Dubbing vs. subtitles: a translation rupture
If translation is an effort in faithful recreation, a translator must consider as thoroughly as possible the medium of the source, its essence, and work toward achieving it as the foundation of the translation. For a written text, this can seem (deceptively) simple, for written language has a static quality once on the page, supposedly, […]
The origin of “troll”
For most English speakers, the word troll, out of context, most commonly registers as a noun, perhaps due to the striking imagery it elicits. Cue short, hideous monster-men hiding under a bridge, waiting to capture unknowing passersby. The horror of this imagery is no doubt why the word most strikes us in this manner—as a […]
Singing is the best way to learn a new language
Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net If you want to learn a language, music is the answer. According to a study, carried out a few years ago by French investigator Daniel Schön and his team, singing and listening to songs helps people to learn new languages. The study went a long way to proving that foreign […]
Globalization and translation rates
In general, globalization is highly beneficial to the translation industry, as the ¨geographic¨ (one of many applicable adjectives) expansion of people/culture/industry is closely linked to the acquisition of new languages or, at least, the need to communicate effectively in foreign languages. Thus, a rising demand for translations and translators. Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net It […]
Difficulties of ‘sounding right’ when learning English or Spanish as a second language
When learners of any non-native language reach a level of intermediate-to-advanced comprehension, new preoccupations emerge. In English, we might describe one of these as “speaking so it sounds right”, but of course the crux of this—“sounds”—is not so simple as the statement suggests. Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net One obvious sort of “sound” is pronunciation, […]
Translation errors severely damage branding image, even big brand giants like Mango
Sloppy translations, or translations that are hastily authorized without being sent through a strict screening process based on lots of research and managed by reliable, language professionals, can destroy a business’ reputation. Even Mango, Spain’s fashion giant, isn’t safe from the dangers of translation errors. Last week, Mango made worldwide headlines thanks to an incredibly […]
Translating your website to promote your business
A business website is more than just a mode of offering information about your business, and it’s more than just marketing a product or service. Your website also communicates authority, or legitimacy, if you will. The internet is full of websites representing fly-by-night companies. Making sure that your site doesn’t seem like one of those […]
The Origin of Hashtag
This week we’re starting a new blog series called “The Origin of …” In it, we’ll be discussing the origin of a new word each week, including it’s translations or adaptations in other languages. We begin the series with a word that has become widely recognized among Internet parlance in a short amount of time: […]
Cocoliche and the origins of a regional dialect
Regional differences in the way Spanish is spoken can usually be attributed to either the influence of native languages that exist in a particular area or the languages brought by immigrants that blend with Spanish to create a unique regional dialect. The Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires, as we have discussed in our series on […]
A Call to “Erase” Racism from Spanish
A new campaign is picking up steam to eradicate instances of racism in the Spanish language. The contentious phrase, “trabajar como un negro” (“to work like a black person”), is unifying musicians, famous athletes, and officials in a call to Spain’s Real Academia Española (RAE) to eliminate the phrase for being discriminatory and outdated. The […]
