Translation tools are numerous out there. Some are quite simple to use and have become industry-standard software, while very specialized localization software may require more time to learn and make it possible to realize very technical translation activities.
Translation agencies typically use a dedicated translation memory software and require that their translators use the same software and return files in two distinctive formats, cleaned and uncleaned. Why is that so, and what does it mean? Uncleaned files are bilingual files in which the tagging remains. This allows the translation agency to edit the documents returned by the translator and then clean the documents to obtain a correct translation memory that can be reused for further projects. Cleaned files are usually asked to make sure that the documents can be properly cleaned by the translation software. (more…)
Did you know that there is a language spoken off the coast of Spain that consists entirely of whistles? Imagine how you would translate that on paper! It is certainly inspiring that the world’s 7,000+ languages are each beautiful in their own unique way.
Learn more interesting facts about linguistics in this colorful infographic from our friends at TakeLessons. You’ll be surprised as you expand your knowledge, and appreciation, of the diversity that exists in the many languages that have evolved on our planet.(more…)
We’ve all heard (or said) it: “Italian sounds so romantic!” – “French is the most beautiful language in the world!” – “German sounds ugly” etc.
Nobody summed it up quite as succinctly as Roman emperor Charles V when he declared: “I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.”
Why is it that certain languages sound poetic and melodious while others grate on our nerves?
One of the most common questions I’m asked as a translator is: “how do I start learning a language?” I completely understand why people often do not know where to begin — as there are tons of language learning resources out there that promote their products and learning systems as the quickest and/or most accurate way to becoming fluent in a language.
Don’t tell me you’ve never seen them… “Become fluent in Spanish in just one month!” “Have your first fluent conversation in just 48 hours!” These money traps exist everywhere, and they should certainly be avoided. (more…)
There are a lot of blogs out there instructing you on how to best learn, speak and understand a language. I’m here to tell you that a lot of these blogs are wrong!
Below are a few language learning myths that are floating around out there. For each one, I explain why these tips or simply myths that are not conducive to language fluency. (more…)
So you know a lot of languages and want to monetize your skill…that’s great! Now it’s time to figure out language profitability. That is, what languages will net you the most when it comes to translation jobs? (more…)
Translation tools are numerous out there. Some are quite simple to use and have become industry-standard software, while very specialized localization software may require more time to learn and make it possible to realize very technical translation activities.