Archive for the 'Spanish Translation' Category

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Lunfardo: What Does “Guita” Mean?

Published on April 28, 2011 in Did you know?, Languages, Lunfardo, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators and Translation Buyers. 0 Comments

Argentine Spanish is strewn with words and colorful phrases from Lunfardo, a rich vocabulary born on the streets of Buenos Aires in the second half of the 19th century. Now considered a fixture of the Spanish language in Argentina (especially in and around Buenos Aires) and Uruguay, linguists cite the use of Lunfardo as a defining characteristic of the Rioplatense dialect. Add a dash of Argentine flavor to your Spanish vocabulary with the Transpanish blog’s ongoing feature highlighting some of the most frequently used terms in Lunfardo.

The Meaning of Guita

In Lunfardo, the word “guita” means “money” or “cash.” The word “dinero” (money) is not frequently heard in Argentina, with speakers tending to favor the word “plata” instead. The term “guita” is in widespread use throughout Argentina. In addition to guita, you may run across the words “mango,” “vento,” “sope” (a reversal of the syllables in the word “peso”), and “mosca” in a discussion about money. Also the word “guita” is equivalent to cent or “peso” (Argentine currency).

The word “guita” turns up in the lyrics of the tango “Al mundo le falta un tornillo” by José María Aguilar  and Enrique Cadícamo

Todo el mundo está en la estufa,
Triste, amargao y sin garufa,
neurasténico y cortao…
Se acabaron los robustos,
si hasta yo, que daba gusto,
¡cuatro kilos he bajao!
Hoy no hay guita ni de asalto
y el puchero está tan alto
que hay que usar el trampolín.
Si habrá crisis, bronca y hambre,
que el que compra diez de fiambre
hoy se morfa hasta el piolín.

Hoy se vive de prepo
y se duerme apurao.
Y la chiva hasta a Cristo
se la han afeitao…
Hoy se lleva a empeñar
al amigo más fiel,
nadie invita a morfar…

…

Also read
Linguistic Features of Rioplatense (River Plate) Spanish
Lunfardo: Money Talk
The meaning of yeta
Meaning of “pibe”

2010 U.S. Census Data Reveals Continued Growth of Hispanic Population

Published on April 7, 2011 in Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators and Translation Buyers. 1 Comment

According to the latest demographic information culled from the 2010 U.S. Census, the Latino population now totals 16.3% of the nation’s inhabitants. The Hispanic population increased 43% over the last ten years, growing from 35.3 million to 50.5 million. Demographers also reported that 56% of the country’s total population expansion in the last decade can be attributed to Latinos.

Even though the Latino population’s growth in raw numbers over the last ten years exceeded totals from previous decades, in terms of the growth rate percentage, the Hispanic population increased more slowly than in years past. For example, the Latino population saw growth rates exceeding 50% in the 1980s and 1990s; however, the first decade of the 21st century witnessed a slightly more modest 43% increase in the number of U.S. Hispanics.

Hispanics, who may self-identify with any race or ethnicity, constitute the country’s largest minority group. By race, 53% of Latinos – 26.7 million people – identified themselves as white only. The next biggest group, 36.7% (18.5 million) of Latinos, identified themselves as “some other race.” A further 6% endorsed multiple races/ethnicities.

In terms of geographic distribution, the majority of the Latino population remains in nine states with significant, established Hispanic communities: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York and Texas. The trend over the last decade, however, is one of dispersion, with the percentage of Latinos living in other states on the rise.

Southeast states including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina registered some of the most impressive growth in the Latino population. Maryland and South Dakota also saw their Hispanic populations double over the last decade.

In six states – Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island – an increase in the number of Latinos constituted all of those states’ population growth. In the event that the Latino population had not multiplied, those states would have seen negative growth.

The census count of the U.S. Latino population was slightly higher than anticipated. The 2010 Census results for Hispanics yielded 955,000 more people than the Census Bureau had estimated for this segment of the population.

