New Page Added

I just finished adding a new page to the main Spanish Translation help site. The page is about language interpretation with a short introduction about some of the different types of interpretation.

I am not an interpreter but I thought it would be good to add a little introduction to the industry for those interested.

SES Latino 2006 Roundup

Today in my searches I came across some pretty good information on the Search Engine Strategies Latino 2006 Conference held recently. This conference was two days and had seperate panels and talks talking about various opportunities in the Latino market for Internet marketers, as well as different issues for Spanish and Portuguese language marketers.

If you have any contact at all with the Spanish or Portuguese speaking market, you will definately benefit by reading the coverage given to these sessions held over a period of two days.

Here are the titles of the different sessions:

Day One:
+ The Opportunity: Tapping Into US Hispanics & Latin America Via Search
+ Search Landscape: US Hispanics
+ Search Landscape: Latin America
+ The Challenges Of Search Marketing To US Hispanics & Latin Americans

Day Two:
+ Translate Or Create: Strategies For Those With English-Language Sites
+ Domain Issues - Latin American Version
+ Spanish / Portuguese Language Ad Issues
+ SEO & Spanish / Portuguese Language Issues

audio spanish translator

One of the biggest problems for soldiers on the battle field is the lack of adequate audio Spanish translators. In Iraq, for example, there aren't enough good translators to help all of the coalition forces to communicate with the local Iraqi people.

 

Well, Stanford University has come up with an improved audio Spanish translator that uses the latest speech technology to facilitate communication. While the device is definitely not perfect, it does seem to be an interesting tool that could help not only save the lives of soldiers, but also of translators that are targeted by terrorists. Anything that does that will definitely be worth it.

Spanish Software - Firefox

Translators are always on the lookout for Spanish software tools that will help them in their translation business. One of the tools that you probably already have is the Firefox Internet browser. I downloaded this software a while ago, but just recently decided to download the Spanish version.

 

The Spanish version is basically the same as the English one, but one thing I did notice is that when you move your cursor over a word, the translation of the word pops up in a little window. At first it seems like a cool little device for someone that might not be able to understand what they read in English. However, for someone who already has a pretty good command of English and Spanish, it can get a little annoying. I'm sure there is a way to turn it off, but I haven't really gotten around to that yet.

 

Anyways, this Spanish software is interesting and if you haven't downloaded it yet, give it a try.

 

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A new A.I.-based guessing game

This post isn't necessarily about Spanish language, but I have to tell anyone who will listen about a cool website I ran across a little awhile ago. The name of the website is www.20q.net and it contains an online version of the classic game, 20 Questions.

 

The game is based on artificial intelligence technology and does an incredible job of guessing what you've thought of. There are different categories you can start in, either Sports, TV & Movies, or Rock and Pop. The first time I tried it, I played the Sports version and the A.I. engine behind the website figured out  who I thought of in about 17 questions. (I was thinking of Dale Murphy, the long-time all-star from the Atlanta Braves).

 

One of the cool things about the site is that you can choose to have the game presented in various languages with Spanish being one of them. So if you've got some time (you might need more than you think because you won't be able to stop with one game) give it a whirl and try it out. I think you'll enjoy it.

Altavista Spanish Translation

Yesterday I wrote a little about some of the free Spanish translators online. One of the more popular ones in use today is the Altavista Spanish translation engine.

 

The Altavista Spanish translation engine is actually referred to as the Babel Fish Translation service and one of the things I like about this website is that it is actually pretty clean and straightforward. Lots of websites have the incorrect assumption that more is better when in fact, most people just want to be able to find the information they are looking for relatively easy without having to search all over the place. Think Google's home page. A great example of keeping your page to a minimum.

 

So back to Altavista's translation page. While it doesn't have the capability to translate every language pair you could possibly think of, it does have a good number of combinations for you to choose from. You can also put in a website URL and choose the language combination you want to translate it with.

 

Another somewhat unique capability of the Altavista Spanish translation engine is that you can put it directly on your website. I've never really been a fan of putting a translation engine on my website but I'm sure that many people have found them useful. It would be interesting to know how many people use these and if visitors to their sites really find them useful. In the meantime, you can visit the Babelfish site to get a translation.

Spanish Translation for Free

Many people online search for translators that are capable of providing Spanish translations for free. There are a few of these websites that offer free online Spanish translators and they offer an interesting look into the world of automatic translation. Some of the more popular translators that offer Spanish translation for free are Altavista's Babelfish, Google's translator, the WorldLingo translator, and the translator from El Mundo.

