To Translate or not

In technical translations, certain things are not to be translated. These are mostly company and product names, trademarks, sound marks and patents. They are not translated because they are known and identified in their original form, color, and shape. For example, Microsoft, as a rule does not translate its name and its product names. But this is not the case with all the companies. Certain companies like Nokia do not mind their brand name being written in target languages. Besides, untranslatable text may have technical significance. One has to be very judicious in making these decisions.

Translate or Transliterate

This is a major challenge for translators, particularly in the technical domain. At times one sees more transliterations than translations. This requires a very sound linguistic judgment, particularly when you do not have specific guidelines on what to translate or transliterate. At times, the client provides clear guidelines on what should be transliterated. This is simple to follow. As of now, there are no rules to guide the translators on this. However, there are generally agreed practices in the localization industry.

We just transliterate company and brand names (Nokia, Motorola), product names (Motorazr), domain specific terminology (modem, software, server, E-Mail, infrared, wireless, broadcast, and headset etc.), technology types (Multimedia) and proper names. Terms like file, folder, profile, call, settings, shortcut, operator, menu, media, gallery, card, video, clip etc. that are widely used in local languages in their adopted form are generally transliterated. However we have to be particular about their correct representation in the target language. We should use correct phonetic sounds to represent correct pronunciations in the target language.

Country names are a special category. Some country names have well adopted and accepted parallels in other languages like the United States of America (Sanyukta Raajy Amerikaa), South Korea (Dakshin Koriyaa), South Africa (Dakshin Afrikaa) in Hindi and other Indian languages. But certain country names with similar nomenclature like Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and South Sandwich Islands are just transliterated because they are not well adopted or widely used in other languages. Certain country names are simply not translated as their adopted names conflict with other names. A typical example is United Kingdom which has to be transliterated as the exact translation (Sanyukt Raajya) would conflict with that of the US.

Another associated challenge is whether to transliterate the acronyms and how to transliterate them. The agreed practice in this regard is that we transliterate very popular acronyms like PIN and SIM. But when it comes to hard core domain specific acronyms like Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) Files, Push-to-Talk (PTT), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), we transliterate them and follow it up with the acronym in bracket in English. For ex. Push-to-Talk (PTT).

Cultural Challenges

We often come across typical terminology and names (Hangul Hanja, Katalan). It is pardonable if you misspell an unheard name unless it’s not culturally offensive. But a good translator would go and try to find native speaker to find the correct pronunciation of a typical term or name. These issues are addressed by 1) following a common phonetic convention; 2) searching the web; and 3) speaking to a native.

Another important thing to remember is to respect the cultural sensitivities in translation. Never go ahead with what you find unparliamentary or offensive in your language.

While mistranslations can be humorous under most circumstances, they are not a laughing matter in the legal field. The legal translation of a document is a challenging and complicated process that isn’t quite as simple as translating the text for word for word.

Unlike other sensitive documents such as medical reports, which use terms that have set definitions formed through a consensus of the medical community, legal documents contain words that can have entirely different meanings depending on the legal system they’re from. For instance, several European languages will have two words for the English word “Law,” each with a slightly different meaning. Conversely, different words or phrases from the legal documents of two countries may actually have the same definition.

A proper legal translation entails taking these factors into account, and reproducing the document while retaining as much of the interpretation and flow of the original content. A poorly translated legal document can lead to a considerable waste of time and money in the form of delayed court hearings and lawsuits, among other things.

Because of the sheer number of complications that legal translations can have, law firms or companies that need their legal documents translated to a different language are advised to seek the help of a professional translation company.

A good translation company will include a staff of veteran translators within its ranks, often with several years of experience in providing legal translation services using their target language. Aside from outstanding grammar and editing skills, these translators will have an in-depth understanding of the cultural context of the legal documents they work on.

Unlike several countries in Europe, the United States does not have a universal form of certification for translators working within its borders. However, this is more due to a lack of certification, accreditation, or screening for several languages, than a lack of quality.

Uncertified translators working in the U.S. are perfectly capable of producing quality legal translation services that comply with stringent international standards such as the ISO 9000. There are also a variety of tests that can determine a translator’s proficiency, such as those provided by groups like the American Translators Association.

