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LingoStar May Newsletter

May 31, 2014 | Blog

Newsletter – May 2014 Dear language friend, This month, we remember the 8th of May, the end of the Second World War.  This day is called the Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) and is celebrated as a public holiday in several countries in Europe. The celebration’s date may vary according to the country. For instance, Italy’s Victory day is on April 25th and Denmark’s one is on May 5th. Now let’s remember what happened 75 years ago. 1939: the beginning of the war In 1933, Adolf Hitler was governing Germany after having won the democratic elections. His political party (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) promoted anti-Semitic and colonialism propaganda, people admired his speeches and supported him in his quest to get all the German speakers united in one nation. In September 1939, he decided to invade Poland: France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. After several months without activity, called the Phoney War (the ‘sitting war’ in German and the ‘funny war’ in French), Germany attacked France. They arrived in Paris and made France capitulate in June 1940. Until 1941 Great Britain fought alone. When the war globalized, in June, the USSR declared war on Germany after it had been invaded by the Wehrmacht (German Army). In December 1941, Japan attacked the American naval station in Pearl Harbour which caused the start of war in the United States. The war then turned global and fights were no longer just taking place in Europe.   The 1942 turn and the Allies’ response With the involvement of new countries, 1942 would be the last year the Axis Power (Germany... read more

The fansubbing for Video, Script Translation

May 23, 2014 | Blog

VIDEO, SCRIPT TRANSLATION BC Fansubbing for video and script translation is a current practice where fans of foreign television programs do the translation and subtitle the latest episodes released. This phenomenon appeared in the late 80’s in the USA with Japanese animes. There were tensions between the Japanese producers and the American distributors who, for instance, were cutting some parts of the episodes for budget reasons. The low quality of animes led to the development of the fansubbing. The fans decided to go find the original video and to make their own video and script translation. The Fansubbing: A new way for the video, script translation Good or bad quality? Fansubbing is not necessarily synonymous with bad quality. Some communities of fansubbers have established rules to provide the best quality to the watchers. For example, it is always the same persons who do the multilingual subtitling and the proofreading for a same series in order to be consistent in the translation. Of course, some practices do exhibit the bad quality of amateur subtitles. For example, sometimes the goal of the fansubber is not to provide a good quality translation, but only a fast translation for the fans who want to hurry to watch an episode of their favourite show. What is the impact on the subtitling companies? It goes without saying that this practice receives critics from the professional associations as the fansubbers provide the subtitles for free. It can be also a cause of the deterioration of professionals’ working conditions with the foreign studios competition. But, fansubbing also brought some positive aspects. The spread on the Internet of... read more

How new words get entered into the dictionary?

May 16, 2014 | Promotions

New words are constantly created and used in the daily life. But they are not all in the dictionary, but how does it get entered in? Every dictionary is updated each year by the editor and the research offices. A lexicographer is a real language observatory which spots, captures and selects the new words, the new expressions and also the new sense of variations that have appeared for some words. Here is the list of all the people who contribute to updates of the dictionary. Lexicographer A lexicographer is a ‘A writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge’ (Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language, 1755). He analyzes corpus and context, does research in other dictionaries, and is specialized to know all the different meanings of a word. Documentation Documentation concerns all the work done to track all the new words or the new uses of the same words. When we read, listen to radio, watch TV, or even when we are talking to someone, we observe new words uses or neologisms (the coining or use of new words). The person in charge of documentation will track down new expressions, phrases and new word classes (for instance when a noun is employed as an adjective). The lexicographer can use any support, ranging anywhere from the Internet to a shopping catalog, which is a helpful source of daily terms. Once the choice of the new words is done, they can be submitted to the editorial office. The new words New words are appearing each day. Most of the time, they are relevant to IT technology. As they are in English, all... read more