Source: The Pew Hispanic Center

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Tips for Spanish Translation Buyers

Published on March 31, 2011 in Spanish Language, Spanish Translation and Translation Buyers. 0 Comments

When securing the services of a translation agency for an English to Spanish translation, buyers should keep in mind the following points:

Text Expansion

When a document is translated from English to Spanish, the resulting translation often contains up to 20% more words than the source text. This phenomenon, known as text expansion, occurs because Spanish often requires more words than English to express the same idea. Text expansion is a particularly relevant issue for documents that must be formatted for print publication.

Informal vs. Formal Tone

The English language employs the pronoun “you” in both informal and formal situations, whereas Spanish offers a choice of pronouns (tú vs. usted) depending upon the formality of the text. Technical, medical or academic texts will likely use a formal tone (usted), while personal correspondence or marketing materials – where the idea is to foster a sense of closeness with the reader – call for more relaxed, informal language (tú). Identify the tone you’d like to transmit through your translation, and discuss your thoughts with the translation agency’s project manager.

Know Your Target Audience

Before purchasing a translation, determine the target audience for your materials. A translation for Spanish speakers in Latin America will vary significantly from one produced for European Spanish speakers. If possible, identify the exact location of your target audience. In the case of a document that’s meant to have broad appeal, neutral Spanish may be the best compromise, as it avoids regionalisms, colloquial language, and certain verb tenses and conjugations that hint at a particular dialect.

Formatting Decisions

Sometimes a translation project entails more than just translating the words on the page. In the case of presentation slides, pamphlets, websites and software, for example, the text must be formatted for either digital or print publication. Decide whether you will be responsible for formatting the finished translation or if the agency will provide that service. Most full-service translation agencies offer desktop publishing (DTP) and formatting options, but remember that you will likely incur an extra expense in addition to the translation costs.

Are you looking for a Spanish Translation Service? Visit Transpanish for a free quote.

Google Strikes Deal to Translate European Patents

Published on March 28, 2011 in English Language, Languages, News, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators and Translation Buyers. 0 Comments

Last week Google announced an agreement with the European Patent Office (EPO) to translate approximately 50 million patents using the search giant’s Internet-based translation tool, Google Translate. Google and authorities at the EPO will collaborate to translate patents into 32 different languages.

Patent researchers, scientists and others will be able to conduct searches for patents in German, French and English, the patent authority’s three official languages. The EPO site’s users may then obtain an instant translation of the patent documentation into languages such as Russian, Japanese or Spanish. It’s important to note that these translations are being made available purely for research and information purposes; they are in no way meant to substitute for official patent translations done by professional translators, as mandated by law.

The EPO will grant Google access to all previously translated patents, which amount to some 1.5 million documents in addition to 50,000 new patents per year.

Officials at the patent office expect the project to be finalized by 2014.

For more information, visit EPO.org.

Also read:
The machine translation debate

Google Translate and the Struggle for Accurate Machine Translations

Tips for Translators: Using Twitter

Published on March 23, 2011 in Spanish Translation and Tips for Translators. 0 Comments

Social networking site Twitter can be a valuable tool for those in the translation industry. The service offers a means for translators to get in direct contact with potential clients all over the globe; in addition, Twitter provides an excellent opportunity to network with other translators. Read on for some useful Twitter tips for translators:

  • Before you set up your Twitter account, think about your goals for using the service. Craft your Twitter profile with these goals in mind; other users will determine whether to follow you based on what you’ve written in this brief biography.
  • Always be sure to post a link to your website, blog or other social media profile, such as LinkedIn, in your Twitter bio.
  • Seek out engaging people to follow, whether they are other translators, translation agencies, people who live close by, or those with the same interests as you.
  • Prior to jumping in with your insights, take a bit of time to listen to the buzz of conversation around you. Once you begin tweeting, limit yourself to a maximum of five tweets per day until you get a feel for the service.
  • Last but not least, make your tweets interesting! While Twitter is an excellent tool for promoting your translation services, it shouldn’t be the only way you use the site. Share information and ask questions – get involved in the conversation!

