On the global stage, Canada is generally regarded as a polite and developed country that by and large has its act together. Intermixed with the good-natured stereotype of well-mannered hockey fans who love their beer and their Tim Hortons, there are however some misconceptions. No, it is not cold all the time. No, not all Canadians love maple syrup. And the biggest one of all – No, not all Canadians speak French.

On the global stage, Canada is generally regarded as a polite and developed country that by and large has its act together. Intermixed with the good-natured stereotype of well-mannered hockey fans who love their beer and their Tim Hortons, there are however some misconceptions. No, it is not cold all the time. No, not all Canadians love maple syrup. And the biggest one of all – No, not all Canadians speak French.

This distinction is important if you are in the market for a Canadian translation agency, and the misconception is largely due to confusion amongst Canada’s neighbors to the south. The United States has no official language. It has many different languages (more than 350), with English being the most common, but no official language or languages. So when people from the US learn that the two official languages of Canada are English and French, many assume that means that everyone there is bilingual.

Where in Canada Do People Speak French?

Many people in Canada do speak French, and they do so from the easternmost province of Newfoundland all the way to the western shores of British Columbia, but total French speakers make up only about 21% of the population. When people assume that all Canadians speak French, what they are actually thinking of are parts of Canada, namely the province of Quebec. Other areas like New Brunswick also have a solid number of native French speakers in Canada, but the only place in Canada where the majority language is French is Quebec.

Quebec

In the province of Quebec and in its largest city Montreal, approximately 95% of people speak French. What’s more, French is the sole official language of Quebec, and there are more people who speak only French than people who speak both French and English. It is for this province that your agence de traduction may need to employ its French translators.

The French Language Police

In Quebec, there is an organization known as the OQLF (Office québécois de la langue française) that works to preserve the local French language and prevent the encroachment of anglicisms into the language. In France, for example, it is common to refer to an email as “un mail,” borrowing from the English term. In Canadian French, however, government correspondence and public signs must call an email “un courriel.” The OQLF is also making efforts to prevent the use of the word “selfie,” suggesting instead “égoportraits,” and want “ghosting” someone to be called “fantomisation.” These efforts are made to preserve the integrity of Canadian French, and though the organization is sometimes criticized for being too extreme and finicky in its efforts, it has gotten good results.

Should I Translate into French for a Canadian Audience?

An APlus Translations representative can help you decide what is best for your particular project, but normally if you are targeting the Quebec market, then yes. And you’ll want to make sure you use Canadian French translation services to give your document that local Quebec flavor. C’est le fun!

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Chinese families in Vancouver have a long and storied history that stretches from the original workers on the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 1800s to today’s immigrants and families of substantial wealth who come to Vancouver for business and educational opportunities for their children. The cosmopolitan city itself is renowned for being the most multicultural in Canada, and out of the city’s total population, a whopping 20% speak Chinese. Of those who speak another language at home and thus give the city its multicultural crown, almost half speak Chinese.

Like Vancouver itself, the topic of Chinese translation is nuanced. Two essential questions must be asked – “Which Chinese language?” and “How is it written?”

Mandarin vs Cantonese

There are many forms of Chinese, and the two most popular, Mandarin and Cantonese, can be classified as different dialects of the same language (like US English and UK English). Unlike US and UK English, however, they are not mutually comprehensible. So while someone from the US and someone from the UK could generally communicate with one another with limited difficulty and only slight variations in vocabulary and accent, speakers of Mandarin and speakers of Chinese would find it much, much more difficult to converse with one another.

Across the world, there are significantly more Mandarin than Cantonese speakers (1.1 billion versus less than 100 million), and that is largely because Mandarin is spoken in massive mainland China and is the country’s official language. Cantonese is more commonly found in Macau, the Guangdong province, and especially Hong Kong, where it is spoken by about 96% of the population.