 

While these translators are good at providing (most of the time) a general idea of what the text is about that you are feeding through the free translator, they are definately not good enough for professional services.

 

Awhile ago, I tried a little experiment on the translation capabilities of these translators that offer Spanish translation for free. It was an interesting exercise in how these translators behave and you might find it interesting. The page can be found at my free Spanish translation site. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Canadian National Anthem: Translation Issue

Before people in the United States was even concerned about the issue of the national anthem being translated into another language, our neighbors to the north have dealt with the issue of having their national anthem translated into two languages, namely French and English.

One of the biggest issues of the Canadian national anthem is that the differenent versions also have different meanings. These different meanings, according to one reporter, reflect different Canadian attitudes. Now, I'm not from Canada and don't know much about Canadian attitudes and politics, but it is interesting to see how one national anthem in two different languages can have such a difference and how these differences can reflect different feelings.

Here's the French version:
O Canada, land of our forefathers, Your brow is crowned with glorious garlands, Because your arm knows how to carry the sword, It knows how to carry the Cross. Your history is an epoch of brilliant exploits And your valor of tempered faith will protect our homes and our rights.

Here's the English version:
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

World Cup Translation Recruitment

I just read an article about the U.S. military recruiting Arabic translators using advertisements showing during World Cup matches. I guess they have had pretty good success, especially during the Iran-Mexico game a couple of weeks ago.

You can see the videos here. They're pretty interesting.

Regardless of what you think of the U.S. or it's military, you have to admire the way they used this media to get recruits. It makes me wonder how I can use things that are going on the world today to get more clients. What current events can you use to increase and improve your business.

Tags: Arab translation, world cup, recruitment

Do you speak Arabic and English?

If so, there's an organization called ElectronicIraq that is looking for you to help translate various documents from the Iraqi media. According to the website:

Electronic Iraq is actively expanding its commitment and capacity to bring news, views, and voices from Iraq to a worldwide audience. To achieve this end, Electronic Iraq must translate articles, analyses, Op Eds, and human-interest stories from the Iraqi media. We are currently seeking experienced and dependable translators for this project, and hope to give special attention to the translation of Arabic posts to our acclaimed "Iraq Diaries" section. In addition, we are seeking the assistance of individuals who are able and willing to transcribe interviews from Arabic in to English.

Sounds like an interesting proposition that would be worthwhile to check out.

Tags: arabic jobs, arabic translation

The Need for an "Urban Translator"

I just barely found this article from the Chicago Sun-Times about a gang member who is on trial and now needs one of his buddies to serve as an "urban translator" to help bridge the "cultural gap" between the courtroom and the gang-ridden streets.

It seems a bit over the top for me. According to the article, the "translator" is needed to help the defendant understand that he shouldn't shout in court and attack his attorneys. Interesting.

Tags: court translation, legal translation

Hispanics and Marketing

There is a good article at Ecommerce Times about hispanics and marketing. The author makes a good point that just having a few products or services translated into Spanish is not the end all be all of having a good Hispanic campaign.

 

I think the author makes two very valid points about marketing to the Hispanic population. The first is that, just with everything else in marketing, you have to know your market. If you don't market to the right people, Spanish-speakers or not, you won't stand a chance.

 

The second point is extremely relevant and something that I have seen over and over again. You must have an infrastructure that can support Spanish-speaking customers. If you offer your product in Spanish, but then don't give the Spanish-speaking consumer the ability to call a bilingual help desk or read instructions in Spanish, that customer won't be yours for very long.

 

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Alan Enwiya, translator.

Jill Carroll's story of capture and eventual release and freedom is indeed heart-warming and downright amazing. It's sad, however, to think of her translator/interpreter and his fate in the ordeal.

 

When the kidnappers attacked, he put himself on the line to try and rescue his client, even though he was unarmed and he probably knew that he would die trying. Alan Enwiya is a model to all translators and interpreters everywhere and we must always realize and be grateful for those who do their work in dangerous conditions for the benefit of all of us.

 

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Translation does not equate with vocal fluency

My day job is translating and in the course of the day I often run into a lot of different people that have various ideas about not only translation but also about foreign language and the ability to do both.

 

Oftentimes, people who know about (or pretend they know about) these two things (the ability to translate and the ability to speak a foreign language) usually fall into two camps: 1) Those who know that translation is a different skill than speaking a foreign language and the ability to do one does not preclude the ability to do the other and 2) those who think that they are the same thing and that if you can translate you can speak fluently and if you can speak fluently you can translate.

