How Much Does a Translation Cost? A Comprehensive Guide

Posted On May 30, 2024By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

In today’s interconnected world, accessing translation services can be as easy as googling “translations” and taking your pick from the myriad of options appearing on your screen. You’ll find translation agencies and freelance translators ready to undertake your translation project…for a price. However, determining how much a translation costs involves various factors, and understanding these can help you make an informed decision. Let’s dive into what influences translation costs and how to get the best value for your project.

Factors Influencing Translation Costs

1. Language Pair

Logically, translations between common languages (such as English and Spanish) cost less than translations between less-common languages (e.g., Swedish, Gaelic, Croatian) or between unusual language combinations (e.g., Spanish to Finnish). This is simply due to the law of supply and demand. If the target language is a specific variant (e.g., Argentinian Spanish), your translation may cost more than a general language variant (e.g., Latin American Spanish).

2. Agency vs. Freelancer

Choosing between a translation agency and a freelance translator can significantly impact costs. A top-quality agency generally charges more due to overhead costs. Still, it may offer added benefits such as comprehensive translation services and quality control processes, including proofreading by another translator or a professional editor. Freelancers may be more cost effective for smaller projects.

3. Subject Matter and Complexity

The complexity of the subject matter greatly affects the translation rate. Specialized fields such as medical, legal, or technical translations require translators with specific expertise and training, leading to higher rates. Top-quality translation agencies have experienced translators who can handle complex and specialized texts, which justifies the higher cost.

4. Turnaround Time

Deadlines are another crucial factor. Urgent projects typically incur higher costs because they require immediate attention and might disrupt the translator’s or agency’s workflow. Longer deadlines give agencies and translators more flexibility to manage resources efficiently, often resulting in lower costs. Additionally, translation agencies are better prepared for tight deadlines since they have a pool of translators to choose from, allowing them to start a translation immediately.

5. Volume of Work

The economy of scale applies to translations as well. Handling a large translation project usually consumes less time and fewer resources than multiple smaller projects with the same total word count. Regular clients or large-volume projects may negotiate lower rates due to this efficiency.

6. Document Format

Simple formats like MS Word or plain text are easier and cheaper to handle compared to complex formats such as PDFs or documents requiring Desktop Publishing (DTP) services. The process requires more time and technical expertise, increasing the cost.

7. Extra Services

Many translation agencies offer additional services such as DTP, subtitling, multilingual social media, and proofreading. While these services come at an extra charge, they can save time and effort by ensuring your project is handled comprehensively and professionally.

How Translation Rates are Charged

Per Word vs. Per Hour

Translation services are commonly charged either by the word or by the hour. Charging by the word, especially by the source word count, is often more transparent and fair for both parties. It allows the client to know the exact cost upfront. Charging by the hour can lead to uncertainties, particularly if the number of hours is not estimated before agreeing on a price.

Per Source Word vs Per Target Word

Charging per source word in text translations has several advantages over charging per target word. It provides clarity and predictability for both clients and translators, as the source word count is known upfront, eliminating uncertainties about the final cost. This method ensures consistency, as variations in the length of the translated text do not affect pricing. Additionally, it encourages accurate and concise translations, as translators are not incentivized to increase the word count. The source word count refers to the number of words in the original text, while the target word count refers to the number of words in the translated text.

Getting an Accurate Quote

When requesting a quote, providing as much information as possible helps the translation provider respond accurately and timely. The best way to get an accurate quote is to provide the document(s) that need translation. If you cannot do this, here are the key details to include:

– Source and Target Languages: Specify the languages involved and any particular variants.

– Word Count: Provide the word count of the source text for a clear cost estimate.

– Document Format: Mention the format of the document and any special requirements.

– Subject Matter: Explain the complexity and nature of the text to ensure the provider assigns a suitably experienced translator.

– Deadline: Indicate your required turnaround time to assess feasibility and cost implications.

– Additional Services: Specify if you require extra services such as DTP, or back translation for quality control.

– Sample: If you are not comfortable sending the entire document that needs translation, you may send a sample to demonstrate its complexity.

Understanding Pricing Structures

Flat-Rate Per-Word Fee

Some lower-end agencies offer a flat-rate per-word fee for specific languages. This approach often lacks consideration for the complexities and quality standards of the project. These agencies may prioritize quick turnaround and low cost over quality, which could be detrimental to your brand’s image.

