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LingoStar’s Blog 
Welcome to LingoStar’s blog! On this page, you can find a lot of interesting and useful information about the translation industry. Explore topics on website translation and localization and how successful localization can influence your business to help your company grow and go global.
Language Blog Topics
On this blog, you can also learn about professional translators and interpreters, multilingual search engine optimization (SEO), the importance of socializing and networking and translators’ professional ethics. Quite often we write posts about the languages of the world, other cultures, and their traditions. Not only do translators convert texts from a source language to a target language, but they also help people communicate with each other, help establish international contacts, and are often prominent figures in the social, economic, and political life. Lastly, of course, we want you to have fun, so on our blog, you can find many posts that will entertain you and, hopefully, make you smile!
We hope you enjoy our blog and discover a lot of interesting things!
LingoStar May Newsletter
Newsletter – May 2014 Dear language friend, This month, we remember the 8th of May, the end of the Second World War. This day is called the Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) and is celebrated as a public holiday in several countries in Europe. The celebration’s date may vary according to the country. For instance, Italy’s Victory day is on April 25th and Denmark’s one is on May 5th. Now let’s remember what happened 75 years ago. 1939: the beginning of the war In 1933, Adolf Hitler was governing Germany after having won the democratic elections. His political party (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) promoted anti-Semitic and colonialism propaganda, people admired his speeches and supported him in his quest to get all the German speakers united in one nation. In September 1939, he decided to invade Poland: France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. After several months without activity, called the Phoney War (the ‘sitting war’ in German and the ‘funny war’ in French), Germany attacked France. They arrived in Paris and made France capitulate in June 1940. Until 1941 Great Britain fought alone. When the war globalized, in June, the USSR declared war on Germany after it had been invaded by the Wehrmacht (German Army). In December 1941, Japan attacked the American naval station in Pearl Harbour which caused the start of war in the United States. The war then turned global and fights were no longer just taking place in Europe. The 1942 turn and the Allies’ response With the involvement of new countries, 1942 would be the last year the Axis Power (Germany... read moreThe fansubbing for Video, Script Translation
VIDEO, SCRIPT TRANSLATION BC Fansubbing for video and script translation is a current practice where fans of foreign television programs do the translation and subtitle the latest episodes released. This phenomenon appeared in the late 80’s in the USA with Japanese animes. There were tensions between the Japanese producers and the American distributors who, for instance, were cutting some parts of the episodes for budget reasons. The low quality of animes led to the development of the fansubbing. The fans decided to go find the original video and to make their own video and script translation. The Fansubbing: A new way for the video, script translation Good or bad quality? Fansubbing is not necessarily synonymous with bad quality. Some communities of fansubbers have established rules to provide the best quality to the watchers. For example, it is always the same persons who do the multilingual subtitling and the proofreading for a same series in order to be consistent in the translation. Of course, some practices do exhibit the bad quality of amateur subtitles. For example, sometimes the goal of the fansubber is not to provide a good quality translation, but only a fast translation for the fans who want to hurry to watch an episode of their favourite show. What is the impact on the subtitling companies? It goes without saying that this practice receives critics from the professional associations as the fansubbers provide the subtitles for free. It can be also a cause of the deterioration of professionals’ working conditions with the foreign studios competition. But, fansubbing also brought some positive aspects. The spread on the Internet of... read moreHow new words get entered into the dictionary?
