Essential JavaScript

Does iBooks Author Help Publishing Disruption

2012-10-20T00:00:00-07:00

Having just finished putting together a book with iBooks Author got me thinking. Portuguese for Travelers is a language book to help you some basic travel vocabulary.

Does it enable Amateurs to disrupt the establishment

Educational books in paper form can be quite engaging, but the best ones often seem somewhat constrained by the paper form. A lot of books have been published lately in ePub form readable using an eReader or iPad.

A great thing about the ePub format is can be read on a low end black-and-white reader or a high resolution color tablet. You can show text and pictures. But that is about it. You can't do much more than what can be done by a paper book. If it would just allow JavaScript in the same vein as with web pages, we could make a bunch of great interactive experiences.

The iBooks can do much more, and finally enables us to publish interactive books. As a web developer I could make an HTML based book do the same sort of things, but an amateur could not. With iBooks Author you only need a moderate technical skill to use all the features.

So you can product a book without a publishing team behind you. The question becomes if the established publishers will pick this up, or if it will mainly be used by amateurs and self publishing authors?

The establishment is probably very invested in publishing the same content through a multitude of channels using several formats, so the content can't be tailored to take full advantage of the features available on a single platform.

Amateur publishers however can publish to a single platform making a dedicated book that gives a better experience.

And what about the consumers, will they rush into this, or are they happy with status quo.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold.

iBooks Author

Portuguese for Travelers

Learning Portuguese or Spanish? Keep calm and Carry on Practicing

2012-05-23T00:00:00-07:00

If your next goal is to learn Portuguese or Spanish, then let me tell you that you’ve set yourself a pretty realistic goal! The tips that I am gonna give you are purely based on my own experiences as a language learner and teacher. I always try to come up with new ways of making my language learning experiences more fun and effective.

First of all, let me give you the good news: Anyone can learn a new language and anyone can be extremely good at it. Don’t be upset because your secondary school French teacher told you that you’d never be good at it. In fact, we’ve all gone through some kind of situation that made us feel a bit uncomfortable at school. Unfortunately what happens is that the traditional school approach is telling you the wrong thing. Is basically telling you that you cannot make mistakes, when in fact making mistakes is crucial in language learning. You must make mistakes in order to improve it. This is one of the reasons why kids are able to learn a new language really fast. They are not scared of making mistakes.

My tip of the day is to practice as much as you can: Practice makes it perfect. When you’re starting to learn Spanish or Portuguese, don’t worry about getting it right all the time. What matters is to get your message across, not whether you use all the tenses and words right. You’ll start out by making lots of mistakes, then fewer and fewer, until you are error free. You can either practice with a native Portuguese or Spanish teacher or a native speaker who will correct you every time you make a mistake. Stay tuned for more Portuguese and Spanish!

Avoid Talking Yourself Out of Sales- Adjust Your Language

2011-11-22T00:00:00-08:00

Did you ever get the feeling that there was something lost in translation during your sales presentation? You’re certainly not the only one.

This is due to the fact that sales presentations usually contain a lot of “jargon” that may confuse your potential clients. According to a study, only 3% of prospects fully understand most of the terms used in the various presentations they are given. So, how can we circumvent the problem? Simply by choosing your words wisely. This means avoiding sales or industry jargon unless your prospects have already used that term or have demonstrated that they prefer a highly technical level of conversation. Remember, you are speaking the language of the buyer, not your technical industry or competition!

Multilingual Aerospace Translation Services

2011-11-16T00:00:00-08:00

Aerospace is a widely diverse field and a multi-billion dollar business industry. The “Aerospace Industry Forecast to 2013” report, estimates that by the end of 2027, the world’s airlines will take delivery of 29,400 civil airplanes with total value of US$ 3.2 trillion to keep pace with the growing demand for air travelling. Despite the lingering effects of the global economic downturn, the industry continues to represent one of the largest manufacturing industries in terms of people employed and value of output.

The US aerospace industry is internationally competitive and represents the biggest aerospace market, followed by EU, Canada and Japan. However, developing economies such as China, India, Mexico and Brazil are expected to emerge as big marketplace for aerospace products.

Technical translation plays a very important role in aerospace industry as there are many documents that need to be translated such as electronic database files, training and user manuals, marketing brochures and official aerospace documents. It is of utmost importance that translation companies provide high quality translation services as any error or ambiguity in the translation could result in severe consequences for the industry.

Email Marketing Translation and Localization Services

2011-11-01T00:00:00-07:00

Want to make the most out of your email marketing strategy? Here at Fresh Translation, we will give you some tips on how to raise your revenue with email marketing.

