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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.…

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…

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…

It is interesting how phrases from a different language have come to be used a great deal in English. Consider, for example, the Latin phrase “carpe diem,” generally translated as “seize the day.” Perhaps if this phrase had originated in English, it may have sounded a little odd. How do you “seize” a day? “Seizing”…

Nowadays, it’s standard to see brochures and user manuals in various languages.  After all, the United States is a melting pot consisting of different cultures and people here speak a variety of languages depending on where they’re from originally or where their parents and grandparents are from.  No matter how much a group assimilates into…

When you’re translating from one language into another, you often have a lot of options.  For example, in English, there is only one word for the emotion we call “love.”  Of course, there’s “desire,” “lust,” “attraction” and “like” but these all mean different things.  For “love,” there is really only one word. In the past,…

One of the main stumbling blocks in translation services is, well, lingo i.e., a manner of speaking which is limited to a certain group of people.  Lingo can also include slang which has just come into fashion.  Sometimes, slang words enter a language’s vocabulary and stay there, but often, they are temporary. Charles Dickens’ “Twisted”…

Often, you find that several different translations of a certain work are considered correct even though they may be quite different.  This is true of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho who was known for her love poetry.  In one translation, one of her poems goes, “once I look at you for a moment, I can’t/…

If you’re bilingual, you’ve probably been practicing translation on an informal basis for a while.  Maybe you’ve been in social situations where you were surrounded by two people speaking different languages, and you had to make sure they understood each other.  Or maybe you went to see a French film with an American friend and…

When translating a document, a translator has the option of going with a more literal translation or one that more accurately expresses what a certain person is trying to say.  For example, the verb “comprendre” in French can be translated as “to comprehend” which seems more literal because the two words are so close in…