AArabic Translation in Canada The crisis in Syria has resulted in the displacement of millions of people, both within Syria and in the neighbouring countries. The overwhelming majority (97%) of people who fled the country live in 5 neighbouring countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. So now some towns in these regions have as many refugees as locals. According to the Canadian Council of Refugees, the huge influx of new residents leads to enormous strain on the local systems. As a result, the schools are overflowing, and many Syrian children cannot attend local schools. Health services are stretched beyond capacity. Besides, the water supply is insufficient. So the Government of Canada has made a choice to support the Syrian people in their quest for democratic change. According to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, Canada will resettle 10,000 more refugees over the next three year in frames of United Nations Refugee Agency’s global program of resettling 100,000 refugees worldwide. With such an inflow of Syrian refugees, Arabic translation services will be in great demand. Arabic Translation: Difficulties Translation from Arabic to English and vice versa may be problematic. Translators often find it difficult to bridge the cultural gap in rendering some Arabic utterances into English without distorting the meaning. The reason why Arabic – English translation is so confusing is that both Arabic and English belong to two absolutely different language families and have different cultures too. Often, a single English word is not enough to translate an Arabic word. Therefore, translators need to know this culture very well to give an adequate equivalent or descriptive translation. Arabic is a...
Psychology of Translation: Factors Which Influence Translation Work In our previous newsletters, we were talking a lot about the usability of translation, about localization and globalization, about differences in fiction and non-fiction translation and also about the way translation influences cross-cultural interaction and business. Today we would like to think about the things that influence translation itself, the psychology of translation. Translation is a complex process of converting a text from one language into another one. Therefore, to provide a good translation, knowledge of two languages is not enough. Translation requires that the meaning and the tone of the original text is preserved. This goes far beyond simplistic word-for-word exchange. Translation has to be natural and appropriate for the target audience, only then it can be called a successful one. However, a good translation does not depend only on the professionalism of the language specialist. There are some factors that affect quality and naturalness of translation significantly, and translators need to keep it in mind. The Psychology of Translation: Culture Firstly, culture is a factor that influences the naturalness of translation. It is said that people translate culture and not language. In other words, even great knowledge of two language structures and vocabularies will not help translators provide an adequate translation. So, language is not simply a system of signs and rules. Above all, it has its own history and cultural background, and not every native speaker of a language might know about all the nuances of his/her culture. This means that when you are looking for a professional to translate from, for example, French to...
Agriculture Translation Agriculture is definitely a big industry in Canada. There are huge amounts of bountiful resources all over the country. Since it is such a large industry, reaching your target market effectively, even if it is through language barriers is an absolute necessity to thrive. Whether your company is in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, or even somewhere obscure, there is going to be a multilingual population that you must accommodate via agriculture translation to try and maximize your client base. Some common things that are translated include machinery user guides. Moreover, technical documentation related to transportation and logistics, shipping and packaging, as well as legal documentation. Here at LingoStar we have professional translators available for over 100 language pairs. Furthermore, we make sure that we enlist translators, specialized for your industry and location. This way, we can ensure that the content of your documents meets the specifications of your target demographic. A translator who is fully familiar with your specific industry will be privy to the various industry specific terms. Otherwise, they would be ambiguous and translated incorrectly by another translation company. LingoStar Language Services has a fantastic track record producing flawless translations for companies involved with agriculture all across Canada. We provide high-quality, professional translation, interpretation and localization services into over 100 languages. Furthermore, we cooperate with translators, voice-over talent, and many other language specialists all over the world. For more information, call us today at 604-629-8420 or send us an email at info@lingo-star.com. The photo by Nigel Lo, taken from...
