists. But money is money, so Peanut was like WORD, I CAN DO THIS. So I went on the Googles and found this thing what you can put in some wizz-ords, prizz-ess the button, and then BAM you got some wizz-ords in a different language! Stuff was legit fly, son. So I hit up the Googles and tranzlated all them wizz-ords and âdeliveredâ them to Dude like I was some pizza boy. Then Dude gets all up on my case like I did something wrong. He be like âHAY YO PEANUT THIS AINâT NO BOINGBOING LANGUAGE I AXED FOR, WHAZZUUUUUP?!â and I was like I did what you said, yo?! But he wasnât having none of that. He was like âHAY YO PEANUT I NEED YOU TO REDO THIS A.S.A.P., SONâ. Thatâs when I got hella mad, cuz you know Peanut got no love whatsoever for the Association of Scientists Against Pornography, and I told him he could go get some hockey playing spellchecking fool who ainât even clever enough to use the Google to tranzlate his stuff and who so dumb he prolly be using a dictionary and whatnot. Some tranzlator that dumb prolly got an invoice, too, cuz he hearing people talk all up inside his dome. Then Dude just hung up the phizz-one and stopped returning my texts. This shizz be happening all the time. Punk. Anywayz, Peanut ainât trippin. People prolly stop returning my texts cuz they afraid that a tranzlator of my ca.. cal... callib... callibur gonna take all they jizz-obs away from they clients. What with these MAD TRANZLATION SKILLZ, I canât even blame them. I mean, if I was a tranzlation agent, and I was working with a legit superstar baller like THA PEANUT, Iâd be hella scared, too.

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Quick Tips for Choosing a Translator

contact@yakuyaku.com — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:18:50 +0100

A âbad translationâ can be bad for many different reasons, and to varying degrees. You can get completely nonsensical, random translations from the likes of Google Translator of Babelfish, or you can get them from an obviously non-native speaker who has a bit too much confidence in their linguistic skills. You can also get bad translations by translators who are indeed native speakers in their target language, but who have extremely limited abilities in the source language, causing errors which may be grammatically correct but have little to nothing to do with the source text. There are also many translations which are technically correct â in the sense that they adhere to both the source text and the general rules of spelling and grammar â but which are too awkward and/or rambling to properly follow. Unfortunately, unless you either know the translator to have adequate ability or have a good system for selection, you never know when these bad translations will pop up to ruin your day. Here, we will outline some basic steps you can take to avoid having to deal with these bad translations by choosing an appropriate translator from the get-go. Check Accreditation A number of professional translator associations - for example, the ATA (North America) or the JTF (Japan) - make an attempt to set quality and accuracy standards by administering difficult, peer-evaluated tests for various specified language pairs. Professional translators with experience and accreditation evaluate these tests to decide whether or not to award certification. Translators with these accreditations are generally reliable, and usually have proven skills. Check Available Samples If possible, look for a native speaker of the target language who will be able to read samples of the prospective translator's work. Even better would be to find an evaluator who also has a background in the source language, and even more so if you can find someone with knowledge of the source material as well. A bit of this sort of research can provide you with a pretty good estimate of a translator's skill level. Proper, natural-sounding writing can be difficult enough as it is; writing properly while also conveying a set meaning into another language can jack up the challenge level considerably. You should NEVER assume that a ânative speakerâ of a language equals a âproficient translatorâ. Pair Up the Translator with the Material Not all documents are exactly the same, and no translator can translate all documents adequately and efficiently. Thoroughly check a translator's experience and fields of specialty. If a translator does not have experience translating technical documents, then you probably shouldnât assign them a highly technical user manual for a drill press. If youâre looking for someone to translate a press release for a trendy new restaurant or club, then you might not want to go with a medical translation specialist. One of the most common misconceptions about the translation business is that it is a scientific and exact process - simply trading words from one language with words of another language, and having them make sense. If you have an understanding of the complex ways in which languages and cultures differ from each other - as well as of the inherent challenges of proper writing - you should be able to select a translator without having to scramble around for someone to proofread and subsequently correct an entire project by the deadline.

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Translating Dialects

contact@yakuyaku.com — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:47:45 +0100

Some dialects may vary only slightly from the standard language (for example, the Osaka and Kyoto dialects in Japanese), and some seem to be a completely different language (Okinawan dialect and, well, the rest of the Japanese language). As for the reason these dialects exist, there are a variety of factors, including country of origin, local region, culture, history, etc. But on top of these dialects, most languages have a set âstandardâ or âofficialâ dialect, which is used for things such as the news and newspapers, contracts, language arts classes in schools, and in business settings. Letâs say you are contracted to do a Japanese to English translation â a contract, or a user manual, for example. Of course, the source text will be written in standard Japanese (known as âhyoujungoâ), and it goes without saying that the translation you deliver will have to be written in proper English. But what if youâre contracted to translate a comic or book or movie script â and itâs all written in dialect... What do you do then? This sort of job is relatively rare, but does come in every once in awhile. A long time ago, I was hired to translate the script of a Japanese indie comedy film into English, back when I had just started out as a translator. When I saw the script, I sort of freaked out. This was because about half of the actorsâ lines in script were written in extremely thick Osaka dialect. Now this wasnât a problem for me at all as far as comprehension goes, because I actually learned (REALLY thick) Osaka dialect before I could ever speak standard Japanese, but I was told to âmake sure that (I) keep the style and tone of the charactersâ respective ways of speaking and dictionâ. Since English dialects and Japanese dialects are totally different, I was stumped at first. Especially because the very fact that these characters spoke in such thick Osaka dialect, as well as the flow of the dialect itself, was basically the punchline or at least an important component of the majority of the jokes and gags in the film. The problem is, the difference between, say, âAmerican English and British Englishâ is completely different than the difference between âStandard Japanese (or âTokyo dialectâ) and Osaka dialectâ, which I assumed meant that there was no way I could translate the script perfectly. After racking my brain for awhile (keep in mind, I had just started out), I came up with an idea: âThe âstandard Japanese charactersâ would speak normal, proper English, and Iâd have the âOsaka dialectâ characters speak with a thick, exaggerated version of the way kids back in my old neighborhood spoke, slang and all.â This not only helped make the translation go a lot more smoothly â it also made the job a lot of fun. (In the end, the client actually really liked the translation and I received a pat on the back, as opposed to having my translation thrown out, as I was kind of afraid would happen.) Another example that has always stuck in my mind is an old episode of the famous manga âRanma Â½â by Rumiko Takahashi. When I was in high school, I used to watch that show all the time, but unfortunately I could usually only get my hands on the English dubbed versions. I donât want to sound too much like an âotakuâ or anything, but thereâs a character in the story named Ryoga Hibiki, who in one particular episode is searching for a place called Nerima Ward in Tokyo. He ends up getting lost, and when he asks an old man on the street which way Nerima Ward is, the old man tells him âTokyo? This hereâs Shikoku!â (an island in the southwest of Japan, several hundred miles from Tokyo and generally considered to be deep in the countryside), in a thick, stereotypical Southern-American accent â as viewed by most non-Southern English speakers. In Japanese, of course, there is no âSouthern accentâ as we know it, and another viewing of the same episode in the original Japanese later revealed that that particular character actually spoke with a thick, stereotypical Shikoku accent â as viewed by most non-Shikoku-dwelling Japanese people. It was the sudden popping of this memory into my head that gave me the idea for my script translation when I was freaking out about how I was ever going to translate it. There are some situations in which â even though the source text may be written in some form of dialect â you can just forget about the dialect aspect and translate the text into the standard version of the target language. But in situations such as the one I just mentioned, where you absolutely have to play the dialect card in order to keep the original tone, meaning, or style of the original, itâs necessary to think not only about the relationship between âone language and anotherâ, but also âone dialect and anotherâ as well. Of course, this problem doesnât present itself when translating contracts, patents, etc., but every once in awhile youâll find yourself translating a comic or book or something similar, when youâll need to deal with dialects. Well, I say âneed toâ, but personally I find it to be fun to translate in and out of dialects every once in awhile, and itâs a good way to learn more about your language pair as well. But for reals though, you hella couldnât even do that for, like, some kinda article or whatever that youâre fittinâ to like, you know, post all up on a Website or whatever, dude. Cuz that would just end up looking all busted and broke and stuff, you feel what Iâm saying, man? Oops...

