The verbal richness of the English language is very particular with the variety of phrasal verbs. With the addition of a preposition or an adverb, the meaning of a verb can change dramatically. This brings to the English language a wealth of vocabulary that can make the job of translators and English language teachers a …
Cockney rhyming slang is a group of expressions developed by market traders in East London during the 1800s. To disguise their conversation from passers-by, they created a group of expressions which rhymed with their original meaning.
Today I’m writing about the importance of translators getting together and the difficulties some face to do so. Being a translator is an amazing job, but it is also a very lonely one. Especially if you work as a freelancer. We spend our days in our offices and we have very little physical interaction with …
Why do language variants exist? Translating language variants and different dialects can be a sore subject for translators. Land yourself in the deep Scottish highlands and you will soon find out that you don’t need to cross over the Atlantic to find words and expressions you’ve never heard before. Language variants happen in English, Portuguese, …
There’s much speculation whether in Arts and Languages qualifications are really needed. In subjective areas like Arts, especially, it seems degrees are useless and nothing but fillers because what matters is innate talent. In Languages, degrees are slightly more valued as they present “proof” of the person’s knowledge and ability. We have discussed previously how …
People who work in the field of languages are used to having their skills devalued. After all, language is not a field seen as specific enough like medicine, chemistry or law. Go to any preschool and ask the kids what they want to be when they grow up: scientist, footballer, singer, teacher, plumber… You will …
One of the most relevant areas of both content production and translation is transcreation. Transcreation is the process of adapting a message to its appropriate audience. This means, where translation can’t fill in the cultural gaps, transcreation does. Chiefly used in marketing and advertising, transcreation is essential in the global economy where advertising campaigns must …
A lot of translators are lucky enough to have an umbrella of language-related skills to support their work but let’s face it: when you hire us to translate a text, our job should be limited to switching your message from one language to another taking into account the relevant cultural differences. More than often, though, …
Being transparent is very important for any business, in fact, I believe it should be a fundamental part of every human being. Being honest and upfront will always pay off and be a huge advantage. In translation is no different, especially when a lot of us work as freelancers and we are the face of …
One of the recent issues facing the world of translation is how to make sure translations reflect the need for gender neutrality where this arises. With the reaffirmation of the rights of non-binary gender individuals, there’s a conscious movement to make sure people who don’t follow the conventional male/female gender are addressed in a respectful …