A good translation company will also assign each law firm client a designated account manager and translation team. Aside from streamlining the procedure, this also ensures that their documents will be handled by a dedicated staff that is not distracted by other translation projects.

Do you get confused when you try to translate German? If you do, you’re probably making some of the most common German translation mistakes. Read on to find out how to fix them.

When most English-speaking students attempt to translate a sentence from another language, they assume that you can just translate from left to right.

That works great for English, but it doesn’t work for German (or Latin, or any number of other languages for that matter).

Not that it NEVER works. You can start that way, but watch out. At the least sign of trouble or incongruity, go to plan B.

Here’s what to do instead:

First, you’ll look for the verb. Figure out who does the action described in the verb. Then try to determine if the verb might want a direct object and if so, what that object might be.

How would you know? German has case endings, and they’re responsible for much of that challenge. So how to handle that?

Basically, you’ll learn to deal with cases… Actually, the cases themselves aren’t really the bad part, but the fact that unless you know the gender of a word, you can’t always tell what case it is…

So, as you learn words, you have to learn the gender along with it. If you don’t, you’ll get in trouble.

Don’t just memorize “Nase” but “die Nase.” And don’t just study “Apfel” but “der Apfel.”

Trust me. It will save you no end of trouble. And when you look up a word, obviously, always pay attention to the article as well.

Because… If you find “der Nase” somewhere, and you don’t know that “Nase” is feminine, you might mistake it for the subject of the sentence when in fact it’s the indirect object. Make sense? That’s because the indirect object version of the article “die” is “der.”

So if cases can be such a challenge, why do they exist and what do they do?

I’ll focus on the second part…

Their primary purpose is to label each noun phrase in terms of what its function is within the sentence.

To make sure this makes sense, I would like to define the term “Noun phrase” first. That term refers to any grouping of words that basically function as a noun.

For example, a noun phrase could be just a noun, like “cats” or it could be a phrase like “cute cats” or “my cute cats” or even “my cute cats that I got at the SPCA.”

So indicating what the function of these noun phrases is would be the primary function of the case. A noun phrase could be the subject, as in “The cat purred.” or the object, as in “Lee loves his cat.”

And so when you translate a sentence, just go looking for the noun phrases and figure out what function they play in the sentence. If you know your articles and your cases, this will be very doable and it will get easier and easier the more practice you have.

Do you have to learn to translate from German into English in a hurry? Maybe your academic career depends on it. Some programs require that you pass a German translation exam. To get a head start, read on for some tips on how the German basic sentence pattern works.

When you approach a German sentence, it’s easy to assume that you can just translate from left to right. It seems the logical thing to do — but unfortunately it often gets you into hot water, especially when it happens during a German translation exam. To get around that problem, it helps to know how a basic German sentence is put together.

The Basic German Sentence Pattern:

Here’s the basic pattern of a German sentence:

____ V(infl) (____) (____) (____) (…) (V(rest))

Let me explain:

We have here slot 1 before V(infl), several optional slots after V(infl), and then V(rest), which is also optional.

Here’s how it works:

In a very basic sentence, slot 1 is occupied by the subject of the sentence.

V(infl) means the inflected part of the verb. Which means, the part that changes endings depending on what the subject is. V(rest)) means the rest of the verb. This is actually optional. Not every verb has a “rest.” Many verbs just have the inflected part. So a simple sentence could be as follows:

“Die Katze schnurrt.” “The cat purrs/is purring”

However, if there’s more to the verb, as in “hat geschnurrt,” then “hat” is the part of the verb that changes based on what the subject is, and “geschnurrt” is the rest of the verb.

Where is the subject?

Most German sentences don’t actually have the subject at the beginning of the sentence. That first slot can be occupied by just about any other part of the sentence.

If a part other than the subject is in that slot, the subject will always move to the slot right behind V(infl). So that’s where you can find it when you are translating a sentence and are wondering where the subject could possibly be.

So what else can be in that slot?