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The Pro Translator's Checklist, Part 2

contact@yakuyaku.com — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:09:39 +0100

As previously stated, some of these may seem quite obvious âeven for a beginner â but many translators seem to neglect many of them on a regular basis (and then wonder, âWhy havenât I been getting any work in recently?!â). Donât let that happen to you â read and follow these points as much as possible. 1. DONâT assume that a new client has previous experience using or working with translation services and translators, and donât assume that they donât, either. You just may find yourself been perceived as condescending - or conversely, green and amateur â due to the way you over/underuse certain terms or discuss types of software, etc. 2. DONâT respond to a request for services with laments about how swamped you are with work, or how tight your schedule is with other projects. You might be able to show a client just how in-demand you are, but you are also likely to make them think twice about requesting your services again. If itâs absolutely, positively impossible for you to accept a project, thank the potential client for their consideration and drop them a note when your workload lightens up. 3. DONâT assume that you already know everything there is to know about your own language pairs or specialties. Translation is the type of profession in which you can (and should) continue to learn and grow, as long as you stay open-minded. 4. DONâT make excuses for your rate - remember: you are a professional, offering a professional service. Do the necessary research in order to make sure that your rates are within industry standards. 5. DONâT provide a final quote without first checking the *entirety* of the source text. You could end up screwing yourself over majorly. 6. DONâT neglect to ask a client for a style preference or style sheet on especially long or continuing projects. Although the client may be responsible for providing you with these materials, you should always ask to be sure they havenât forgotten. 7. DONâT put off checking the source text of a new project. At the very least, go through it qucikly as soon as possible, even if you are in the middle of working on a different project. 8. DONâT wait till the last minute to make requests to the client, such as âMay I have a more legible copy?â or âCould you send some sort of reference materials?â These things may take time - or may be downright impossible â and if thatâs the case, then you need to know this as early as possible. 9. DONâT assume that your client has examined the source text as thoroughly and carefully as you do â or even at all. You may find that some text already exists in the target language, which is good news; or you may find that there is more text in a third language, which can change things drastically. 10. DONâT forget that human translation is an organic product. Keep an open mind when it comes to having completed translations reviewed, be ready to admit when youâve made a mistake, and be ready to defend yourself with concrete resources â donât try to deflect criticism or complaints with âIâve been doing this for a long timeâ... Thereâs always the chance that youâve have been doing it the wrong way for a long time. And thus completes the second half of the Pro Translatorâs Checklist. Iâm always open to fresh views and opinions regarding this work, so please donât hesitate to submit any additions, amendments, or criticisms you may have in the Forum.

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The Pro Translator's Checklist, Part 1

contact@yakuyaku.com — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:16:51 +0100

1. Always remember to thank a client for taking the time to contact you with an inquiry or quote. This should be done regardless as to whether or not youâre actually receiving work from them. 2. Always be sure to respond to inquiries from clients, prospective clients, and even people about whom you have doubts as to whether or not theyâd even be interested in your services. Feeling ignored or unimportant is a huge turnoff for anyone, especially to someone who is looking for a person to do a job for which attention to detail is extremely important. 3. (This is an extension of the previous item...) Always respond to inquiries after an absence as well. This includes going on vacation, moving house/offices, having computer/server problems, being sick, anything at all... Even if itâs too late to take on a job that may have been offered, showing that youâre professional and polite could lead to more work down the road. 4. Always be honest about your ability to meet a deadline. Promising a client that you can finish a translation in two days, and then having to take an entire week to finish it not only makes you seem unprofessional and green, it also makes you look like a liar. 5. Always check the entire source text before agreeing to a certain deadline and fee. âEight pagesâ certainly sounds much longer than âthree pagesâ, but âeight pages of a book for small childrenâ is usually going to take much less time and effort to translate accurately than âthree pages of a patentâ. 6. Always provide a fair quote in regards to your rates. That is, donât assume that one client can afford to pay twice as much as what you would charge another client for the same work, and then charge accordingly. You may unwittingly drive off a client altogether, if not a job that most others would gladly accept for much less money. 7. Always check through the source text when what appears to be a mistake or discrepancy comes up. Thereâs a good chance that itâs explained further along in the text, and especially if this is obvious, youâll end up looking lazy or dependant. 8. Always offer to review your own work for free when asked to go over it again, no matter how long. âBeing careful not to make mistakesâ should be included in your initial fee; thereâs no reason to charge a client for doing what you should have been doing in the first place. 9. Always request confirmation of reception of deliveries, purchase orders, invoices, and quotes. This is especially true for deliveries. You donât want a client to assume that you were being lazy or had forgotten about them when the server eats your mail, and with a confirmation you can be sure that theyâve received your submission. 10. Always be respectful and polite in regards to other translators as well as clients. For one thing, no one likes dealing with someone who constantly badmouths others; and on top of that, for all you know you may be missing out on amazing opportunities that a client would have introduced to you, had you not already expressed your dislike for someone else related to the projector company of origin. Hopefully these ten items will be of use to you in your dealings. Next week, the list will continue with the DONâTâs.