Difference of work environment. Certified Immigration documents

May 12, 2014 | Blog

Certified immigration documents for immigration purpose. It is no doubt that work is one of the necessities in daily life. People usually consume around one third of the time in a day at work. Usually form morning to afternoon, people devote considerable effort to the company. Therefore, the environment of the workplace is very important because it influences their quality of life. Work environment differs depending on companies or cultures. For several reasons, you may  have to work abroad and discover a new culture, a new way to work or live. As an immigrant you will need your certified immigration documents translated by certified translator. Here at LingoStar, we provide these services. Here are some examples of differences of work environment between several countries. Europe In Accordance with French labor law, to work 35 hours a week is decided as a standard. But people often make a contract to work 39 hours a week including 4 hours over time work, so people usually work 7 to 8 hours a day on each weekday. Regarding long vacations, French law decided that people can take a 5 week continuous holiday. Other countries in Europe have a similar rule, hence why European countries can be good locations to work at. If you want to work in Europe, you will need your certified immigration documents translated from English to French, Spanish for example. North America In the U.S., for the most part, people work 8 hours a day, but some people work more than 10 hours, or even exceed 12 hours a day. They are motivated to work hard to reach their goals because... read more

BLOG ABOUT CHINESE BUSINESS – Chinese language

May 5, 2014 | Blog

Chinese language all over the world. Chinese business is growing day by day in North America. With the huge influx of Chinese immigrants into North America, translating your English source documents into the Chinese language, will help your business grow and make a favorable impression on the Chinese market. In China, there are 2 Chinese languages which are Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is mostly spoken in Northern and southwestern China, whereas Cantonese is mostly spoken in mainland China. If you are planning to expand your business in China, it is very important for your organization to communicate with Chinese people in the Chinese language. Chinese language at LingoStar. We at Lingo-Star Language Services can help you with your document translations in all Chinese languages. All of our translators are native Chinese speakers and have over 5 year’s translation experience. Don’t hesitate to contact us We take quality very seriously and promise our clients that we will deliver only great quality translations for their documents from or into Chinese language. We can also help your organization with typesetting and localization services. We have worked for over 2000 clients and have helped them to expand their business operations globally across the world. Please contact us today and get a free quote for your document translation into Chinese... read more

Variety of proverbs depending on cultures

May 1, 2014 | Blog

Even though there are differences between cultures or backgrounds, some proverbs have similarities because different cultures may have similar ways of thinking. Especially when there is a relationship of ethnicity, more similarities are found in proverbs. For example, the English proverb “Anyone can make a mistake” changes depending on the culture expressing it. See below for an example of this: English: Anyone can make a mistake French: l’erreur est humaine (The mistake is human) Latin: errare humaum est (The mistake is human) Chinese: 智者千虑, 必有一失  (Even the wise are not always free from error) Japanese: 猿も木から落ちる(Even monkeys fall from trees) Differences: Sometimes proverbs have completely opposite meanings depending on countries or the area. For example, there is an English proverb ‘The Squeaky wheel gets the oil’. The idea of this proverb is that people who keep drawing attention to themselves are more likely to get attention. But on the other hand, there is a Japanese proverb ‘The nail that sticks out gets hammered down’ because in Japanese society, people who stand out are often hated, or disturbed.  Because humility or modesty is a virtue in Japan, their very similar proverb has a completely different meaning in comparison to the English version. As there are countless languages in the world, proverbs are everywhere in the world. Most of them are straightforward and often show characteristics of nationality, so they can be utilized as a source of good educational material to learn about different cultures. Here at LingoStar, even though there are vast differences between cultures, we can offer a high quality of services in various language services. Call us today... read more