Value of Quality Translations

In the business world, a professional appearance and high-quality products are crucial. Your translated documents reflect your company’s image. Investing in quality translation services can create a positive impression and contribute to business growth, while poor-quality translations can damage your brand.

Tips for Choosing a Translation Service

– Assess Expertise: Choose a provider with experience in your industry and subject matter.

– Check Reviews and References: Request references from past clients and, if possible, contact them to inquire about their experience with the translation provider.

– Request Samples: Ask for sample translations to evaluate the provider’s quality.

– Discuss Quality Control: Ensure the provider has robust quality control processes in place.

Conclusion

Determining the cost of a translation involves various factors including language pair, subject matter complexity, turnaround time, and document format. By understanding these elements and providing comprehensive information upfront, you can get accurate quotes and ensure a clear and fair pricing structure. Whether you choose a translation agency or a freelancer, prioritize quality to maintain a professional image and achieve the best results for your business.

At Transpanish, we prioritize transparency and fairness, offering clear pricing to ensure you know the exact cost upfront. Whether you need a single document translated or a large-scale project managed, we are here to provide high-quality, accurate translations tailored to your needs. Contact Transpanish today for a free quote and experience our commitment to excellence firsthand.

Tips to Set Up a Home Office

Posted On February 7, 2021By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/ 2 No Comments

Translators shifting away from in-house positions and offices has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an unprecedented number of people working from home in a huge range of fields, looking likely to stay this way for quite some time. However, working from home can be a daunting prospect for many for a variety of reasons, so what should you do to make sure your working from home experience is successful?

Find the right space for your home office

Finding the right space for your home office is essential. A spare room at home is definitely a huge advantage as you can make the proper arrangements so that it perfectly fits your professional needs.

If you don’t have a spare room, you need to find a spot where you can set up your home office. It should be a place that is exclusively dedicated to working. For instance, it is not a good idea to use your kitchen table as your workplace as you will probably need to constantly remove your computer and papers from the table to have your meals.

It is also important to ensure that your home office provides you with the right space to have everything you need and that you have the space to move around as well. Remember that you’ll probably spend many hours in that room, and you need to feel comfortable in it to stay productive, while also looking professional in any possible Zoom calls.

Too noisy? Make your office as soundproof as possible

While working in an office can certainly be noisy at times, a home office is ultimately in your home and homes can often get very loud.

If you live with others, make sure that they respect that you are working and would appreciate a peaceful work environment. With young children, you should also make sure that they know your home office is not a play area. You can’t focus on your work and produce accurate translations if your kids are running around or somebody is playing loud music in the same room.

Installing double glazing or a thick curtain can also help to prevent annoying noises from outside your home.

Choose the right furniture

Having a productive home office isn’t just a question of making your home office look nice and fashionable. Since you’ll spend many hours there, it is of utmost importance that the furniture you choose is comfortable, ergonomic and that it provides you with the right space to store papers, your laptop, books, and any other materials you may require.

Of course, two of the most important pieces of furniture you’ll need to focus on are the desk and the chair. Your desk should be big enough to provide you with the right working space. It should have built-in drawers where you can keep important documents safe.

As translators often need to go back and forth from their laptops to their dictionaries or any other reference books, an L-shaped desk is usually best. This allows you to have an area for your computer, printer, and any other technical devices, as well as an area solely for your papers or books.

For your chair, remember that you’ll be spending many long hours sitting and working in it. It needs to be ergonomic, durable, and reliable. It has to provide you with the right support for your back, shoulders, and neck, have armrests in the right position and it should allow you to comfortably put your feet on the floor. Having a rolling chair is a good choice as it ends up being more useful than a stationary one.

Make sure to remember to stay active and consider using a standing desk or a yoga ball chair. It is also important to make your office space as safe as possible, such as by having an ergonomic mousepad and keyboard, as well as adjusting the brightness on your monitor. Poor office planning can often lead to injury, which could slow you down.

Tidy desk, tidy mind

Every now and then, you may find yourself so busy that you forget to clean up your desk. However, you should schedule a couple of minutes every day to arrange the papers you are not going to use any time soon.

Needless to say, it is important to have the correct storage space. Shelves are a great investment and, if you want to spice up your workplace a bit, you can add boxes that can be a great tool for storing away miscellany that could make your home office look messy if left out in the open.

Take technology into account

You can never have enough sockets in your home office. Your PC, fax machine, your mobile phone, printer, not to mention desk lamps or a small audio system to make your work sessions more enjoyable, can easily take up all the sockets available. Hire a good electrician to install as many sockets as you can and try to invest in a wireless printer, mouse, and keyboard.

