. . La Pincoya Translations

Pleonasm (Not a Nasal Disorder)

2013-02-20T15:31:00.002-08:00

Lately I have been noticing a lot of repetition in both written and spoken English. It strikes me as interesting that a language that favors conciseness has such a strong tendency to repeat itself. There is even a name for this useless wordy verbiage: pleonasm. As usually happens with things, the more I take note of pleonasm, the more it seems to spread. Well, actually, repetitiveness is not becoming more common, it's just that my awareness of it has expanded. For example, just a few days ago someone reminded me not to write "please RSVP" on some invitations, and that very day I received an invitation in the mail requesting that I "please RSVP" for a different event. Not long after that I saw some tuna fish in the store and I couldn't help but wonder: Is anyone not aware that tuna is fish? Then I heard someone preface a comment with: "for all intents and purposes." Therefore, with this barrage of pleonasms on my mind, I have started to wonder which ones are acceptable because of their idiomatic usage and which ones are errors? I mean, trial and tribulation, assault and battery, and cease and desist all seem like well established phrases in our language, and it is interesting to note that those I just thought of all have some sort of legal implication and/or usage. However, phrases like black darkness, repeat again, meet together, and reply back, just seem to me to be erroneous. And another thing: iterate already means to say something repeatedly, so why does everyone say reiterate? It drives me crazy, but reiterate is a valid word.

So...I'd love to hear from all of you word junkies and language professionals out there regarding this post. When is pleonasm acceptable (in your opinion, or enlighten us with facts)? When do you frown upon repetition or actively seek to use it? Have you heard any other redundantly repetitive expressions lately?

When Subtitling Goes Wrong

2013-01-31T14:44:00.002-08:00

Subtitling is another area of the translation profession that is very publicly humiliated when done badly. I know that subtitles are sometimes machine translated, but, really? Can't someone proofread them? On the other hand, there is a lot of enjoyment to be gleaned from fabulous screen shots with poorly translated captions, so read them and (try not to) weep.

I don't know if I could have phrased it any more descriptively...

In the form of APARTMENTS?! No! What an entrepreneurial bastard!

Hmmm...wonder why the translator didn't just translate that word, then?

No comment...

Tatwos

2013-01-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

Even Tattoo Clients Need Translators...

...And Proofreaders

Touch Woody

2013-01-04T17:09:00.002-08:00

I have heard this story in countless language classes and professional lectures, and I am sure you have, too: Chevrolet made a major marketing and translation misstep when they released the Nova in Latin America because of the irony of naming a vehicle "no va" or "doesn't run/go." The veracity of this popular and humorous story has been often called in to question, and Gerald Erichsen's argument on About.com that it is just a tall tale is very convincing. Aside from the nitty gritty of fact verification, though, the point behind the story is painfully important. So, I like to think of the Nova story as more of a fable for language translators, except instead of a tortoise and a hare and the moral of "slow and steady wins the race," we have a car and a corporation and the moral "you can't freaking be careful enough with language that is translated or used in different cultural and linguistic settings!" On that note, for your reading pleasure, please enjoy the collection of translation fables that follow and message me if you have one to add!

You know about IKEA'S popular and inexpensive furniture with very Swedish names that are often a challenge for English speakers, right? How do you feel about buying the FARTFULL work bench (it even has space under the seat!)
(Copied from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/10/06/60minutes/main239219.shtml) 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace, known for his tough interviewing style, drew a sharp rebut from Boris Yeltsin - thanks to a translator's error. The confusion arose when Wallace asked Yeltsin if he had a "thin skin" when it came to public criticism, but the translation had Wallace describing Yeltsin as a "thick-skinned hippopotamus." Yeltsin was not amused."An experienced journalist like yourself," Yeltsin said, "should express himself in a more civilized fashion. But this may be the translator's fault, and if so, he is the hippopotamus!" (Note from Alayne: Actually, it sounds like this was an interpreter's mistake, not a translator's mistake.)
A Swedish company named Locum sent out some cards a number of years back. To be cute, they replaced the "o" in their name with a heart.Think about it.Yeah, oooops!
Are you in the market for a body bag? Hopefully not in the USA. But if you were in Germany you might look for one since that is what some Germans refer to a one-strapped backpack as!
Also in Germany, the word "mist" means manure. How do you think the products "Mist Stick" (a hair product) and "Irish Mist" (a beverage) went over in that market?!
I saved the best for last. Have you heard the one about Panasonic's touchscreen product launches? They secured the star Woody Woodpecker for their campaign and their slogan was: "Touch Woody - The Internet Pecker." WOW!

