In today's post, we are going to take a break from our usual hard-hitting, cutting-edge perspective on the world of translation and tell you about a very interesting resource for literary translation: the Index Translationum. UNESCO has been hard at work cataloging translated books and facts about literary translations for over 65 years, and they're all available online.
During the Super Bowl, people talk nearly as much about the three million dollar 30-second ads than they do about the actual football game itself. That's why Honda is pre-promoting and creating buzz for its new ad that will air during Super Bowl Sunday this February 5th. And the buzz now is all about the return of a slightly grey Ferris Bueller, the main character from the 1986 hit movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Yep, Matthew Broderick returns as Ferris, a bon vivant with the utmost confidence, even when singing in Chinese. We ask: why sing in Chinese and not the original German from the movie, and was it dubbed?
What comes to mind when you think of Hong Kong? Glittering skyscrapers, rumbling trams, Buddhist temples, museums, parks, street markets, and dim sum…not to mention gorgeous Victoria Harbour, for starters. Perhaps even Disneyland. When Christmas rolls around, though, a traditional holiday spirit pervades the air, and you will also see Santas and Christmas trees in abundance as Hong Kong puts on its holiday finery.
If you're like us, you much prefer shopping on your favorite store's website at home in your bunny slippers (don't judge) than fighting the crowds at the mall. And you're not alone...Cyber Monday resulted in $1.25 billion dollars in online sales in the U.S. alone, according to an article on ITProPortal. While Cyber Monday is traditionally a follow-up to the post-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" event in the U.S., global ecommerce is following suit.
For Americans, Mexico may seem like that oh too-familiar country next door — the land of tacos, tequila, mariachis and salsa — yet our closest neighbor to the south has more mystique than the average outsider realizes. If you're looking to do business with Mexico, it's in your interest to dig a bit deeper and gain an understanding of authentic Mexican culture; after all, you'll need a few talking points for that local networking event or business meal.
As a business professional with an eye on emerging economies, you are probably familiar with Mexico's basic profile. You probably already know, for example, that Mexico is home to the highest number of Spanish speakers in the world; La ciudad de México (a.k.a. Mexico City) tops the population charts for cities with nearly 20 million inhabitants. Those of you who read the The Wall Street Journal or The Financial Times consider common knowledge that Mexico is part of the super-quartet of emerging economies called MIST. And the gastronomical geeks among you have no doubt read that our most cherished food north of the border, chocolate, originated in Mexico.
But here are seven Mexican fun facts that even the savvy international business professional may not know:
The best thing about our Go Global Holiday Card Creator is that you (yes, you!) get to send free e-cards with holiday greetings to friends, family, business associates and/or parole officers around the world, in any one of twelve languages. From a secretary in Shanghai to an uncle in Umbria, put a smile on someone’s face in a different time zone.
The end of the year is a traditional time for gift-giving in many parts of the world...but often for very different reasons. In Japan, early December marks one of the two main gift-giving seasons, called oseibo (the other main gifting season is called ochugen and happens in the summertime). During oseibo, friends, family, and especially business associates may exchange lavish gifts like cantaloupe — melons and many fruits common in other parts of the world are a rare treat in Japan — that can fetch prices of up to $100 in Japanese department stores. Guest author Rochelle Kopp explains the custom of and etiquette behind oseibo.
Alessia Petrucci, Acclaro's Translation Director, oversees translation and language related processes as well as vendor recruitment. Originally from Tuscany, Alessia has a degree in Translation from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and has worked in the translation department at Microsoft and J.D. Edwards before joining Acclaro. Antonella Masters, Project Coordinator for Acclaro's San Francisco office, is a Roman native and has worked for Chevron and BASF in Italy, as well as for the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Scuola in San Francisco.
Cocomero and anguria both mean watermelon in Italian, except Romans will be more familiar with the former term and most everyone else will know the latter. While this may seem odd, "modern" Italian is actually relatively new. Prior to the unification of the country 150 years ago, centuries of division and foreign rule (Austrian, Spanish and French) have meant both cultural and linguistic diversity, as evidenced in the development of the multiple dialects used all along the Italian Peninsula.
The meeting's over. You've got a little time to explore. It's your chance to get out of that hotel room, get off the beaten path, and experience the culture, the flavor, and the people. Madrid is Spain’s largest and liveliest city — its streets are often as crowded and active at 2 a.m. on a Saturday as at 5 p.m. on a weekday. Madrileños, as its denizens are known, are ready to live life to the fullest, and if you’re visiting this greenest of all European cities (more trees and parks than any other), you should be too!
Translation isn't as easy as you'd think. It's not a matter of simply replacing words or letters in one language with those of another. Learning all the words in a foreign language dictionary, for example, may give you a great vocabulary, but that is a far cry from understanding how that language operates. If you take translation too lightly, as we mentioned in our earlier post on marketing missteps, the results can be less than ideal for your business. They can also be quite funny, which is what David Henry Hwang's play Chinglish is all about.
Russian, ostensibly full of complicated grammar and vocabulary that can seem unfamiliar to other languages, has gotten a bad rap as far as learning languages goes. With the right techniques, though, it's not as bad as it seems. A little working knowledge of Russian can go a long way, as it is either the primary or secondary language of some 300 million people, according to Wikipedia, a large majority of which are located in growing global economic centers. Susanna Zaraysky demystifies the process and provides some great techniques to get you started. Next stop: Novosibirsk!