If you don’t want your home office to be cluttered with cables, look around for some attractive solutions available in home depot stores. It is also essential to make sure that your internet connection is stable and reliable. If you have poor internet quality, consider changing providers, and also consider having a dongle or hotspot you can use in case of emergency.

It is also worth investing in replacing any outdated technology such as an old, slow laptop. The price to replace it is often worth getting rid of the annoyance of technology that doesn’t work.

Brighten up your space

Your home office doesn’t need to be a dark and boring space. Jazzing it up with a bit of personality is easy and something you should really do to make your home office a nicer and more productive place to be in. Add some plants, hang some nice pictures on a wall and make sure you invest in a nice lamp for your desk.

Use a dedicated phone for your home office

Working from home implies that you won’t have too many expenses. However, you should consider investing in a dedicated phone for your home business so that your clients can immediately reach you without your child, mother, or husband picking up the call in a way that could be less than professional.

Even though using a dedicated phone for your home business may seem like a huge investment, it is something you should seriously consider as it could have a huge positive impact on your business.

You can get a line with a VoIP provider or Skype; they use your internet connection and can be cheaper than traditional lines.

Ideas for your home office

Celebrate Spanish Language Day!

Posted On April 23, 2020By TranspanishIn Did you know?, Languages, Spanish Language/ 2 No Comments

Lovers of Spanish, did you know there’s a special day set aside to honor your favorite language? Observed throughout the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish Language Day (El Día del Idioma Español) – celebrated on April 23 – aims to highlight the richness and vitality of the Spanish language.

The date chosen for Spanish Language Day commemorates the death of one of the most significant and best-known Spanish language authors, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Literary scholars consider Don Quixote, Cervantes’ classic work penned in the 17th century, to be one of the most important pieces of fiction of all time.

El Día del Idioma Español dates back to 1926, when Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés first proposed the idea of a special day dedicated to celebrating literature. The tradition began in Valencia and gradually spread throughout all of Spain. In 1964, the celebration was adopted by all Spanish-speaking countries.

World Book Day is also celebrated on the same day, and Spanish news agency EFE has invited several actors, writers, and artists from Spain and Latin America to hold a virtual reading of Don Quixote. Almost three chapters from Don Quixote have been selected for participants to read. This can be followed at the main Twitter account of EFE, @EFEnoticias. EFE is also inviting members of the community to participate by reading a 30-45 second excerpt. The video must be published on the user’s personal Twitter account and mention @EFEnoticias with the hashtag #YoTambiénLeoElQuijote. Participation is also possible via Instagram by publishing a story with video and then mentioning the account @efe_noticias and including the hashtag #YoTambiénLeoElQuijote.

Some useful posts:
Linguistic Features of Rioplatense (River Plate) Spanish
Seseo, ceceo and distinction…or why Spaniards “lisp” and Latin Americans do not
Pronouncing B and V: No more confusion!
The Rise of Spanish as a Second Language
Spanish is the Second Most Widely Spoken Language in the World
Spanish Language Characteristics. Spanish in the World
Castilian Spanish Versus Latin American Spanish
The Influence of Arabic on the Spanish Language

Marketing to Latinos through Social Media – Transpanish

Posted On December 9, 2019By TranspanishIn Languages, Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/ 5 4 Comments

In the early days of social media marketing, marketing strategists rarely used to target Latinos using social media or other forms of digital marketing. However, this has since changed and according to a recent article in Forbes, companies now need to be aware that on average, in the US at least, young Latinos are more likely to interact with companies on social media than the rest of the population and are very loyal to brands that use Spanish. Clearly, there is a good reason for brands to attract this growing and generally loyal target market.

According to eMarketer, while Hispanics in the US have a similar level of smartphone ownership compared to the general population, they spend 10.5 hours per week online on the devices on average compared to an average of 8.4 hours among other groups. They are also now more likely to use social networks via smartphone and are higher than average in their use of Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, while also watching more content and buying more products online than the average.

Meanwhile, another study revealed the shocking statistic that almost 50% of Hispanic millennials had used a brand hashtag or discussed a brand online compared with a figure of 17% for non-Hispanics, showing not only the huge size of the Hispanic market but also a very high level of engagement.