ZOMBIE NOUNS!

2012-11-27T13:50:00.002-08:00

Helen Sword wrote about zombie nouns as an op ed in the New York Times last summer, and I have been thinking about them more and more often as I notice examples cropping up all over the place. The problem with living dead verbiage, or nominalizations, is the pomposity of the presumption to ply readers with an excessiveness of wordiness. Did you get that? Probably not. It's a lot easier and more direct to just say that zombie nouns make sentences unnecessarily wordy and pompous. If you haven't already caught on from my example above, a nominalization is the creation of a noun by fusing a noun ending (like -ism, -ity, or -ness) onto a verb or an adjective. The irony is that the name nominalization is in itself a zombie noun, isn't it?! Here is Ms. Sword's definition: "Nouns formed from other parts of speech are called nominalizations. Academics love them; so do lawyers, bureaucrats and business writers. I call them “zombie nouns” because they cannibalize active verbs, suck the lifeblood from adjectives and substitute abstract entities for human beings." Wonderful!

This is your warning to steer clear of the zombies and viva active verbs! Or, if you like the living dead, join the comment conversation below to make a few new blood-sucking zombies...

Ebonics and ESL?

2012-11-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

I just read an article called "Watch Your Language" in the most recent edition of Sarah Lawrence College's magazine entitled The Will to Live. Because the college emphasizes and practices teaching through small group lectures, the magazine often features an article based on a partial transcript of the roundtable discussion that takes place between students and professor. This one particularly interested me because it takes on the issue of the Oakland, CA school board's decision to recognize Ebonics, or in linguistic terms African American Vernacular English, as a language, making speakers of Ebonics ESL students in that district.
Since many of you out there who read my blog are fellow Sarah Lawrence graduates for whom this type of dialogue is natural and/or linguists, translators, and language instructors who thrive on matters of the tongue, I thought that it would be brain candy to get a discussion going. I have posted the short two-page article here for you to read, as well as links to the Sarah Lawrence magazine website. Read up if you're interested. Then, post your ideas here. Are Ebonics and English distinct languages? Is it appropriate to educate Ebonics speakers as ESL students?

Mosey On Home

2012-11-13T18:41:00.001-08:00

You always say walk. Why not use stroll, amble, wander, meander, mosey, march, trudge, saunter, or stride? English is pretty wonderful in its richness and nuance. Do you appreciate the fact that we can differentiate between walking confidently and walking with a purpose without using a single adjective?! I do. Spanish offers us several options as well; for example, you can caminar, patear, recorrer, pasear, or marchar. Today I challenge you refresh and broaden the range of words you employ. Let's ditch our habitual words and phrases and challenge our brains and tongues. Add some synonyms to my list in either English or Spanish...or get a new one going!

Cake-tastrophe!

2012-11-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

As you know, yesterday I wrote about people using poor spelling in their routine on- and off-line correspondence and on their social spaces like Facebook and Twitter. It made me remember a book I saw years ago at a friend's house called Cake Wrecks, which you can check out here. The author is Jen Yates, and I found her blog, Cake Wrecks, which is just as hilarious and pithy as that book I flipped through.

Translation often involves working in conjunction with transcribers, and I have often found myself in the position of having to interpret what a transcriber has written due to spelling or other mistakes that happen in the process of transcribing. These cakes are a really funny testament to the cake decorator's role as a part-decorator, part-transcriber (all courtesy of cakewrecks.com). I only wish that these bakeries had had a translator or an editor to catch their terrible transcriptions and spelling and punctuation mishaps!

Dose spilling rilly mater?

