Posts by brenton

One of the most famous translations in the history of translation services occurred around 1259 B.C. and was called the Treaty of Kadesh.  It was signed by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite King Hattusili III.  Unfortunately, the treaty didn’t lead to peace between the two nations right away but it is still significant to us today because it’s the oldest surviving peace treaty in the world. A version of it is displayed at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.

Not only is this treaty significant because of its political ramifications, it’s also important because it’s one of the most famous translations in the world. Two versions of the treaty have been found, one in Egypt and one in present-day Turkey, where the capital of the Hittite empire was located.  In Egypt, the treaty was preserved through engravings on the wall of Pharoah Ramesses II’s mortuary temple in Thebes. In the Hittite empire, it was engraved on baked clay tablets.

The treaty stated that both parties would henceforth be at peace and that this peace would continue among the coming generations, including the children and grandchildren of both sides. It also stated that prisoners taken by the opposite side would be repatriated and that each side would come to the help of the other if they were attacked by outsiders.

The interesting thing about the treaty from the point of view of translations is that the Egyptian version and the Hittite version are slightly different. The Hittite version doesn’t directly say that the two sides have been at war for a while.  Instead, it uses evasive language, saying, “as for the relationship between the land of Egypt and the Hatti land, since eternity the god does not permit the making of hostility between them because of a treaty valid forever…” In contrast, the Egyptian version is blunt and direct, asserting the necessity of the treaty because the two sides have been at war.

This goes to show how, since ancient times, the same problems have existed in translation.  Sometimes, it’s impossible to state the same thing in two different languages. The words to do so actually do not exist!  So a translation can be made but it will sound slightly different. As long as the translation conveys the meaning of the original, it doesn’t have to be word-for-word.  It’s also a good idea for translations to take cultural backgrounds into account. This was, no doubt, the reason why the versions adopted by the Egyptians and the Hittites were different.

Contact us for translations that account for these challenges.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:59.847Z):

Providing translation services is a delicate affair because so many languages come from the same root but they have developed differently along the way.  In the beginning, when one language started to split into two, a word may have meant the same thing in both the resultant languages.  However, after the passage of many years, the meanings of words change subtly.  So, you can end up with words that sound the same in two languages but have entirely different meanings.  These are called false friends.  Here are a few examples:

• The English word “embarrassed” sounds a lot like the Spanish word “embarazada.”  However, the Spanish word actually means pregnant and not embarrassed.
• The Latin word “Gymnasium” meant both, a place to exercise and a place to study.  In English, the word now only means a place to exercise.  In German, however, it only means a place to study.  So the English word and the German word are false friends.
• In British English, “to table” something is to bring it to the table, to open it up for discussion.  In American English, “to table” something is to shelve it, put it away and stop discussing it.
• In English, the word “preservative” usually refers to something added to food to maintain its freshness.  The French “préservatif,” the German “Präservativ,” the Romanian “prezervativ,” the Italian “preservativo,” the Polish “prezerwatywa” and the Russian “презерватив prezervativ” all refer to a condom.

So it’s obviously very important to stay away from false friends in translation services.  Just because a word sounds similar to another word doesn’t mean that it means the same thing.  Things can get particularly ugly if you’re using a word that has a derogatory meaning in another language.  Or, the translation can just end up sounding hilarious, which is probably not your aim.  After all, you don’t want all your customers to be thinking you’re adding condoms to your jam!

Contact us for translation services that take the similarities and differences between languages into account.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:47.109Z):

Have you ever tried to translate something for someone?  If so, you might have found that the translation comes out awkward -sounding at the first try.  Initially, our brain always goes for a word-for-word translation but since languages have different grammars and idioms, this usually results in something broken-sounding.  Some phrases might come out accurate but others are trickier.  What can a translator do to smooth over these sticky spots?

1. Inversions.  These are often necessary in the process of providing translation services.  Different languages express things differently.  For example, in English, it’s correct to say, “She slowly ate her breakfast.”  However, in French, you would say, “Elle a mangé son petit déjeuner lentement.”  Here, the French equivalent for the word “slowly” is “lentement.”  However, it is not correct for this word to come right after the subject “elle.”  It has to come at the end of the sentence.  In other words, an inversion has to take place to allow for a correct translation.
2. Translating for meaning.  There are always going to be certain phrases in one language which have no exact translations in another language.  You might be able to find something that approximates the meaning of the phrase but doesn’t catch the exact nuance.  There are many such phrases such as the French “je ne sais quoi,” the Russian “toska” and the Brazilian Portuguese “cafuné.”  A translator might choose to go with “a certain something” or “a certain flair” for “je ne sais quoi.”  “Spiritual anguish,” “restlessness” or “boredom” can all be used for “toska,” depending on the context.  For “cafuné,” you have to use a long phrase i.e., “tenderly running your hands through someone’s hair.”  The best thing a translator can do is try to figure out exactly w hat the original was trying to say and in what sense it was using that word before translating it.
3. Keeping the original.  In certain cases, if the original phrase is not completely unheard of in English, a translator might choose to retain it instead of translating it.  There are many words that have made their way over into English in this way e.g. chic, ennui, paramour etc.  It does sometimes happen that these words come to mean something different in English than they do in the original language.  So this technique should be used with caution.  For example, the word “pajamas” comes from the Hindi word “pyjama” which refers to a set of loose drawstring pants.  In English, however, the word refers to both, the top and bottom part of an outfit worn to sleep in.  So the original word can be used in some cases but not in all.