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Crowdsourced Translation

contact@yakuyaku.com — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:40:45 +0100

Wikipedia defines âcrowdsourcingâ as follows: Crowdsourcing is a neologism for the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing them to a group of people or community, through an "open call" to a large group of people (a crowd) asking for contributions. For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task (also known as community-based design and distributed participatory design), refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm (see Human-based computation), or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data (see also citizen science). Recently, a variety of online-based companies have been utilizing the crowdsourcing method for translations of their respective websitesâ contents. Some of the more high-profile projects have been those conducted by online social networking sites such as Facebook and Hi5. Crowdsourced translation, when properly managed and administered, can make extremely large projects of unwieldy volume go much more smoothly and quickly, and in some cases even make the translation of the material even more accurate. On the other hand, if not properly managed and quality assured, it can create days, weeks, or even months of extra fix-up work for the administrators. This is especially true when specialized terminology and/or distinctive writing styles are required for the finished product. There are many advantages to crowdsourced translation â especially for websites/services such as the aforementioned. One of these advantages is that on top of (usually) being free of charge, it also allows for more rare or minor languages to be translated not only accurately but also in proper modern parlance. Another advantage would be the fact that the source material is, by the nature of the act, translated just the way the end users would want it to be. This not only helps boost user satisfaction, but also provides the company in question with a way to avoid complaints about âunnaturalâ or âimproperâ translations, since they can always answer such accusations with a âitâs not us, itâs youâ deflection. Some freelance translators and translator associations are against crowdsourced translation, especially when the work is done free of charge, because they feel that it takes away valuable work opportunities. Unfortunately for this section of the translation industry, in some cases â be it due to financial reasons, time restraints, or other causes â crowdsourced translation is not only the most effective way to go, itâs sometimes the only method plausible. Facebook, for example, undergoes constant criticism by its users regarding its language and terminology, but in crowdsourcing the siteâs recent multilingual translation, the company responsible not only saved literally hundreds of thousands â if not millions - of dollars in translation/proofreading/quality assurance fees, they were also able to get the siteâs terminology and general linguistic feel just as the end users preferred. As crowdsourced translation continues to evolve and expand into other areas of business in general and the world of online translation in particular, we can expect to see new technologies and translation methods based on or related to this practice crop up gradually. Whether this is a good or bad thing is a subjective matter, but one that will no doubt become more and more a source of discussion in the days and years to come.

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Manners: A Gaping Hole in the Translation Industry

contact@yakuyaku.com — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:40:39 +0100

And while I do understand that not everyone shares the same set of values and social code, I do feel that there are a few certain basic points which any person living and working in modern society has the responsibility to not only learn, but to follow as well. On that note, I would like the opportunity to voice my opinion on a related matter in a brief open letter to the general translation community. This particular grievance pertains mainly to translators in general, but also to many PMs as well: if you were blessed with the mental capacity to allow for the mastering of a language unrelated to your own, then one would assume that you would also have the ability to retain some of the manners, politesse, and general social niceties that Iâm sure your parents must have taught you somewhere along the line. As a project manager, I deal with a wide variety of clients, translators, and other project managers. By default, all of these people are of adult age, and I would guess that most of them have at least finished high school or the equivalent thereof in their respective countries. Why then, I ask you, do I feel as though Iâm trying to communicate with half-feral ghetto children when dealing with 1 out of 5 translators? This is not just a broad generalization â donât get me wrong, the majority of the translators I deal with regularly are polite, considerate, and professional human beings. However there is also a relatively large group of translators who seem to have learned manners and couth from a rusty nail. No greetings, no âplease/thank you/youâre welcomeâs, no apologies for mistakes or tardiness, no common courtesy whatsoever. I receive ridiculous demands for rate raises and deadline extensions, and yet I also receive outright refusals to take responsibility for corrections or to answer questions from the end client. Although these are rather industry-specific examples, the general attitude reflects on all aspects of my day-to-day dealings with these people and Iâm sure that the situation would change very little should they be members of a different profession. The way I see it â and I donât mean to sound as though I consider myself to be âbetterâ than anyone else â I am a project manager, which means that I not only dole out jobs and projects, but I also decide 1) how much to pay a translator, and 2) whether or not to hire a translator again. At the same time, as far as the translator is concerned, I am also a customer. Thinking of these two factors together confuses me even more... The question goes from âWhy must you be so rude and disagreeable?â to âWhy would you even think to be so rude and disagreeable toward not only a CUSTOMER (who, in this country, is supposed to be equal to âGodâ), but to the person who is at the same time temporarily-but-technically your BOSS, and who has the power to make the decisions regarding whether or not you ever get any quality work from them again?â While the attitude and manners of a translator admittedly have nothing to do with the personâs actual work skill, they have a lot to do with my decision to work with them again in the future, and also with my decision regarding how much you get paid. I feel that this is an especially important factor, so please allow me to reiterate in capitals: I, THE PROJECT MANAGER, DECIDE HOW MUCH YOU GET PAID. Considering this, I would think that most people would decide to extend at least the most basic common courtesies and politeness to a person in this position, but apparently Iâve been placing overly high expectations on the general population. Once again, I want to make it clear that these views do not cover ALL â or even most â of the translators I work with, only a certain percent. But as the number of translators with whom I work increases, the number of people with no sense of civility or courtesy does also. So please, heed my modest request: Manners were one of the first things you probably learned when you were a child. With the slightest bit of practice, they shouldnât be that hard to remaster. Please do so.

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Happy New Year from YakuYaku!

contact@yakuyaku.com — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:19:08 +0100

YakuYakuâs 1st birthday will soon be upon us, and we hope to expand not only the site itself, but also the community as well as our range of services. 2009 was a year full of ups and downs, of high points and low points, but thanks to you â our users â YakuYaku was able to grow by leaps and bounds from the point of its inception until now. The community hasnât even been online for a full year yet, and even so weâve managed to increase our membership tenfold over just the past few months. This year, we hope to increase it exponentially once again, while also keeping a tight eye on site content, customer service, and work quality. Economically, the past year has been rough on everyone, but it would appear (according to analysts) that the general state of the world economy is looking to shape up a bit more this year, which hopefully means more work for us, and therefore more work for all of our translators and interpreters as well. As can be expected from the YakuYaku team, we will strive to make the jobs you want available and to evenly distribute and share not only the work but its fruits as well, so please continue all the great work youâve been doing for us and we can all reap the benefits of this wonderful community weâve started to build. From the YakuYaku Team, thanks again for all your advice, support, and patience, and we look forward to working and growing with you over the next year!