2012-11-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Poor grammar and spelling mistakes are two things that I am apt to notice right off the bat. Even my fiancé, who isn't nearly as nit-picky or sensitive to language variation as I am, complains rather frequently about how often he encounters spelling errors in his day-to-day business and personal correspondence. Why is this? Have we gotten so lazy about communication and taken our casual channels of communication, like email, twitter, Facebook, and IM, to such an extreme that we don't even care if our language is correct as long as it is communicative.
   Most of us have seen this well-circulated example of how our brains can comprehend a passage even if every word is spelled incorrectly: "Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."
     It is an interesting cognitive ability, yet when we refer to it in terms of the importance of spelling, you must take into account the many years of schooling we have all had to get to where we are now. If we didn't already have a solid knowledge of spelling, would we still be able to comprehend the passage above? If we all forsake spelling rules and begin writing carelessly, will our English still be the same language in a few generations?
I read an article today on FinancialTimes.com called If You Want a Job, Learn Your It's and Its. It's an extremely interesting article that I'd suggest you read. The author, Michael Skapinker, quotes several employers who claim that they would not hire someone who made spelling errors such as confusing "it's" with "its" or "they're" for "there" or "their." These employers are skeptical about such a person's ability to pay attention to details on other tasks, as well as the cause of their inability to straighten these problems out in the twenty plus years prior to seeking work at the companies in question.
     As a translator, I am a writer and a lover of language, so spelling errors often feel like garlic to my inner writer vampire. Maybe we can raise awareness and help some people correct their "your" and "you're" usage! Okay, probably not, but at least we can laugh! Besides the few examples I mentioned here, what are some of the other most frustratingly common spelling mistakes (in English or Spanish) that you see around? Comment below and let's get a conversation and a good laugh going!

What Are Your Tips for Higher Productivity?

2012-10-31T15:23:00.003-07:00

Image courtesy of Boaz Yiftach / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes it can be challenging to be productive. There. I admitted it. But, I know I am not alone. We all strive to be better, faster, and more productive, but it can be a challenge when there are people chatting nearby and distracting you, the person in the cubicle next door keeps asking you questions, or Facebook keeps calling you back with its siren call and tempting you to either cyberdrop (that's my new term for eavesdropping on the internet) or barrage your friends with TMI. As an independent freelancer who works from a home office, some of those distractions can be equally powerful, though different, for example: the unwashed dishes in the sink (and then after that the vacuuming that kinda needs to be done), kids, and the long open hours of...self management. With all of that in mind, I thought I would throw a few thoughts out about the strategies I use to help keep my nose to the ground (What am I, a dog?! Don't answer that.). That being said, I would really love it if you add your comments to the site below the article, or send them via email so I can add them.

Tip #1: Dress for success...but make sure success feels good.

I have heard that you should dress for the job you want, not the job you have, and I really love that concept. No matter how much we wish it were different, how we look and what we wear has an influence not only on how others perceive us, but also on how we feel and how productive we are. So, it's a fantastic idea to look great for work. However, if all you can think about is the blisters on your feet from those heels or how tight the waistband is on your dress trousers, that is not a good precursor for productivity. Make sure that you look great and also feel great so that you can focus on what needs to get done. Even if nobody else is going to see you because you work from home and conduct most of your business via the internet, it is really important that you get up and get dressed and feel like the successful entrepreneur that you are. As far as I know, nobody who is not an athlete ever achieved greatness in sweatpants.

Tip #2: Drink a lot of Water.

I sometimes have to try hard to remember to drink enough water throughout the day, not only because I know it is one of the best things I can do for my body, but also because I really believe that it helps me get my work done. If I try to sit at my desk for hours on end and bang out a lot of work, it can often be tiring and counterproductive. Yet if I am drinking water all day and taking frequent but short trips to the restroom, I feel hydrated and I have a chance to get up and stretch my legs and give my brain a two-minute break, which makes it easier to focus when I get back to my desk.

Tip #3: Work on One Thing at a Time.

I always get into trouble when I try to do too many things at once. I feel overloaded, and that can be almost paralyzing. I find it useful to focus on just one thing at a time. A useful tool for doing that is making lists with realistic tasks. For example, "get more clients" is not a realistic task, but "email the two new leads I got" is.

Tip #4: Separate Work Space for Work.

Mixing work with personal distractions doesn't work well. We all know which one usually wins. So, if you work at home, keep your office, or at least your desk, and your working hours sacred. Do not let personal business creep in. Likewise, in the office, don't make your office or desk a chatter zone or else you and you colleagues will be chattering all day. Use your work space for work, and when you just have to share a story, do it during a break time in a separate location like the office kitchen or outside.

I hope some of those tips were useful to you in some way, and if you are still reading, thank you! Go to the comment box below and add a note for me and my readers. Then...get back to work!