Mandarin vs Cantonese in Vancouver

With over ten times more Mandarin than Cantonese speakers in the world, it may come as a bit of a surprise that Vancouver has roughly the same number of speakers of each. This is the same case, however, in other North American cities with a large Chinese influence like San Francisco and Seattle, and it is basically due to the fact that traditionally the largest number of immigrants have come from China’s Guangdong region where Cantonese is spoken. In fact, there used to be much more Cantonese than Mandarin spoken in Vancouver, and only recently have numbers started to balance out.

Traditional versus Simplified Chinese in Vancouver

Now things get a bit more complicated, or less, depending on your perspective. Both Mandarin and Cantonese use the same system for writing characters. So while the different speakers would not be able to converse, they could both read and understand the same text. There is of course a caveat – Chinese has two forms of writing, Traditional and Simplified. These cannot typically be read and understood by someone who only knows one of the two forms of writing.

Traditional versus Simplified Chinese in Vancouver

Now things get a bit more complicated, or less, depending on your perspective. Both Mandarin and Cantonese use the same system for writing characters. So while the different speakers would not be able to converse, they could both read and understand the same text. There is of course a caveat – Chinese has two forms of writing, Traditional and Simplified. These cannot typically be read and understood by someone who only knows one of the two forms of writing.

Traditional versus Simplified Chinese in Vancouver

Now things get a bit more complicated, or less, depending on your perspective. Both Mandarin and Cantonese use the same system for writing characters. So while the different speakers would not be able to converse, they could both read and understand the same text. There is of course a caveat – Chinese has two forms of writing, Traditional and Simplified. These cannot typically be read and understood by someone who only knows one of the two forms of writing.

First things first, Traditional does not equal Cantonese and Simplified does not equal Mandarin, or vice-versa. Both Traditional and Simplified Chinese are seen in Vancouver, typically depending on where the audience is historically from and whether or not the audience speaks Mandarin or Cantonese.

Is the Best Translation into Mandarin or Cantonese? Simplified or Traditional?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for English to Chinese document translation. You need to know your audience, where they’re from, what dialect they speak, and what form of writing they most commonly use. Generally speaking, if the audience is from mainland China, you should lean towards Simplified Mandarin. If the audience is from Hong Kong or Macau, Traditional Cantonese may be your best bet. If you need further guidance on Vancouver translation services, APlus Translations representatives are happy to help.

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A gorgeous locale nestled between the rugged North Shore Mountains and striking Pacific coastline is bound to attract its fair share of people, and that is exactly what the city of Vancouver has been doing for over a century. Its unique landscape has drawn in people from across the globe, all bringing their own customs, traditions and ways of life to create an incomparable melting pot that is consistently voted one of the world’s most livable cities.

The city’s culture remains marked by its earliest inhabitants, the First Nations people, as evidenced by Vancouver’s architecture, art scene and numerous festivals that pay tribute to its original population. Totems and sculptures influenced by the Haida and other groups can be seen throughout the city, and local universities have become prominent research centers for First Nations people throughout Canada.

The city also has a notable Chinese influence, as many Chinese railway workers arrived in the late 19^th century following completion of the transcontinental railway. As the last stop on the line, workers in Vancouver faced a choice – either make the long and expensive trip back to China or make a new home in Vancouver. Many stayed, later bringing their relatives to join them in their new life.

Later settlers included large groups of Japanese, who relocated and worked in small fishing villages along the coast or on local farms. During that same period, Canada’s flourishing lumber industry brought a new wave of immigrants from India and Pakistan. The end of World War II brought with it the arrival of many Italian, Greek and Arab families, and the ease of modern air travel has brought even more immigrants from every part of the world.

Vancouver’s geographic location between the Pacific Ocean and various mountain ranges means that space is limited and neighbors from all over have had to share relatively close quarters. This has led to the blending of cultures that has made the city the amazing metropolis that it is, but there is one element that does not change very quickly, and that is language.

Vancouver Translation Company

With over 49% of its residents being non-native English speakers, Vancouver is one of the most multilingual cities in the world. Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Tagalog, Japanese and Punjabi are just a few of the many languages you’ll hear residents speaking. This adds to the city’s inimitable charm, but can also lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Fortunately, APlus Translations has a local Vancouver translation service that is ready to handle all your multilingual needs. APlus is the foremost Vancouver translation company and has the experience and expertise to help you and your business.