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Translating Against a Cultural Background

contact@yakuyaku.com — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:43:21 +0100

You could say that a culture is a historically derived system of explicit and implicit designs for living â a system of concepts, beliefs, attitudes, and values â which tends to be shared by all or specially designated members of a group, called a society. In order to translate a source fitting into the specific cultural background we have to assume that every word, phrase, and meaning has got an equivalent in the language into which it is being translating. This way of thinking anticipates that beyond the cultural differences of respective societies exists a universal consciousness. You could call this a super-culture. In this context all languages are only different expressions in a generally shared mind. This universal consciousness guaranties that everything is translatable and that translations can be free of mistakes. From the point of a word to word translation, the results may differ, but what really counts is the meaning. And this stays identical despite the change in context. However, the idea of a stable meaning is not only tricky but also requires a full understanding of the source. For example, if the translator already has experienced the situation he or she is translating. And as everybody knows from daily life, communication even in the same language can lead to misunderstandings. Therefore, a full understanding and â deducted from that â a similar ratio of equivalence of two phrases in two languages is illusionary. It is more likely that every translation changes the meaning of the specific word. Every âthingâ provokes a specific image in the human brain and relates with it specific feelings and thoughts. For instance, the word âbreadâ triggers a different understanding in different countries depending on the most general term in each specific society. In Germany, it probably means âblack breadâ, while in France you would expect a âbaguetteâ and in India, ânaanâ. Also, the actions you associate with specific terms may differe in different regions, again for similar reasons. In Italy, for example, a customer ordering a coffee probably gulps it down and leaves the bar. In America, it is more likely that he or she sits with the cup of coffee for a half-hour, contemplating. That's due to the fact that there is usually a complete difference in size and temperature of Italian and American coffees. Therefore, a good translator is somebody who has at least experienced both cultures, and who absorbs specific details and characteristics of languages; somebody who not only knows what the bread is made of, but maybe also how it tastes and what importance it has in the specific region. I would call something like this the guarantee of equivalence of expressions considering the cultural adjustment. Even though the concept of full adaption of meaning is far from reachable, its intention is the basic principle of translation. Only the assumption of a consistent meaning guarantees that something is translatable. But the validity of a translation can only be proven on a pragmatic approach. By calling on analogies we can compare practices and other actions within their source and target contexts, and for a good translation we can make out similarities and differences which lead to a better understanding of both your own and foreign cultures, and by that, the meaning. Therefore, practical evaluation and experience is another basic factor necessary to achieve a good translation within a cultural background. By this article I neither mean to damn nor bless the possibility of perfect translations â especially those who know my motto will understand it ;-) â but what I mean is: get familiar with your second language, its country of origin, and its cultural background in order to create a good translation!

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The Dark Power of the Interpreter

contact@yakuyaku.com — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:12:36 +0100

Of course, you didnât hire just any guide, you hired an expert. This guide can not only deftly explain the terrain that lies ahead of you, but is also a master at navigating the long and complex labyrinth. With the help of this guide, your success is most certainly assured. Or is it? OK, clunky allegories aside, this is the sort of power that interpreters hold over their clients. If you are not at all versed in the customs and language of the people with which you do business, your interpreter becomes your sole life-line and best hope of landing a deal. Given just the importance of the interpreterâs role it would behoove anyone to pick only the most skilled or highly qualified individuals to act as their linguistic sherpa. Of course, theyâre not likely to come cheap. In this case however, it may be wise to pony up the dough for a professional rather than take your chances with a less expensive option (amateurs/friends/relatives/that foreigner that lives in apartment 3B). Letâs take a look at some of the most basic mistakes made by amateur interpreters. Omission: this is simply when an interpreter leaves something out. Why they would do this is anyoneâs guess, however rather than chalk it up to ill will, we can surmise that it more likely stems from a lack of experience or limited expertise. Obviously, you want an interpreter who can not only understand everything being said, but can also communicate everything precisely to both sides. Addition: as you could guess, this is very near to the opposite of omission, and is when the interpreter adds information that was not expressed by the original speaker. You can imagine the sort of trouble that this would cause, and why you would want to avoid it. (âI donât remember offering a 15% discountâ¦â) Condensation: this is when an interpreter summarizes, or even resorts to explaining, what the speaker has said. In a best case scenario the listener only gets the gist of what was expressed, and in a worse case scenario the listener misses critical information. These are just a sampling of the basic errors made by inexperienced interpreters; however the havoc that they could wreak on a business meeting, as well as the aftereffects they could have on your own job, should be clear enough. What one can do to avoid running into these problems is simple: always hire qualified, experienced interpreters. The best way to ensure that the person you are hiring is truly qualified is to thoroughly check with their qualifications and references, or to ask your own associates to recommend an interpreter with whom they have had success in the past. This may seem jaded or untrusting (or even like too much work), but in the end it is you who needs to navigate the labyrinth âso you had better bring someone who knows their way around!

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Santa Claus: The All-Time Heavyweight Globalization Master of the World

contact@yakuyaku.com — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0100

Some companies strive for years to find some way to get their foot into the door of one or two specific countries or regions, going through a continuous cycle of trial and error, oftentimes without any success at all. Santa, on the other hand, didnât even have to EXIST, and people all around the world clamored for a piece of him. In fact, Santa is such an amazingly popular product that literally thousands of companies actually use him to promote their own totally unrelated products. In many parts of the world, Santa has the familiar (to me, at least, as an American) red pimp suit and elf cap, fluffy white God-beard, and epic beer gut. (Awesome.) But in other areas, heâs something completely different, complete with ethnically-friendly sidekicks, arch enemies, and everything. Kind of like a gluttonous, nocturnal Spiderman. In Austria, for example, they have Krampus: Santaâs sworn arch enemy. Krampus is not some childrenâs cartoon âbaddyâ, as one might expect from Christmas-based traditions. Oh no. Krampus is HARD. CORE. He looks like Satan, sometimes carrying a pitchfork and/or steel ball and chain, and scares the crap out of children and tries to have his way with the ladies on December 5th, the day before the Feast of St. Nicholas. Any naughty children he finds donât get lumps of coal in their stockings; they get a can of whoop-ass opened on them. In Italy, they have La Befana: a witch who rides a broomstick through the night sky, delivering presents to children and escaping subpoenas from J.K. Rowlingâs lawyers. Although she is slightly different from the REAL Santa Claus, sheâs obviously a blatant ripoff, which goes to show how amazingly sweet and awesome Santa really is. Even in Turkey, they have Noel Baba. This is pretty impressive as Turkey is a Muslim country, and yet even so, Santa (who was mainly based on Christian and pagan traditions) was able to break through the theological barrier and dominate the Winter season. I think itâs obvious that we could all take a big lesson from our old voyeuristic burglar friend Santa Claus. But how did he do it? How did an ancient, decrepit, thousand-year old fogey not only get into globalization, but COMPLETELY MASTER the art â and without even really trying? Was it business school? Amazing luck? Fat bribes? No, no it wasnât. It was, in fact, a Christmas MiracleÂ®Â©â¢.