Reactions to the ATA Conference in San Diego

2012-10-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

What did I do last weekend? Thanks for asking! I was able to attend the American Translators Association's annual conference on Saturday, October 27. Unfortunately I couldn't attend the event every day, but Saturday was well worth it. I felt like this was a very fun and valuable experience, so I wanted to share my reactions.

8:30-9:30 Essential Anatomy and Physiology for Judiciary Interpreters by Jennifer de la Cruz

I am not primarily an interpreter, yet I found this presentation to be very well structured, well presented, and interesting. I am currently finishing up my translation certificate at UCSD and working on a medical specialty, so it was interesting to compare the presenter's experiences and the information she gave us with the content of the course I am currently in. I feel like I learned a few great tips and a lot of good medical terminology. Jennifer de la Cruz also followed up immediately with the emailed materials she promised.

10:00-11:00 Creating a Website for Your Translation/Interpreting Business by Tess Whitty

This was another very good session. Tess Whitty executed a very nice presentation. I felt like I had figured a lot of it out on my own already, but I was glad to know that this is one of the websites that she recommends! I also took a few of her suggestions to heart, which you'll see in a few changes I have already made and planned to make to this website.

11:30-12:30 My Tijuana Family by Rogelio Camacho

My favorite session! It was so FUN! The entire hour was devoted to Mexican slang, and Rogelio Camacho talked about each term and its meaning and context while we jotted down the English equivalents. It was fast, lively, and super interesting, and I now know that Abuelita de Batman! means Heck yeah! in Tijuana.

2:00-3:15 Machine Translation in Practice by Mike Dillinger

A couple of colleagues/friends and I decided to check this session out to see what the whole machine translation scene is about. Overall I found the presenter to be very knowledgeable and he did a superb job. It was nice to broaden my horizons a bit because I didn't even really know what post-editing was until after this session.

3:45-5:00 Improving Your Negotiation and Communication Skills as a Freelancer by Ioana Radoi

This was my second highlight of the day. I loved Ioana's style of deeply involving the audience. It turned into a sort of forum in which many different professionals in different stages of their careers shared tips with each other about getting work, pricing, and so much more. It was extremely informative, interesting, and fun!

Welcome to San Diego ATA Conference-Goers!

2012-10-24T16:55:00.001-07:00

Welcome to San Diego, fellow translators! Tomorrow marks the beginning of the American Translators Association's 53rd annual conference. Since so many language professionals will be gathering this weekend in America's Finest City, I thought that I would provide a few tips and links to help everyone out with their eating and entertainment dilemmas. I am a native San Diegan and I currently reside here as well, so please feel free to shoot me a comment or email if you have any questions!

COMER

Kono's Surf Club Cafe is one of my friend Karen's favorites. Come here to check out a San Diego beach community, Pacific Beach, and get some great breakfast, burgers, or coffee!

If you love Thai food like I do and you also appreciate a moody culturally-rich ambiance, try Rama. The food is great AND you'll feel like you just got back from vacation when you walk outside after your meal.

Hodad's is a local favorite for giant burgers, fries, and milkshakes. You can check out their original location in Ocean Beach, or be one of the first few thousand people to savor a burger in their newish downtown locale.

Phil's BBQ is reputed to be one of the best barbeque spots in the city. I know others have their favorites, but Phil's has always treated my tasted buds with respect!

This is another local favorite that ALWAYS draws crowds. Lucha Libre is Mexican fare with a twist...and a headlock! Be prepared to fight your way to the front of the line if you decide to eat here.

Old Town is a great place to go if you are feeling extremely touristy. I like to walk around and get fresh cinnamon and strawberry tortillas from a street side vendor. The restaurants are mostly Mexican-American style and will definitely satisfy your craving for something cheesy (double entendre intended).

TOMAR

Café Lulu is a hip coffee shop and hookah lounge downtown. If you just want a coffee and a pastry but you want to get a little bit more local flavor and less Starbucks, try this cute sidewalk cafe.

For a glass of wine with a colleague, consider Voyou. The owner is extremely friendly, the atmosphere is very modern and clean yet intimate, and the food and wine are excellent.

Try Starlite's signature cocktails paired with a delicious dinner!