Punjabi translation in the 21st century

Apr 29, 2014 | Blog

Finding a professional translation company that you can trust entirely is not an easy thing. Trust is everything, don’t dive in and choose a translation company that you are not 100% sure about. It is your document, and ultimately your reputation on the line. Quality is everything and at Lingo-Star we can guarantee you that you will receive high quality Punjabi translation services. There are about 600,000 Punjabi speakers in Canada, which is about 2% of the Canadian population. Punjabi is mostly written in the Gurmukhi script from left to right. Our Punjabi translators work in sectors including business, medical, oil and gas, legal, financial, technical, engineering and many more. Lingo-Star Promise: – Our Punjabi translations are quick, efficient and reliable – We only use professional and experienced Punjabi translators with at least 5 years’ of experience – We will offer competitive translation rates – All of our Punjabi translators are native Punjabi speakers and provide high quality translation work Lingo-Star offers document translation, website translation, email translation, certified translation, business translation, manual and catalog translation, online translation, patent translation and software translation in... read more

Difference of English Education

Apr 25, 2014 | Blog

It is no doubt that English is one of the most used languages in the world. It is spoken as an official language in more than 50 countries, and widely learned as a second language because of its usefulness. But the education of English differs depending on the country because of an assortment of reasons. Here are some examples:  China The Chinese government initiated English education in elementary schools in 2001 aimed at getting their students to gain practical use of English. Even though there is a slight gap in the education between urban areas and rural areas, some schools hire native speakers to enhance their students’ ability to speak English. Germany Each province in Germany has most of the authority regarding English education, so each province has different styles in the way they offer English education. Approximately half of the provinces offer only English education. On the other hand, some provinces offer Italian, Russian, or French education. Education places an emphasis on listening and speaking more than writing and reading skills to enhance cross-cultural communication. Netherlands English education in elementary schools in the Netherlands started from early 1970. English class is offered 4 times a week, and it is a popular subject for students. Students don’t learn English grammar in a school. They just listen to English, and an emphasis is placed on speaking. Lots of teachers in the Netherlands are fluent speakers of English, so they mostly don’t hire native speakers of English. France Education of foreign languages started in the 1960s in France.  Now education of English starts from elementary school (from 6 years old). After... read more

The variety of translation

Apr 15, 2014 | Blog

Do you want to be a translator? If you are interested in language, you might have thought about it. Being a translator is an ideal job for those who have a love for language. But of course, a high level of expertise is needed to do this job, so intensive training is needed to work as a professional translator. There are a lot of fields stemming from a job as a translator, and the requirements of translation are different depending on what kind of translation is needed. Here are some examples of different translation fields:  Business Translation Contract, financial statement, manual, catalogue, pamphlet, advertisement, business letter etc. Accuracy is the most important requirement in this field. As well as fundamental knowledge of the business field. Translators should also know details pertaining to specific differing fields such as finance, marketing and their corresponding terminologies necessary to improve a quality of translation. Mistranslation in this field may cause serious issues and negative ramifications for a company. That is why accuracy is essential in this field. Literary translation Plays, novels, short stories, poems etc. As well as simple translation, translators of literary translation should include feelings, nuances, humor etc. in a text. Also, wide ranges of knowledge are required in regards to slang, jokes, fad words, history, custom, culture etc. That is why it is considered as one of the most difficult forms of translation. Compared to another field of translation such as business translation, only a small number of people can work as a literary translator because of its difficulty. Visual media Translation Subtitle, dubbing, voiceover etc. This type of translation... read more

Communication with Animals

Apr 10, 2014 | Blog

Do you like your pet? If you have experience with pets, you most likely know how difficult it can be to communicate with animals. They can understand easy orders, but intensive training may be needed if you would like to make them understand complicated orders. And we can assume they experience feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, or hunger based on their attitudes or actions, but usually they don’t have a method of communication with humans. Do you think it would be fun if they could communicate with humans more? Do you know the smart Gorilla named Koko? She can communicate with humans by using sign language. Her IQ is assumed to be between 80 and 90. (Average IQ of human is around 100). She has learned more than 2000 signs, and she expresses her emotion by using those. Furthermore, she can tell a lie, a joke and express her desire to humans. Of course, Koko’s case is an exception. Most of animals are not smart enough to communicate with humans, but this situation may change in the near future via the introduction of new technology. A professor in the U.S. is trying to make a translation device to translate a dog’s voice into English. He said that he would also like to apply his technique to translate the voices of other animals into English. If the translation device is functional and goes on sale to the public, the relationship between humans and pets would change significantly. There are countless languages people speak around the world, but all languages can be translated into other languages by hardworking translators. Therefore,... read more

