Feb 23, 2021 | Blog, Traditions, Translation
Who celebrates the Lunar New Year? China and other Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese Chunjie, Korean Solnal, Vietnamese Tet, Tibetan Losar, or more commonly as the Spring Festival. In 2021, we welcome the Lunar New Year of the Ox! The origins of the Lunar New Year festival take place thousands of years ago with the legend of the Nian. Nian was a terrible monster that devoured human flesh on New Year’s Day. The stories explain that the beast was afraid of loud noises, fire and of the colour red. Consequently, during the celebration, fireworks are lit, red lanterns are hung and a lion made out of several people in costumes walks the streets. When does it take place? The festivities begin with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and end 15 days later, on the first full moon. The dates of the holiday vary from one year to the other as they follow the cycles of the moon. The holiday usually takes place between the 21st January and the 20th February of the Gregorian Calendar. In addition, a few days before the New Year, the sweeping of the ground starts: people fully clean their houses in the hope of getting rid of all the lingering bad vibes. It is customary for people celebrating Chinese New Year to give each other small red envelopes containing money. Furthermore, the Lantern Festival takes place on the last day of the Lunar New Year’s celebrations. If you are lucky enough to be in a place that celebrates it, you will find yourself amazed and...
Aug 27, 2020 | Blog, Language Services, Translation
How to Differentiate European Spanish and Latin American Spanish? After English and Chinese, Spanish is the third most-spoken language in the world. At LingoStar, a lot of our projects involve Spanish translation. However, these translation projects can be in either European Spanish or Latin American Spanish. Depending on whether a European Spanish or Latin American Spanish translation is needed, different translators will handle the project. We take pride in the fact that we make sure our clients are happy with their translations and recordings, and that our final Spanish translations are accurate. Latin American Spanish Translations and Recordings One thing to keep in mind is that there is not just one Latin American country with a Spanish speaking population. There are twenty individual countries where Spanish is the official language. Each country has different expressions and accents. Depending on whether you are targeting the whole of Latin America or just one country, it is important to ensure the right variety is used. We have dealt with a lot of Latin American Spanish projects recently, one of which was a voice-over project. The voice-over part is interesting because you can clearly hear the differences between the Spanish varieties. Indeed, a Spanish person can distinguish in seconds whether a recording comes from a European Spanish or a Latin American Spanish speaker. Therefore, depending on the version the client is looking for, it is extremely important to choose the right voice artist. What About European Spanish Translations? As mentioned above, selecting the right variety of a language is vital if you are looking to get into a certain market. And even though...
Aug 7, 2020 | Blog, Language Services, Translation
How to Differentiate French European and French Canadian? Apart from English, French is the only other language present on every single continent of the world. As a bilingual country, Canada is the perfect place for a translation company. At LingoStar, most of our projects involve French translation, even though we are located in English-speaking Vancouver. However, these translation projects can be in either French European or French Canadian. Among all these projects, we can differentiate between the French Canadian and French European projects, which have to be handled by different translators. We take pride in the fact that we make sure our clients are happy with their translations and recordings, and that our final French translations are accurate. French European Translations and Recordings First, let us talk about French European projects before we tackle the French Canadian ones. One thing to keep in mind is that France is not the only country to use the European version of French. You can also find it in Belgium, Switzerland or Luxembourg. Each country has different expressions and accents, but the vast majority of the language stays the same. We have dealt with a lot of French European projects recently, one of which was a translation and voice-over project. The voice-over part is interesting because you can clearly hear the difference between the two French varieties. Indeed, a French person can distinguish in seconds whether a recording comes from a French European or a French Canadian speaker. Therefore, it is extremely important to choose the right voice artist depending on the version asked by the client. What About French Canadian Translations? As...