DISFRUTAR

The Titanic Halloween Masquerade might be up your alley if you packed your costume and you like to get out and enjoy the nightlife. You're just in time this weekend to partake in not just the professional development and networking but also the disguised revelry and haunts. For other spooky events click here.

If you are still in town on Sunday and you are in the mood to get out and do something mellow, the Hillcrest Farmer's Market is the perfect option. Hillcrest is just a couple of miles north of downtown, and the Sunday market is full of great vendor options for fresh produce, gifts, prepared foods, or just to get out and see the locals.

Value Isn't Real

2012-10-24T16:21:00.004-07:00

Value is how much someone will pay for something, but it is constantly changing. If a simple plastic bottle of water is worth $0.89 in a bulk package at Albertsons, $1.29 at a gas station down the road, $4.00 at the movie theater, $5.00 at Disneyland, $12.00 at the top of Machu Picchu, and nothing at all if it is lying on the sidewalk, what is the true value of that bottle of water? The truth is that it has no value because value isn't real. What is real is our desire for the product or service in question. Do I want it badly enough to buy it here and now or can I wait?

This picture got me thinking about cross-cultural value. At first it's just funny to see the two different prices on the same sign for the exact same product the only difference being the languages in which the product is marketed. When you think again, though, monetary value is extremely subjective. What we spend our money on and what things and services we covet are very culturally-specific. Whether you would spend your extra money on some new rims, a gift for someone, an outing for the family, some food, or a manicure, and how much you would spend on these items...these are decisions that are positively dripping with cultural background.

So, I understand this sign a bit better from the cultural perspective. But I am definitely going to speak Spanish when I go shopping there!

"This She-Wolf Is a Reward to My Kinsman."

2012-10-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Did you think the first known sentence in the history of the English language would be more romantic? Perhaps something like, "Thou hath killeth my father henceforth I whilst killeth you!"? Or more practical, like, "Churneth thou butter with more haste, woman!" Nope. According to Bill Bryson in The Mother Tongue, "This she-wolf is a reward to my kinsman," is the first known example of Anglo-Saxon writing in Britan. Hmm. Apparently it was inscribed on a small medallion about the size of a fifty-cent coin and was found three decades ago buried in a field. It seems that back then the payback policy wasn't you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, bro; it was you help me work my fields and I'll give you a wild killer female dog that will scratch you all over and it even has a gift tag, bro. Interesting. Although, if the Anglo-Saxons defined she-wolf in any way resembling Shakira's definition, that might not have been so bad. Anyway, The Mother Tongue is so full of interesting facts and details about English that it sent me on a web search to see what else I could find out there about the origins of my mother tongue (and my mother's tongue). One of the results was this hilarious cartoon version of the history of English, which I think linguists, clients, and friends alike will appreciate and perhaps even learn from:

Bad Chistes

2012-10-16T15:25:00.001-07:00

I know you think you are too good for these bilingual bombers, but I also know that you are laughing inside.

¿Por qué el mar es azul? Porque los peces hacen blue blue blue.
¿Por qué los cocodrilos son alargados, verdes y grandes? Porque si fueran redondos, rojos y pequeños serian tomates.
¿Por qué un libro de matemáticas se quiere suicidar? Porque tiene muchos problemas.
¿Por qué los peces no van a la escuela? Porque se les mojarían los libros.

What did the fish say when he hit a concrete wall? “Damn.”
What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho Cheese.
What do you call Santa’s helpers? Subordinate Clauses.
What do you call four bull fighters in quicksand? Quatro sinko.
What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.
What’s the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef.

ATA's 53rd Annual Conference

2012-10-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

A few of the great sessions I am excited about this year:

Best Practices for Spanish Technical Writing

Mario E. Chávez
(Saturday, 8:30am-9:30am; Advanced; Presented in: Spanish)

Español neutro: Esa lengua inexistente a la que muchos traducimos
Aurora Humarán
(Saturday, 10:00am-11:00am; All Levels; Presented in: Spanish)

Interpreting Slang and Taboo Language for the Courts
Alfonso Villasenor
(Friday, 3:45pm-5:00pm; All Levels; Presented in: English and Spanish)

My Tijuana Family
Rogelio Camacho
(Saturday, 11:30am-12:30pm; All Levels; Presented in: Spanish)