Emails and Letters

Apr 3, 2014 | Blog

How many emails have you gotten today? Are there 100, 200, or more emails in your inbox? Both in private homes and businesses, email has become essential in our daily life, and we always check our inboxes in our cell phones, computers, or social media websites. It is a fact that around 150 billion emails are sent worldwide per day (65% of them are actually spam). Numbers of them have been increasing year by year because computers, the internet, and cell phones have become common in our daily lives. As media changes, methods of communication also change significantly. The first email was sent in 1971 by U.S. programmer Raymond Tomlinson. This means that email has 43 years of history. Then after several decades, email has become an important communication tool among people around the world due to convenience, quickness, and cost effectiveness. But as you see, newspapers, books, and magazines still exist in today’s world, and written media is also still an important tool. Many people still send handwritten letters especially on special occasions. What is the difference between an email and a letter? The perception of them could be an answer. People write Christmas cards, New Year cards etc. instead of emails because it is more sentimental and special to compose a warm-hearted thoughtful letter than send a computer generated message. Even though it costs more and takes much more time, the letter is not considered an outdated form of communication. If all emails were physically mailed, our office would be packed and could not handle the quantity. And if written letters were prohibited, it would be hard... read more

LANGUAGE MATTERS IN MARCH 2014: SPRING AROUND THE WORLD

Apr 2, 2014 | Blog

We hope everyone who is reading this article is enjoying a nice spring season.  We are going to talk about spring in March’s newsletter. The temperature goes up, snow and ice starts melting down, and buds of plants start to grow. Animals become active, insects come out of the ground, and flowers bloom. Everything starts moving and growing in this season and the atmosphere changes significantly. Even though weather in Vancouver is still chilly, warm and comfortable weather will be coming soon. With a nice atmosphere and lots of events, people have fun during this season. But the impression of this season may differ depending on the country because of many reasons. Not all countries have four seasons. It can be divided by wet season and dry season, or some countries have a different concept of seasons altogether. Or some cultural differences may influence the impression of the seasons. How’s this season treating you? We are going to introduce the differences between countries.  * Canada Spring comes slowly in most of the places in Canada. We can occasionally enjoy favorable weather in March in Canada, but especially in the West Coast area such as Vancouver or Victoria, people can enjoy nice spring weather compared to other areas in Canada. The Tulip festival in Ottawa takes place in May, hence spring comes later there. In other countries the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Easter holiday occur in this season. In late May, there is Victoria Day to celebrate the honor of Queen Victoria’s birthday. Then people in Canada welcome Summer time. * Europe As you see a prefix ”pri-” in... read more

Global Gender Gap

Mar 28, 2014 | Blog

As women’s participation in society is increasing, their role in the business world is also becoming more important. But it is true that only women can give birth, so it is controversial that women have to be at home, or should be treated as same as men.   But it depends on countries or cultures whether equality of men and women is regarded as important or not.  It is a crucial issue for women who would like to pursue their careers the same as men, and this issue may force them to give up their goals or dreams. Here are some examples: Asia In Japan, data shows that only 11.1% of women were working as an administrative post in 2013. Also there are no female prime ministers in Japanese history. Korea is in a similar situation.  In most of Asian countries, it can be said that women are not treated equally to men. It is mostly because of Asian conservative cultures, and it is not easy to get rid of them. Europe Among countries in Europe such as Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, at least 40% of members of the National Parliament are women. And it is common that women have infant-care leave as well as long-term maternity leave. Also there is wage gap between men and women, but it is not as obvious as it is in Asian countries. Such a situation shows that most European countries are successful in filling up the gender gap. Canada According to ‘The Global Gender Gap’ which measures gender gaps from the economy, politics, education, and health, Canada is ranked 20th out of... read more

