Dec 19, 2014 | Blog, Language Services, SEO, Tips, Translation
Translation of a Website and SEO: How Important Are They? Dear language friend, the holidays are here and the LingoStar team wishes you and yours all the best this holiday season! We hope that the upcoming celebrations bring joy, happiness, and love. We also hope that you enjoy this newsletter and find a lot of useful information regarding the translation of a website to help your business prosper in 2015. Have you ever wondered why certain websites immediately pop up in Google when you are searching for information, and others fall behind even though they contain more useful content? It is not just a random ranking. The way websites are ranked is a result of the work of web developers and language specialists. In today’s world of globalization, where websites play such an important role in business and communication, it is crucial to always improve your website, so that it meets the interests of the target audience. What makes websites successful and attractive for international communities is website translation. The company that invests in the translation of its website gains credibility and trust and draws clients’ attention. However, translation of a website isn’t as simple as it seems. To target a specific audience, companies should create a strategy for search engine optimization (SEO). This is a wonderful tool that helps websites become visible and more appealing to customers. Search engines like Google rank web pages, videos, and other content based on what it considers to be most relevant to users. When translating a website, it is not enough just to translate its content into other languages. To...
Dec 16, 2014 | Blog, Interviews
Jan Kasparec Painter in Vancouver Dear readers, We are launching a new series of interviews with interesting Czech and Slovak people living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We would like to introduce you to people who inspire and teach us to open up to new horizons, and share their experiences about life in Vancouver, BC. Please welcome our first guest, Jan Kasparec (35), a young and talented painter who works in the Commercial Drive area in Vancouver. His colourful art showcases a spiritual world of fantasy inspired by nature. Jan himself radiates peace, harmony and happiness from the inside out, and this is projected through the bright stars in his blue eyes. Plus, ladies, he is very sexy. Jan Kasparec, what are the three main reasons you paint? What are you inspired by? When I first took on painting professionally, I was very driven and honest, but I was trying to paint images that would sell. I quit my day job because I felt that I had been only fulfilling someone else’s capitalist dream, but I worried about how to survive as a painter. Nevertheless, my reasons for painting have since changed dramatically. Last summer I experienced an inner transformation that has altered my approach towards life, my expectations and desires. I no longer wish to be a rich and famous artist. I wish to paint to feel joy and to create joy for others and to awaken people through my art. Painting has given me so much, I am so thankful for each new day before I go to sleep. Painting has opened up doors to a present moment,...
Dec 15, 2014 | Blog, Interviews
Jan Kašparec malíř ve Vancouveru Vážení čtenáři, na těchto stránkách bychom rádi odstartovali sérii rozhovorů se zajímavými Čechy a Slováky žijícími ve Vancouveru. Rádi bychom vám představili osobnosti, které nás mohou inspirovat, učit novým poznatkům, a třeba i ukázat, jak je jejich životní cesta ve Vancouveru utváří. Naším prvním hostem je Jan Kašparec, nadaný mladý malíř (35), který žije a tvoří blízko Commercial Drive. Jeho dílo okouzluje svou barvitostí, spoustou fantazie, z obrazů dýchá viditelná inspirace v duchovním světě a přírodě. Navíc Honza působí velice přirozeně, uvolněně, s radostným pohledem na svět a jiskřičkami v očích. Prostě nitěrně šťastný člověk. A dámy, ještě navíc je sexy. Jaké jsou tři hlavní důvody, proč maluješ? Co tě inspiruje? Když jsem začal malovat profesionálně, maloval jsem poctivě a zapáleně, ale snažil jsem se prorazit a maloval věci, které se prodají. Když jsem se rozhodl přestat chodit do běžné práce a budovat kapitalistický sen někoho jiného, do malování se mi vloudila starost přežít. Ovšem moje důvody pro malování se dramaticky změnily v nedávné době. Letos v létě jsem prožil vnitřní proměnu, která změnila můj přístup k životu, očekávání a touhy. Už nechci být slavný a bohatý umělec. Chci malovat pro radost vlastní a pro radost ostatních. Chci lidi probouzet skrze své obrazy. Malování mi dalo tolik, že denně před spaním děkuji za každý den. Malování mi otevřelo dveře do přítomného okamžiku. Malování mě naučilo trpělivosti, vytrvalosti, odvaze a víře. Co se týče inspirace – té je všude přehršel. Žijeme v překrásném, leč umírajícím světě. Inspirace pro mě znamená napojení na zdroj a sílu, která vytváří život v každém okamžiku. Ve Vesmíru žádný problém neexistuje, ten je jen...
