English-Only: Past, Present and Future of a Controversial Movement

Posted On June 19, 2013By TranspanishIn English Language, Languages, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

The Whole Food’s incident, in which two employees accused the company of encouraging an English-only policy in the working environment and suspending them for speaking Spanish during the working hours, seems to have opened Pandora’s box in relation to a long-standing and unresolved issue that reaches deep into the American society: the use of English language as a means to exercise some kind of control over Latin American immigration.

The Early Origins of the English-Only Movement

Even though it may seem that the advocates of the English-Only Movement can only be found in recent years, especially as President Barack Obama is pushing an immigration reform, the truth is that its origins can be traced back to the 1800’s. In fact, during 1878 and 1879 the constitution of California was rewritten so that the Spanish language rights were no longer recognized and the English-only schooling was recommended to Native Americans. According to the official text “All laws of the State of California and all official writings, and the executive, legislative and judicial proceedings shall be conducted, preserved and published in no other than the English language”. Years later, English-only instruction laws were also passed in Wisconsin, Illinois and Hawaii.

The need of relying on the English language to provide some kind of unity and common bond to the American nation, which was being born at the time, is probably the main reason behind passing these laws.

Does the USA Need English as an Official Language?

Almost since its inception, the United States of America has been a pluralistic nation. Stating that it is a land of opportunities, it embraces warmly any immigrant that wants to fulfill the American Dream and help the country grow and prosper.

This multiculturalism has lead people from all over the world to come to the USA and, in many occasions, they do not know nor understand English and find it easier to communicate with peers in their mother tongue so that they do not feel pressed by the need of learning English.

As a result, many people doubt whether these immigrants are really integrated into society and question whether establishing English as the official language would be helpful in order to press them to learn English and therefore become fully functional American citizens.

There are different groups such as ProEnglish and U.S. English –just to mention the most important ones- that believe that in a pluralistic nation, it is important to foster and support the similarities and encourages public opinion and law makers to adopt English as the official language at all levels of the government as they consider English as the most empowering tool that immigrants have to succeed.

So far, the United States Federal Government does not specify an official language. However, all official documents in the U.S. are written in English, though some are also published in other languages. Looking at this issue state by state, a vast majority of them (33 out of 50) have passed laws that establish English as the official language in the state while some of them also accept the use of other language. Amongst these states we can mention: Hawaii, Wyoming, Idaho, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky.

Whether the United States need an official language or not, is a question that has caused quite an interesting controversy. While the ones that are pro this idea consider the English-only movement a good way of unifying a multicultural and multinational nation, there are many others that are convinced it is discriminatory and that it certainly contradicts the First Amendment and the right to freedom of speech.

These groups suggest that the union of people of the United States  will be the result not of a single language being spoken but of exercising tolerance and pushing political measures that benefit all people equally no matter what their ethnic origin is. They deny that English is under threat and they claim that, many a time, these English-Only movements show hatred against non-English speaking immigrants.

 

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Will you Attract More Clients by Lowering your Translation Rates?

Posted On June 14, 2013By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/  No Comments

As a freelance translator, setting up your translation rates accordingly means whether you make ends meet by the end of the month or not. This is often quite tricky for novel and experienced free lancers so it is always advisable to research the market prices from time to time to verify how much other professionals or agencies are currently charging.

At present, when the economic situation is less than flourishing, lowering your translation rates seems to be the recipe to attract more clients. But, is it a wise strategy? It definitely has some advantages and disadvantages.

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The Bright Side of Lowering Your Translation Rates

If you have just launched yourself into the translation industry as a freelancer, having lower translation fees than the average will increase your chances of getting some clients faster and gain experience. Once you have made yourself a name, you can rise your rates or select to work only with those clients that offer you larger or more frequent projects.

It is also worth offering low prices to certain clients depending on the situation: big projects, companies or customers that you think will bring you a lot of work in the future or if your economic situation is very bad and you definitely need some money.

Many a time, experienced freelance translators offer limited time discounts to their existing and/or new clients. This marketing strategy usually leads them to a larger number of projects which keeps them busy when the market in general is down.

If a client has referred additional clients to you, lowering your translation fees is definitely a good idea. It is a strong way of showing your appreciation

The Dark Side of Offering Lower Translation Rates

Being competitive is crucial in the translation niche, but you should also make sure that asking for less money for a translation job does not compromise the quality.

It is also important to ensure that your special translation rates do not have a negative effect on how professional the clients see you. If your rates are constantly below the market, clients may start to question if you really are such a good translator. As a result, they may stop offering jobs to you, which will definitely affect your monthly income.

