Language and Translation Blog

It's hard to imagine how someone with an extensive vocabulary could have acquired it without the use of dictionaries, but that is exactly what the ole' Bard did. You see, English dictionaries in Elizabethean times simply did not exist. The English dictionary, the widely used list of words arranged in alphabetical order that many of us cherish, is really a modern invention in the English language.

As translators, dictionaries are our bread and butter and I can't imagine working without them anymore that I can imagine attempting to write a piece of Shakesperean prose without one.

By the beginning of the seventeenth century other languages were well under way in establishing a fixed and formal structure to the language, most notably French and German. English was far behind and had no unified consensus on basic concepts as spelling. This presented a very real challenge for a language that was becoming of age as England expanded it's global reach. English was destined to become the international language, but to do so it needed to define the language in lexicographical terms.

One of the first steps in this direction were the first attempts to publish lists of pompous words "for the benefit and help of ladies, gentlemen and any other unskilful persons" as the author of the early dictionary, A Table Alphabeticall… of hard unusual English Word, wrote.

The understanding of what a dictionary is, as we view it today, had a long way to go. More of that in the next installment. Meantime, as a Spanish to English translator, I am grateful for bilingual dictionaries.

Communicating in Spanish is a strategic move in today’s world as companies target the ever growing Hispanic Market in the USA and Latin American countries. Your potential Spanish speaking customers will respond positively to your marketing efforts if you communicate in their own language. However, non-Spanish speakers face the challenge of bridging the language barrier. Many companies have tried, with different degrees of success.

I’ve seen many corporate marketing efforts to communicate with the Hispanic population.  A few years ago, I opened the Houston Chronicle one morning just to find that part of the sport’s section was in Spanish. It was not surprising that given the large Latino population in Houston, they wanted to reach them by offering them news of the Soccer World Cup. To my surprise, the quality of the language was dismal. To their credit, they’ve improved significantly since the early days and now have professional Spanish writers and professional translators on staff that is responsible of producing a Spanish only publication.

The challenges faced by the Houston Chronicle are not unique to them. Many companies, governments and individuals need to communicate in Spanish so we’ve prepared a few tips on how to select the right Spanish translator for your Spanish communications.

The last few days I've been attending the Golden Gate to Growth conference of the Association of Language Companies in San Francisco. It is always refreshing and motivating to listen and share experiences among peers and the ALC is especially good at achieving this. Being a small organization focused on a very specific industry segment (language company owners) has several advantages over larger organizations and it can be better serve the needs of its constituents.

If you own a language company, I strongly recommend that you join the ALC.

San Francisco will always be San Francisco. Yesterday I walked in Haight Ashbury and, except for the modern cars, it was just like being transported back to the early 70's and the hippie era. Will it still be like this in 100 years?

Countries have different legal traditions. The legal systems of English countries is usually based on Common Law theory which works on precedent. The legal systems in Spanish countries are usually inherited from Spain and is based Napoleonic Law principles, which limits the ability of judges to establish precedent. Under this legal theory, judges are bound by general rules which fall within the domain of the legislative branches of government.

But even if these countries use the same legal theory, Spanish speaking countries all have at least some differences in their legal systems. This poses problems of Spanish legal translations, especially that of documents with legal validity.

The one country that has drastically different legal system is Cuba, which has departed drastically from the legal system of Spain, the root system of the other Spanish-speaking countries. Legal translators must always be cognizant of these differences and be familiar with the peculiarities of each country's legal system.

Have you ever wanted to learn Chinese (Mandarin) and haven't found the time or someone to teach you in the convenience of your own home? Today I found a website that will help you do just that. Making Mandarin Manageable offers electronic flashcards, interactive programs, recordings and many other resources to help you help you learn, polish or master Chinese.

This is an excellent resource for the thousands of travelers heading to China in the next couple of months for the Olympic Games. It always helps to have basic navigation words when you travel. Things like "take me to, left, right, stop, faster, slower". Believe me, it comes very handy when you are lost.

If you have special food needs it is good to know how to describe them, such as "vegetarian, hot, cold". Or learn the basic words for shopping , "too expensive, more, less, how much".

The few hours you spend learning basic words will more pay off in the end, especially in areas of China that are far away from the big cities. So, let us recommend that you get basic English to Chinese Translation skills before you are asked to jump over hoops to get yourself understood.