Dilemmas in the Co-Construction of Pain Ratings among Providers, Language Interpreters, and Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Patients
Claudia V. Angelelli
(Friday, 11:30am-12:30pm; Advanced; Presented in: English)

Intersections of Theory and Practice: Translation Studies in the Classroom
Ben Van Wyke, Rosemary Arrojo, Brian Baer, and Claudia Angelelli
(Saturday, 2:00pm-3:15pm; All Levels; Presented in: English)

Tootle Him With Vigor

2012-10-11T14:34:00.003-07:00

Badly translated materials. They abound. And, of course, grammatical and lexical errors are hardly limited to translators; just the other day at a gas station I paid by debit card at the pump and there was a sign posted that I should push the green button if I wanted to "except" the transaction. Sigh. Well, let's just enjoy them, then, shall we? Here's a list of some infamous and hilarious translations.I hope you tootle with vigor today!

The Dairy Association's huge success with the campaign "Got Milk?" prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention that the Spanish translation read "Are you lactating?"

In a Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.

In an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.

In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency: Take one of our horse-driven city tours -- we guarantee no miscarriages.

In a Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk."

Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer From Diarrhea."

Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."

In a Tokyo bar: "Special today for the ladies with nuts."

In a Rhodes tailor shop: "Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation."

Puffs tissues tried to introduce its product in German only to learn that "Puff" in German is a colloquial term for a whorehouse.

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: "Would you like to ride your own ass?"

In a Rome laundry: "Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time."

A hotel notice in Madrid: If You Wish Disinfection Enacted In Your Presence, Please Cry Out For The Chambermaid

An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I Saw the Potato" (la papa).

Pepsi's "Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation" translated into Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave" in Chinese.

The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Kekoukela", meaning "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "kokou kole", translating into "happiness in the mouth."

When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." The company thought that the word "embarazar" (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant!"

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.

The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem-Feeling Free", was translated into the Japanese market as "When smoking Salem, you will feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty".

Ford had a problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped. The company discovered that the word Pinto was Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals".

When Kentucky Fried Chicken entered the Chinese market, they discovered that their slogan "finger lickin' good" was translated as "eat your fingers off".

Frank Perdue was no better off. This chicken magnate's slogan: "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" was rendered in Spanish as "It takes a hard man to make a chicken aroused."

In a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

In the office of a Roman doctor: Specialist in women and other diseases.

In an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new leather first class seats in the Mexican market, it translated its "Fly In Leather" campaign literally, which meant "Fly Naked" (vuela en cuero) in Spanish.

From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.

Two signs from a Moroccan shop entrance: - English well speaking / - Here speeching American.

Tokyo hotel's rules: Guests are requested not to smoke and do other disgusting behaviors in bed.

In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur Coats Made For Ladies From Their Own Skin.

The sign at the concierge's desk in an Athen's hotel:" If You Consider Our Help Impolite, You Should See The Manager.

A notice in a Vienna hotel: In Case Of Fire Do Your Utmost To Alarm The Hall Porter.

Detour sign in Kyushi, Japan: Stop: Drive sideways.

OSHA Glossary of Construction Terms

2012-07-28T10:11:00.003-07:00

Great new glossary for translators! While working on an engineering translation today, I found a great new resource.It is OSHA's dictionary of construction terms, and it can be found here: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/spanish/osha_construction_terms_spen.html#.

