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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: 2026-05-18T14:00:26.387Z):

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: 2026-05-18T14:00:21.052Z):

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: 2026-05-14T14:00:58.518Z):

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: 2026-05-14T14:00:53.803Z):

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: 2026-05-14T14:00:49.283Z):

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: 2026-05-14T14:00:44.754Z):