Comments for Translation Blog

Comment on Exactly How Many Languages Are There in the World? by Aaron J. How

Aaron J. How — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:35:30 +0000

Hello to all of the other maybe 80 plus visitors.

Right-So now right down to the hard numbers. Yes Rishav Kant you are perfectly right there are 6,912 big languages. But however, there are also another, furthered 39,491. So this then all adds up to 46403. But 6,912 is pretty much 7,000. And we only have to add a perfect whole ten to the 39, 491 to make it over 39, 500 at 39,501. Which actually, in fact would all add up to 46501-Which then can easily round up to and because itis very close to it anyways relatively speaking- 47,000. That’s a lot for sure!! Also congrats to Esa Petronen Mathew for being able to speak 17 different languages! The All Time Guiness World Record is actually an incredible 61! You just need 44 more to tie that Esa-so Good Luck (And I mean it in a very good way)!

Comment on Acceptable accents in the business world by Joe

Joe — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:54:59 +0000

I think accent is someone’s identity and I don’t think it is necessary for non-native speaker to be trained to change into a certain type of English accent (American or British). The only concern is that different accent will cause confusion especially when doing oral communication,or more advanced translation services,like interpreting or so on. So my point is it is important to correct the pronunciation, but there is no harm to keep the lovely diversity.

Comment on Angry Birds shows the strategic benefits of Software Localization by Joe

Joe — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:09:38 +0000

It is actually an interesting topic. Since the globalisation has brought the whole world together, translation is becoming more and more important. At the same time, there is always something more than language that should also be translated, which is called localisation. Modern business not only need linguistic translation, but also need localising and accommodating the products or concepts according to the target culture. Some people do not seem to realise the importance of localisation. It is not mere a simple linguistic thing– I mean, language is the major part of a culture, that is for sure. But there are things more than language that need to be localised, too, including colour, pictures (some pictures or patterns are considered offensive in certain culture while not in others) and other stuff. Some professional translation companies are also doing localisation service. In this case, it is better for translation companies to also pay attention to the non-linguistic part of localisation.

Comment on The Need for Chinese Translation by Joe

Joe — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:36:52 +0000

It is true that a lot of people have realised the importance of Chinese translation because China has become a most significant economic power. But it is important to get a translation done right instead of having “that Chinese guy from accounting” do it over the weekend.

Comment on Required skills for translators and interpreters by Megan

Megan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:14:37 +0000

It is very important for students and clients alike to understand that translation and interpreting are very different entities and therefore require separate skill sets. Thank you for going through the main points!

Comment on The state of language skills in the UK… by Elena

Elena — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:32:05 +0000

Hi,

I have just come across your blog on language skills within the UK and the lack of different languages spoken. I was unable to read the article posted on The Times, due to it being outdated.

I full agree that with the use of telephone interpreting, there is no urgent need to learn or speak another language, or maybe it’s an excuse not too!

I recently had an experience in which I had no alternative to search and use an interpreter for one of my clients, who was in fact Swedish and working in the UK for a few months on business. However, his English skills were basic, so you can imagine that this was going to be a difficult few months! Luckily, I made the effort to learn the basics of the Swedish language. I was fortunate enough to find an excellent language interpreter company who were able to interpret both on the phone and were able to translate word documents from Swedish into English and vice versa.

Comment on WordPress Free Translation Plugin by Marketing Translation

Marketing Translation — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:21:18 +0000

You have share really nice stuff and this translation plug-in’s also helpful for many translation industry and other marketing field. Thanks.

Comment on A bad sign for translation? by Word Pioneer

Word Pioneer — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:01:29 +0000

Industry can be both stimulating and rewarding. And, hey, if Ikea ever decides to put words in their instruction manuals, you’ll be golden!

Comment on Why speaking English might be easier for Northern Europeans in contrast to Southern Europeans by Empresa de Traduções

Empresa de Traduções — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:50:51 +0000

It is true! Incidentally, in contribution, I should like to say that at least here in Brazil, is the same as in the Netherlands. I.e. many u.s. programs and movies are shown with subtitles. Which facilitates the learning of English.

Comment on A bad sign for translation? by Word Pioneer

Word Pioneer — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:13:43 +0000

[...] industry can be both stimulating and rewarding. And, hey, if Ikea ever decides to put words in their instruction manuals, you’ll be golden!