Translation of Proper Names There is a common misconception that proper names are never translated. However, if you ever paid attention to various newspaper articles in foreign language or to some magazines, you may have noticed that, for instance, Queen Elizabeth II is translated as Reina Isabel II and Alliance Française is translated as Instituto Británico in Spanish. Translators actually do a lot of things with proper names. Sometimes they keep proper names non-translated, which leads to different pronunciation in a target language; sometimes they use transcription and transliteration, cultural adaptation, substitution, and so on. As you can see, there are a lot of ways to translate a proper name, and it requires very sensitive decision-making on the part of a translator. Besides, it depends on the type of translation. If one is specializing in the certified translation of official documents, one is unlikely to look for the meaning of the client’s name and just use transliteration to make it sound the same in the target language as it does in the source language. However, in literature we can often find examples of successfully (and unsuccessfully) translated proper names that have the same effect on the target audience as the original name does. For example, the most controversial and one of the most interesting characters of the Harry Potter book series – Severus Snape – doesn’t have the same name in other languages. In Romanian he is Severus Plesneală, in Hungarian – Perselus Piton, in Italian – Severus Piton, in French – Severus Rogue, and in Russian – Северус Снегг (Severus Snegg). For many translators it was more important...
Positive Message Translation Into French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, And Slovak Today, with this positive message translation, we want to remind you one more time that this life is beautiful. Just look around! Wherever you are, you can see life around you. And if for some reason you do not like this reality, do not start hating it. Try to think about what you can do to make it a little bit better. As soon as you make someone happier, you become happier too. Sometimes we get confused and believe that to be happy we need material things. These include huge houses, fancy cars, private jets. Moreover, we believe that we need to be successful, get a well-paid job, and have perfect bodies. All these things are just great! However, don’t forget that happiness is unsteady. In other words, one moment it is there and then you are so busy with all your routine problems that you just forget to live. Keep going, keep dreaming, keep achieving your goals! Above all, remember those simple moments that make you happy and smile. For instance, remember those mornings when you wake up and feel that everything will be just fine. That is to say when you are full of energy and ready to conquer this world. Therefore, no matter how hard it is, remember those moments and be sure: if you felt it before, you will feel it again. In short: smile, work, be active, laugh, love, and be HAPPY! Today LingoStar has prepared this amazing positive message for you and translated it into seven languages. Make your contribution, don’t...
Spanish Language And Translation Why is Spanish so cool? Why is it the most popular foreign language to learn in America and Europe? The answer is pretty obvious: this language is everywhere. At least three million people speak it as their native language in 44 countries. Thus, making it the fourth-most widely spoken language in the world behind English (112 countries), French (60), and Arabic (57). So, 500 million people speak Spanish. It is a growing trend that will reach 600 million speakers by 2050! Spanish is an amazing language. If you want to learn a foreign language, you should definitely think about choosing this one. Spanish in North America Knowledge of the Spanish language is especially valuable in the US and Canada today. Especially for young adults preparing to enter the professional world, the ability to speak this language is a great skill. More and more companies are establishing international contacts and attract investments from other countries. A person speaking the language of the target audience always has better chances to get the desired position. The US and Canada have extensive cooperation with Spain and the countries of Central and South America. That is why the language factor will be one of a set of factors that will influence an employer’s decision to offer you a job. It is not surprising at all: Spanish is not only the second language used for international communication but also an official language of 22 countries! Are you still hesitating about learning it? Don’t. This will be love from the first…sound. Here at LingoStar, we offer you professional Spanish language tutoring: private...
Chinese New Year As many of you know, on Thursday, February 19th Vancouver, as well as many other cities around the globe, celebrated Chinese New Year. For millions of people in Asia it is the biggest day of the year. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. In this period we can see the world’s largest human migration as 2.8 billion people travel across China. Many students, migrant workers and employees living far from home make the journey back to their hometowns to celebrate this day with their families and friends. What do the Chinese do to be fully prepared for the New Year? First of all, several days before the New Year the Chinese do a complete cleaning of the house to get rid of all the old things and welcome the new ones. Then they decorate their house to welcome the New Year, mostly with red decorations. New Year’s dinner and fireworks are also two essential elements of a successful celebration. Moreover, children will receive red envelopes filled with money to bring happiness and good fortune. Some children sleep on their envelopes for seven days to increase their luck. It is important that only unmarried people can receive the red envelopes with money, and only married people can give them. Chinese New Year in Vancouver Cities like Vancouver are happy to celebrate the Chinese New Year. For instance, on February 22, 2015, events culminated in a full day of celebration in the heart of Chinatown. The annual Chinese New Year parade opens this fantastic day full of...
Spanish Translation Spanish is one of the most requested languages for translation services in North America. This is no surprise. With a huge Spanish population living in the US and Canada, it is obvious why this is so important in these countries. As we have mentioned before, it is a huge mistake to think of Spanish as a singular, monolithic entity. Spanish has a lot of varieties, and most of them differ from each other to some extent. Therefore, Spanish of the US is no exception. Have you ever heard the term ‘founder effect’? The founder effect can trace linguistic features of modern dialects to dialect differences at the time of settlement. Linguists managed to identify a number of unique Spanish dialects in the territory of the US. These dialects have core features traceable to 16th – 17th century Spain. So, originally these dialects already had differences, and in the process of language evolution, these features became even more prominent. For instance, if you provide a translation into Mexican Spanish, you need to know that this dialect prefers ‘qué tanto’ to ‘cuánto’ for ‘how much’ and uses ‘qué tan + ADJECTIVE’ in expressing degree, as in ‘qué tan grande es?’ (how big is it?). Interpreters have to be ready for the strong sibilant pronunciation of the sound /s/ in the beginning of a word or syllable. This is the most prominent feature of Mexican Spanish, which it shares with northern Spain, central Colombia, and Andean countries. At LingoStar, we cooperate with professional translators who provide high-quality Spanish translation and interpretation services. Our translators are native speakers of various Spanish...
Zig Ziglar’s Motivational Quote Translation into French, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Czech, Ukrainian, Slovak Nobody tells you that having fun and relaxing in front of the TV is bad as all of us need some time to forget about all the stressful things in our life. Then, we just watch a new episode of the favourite show, go out with friends or simply spend an evening with family. However, one can appreciate these moments only when one works hard to achieve one’s goal. Otherwise, it is very hard to become successful. Therefore, if something goes wrong, stop complaining and start changing your life. It is impossible to become great if you don’t start moving towards your dream! In conclusion: Dream, learn, become a better person – and this life will help you succeed! Let’s translate today’s motivational quote together with LingoStar. Since the more translations we provide, the more people can read and understand it. Sometimes someone’s good words change people’s life. Therefore, don’t hesitate to contact us and send us your translation of the quote! Zig Ziglar’s Quote in English: You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Motivational Quote Translation into French: Vous n’avez pas à être grand pour commencer, mais vous devez commencer pour être grand. – Zig Ziglar Translation into Japanese: 何かを始めるのに最初からうまくできる必要はないが、卓越できるようまずは始めなければならない。- ジグ・ジグラー Motivational Quote Translation into Italian: Non devi essere eccellente per cominciare, ma devi cominciare per diventare eccellente. – Zig Ziglar Translation into Russian: Не нужно быть великим, чтобы начать, но нужно начать, чтобы быть великим. – Зиг Зиглар Motivational Quote Translation into Czech: Nemusíte být úžasní...