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A love for food has long helped unite different cultures from around the world, as people from markedly different ways of life can come together to appreciate and enjoy one another’s cooking and mealtime traditions. It is difficult to find a more multicultural metropolitan area than Vancouver, and when you add in the fact that the freshest seafood ingredients are available right next door in the Pacific Ocean, you have the recipe for phenomenal multicultural cuisine.

You don’t have to be a foodie blogger or genteel gourmet to appreciate the difference between authentic and imitation regional foods, and when you venture into Vancouver’s Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown or Punjabi Market, you can rest assured that you are in for a genuine treat. Chinatown is known for adding traditional Oriental flavors to local salmon, oyster and sea urchin. If you are in the mood for sushi, Japan town has nigiri and sashimi combinations that are consistently voted the best in Canada.

The relative proximity of Vancouver’s different ethnic neighborhoods has produced an impossibly creative and appetizing level of fusion cuisine that is difficult to match anywhere on the planet. Nearly any combination of cultures and countries is possible in Vancouver, and the culinary results are captivating. Want to try Indian-Italian? Have a slice or two of butter chicken pizza. In the mood for Japanese-Mexican fusion? A fish taco with wakame and ginger is like having a sushi roll in a tortilla. Another intriguing combination is local icon Japadog, which offers Japanese-style hot dogs with ingredients like wagyu beef, seaweed, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo and fried onions.

All of these amazing multicultural delights are of course imbued with the rich culinary traditions of Canada itself. Smoked meats, local fruits and berries, and of course plenty of seafood figure prominently in Vancouver food, and local hallmarks like poutine and maple syrup can be found in all types of dishes. One notable mention is candied salmon, which is smoked salmon filets cured with sugar and salt, then brushed with maple syrup. Vancouver chefs even experiment with one-of-a-kind fusion dishes like Pad Thai Poutine.

Vancouver Translation Services

All of these multicultural delicacies require a multicultural approach for any business or start-up, and one of the first crucial steps is making sure that you have the right Vancouver translation company. APlus Translations is the premier Vancouver translation service and is ready to help you and your business with all your translation needs.

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How To Become a Translator – Translator Job

1. Learn your native language well.

People often focus too much on the “other” language. The reality is that you’re going to be translating into your native language 99% of the time, so your writing skills in that language need to be top-notch in order to provide the best translation possible.

• Study the non-fun parts of the non-native language(s).

A common misconception about being a translator is that you need to have grown up bilingual. That is definitely not the case, and what’s more, not everyone who grows up bilingual makes for a good translator (or wants to be one). So you don’t need to have been raised speaking a second language, but you do need to put in the study hours to learn the details that you aren’t going to pick up chatting with foreign friends or watching foreign soaps. That means not just building up your vocab, but familiarizing yourself with the ins and outs of grammar as well.

• A college degree will definitely help.

You can find translation jobs that don’t require a degree, but for government work or a professional translation agency, not having one will likely put you at a disadvantage. The biggest benefit of college or university is of course the education you’ll get in languages and/or translation itself.

• Get some kind of training.

If you didn’t study translating in school, look for online training programs or internships that will show you the ropes. There is a lot more to it than just knowing how to say a word in two languages.

• Figure out your own areas of expertise.

Once you get going, this is a quick way to distinguish yourself from other translators. And your specialty doesn’t have to be legal or medical or something that requires years of study. Love cooking? There are agencies looking for culinary translators. Like playing video games? This is in fact a booming sector and only projected to get bigger.

APlus Translations – Translator Job Opportunity

These tips can help get you started on your path to being a translator, but if you need top-quality translations in the meanwhile, you can count on APlus Translations to serve all your translation and localization needs. 

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How To Choose a Translation Agency

A quick internet search will present potential translation clients with an almost overwhelming number of options to choose from. Do you go with the company with the flashy website showing what appears to be a fashion model “working” on his laptop under the Eiffel Tower? Or do you go with the seemingly amazing deal that is four times cheaper than you’d expected? There are a lot of options to choose from, and sometimes the best way to get what you want is to first rule out what you do NOT want.

