What's New | Language Translation

Language Translation - Legal interpreters at work

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:26:52 -0400

In our third of a series about different types of language interpreting, we will explain the tasks carried out by a legal interpreter, as well as his or her important role in US courts today.

Legal or judiciary interpreters help people who are unable to communicate in English to receive fair treatment in the court system. Legal interpreters must remain emotionally detached from their work and not modify the meaning or tone of what is said, so a high standard of ethics and a keen sense of objectivity are extremely important in this field.

Legal interpreters also need to be thoroughly familiar with the language and functions of the U.S. judicial system, and sometimes with other countries’ legal systems as well. Court interpreters work in a variety of legal settings, such as attorney-client meetings, preliminary hearings, depositions, trials, and arraignments. Success as a judiciary interpreter requires an understanding of both legal terminology and colloquial language.

Since the stakes are extremely high in this field of language interpreting, legal interpreters must be perfectly qualified for their job. For example, despite a shortage of legal interpreters, some states, including California, are seeking to raise court interpreters’ qualification standards in the interest of justice for all.

Language Translation, Inc. offers interpreting services, including conference, escort and legal interpreting, in over 40 languages. Our President, Ana Maria Nevin has more than 20 years of experience in Spanish language interpreting, and is a Certified Court Interpreter and a Certified Administrative Hearing Interpreter for the State of California.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for all of your interpreting and language translation needs.

Betty Carlson

Subscribe to Language Lines, our monthly newsletter, for more information about language services and the key role they play in numerous sectors of activity.

Language Translation - The Oxford English Dictionary – a pioneer in crowdsourcing?

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:19:31 -0400

There is plenty of talk these days about crowdsourcing, the wisdom of crowds, and wikis. These collaborative efforts are being used to manage all sorts of information and, in the case of Facebook, even to carry out language translation. But is this phenom

As VisualThesaurus.com points out in a recent interview with Oxford English Dictionary editor Jesse Sheidlower, the OED has been using a type of crowdsourcing for years – originally in a very low-tech manner:

“The OED is a historical dictionary, which means that for every sense of every word it contains quotations from chiefly written sources, showing how that word has been used over time. Originally the way that you would get these quotations, which are called citations, was that you simply read a wide variety of texts. And any time you come across an interesting word, you write it down on a slip of paper…You take a file of these, you sort them into order, you divide them up into senses. And you have your dictionary there, based on the evidence that's in front of you.

In a way, it's a collaborative project, one of the earliest collaborative projects in a way that Wikipedia and things like that are thought to be now, where these books were read by a very large number of people, thousands of people spread all over the world.”

(Jesse Sheidlower in an interview with VisualThesaurus.com, July 30, 2008)

At Language Translation Inc. in San Diego, California, we are keenly interested in new developments in the world of language and enjoy sharing them with you on this blog and our language blog, Language Links. Our company provides language translation and interpreting services in over 40 languages. “Let us show you how good translation should be!”

Betty Carlson

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Language Translation - How to work in video game localization

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:32:31 -0400

For video game fans, working in the field is often considered a dream job. And for a candidate with foreign language skills, the sector of video game localization is proving attractive. But how do you break into this highly specific niche?

Heather M. Chandler, executive producer at Media Sunshine, Inc., and author of The Game Localization Handbook recently shared some advice about becoming a video game translator:

“If you're interested in a career as a games translator, you need to first figure out the languages in which you will specialize. You will want to get at least a BA in the language you are learning, and the university will probably have courses that deal specifically with translating entertainment…Some universities are offering programs that specialize in games translation…

Additionally, it's useful to be familiar with the customs and culture of the countries that speak the language into which you are translating. This way you can identify any areas in the game that may be culturally insensitive or may not translate well (for example, humor does not translate well sometimes).”

(Extract from “Ask the Experts: Translating Video Games,” Gamasutra, July 28 2008)

Ms. Chandler’s explanations hold true for all types of localization: translation is just part of the game. Cultural aspects must also be taken into consideration in all localization projects.

Interested in knowing more about the difference between localization and language translation? Don’t hesitate to contact Language Translation, Inc. for more information. Located in San Diego, California, we have been providing language services to clients in the USA and abroad since 1989.

Betty Carlson

Subscribe to Language Lines, our company newsletter, for timely news about language and technology in today’s global economy.

Language Translation - Beijing translations still make for good stories

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:22:24 -0400

China has made a huge effort to clean up its famously incoherent English translations for the Olympics – and they have surely partially succeeded.

Beijing has worked hard to correct confusing translations all over the city, especially in restaurants and hotels. Our blog reported nearly two years ago that authorities planned to eliminate “Chinglish” for the 2008 Olympics, and I observed that they likely had their work cut out for them.

Yesterday Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported from Beijing that translation problems in his hotel room were only partly patched up: “My hotel shower, for example. A bilingual decal on the shower glass warns bathers with, ‘Caution! Wet floor.’ No problem there,” writes LeBreton. Apparently, the warning about slipping in the shower is made pretty clear to the ingoing shower-taker.

Things get a bit more complicated, though, on the way out. Upon leaving the shower, the hotel guest can read this mysterious warning:

“’Pays attention to the stair, before the use, invites the shop well turban, thanks!’”

Oh well, they tried. And LeBreton certainly salutes the determination of Beijing residents and workers to communicate in English with visitors – most of whom aren’t getting across too well in Chinese.

At Language Translation,Inc. in San Diego, California, we provide language translation and interpretation services in over 40 languages, including Chinese. Our language service professionals are generally both bilingual and bicultural. “Let us show you how good translation should be.”

Betty Carlson

Subscribe to Language Lines, our monthly newsletter, for current information on translation and language interpretation in international communication.

Language Translation - Telephone interpreting guide released by interpreters association

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:43:41 -0400

The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) has published A Medical Interpreter's Guide to Telephone Interpreting, the first in a series of documents about interpreting in the medical sector.

“The publication of a new guide on telephone interpreting was announced recently. A Medical Interpreter's Guide to Telephone Interpreting is the first in a series of guides to be published by the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA). The publication underwent a peer-review process and is intended to be a short primer on the topic.

‘Telephone interpreting is used by countless hospitals and health care facilities throughout the world,’ explained Izabel Arocha, IMIA president, ‘Our goal is to help our members and the public at large to learn more about this important method of delivering language access to patients across the globe.’

The phone-based interpreting service, which enables interpreters for hundreds of languages to be instantly accessible via telephone, was first introduced in Australia in the 1970s, but is now used in the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Israel and many other countries, Arocha said.”

(Extract from Medical News Today, August 5^th 2008)

For more information about telephonic interpreting for all sectors, contact Language Translation Inc.. Located in San Diego, California, we have been providing language services domestically and internationally for over 19 years. We now offer an over-the-phone interpreting system, SpeakEasy, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 150 languages.

Betty Carlson

Subscribe to Language Lines, our monthly newsletter, for the latest news about the growing importance of translation and interpreting in today’s economy.

What's New | Language Translation

Language Translation - Legal interpreters at work

See Also

Language Translation - The Oxford English Dictionary – a pioneer in crowdsourcing?

See Also

Language Translation - How to work in video game localization

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Language Translation - Beijing translations still make for good stories

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Language Translation - Telephone interpreting guide released by interpreters association

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