The Differences between Translators and Interpreters
At the most basic level, the difference between a translator and an interpreter is simple: one works with the written word while the other deals with spoken language; however, while each is well-versed in both a source and a target language, a good translator does not necessarily make for a good interpreter and vice versa. […]
Demystifying Internationalization and Localization
Internationalization and localization are two buzzwords that are often bandied about with respect to translations and global commerce. Internationalization and localization are actually two complementary phases of globalization, a critical process for companies with an international presence. While these terms can apply to a pure text translation, they are most often used in reference to […]
International SEO Tips to Expand Your Site’s Reach
With companies looking to reach out to customers around the world, it’s important to understand how to optimize a web site for the international market. One of the best-known methods for improving international page rank and driving traffic to your site is through search engine optimization (SEO). Webmasters employ SEO techniques, which factor in the […]
Internationalized Domain Names Officialy Approved
An Article from NY Times reports: By the middle of next year, Internet surfers will be allowed to use Web addresses written completely in Chinese, Arabic, Korean and other languages using non-Latin alphabets, the organization overseeing Internet domain names announced Friday in a decision that could make the Web more accessible. In an action billed […]
Crowdsourcing Translations: A Loss for Both Translators and Businesses
The use of crowdsourcing to harness the power of the masses to translate web content has become all the rage at behemoth social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. In an attempt to make these sites accessible to a broader user base, the sites are asking users, rather than professional translators, to collaborate on […]
Will 90% of the world’s languages cease to exist?
A program in BBC radio reveals the following: An estimated 7,000 languages are being spoken around the world. But that number is expected to shrink rapidly in the coming decades. In 1992 a prominent US linguist stunned the academic world by predicting that by the year 2100, 90% of the world’s languages would have ceased […]
British companies relying too much on the English Language
English may be the leading international business language and UK companies may still have a head start in the 53 Commonwealth countries where English is spoken, but the National Centre for Languages says that three-quarters of the world’s population speak no English and 94% of English speakers do so only as their second language. Chinese […]
Payment Methods for Freelance Translators in US and Abroad
Translators around the world have never had it so good. With the translation business blooming, they seek to stand a lot from their work. The methods by which translators get paid are many and varied. Many agencies prefer to pay their clients through ACH or Automated Clearing House, in which, it is possible to deposit […]
Delicate work in translation
A letter to the New York Times Book Review complained that Gerald Martin, the biographer of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, had not given due respect to Marquez’s translators. Martin raves about Marquez’s “gorgeous sentences,” but the letter writer complains that he “neglects to mention whether he read those sentences in Spanish or English.” I have often […]
Translators Wanted at LinkedIn. The Pay? $0 an Hour.
About half of the 42 million members of LinkedIn, the online professional networking Web site, are outside the United States, and to further expand internationally, the company hopes to be translated into more than its current four languages — English, Spanish, French and German. But when LinkedIn asked thousands of its translator members to complete […]