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The Necessity of Interpreting Services in Overcoming the Economic Crisis

contact@yakuyaku.com — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:30:29 +0100

For small-and mid-sized companies, however â they also do suffer as well â there is a chance arising in the current situation. Those companies are forced to take action by developing new market and product strategies. One possibility might be conquering a new market with a current product which has already been successful in its country of origin. If managers decide to follow that path, they will certainly face a range of new difficulties, such as language barriers. Japan, for example, is still a very isolated country with regards to foreign corporations. This situation has barely changed since the bubble burst â very few managers or workers speak English, not to mention other languages. Establishing good business relations or dealing with local governments can therefore not only take a lot of time, but also be costly. Generally speaking, you could say that the more traditional the branch, the more important language and cultural knowledge become for managers. Because of this it is more difficult to get in touch with new customers and maintain this relationship. Many big companies have their own foreign departments and of course have qualified workers and language professionals. Besides their normal tasks of, for example, dealing with import/exports, they are often used as interpreters for higher management. However, smaller companies can't afford this luxury, especially within the current economic crisis and the need to reduce expenses. Not only is it hard to find qualified employees for a low salary whose language skills are comparable to a professional interpreter, but another question is: Do you need a steady language professional in your company? If you just plan on establishing a relationship with a trading partner, then probably not! But also, if you decide to open an overseas department, it is hard to find skilled employees. Japan, for instance, has the highest educational level in the world, with 74% of all adults having a university degree. However, it is still challenging in Japan to recruit personnel with proper educational background, work experience in a specific field, plus a good knowledge of foreign languages. Moreover, foreign companies are still seen as second-class employers, even though they often offer better conditions. Let's say youâve already decided to follow the path to opening an overseas department, or to enter into a foreign partnership. How do you overcome the initial language barriers? You will probably look for an interpreter! If you - as a manager - have a meeting abroad but don't speak the language of the designated country, you might also take someone in your company who is able to interpret with you. In this case you have to face extra costs by paying for the flight ticket, hotel costs, and maybe additional expenses such as overnight costs or overtime wages. A single business trip of this kind can become very costly. In this case, outsourcing this 'interpreting service' is the most efficient choice. Also, you don't only want to deal with markets where English, Spanish or German are spoken, but to enter an oriental market. In this case what are you going to do? But maybe your company is expecting an overseas partner to join your meeting? If you have experience in dealing with foreigners, you properly have your own freelance interpreter whom you usually choose. Or you just take out the yellow pages and start looking for one in your area. Also, in this case, when you start searching and contacting every single interpreter in your area, you don't know how much he costs or whether he or she has a good reputation or is skilled enough in your specific trading field. Looking for an interpreter can therefore be very stressful and time-consuming. Many companies exporting goods to Japan will look for a Japanese partner. The most popular are corporations with trading companies - the so called 'Sougou Shousha', or specialized trading houses or âJoint Venturesâ. Therefore, companies might, for example, look for and English or German interpreter in Japan to start the first business contacts. So what's the best way to find one? Did you ever think about searching for interpreters over the Internet? Highly qualified and well-established interpreters don't need to have their own website because they are always booked up. Although some of them might have one, they are pretty expensive and the question is: will you be you able to find them? Also, new but good interpreters need a starting point from which to offer their services. The Internet is flooded with translation services, companies, and agencies. You can also easily find interpreters for a designated country just by searching Google or Yahoo. But there are neither good interpreter community websites - as they exist for translators - nor proper free browsing tools with which you can choose an interpreter who fits your needs. Also, it is probably useful to have a detailed look at an interpreterâs profile, his or her previous jobs, and the comments of their clients. Well, actually that's what we are trying to do with our free Interpreter Browsing tool! And hopefully we will be able to fit your needs with it. For additions or suggestions regarding our articles or services, feel free to discuss them in our forum! For instance, maybe you were able to get a pretty good image on what an interpreter service should look like? Then don't hesitate to let us know your opinion. Weâre always striving to improve our website.

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I am Planning on Learning a New Language - Which One Should I Choose?

contact@yakuyaku.com — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:59:25 +0100

So, letâs say you already have a language or two under your belt, and you (the intrepid linguist that you are) decide it is high time to expand your lexical horizons. So, which language is it going to be? Choosing another language to learn âwhether it be your third or your thirteenth- is an important decision (well, at thirteen maybe less so!) You will be dedicating a significant portion of your time to mastering the structural, phonological, not to mention cultural ins-and-outs of this new language; depending upon your background, the investment required can be huge, and as such it would be wise to consider âwhat exactly will I get out of this?â Here are some ideas to help guide you in your decision: What will I use this new language for? - (Or: what is the overall goal?) When choosing a language it is a good idea to consider your long term goals. In five years how will mastering this language be of benefit to you? Are you going to use it in business, or leisure? Are you learning so that you can communicate with a loved one? It is most important to first understand why you are learning a language, as that will set the stage for both how you learn it and how you will utilize it. A businessman learning Chinese is going to have different needs, time constraints and goals than a senior citizen learning French or an interpreter/translator learning Italian. How relevant is this new language? - (Yes Dad, Latin is still useful!) This is related to the above but with a greater focus on the practical use of your new language. For interpreters and translators this boils down to the overall market demand for services. Or in other words: what kinds of returns are available for your investment? Learning Sanskrit can be interesting, but how much work is it going to bring you? It may be a good idea to see which languages are in high demand and go from there. How easy will this new language be to learn? â (Going from English to Arabic isnât easy!) Letâs face it: some languages are easier to learn for some people. This can be due to languages sharing a common family or to the inborn talent of the linguist. It may be common sense, but if you are familiar with a certain group of languages, picking up another from within the set can be a shortcut to diversifying your service offerings. On the other hand, picking up a radically different language that sets you apart from other professionals in the field could help you to carve out a niche âbut if it is truly different from the languages you have learned so far the required investment of time and energy will be greater. How much are you willing and able to put into this new endeavor? To sum up: figure out what your personal and professional goals are, have an understanding of the current market needs, and do an assessment of how much you are actually able to invest before you make your decision. I would like to hear your thoughts; what have I neglected to mention? How have you made this decision in the past?

