If you ever spend a couple of days in Buenos Aires or Montevideo, there are great chances that you will hear at least once the word mina in a conversation and, needless to say, without referring to any kind of military device or to the place where precious metals are extracted.

What kind of mina is everybody talking about?  To begin with, we will mention that in the River Plate area mina has a very distinctive meaning since it is one of the most popular terms used in lunfardo. It is part of everyday language of men and women, both young and old. Generally speaking, mina means “woman”.

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 Mina: When A Woman is as Precious as a Jewel

Both in Buenos Aires and in Montevideo, the term mina is traditionally used to refer to a beautiful and sexually attractive woman. The origin of this usage can be traced to the 17th and 18th centuries, when Buenos Aires was a Spanish colony, and groups of slaves were brought from Africa. The slaves that came to America from the old Portuguese African fort of San Jorge de la Mina received the name of Minas. The slave women that came from Cape Verde were especially expensive; their very dark skin and exquisite, exotic beauty made them very sought after by men, who employed them in their houses and used them to satisfy sexual favors.  In the 20th century and now in the 21st, mina is still used to talk about a beautiful woman, especially in informal or colloquial conversations.

According to some language experts, this term of lunfardo derives from the clipping of the Italian word femmina and the contraction of the Galician menina. To these origins we can add the metaphoric language used by procurers since the woman with her body brought them money, just as a mine does any time a precious metal is extracted from it.

Mina: Or How to Talk About a Woman in a Pejorative Way

Even though it may seem paradoxical, it is also quite common to find the word mina used to refer to a woman in a pejorative or derogatory way.

This is quite common in everyday dialogues or when somebody is telling a story in which in some way or another a lady intervenes, whether she is beautiful or not.

Mina: A Tango Word

There are many tangos where we can find the word mina, either because a beautiful woman is the main character or because she is the singer’s elusive object of desire.

In this context, language expert Gobello states that it comes from the Italian slang. On the other hand, etymologist Santillán comes up with two complementary points of view. He mentions that, either it is the Castillian voice mina figuratively meaning any profitable activity or business or it derives from the Italian slang of the camorra in which this voice stands for “donna” and “miniera”, which mean young and beautiful prostitute.

It is also worth mentioning that the word mina has additional meanings in the world of tango. Amongst them we can mention: woman, female, prostitute, woman that lives with a man, woman that lives with a man illegally, concubine and lover.

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Many people mistakenly believe that being bilingual is all it takes to offer a good translation. As a result, people often ask a friend or relative who has studied a foreign language for four or five years in High School to translate a document for them. However, translating can be considered an art and it is much more than a simple word by word exchange. With this being said, what makes a good translation?

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Firstly, can you tell the text is a translation? Does it read smoothly and sound as if it were originally written in the target language? Good translations do not look like ones. They are well written, ideas flow naturally and carry the sense and atmosphere of the original text. The information is presented clearly and any acronyms are correctly translated and/or explained.

It is also important to pay attention to the accuracy of the translation. The original document needs to be respected and translated completely, without missing any word or sentence, but it has to be grammatically correct and have no spelling mistakes as well. A wrongful translation is difficult to read and understand and can also seriously affect the reputation of the person or business organization that requested it.

Other aspect that should not be forgotten is clarity. The translator needs to ensure, when possible, that the final document is uncluttered, clear and has no complex and long sentences. In fact, it is not strange at all that the translated document is much easier to read than the original.

Finally, the audience should also be taken into consideration. This is important in two ways; on the one hand,  the translated text should be culturally appropriate for the target audience. There  should be no references to religious or political figures that may offend the reader or be controversial and the style needs to respect the tone and formality used by the original writer . On the other hand, the reading level of the audience should be accurately matched. For instance, the words used should be more complex and sentences more elaborated if the text will be read by scientists or high skilled professionals and simpler if it is written for newly arrived immigrants.

As you can see, there are several points that can be applied to determine whether the translation you are reading is good or not. You should bear them in mind next time you are handed in a translation.