Another disadvantage of having very low rates is that you may find it hard to make a living.

It is also worth considering that rates below average may have a negative impact on your skills. If you can hardly make ends meet, then you won’t have enough money to invest in training materials and courses.

Another thing that may keep you from low rates is that with little spare money you might not be able to replace working equipment (hardware or software) that become obsolete or worn out.

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The E Day: Spanish Speakers Celebrate their Mother Language Day!

Posted On June 12, 2013By TranspanishIn Spanish Language, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

Spanish is the second language in the world according to its number of native speakers, over 500 million people can speak it across the globe and it is the third language most used in the Internet. Such impressive numbers as well as the richness of such a vast culture are definitely worth a celebration and this is the reason why the Cervantes Institute based in Spain is organizing the E Day on June 22.

However, this celebration is not limited to Spain. The different branches of the Cervantes Institute located across the world will open their doors to the public and offer a special set of cultural activities especially prepared for that day.

Spain, of course, will be the heart of the E Day. Let’s see what two of the Spanish Cervantes Institute are planning for the 22nd June.

El dia E


Cervantes Institute in Madrid: Children are Especially Welcome!

The Madrid branch of the Cervantes Institute will open its doors and children are especially invited to their E Day celebration. Amongst the activities planned for such occasion we can mention:

  • A story-telling workshop where children will be able to listen to traditional Spanish and other Latin American tales.
  • A magic show that combines magic tricks and language.
  • A creative writing workshop
  • A visit at its “time capsule” where children will be able to appreciate the important legacy that Spanish writers, poets, scientists and artists have left for future generations.
  • A balloon party.

Cervantes Institute in Alcalá de Henares:

The Cervantes Institute in Alcalá de Henares is also planning special activities for the E Day! Amongst them we can mention that the public will be able to appreciate 74 engravings that are part of the Institute’s art collection and are inspired in paintings and literary works such as “The Quixote”, Federico García Lorca’s poetry and the great masters of the Prado Museum.

Find out more about the E Day here.

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Does Whole Foods discriminate against Spanish Speaking Employees?

Posted On June 11, 2013By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

In such a multicultural country as the United States, the number of Hispanic employees in the workplace has shown a steady increase over the last years. Attracted by the chance of better employment opportunities, many Latinos come to the States to find jobs in small, medium-sized and large business organizations. Some of them speak English fluently but others are not comfortably at all in an English-only environment thus employers need to adapt their companies to these circumstances.

There are many things that business owners can do to demonstrate commitment to Hispanic employees, at least from the language point of view. Amongst them we can mention: providing them with Spanish training courses, making sure all notices and corporate messages are offered to them both in English and in Spanish, and using visual aids to make concepts clearer in every training session.

Enforcing an “English-only” rule in the workplace seems to be a practical idea to discourage the use of Spanish amongst Latino workers. However, under the light of the recent events in New Mexico in which Latinos are organizing a boycott against Whole Foods for having allegedly suspended two workers for speaking Spanish during working hours, the advantages of such a policy should be at least questioned.

In this case, Whole Foods store in Albuquerque has failed to understand that it is located in one of the states with one of the largest Latino community and that, therefore, its decision shows a total disrespect not only to its Hispanics employees but also for a large number of their clients. In fact, it should not be strange at all if any time soon Latinos just stop doing their grocery shopping in their stores. Their spokesman’s statement that “all employees must speak English in the workplace” has not calmed down the outcry.

US companies, no matter how big or small their Latino workforce is, should definitely pay attention to this issue as it shows the impact that a corporate decision can have amongst its employees and clients. Failing to provide a comfortable and secure working environment to Spanish speaking employees can backfire in many other aspects of the business. It’s not only a matter of making sure everybody understands corporate memos and training courses on how to use a certain machine or software program. In fact, it has to do with corporate responsibility and showing respect for the Hispanic community.

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Translators: The Importance of Having a Blog

Posted On June 7, 2013By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/  No Comments

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Nowadays, anybody who has something to say writes it in a blog. From web gurus to experts in home deco to work-at-home-moms, blogging seems to be the best way to share ideas, insights and everyday problems with an audience of peers. That been said, it is quite likely that, as a translator, you’d been wondering if you should start your own blog. In fact, it could be a great idea and it could have a significant impact on the number of clients you work for.

Let’s discuss the main reasons why having a blog could help your career.

A Great Way to Establish Credibility    

Whether you are an experienced translator or a recently graduated one, writing your own blog will allow you to share your insights, communicate news, write about the challenges you face while working on a document, or simply get your name spread around. Even though a blog should not be considered a direct marketing tool, it is true that if yours is successful it will definitely have some linking power that will call the attention of other colleagues, translation agencies and potential clients as well. Having an “About Us” section in the blog will allow you to promote your business and share with your audience your areas of expertise, translation portfolio and so on.