Jul 20, 2020 | Blog, Language Services, Language Varieties, Projects, Translation
Translation and Recording Project We recently completed a translation and recording project for an IVR-system, from English into Arabic, Berber, Mixtec, Portuguese (European), and Spanish (Latin American). IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. It is an automated telecommunication system technology that interacts with the callers. In short, it collects the required information and connects the caller with the appropriate recipient. This was one of the many translation and recording projects we have done. However, we had not worked with Berber and Mixtec before. Berber Language The Berber languages are Afroasiatic languages, spoken by the Berber people. They are indigenous to North Africa, mainly Morocco, Algeria, and Libya. There are also small populations of Berber speakers in other African countries like Tunisia or Niger. Since 2011, it has been an official language in Morocco and an official language since 2016 in Algeria. There is also a significant Berber-speaking population living in Western Europe. Nowadays, the Berber language uses three different writing systems: Tifinagh, the Arabic script, and the Latin script. For our project, we successfully found a Berber translator living in France, who did the translation and recording for us. Mixtec Language Mixtec is an indigenous language. Over half a million people in Mexico speak it. There are many different varieties of Mixtec, which are not all mutually intelligible. Traditionally, it was spoken in the region of La Mixteca, which includes the states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero. However, due to domestic migration, the language has now spread to the main urban areas of Mexico. In addition, there is also a large Mixtec community in Los Angeles. Mixtec is a...
Jun 4, 2020 | Blog, Translation
Japanese Culture in Hawaii Hawaii often brings to mind images of coconut trees, beaches, and tropical fruit. However, modern day Hawaii has a rich culture built upon the lives and traditions of the indigenous Hawaiian people, as well as the many immigrants who came to the islands as plantation workers during the early colonial period. One influential culture is Japanese culture. It is so ingrained in some parts of life that one might not even notice their Japanese origins unless explicitly pointed out. However, not only has Japanese culture influenced Hawaii, but Hawaii has made Japanese culture its own in a way. For instance, many Japanese-origin aspects of culture or life in Hawaii have evolved from their original Japanese counterparts. In addition, the general non-Japanese population also enjoys aspects of Japanese culture that have moved past ethnic lines and into the general lifestyle in Hawaii. The strength of Japanese influence depends on the island and even parts of island. Japanese Influence on Language and Culture Children often say jan ken pon when playing rock paper scissors – the Japanese version of the game. However, they often don’t know its Japanese origins and think of it as a string of syllables. Japanese popular culture like anime and manga are quite popular and widespread. Obon is a traditional Buddhist summer festival where people gather to dance and honour their ancestors. However, unlike in Japan, where the festival is held over a three-day period, Hawaii’s obon festivals run throughout the summer. Hawaii’s festivals are also less strictly religious. Many non-Japanese and non-Buddhist people go simply to browse the food stalls and enjoy the festival atmosphere. Japanese Influence on Food and Shopping There...
May 6, 2020 | Blog, Language Services, Language Varieties, Translation
The French Community in British Columbia The French community in British Columbia continues to grow and diversify every year. British Columbia has the fourth largest Francophone community in Canada. According to Statistics Canada in 2016, French is the mother tongue of over 70,000 British Columbians. There are more than 300,000 residents of the province who speak French in addition to English or another language. Francophones have contributed to the economic growth, intellectual pursuits, and political and cultural development of British Columbia. Structures are in place to provide several services to Francophones living in the province or thinking of moving there. It is possible to study, work and stay informed in French, as well as to access social services and health care. Many organizations are working hard to expand the Francophone and Francophile presence in B.C. One is the British Columbia Francophone Federation, the official voice of the province’s Francophone community. Their mission is to represent the Francophone community in British Columbia while preserving their linguistic and cultural heritage. Infographic: The strong French presence in British Columbia The Francophone community in B.C. is not only growing but also changing the overall Canadian population. This infographic will show you some interesting facts about the Francophonie in British Columbia: PDF Download The need for French translation services French is not only the mother tongue of many Canadians, but an integral part of the Canadian identity. If you want to successfully expand your business into the Canadian market, you need to understand the country’s linguistic variations and adapt your business to the local look and feel. By working with a trusted translation agency that is familiar...