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Globalization, transnational business organizations and employees working across different countries have made translation services almost a must-have for companies all over the world. In fact, many of them would not be able to function properly if it weren’t for the valuable job that in- house or freelance translators or hired translation agencies do for them. From documents to glossaries, to technical manuals to legal records to signals and memos, almost every corporate piece of paper needs to be written in different languages so that everybody can understand them.

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Translating for the Heavy Industry and Home Appliance Manufacturers

These are probably the less novel and surprising fields for translators to work for. In fact, we are so used to reading users’ manuals in different languages that we tend to forget that a professional translator has worked on them. From instructions on how to use a domestic dishwasher to really long documents with detailed information on how to install, dissemble and use complex industrial machines, the heavy industry and home appliance manufacturers need to rely on translators to make sure that the products they make are used correctly no matter where they are shipped. In general, translators working in this niche do not only have a great command of the language but also a strong technical knowledge, either because they are technicians or engineers themselves or because they’ve been translating that kind of documents for a long time.

Translating for the Health Care and Medical Industry

Over the last years, the demand for translation services for the health care and medical industry has risen. Laboratories and scientific research organizations that publish medical journals, elaborate drugs or do clinical trials need to communicate their findings and discoveries to the medical community across the world. Translating for the healthcare industry is extremely challenging as the language professional needs to be totally proficient in the language he is translating into and understand the text he is translating; a wrong interpretation can be really serious!

Hospitals that receive foreign patients or are considered reference centers to treat certain diseases or conditions also require the services of translators or interpreters not only because they need to ensure that the professionals working there have access to documents and files in their own language but also to make sure that patients understand what’s wrong with them and what healing treatment they can undergo. Many interpreters find this field really rewarding as it implies being in constant relation with people and they can appreciate first hand the benefits of their profession.

Translating in the Internet and Technology Fields

The demand of translation services in the Internet and technology fields is definitely on the rise. This is one of the most interesting areas translators can work for as almost every company across every niche has a website and e-commerce and it has made it almost compulsory for them to be available for a multinational audience. Translating websites not only implies knowing the language but also having a deep understanding of the culture to which the professional is catering. In other words, in this field in particular, the documents not only need to be translated but also localized to make sure they are fully understandable in the target country.

Video Game Translation

Translating video games is a fun and interest niche appealing mainly to young translators who like spending some time playing videogames. The linguist professional not only needs to translate correctly what the different characters are saying but also make sure their message is conveyed in a natural way to the target culture so that the player can really immerse himself in the action proposed by the game.

Translating PR and Marketing Documents

Working as a translator for a PR or marketing  agency can be quite fun as it usually implies reading about products or services that are just about to be launched to a new country, working on slogans or marketing campaigns as a whole. Anyway, these documents need to be translated in such a manner that the right message is clearly conveyed making this translation field one of the most creative and challenging ones to work for as the translator must also bear the cultural background in mind.

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It is a common belief that freelance translators have more fun than those that spend eight hours a day working in a translation agency. From being able to take a short nap to not having to see the grumpy face of a boss, there are hundreds of reasons that contribute to build the idea that working from home is heavenly. But, is this really so? What is the everyday life of a freelance translator like?

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One of the main objectives of a freelance translator is to secure work. Expenses keep on coming and you need to have a more or less steady income. This usually means spending lots of time browsing translation job ads and applying for them, updating your profile on job boards, building a relationship with your clients and accepting jobs at lower rates than expected. As you build up your portfolio and get to know the industry inside and out you can start being pickier and focus on translation jobs that are better paid or that come from customers that request your services more often.

Balancing your family and professional life as a freelance translator is not easy. You are now in charge of many administrative tasks somebody else used to do for you (invoicing, taxes, banking, dealing with clients, and so on) and many times your family fails to understand that you are really working at home and ask you to run some errands for them, for instance.

Besides, working by yourself as a translator can sometimes become boring and you will definitely miss gossiping with your coworkers. Of course you can build long lasting relationships with clients, other translators or project managers over the Internet, but you won’t be able to enjoy that informal chit chat over a cup of coffee as you used to do.