Canadian Multinationalism

Mar 26, 2014 | Blog

As the world becomes more international, the amount of immigration is also increasing. In Canada, an officially multicultural country, more than 200 thousands of people immigrate to Canada every year.  Since the immigration act was adopted in 1869, Canada accepted immigrants from all over the world, and now there are more than 200 races of people living in Canada. Canada attracts people who would like to assimilate with its equality, solid health care system, high level of educational standards and beautiful nature. But there are positive points and negative aspects to accepting large number of immigrants to be Canadian. Here are some opinions: Pros: – Enhancement of cultural exchange – Increase of population – Growth in economy – Increase of international competition Cons: – Financial burden – Racial problems – Risk of cultural devastation – Illegal immigration Even though there are positive points and negative points, Canadian multinationalism has enormous appeal for people around the world, and the amount of immigration is still increasing. Often described as a cultural mosaic, various cultures, languages, and races all co-exist in Canadian society, and it have built Canada its own identity. Here at LingoStar, we cover various languages all over the world. Call us today or send us an e-mail for a free... read more

Importance of non-verbal communication

Mar 10, 2014 | Blog

There is a Japanese proverb “The eyes say more than the mouth”. It means eyes show one’s real feelings, and it is more trustworthy than spoken words. According to a professor of Psychology at UCLA, when there is an inconsistency between verbal information and non-verbal information, people tend to believe non-verbal information rather than verbal information. For example, if someone says “It was really nice to meet you today” with a frown face, most people will feel that he/she is not happy. Verbal communication is simple. It is divided by just spoken words and written words, but non-verbal communication is more complicated. Here are some examples: Body Language and Posture: Gesture, Attitude, Behavior, Body movement etc. Facial Expression: Smile, Frown, Eye Gaze (Hold, or avoid eye contact), etc. Voice tone: Tone of voice, pitch, etc. Appearance: Height, weight, clothing, hairstyle etc. In this way, non-verbal communication is important in face-to-face communication. It is beneficial to be aware of non-verbal communication when you would like to leave someone with a positive impression. Verbal communication is also essential in our daily life and businesses. Here at LingoStar, we provide various types of services related to languages. Call us today or send us an email for a free... read more

Esperanto, as an international language

Feb 28, 2014 | Blog

If you are interested in language, you may have heard about the language “Esperanto”. Esperanto is the world’s most successful constructed language created by Polish linguist L. L. Zamenhof. The name “Esperanto” derives from his pen name “Dr. Esperanto” when he presented the language in 1887. It is said that there are almost two million Esperanto speakers (called Esperantisto) around the world. Esperanto does not intend to overtake other native languages. It aims to become an international auxiliary language, which is used as a second language for people all over the world. Here are some examples of Esperanto words: • Jes (Yes) • Ne (No) • Saluton (Hello) • Dankon (Thank you) • Ne dankinde (You’re welcome): • Mia nomo estas … (My name is …) As you see, Esperanto uses the Latin Alphabet. Also, because 80% of the words are originated from Latin-Romance origin, most vocabularies look similar to other languages such as Spanish, French, or German. Esperanto can be learned much easier than other languages. For example, the accent of words always exist on the second last vowel. All common nouns finish with –o, adjectives finish with –a, adverbs finish with –e. Furthermore, there are no irregular conjugations of noun (such as go-went-gone), and there are no gender of nouns in Esperanto. Because Esperanto has no cultural background and it has quite a few native speakers, it has not become one of the major languages in the world. The process of Esperanto to become an ideal second language for people around the world is still underway. Here are Lingostar, we offer translation and voiceover services in over... read more