The Languages of Spain

Published on March 5, 2011 in Did you know?, Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators and Translation Buyers. 0 Comments

The first language that springs to mind when one thinks of Spain is – not surprisingly – Castilian Spanish, the country’s official language. However, there are actually a number of other languages and dialects spoken there, a few of which have attainted co-official status in certain regions: Catalan/Valencian, Basque, Galician, and Aranese.

Here’s a brief snapshot of some of the languages spoken in Spain.

Castilian Spanish

Castilian Spanish – so named for its roots in the region of Castile – emerged from Spain’s many regional languages and dialects to become the primary language of the nation. Castilian Spanish was later brought to the New World through the colonization efforts of the Spanish, where the language enjoyed widespread adoption throughout the Americas.

Catalan/Valencian

Catalan, a Romance language spoken in Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, currently boasts some 12 million speakers. Catalan has achieved broad usage as an everyday language in these areas. The language has become the medium of instruction in a number of schools, and it’s utilized to a large extent in government administration and the media. The version of the language spoken in the Community of Valencia is known as Valencian. Though some Valencians contest that their language is separate from Catalan, the majority of linguists consider it a dialect.

Galician

Spoken by approximately three million people in the northwest corner of Spain, Galician shares many linguistic features with Portuguese. The two languages are more or less mutually intelligible, but Galician relies on Spanish orthographic conventions. In fact, scholars have been debating for some time as to whether Galician and Portuguese are actually two distinct languages or just dialects of the same language.

Basque

Linguists consider the Basque language, spoken in the north of Spain in Basque Country, a language isolate (i.e. a language with no known linguistic relationship to another language). As such, Basque shares virtually zero mutual intelligibility with Castilian Spanish and the other languages of Spain, which all belong to the Romance language family.

Aranese

Aranese – a language spoken in the Aran Valley of Catalonia in northeastern Spain – shares co-official status with Catalan in that region. Approximately 90% of those living in the Aran Valley can understand Aranese, and some 65% of inhabitants can speak the language.

Read Differences between Latin American Spanish and Castilian Spanish.

Survey Finds Hispanics Not Connecting with American Companies

Published on March 1, 2011 in Latinos and Spanish Translation. 0 Comments

A recent survey conducted for management consulting firm Garcia Trujillo LLC found that 64.7% of U.S. Hispanics would show greater loyalty to companies that establish strong, visible ties to the Latino community, while over 66% indicate that they would be more likely to purchase products and services from such companies. Although survey respondents are interested in seeing companies create or tailor products and services to make them more culturally relevant to Hispanics, characteristics such as a greater number of Latinos in important corporate management roles and more community involvement rank much higher in importance for consumers.

Findings from the study include:

  • Almost 42% of Hispanic consumers think that American companies have little respect for them as customers.
  • 94% feel that products or brands in the U.S. should be represented by Spanish-speaking spokespersons in marketing and informational campaigns.
  • 15.5% want to see products and services developed specifically for Hispanics.
  • Over 60% think Latino workers face major obstacles to climb the corporate ladder. Language (almost 60%) and a college degree (21.7%) were cited as the biggest hurdles to advancement.
  • 60% think companies show commitment to their Latino employees, yet survey respondents estimated that less than 10% of leadership positions in U.S. companies are filled by Hispanics.

Sol Trujillo, chairman of Garcia Trujillo, notes: “This data demonstrates the strategic opportunities for companies and brands to connect with Latinos in meaningful ways.” With the Hispanic population in the United States growing at breakneck pace, American corporations would be wise to start wooing this segment of the market sooner rather than later.

For a copy of the full study, visit www.garciatrujillo.com.

Prescription Medication Labels and Translation: Meeting the Needs of Non-English Speakers

Published on February 16, 2011 in English Language, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators and Translation Buyers. 1 Comment

A bill is currently being deliberated in the California State Senate that would require pharmacies to take “the needs of patients with limited English proficiency” into consideration when labeling prescription medications. Medication errors, a leading cause of medical accidents, may be reduced when patients have improved understanding of how to take prescription drugs.

With approximately 18% of the U.S. population over the age of five speaking a language other than English (according to 2000 U.S. census figures), professional translators have a duty to aid health care providers to ensure accurate and useful translations of not only prescription drug labels, but instructional and educational materials as well.