It is also worth mentioning that in your everyday life as a freelance translator it is very likely that you will work for really long hours. At the beginning, you will spend most of your time marketing yourself and then, once you have a regular amount of clients requesting your services, many a time you will find yourself working for twelve or fifteen hours!

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The demand for freelance translator jobs has increased dramatically over the last years. That is not surprising at all: in a globalized world cross cultural interactions require people confident and proficient in more than one language, with a passion to communicate and convey ideas accurately from one language to the other. Even though multilingual people have always been important, they are highly requested nowadays as society is more and more influenced by different cultures. In our last article, we covered the most important aspects of specialization. Let’s review now some of the most interesting translation specializations you should really consider.

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Medical Translators:

As there are faster and less expensive means of transport, people are open to traveling long distances for their holidays and even visit countries in different continents where they do not know the local language. The economic situation also leads people to migrate and many a time they do so to countries where they are totally unfamiliar with the language. Whether travelers or immigrants, they may get ill or they may need to receive a medical treatment and this is where the services of a freelance translator are greatly valued. Doctors many times find it difficult to understand the patient’s symptoms or to explain the diagnosis and treatment to the patient or to his family. Thus, having somebody around that is proficient in both languages and act as a solid bridge that relates the two cultures is very much appreciated.

Legal Translators:

Travelers and immigrants may not be aware of the laws that rule the country they are visiting or living in. In case they get in trouble with the law, a freelance translator may be really useful in explaining to them their wrongdoings, what their punishment would be and the legal procedure to follow.

Historical Translators:

When historians or archaeologists find ancient documents or manuscripts they are very intrigued to understand what is written on them. Many a time historians do not know the language but with the help of freelance translators from related languages they can try to decode what’s written on them.

Academic Translators:

Translators can also help make scientific discoveries available for people all around the world. By translating scripts into different languages everybody can be updated with the latest scientific news.

Translate in The Military Field:

Military organizations often require freelance translation services. Sometimes they need to translate a document, make a document available for the locals or just understand what’s going on in the news.

Translate for Non Profit Organizations

From the Red International Cross, to Doctors Without Borders to UNICEF, there are hundreds of non profit organizations that help people in need all across the world. Freelance translators are required to translate documentation, explain medical or sanitary protocols to the locals or simply help assisting professionals build a strong relationship with people.

As it can be appreciated, there is a wide variety of freelance translation jobs you can undertake. Some of them are far away from spending hours on end typing on a computer, others imply being in constant contact with people and some can satisfy your thirst for adventure.

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In a highly competitive job market, the greater your skillset, the greater your chances are of obtaining employment. This idea holds true for translators today. Specialization is one way for translators to gain an edge on their area of expertise. While the benefits of specialization are ample, translators in obscure languages like Swahili, Tamil, or Burmese have a much less saturated job market and thus specialization is not as necessary. However, for languages that are most commonly used, (Spanish, German, and French) specialization in a particular topic will help distinguish you amongst your peers and gear you towards a certain niche.

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When choosing a specialization, experts in the field like Jill Sommer from Kent State University, suggest picking a subject matter you enjoy and are passionate about. Since many translators are self-taught in their specialization, translators should choose a topic they have a strong affinity towards like health & wellness, finance, technology, politics, or law. Moreover, trying to hone in on a specific subject that does not have much competition like horse racing or fishing may lead to a translator becoming an expert in that field. If you are translator of a language for a specific country try to also choose an issue that is of importance for that nation. For example, if you are translator for Japanese then perhaps choosing the automobile or technology industry would be of value given the economic importance of these divisions to Japan.

For those translators who do decide to take on a specialization, advise your clients as they may be able to provide you with on-site experience, course information, or contacts for gaining further knowledge. For those translators who work as free-lance, specialization is one way to certainly earn more money. As one becomes more accustomed to the terminology and materials in a specific specialization they can begin to take on a bigger work load. Lastly, there are always non-profit and volunteer opportunities that provide great work experiences for practicing a specialization. Remember to not be daunted by taking on a specialization, following a particular interest and sufficient work experience will eliminate any necessity of going back to school. The experience will not only be rewarding but also lead to an increase in work as you become a go-to expert in your specialization of choice.

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