Latin American Halloween People around the world celebrate Halloween, although, it is not so popular in some places. For example, Latin American Halloween, is not as huge as it is in North America. Halloween is a holiday that many people in Latin America do not know a lot about. In the US and Canada, Halloween is the second most important holiday after Christmas. The traditions around Halloween include decorating houses, trick-and-treating, wearing costumes, and throwing parties. Contrary to the huge celebration in North America, the equivalent celebration in Latin America is very low profile. Except for some countries, in which these festivities have a strong spiritual meaning, like Mexico and Peru. Let’s learn in which Latin American Countries people celebrate Halloween and in which they do not. Time to party? Who celebrates Halloween? Halloween celebrations in Latin America have increased over the years. Lately, the nature of the celebration and traditions of American Halloween has been traveling to Latin America. In some places like Chile, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, and Colombia, the celebration is similar to the one in North America. In these countries, people go around wearing costumes, asking for candy and partying. They may even carve pumpkins and decorate their houses. These American Halloween traditions have invaded the last days of October in these Latin American countries. People, especially kids, enjoy these traditions and celebrations, and in particular, the candies that come with them. Despite this, Halloween as we know it is not yet part of Latin American culture. The celebration of Latin American Halloween is even smaller than the one for Valentine’s Day. Who doesn’t celebrate it?...
Latin American Films A movie portrays how someone perceives the world, and in turn, educates us about the culture of the place where it was made. Lately, we have been hearing a lot about Latin American cinematography and the Latin American way of doing cinema. Full of political and religious content combined with a colloquial approach, Latin American movies typically focus on the strong religious ties of their people or criticism towards politics and politicians. However, these are not the only topics that may be addressed. In just one Latin American movie, you can find comedy, horror, drama, mystery, and so on. Clearly, the way they tell their stories is unique; they know how to make you laugh, how to be serious, how to give you the creeps, and certainly how to make you cry. In this top ten you will find Latin American movies worth watching that represent their respective countries in their own unique way. Let’s take a tour! 1. Frida (2002, Mexico): This movie tells the story of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist whose life was full of tragedy and beauty. Due to the use of colour and music as cinematographic elements it introduces you to Mexican society, culture, traditions, and values. Frida will take you to Mexico while entertaining you with a really great plot. 2. Maria Full of Grace / María, llena eres de gracia (2004, Colombia): The tragic journey of a young woman with money problems. She takes the first opportunity to earn and ends up involved in the Colombian drug traffic industry, gaining many more problems than when she began. Do you want to...
Challenges for translators, why translation can’t be done by just anyone In a past blog we tried to define the essence of the word “translation” in simple terms. At its core, “translation” is the transfer of a message from one language to another, but there is much more to the process. It is a highly demanding activity and translators face many challenges. Translating requires a lot of research and preparation. To start, we have a pair of languages, one the “source” text and one the “target” text. The source is the language of the original text and the target is the one you translate it to. Now we can begin… Challenges in translation First it is important to know that there is more than just one type of translation. Each type attends to the different communicative needs that we have in our lives. Among the types of translation that exist, we have: legal translation, academic translation, scientific translation, audiovisual translation, technical translation, and so on. Understanding the type of translation is the first challenge in translating a written text. To get a proper translation by translator contact us. The second challenge is figuring out the purpose of the translated text. It affects the format, vocabulary, word choice, and level of research required in order to to be prepared. This leads us to the third challenge, the topic of the written translation. This is one of the biggest hurdles of the job. Depending on the topic, the vocabulary and format of the text will vary. There are other exceptional cases, for example the translation of jokes or idioms. These can...