Dec 11, 2014 | Blog, Translation
Funny Mistranslations When traveling, translation is important because it removes linguistic barriers and helps tourists get around. Quite often, people will notice funny mistranslations in their native language. Most of them are translations of signs in hotels, restaurants, and other public places where tourists spend time. Let’s laugh at a few examples! Note in the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: “You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday”. Menu in a Swiss mountain inn: “Special today – No ice-cream”. Sign posted in Germany’s Black Forest: “It is strictly forbidden on our Black Forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for this purpose”. Some mistranslations have actually affected an entire country’s customs. For example, in Japan there is a beautiful Valentine’s Day tradition that started due to a mistranslation. In the fifties, chocolate companies began encouraging Japanese people to celebrate this day of love by giving their partner chocolates. However, a mistranslation stipulated that women should give chocolates to men. To this day, this is exactly what happens on February 14th! A single mistranslation created a whole new nice tradition which brings happiness to so many Japanese people. Men in particular! Just imagine how many wonderful mistranslations you can find not only travelling around the world, but also walking around your own neighbourhood. If you see some, or your country celebrates a custom because of a mistranslation, don`t hesitate to share them with...
Dec 4, 2014 | Blog, Translation
Positive Message Translation to French, Spanish, German, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Japanese Christmas is getting closer and closer, and it is a perfect time to think about all the wonderful things and miracles that have happened in your life during the year. Yes, they were miracles indeed, not simple coincidences. Help LingoStar translate this beautiful message and share it with the world! Positive Message in English There are no coincidences, only miracles. Treat every day as your miracle and it will take you a step closer to happiness. French Translation of the Positive Message Il n’y a pas des coїncidences , seulement des miracles. Vis chaque jour comme ton miracle et il t’emmènera un pas plus près de la félicité. Czech Translation of the Positive Message Neexistují žádné náhody, jen zázraky. Považujte každý den za svůj zázrak a dostanete se o krůček blíže ke štěstí. Slovak Translation of the Positive Message Náhody neexistujú, každá náhoda je malý zázrak! Považujte každý deň za zázrak a dostanete sa o krôčik bližšie ku šťastiu. Russian Translation of the Positive Message Не бывает совпадений, есть лишь чудеса. Думайте о каждом дне как о чуде, и это на шаг приблизит вас к счастью. Japanese Translation of the Positive Message 偶然など存在しない。奇跡だけだ。毎日を奇跡としてとらえれば、幸せに一歩近づく。 German Translation of the Positive Message Es gibt keine Zufälle, es gibt nur Wunder. Halten Sie jeden Tag für ein Wunder, und es will Ihr Glück ein bisschen näher bringen. Spanish Translation of the Positive Message No existen las coincidencias, sólo los milagros. Trata todos los días como un milagro y te llevará un paso más cerca de la felicidad. Italian Translation of the...
Dec 4, 2014 | Blog, SEO, Translation
Peculiarities of Game Localization Have you ever wondered why some foreign computer games are unpopular in your country, and others are hugely popular – and have even built up a cult following – so much so that people prefer playing the game to living their real life? Of course, some games are destined to be ‘international stars’ because of their high-quality content and graphic design. However this is often not enough: computer games also need to cross cultural boundaries and attract multiple target audiences like many books, films, TV shows, and websites do. Digital games are a global, multi-billion dollar industry, and many game producers and art directors, who are perfectly confident in local game releases, worry about foreign editions in non-native languages as it can influence the overall success of the product. For the game to achieve as much success abroad as it has achieved in the country of release, companies must employ localization, which is a complex process. Video game localization includes translation of text within the game (eg. characters’ dialogue, on-screen instructions, etc.), the game’s instruction manual, packaging, and promotional material. In addition, dialogue needs to be culturally adapted and voiced by native speakers of the target market in order to come across as authentic. However, many aspects of video game localization begin long before translation is actually needed. First, localizers need to decide where the game will be sold, and which languages it will be translated into. For example, localization might include a game developer’s decision not to invest in a Japanese localization as he or she can predict that the company will not benefit...