WEBSITE RENEWAL NOTICE

Feb 25, 2014 | Blog

We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new website! This newly designed website will enable you to access your required information. Here is a quick review of our new website. SERVICES We offer a variety of services to meet various types of customer’s needs, which includes translation, language services, tutoring, and other services. We provide translation and voiceover services in over 100 languages. Combinations of languages are listed at the “language list” section. ABOUT US Here are some details about LingoStar Language Services, as well as owner’s profile, including achievements and expertise. You can explore achievements and developments of the company over the past 10 years. Also, you can reach the information of employment opportunities from this section. CLIENTS In this section, you can learn about various clients and language projects we have completed and detailed descriptions of our clients on our past project page. Happily, there are testimonials clients have given for us. Please go to our testimonials page to review those. GET A FREE QUOTE Please feel free to send us a request for a free quote. Please complete the form below and upload the documents to be translated. It will take only a few minutes to fill out information. We aim to deliver your quote within 24 hours. Your inquiry will be handled in strict confidence. NEWS Here is some reading material for anyone who is interested in the language industry. There are three sections. These include promotions, blogs, and translation news. Thank you for taking your time to read this notice. We will do our best to provide the best services... read more

Advanced Nutrients

Feb 3, 2014 | Blog

We’ve been with Advanced Nutrients almost every step of the way as they have blossomed into a high-yield international business. This innovative nutrient start-up company has grown exponentially since its inception in 1998. Today, Advanced Nutrients is the global quality leader in hydroponic fertilizers. Faced with a burgeoning international client base, we have helped them reach target audiences in countries around the world by translating their advertising copy, product packaging, website content, white papers, and research reports into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Czech, Bulgarian, Vietnamese, and Chinese.  Scientific accuracy and technical prowess are prerequisites for their highly specialized microbiological content, as well as localization and branding of their advertising material to appeal to demanding clients and prospects in culturally specific target... read more

Communication in Customer Service

Jan 23, 2014 | Blog

As we have explained in previous blog and newsletter articles, language exists in different forms. These forms include body language, sign language and verbal language. Language helps us to communicate. Today’s blog is about communication, and to be more precise, communication in customer service. Communication between customers and service providers should not be underestimated. After all, your customers are the most valuable asset in your company. Without them, your business does not exist. Luckily, it’s quite easy to keep and make new costumers, with a little effort! Good communication and positive language is the key to outstanding customer service. Costumers like to be praised and to feel appreciated, and there are many ways that you can give these good feelings to your clients. Firstly, you should listen: pay attention to what they are saying and identify their needs. Always find a way to compliment them and thank them every time the opportunity presents itself. Make them feel important and don’t hesitate to use their name when addressing them as it gives them the impression that you are treating them as an individual and not as ‘one of the customers’. Secondly, always put your clients first. Know how to keep control of your emotions. Working in customer service is not always easy. Sometimes, the customer might be wrong, but no matter what, they must always be right! Learn to apologize. It’s not that hard, and clients love it, it gives them a sense of power. And, even if you might not always like it, take their complaints and bad comments as a constructive way to improve your services. Finally, always... read more

Is the Latin Language dead?

Jan 17, 2014 | Blog

If you work with languages, you are likely aware that languages change constantly. Some languages and their speakers change so much that they disappear. Today, we can count an upwards of 600 languages that became extinct. But what can we call a ‘dead language’? Let’s take Latin for example. Latin has been classified as an extinct language for centuries. No one uses it as a first language anymore and this is why it is a ‘dead’ language. Furthermore, even though people are still studying it, it is an ancient language that was never updated, therefore impossible to utilize in modern society. Despite the fact that Latin is extinct, we still use it today in many different sectors, like science, literature and medicine. Many plants have their names derived from Latin. Also, several languages stem from Latin, like French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. The only circumstance where Latin is still used in conversations is in the Vatican and between members of the Roman Catholic Church if they have different mother tongues. Last year in February, Pope Benedict XVI made his resignation speech in Latin, which was a historic moment and proof that Latin is still used. So, can we really refer to it as a dead language? In terms of Latin being classified as a native language, yes, but it has helped us develop many other languages that are widely used today. In terms of the usage of the language, it is still alive. Due to our experience in the language business, we know that Latin as a language on its own is still used and read. Here at Lingostar,... read more