The Word on the Street Festival During the month of September, Canada is the host of The Word on the Street Festival. It celebrates and promotes Canadian literature, reading, writing, and literacy. This festival occurred for the first time on September 30, 1990 in Toronto. Attendance was surprisingly good and the event quickly became an important event nation-wide. Nowadays it is celebrated in Halifax, Toronto, Saskatoon, and Lethbridge, and there is also a preview event held in Kitchener. It is the largest literary festival in Canada. Get further information here. Who attends this Festival? Every year, authors, publishers and readers from all over Canada and other countries come to The Word on the Street. The festival provides opportunities for authors to promote their work, sign books, do readings, and attend meet and greets. It is also an opportunity for people to meet their favorite authors, buy new books, and celebrate literature and literacy. The festival attracts people of all ages and interests. There, you can find different types of books and magazines of any genre, such as poetry and fiction. This is a win-win situation for authors, readers and publishers. What makes this Festival so amazing? Besides the obvious attraction, the books, you will also find a bunch of activities that will catch your attention and entertain you. You can attend authors’ events such as book signings, giveaways, and conferences. You can also enjoy presentations as part of the Spoken Word Showcase that includes a Q&A at the end to get to know the poets and their stories. On the other hand, if you are interested in buying, there...
10 books that will awake your interest in reading! Can books compete with today’s technology? With today’s modern technology, people seem to have lost interest in reading… well, books anyway. When it comes to books it is necessary to have more than a good story to catch readers. The books in this list have a good story, exceptional characters, a fluid narrative, plus that something special, in some cases magical, that it takes to make you read until the very end and wish there were more pages. Here is a list of ten books that can awake your interest in reading no matter how old or young you are. 1. Harry Potter (the series) by J.K. Rowling It is almost 100% certain that you have, at least, heard of Harry Potter. If you’ve heard that Harry Potter is just for kids, and believed it, rethink that. This book series is full of magic and values which will surprise you. Rowling weaves an amazing plot and you will marvel at the depth of the fictional world she has created. 2. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery The story of a dreamy girl that teaches us that with a good attitude, a smile, and a little bit of imagination, we can face anything that may befall us. 3. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown Brown has a talent for keeping you on the edge of your chair, reading as fast as you can to find out what’s going to happen with his characters, and this book is no exception. A fictional story full of adventures and technology that...
A Translator’s Tale Once Upon a Time… …there were translators. But they were translation students or amateur translators. We’re sure you’re familiar with that feeling of not being good enough and fearing that you won’t find work. Many of us are told during our studies that the world of translation is difficult and cold. Some professors even say that we’d be better off becoming language teachers or finding other work because it is impossible to make ends meet working as a translators. This mix of pessimism and closing doors makes amateur translators feel lost and helpless. However, opportunities exist and once you find one, you will discover that the world of translation is very rewarding. You will find wonderful colleagues who will share your interests. You’ll realize how cool it is to always keep learning through the texts you translate. This is something they don’t teach you during your translation degree. Decisions of Translators The biggest, scariest question for amateur translators or for translators who just finished a degree (or master’s degree) is “so what now?” Let’s walk in an amateur translator’s shoes for a moment. You finish your degree knowing that there are much more experienced translators than you in the labour market. Two things can happen at this point: you are determined to thrive as a professional translator from the very beginning, or you keep studying to gain more experience. Many translation students decide to complete a master’s degree, which gives them one or two more (safe) years to make up their minds on what they want to do in the future. Nonetheless, the master’s degree comes...
Popular places in the world on Instagram Summer is here and it’s time for you to book your holidays. If you want to make your followers jealous, here are the 10 most popular places in the world on Instagram. Let’s be honest, when we are on holidays we try to take our best photos to send it to family, friends and colleagues and show them how lucky we are to be travelling. Even if you are not a real photographer, taking a good photo in any of these beautiful places would be easy! Are you ready to hit “like”? Disneyland, California, United States Disneyland, California, United States This is the classic dream spot where everyone including children and adults should go at least once. It’s no surprise that Mickey wins first place! Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Eiffel Tower, Paris, France The quintessential romantic place. Paris and the beautiful Lady Eiffel are a dream come true! Walt Disney World, Orlando, United States Walt Disney World, Orlando, United States Another Walt Disney Park in the top three. The house of Mickey is definitely the place to go! South Beach, Miami, United States South Beach, Miami, United States Nicknamed SoBe, South Beach is a trendy destination that mixes beach, party and art deco. Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany This is a very emotional place. The Berlin Wall was built to separate East and West during the WW2 and was destroyed in 1980. Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, United States Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, United States Look at all those lights! The Vegas Strip is home to the craziest...