Five main issues continually plague the accuracy of health care translations and jeopardize the health care provider’s ability to communicate effectively with the patient.

(1) Literacy and educational levels: Health care texts presented for translation are often written in a sophisticated manner that can be easily misunderstood by the target audience.

(2) Imprecise writing: Typographical errors, incorrect punctuation and/or poor word choice in the source document may lead to unintentional changes to the meaning of the original text.

(3) Inappropriate use of color: Various cultural groups assign different meanings to the same color. For example, while red signals danger to many English speakers, other cultural groups such as the Chinese view red as a symbol of luck or happiness.

(4) Representation of numbers and dates: The formatting of dates, weights and other numerical information may lead to confusion, as different language groups write this information in different ways.

(5) Cultural and religious sensitivities: The use of certain anatomical terms may be considered offensive to some cultural groups.

In order to combat these problems, it is important for translators to develop systems including style guides or glossaries, built in collaboration with various clients. In addition to factoring in style decisions, translators should also consider the level of education of the target audience, the location of the target population, formal or informal tone, idiosyncratic titles, capitalization, and translation for the web. Glossaries should be thought of as living documents that grow and change over time. They ensure the consistent use of terminology from document to document while accounting for client preferences.

Top reasons why you should target the Hispanic Community

Published on January 30, 2011 in Languages, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation and Translation Buyers. 1 Comment

- There are 48.4 million Hispanics in the US today.

- The Hispanic online population reached a record 20.3 million visitors in February 2009, representing 11 percent of the total U.S. online market.

- The projected Hispanic population of the United States on July 1, 2050 is 132.8 million.. According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 30 percent of the nation’s population by that date.

- As of 2009 the U.S. Hispanic population ranked second in the world. Only Mexico (111 million) had a larger Hispanic population than the United States.

- Hispanics represent the largest middle class group in the US, and over 88 percent have a household income of $50,000.

- Hispanics spend more than 14 hours online a week.

- The cost of Spanish-language keywords is considerably lower than their English language counterparts.

Still not convinced you should translate your marketing materials to Spanish? Did you know that there are around 358,000,000 million speakers in the world?

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The Advantages of an Online Spanish Translation Service

Published on January 27, 2011 in Languages, Spanish Translation and Translation Buyers. 2 Comments

Companies with a consistently high volume of translations often resort to hiring in-house translators to meet their needs; however, retaining one or more full-time translators presents various challenges. Working closely with a trusted online Spanish translation service may be a more viable method for getting translations done in a timely manner and at a fair price.

One of the greatest advantages of working with an online Spanish translation service or agency comes from the cost benefits. Hiring a full-time, salaried translator to work in-house can be a pricey affair, particularly for a small to medium-sized company where costs must be more carefully monitored. In addition to the translator’s pay, it’s important to consider the expense of employee benefits, sick time, etc. The company must also provide access to necessary translation tools such as translation memory software and dictionaries, and the cost of licenses quickly adds up.

Some companies may have frequent translation needs but not at a level that would justify the expenses and resources required for an in-house translator. In this case, contracting with an online Spanish translation service represents an excellent approach to meeting a company’s translation demands.

An online Spanish translation service or agency retains a handpicked pool of qualified translators with professional experience and background in a number of different subject areas. While a particular in-house translator may be highly competent when it comes to technical translations, for example, what happens if a complicated legal translation needs to be performed? Working with an online translation agency gives your company access to translators with a broad range of specialties and the flexibility that an in-house employee may not be able to provide. It’s unrealistic to expect one translator to be a “superhero” and do it all.

Lastly, using in-house translators doesn’t guarantee quality translations. A significant advantage of working with a respected online Spanish translation service or agency lies in the numerous quality control measures in place to ensure an excellent final product. In-house translators can produce very high quality work, but generally, additional translators or employees are involved in the proofreading or editing process to ensure the best possible result. When the organization must rely on a team of translators or other employees to get the job done, the company is no longer saving money by having the in-house translator.

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