Besides, blogs are easily indexed by most important search engines. Therefore, anyone searching for your name in the Internet will reach your blog. This leads us to one of the main important aspects that you should take into consideration if you write a blog as a translator: you should be absolutely careful with what you write about and the quality of your writing. As a language expert, your blog should have an impeccable grammar and syntax, no typos and it should deal with language-related topics.  The more professional your blog is, the more readers will stick to it and probably a large number of them will eventually become your clients.

An Awesome Networking Tool

Another reason why translators should have a blog is that it provides them with an awesome tool allowing them to meet colleagues and establish nice relationships with them in an informal way. There are great chances that fellow translators either have their own blogs or like reading other people’s blogs. You can be part of really interesting discussions, get to know other translators better and learn a lot of different things. Many bloggers that share similar interests usually organize face-to-face meetings over a cup of coffee.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

Professional Control in Cyberspace

It is also worth mentioning that having a blog allows you to carefully build your own online reputation while having at the same time full control over it. Since you are the writer and editor of your own posts, you can rest assured that everything you publish is well written and useful.

Show Off Your Skills

Last but not least, having your own blog is a great way of sharing with potential clients your knowledge of your area of specialization. This is especially useful if you specialize in a highly competitive niche or in one in which having a good writing style (just as literary or marketing translation) is very important.

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Career Opportunities for Multilingual People

Posted On June 6, 2013By TranspanishIn Languages, Tips for Translators/  No Comments

Being multilingual is usually considered as the key to landing more attractive and well-paid jobs than the ones that people that speak only one language can aim at. However, when people think about what positions multilingual people can look for, in general they limit themselves to teaching a foreign language or translating, without taking into account there are many other interesting jobs available in the market. Let’s explore some career opportunities you should consider if you speak more than one language.

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National Defense

National defense programs depend on maintaining a fluent communication between countries; and this would be impossible without the collaboration of multilingual individuals who work in military, economic, environmental, cultural or national security. Everywhere across the world, the Departments of Defense offer multiple career alternatives that are both challenging, rewarding and allow you as well to contribute to the world order and be in constant relation with people from different nations.

Embassies

Working at an embassy is also a wonderful opportunity for multilingual people. It is challenging and glamorous and encourages you to speak, write and think in your second language almost the whole time you are working. Embassies are also a great place for those speakers of more than one language who are fond of travelling as there are many times commercial missions organized abroad to which you can be invited.

Tourism and Hospitality

Hotels and resorts are always in need of individuals who speak at least a foreign language in order to be able to provide a top notch service to their international guests and keep them happy. Career opportunities in this area are almost unlimited and you can find positions in marketing, catering or hotel management at a global level as you move forward in your career.

International and Non-Government Organizations

From the Red Cross to UNICEF or UNESCO, there are hundreds of international and non-government organizations where multilingual people can find challenging career opportunities. In these places, people skillful in more than one language are greatly appreciated because of their ability to communicate and establish strong relationships with the locals, which translates into a better reach of the programs that need to be enforced. They also offer a great environment where you learn first-hand from other cultures and feel helpful.

Banking and Finance

With companies and individuals doing business across the globe, it is really advantageous to speak more than one language in the banking and finance niche. From helping customers overseas solve their bank account or commercial problems to being able to translate a financial document so that everybody in a meeting can understand it, there are multiple areas where multilingual people can develop a successful career.

Law Enforcement

People skillful in more than one language are important as they can make sure people coming to live to a new country or tourists understand the local law and comply with it. In other occasions, multilingual people are required to make sure anybody that has committed a crime in a foreign country understands what he’s been accused of, understands what the lawyers and prosecutors are telling him, has access to documents translated into his own language and has the right to a due process.

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EU and the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings

Posted On June 3, 2013By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

The Directive on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings of 2009 and that all EU country members should implement by October this year is definitely a breeze of fresh air in the justice policy that the European Union has encouraged throughout the last ten years. Mainly focused on passing laws that increased the powers of judges and prosecutors, it paid little attention to the adequate protection of one of the most important defense rights: the right to a fair trial.

According to this Directive, nobody accused of a crime will be denied a fair trial just because they do not speak or understand the language of the country in which they are arrested. Instead, they will be provided with a translator and/or interpreter free of charge.

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Key Aspects of the Directive on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings

In order to safeguard the fairness of the criminal proceeding, the presence of an interpreter should be provided during the police interrogation, in essential meetings between the client and the lawyer and at the trial. If the physical presence of the interpreter is not required, the interpretation can be offered remotely whether via telephone, Internet or videoconference.

