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...
Dec 2, 2014 | Blog, SEO, Translation
How Does a Text-Based Medium Work? The link between texts on the Internet is far more obvious than it is for printed text, especially considering that direct links are often embedded right into the text. As users of the Internet, we are conscious that the amount of text we could find on any one subject is virtually unlimited. This abundance and the fact that they appear and are replaced so fast, added to the anonymity of the Internet (we rarely know who the author is) make the information contained in the texts appear less trustworthy than if they were found in print. Therefore, building credibility on the Internet is a major concern for Web content writers. Also, a webpage is read in a different manner than a sheet of paper. The user does not always read the content, but often just scans it. It has been shown that very little of the text on a web page is actually read and that the eyes often follow the same F-shaped directional pattern. Therefore, it is important to locate keywords strategically on the page. To attract and keep the user’s attention as long as possible, it is also efficient to emphasize keywords, to use lists and paragraphs, to write short texts and to stick to a simplified, factual style. In the last couple of decades we have seen the emergence of new forms of art (especially literature) using features of the Web. While it is obvious that taking advantage of the web by incorporating it into your business model is almost a necessity in this day and age to prosper, if...
Nov 27, 2014 | Blog, Translation
Translate Henry Ford’s Quote into Another Language Are you interested in applying your language skills and translating today’s positive business message? Or maybe you can proofread one of these existing translations? Make your contribution and share your knowledge. Enjoy being a translator! English Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Whether you think you can succeed in your business, or you think you can’t, you’re right. (Adaptation of Henry Ford’s quote). Czech Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Ať už si myslíte, že uspějete v podnikání, nebo si myslíte, že to nedokážete, v obou případech máte pravdu. (Adaptace citátu Henryho Forda). Slovak Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Či si už myslíte, že môžete uspieť v podnikaní alebo, že to nedokážete, stále máte pravdu. (Adaptácia citátu Henryho Forda) Russian Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Неважно, что вы думаете – можете вы достичь успеха в бизнесе или нет, – все равно вы правы. (Адаптация цитаты Генри Форда.) Dutch Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Als je denkt, dat je een succesvolle ondernemer wordt, of als je denkt dat het niet zo is, je hebt altijd gelijk. (Adaptatie van een citaat van Henry Ford). Japanese Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote あなたがビジネスを成功できると思えば、できる。できないと思えばできない。どちらにしてもあなたが思ったことは正しい。（ヘンリー・フォードの引用の改変） German Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Ganz gleich, ob sie denken sie können im Geschäft Erfolg haben oder sie können es nicht, sie haben recht. (Die Adaptation des Zitats von Henry Ford). Spanish Translation of Henry Ford’s Quote Tanto si piensas que puedes tener exito en tus negocios, como si piensas que no puedes, estás en lo cierto. (Adaptación de la cita de Henry Ford). Italian Translation of Henry Ford`s Quote Che crediate di...
Nov 27, 2014 | Blog, SEO, Translation
What Does It Mean to Be a Text-Based Medium? Written text is a very important means of communication on the Internet. Websites without written words are very rare, even impossible (if you consider the URL as being part of the website) to come across. The Internet has been at the origin of a revival of written forms of communication. Text is to be found everywhere on a web page: in the core of it (the message), in navigation tools (menus, links, banners, etc.) and even hidden in the programming code, which generally does not appear on the screen. E-mail has become the primary medium for communication in business (even if phone calls are still favored in some circumstances). Users find e-mailing functional because it is easy and quick, and because it does not require an immediate response from the recipient. Also, it has far more potential than telephone communication (attached files, links, multiple recipients, etc). Due to the Internet, words have acquired a great commercial importance. For example, they are used as keywords that help to reference a web page. These keywords will then be chosen by the user when he uses a search engine. They are also used as tags to classify articles within a blog. Another important use is on online shopping sites, especially when it comes to defining categories in a directory or tagging a product. Even if most users access websites through bookmarks or search engines, the choice of a URL remains a crucial investment for a commercial website. These are a few reasons why major websites often hire linguists to optimize their presence on...