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Imagine a World Without Translationâ¦

contact@yakuyaku.com — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:54:14 +0100

John Lennon encouraged us to imagine a world without divisions or borders in his celebrated hit âImagineâ. The song epitomized the times, with its message of hope for an international brotherhood. Since Lennonâs era our world has grown rapidly smaller, and as each day passes we grow more and more connected. Of course, our current situation is a far cry from the ideals put forth in Lennonâs work; however there is no denying that we are now better able to communicate with our friends, family and neighbors both at home and abroad. However, could you imagine a world without translation? It is something many people do not even consider, however if you stop to think about it the implications would be huge. Where did your TV come from? How about your stereo? Have you played any video games lately? Unless you only buy domestic goods, you are likely a benefactor of translation. Even those painful-to-read user manuals were (in some cases) dutifully worked over by a translator. Without their help the flow of goods from country to country would have been drastically stunted. It doesnât stop with flashy electronics and video games however; from classical masterworks such as âThe Iliadâ, to commercial successes like âHarry Potterâ, could you imagine the loss in shared storytelling and knowledge the world would have suffered if not for translation? How far would our cultures have advanced without being able to share ideas and advancements? Further, how would the political sphere operate? Could international politics even churn along without the help of translation and interpretation? How would world leaders negotiate? Would world peace even be a prospect without being able to understand one another? These questions could continue on forever; however that would be belaboring the point. Translation is vital to the continued growth, success and advancement of all peoples. In business, education, friendship, or international relations, the world we share is becoming smaller âand it is in large part thanks to translation. How has translation benefited your life?

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Getting Work as a Translator

contact@yakuyaku.com — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:09:36 +0100

Problem #1: âI keep sending out resumes/translation samples/introductory emails, but havenât received a single reply.â Possible Causes & Their Solutions : Have you been sending your mails out from your hardcore_gangsta6969@hotmail.com address? Does your email footer display your name as âMR. HARRY KNUTZâ? Have you been opening your mails with âHey dude, you got some work?â Does your Facebook page list your interests as âSMOKIN WEED & KICKIN A$$â? From the point of view of a Project Manager (or any possible employer), these are all warning signs that this person may not be the most serious and diligent worker around... on top of being not very bright to boot. Before your start trying to sell yourself, make sure you arenât advertising the fact that you have no couth or professionalism. Problem #2: âI can usually get one job from an outsourcer, but never a second, even though Iâm confident that the quality of my translations is pretty high.â Possible Causes & Their Solutions: Even though you may be the best translator on the block, there are certain things that tend to totally turn Project Managers off of freelance translators. Persistently complaining and arguing about the amount and/or date of payment after youâve already happily agreed on these conditions can be one of them. Chronic refusal to answer (possibly urgent) emails or phone calls from your hire during a project can be another. Another possible cause that you have to consider is that maybe â just MAYBE â your translations just arenât all that good after all... Try getting some of your work checked by a trustworthy acquaintance or another translator and ask their opinion, and make sure to be as reliable and professional as possible. This is business, after all. There are of course other problems and subsequent solutions, but I find that the two above general categories tend to cover about 90% of the translators that I, as a Project Manager, turn down regularly. As stated above, remember to be as polite and professional as possible, make sure that random people donât have access to anything on the Internet that makes you look like a goon, and keep honing your skills. Follow these rules and keep trying hard, and one day your work will pay off.

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The Video Game Localization Process

contact@yakuyaku.com — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:51:15 +0100

It is well known that video games developed in Japan take a long time to reach European, American, and Asian markets. Apart from the publishers' scheduling strategies, this delay can sometimes also be explained by the process of translating and localizing software. This is a very basic guideline of the steps that 90% of our clients follow when localizing a video game. Stage 1: Familiarization (Req. time: approx. 2 weeks) It is necessary to have knowledge of what exactly it is that you are dealing with before actually starting work on a game. This would be done after the game has already been published in the Japanese market when working with a game that has been licensed from an unrelated company, and when working with a game that is currently still in the development stages (but after an approved master version has been produced) if the game is a product of the parent company. At this stage in the process, the head of the project team handles administration of any materials which are to be localized, including but not limited to text files and graphic materials received from the developers, while the translators involved in the localization play the game extensively to get a good feel for the mood, subject matter, and themes. Being familiar with the in-game context of all aspects of a game is very important when translating and localizing a game, including any dialogue, menus, and any other type of text which may be found in bonus levels, extra material, and locked content. Sometimes visual clues contained solely in graphics â i.e., not in the text â can be extremely important in understanding the context of a certain piece of storyline or dialogue. For example, a character might make what seems to be a joyful exclamation when read in text form, but the onscreen graphic may reveal that it was obviously a sarcastic remark; in this particular instance, this could make an entire conversation sound completely nonsensical when localizing, say, an English game to the market, in a culture where sarcasm is not usually easily recognized and understood. Stage 2: Localization (Req. time: approx. 1-8 weeks) Depending on the project, this phase of the process can take vastly different amounts of time. A lot of this can be platform-related, with some games taking not much more than a week, and others â in extreme cases â taking almost half a year. Some of the main contributing factors to this can be the number of translators/localizers/editors involved, volume of text, and the types of files used. Another factor that can cause the required translation time to extend almost exponentially is the fact that many games have dialogue and texts which are split up in completely nonlinear ways, which can cause confusion and require extra familiarization time â as opposed to text which is lined up from âstart to finishâ. Also, games which include dialogue which is not just displayed on-screen but also vocalized by voice actors can take extra time to deal with. Stage 3: Programming (Req. time: approx. 4-6 weeks) Many publishers have no programmers actually on staff, and leave the implementation of text that has been translated/edited/finalized to the original developer of a game. This process usually takes under a month to complete, and includes reworking graphic files that require changes and movies that require new voice tracks, as well as making necessary adjustments for regional technical standards of the local market for which the game is being localized. Stage 4: Quality Assurance (Req. time: approx. 5-8 weeks) The quality assurance (usually known as QA) phase of a project commences after the developers have created a playable version of the game in question. Programming involved in the localization process generally produces a number of bugs in virtually any game, which is completely normal. These bugs â all of which are dealt with in this phase of localization - can include text-related problems such as misspellings and grammatical errors, inconsistencies, and nonsensical texts, as well as system-related glitches such as sound- and graphic-related bugs, crashes, and standards-related incompatibilities. All of these bugs must be thoroughly checked and fixed for a proper localization, and even the most simple and short games can take up to two or three months for a proper debugging, as any issues discovered must be double- and sometimes triple-checked in order to confirm that all issues have been solved and erased. Stage 5: Manufacturer Approval (Req. time: approx. 3-8 weeks) All manufacturers put games through a process of approval, in which in-house checkers review the master version that has been submitted by the localizers. This process is to confirm that the game content matches the manufacturerâs specific requirements and needs, and usually takes just under a month, but can take much longer if there are significant problems with the submitted content. In the event that serious issues arise, the developer is notified and Stages 3, 4, and 5 are repeated, albeit usually in a somewhat abbreviated form. Stage 6: Physical Production (Req. time: approx. 3-5 weeks) A game is not completely finished I i.e.: ready for sale â once a master version has been checked and approved by the manufacturer. First, replication houses â which produce a number of copies of a game to meet the needs of the manufacturer â receive a copy of the master version and start printing. This process can take varying amounts of time, depending on the type of physical media required (that is, whether the game is on a DVD or contained in a cartridge). The game is shipped to distributors after it has been printed and packaged at the manufacturer, and is then dispersed among various retail outlets such as game shops, Internet retailers, and companies with product tie-ins. On top of all of the steps mentioned above, there are other factors which can also take time. These factors can include package and manual design (and printing), website production/debugging, and product tie-ins. Depending on the manufacturer and/or developer, these factors may be (and are usually) handled at the same time as the steps mentioned above, or they may be done afterward. In order for the end user to finally be able to enjoy the game, all of the above steps must be completed (and completed properly, which unfortunately is not always the case, although I wonât mention any names...). Importing a game from one market to another is not as simple as âtranslate the text, redo any voice acting in the game, and maybe think up a new nameâ. Which is a good thing, as if it were that simple, then many of us would be out of a job.