In addition, suspected or accused people who do not understand the language of the proceedings must be provided with a written translation of those documents essential for them to exercise their right of defense. The documents that should be translated are: the detention order, the indictment and the judgment.

Both the interpretation and the translation should be offered by qualified legal professionals, part of a registry that should be made readily available to legal counsels, judges, prosecutors and other relevant authorities.

Implementation of the Directive

Some European countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands have already started discussing how to implement this Directive in their own legislation. Others, such as Spain, have not adjusted the norm to the EU conditions but they will have to do it soon as October 2013 is right around the corner.

 

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Spanish Language in USA: Flourishing or Declining?

Posted On May 31, 2013By TranspanishIn Languages, Spanish Language, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

With a solid and consolidated Latin American community, the United States of America has the second largest Spanish speaking population outside Spain, being the first one in Mexico. According to the North American Academy of the Spanish Language (ANLE, Spanish acronym), over 50 million people speak Spanish in the USA. That said, is the Spanish language blooming there? What is its current situation like? What challenges are awaiting Spanish speakers ahead in the US?

In a recent interview to Gerardo Piña-Rosales, director of the ANLE, recently published in the cultural section of “El País” newspaper, he analyzes the situation of the Spanish language in USA, its specific characteristics and the challenges involved.

ANLE logo

Spanish Language in the USA Today

According to Gerardo Piña-Rosales, Spanish is not flourishing in the US currently but its situation is not negative either. Many people speak it and a vast majority of them are well educated, which definitely contributes to the quality of the language spoken there.

There are quite a few signs of the positive status the Spanish language is currently enjoying in the US. On the one hand, he states that many U.S.-born young people of Latin American parents who stopped speaking Spanish at home are increasingly interested in learning the language. On the other hand, he mentions the fact that many politicians have incorporated Spanish in their speeches and that several TV networks offer content exclusively for Spanish speakers.

However, the Spanish spoken in the US has its own characteristics; it is rich in words and expressions derived from the American English that affect not only the vocabulary used but the way in which sentences and phrases are organized as well. These estadounidismos, as the ANLE calls them, are a clear reflection of the way Latin Americans living in the US try to convey the cultural reality of the country by using their mother tongue. In other words, estadounidismos are words or uses peculiar to Spanish spoken in the United States of America.

Spanglish and its Connection with the Spanish Language in the USA

Mr. Gerardo Piña-Rosales is quite positive when speaking about Spanglish and its connection with the Spanish Language in the USA. He says that those who do not master Spanish need to use Spanglish in order to communicate with other members of the Latin American community in a language different from English. He is convinced that it is a way of depriving themselves of integrating fully with the community but he says that it has a very little influence on the consolidation of Spanish in the US.  According to his own words, it should be seen more as a social phenomenon than as a linguistic one.

Speaking Spanish in the USA: Present and Future Challenges

Mr. Gerardo Piña-Rosales is convinced that the main challenges that the Spanish language faces and will face in the US are related to the presence and growth of certain “hispanophobic” groups that reject or threaten those that speak Spanish. Some of these groups are extremely powerful and can exercise a lot of influence amongst important political and economic sectors.

The other challenge is politically related. If there is no significant and positive economic change soon and if the political climate turns sharply rightwards, it is undeniable that English-only movements will become stronger and, therefore, the space allowed for Spanish speakers will be greatly reduced.

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Upcoming Translation-Related Events in June

Posted On May 28, 2013By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/  No Comments

 

june-translation-events

June will definitely be an interesting and busy month for translators. Look at all the translation-related events that will take place everywhere in the world this month!

June 2013

1st -10th

 Invitation to Participate in the First Workshop of Translation of Children’s Literature

Buenos Aires, Argentina .

3rd -10th:

European Festival of Theatre Translation

Centro Cultural El Torito, Madrid, Spain

5th:

Translation Risk Management (Webinar)

Internationalization Cost Study (Webinar)

7th -8th:

7th Annual National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NICHC) Meeting

“Roots, Rebellion, (R)Evolution: Language Access in Health Care –Past, Present and Future”

Seattle, WA, USA

8th -9th:

European International Conference “New Demands on the Translation Industry”

Proz.com

Porto, Portugal

10th -11th:

TAUS Industry Leaders Forum

TAUS, Dublin, Ireland

12th:

TAUS Machine Translation Showcase

TAUS, London, UK

The meetings are intended to raise awareness about and promote the industry’s informed use of machine translation.