Facebook has also revealed that their platform is the most popular among Hispanics, with 71% of survey respondents saying that they used Facebook every day. In terms of Twitter, a study conducted in August 2018 found that Latinos make up 31% of the Twitter users in the US, only surpassed by Asians at 35%.

The Latino community is now, as can be seen, an incredibly important target market online and as eMarketer concludes, “Internet penetration among US Hispanics has mostly – though not entirely – caught up with that of the general US population, but their digital activities still stand out in several ways,” adding that “ad spending growth on US Hispanic media has outpaced that of total media in recent years and will likely do so for the foreseeable future.” [1]

So, how can marketers take advantage of Latinos’ growing presence on social media to promote their brands?

Marketers must realize that an effective social media campaign directed at the Latino segment will involve more than just a mere translation of the existing English-language campaign. Hispanics are eager to connect with content and engage in a dialog with their favorite brands, so companies should provide opportunities for consumers to interact bilingually or in their preferred language as it has been shown to be highly appreciated. In addition, they must consider how the English-language and Spanish-language pages can complement each other and create synergy, rather than just duplicating the message in another language, since many users will likely visit both pages if companies offer unique content.

Although Twitter offers a different format for customer engagement, the keys to successful corporate marketing on Twitter are to 1) jump in on existing conversations that are taking place within the Latino community to develop brand awareness and 2) get consumers to join in on the conversation about the company’s brand. Live chats on Twitter also provide sponsorship opportunities that may prove attractive to advertisers.

Are you ready to speak to your Spanish-speaking audience?

Producing great content in Spanish takes time and commitment. We can help you expand your reach and establish a connection with an audience that speaks the second most widely spoken language in the world. If you’d like to find out more about our service, visit Multilingual Social Media.

Calendar of translation events – June 2016

Posted On May 31, 2016By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators, Translations/ No Comments

2
Being a Successful Interpreter. Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland

Panel on Natural Language Processing (NLP). Women in Localization, San Jose, California USA.

Symposium on Corpus Analysis in Legal Research and Legal Translation Studies.Transius,
Geneva, Switzerland

3-5

ABRATES VII. Brazilian Association of Translators (ABRATES), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

3-9

2nd annual Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference. Middlebury College. Ripton, Vermont USA

8-10

LocWorld Dublin. Localization World, Ltd. Dublin, Ireland

When Translation Meets Technologies. University of Portsmouth & Institute of Translation and Interpreting, Portsmouth, UK

9-10

4th International Conference on Game Translation and Accessibility. TransMedia Catalonia Research Group, Barcelona, Spain

10th Summer Institute of Jurilinguistics. Network of Jurilinguistics Centres, Montreal, Canada

10-12

Ukrainian Translation Industry Conference. InText Translation Company, Orlivshchyna, Ukraine

15-17

Audiovisual translation: dubbing and subtitling in the central European context. Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, Slovakia

Localization for the eBay Global Marketplace. The International Multilingual User Group (IMUG),
San Jose, California USA

17-18

Eighth Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum. TAC, FIT, XISU, Xi’an, China

18-19

IJET-27- Japan Association of Translators, Sendai, Japan

PAPTRAD’s 1st International Translation and Interpreting Conference. Portuguese Translators & Interpreters Association (APTRAD). Porto, Portugal

SDL Translation Technology Insights. The future of technology within the translation industry. Online event.

23-24

Localization unconference. Localization unconference Team, Heidelberg, Germany

23-25

MLA International Symposia: Translating the Humanities. Modern Language Association,
Düsseldorf, Germany

29-July 1

Critical Link 8. Centre for Translation & Interpreting Studies, Edinburgh, Scotland

Facts about the rapid growth of the Spanish language

Posted On May 19, 2016By TranspanishIn Spanish Language, Translation Buyers/ 2 No Comments

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, Vice President of Spain, recently recalled the roots and history of the Spanish language. She noted the landmarks and influencers of the language that helped to grow Spanish around the world. Such ventures include the expeditions of Christopher Columbus and the philosophy of writers like Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez. Through this introduction she outlined fundamental aspects of Spanish that are key to understanding the growth of the language today.