Contact us for translation services that take into account all these subtle nuances of language.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:29.132Z):

Sometimes, when providing translation services, it seems like a better idea to use the phrase exactly as it is in the source language. As a result of this, many phrases from other languages have made their way over into English. Sometimes, we get so used to using them that we don’t even realize that they’re not in English.

When we go for interviews, we take our CVs along. That’s a curriculum vitae, a phrase that is borrowed from Latin. When we want to check the authenticity of something, we ask if it is bona fide, using yet another Latin phrase. And when there is a fiasco of epic proportions, we may not even realize that the word “fiasco” is really Italian.

Are these things you need to keep in mind the next time you get dinner from the à la carte menu? Or when you’re having atête-a-tête with your best friend?  Probably not.  Still, when you consider the benefits of not translating vis-à-vis the benefits of translating, you may find that the latter outweigh the former.

It’s better not to be a klutz in delicate matters. Recognize that the word “klutz” comes from Yiddish and give credit where credit is due! The world is changing, ergo you must also change.  Don’t be a prima donna and insist on conducting all your business in English. This might be the lingua franca of your world but there are many people out there for whom it is not de rigueur.  These people will give you kudos for taking the time to reach out to them. They may not be fans of your product or service per se, but they’re likely to become aficionados.

So don’t let a glitch in translation ruin your chances in a new market. Translation services are not only for the avant-garde but for everyone. In today’s world, you can’t shrug off mistakes, saying “C’est la vie.” You have to be part of the changing status quo. If you’re looking for a translation service par excellence, contact us.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:21.502Z):

When you’re walking around in New York City, you’re likely to hear many different languages, from English and Spanish to French, Chinese and Hindi. Some of the people speaking these languages are tourists from different countries. They come to New York to visit the Statute of Liberty and the Empire State building. Others are immigrants who live here or second-generation immigrants who were born here but learnt the language from their parents and their parents’ friends.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Writings About Second-Generation Immigrants

In her novel, The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri, a popular Indian-American writer, tells the story of Gogol Ganguli, a second-generation immigrant whose parents moved to the U.S. from India.  Lahiri obviously draws on her own experiences because she is also a second-generation immigrant who nonetheless retains strong ties with her home country.  She visits India often, either to stay in touch with extended family or for inspiration for her work.

First Languages, Second Languages et al

The works of a writer such as Lahiri don’t require translation services because she writes in English even though she has admitted that it is, technically her second language.  The language she learnt first at home was Bengali.  Still, it is a fact that for many people around the world, the language they first learnt at home doesn’t remain the language that they are most comfortable in.  Being educated in English and exposed to mostly English speakers throughout their lives, many of those from former British colonies become more comfortable in English.

Yet, the English they speak is different from the English spoken in the U.S. or even in the U.K.  They use British spellings such as “colour” and “realise” but, as time goes on and Hollywood becomes ever-present, they find it easier to understand the American accent.  Plus, they also have their own slang and often include words from their native languages into English.

Translating from English into English

If you’re trying to sell products in countries such as these, you might need translation from English to English! Translating American English into English English is no mean feat. Similarly, you might need to translate into Indian English, Australian English and English spoken in various African countries. Not every writer is as easy to read as Jhumpa Lahiri whose works require no explanation. For others, you will need to take into consideration the nuances of the English spoken in that part of the world.

Contact us for translations that take into account the particularities of languages spoken around the world.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:14.887Z):

There are certain languages that borrow freely from other languages. English, for example, has many words which originated in other languages. “Pajamas” comes from the Hindi word “pyjama” meaning a loose pair of drawstring pants. “Déjà vu” is a phrase obviously borrowed from the French.  We also use words such as “zeitgeist” which comes from German and means the spirit of the age.  Another word that doesn’t originate in English but has become quite popular is “chutzpah” which comes from the Yiddish.  Originally a negative term referring to effrontery or shameless audacity, it now refers to someone who is bold and gutsy. For example, “It took a lot of chutzpah for her, as the only woman, to stand in front of hundreds of men and deliver her lecture.”