New words are constantly created and used in the daily life. But they are not all in the dictionary, but how does it get entered in? Every dictionary is updated each year by the editor and the research offices. A lexicographer is a real language observatory which spots, captures and selects the new words, the new expressions and also the new sense of variations that have appeared for some words. Here is the list of all the people who contribute to updates of the dictionary. Lexicographer A lexicographer is a ‘A writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge’ (Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language, 1755). He analyzes corpus and context, does research in other dictionaries, and is specialized to know all the different meanings of a word. Documentation Documentation concerns all the work done to track all the new words or the new uses of the same words. When we read, listen to radio, watch TV, or even when we are talking to someone, we observe new words uses or neologisms (the coining or use of new words). The person in charge of documentation will track down new expressions, phrases and new word classes (for instance when a noun is employed as an adjective). The lexicographer can use any support, ranging anywhere from the Internet to a shopping catalog, which is a helpful source of daily terms. Once the choice of the new words is done, they can be submitted to the editorial office. The new words New words are appearing each day. Most of the time, they are relevant to IT technology. As they are in English, all... read moreDifference of work environment. Certified Immigration documents
Certified immigration documents for immigration purpose. It is no doubt that work is one of the necessities in daily life. People usually consume around one third of the time in a day at work. Usually form morning to afternoon, people devote considerable effort to the company. Therefore, the environment of the workplace is very important because it influences their quality of life. Work environment differs depending on companies or cultures. For several reasons, you may have to work abroad and discover a new culture, a new way to work or live. As an immigrant you will need your certified immigration documents translated by certified translator. Here at LingoStar, we provide these services. Here are some examples of differences of work environment between several countries. Europe In Accordance with French labor law, to work 35 hours a week is decided as a standard. But people often make a contract to work 39 hours a week including 4 hours over time work, so people usually work 7 to 8 hours a day on each weekday. Regarding long vacations, French law decided that people can take a 5 week continuous holiday. Other countries in Europe have a similar rule, hence why European countries can be good locations to work at. If you want to work in Europe, you will need your certified immigration documents translated from English to French, Spanish for example. North America In the U.S., for the most part, people work 8 hours a day, but some people work more than 10 hours, or even exceed 12 hours a day. They are motivated to work hard to reach their goals because... read moreBLOG ABOUT CHINESE BUSINESS – Chinese language
Chinese language all over the world. Chinese business is growing day by day in North America. With the huge influx of Chinese immigrants into North America, translating your English source documents into the Chinese language, will help your business grow and make a favorable impression on the Chinese market. In China, there are 2 Chinese languages which are Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is mostly spoken in Northern and southwestern China, whereas Cantonese is mostly spoken in mainland China. If you are planning to expand your business in China, it is very important for your organization to communicate with Chinese people in the Chinese language. Chinese language at LingoStar. We at Lingo-Star Language Services can help you with your document translations in all Chinese languages. All of our translators are native Chinese speakers and have over 5 year’s translation experience. Don’t hesitate to contact us We take quality very seriously and promise our clients that we will deliver only great quality translations for their documents from or into Chinese language. We can also help your organization with typesetting and localization services. We have worked for over 2000 clients and have helped them to expand their business operations globally across the world. Please contact us today and get a free quote for your document translation into Chinese... read moreVariety of proverbs depending on cultures
Even though there are differences between cultures or backgrounds, some proverbs have similarities because different cultures may have similar ways of thinking. Especially when there is a relationship of ethnicity, more similarities are found in proverbs. For example, the English proverb “Anyone can make a mistake” changes depending on the culture expressing it. See below for an example of this: English: Anyone can make a mistake French: l’erreur est humaine (The mistake is human) Latin: errare humaum est (The mistake is human) Chinese: 智者千虑, 必有一失 (Even the wise are not always free from error) Japanese: 猿も木から落ちる(Even monkeys fall from trees) Differences: Sometimes proverbs have completely opposite meanings depending on countries or the area. For example, there is an English proverb ‘The Squeaky wheel gets the oil’. The idea of this proverb is that people who keep drawing attention to themselves are more likely to get attention. But on the other hand, there is a Japanese proverb ‘The nail that sticks out gets hammered down’ because in Japanese society, people who stand out are often hated, or disturbed. Because humility or modesty is a virtue in Japan, their very similar proverb has a completely different meaning in comparison to the English version. As there are countless languages in the world, proverbs are everywhere in the world. Most of them are straightforward and often show characteristics of nationality, so they can be utilized as a source of good educational material to learn about different cultures. Here at LingoStar, even though there are vast differences between cultures, we can offer a high quality of services in various language services. Call us today... read morePunjabi translation in the 21st century