Swordfish II CAT tool by Philippa

2012-06-08T07:19:00.002-07:00

3-minute review of Swordfish II CAT tool by Philippa http://blog.philippahammond.net/2011/03/04/3-minute-review-of-swordfish-ii-cat-tool/ As part of my professional certification program in Spanish/English translation at UC San Diego, I was asked to do some reading on other translation bloggers' sites. I thought that I would share my thoughts on one of those articles here. The bloggers name is Philippa, and this is her blog:http://blog.philippahammond.net. I chose to read this article about Swordfish II because I have been really interested in CAT tools lately, and I have been trying to decide if I should invest in one or just use free ones for now. This article was a review of the Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) program Swordfish II. The blogger wrote her own personal review of its features and capabilities as well as her reactions as a professional translator. The author organized her review into the following sections: flexibility, file formats, layout, terminology search integrations, verdict, and downsides. I will organize my summary and reactions by section, so that I summarize and react to each of her sections in one paragraph, and then move on to the next in another paragraph. Let me know if you have any questions! In regard to flexibility, she liked that it is cross-platform, which allows her to use it on any computer; this is something that I didn’t realize was a rarity. She mentions that the license can be transferred between multiple computers, but that it is a bit of a pain to have to always disable and enable again. This is an interesting point that she makes. There are so many logistics to consider before committing to a program like this that I never even imagined. For example, I do have two computers, and it would be annoying to have to always go through the extra steps to enable and disable. However, I am not totally sure that I would need to use a program like this on multiple computers, as I usually use my laptop. It is great to get thinking about these details, though. In the file formats section she wrote that Swordfish can take a very wide variety of file formats, which the program converts to XLIFF to edit and then automatically back to their original format. This is a whole other aspect that I just haven’t had to think about yet. Most of the translations jobs that I have had so far have been in very standard file formats like PPT, word, and excel, but this is another future consideration that seems important to keep in mind. As far as layout, she writes that it is very simple and clean, and the user doesn’t need complicated instructions to use it. This seems especially great to me, as one of the most intimidating parts of thinking of CAT programs like Swordfish is thinking about how much time I imagine it will take me to learn how to use it! Like everyone else, I am so busy and I crave simplicity. The author, Philippa, also mentions that in terms of terminology search integration this CAT is very useful because it can simultaneously search with tools like Linguee, IATE, Google Translate, and Termium Plus while you work. This seems like a very interesting feature because you can avoid having a million screens and tabs open, which can be maddening. As for downsides, she says it can be on the slow side. Seeing as I am new to CATs, I am not really sure just how slow slow is, or how long it would take me to build up a big enough TM to worry about that. Philippa’s verdict is that, “The PC version of Swordfish could certainly run a lot faster than it does, but the program does offer a very great deal for its relatively small price tag, and I think it has the edge on cross-platform interoperability. Its integration of the main online terminology search tools makes it feel like a ‘translator’s translation tool’. The support offered is also extremely responsive, in my experience.” Overall, I thought that her review was really useful, practical, and comprehensive. Finally, she added a link about getting a free trial, which I think I just may do! (30-day free trial. See www.maxprograms.com for more screenshots and details.)

2012 Translation Resolution

2012-01-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! What are your resolutions for this year? My main personal resolution is to remember to slow down and enjoy my life at least once every day. That means that even in the midst of my busiest days, I have to stop at some point, even if it is just for five or ten minutes, to smile, be grateful, and BE HAPPY. It is working so far. Professionally, I want to spread the word about my services in a much bigger way, using this blog, social media, and my Elance page (if you haven't visited Elance, check out my Elance widget to the right). I just read an article today in which the author commented that as good as a translation is, it always varies from translator to translator and never says exactly what the original text says.I understand the author's point;the very word "translation" implies variance from the original. Yet, is that a negative frustrating thing? The author seems to think so. I, however, disagree. A translator's work is to understand the source text completely and convey it in a new way, in a new language, for a new audience. An exact copy of what is being said wouldn't be desirable in that it would probably not resonate in the same way with the new audience as it did with the original audience. Therefore, a translator must take some license to make choices that convey the original message as accurately as possible FOR THE NEW AUDIENCE and in the new language. What do you think?

The Art of Translation

2011-12-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Translating is a unique art form in that it does not require the formation of original materials, as writing or painting do; however, it is possible that for the same reason the process of translating is an even more delicate type of creation. Not only must the translator be intently focused on capturing the meaning and spirit of the original text, as well as any messages that the author may have conveyed indirectly, but he or she must then imbue this faithful rendition of the original with a new spirit which makes it accessible to a completely different culture and a reader with a very different perspective, background, and thought processes.

Bea Basso, an Italian/English translator who was interviewed by NPR several years ago, commented on the process of vocabulary use in a way that gives it a sort of choose-your-own-adventure mystique: "There is no such thing as a literal translation, by nature of choosing one word or another, you influence the next step." While this is true, a finished translation involves much more than changing words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs from one language to another. Tone, context, punctuation rules and standards, norms for abbreviation usage, target audience, customs, traditions and so much more all become integral aspects of a phenomenal translation. Basso noted this as well: "All of a sudden I was a translator of gestures, traditions, customs, ways of behaving even — how many kisses do you give to people when you enter a room."

Read NPR's interview here.