Shades of Meaning In-Between Antonyms
These words have served to enrich the English language and have helped English speakers to learn more about the cultural values of people from other parts of the world. They also help us to get at meanings which just can’t be conveyed by the use of English words. There are shades of meaning in any language. Just as there are hundreds or even thousands of shades of grey between black and white, there are also many shades of meaning between say, “good” and “bad,” “mental” and “physical,” “remembering” and “forgetting.”

How Human Emotion Adds Flavors of Meaning
The visual spectrum doesn’t only consist of black and white but also has colors. Similarly, two words may be antonyms and there may be many shades of meaning in between them. But then, there are also words which don’t just lie in the spectrum between two antonyms but also adopt shades of meaning from other words. For example, you may neither remember nor forget a certain thing. Perhaps you remember it vaguely. Perhaps it’s on the tip of your tongue. Perhaps you remember a part of it, but the other part has been blocked or repressed.

All of these options lie in-between remembering and forgetting, but each also has its own flavor. To say that something is at the tip of your tongue doesn’t just mean that you almost remember it. It also implies that sense of frustration you get when you just can’t recall what you’re trying to recall. It implies the coming epiphany when you do remember. Meanings are dependent on facts in the world, yes. But they’re also dependent on human emotion. Contact us for translation services which attempt to convey all the shades of meaning found in your original document.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:09.717Z):

Different languages have different rules.  Whereas in English, non-living things are referred to as “it,” in languages such as French, they are referred to as “he” or “she” (“il” and “elle”).  To someone who speaks English, it sounds odd to refer to a book as “he” but in French, this is de rigueur.  A book is masculine but a television is feminine.  A nail is masculine but a person’s skin is feminine.

Masculine vs. Feminine

In the course of providing translation services, one might start to question the sense behind these genders.  What makes a book masculine and a television feminine?  Are they trying to say that men read more books while women watch more television?  Obviously, that sounds ridiculous because you can’t make generalizations like that.

Eventually, you come to realize that you have to take on a completely different way of thinking about gender to truly understand a language in which everything is gendered.  In languages like French, things are gendered not because they are really masculine or feminine in their traits.  Still, there is a certain energy about things with a masculine gender and a different energy about things with a feminine gender.

Yin vs. Yang

If you think back to the yin-yang symbol, then perhaps this idea starts to make sense.  The Chinese believe that there is a feminine energy, yin, and a masculine energy, yang, in the universe.  Everyone and everything has a combination of these two energies.  At times, women might turn out to have more masculine energy while men might turn out to have more feminine energy.  So masculine and feminine are just traits or qualities as opposed to separate genders or sexes.

Similarly, in French, one can imagine that it’s the things with a greater degree of feminine energy that have a feminine gender and vice versa.  Of course, it might be difficult to tell, from the surface, what this energy consists of and what qualities those things possess.  But if you keep an open mind about what gender really is and don’t see “masculine” and “feminine” as opposing traits, then it might become easier to accept a universe in which everything is gendered.

Contact us for translation services  which attempt to understand the beliefs underlying languages.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:10:01.942Z):

When you translate a document, you are assuming that people essentially communicate in the same way.  There are similarities between people the world over.  Even if they may be citizens of different nations, speaking different languages, they still possess that basic quality of humanity.  Their physical needs are similar, consisting of food, clothing and shelter.  They also have mental and emotional needs that have to be met.  So even if they live in opposite parts of the world, they’re still able to understand each other, if they use translation services.

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina
The basic similarity between all human beings goes to explain why great works of literature from one part of the world still resonate in different parts of the world, after being translated.  Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina may originally have been written in Russian, but this book is firmly entrenched in the canon of Western literature.  The idea of a woman who falls in love so deeply that she’s willing to give up everything she has, just to follow a man whose feelings for her are lukewarm, resonates with readers everywhere.

Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams
Freud wrote The Interpretation of Dreams in German, but it has become a classic in the field of psychology and reads beautifully even in translation. The clarity of Freud’s prose and the way he presents difficult concepts in an easy way make him universally comprehensible. Besides, there’s just something innately fascinating about human dreams. In one sense, they are complete mysteries to us all and can never be adequately explained. Yet, the process of trying to make sense of them presents an interesting challenge.

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
These two epic poems, originally written down in ancient Greek, have been translated many times into the English language. One of their most popular recent translations was done by Robert Fagles who preserves the original poetic form. Once again, these works resonate because love and war are themes that we are familiar with in the world even today. The idea of a beautiful woman like Helen running away with a handsome man like Paris is something we can all understand. And we can even understand why her husband would want to take revenge so badly that he would start a ten-year war.