About guest author Susanna Zaraysky: Susanna is a speaker of seven languages and author of Language Is Music (El idioma es música, in Spanish), a short and easy-to-read book on how to learn foreign languages using music and the media. Find Susanna on her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Picasa, and on YouTube.
Brazilian Portuguese has a mellifluous (sweet sounding) sound to it. It flows like honey. If you are going to Brazil for business and you want Brazilian reais to move your way, like bees to honey, then you need your Portuguese to be sweet, smooth and melodic. The closer you sound to native, the easier it is for people to understand you and accept you. In all my travels, and I’ve been to over 50 countries, I saw that the better my accent was, the friendlier and more accepting locals were of me. People like to be around others who sound like them. Here are some helpful hints to get there:
The meeting's over. You've got a little time to explore. It's your chance to get out of that hotel room, get off the beaten path, and experience the culture, the flavor, and the people.
The crescent-, or may we say, croissant-shaped island of Montreal is located just a few kilometers north of the U.S. border and just about on the same longitude as New York City. With the majestic St. Lawrence River rolling along its lower banks, and the Laurentian Mountains a few hours to the north, it is an urban jewel in an equally beautiful natural setting.
What’s the secret behind a film that’s
able to make viewers laugh, cry, screech or sit in quiet reflection at the very
same moment in theaters across the globe, irrespective of language and culture?
Besides blood, sweat and tears, the quick answer is: talented translators (and voice talents). Movie translators truly do make or break a film.
It’s often said that language and translation
are two of the biggest obstacles to successfully launching and managing a brand
in global markets. Many businesses spend millions to create beautiful campaigns
in their primary markets, and then those funds — and sometimes the company’s reputation along
with it — go down the drain because they skimp on
localization when they roll out their campaigns globally. From the poorly
translated menus and signs to major mishaps that cost companies millions of
dollars, the examples are many — and embarrassing:
The
meeting's over. You've got a little time to explore. It's your chance to get
out of that hotel room, get off the beaten path, and experience the culture,
the flavor, and the people.
Walking through Singapore, you’ll hear four official languages (English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil), and one unofficial patois known as “Singlish”. You’ll smell the delicious aroma of some of the best food in Asia. And you can travel between the 63 islands that make up the Lion City. What you can’t do is spit, litter, chew gum, or jaywalk in one of the world’s cleanest and most orderly cities – they’re all illegal and punishable with fines.
We've pulled together some unique activities and places in Singapore, the ones most travelers don’t have a chance to experience. Next time you’re in town with a few free hours, check out our list and go home with your best stories ever.
While we were all sipping pink wine this weekend, savoring barbequed
tri-tip, taking a snooze in the hammock and generally shunning all forms of
labor, the French were up to something quite different. Yesterday, the 5th
of September, was a day of mass exodus in the hexagone (as the French refer to their geometrically-shaped
country). Millions of impeccably groomed, sun-tanned French kids donning petit backpacks
and perfectly shined shoes filed into the streets for their first day back to
school. That’s right—millions. Back-to-school in the States is a season; it
happens over several weeks’ time. In France, the vast majority of students head
back to school on the same day, called la
rentrée: the return, or the re-entry.
Muslims around the world are in the middle of observing Ramadan, a period of spiritual
daily fasting from dawn to dusk. Determined
by the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan lasts around 30 days. This year, it
happens to fall in the entire month of August, the hottest time of year for
many Muslims around the globe – appropriate, as the word Ramadan alludes to
intense heat. Both the heat and long
daylight hours for those in the northern hemisphere are especially trying, since
Ramadan requires abstention from food and
drink during the daytime. Those who are sick or pregnant are not required to
fast, but they do have to “make up” the days later.
Aside from the physical travails, Ramadan is a very spiritual time when the faithful are encouraged to think good thoughts, do good deeds, read and study the Qur’an, and give to charity. During Ramadan, business hours, even at vital government offices and banks, are shortened, and the midday business closures, normally reserved for eating lunch and resting a bit, are now replaced by naps and visits to the mosque. Experiencing Ramadan in a Muslim region is unforgettable.
Even if you don’t speak a word of French, you can still get into the spirit of
Bastille Day. The quatorze juillet, or la fête
nationale française, commemorates the fateful storming of the Bastille (a
prison for “enemies” of the monarchy) and the beginning of the French
revolution. But more than the individual events that occurred on July 14th,
1789, the ideals behind this popular uprising are important to remember; many
lie at the heart of current day rebellions.
Bastille day commemorates the victory of the voice of the people against tyranny, absolute power, injustice and oppression. It’s a celebration of three fundamental French values that we hope will be universal some day: liberty, equality and fraternity for all people.
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About guest author
Rochelle Kopp: Rochelle is managing principal of Japan
Intercultural Consulting, an international training and consulting firm
focused on Japanese business. She is also co-author of The Lowdown: Business Etiquette Japan.
Japanese have the reputation of being sensitive about etiquette matters. Although your business deal won't necessarily be rejected due to a wrongly offered business card, it does pay to be aware of what Japanese consider important in a business setting.
Knowing some of the key sensitivities that Japanese have about doing business with people from other countries, and adjusting your behavior accordingly, can significantly increase the success of your business dealings. Here are some of the top things to keep in mind:
Smart, fun and useful. Acclaro shares news and tips on translation, localization, language, global business and culture.