Community Interpreters’ Development The issue of cross-cultural differences has been a subject of debate for quite a long time. The first Critical Link conference in Toronto in 1995 dedicated much of its time to discussions about whether the role of community interpreters included cultural brokerage. In Canada, for example, community interpreting has been labeled as ‘cultural interpreting’ and in Italy and Spain as ‘cultural mediation’. All of these terms denote that interpreters have to assist people they are working with in cultural communication. Useful Tips for Community Interpreters Language is changing rapidly as every day more and more new words and phrases appear. Therefore, it is important for interpreters to upgrade their skills and to increase their knowledge of language pairs they specialize in. There are a lot of ways to develop one’s professional skills. Firstly, many colleges and universities provide courses which teach about various translation and interpretation areas. Secondly, it can be very helpful to become a member of a professional organization and attend lectures, workshops, and seminars. These are often sponsored by local chapters of such organizations. Attending these events helps interpreters to not only learn new information about the industry but also network, meet a lot of interesting people and colleagues and become a part of a community. Finally, every interpreter can increase his/her knowledge working individually and reading and learning new terminology. Professional development is necessary in this field because community interpreters always deal with different cultures and help people from these cultures communicate, establish contact and get closer to each other. A single mistake can lead to conflicts and unexpected problems. That’s why...
What you should know about a Translation Quote On a daily basis we receive a multitude of translation quote requests for various services. These can range from the translation of transcripts, office presentations, birth certificates, technical instruction manuals, among countless others. It is important that the client takes a few things into consideration upon asking for a quote. Translation Quote: What to keep in mind – If cost is an overwhelming issue, the 3 step translation process can be altered accordingly; translation, editing and proofreading is our process, however, proofreading and editing can be skipped to be able to lower the cost. This is a viable alternative when you do not need a translation for business purposes, but rather just to understand the text. – When quality is a priority we will always ensure that all 3 translation steps are done. – When requesting a quote for translation we ask that you provide us with the original source file. If a client sends an un-editable file, it will result in higher desktop publishing (DTP) services formatting costs which will unnecessarily drive your quote price up. – Take into consideration that when translating a document into certain languages, expansion can occur where there are more words in the target language, which normally requires DTP work. A good example of this is Spanish, which has approximately 20% more words than its English counterpart. – Be aware of which dialect you need for your target language of the translation you need. Some languages have several dialects, and knowing which specific one you need for your translation is essential for it to be translated properly to...
French, Italian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Japanese, Russian, and English Translation of a Quote by Petr Casanova Never give up! Even if you think you haven’t achieved your goal, just look back, and you will see how much you have already done and how much you have already learnt. Isn’t it a real success? So it is time to share this positive message with as many people as possible. You are more than welcome to send us your translation of the quote or proofread the existing translations! Just contact LingoStar and make your contribution! Original Quote in Czech: Velikost úspěchu se neměří tím, čeho v životě dosáhneme, ale co cestou překonáme. (citat Petr Casanova) English Translation of the Quote: The greatest success is not measured by what we achieve in life, but what we overcome on our path. (by Petr Casanova) Russian Translation of the Quote: Величина успеха измеряется не нашими жизненными достижениями, а тем, что мы преодолеваем на нашем пути. (Цитата Петра Казановы) Ukrainian Translation of the Quote: Величина успіху вимірюється не нашими життєвими досягненнями, але тим, що ми долаєемо на нашому шляху. (Цитата Петра Казанови.) Slovak Translation: Najväčší úspech sa nehodnotí tým, čo v živote dosiahneme, ale ako si poradíme s prekážkami na našej ceste. (citát: Petr Casanova) Italian Translation: Il successo più grande non è dato dai risultati ottenuti, ma dagli ostacoli superati durante il percorso. (Di Petr Casanova) French Translation: Le plus grand succès n’est pas mesuré par les résultats obtenus, mais par les obstacles surmontés dans le chemin. (De Petr Casanova) Japanese Translation: 最も偉大な成功とは、人生で何を成し遂げたかではなく、過去に何を乗り越えてきたかで評価される。(By ベトル・カサノバ) Here at LingoStar, we have qualified translators in many different fields...