Let me count the possibilities for you:

1) Subject

2) Direct Object

3) Indirect Object

4) Prepositional Phrase (generally with adverbial function)

5) Adverbs

6) Whole Adverbial Clauses

7) Parts of Vrest

That’s right. Practically anything is game for that slot. That position basically highlights that information — or rather, “topicalizes” it. This means it indicates that this is known information that the rest of the sentence will elaborate on.

For example:

“Den Hund hat the Katze angefaucht.” “It was the dog that the cat hissed at”or… “The cat hissed at the dog.”

You can tell that the dog is the object because of the article “den.”

Knowing how the sentence pattern works, along with paying attention to the verb and knowing cases and gender, really helps identify what’s what in the sentence during a German translation exam.

What if there is ambiguity?

In case you wondered, there are very few trick sentences. If there would be ambiguity between the subject and the object, you can usually count on them being in the traditional place.

“Die Katze jagte die Maus unters Sofa.” means “The cat chased the mouse under the sofa.”

Sure, theoretically, it could also mean “The mouse chased the cat under the sofa.” But how likely is that? Not very. Just go with the most normal meaning, and you’ll be right 99% of the time. And for most German Translation Tests, that’s plenty good enough.

Some people were concerned that spending money on marketing campaigns and advertisements could become an exercise in flushing money down the toilet.

True. If you have no idea what you are doing, what you want to achieve and you have an agency that is resonating at the same plane as you are, you might as well just give us the money now. We can flush it for you, easy.

But then, to “pay on results” or “pay by performance” is not as simple as it might appear. Marketing, advertising and communications is largely a skill based, creative industry; where the “products” are ideas and actions. Just as a beautiful fireworks display is over when its over, ideas exposed can not be taken back and re-used. Viewed in that light, I am sure you can see the challenges of a “pay by results” program.

There are parts of the program that are what we can consider as “sunk costs”. These are costs that any agency will incur no matter what. Being a service industry, it is rather difficult to quantify such costs. However, it is not impossible. The real costs that are hard to measure are the creative costs. Have you ever wondered why the “Mona Lisa” is worth millions and millions, while your rendition of Miss Universe 2007 (who of course, will look mucho better than Mona), is only appreciated by your little nephew? Will you pay the millions for Mona to smile at you? Not me. I have neither the means, nor the passion to spend my blood on that.

I would like to enumerate the various challenges that needs to be overcome before a “pay for results” approach is viable.

Objectives

Clear objectives must be established right from the beginning. Such objectives should include not just the intent of the campaign, but also clear, measurable results. Each item should be definitive. For example, sales revenue is a clear measure, top-of-mind-recall is a clear measure too. Whatever the metrics, these must be spelt out explicitly at the start. They cannot be made up as you go along. That is neither fair nor sensible.

Measurablility

When the objectives are clear, there is another hurdle to cross. Measurability. How do you measure the results of specific items? As an example, if sales revenue were the measure, is this all sales or just sales in the targeted market? How would that be measured in a consistent and objective manner?

On top of that, the results must be attributable to the campaign in question. Marketing noise like tactical sales offers from dealers, one-off promotions and other such actions could influence the results one way or another. To be fair, you would not want the results to be inflated and be misled, neither would the agency want it to be suppressed and get paid less.

Accountability

The marketing campaign is merely one cog in the complex web of this activity called a “business”. Deals, alliances, partnerships all affect the progress of the business. Whether the marketing, advertisement or event was responsible for the good (or bad) results, needs to be clearly defined. Again, such measurements and assignments should be made at the start, and not the end, of the exercise.

So, if you want to pay when you see the results, you will also have to be willing the pay the price of measuring the results in an objective and impartial manner. Proper cost accounting, systematic surveys and audits are just some of the systems you need to have in place for this to work well.

Having said all this, most of the time, it is impossible to get a clear enough consensus for this to work. For small companies, they will not have the proper control systems in place for a truly objective measure. The large companies prefer a known budget as opposed to a “moving target”. Agencies of course, simply worry about getting paid their dues.

Its a tough world out there in Marketing. For the agencies, it is the fight for due respect and to get the piper’s pay. For the marketers, it is a struggle to get the best deal (in price and in results).

There is no single, simple answer. Most important is for each to find a trust-worthy partner, and work together. Don’t go it alone. Find a friend.