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Tips for Being a Good Project Manager

contact@yakuyaku.com — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:54:46 +0100

Being a translator can be tough â especially for a freelance translator. Getting stuck with a bad project manager can really be a downer for a translator, and this can cause drops in quality and reliability as well as lessen chances of getting to work with a good translator again in the future. Here are a few pointers â in no particular order - for being a good PM: 1) Remember your manners, as well as your place. You are not the translatorâs boss. You are his or her âmanagerâ, and only temporarily at that. Donât talk down to the translator, or order them around as if you own them. Remember: whereas an employee of a company usually has no recourse but to quit their job if they donât like dealing with a particular manager for being bossy and rude, a freelance translator has the choice to never work with you again. Also, PM or not, do you really need someone to remind you not to be a jerk...? 2) Reply to inquiries and requests ASAP. Many project managers - after contracting a translator for a particular job â basically just give up on communicating with the translator until the project deadline, ignoring questions and confirmation mails/phone calls. Not only is this just plain rude, but it can also cause a translator to feel uneasy and suspicious. When I was working as a freelance translator, I would often receive a job from a PM and then receive no word from them whatsoever after sending my confirmation mail. This would make me wonder... Am I really going to get paid? Is this even a real company? Or is it just some guy looking for someone to do his homework for him? It is especially important to answer any questions relating to the project that the translator may have to the best of your ability. Donât forget that - as a PM â if you turn in a translation of poor quality, then that poor quality will reflect on you and your company in the eyes of the client. 3) Keep open lines of communication with not only the translator, but the client as well. If a translator has a question regarding his or her assigned project, it is important that you be able to relay that question to the client, as it may affect the entire outcome of the project. This means that you need to try to the best of your ability (depending on the client and the project, this is not always possible) to keep open lines of communication with clients. This is not only for the sake of the translator and the translation itself, but for your company and your companyâs profits. Think about it from the translatorâs point of view discussed above: if you receive a job from a client and canât seem to get ahold of them after accepting the job, how sure can you be that theyâre actually going to pay you on time? Or at all? Whenever possible, try to get not only an email address but also a physical postal address and a telephone number for any clients you work with, and be sure to extend them the same courtesy and respect that you would expect from a translator. This will not only help to let you feel more at ease, but also to build a stronger, more trusting relationship with important clients. 4) Be sure to keep track of all aspects of your projects thoroughly. Who translated this project? When is it due? Was it turned in on time? Who was the client? How much are you receiving? How much are you paying the translator? When will the payment come in? When are you scheduled to pay the translator? How was the quality of the translation? Were there any additions or changes? What was the format? What were the source and target languages? What was the name of the source file? Was it proofread? Who proofread it? How much are you paying them? These are all important aspects of any job, and should be managed and recorded thoroughly. Failing to handle this part of the job could cost you translators, clients, and most importantly: money. Of course, there are many more aspects of the PM job that deserve attention and care, but these are some of the most important. This article will be followed up at a later date with more advice and pointers for being a good project manager, so in the meantime, any comments or additions are welcome in the YakuYaku forums. Happy Project Managing!

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OMG LOL FBI BLT

contact@yakuyaku.com — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:06:43 +0100

Seeing as how translators generally donât get hired to translate text messages, chats, and private emails (usually), most people in the industry probably donât come across these abbreviations too much in the course of their daily work. However, these abbreviations appear extremely often on the Internet in general, and are sometimes present in text to be translated when working on, for example, a story, or maybe an article covering contemporary culture or youth trends. As a native English speaker and longtime Internet user, I am familiar with a good number of the abbreviations commonly used in English. But â and I must admit, I hadnât even considered this until recently â English is not at all the only language in which these abbreviations are used. Most (if not all) languages used regularly on the Internet possess their own respective sets of Internet-based word and phrase abbreviations, and some of these can be pretty interesting and creative. In English, most of these abbreviations are simply straightforward abbreviations of simple phrases using the first letter of each contained word. Some of the more common abbreviations are âLOLâ = âlaugh out loudâ, âOMGâ = âoh my Godâ, âIDKâ = âI donât knowâ, etc. Letâs check out some of the more interesting variations on these themes in other languages... In French, people seem to get a bit more creative. For example, âA12C4â means âSee you one of these days,â â pronounced as/short for âÃ un de ces quatresâ. Some more examples: âKsk t'fuâ - meaning âWhat the hell are you doing?â â is short for/pronounced âQu'est-ce que tu fous?â, and âJ'ai achetÃ© du vinâ (âI bought some wineâ) is rendered âGHT2V1â. In Japanese, a very common âabbreviationâ (technically closer to an emoticon, possibly) is âorzâ. While this is technically not an abbreviation, Iâve decided to include it here because itâs related to the subject matter, and because I can. orz is usually quite tricky for first time viewers... Looks carefully â do you see it? Itâs supposed to represent a person kowtowing or giving a deep bow - the âoâ representing the head touching the ground, the ârâ is the arms and shoulders, and the âzâ is the legs bent â expressing apology, disparity, or hopelessness. (I bet you see it nhow, right?) In Spanish, people have taken to borrowing, combining, and EspaÃ±olizing words and abbreviations from other languages. For example, âlolearâ is the forced Spanish verb form of âto LOLâ. Another word commonly used recently is âganbatearâ, which is the Spanicized form of the Japanese verb âganbaruâ, which can be loosely translated to âto try oneâs best, to go for itâ, and which among translators and Japanese speakers is famously difficult to translate accurately. The English abbreviation âLOLâ itself has spawned many internationally localized versions. Iâll wrap up with a quick list of some of the more interesting versions: Thai: 555 (pronounced âhahahaâ) Chinese: ååå (also pronounced âhahahaâ) Hebrew: ××× (technically the transcription of âhhhâ, because in Hebrew vowels are usually left out in writing) Russian: Ð»Ð¾Ð» (literally âLOLâ) French: mdr (short for âmort de rireâ, or âdying of laughter) Arabic: ÙÙÙÙÙ (also a transliteration of âlolâ) Afghani: mkm (abbreviation of the phrase âma khanda mikonomâ, meaning âIâm laughingâ) Japanese: w (short for the Romanized version of the word âwaraiâ, meaning âlaughâ)