12th -14th:

Localization World London

Localization World LTd, London, UK

It’s an opportunity to exchange information in the language and translation services and technologies market.

13th:

Auditing your Processes and Content for Localization

The workshop will discuss how to evaluate documentation set and processes for reuse, metadata, content componentization, internationalization, terminology and other issues.

The Localization Institute, Golden, Colorado, USA

14th -15th:

InterpretAmerica

4th North American Summit on Interpreting

Reston, VA, USA

17th -28th:

Translation Research Summer School UK

Intensive research training in translation and intercultural studies for prospective researchers in the field.

Universities of Edinburgh and Manchester, University College London, London, UK

18th:

American Translators Association Continuing Education Webinar

“Smoking Guns”: Looking for Evidence and Overcoming Hurdles in Legal Document Review and Translation

23rd -19th July:

The Art of Literary Translation

To bring each student’s translation to the next level of refinement.

Columbia University School of the Arts, Paris, France

24TH -29th:

Edinburgh Interpreting Research Summer School,

Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

This course will be relevant to researchers interested in Conference Interpreting and Public Service Interpreting  alike, for both spoken and signed languages.

25th-26th:

Game QA & Localization 2013

International Quality and Productivity Center, London, UK

28th -30th:

Eighth Conference on Legal Translation, Court Interpreting and Comparative Legilinguistics,

To provide a forum for discussion in those scientific fields where linguistic and legal interests converge, and to facilitate integration between linguists, computer scientists and lawyers from all around the world.

Institute of Linguistics at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland

29th:

9th Conference Iowa Interpreters & Translators Association

Des Moines, IA, USA

 

Do you know of any upcoming event? Send us an email and we will publish it!

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Are You Looking For A Translator? Five Misconceptions You Should Avoid

Posted On May 23, 2013By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

It is a common belief to assume that having a sound knowledge of a second language is enough to become a translator. In fact, some people think no other skill is required to translate any kind of document. As a result, many people tend to downplay the value and effort of these language experts. In this article we’ll look into the five most common misconceptions you should avoid.

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1.     Being bilingual makes anybody a translator

Being bilingual only means that you have a sound knowledge of two languages. However, a translation is not made word by word. Quite on the contrary, translating implies having a deep understanding of the text written in the source language and knowing how to choose the best words and expressions to convey the message accurately in the target language. And not all bilingual people can do this.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot be a good translator unless you have a translation degree. There are plenty of excellent translators who don’t have formal training but, unfortunately, many people think that they are able to translate just by studying four years of a foreign language in high school. Even if you are a fluent speaker, it doesn’t mean that by default you are a good translator. In fact, it doesn’t imply that you can write in that language or translate into it accurately.

2.     Modern translation machines make translations easier and human translators are no longer needed

The translation tools now available in the market are far from being able to provide a reliable and good translation. Since they only translate sentences totally isolated from the context, they are unable to understand the different meanings that a word may have and, therefore, the translated text usually ends up being an unintelligible bunch of words one after the other. In addition, translation machines are totally unaware of the difference that may exist between the word order in the source language and the target one and it is not strange at all to find awkwardly worded sentences that require a human translator to clear the mess.

3.     “The translation is ready. Can you just proofread it for me?”

It is quite frequent to find translation clients that come to freelance translators or agencies asking to proofread and edit a translation done either by a machine or somebody that doesn’t have a thorough knowledge of the source and target languages. But what the client doesn’t know is that editing this kind of translations usually implies retranslating the whole document again almost from scratch, which means that the fee to pay will be higher than a regular proofreading one.

4.     A 5000 word document can be delivered in two hours

Have you ever tried typing 5000 words in two hours? You need to be really quick; therefore, translating the same amount of words in the same time is totally out of the question. It is quite difficult for a translator to estimate how many words he can translate in an hour as it depends on various factors. Amongst them we can mention: the type of text to be translated, the subject matter (a highly technical article rich in specific jargon takes longer than a general text) and the format.

On average, a professional and experienced translator translates around 250 to 500 words per hour so it would take between 10 or 20 hours to work on a 5000 word document. Needless to say, if you hire an agency, a group of translators may work on the text simultaneously so the translation is ready earlier. However, you should always bear in mind that if you expect a high quality translation you definitely need to allow enough time for the translation to be done.

5.     Every text can be translated in one possible way.

Different translators will translate the same sentence in different ways, being all of them correct. Translation, as language, is not an exact science and, therefore, there is no unique correct way of conveying an idea in a different language. It is true, however, that some translations will be more appropriate for the context or more in tune with the target audience. This is why you should always try to hire a translator who is well acquainted with the industry the document is about and the target audience.

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