There are more ways to utilise email marketing than you’d think! However, if you are planning to move internationally, you must first consider a few important points such as moving beyond translation. When reaching out international targets, speaking their language is not enough, therefore you need to be able to speak their culture too. This is why localization plays a fundamental part when internationalizing email campaigns.

1. Consider Language

Find out whether your email recipients are willing to receive communication in English only. If so, it is important to understand nuances of the English language across different English speaking countries. For example, there are many different terms in the U.S, U.K and Australia that are exclusive to that country only.

2. Take Personalization into account

While in some countries personalization improves open rates with recipients more likely to read material addressed to them, other cultures could consider greeting consumers by name a breach of privacy. Be aware of cultural differences!

3. Legislation

Laws and norms concerning email marketing may vary from country to country. For instance, in the USA, prices are often quoted free of tax. However, this may be illegal in other countries.

The Bottom Line: Localization is the key to a successful international email marketing campaign. As you can see, when it comes to email marketing translating words isn’t enough. It is necessary to combine linguistic, cultural and geographic localization.

Stay tuned for more Fresh Translation news!

Two Things that Customers Should Consider When Buying a Fresh Translation

2011-10-03T00:00:00-07:00

If you are considering shopping for a translator, there are essentially two things to keep in mind.

The first one is cost vs quality. We all love low prices. However, buying translations at extremely low rates (which became a common phenomenon in our industry) might mean that something is missing in the translation. I have heard of cases where the translator is paid 0.01 (USD) per target word, which to me is the equivalent of using machine translation to translate your document. Of course, when it comes to choosing a translation service, ask yourself:“Will anyone read this translation?” If the answer is no, then give yourself permission to buy the cheapest translation you can possibly find. But if the answer is yes, consider quality over price. In this case it is worth investing in a reliable translation service that provides services tailored to your needs. This may include additional services such as proofreading and editing. In my last blog post, I wrote about the importance of proofreading a translated document to avoid unwanted mistakes in the final print. I consider this stage as important as the translation itself and it should not be underestimated.

The second point, is the Amateur vs Professional debate. It is easy to find inexpensive translation services. However, are the translators really qualified? Being fluent in a language doesn’t necessarily guarantee excellent writing skills. Unfortunately, and to make things worse, there are customers that can’t tell the difference between a good translator and a bad one. As Patenttranslator writes in his blog, “translations are like sushi, sausages or Gourmet meals, most people can’t tell the difference.” In the end, it’s all about the customers’ preferences. So, next time you are looking for a translation service, remember these two points. Is it worth to sacrifice quality over saving a few extra pennies?

Why Should I proofread my translation?

2011-09-24T00:00:00-07:00

Here’s a short article about additional proofreading in translation. Does my translated document need extra polish?

Is Translation Proofreading Worth it?

Human Translation Plugins for your WordPress Website and Blog

2011-09-03T00:00:00-07:00

I recently wrote an article about WordPress translation plugins that provide human accuracy by combining automatic translation and human post-editing.

Translating Your WordPress Website and Blog Using Human Translation Plugins

For those of you who are interested, WordPress Ninja teaches how to configure WPML Multi Language Plugin

How to Configure WPML Multi Language Plugin

Tips for Translating your Website

2011-08-16T00:00:00-07:00

Top 5 website translation tips

- Don’t translate literally. Remember that the translation needs to be readable by your target audience, therefore instead of translating it word-for-word it is a good idea to focus on the general context and message presented and come up with your own summary that expresses the same thought in a natural way for the target audience. The best translations are those that do not sound like a translation!

- Try to reduce the amount of images containing text. Illustrations are a great way of communicating your ideas, but if used with integrated text it can sometimes be difficult to keep the intended meaning and feel in the translated version. You might want to consider placing as much text as possible in the HTML rather than on the image.

- Avoid using slang, idiomatic and colloquial expressions. Since you are aiming at reaching a broader international audience, try writing clearly, with objective sentences and words. It is more likely that your message will be understood by foreign visitors visiting your blog/site.

- Decide how much of your website you want to translate. Are you translating your full website or Microsite or perhaps you want to translate your home page only? You can determine this based on market research. By adding Google Analytics to your site you can analyze your traffic data and keep track of your visitor’s location and behaviour on your site.

-Localization. In other words, making your website appropriate for a target locale. For example, there are many words that are different in Brazilian and European Portuguese. “Pequeno almoço” means breakfast in Portuguese from Portugal but in Brazil they call it “café da manhã” instead. Look for elements within your website that might require localization such as any mentions of currencies or date and time formats.
So, localization is an important aspect of your international website and it should be done by a native-speaking translator for each of your target markets.