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Translation Tips: Proper Names in Translation

contact@yakuyaku.com — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:09:55 +0100

It can be rather disheartening when youâre reviewing or proofreading a translation from a translator whose skill level is obviously high, and yet there are tiny, mistakes of this nature sprinkled throughout the text. Iâm writing this article in hopes that I can help people to avoid missing out on lucrative job opportunities (as well as to avoid looking amateurish) through easily avoidable and pointless mistakes like these. When using the Internet to assist with a translation, Iâd estimate that 95% of your Internet time is spent on online dictionaries and the like. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this; personally, I rarely use physical dictionaries for translation. However when looking up names of, say, government institutions and such, a dictionary can actually throw you a fake-out. For example, if you try looking up the name of the branch of government that controls roads, trains, etc. in a particular language, you may get âDepartment of Transportationâ â which is what this institution is called in the United States. In Japan, however, the English name is the âMinistry of Transportationâ, and in the United Kingdom, this branch is called the âDepartment for Transportâ. While the functions of these particular institutions are fundamentally almost identical, the fact is that the âMinistry of Transportationâ and the âDepartment for Transportâ simply do not exist in the United States. Some people will (and do) make the argument, âBut anyone would know what I was referring to, so that doesnât count as a mistake!â Seriously? Does that mean that if I translate a phrase which carries the meaning âBarack Obama is the President of the United Statesâ into English as âBerick Obomah is the boss of the Americaâ, then this shouldnât be counted against me, either? Yes, the meaning comes across. Yes, most people reading that would know what I was attempting to convey. But the fact remains that it is a mistake. While I do understand that many people would not find the former example to be such a dire error as the latter, they are both still technically wrong. As I was saying, a dictionary cannot always be relied upon for the proper translation of proper names such as these. When dealing with the names of companies, government offices, etc., such as âABC Shipping Co., Ltd.â or âDepartment of Educationâ, there is one extremely important piece of advice to remember: GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND. USE IT LIKE IT WAS GOING OUT OF STYLE. Nowadays, most companies have their own websites â and a very large percentage of companies and corporations have websites in English â and virtually all facets of government in developed countries have their own websites as well. Use Google to track down these sites and find the official name for any company/corporation, government office, legal/professional/royal title, educational facility, or any other institution the name of which may come up in your translation project. If you happen to be working on a project which involves a very small or new company that doesnât yet have a website, or maybe even a government office from a smaller or underdeveloped nation which also doesnât have a website, all is not lost. If worse comes to worst, you can always pick up the phone. Iâve actually had to do this several times in the past â call a company to find out the proper English or Japanese name, or even an embassy to find out how exactly I should translate the legal title of a diplomat or royal family member. Itâs a bit of a task, but it will save you from making a mistake that may make it look like you just werenât trying. Again, I canât stress enough the importance of this oft-overlooked facet of translation. There are so many translators out there who have wonderfully honed skills and who would normally be considered quite professional, and who often make the mistake of failing to properly translate a proper name here and there, thus lowering not only their image as professionals, but also chances of receiving bigger, important projects from PMs and outsourcers in the future. Donât let this happen to you. Researching these proper names usually only takes a minute, and a lot of times itâs the little things like this that really count towards a translatorâs good reputation.

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A short introduction to Dutch

contact@yakuyaku.com — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:15:29 +0100

Belgium was originally part of the Netherlands, until it revolted and declared independence in 1830. Suriname, situated in the north of the South American continent, used to be a Dutch colony until, again, it was granted independence (no one seems to like hanging out with the Dutch much) in 1975. Aside from this Afrikaans, one of the main languages spoken in South Africa, another Dutch ex-colony, is pretty much a slightly more modern version of medieval Dutch. Furthermore, the fact that the Netherlands was the only European country allowed trade with Japan from 1639 to 1854 means that the Dutch language has left its footprints in Japanese as well: There is quite an extensive list of Dutch words in the English language as well: Linguistically, Dutch is closest to German, its neighbor to the immediate East, with some clear influences of English (to the West) and French (to the South) as well. Like English, the word order is Subject-Verb-Object and there are no grammatical cases, except for personal pronouns. Furthermore, all plural verb conjugations have the same form for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person. Also, there is very little distinction in gender. Masculine and Feminine nouns are treated almost completely the same, with only neutral nouns getting a different definite article, but the only indefinite article in the language remains the same. It is, in short, a version of German, simplified by English influences, which is indeed what most non-native speakers of the language have confirmed to me. This does not mean, however, that itâs easy to learn, apparently. Despite my insistence that Dutch is grammatically not very complex, many people have complained to me about how hard it can be to learn. Iâll admit, the pronunciation can pose some problems. The guttural sound of the âGâ, and some rather complex diphthongs (ui, au, ei/ij etc) and triphthongs (ieuw, iauw etc) are known in the Netherlands as easy ways of telling Native Speakers from non-Natives. Not only that, but the Dutch language also seems to have a reputation of being lengthy and verbose. That is, including many different short words that change the nuance of the sentence ever so slightly but still significantly, and all of which are quite hard to translate separately. Words like ook, maar, toch, wel and weer etc. are injected freely into conversation and often serve to subtly express nuances of annoyance, politeness, surprise etc. (but mostly annoyance ) Donât let this deter you from trying to learn how to speak Dutch though. I can tell you that speaking an extremely minor language can be very useful if you donât want people to know what youâre talking about, and Dutch is a very colorful and expressive language in that regard indeed.

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