Spanish is the first language of 470 million people around the world.
Forty-five of these 470 million people do not reside in a country where Spanish is the official language as there are only 21 countries who have Spanish as the official language.
Forty-one million Americans are Spanish native speakers.
Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the world and currently Spanish speakers represent 7.9% of the total population. This means that in the next generation one in ten people in the world will speak Spanish.
Spanish is the third language most used on the internet, with a total of 8% of users.
The use of Spanish in the internet grew more than 1,000% between 2000 and 2013.
There are approximately 20-25 million people around the world that study Spanish
The number of American university students enrolled in Spanish courses exceeds the total students enrolled in other languages.
In 2050, the United States will be the first Spanish-speaking country in the world.
An average of 185,000 Spanish books per year are produced throughout Spanish-speaking countries.

Questions to consider before becoming a freelance translator

Posted On April 19, 2016By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/ No Comments

You are working as an in-house translator and you are tired of fixed hours, bosses and travelling to your job

during rush hour. You might struggle with your schedule or not being able to choose what you translate. Is it
time to become an independent translator? Answer the following questions before you take the big
step:

1. Are you going to make enough to meet your needs?

Most clients hire freelancers on a project-to-project basis. So you have to be proactive about budgeting.
Many freelance translators have permanent jobs elsewhere. So consider, would this role be fiscally
beneficial? Before committing, understand the hours you will spend on a project and if they will accurately
reflect the hourly payment you will receive.

2. Are you willing to work alone?

If you are a person that works best in teams, freelance translation might not be for you. At times translation
can be a lonely job so it is important to reflect on the environment that you thrive in. If your ideal work space
is a company culture with direct colleague collaboration an organization with more co-workers would be a
better fit.

3. Can you meet deadlines?

Freelance translators must be timely and detail-oriented. At times there will be an overload of projects so it is
important to be organized and plan ahead. If you are thinking of freelancing while keeping your current job,
beware that most companies will require you to be available during normal business hours which limits your
attention and time to other jobs you might have. You’ll need to be able to not only meet deadlines but
simultaneously insure those deadlines don’t interfere with other commitments.

4. Can you be flexible and multitask?

This is the most important question to ask yourself. The key to freelance work regardless of the field, is
adaptability. However, multi-tasking does not mean overworking as this can lead to lack of quality. It means being able to work productively and independently because you won’t typically have a supervisor checking in with you on a regular basis.

5. Do you have enough time to market yourself?

As a freelance translator, you will constantly be networking and searching for different opportunities.
Consequently, this outreach time adds up; especially when you are constantly educating yourself about new
markets, sending your CV to agencies or developing a marketing strategy. It is a good idea to to create your own
personal website and partner with other translators to better reach potential clients.

6. Do you have samples of previous translations or references?

It is important that you are able to position yourself as a desirable candidate. In the translation industry,
a portfolio is a much better indicator of your abilities than a resume. Although some documents you translate
might be confidential, you can provide samples without mentioning your client’s name and include those
parts that will not reveal confidential information. Furthermore, you can use any translation you did during
your translation studies as a sample. Of course, past experience is not necessarily a requirement but it will
give you better chances.

Calendar of translation events – April 2016

Posted On April 2, 2016By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers, Translations/ No Comments

3-7

International Conference on Interpretation National Association for Interpretation. Wellington, New Zealand.

Translating from the Margins: The Challenges, Opportunities and Responsibilities of Working with ‘Under-Represented’ Languages. The London Book Fair. London, UK.

13-15

LocWorld Tokyo. Localization World, Ltd. Tokyo, Japan.

15-16

bp16. Csaba Bán. Prague, Czech Republic.

19-20

TAUS Industry Leader’s Forum. TAUS. Tokyo, Japan.

Serge: Open Source Localization Platform from Evernote. The International Multilingual User Group (IMUG). Mountain View, California, USA.

21-22

ND Focus – Elia’s networking days for Executives. Elia (European Language Industry Association). Mallorca, Spain.

11th EUATC International Conference. European Union of Associations of Translation Companies. Budapest, Hungary.

21-24

6th Latin American Translation and Interpreting Congress. Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (CTPCBA). Buenos Aires, Argentina.

22-24

AILIA Annual Conference. AILIA Language Industry Association. Montreal, Canada.

28-30

Wordfast Forward 2016. Wordfast. Nice, France.

29-May 1

2016 International Medical Interpreters Conference. International Medical Interpreters Association Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Практический семинар ProZ.com для начинающих переводчиков. Kharkov, UKR.

30-May 1

4th Durham Postgraduate Colloquium in Translation Studies. Durham University. Durham, UK.

What’s the difference between proofreading and editing?

