Jul 23, 2023 | Blog, Tips for Translators, Translation
Translation is a complex and vital process. It requires a deep understanding of the source and target languages in the cultural context they are being used. Working with professional translators can help businesses and organizations communicate effectively with their target audiences. Every language has its own set of linguistic and cultural nuances that must be considered during the translation process. While it can be tempting to address your translation needs with an acquaintance, a friend or a native speaker of the target language, professional translators spend several years training for their trade for a reason. Of course, being a passionate linguist is a must, but it’s not enough! Here are six of the most important attributes of a professional translator: 1. Working with professional translators fluent in the languages they work in When translating languages, choosing a professional translator who is fluent in both languages is extremely important. The translator should have an in-depth understanding of the cultural and linguistic nuances of both languages. They should also be able to translate the text accurately while staying true to the original meaning. 2. Hiring a professional translator ensures that your target audience comes first One of the first steps in translating from one language to another is research. Thoroughly researching the target audience and their target cultural relevance is crucial. This will help ensure that the translation accurately conveys the intended meaning and message of your text. For example, the terminologies and expressions used in legal documents will be different from those used in marketing campaigns. Similarly, those used in children’s resources will be very different from those used in...
Jun 26, 2023 | Blog, Interviews, Language Services, Projects, Tips for Translators
A translation project manager deals with many parties, including translators, editors, proofreaders, and clients. Their task is to hold it all together. The importance of effective translation project management lies in its ability to foster seamless coordination between these different individuals or teams, ensuring their alignment and focus on the project’s objectives. Translation project managers manage logistics, timelines, and communications. Therefore they facilitate efficient collaboration while mitigating the risks associated with miscommunication or delays. Working in translation project management: An interview with the CEO of LingoStar, Lenka de Graafova We recently interviewed Lenka de Graafova, M.A., CEO and Managing Director of LingoStar Language Services Inc. Lenka has a deep passion for world cultures and languages. Together with her team of multilingual translators and project managers, she manages foreign language projects for Canadian clients. Lenka talks about her experience in providing translation services in Canada and explains how to manage a high volume of multilingual translation projects. How and why did you create LingoStar? [Start of interview] I’ve got a translation background and I’ve worked in a translation company in London, UK. Before that, I lived in the Netherlands and had the experience of being a translator and interpreter of Czech and Dutch. Then I worked in London as a translation project manager, where I experienced the project management aspect of the job and learned how to negotiate with clients, contract translators, and manage projects in many languages. At the time, I thought it was an interesting development to grow from a translator to a project manager. When I moved to Canada in 2004 and started looking for a language-related...
Jan 23, 2023 | Blog, Tips for Translators, Translation, Translation News
The number of translators in the world It is said that there are 6,900 different languages in the world today. In a world where so many languages exist, there are professionals who play an important role in connecting people through different languages. These professionals are translators, located worldwide. They introduce foreign cultures and their languages to their communities. Furthermore, they translate the nuances of other languages accurately and, through accurate translation, they help to provide relevant information. Even if not always obvious, translators worldwide affect in our lives in numerous ways. For example, they help to convey messages to younger generations. As languages change over time, translators must adapt. The Internet gave birth to slang, and the younger generation creates new words all the time. Therefore, translators need to constantly keep up with the latest language trends. So, how many translators are there in the world? According to some estimates, there are 640,000 translators in the world. They are based in various regions around the world and work on a wide variety of translations. Their presence is essential to keep the 6,900 languages alive. How translators worldwide help people’s lives Translators worldwide are behind many of the things we do and enjoy. Take arts and culture, for example. Many books and artworks have become available thanks to the work of translators. Another fitting example is the film industry. Numerous countries make films and watch those with subtitles or dubbed into other languages. If a movie is made in one language only, it cannot be distributed and shared across the globe. And this is where translators come in. Translators are...
Jun 23, 2022 | Blog, Communication, Interviews, Tips for Translators
In this blog post, we’re introducing our former French intern who has completed an internship with our company. She’s described the process of looking for a translation internship and what her learning outcomes were. If you’re interested in looking for a translation internship in Canada, read on! Let me introduce myself. I’m a French university student and my mission was to complete an internship in Canada. Indeed, this is a requirement of my translation studies. This internship is part of the second year of my master’s degree in translation. Following a bachelor’s degree in translation (English/Portuguese and French) and then a master’s degree, this internship was the way to conclude my five years of studies in this field. My internship didn’t have to satisfy a long list of requirements. I had to work with one of my languages, evolve in a professional translation environment (translation agency/department or an independent translator) and a professional had to supervise me. Looking for an internship in a translation agency in Canada After an internship with an independent translator last year, it was logical for me to do this one in a translation agency. I wanted to discover precisely how an agency works from the inside, how to manage a project, and also be able to work on a range of diverse projects. Diverse in terms of languages but also services, not only translation but also interpreting, subtitling, and more. I wanted to combine this internship and my desire to discover Canada. It’s for this reason that I started researching Canadian agencies. Finding a translation agency LingoStar is one of the first agencies where...
Nov 25, 2020 | Blog, Communication, Tips for Translators
How to Present Your Freelance Translator Resume to Small Translation Agencies – From an Agency Perspective Have you sent your freelance translator resume to numerous translation agencies but have never heard back? Are you starting out as a freelance translator and are trying to market your services to translation agencies? Would you like to work with a translation agency but find it really hard to get your foot in the door? How translation agencies process freelance translator resumes Sending out resumes to translation agencies can be daunting. You’re likely to send out a lot of applications and only receive a few replies. Translation agencies receive hundreds of applications every week and many of them don’t take the time to respond. When you finally do manage to get in touch with a vendor manager, it’s best you don’t get your hopes up. Your resume may be piled up among many others and you may not hear back with an actual job for a while. Are you wondering why? The truth is that there may be nothing wrong with your freelance translator resume, expertise, education or rates. One of the simplest reasons why you don’t hear back is that a small translation agency has scarce resources to handle vendor management. Therefore, processing your application may be at the very bottom of their list. Until they really need somebody very particular for a very specific translation job. And that could be just you! So make your freelance translator resume stand out! Whilst the purpose of this article is not to source new translators for our company LingoStar in Canada, we wanted...