Below are four red flags to be wary of when looking for reliable translation services.

1. You’re quoted a price that is way below market value.

Everyone loves a good deal, but you get what you pay for. Often coupled with outrageously low prices is the promise of a near-instantaneous return of the finished product. All this “deal” means is they’re feeding your documents into a machine and emailing them right back to you with no quality control or review. It’s not going to be the best translation. It’s going to be a terrible translation.

• The website has grammatical errors.

Some people can disregard the occasional typo and don’t want to be too “nit-picky.” I can assure you that professional translators are not those people. We obsess over that kind of thing, and the mere thought of delivering something with typos in it can cause panic attacks and sleepless nights. If a company’s website reads like a Nigerian prince phishing scam, then you’re not dealing with a professional.

• The company uses the same person to go from Language A to Language B, and vice versa.

There is a common misconception that if a person knows two languages, then they would of course translate into and out of those two languages equally well. This is very, very rarely the case, and the sign of either a one-man staff or a sloppy agency.

• They have no reviews or won’t provide references.

A good agency is happy to provide references and have former and current clients talk about how great they are. This is not an imposition and any agency that refuses to do so is giving off major warning signs.

High Quality Translation Services

Want the simplest way to avoid all this and get the high-quality translation services you need? Turn to APlus Translations for all your translation and localization needs.

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Company Trips For Employees – Making Lasting Memories

So fast forward a few years, now a business owner myself, and since my company has been on solid financial ground, I began to organize company trips for my employees. Except that instead of the Japanese-style 1.5 day trips, ours last up to two weeks. You see, each one of us lives and works in a different corner of the globe, so when we fly in to one location to spend a few days together, we want to make sure it’s worth that long commute. Over the past several years, we’ve gathered in Rio de Janeiro, happened to stay in Pablo Coelho’s old apartment before flying off into the Amazon where we swam with pink dolphins. One year, we went to San Fran and did a fun food tour in an elegant part of the city.

Celebrating 20th Company Anniversary in Africa

This year, to celebrate our company’s 20^th anniversary, we did something extra special and all got together in Nairobi, from where we took a 14-seater plane to the Masai Mara and went on 4 days of safari rides. It was amazing to see herds of zebras, hippos, antelopes, giraffes, families of elephants, and the occasional wild cat. To see these animals in their environment where WE were guests, was truly astounding. After that, we flew to Zanzibar to rest in a beach house on the Indian Ocean.

Our company trips to me are not only a way to reward my employees for their dedication and care, but it’s like travelling with friends. We make a point, on these trips, to limit work-related talk. It’s just time for fun to replenish our energy for another year of work and service to our clients.

The post APlus Translations Celebrate 20th Anniversary in Africa appeared first on APlusTranslations.com.

Despite the many real-world benefits touted by Bitcoin proponents, most speculators and everyday retail investors are really interested in just one thing: How much money can I make from Bitcoin? And if you listen to the the thousands of cryptocurrency experts, ranging from MBA analysts at JP Morgan to YouTube’s self-proclaimed financial gurus streaming from their bedrooms, you will get thousands of different answers. Here are predictions from four of finance’s most famous individuals on just how high Bitcoin will climb.

Our Views on Cryptocurrency

Fund manager Cathie Wood is known for her uber-optimistic valuations of what she believes to be market disruptors. One of her boldest, and most widely-mocked, claims was her 2018 prediction that Tesla would explode 1,100% to reach a share price of $4,000 USD by 2023. To almost everyone’s surprise, and accounting for stock splits, she was in fact proven correct two years ahead of schedule. Her view on Bitcoin by 2026? An eye-catching $500,000. That means that $100 invested in Bitcoin today would be worth $2,564 in 2026.