Posted On March 31, 2016By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

You’ve thought up a spectacular story, your words flow with ease, you’ve finished your body of work, yet the process has just begun. Many people will argue that a written project has many layers. Dominick Dunne, an American writer and investigative journalist, once stated “even if you write it wrong, write and finish your first draft. Only then, when you have a flawed whole, do you know what you have to fix.”

The process of fixing a draft is known as editing or proofreading. Although similar, these two terms are not the same. According to the Merriam-Webster, editing is “to prepare something written, filmed or recorded to be published or to make changes, corrections to mistakes, etc.” Whereas proofreading is “to read and correct mistakes in a written or printed piece of writing”.

From the dictionary definition, it is hard to differentiate the two; but there is a key difference.

Editing is going through and making grammatical changes such as grammatical errors and punctuation. Through this process, you are actually making changes physically to adjust the content. Editing takes a deeper look at how info is presented and can happen multiple times throughout the project.

Proofreading, on the other hand, happens towards the end of the process. Proofreading, in regards to the nature of the term, is reading for proof and credibility of the final product. Finding credible and cohesive content at large instead of commenting on minors errors in structure or grammar.

Although these terms are similar, they are not interchangeable. They are both equally crucial in the writing process. Without editing an author runs the risk of publishing a piece of work with errors in structure, tense, tone and grammar. And without proofreading it is possible to miss surface mistakes that were overlooked in the editing process. So make sure you’ve accomplished both steps of the process before your project is truly complete.

Is the comma on its way out?

Posted On March 7, 2016By TranspanishIn English Language, Languages, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/ 2 No Comments

It’s probably one of the most difficult forms of punctuation to get to grips with and, for some, it’s starting to be more and more unnecessary. The question is, will the comma will eventually die out completely in the future? Let’s take a look at the arguments…

Linguist and Columbia University professor John McWhorter is certainly in favor of putting commas to rest forever. His analysis of the subject falls into two broad categories. Firstly, according to McWhorter, it seems pretty fair to say that there’s no list of definitive rules that explain exactly when and why one should place a comma in a sentence.

William Strunk Jr.’s The Elements of Style is one of the most popular texts for comma use, still in use today. One of the rules laid down in this 100-year-old publication is that commas should “enclose parenthetic expressions” and come “before and or but” when introducing an independent clause.

Even so, as McWhorter quite rightly points out, Strunk was wandering around in a pair of spats when he wrote The Elements of Style and so little of what’s written in the publication needs to have very much to do with how we communicate today in our modern and highly technological society. With that in mind we can move on to the second category of analysis as laid out by McWhorter, that of the use of text messages, tweets and other kinds of conversational-style communications.

There’s simply no need for commas (indeed they take up valuable character space) in tweets. Even top-notch journalists who write for national and international publications choose to tweet without commas. It seems that there isn’t a need for the comma, because the essence of what one’s trying to communicate in 140 characters is conveyed with or without them.

For example, a couple of years back Gmail went down – shocking! – and the entire world began tweeting sarcastic comments about the issue. Many of the snarling remarks came from professional journalists and few of them felt the need to use a comma. They were all more interested in getting their tweet out there into cyberspace for all to read.

An editor at BuzzFeed tweeted “whoa whoa guys I can’t respond to all zero gmails at once.” Writer and biographer Rachel Syme published a joking jibe that read: “I rubbed my genie lamp and wished for one of those Freedom programs that keeps you from email but I wished TOO BIG sorry guys sorry.” And writer Jen Doll brought the entire Gmail nightmare to and end with: “I guess all those losers outside skiing or like at the movies or whatever missed out on this exciting adventure we just had.”

Did you see any commas? Did you need them to understand what you read? No!

This is exactly the point that McWhorter is trying to make when referring to the outdated nature of the comma in our super advanced technological world.

Having said all that, there are obviously a band of comma fanatics out there that continue to worry about what might happen when people start writing sentences like, “Let’s eat grandma” and not, “Let’s eat, grandma”, which are clearly two different things. But unless we all happen to be living in a version of Little Red Riding Hood, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll confuse the first sentence with the second anyway.

Comma fanatics are also worried that we won’t be able to distinguish the difference between style; that we won’t be able to produce content suitable for formal essays and articles as well as tweets and texting. The concern is that we’ll end up having to read articles in the New York Times without commas, but maybe the future’s not going to include long, formal articles in the NYT anyway. Let’s face it, tweets, texts and other digital publications have already started to turn print journalism into a thing of the past.

What do you think? Should the comma stay or should it go?

Author: Transpanish