Finding a professional translation company that you can trust entirely is not an easy thing. Trust is everything, don’t dive in and choose a translation company that you are not 100% sure about. It is your document, and ultimately your reputation on the line. Quality is everything and at Lingo-Star we can guarantee you that you will receive high quality Punjabi translation services. There are about 600,000 Punjabi speakers in Canada, which is about 2% of the Canadian population. Punjabi is mostly written in the Gurmukhi script from left to right. Our Punjabi translators work in sectors including business, medical, oil and gas, legal, financial, technical, engineering and many more. Lingo-Star Promise: – Our Punjabi translations are quick, efficient and reliable – We only use professional and experienced Punjabi translators with at least 5 years’ of experience – We will offer competitive translation rates – All of our Punjabi translators are native Punjabi speakers and provide high quality translation work Lingo-Star offers document translation, website translation, email translation, certified translation, business translation, manual and catalog translation, online translation, patent translation and software translation in... read moreDifference of English Education
It is no doubt that English is one of the most used languages in the world. It is spoken as an official language in more than 50 countries, and widely learned as a second language because of its usefulness. But the education of English differs depending on the country because of an assortment of reasons. Here are some examples: China The Chinese government initiated English education in elementary schools in 2001 aimed at getting their students to gain practical use of English. Even though there is a slight gap in the education between urban areas and rural areas, some schools hire native speakers to enhance their students’ ability to speak English. Germany Each province in Germany has most of the authority regarding English education, so each province has different styles in the way they offer English education. Approximately half of the provinces offer only English education. On the other hand, some provinces offer Italian, Russian, or French education. Education places an emphasis on listening and speaking more than writing and reading skills to enhance cross-cultural communication. Netherlands English education in elementary schools in the Netherlands started from early 1970. English class is offered 4 times a week, and it is a popular subject for students. Students don’t learn English grammar in a school. They just listen to English, and an emphasis is placed on speaking. Lots of teachers in the Netherlands are fluent speakers of English, so they mostly don’t hire native speakers of English. France Education of foreign languages started in the 1960s in France. Now education of English starts from elementary school (from 6 years old). After... read moreThe variety of translation
Do you want to be a translator? If you are interested in language, you might have thought about it. Being a translator is an ideal job for those who have a love for language. But of course, a high level of expertise is needed to do this job, so intensive training is needed to work as a professional translator. There are a lot of fields stemming from a job as a translator, and the requirements of translation are different depending on what kind of translation is needed. Here are some examples of different translation fields: Business Translation Contract, financial statement, manual, catalogue, pamphlet, advertisement, business letter etc. Accuracy is the most important requirement in this field. As well as fundamental knowledge of the business field. Translators should also know details pertaining to specific differing fields such as finance, marketing and their corresponding terminologies necessary to improve a quality of translation. Mistranslation in this field may cause serious issues and negative ramifications for a company. That is why accuracy is essential in this field. Literary translation Plays, novels, short stories, poems etc. As well as simple translation, translators of literary translation should include feelings, nuances, humor etc. in a text. Also, wide ranges of knowledge are required in regards to slang, jokes, fad words, history, custom, culture etc. That is why it is considered as one of the most difficult forms of translation. Compared to another field of translation such as business translation, only a small number of people can work as a literary translator because of its difficulty. Visual media Translation Subtitle, dubbing, voiceover etc. This type of translation... read moreCommunication with Animals
Do you like your pet? If you have experience with pets, you most likely know how difficult it can be to communicate with animals. They can understand easy orders, but intensive training may be needed if you would like to make them understand complicated orders. And we can assume they experience feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, or hunger based on their attitudes or actions, but usually they don’t have a method of communication with humans. Do you think it would be fun if they could communicate with humans more? Do you know the smart Gorilla named Koko? She can communicate with humans by using sign language. Her IQ is assumed to be between 80 and 90. (Average IQ of human is around 100). She has learned more than 2000 signs, and she expresses her emotion by using those. Furthermore, she can tell a lie, a joke and express her desire to humans. Of course, Koko’s case is an exception. Most of animals are not smart enough to communicate with humans, but this situation may change in the near future via the introduction of new technology. A professor in the U.S. is trying to make a translation device to translate a dog’s voice into English. He said that he would also like to apply his technique to translate the voices of other animals into English. If the translation device is functional and goes on sale to the public, the relationship between humans and pets would change significantly. There are countless languages people speak around the world, but all languages can be translated into other languages by hardworking translators. Therefore,... read moreEmails and Letters
How many emails have you gotten today? Are there 100, 200, or more emails in your inbox? Both in private homes and businesses, email has become essential in our daily life, and we always check our inboxes in our cell phones, computers, or social media websites. It is a fact that around 150 billion emails are sent worldwide per day (65% of them are actually spam). Numbers of them have been increasing year by year because computers, the internet, and cell phones have become common in our daily lives. As media changes, methods of communication also change significantly. The first email was sent in 1971 by U.S. programmer Raymond Tomlinson. This means that email has 43 years of history. Then after several decades, email has become an important communication tool among people around the world due to convenience, quickness, and cost effectiveness. But as you see, newspapers, books, and magazines still exist in today’s world, and written media is also still an important tool. Many people still send handwritten letters especially on special occasions. What is the difference between an email and a letter? The perception of them could be an answer. People write Christmas cards, New Year cards etc. instead of emails because it is more sentimental and special to compose a warm-hearted thoughtful letter than send a computer generated message. Even though it costs more and takes much more time, the letter is not considered an outdated form of communication. If all emails were physically mailed, our office would be packed and could not handle the quantity. And if written letters were prohibited, it would be hard... read moreLANGUAGE MATTERS IN MARCH 2014: SPRING AROUND THE WORLD