How to choose a technical translator

2011-08-06T00:00:00-07:00

Technical Translation is a specialised translation of documents in fields such as aerospace industry, computer hardware and software, chemistry or finance.

In today’s blog post we are giving you some tips that might help you choosing the right technical translator.

Because as a company you want to communicate your products and values, it is essential that you choose a translator that is highly competent in your field, not only in the source language but also in the target language. Technical documents use ‘jargon’, a specialised language concerned to a particular field that is usually not listed in regular dictionaries, so a good background knowledge in the specific field is essential in order to translate it correctly.

It is also a good idea to check for experience within the translation industry. So, if an automotive document needs to be translated, look for a translator that is also a mechanical engineer and ensure that the final copy is reviewed and proofed by a third party, also a specialist in the field.

A document should be translated by a language- sensitive native. This is to ensure that the document is carefully translated and localised according to the dialects and local culture. For instance, translating to Portuguese is very different for Portugal vs. Brazil.

Cost vs quality: Although technical documentation is often subject to budget constraints, companies are starting to realise that documentation quality is worth it as it reflects your brand. Instead of looking at it as a cost of doing business, think about what impression the document will give your customers and business partners. If the communication is crisp it will add to a positive experience of your brand and company.

Whether it is software manuals, annual reports or press releases, it seems that good technical translations are critical to the success of products and ultimately to the success of a brand.

Translation Means Business

2011-07-27T00:00:00-07:00

With the boom of Globalization, companies across the globe started seeking out new methods to maximize their sales.
Recent research by the European Commission indicates that 82% of consumers were less likely to buy goods online if the website was not in their native language. So if a French student visits your website and reads a product description in French, he is much more likely to buy the product.

When it comes to the Global market, research by the Common Sense Advisory proves that consumers are more likely to buy a product that contains information in their own language.

Statistics indicate that enterprises that translate their websites and promotional material tend to be easily reached by global visitors and potential buyers. Regardless of the type of organization we are working within, it seems that there is a need to think globally.

And we couldn’t agree more!

To see the original text,simply follow the link BBS Mobile Article

When Creation meets Translation

2011-06-12T00:00:00-07:00

Many people ask me what the relationship between a writer and a translator is, so here’s my answer to this question;

I always tend to believe that choice is, without question one of the best joys in translation. Like writers, every translator has a personal style- choice of words, sentences and paragraphs. Just as writers make rhetorical choices, translators must look closely at the rhetorical situation by examining the writer’s goal and adapt it to different audiences.

The most powerful tool a translator may hustle is his/her ability to write- in the target language. I consider a good translation not to sound as a product of a translated source. In fact, not many people associate that there is a positive correlation between translation and creation. The translator must grasp the spirit of the original text and reproduce it in a coherent way.

While in most cases a translation is considered to be the way a message is linguistically transformed from one language to another without requiring the need of adapting the source text, this is not always the case. Sometimes the translator is obliged to reconsider the original text to render it efficiently and accurately in the target language. In such cases, the translator will dismantle or undo certain elements of the original text and transcreate or adapt it for the target audience. This process requires not only creativity but also a solid knowledge of cultural background. The act of transcreation should only be done in cooperation with the original writer and it should ensure that the target text is a replica of the source text in terms of style, message it conveys, images and emotions portrayed.

While there is little room for creativity when it comes to technical texts, the translation of marketing and advertising copy often requires a refined sense of originality that enables the transcreator to captivate the essence of the intended message and present it in a meaningful and consistent manner to the target audience.

Recursos para Traductores

2011-06-07T00:00:00-07:00

Aquí os dejo una breve lista de algunos de mis favoritos diccionarios monolingües.

Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española: Es el diccionario normativo más amplio de la Lengua Castellana.
Moliner, M: Diccionario de uso del español: Un diccionario muy completo con abundante información, sinonimia, antonimia y fraseología.
Diccionario Priberam da Lingua Portuguesa (DPLP) es un diccionario de Portugués Europeo que contiene alrededor de 97 000 entradas léxicas y de multiples usos como ideologico, de sinónimos y antónimos.

Subtitling, Interpreting or Translation; Which One Works for Me?

2011-05-20T00:00:00-07:00

Before starting my career as an in-house translator I was considering to pursue my studies in conference interpretation.
I finally chose translation as I realized that writing is my passion!
I prefer translation over interpreting work as it gives me more “freedom” to play with words,
to work on my own space at my own pace! On the flip side, I consider interpreting to be very stimulating and demanding at the same time.
This is when I am forced to exercise every neuron in my brain.
Having to think about all my research in addition to what’s been said and quickly transform it to what is being said.