So translation is not just the replacement of one word with another. It carries over human feeling which is constant, or at least very similar, the world over. And it enables people in one part of the world to understand and empathize with those in another. Contact us for translation services that will help you convey human emotion in different languages.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:09:57.628Z):

Maybe you started out your business as a tiny mom-and-pop venture and grew it into something much bigger as time went on.  Often, when a business is small, you make do with whatever means are at your disposal, from cheaper menus for your restaurant to a smaller office space for your growing NGO.  However, as time goes on, you might find that your business has grown enough to warrant spending some more money on things that were initially unnecessary, such as translation services.  Here are a few signs that you might need translation services for your company:

1. Are you located in a place with a high percentage of minorities?  If your business is located in an urban area, you’re probably more likely to attract minorities which speak languages other than English.  In New York City, for example, you are likely to attract clients that speak Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic, to name a few.  If your business is in the heart of Chinatown, then of course, translation services are a no-brainer.
2. Do you run a business that is geared towards a particular minority?  Certain businesses might appeal to a wide range of cultures, but there are some that might only appeal to certain minorities.  For example, if you sell foreign DVDs in languages such as Hindi, you’re obviously going to need translation services into Hindi.
3. How is your business developing?  Sometimes, businesses start out with the intention of appealing to a wide audience but later become more specialized.  Maybe you started out your business with the intention of selling to mainstream as well as specialized audiences but then realized that your Hindi DVDs were selling more than others.  So it made sense to specialize in Hindi movies.  However, keep in mind that this move will necessitate the use of translation services.
4. Where do you see your business in five or ten years?  Maybe your business is currently in the mom-and-pop stage, and you don’t think you need translation services.  However, think ahead a little bit ,and figure out where you see yourself going in five or ten years.  If you see yourself growing quite a bit and appealing to groups of people who speak different languages, you may need to get translation services before this growth already takes place.  It’s always a good idea to be prepared for future clients in advance so that you won’t be caught by surprise.
5. Do you see your business going overseas?  This is also another idea which will require you to look into the future.  Sometimes, people think that they run the kind of business which will never go overseas, such as a restaurant.  But even in the case of restaurants, it’s possible that your business may get to be so popular that you’ll take it abroad.  For example, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa has opened restaurants in places as varied as New York, Mexico City, Milan, Mumbai, Budapest and Beijing.  So keep in mind that, at some point, your business might go abroad, necessitating the use of translation services.

So whether your business is still in its initial stage or has already developed quite a bit, there are certain signs that you might need translation services.  Contact us for translations that will help you to be prepared for business growth and expansion.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:09:53.953Z):

If you’re planning to sell your product or service in another country where a language other than English is spoken, you’re going to need translation services.  Even within the US, it is often necessary to translate brochures  or flyers into different languages if you’re targeting communities where the first language isn’t English.  Universities often translate materials into foreign languages for the benefit of international students.  So there are various reasons why translation services might become necessary.  Here are a few things to consider before getting business translation services:

1. Can you improve your sales by getting translation?  This is the most basic reason why people usually get translations.  If you’re expanding your business to a foreign country or establishing a branch within a community in the US where the first language is not English, then your sales will definitely benefit by providing translations of brochures or flyers.
2. Will your services benefit if you get translation?  Sometimes, it’s not a matter of increasing sales but of keeping the customers you have.  Even if you run a mainstream business where most of the services you provide clients are in English, keeping some brochures in different languages can be helpful, especially if your business is located in a metropolitan or urban area.
3. What group are you targeting?  Nowadays, it’s standard practice to have translations in Spanish across the US.  However, if you’re running a business in, for example, Jackson Heights, the Indian neighborhood in Queens, New York, it would be helpful to have some translations in Hindi, the most-spoken language of the Indian subcontinent.  On the other hand, if your business is located in Chinatown, you will need Chinese translations.
4. What kind of company image do you have?  By being sensitive to people from different parts of the world, you can enhance your company image.  Just as certain companies are known to be great places to work for employees, others are known for their wonderful customer service, which often includes the ability to communicate with people in the languages they are most comfortable in.
5. How do you see your company expanding?  Translation can also play a role in how you see your company moving in the future.  If you have a business in the US that you’d like to eventually take to Canada, especially the French-speaking part of that country, you might want to start getting French translations of your materials long before you actually expand.  This way, you’ll start building a clientele and you’ll be prepared when the expansion eventually occurs.

These are just a few things to consider before getting business translation services.  Contact us for more information and tips about moving your company in the right direction with the help of translation services.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:09:49.881Z):