We hope everyone who is reading this article is enjoying a nice spring season. We are going to talk about spring in March’s newsletter. The temperature goes up, snow and ice starts melting down, and buds of plants start to grow. Animals become active, insects come out of the ground, and flowers bloom. Everything starts moving and growing in this season and the atmosphere changes significantly. Even though weather in Vancouver is still chilly, warm and comfortable weather will be coming soon. With a nice atmosphere and lots of events, people have fun during this season. But the impression of this season may differ depending on the country because of many reasons. Not all countries have four seasons. It can be divided by wet season and dry season, or some countries have a different concept of seasons altogether. Or some cultural differences may influence the impression of the seasons. How’s this season treating you? We are going to introduce the differences between countries. * Canada Spring comes slowly in most of the places in Canada. We can occasionally enjoy favorable weather in March in Canada, but especially in the West Coast area such as Vancouver or Victoria, people can enjoy nice spring weather compared to other areas in Canada. The Tulip festival in Ottawa takes place in May, hence spring comes later there. In other countries the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Easter holiday occur in this season. In late May, there is Victoria Day to celebrate the honor of Queen Victoria’s birthday. Then people in Canada welcome Summer time. * Europe As you see a prefix ”pri-” in... read moreGlobal Gender Gap
As women’s participation in society is increasing, their role in the business world is also becoming more important. But it is true that only women can give birth, so it is controversial that women have to be at home, or should be treated as same as men. But it depends on countries or cultures whether equality of men and women is regarded as important or not. It is a crucial issue for women who would like to pursue their careers the same as men, and this issue may force them to give up their goals or dreams. Here are some examples: Asia In Japan, data shows that only 11.1% of women were working as an administrative post in 2013. Also there are no female prime ministers in Japanese history. Korea is in a similar situation. In most of Asian countries, it can be said that women are not treated equally to men. It is mostly because of Asian conservative cultures, and it is not easy to get rid of them. Europe Among countries in Europe such as Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, at least 40% of members of the National Parliament are women. And it is common that women have infant-care leave as well as long-term maternity leave. Also there is wage gap between men and women, but it is not as obvious as it is in Asian countries. Such a situation shows that most European countries are successful in filling up the gender gap. Canada According to ‘The Global Gender Gap’ which measures gender gaps from the economy, politics, education, and health, Canada is ranked 20th out of... read moreCanadian Multinationalism
As the world becomes more international, the amount of immigration is also increasing. In Canada, an officially multicultural country, more than 200 thousands of people immigrate to Canada every year. Since the immigration act was adopted in 1869, Canada accepted immigrants from all over the world, and now there are more than 200 races of people living in Canada. Canada attracts people who would like to assimilate with its equality, solid health care system, high level of educational standards and beautiful nature. But there are positive points and negative aspects to accepting large number of immigrants to be Canadian. Here are some opinions: Pros: – Enhancement of cultural exchange – Increase of population – Growth in economy – Increase of international competition Cons: – Financial burden – Racial problems – Risk of cultural devastation – Illegal immigration Even though there are positive points and negative points, Canadian multinationalism has enormous appeal for people around the world, and the amount of immigration is still increasing. Often described as a cultural mosaic, various cultures, languages, and races all co-exist in Canadian society, and it have built Canada its own identity. Here at LingoStar, we cover various languages all over the world. Call us today or send us an e-mail for a free... read moreImportance of non-verbal communication
There is a Japanese proverb “The eyes say more than the mouth”. It means eyes show one’s real feelings, and it is more trustworthy than spoken words. According to a professor of Psychology at UCLA, when there is an inconsistency between verbal information and non-verbal information, people tend to believe non-verbal information rather than verbal information. For example, if someone says “It was really nice to meet you today” with a frown face, most people will feel that he/she is not happy. Verbal communication is simple. It is divided by just spoken words and written words, but non-verbal communication is more complicated. Here are some examples: Body Language and Posture: Gesture, Attitude, Behavior, Body movement etc. Facial Expression: Smile, Frown, Eye Gaze (Hold, or avoid eye contact), etc. Voice tone: Tone of voice, pitch, etc. Appearance: Height, weight, clothing, hairstyle etc. In this way, non-verbal communication is important in face-to-face communication. It is beneficial to be aware of non-verbal communication when you would like to leave someone with a positive impression. Verbal communication is also essential in our daily life and businesses. Here at LingoStar, we provide various types of services related to languages. Call us today or send us an email for a free... read moreTranslation Blog and News
LingoStar has been a language services provider in Canada, the USA, and Europe for more than a decade. We are proud to say that we cooperate with professional translators, interpreters, and other language specialists worldwide and work with over 100 language pairs. If you are looking for a reliable translation company, contact LingoStar! We are always ready to help you with your projects and documentation. Get a free quote online.