While these are two closely related disciplines, it is important to understand the differences between them. If you love languages and want to pursue a career in this field but don’t know which category to follow, then it would be a good idea to try all the different modalities and see which one works better for you.

So, What are the main differences between interpreting and translation?

An interpreter is a person that converts a thought or expression in the source language into the target language in “real time”. Unlike translation, interpretation is oral therefore it requires not only great oral communication skills but also a meticulous memorizing capacity to process all the information that is being said and transform it into the target language within seconds. This means that above all, interpreters must be good public speakers and must possess sharp multitasking skills as they are required to translate in both directions on the spot, without warming up or rehearsal time. They can’t therefore consult dictionaries or any other additional reference materials. Translators on the other hand, are expected to have excellent written skills as well as refined analyzing abilities that are fundamental when translating a document from one language to another.

Why is interpreting a challenge and how does it differ from translation?

Interpreting requires a high level of concentration. Interpreters are often required to deal with a variety of subjects, people and accents. Simultaneous interpretation requires the interpreter to translate constantly while a speaker is talking. In most cases, skilled interpreters work in pairs for twenty minutes due to the fact that they are exposed to a high degree of concentration, therefore they have to take frequent breaks. Translators however, have the possibility to think and re-think about the original text before they translate its content into the target language. Time factor is a problem though as we translators have to adhere to tight deadlines!

Screen subtitling is another option for language lovers… Now I am not an expert in this field but it could be an interesting option. Audiovisual translation is a very specific domain therefore it is a good idea to get some experience first.

The European Captioning Institute (ECI) often holds internships in translation, subtitling, closed captioning and voice-over.

Articles about Technical, Literary and Website Translation

2011-04-01T00:00:00-07:00

I plan to write a number of articles about Technical, Literary and Website Translation. This post will contain an up-to-date list of articles and blog posts on the topic.

Articles

“Technical, Literary and Website Translation into French, Spanish and Portuguese”

On a Quest to be a Frelance Translator

2011-03-12T00:00:00-08:00

Yep, it all starts here.
The beginning of my journey as a translator…

Not as an in-house but as a freelancer!!

We’ve all thought of going on a quest at some point in our lives. Mine emerged in my mind earlier this year after realizing that translation is one area that I am keen to explore in greater detail. I am currently in the process of developing myself into a freelance translation business, therefore I thought it would be a good idea to share some views on this topic. My interest in languages started through a series of happy accidents. Well, I shall say events beyond my control. Being born in Venezuela, then growing up in Portugal prior to moving to London to pursue my education, allowed me to a fuller exposure to new languages and cultures at an early age. This cocktail of different backgrounds has flourished into something that I call the “ism” phenomenon. Multilingualism and multiculturalism. Each destination offered me a unique,yet distinctive collection of memoires which became an integral part of my life. Just as some people collect artwork or vintage clothes, I collect dictionaries and phrase books.

I remember that my biggest hobby as a child was to read cartoons in different languages and then try to memorize the words. At some point I was addicted to “A Turma da Monica” (Brazilian), “Mafalda”, and later “Les Aventures de Tintin”. I was only 3 when my father confronted me with the biggest challenge of my life: Learning to read in Spanish and he would give me a computer game. Of course, being a huge fan of Nintendo’s Super Mario I had no chance but to hire my older cousin to teach me how to read. I knew by then that my relationship with languages and literature would prevail for a long time. I rely on words and books in the same way apple trees rely on honey bees!

After completing my BA (Hons) in Spanish and French combined with Literature at the University of Westminster, I was working both as an in-house translator and a market researcher for a Global company based in UK. My language combinations are English → Spanish, French → Spanish, English → Portuguese, Spanish → Portuguese and French → Portuguese. While working as an in-house translator offered me a valuable experience, the desire to be a freelancer is my biggest motivation. I finally came to the realization that this is the right time to turn my passion for writing and translating into my side business. There is something that really captivates my attention about both being a freelancer and a translator. One of them is my desire to communicate via words and engage in my own creativeness. The other is flexibility. Flexibility not only to work on my own time and scheduling but also to work from anywhere in the world as a translator rather than off-site. Again, this is very important for me as I am a huge fan of travelling. The idea of writing while spending some quality time exploring new cities it’s absolutely delightful! And of course, being able to work remotely is going to be a new experience for me but I can’t wait to get started!
I’d love to hear about your experiences and your motivations that awakened you towards this career-choice.