Two financial experts film fans may recognize have also shared their views on Bitcoin, though they’ve provided more flexible timelines. Jordan Belfort and Michael Burry, portrayed by Hollywood in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short, respectively, have both made their cases for Bitcoin. Jordan Belfort, the Wolf of Wall Street himself, previously said that Bitcoin would be worthless in a few years, but now believes that it will hit $100,000 this decade. Burry has provided a more short-term price prediction, expecting Bitcoin to drop to $10,000 this year alone.

And finally there is Dan Peña, multi-millionaire oil man, business magnate, and author of Your First Hundred Million, who has proclaimed quite loudly that Bitcoin “is going to [expletive] zero!” He has gone on to say that getting rich from Bitcoin would be “like finding a $1,000 dollar bill in the street” and believes that cryptocurrencies were developed by Vladimir Putin as a way to sabotage the global economy. 

Cryptocurrency Translation Services

As the cryptocurrency industry continues to develop, expert opinions will swing as wildly as the prices themselves. If you’re one of the many developers, entrepreneurs or professionals looking for a blockchain translation company or cryptocurrency translations, you can count on APlus Translations for all your Bitcoin and crypto translation needs.

The post What Will Bitcoin Be Worth in the Year 2026? appeared first on APlusTranslations.com.

Neuralink – Why Is It Being Developed?

The question of why this is being developed has a number of answers, ranging from admirable to alarming. It could help paraplegics use computers to communicate with loved ones.  It could also be humanity’s only chance at survival for the coming Artificial Intelligence revolt when we are forced to do battle with machines (this is actually Musk’s explanation, by the way).

When looked at from the standpoint of a software translation agency, a number of questions immediately come to mind – If we are to be communicating using just our thoughts, what language will this be in? Would this be a computer language or a human language? How is this going to be translated? And on a philosophical level, one might wonder – Is all language just a translation, and a rather constrictive one, of our thoughts themselves?

In Musk’s view, Neuralink will not only streamline the entire communicative process,  but will also do away with the need for language entirely, as thoughts, memories and emotions will be shared seamlessly with 100% accuracy. He believes that ultimately people will use spoken and written language solely for sentimental purposes, rather than any practical reason.

When will this supposedly take place? Elon says that Neuralink should be ready for the general public in five to ten years. Elon, however, says a lot of things. Currently the device is still being tested on animals (a monkey was able to play the videogame Pong using his thoughts), so this language-less world does not appear to be right on our doorstep just yet.

Reliable Software Translation Services

In the meantime, if you need the best translation possible in the traditional, non-brain implant way, you can count on the reliable translations services of APlus Translations.

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Would people still even use electricity in the 2020s?

In the early 20st century, the vast majority of people still lit their homes with candle light, but
stories about electricity in homes and even shopping markets were spreading fast. It was
exciting, it was wondrous, it was the iPhone of the day. When picturing the world of the 2020s,
futurists believed that the production and usage of electricity would still be at the very crux of
human progress, and in our present digital age, it is clear that they could not have been more
right.

How would energy be produced?

English author W.L. George made a bold and surprisingly accurate claim in 1920, stating that he
not only foresaw a move away from fossil fuel-generated power, but towards power “obtained
from tides, from the sun, probably from radium and other forms of radial energy.”
Famed inventor Nikola Tesla said, “The universal utilization of water power and its long-
distance transmission will supply every household with cheap power.” 
New York scientist Charles P. Steinmetz said, “I could imagine a great structure under glass of
magnifying power which could concentrate the sun’s rays.”

What would this energy be used for?

Famed visionary John Elfreth Watkins accurately predicted fantastic new machines like
snowmobiles (“automobile sleighs in the winter”) and live broadcasting, so that viewers could
see things like “the coronation of kings in Europe.” A journalist from the Knoxville Journal
imagined some different uses for home electricity, such as to “silence squalling babies” and to
zap drunken and disorderly husbands.

Energy Document Translations

A lot of people lament how slowly the move towards alternatives energy sources has been, but
that just means that we are in a very exciting time and will get to experience the changes
ourselves. If you are one of those individuals working in this critical sector and looking for
energy documents translations, we are here to help. No matter what kind of power you’re
working with, if you’re looking for high quality translations for energy business, A+ Translations
has got you covered.

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