 

To be honest, this second group of people drive me crazy. Nobody thinks that just because they can speak English they can give a presentation, or that just because they can write they can be a journalist, novelist, or some other type of writer.

 

Why is it then that people who speak a foreign language automatically think they can translate to or from that language?

 

I believe it's a combination of ignorance on those not familiar with the translation field and good translators not speaking out and educating clients and others about translation. Until that happens, we're bound to be stereotyped as someone who can translate because he/she can speak a foreign language.

 

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Mediocre Translators = High Salaries

You may not like it, but it just goes to show you that all are not created equal in the translation industry. An article from the Shanghai Daily says that

"A big problem is that payment and translation quality don't match," said Lu Gusun, dean of Fudan University's college of foreign languages and literature and vice director of the Translator's Association of Shanghai.

So someone in China has realized that translators are not always treated fairly. Well, I think every translator I know could have told you that.

So why is it that some translators are able to make more than others even when they have the same (or even less) ability than another translator? Well, I think the real reason has to do with the fact that freelance translators do more than just translate. The most important thing they can do is market themselves. Two translators with the same skills will not earn the same amount, but rather the one who is better at marketing will earn more (both in terms of the number of jobs, and what they can charge).

 

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Practicing Your Spanish Listening Skills

If you're interested in improving your listening abilities in Spanish, there are a few websites out there that will help you do so. However, some of the best ways to improve your listening skills are to listen to news reports in Spanish.

 

One of the best sites for listening to news not only in Spanish but in a ton of other languages as well (44 languages currently) is VOA - The Voice of America. This website not only has news articles written in various languages, but also provides both audio and video programming for listeners for free. They also broadcast on various channels around the world, but it's just as easy to go online and listen there.

 

Every morning I listen to a 30-minute news segment in Spanish so that I can keep up on my Spanish listening skills, and I know it helps.

 

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Finding a Qualified Translator

I recently read an article about the translation industry in Yemen and how more and more people are opening translation shops and proclaiming to be authorized translators but not necessarily having the training to operate a translation business.

 

This is seen as a big problem because unqualified people are misleading consumers into thinking that their information will be translated correctly, when in fact, it will not be up to standard. This is further intensified by the fact that some clients will shop around for translations and then decide to go with the cheapest solution no matter what. This isn't the best criteria to search for if you want a good translation.

 

How then, if you are in need of having something translated, should you determine which translator or translation agency is qualified to work on your project? In the U.S., the ATA is an organization that certifies translators and many clients will want the translator to be ATA-certified. This is not always the best solution, however. Just because a translator is not ATA-certified does not mean that they are not qualified.

 

I think the best way to know if the person you're dealing with is qualified to do translation work on your behalf is to look at their client list and see if the people that they've worked with before have been happy with the work that they have received.

 

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Article Directory in Spanish

Lately, in order to increase traffic to my main website spanish-translation-help.com, I've been writing articles relevant to Spanish translation. In submitting these articles, I have focused on two main article directory sites, www.goarticles.com and www.ezinearticles.com.

 

So far, I have submitted 5 articles to goarticles.com and 3 articles to ezinearticles.com. I'm not sure how much traffic is coming through these, but in the research I've done, it seems to be a good way to get more traffic.

 

The question I have, however, is whether or not there are any article submission sites specific to accepting articles written in Spanish. If there are any, I'd be intersted to know where to find them.

 

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Translation and Billboards

Translating in any language can be a tricky situation. You have to know who your audience is, and that means knowing what flavor of a particular language a particular group speaks.

 

For example, the same words in Spanish could have different meanings depending on the person who is subjected to that language. Spanish is different, whether you're in Cuba, Puerto Rico, or Argentina. It's also different to Cuban Spanish-speakers living in the United States.

 

Therefore, it is interesting how marketers use language to target specific groups of people.

 

A story in Miami over the weekend illustrates this. Volkswagon wanted to advertise their GTI 2006 model specifically to Hispanics in the United States. Well, it didn't go too well.

 

They put up billboards with a picture of the car alongside the words "Turbo-Cojones" in big letters. Needless to say, not a few people were a little offended and the sign was taken down a few days later.

 

Whereas the term cojones was used to signify gutsy in the ad, the more vulgar meaning was the one that came across and eventually got the ad shut down.

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Want to be a Conference Interpreter?

There is a program from the Directorate General for Interpretation in the European Commission for those who are interested in becoming a conference interpreter.

 

If you meet certain requirements, you may be eligible to receive a study bursary from the Directorate General for Interpretation. It seems like it could be a great opportunity.

 

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