What Is Canada Day? Happy Birthday Canada! Happy birthday Canada! Did you know that Canada is 150 years old this year? Want to celebrate this huge event? Let’s learn about this nation and how to celebrate Canada Day! 150 Years for Canada To start, a little bit of history. If you are a proud Canadian you can skip this part as you probably already know your fabulous country’s story, but for those of you who are curious, here are some interesting facts that will help you understand why Canada Day is so important! If you think that 150 years is very young for a country then you are right! Of course, in reality, the country is much older. For thousands of years prior to European colonization, indigenous peoples inhabited what is now known as Canada. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French claims were made on the area, with the colony of Canada first being established by the French in 1535 during Jacques Cartier’s second voyage to New France. Due to various conflicts, Great Britain gained and lost territories within British North America until the late 18th century when it was left with what comprises Canada’s today geographically. On July 1, 1867 occurred the unification of Canada giving birth to the Canada we all know today. Since this date, Canada Day is the national day of celebration. A federal statutory holiday, Canadians celebrate the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the Constitution which united three separate colonies, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada. Originally called Dominion Day, the...
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival is a yearly event which showcases new films and documentaries from all over the world. It is celebrated in Cannes, France, and is attended by international producers, actors, actresses and stars. This year was the 70th anniversary celebration. The festival has had a big impact not only in the film industry, but also in other areas like the media and translation industries. The place where all stories meet The Cannes Film Festival represents an opportunity for filmmakers from all over the world to meet in one place and to exchange their cultures and experiences. The festival is a window to the world, it gives the opportunity to filmmakers to showcase their country’s customs and traditions on a big screen watched by a wide audience. One of the most important aspects of the festival is the principle of equality, not that we are all the same, but that even with our differences in culture, history and language, we are all equal members of the world community. Cannes Film Festival provides an opportunity for all countries to establish their own cinema and in turn, celebrate the culture and history of their respective countries. Two industries join hands For the translation industry, films and documentaries represent a huge field of work and an interesting part of the job. The Cannes Film Festival provides amazing opportunities in translation, subtitling, and dubbing into a full range of languages. It is a win-win situation in that both translators and filmmakers benefit and profit from this activity. If a film is available in a large range of languages, it has...
A Cock Story Learning a new language is always a challenge, especially when words can mean two completely different things. Here is a “cock” story by one of our Russian translators about an experience he had while learning English in college. My lifelong passion for languages began in the Soviet high school, where I was, according to my English teacher, the best student in her three-year experience. That didn’t necessarily mean I could string two words together by myself, but I would diligently do my homework and vigorously raise my hand during her classes. Little did she know that my linguistic zeal was driven, more than anything, by my being innocently mesmerized with her inner and outer beauty. More with the latter than the former. The Learning Two years on, in the summer of 1991, the Soviet Union broke apart, and I was now a college freshman in the newly independent Uzbekistan. I was studying to be a translator/interpreter between English, Russian and Uzbek. Those were not the easiest times to study a foreign language: information and materials were scarce, there was no access to communication with native speakers and, of course, no such thing as the Internet. My faculty had a modest library where you could find most classic novels and a very limited number of audio recordings spoken by BBC newscasters and such. Needless to say, there was no taking them home, so I would spend endless hours in the library practicing my listening and comprehension. One thing I had no way of knowing at the time was the fact that my decades-old textbooks and dictionaries presented...
