News and Tips for a Multilingual World

Newsletter, November 2004
www.mtmlinguasoft.com

Translation Tools 101

You've just completed the translation of your web site or product specifications into several languages and now the authors of the content have sent you a new version. Or worse, a change or update is made to the source documents during the translation process before the initial translation is even done. How do you deal with that?

There are translation tools that help project managers and translators with these authoring and versioning issues.


The single most important and useful translation tool is translation memory (TM). 

TM is a database that stores sentences and their corresponding translations. It correlates target sentences and source sentences for a given document. It does not help get the immediate translation job faster but it has several powerful benefits for future projects.

For example, let's consider the worst possible scenario. If the source document needs to be changed while the translation is happening then time would be wasted by starting over or by searching changes, cutting and pasting. But if the translation has been started using TM, then the work on the original source document can stop and then re-start with the new version of the source document. The TM system will look at each sentence of the new source document and compare it to what is already in the database. If there is an exactly matching source sentence then its previous translation is still correct so it is automatically leveraged and used without additional translation work. If a sentence is almost the same as the original (a "fuzzy match") then the translation is reused with a note generated to the translator to check and edit it. Any new content is passed through the TM system without being translated

The power of this capability allows translators to leverage previous work when translating versions of similar materials and to maintain consistency of terminology and choice of words.


Another feature of many TM systems is a terminology manager.

Using terms consistently within a given project is critical to achieving a high quality of translation. Instead of relying on note cards, the translator can use terminology management software to create glossaries. Each word with a unique meaning and usage in a particular context can be placed in a glossary. The glossary can be assigned to a subject matter, a project or a client so that the translator will remember the proper translation for words within a given context. Glossaries are extremely useful when working on large and complex projects that require more than one translator to work in parallel.


Even though translation and localization project managers work closely with clients to identify and properly schedule source content that has been verified and approved, there are situations when content will change during the translation process. When that happens, translation memory tools improve the translator's productivity. And this translates into savings for clients !


If you are fluent in another language, are you a translator or an interpreter? Well, it depends ...

The terms translator and interpreter are commonly confused, but the distinction between the two is quite simple. Translators work with written material while interpreters render spoken communication.

Translators usually translate INTO their native language from a foreign language unless they are completely bilingual. A bilingual person is someone who has lived and worked for significant periods of time in countries with different languages and culture. The best translators specialize in specific subject domains that relate to their academic training and work experience. It is a guarantee for the customer that the source text has been well understood. A legal translator is not the best choice to translate engineering specifications. Translators have to continuously keep abreast of new terminology, idioms and cultural details in both languages. Writing, organizational and research skills are critical for translators.

Interpreters are fluent in both languages and possess excellent memory, listening, concentration, and analytical skills. They convey both the meaning and tone of the original statement clearly and accurately, and must be quick-witted, often literally "thinking on their feet".


Interpreting fees are usually charged by the hour or by the day while translation fees are calculated based on the number of source words or pages. For editing and proofreading, hourly rates can also apply.


 

September 30th, International Translation Day

In 1991, the International Federation of Translators established St Jerome's Day (September 30) as the International Translation Day.
As the bible translator, St Jerome has always been considered to be the patron saint for translators and interpreters throughout the world.
The International Translation Day is an opportunity to display pride in a profession that is increasingly essential as borders are falling worldwide. The efforts put out by many international associations of translators involved with the celebration contribute to raise public awareness of the often forgotten and misunderstood profession.
The theme for 2004 was "Translation, underpinning multilingualism and cultural diversity". In its Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, UNESCO noted that "cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as bio-diversity is for nature". With that in mind, translators and interpreters need to rise to an ever-more difficult challenge. Along with the satisfaction of a job well-done for a good purpose, the responsibilities carried by translators are not to be taken too lightly. By selecting this theme, the focus was put on how translation plays a critical role in human exchanges and preserves our separate cultural and linguistic identities in the world today.   To prove this, try to imagine just one day without translation in the world.




Latest research report says "Online Retail Not Latino-Friendly"

The 30-page report released by Common Sense Advisory (a research and consulting firm committed to improving the quality of international business) explores corporate online communications, customer service practices and business-to-consumer marketing in a global economy.
The study reviewed Internet Retailer's top 50 online retailers, revealing that only four offer content in Spanish.

According to US Census Bureau, with 13% of the US population, US Latinos account for more people than the entire population of Canada. They rank as the fifth largest group of Spanish speakers in the world and account for more people on-line than any other Spanish-speaking nation. Unlike previous generations of immigrants, current US Latinos maintain their language and culture even as they work and play in the dominant Anglophone economy.
The findings and analysis are based on a study of retailers' sites for Spanish and other multicultural content as well as attempts to contact the retailers in English and Spanish through the use of email and on-line forms.