7 Major Factors to Consider During Language Translation

Translation is an important factor in bringing people and businesses across the world closer together. Etymologically speaking, "translation" refers to "bringing across" or "carrying across". Thus, with the help of translation, one can break language barriers which often hamper effective communication. If a company, individual or organization wants to communicate or share information with people and business contacts who speak other languages, you can use the the help of a professional agency for translation in Toronto or any other large Canadian city.

Language translation is a detailed, complex process in which a translator or language expert expresses the meaning of content in the first language in a second language. While converting the text from one language to another, the meaning must remain the same. Usually, the first language is referred to as the "source language" and the language into which the text is translated is known as the "target language".

Language translations completed by an established translation agency in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary or for that matter any other large Canadian city, is usually of professional quality. However, dealing with foreign languages is not as easy as one might imagine. It would be incorrect to assume that translation means simply changing the text word for word from one language into another.

To start with, translation work requires intensive research into the subject matter of the source text. The translator naturally needs to have a thorough knowledge of both the source and target languages. Ideally, the translator will be a native speaker in the target language.. Plus, the translator also needs to have profound knowledge and understanding of the customs and lifestyle of the group of people who are going to benefit from the translated work so that they are able to understand the translated work in its entirety. In addition, the translator must be a subject matter expert, with a specialization such as legal, medical, technical, scientific or commercial translations.

Translation work is not a mechanical process where you just translate each source word to the targeted language. Rather, there are many factors that need to be considered to obtain accurate and culturally appropriate output in the target language.

Here are some of such factors a translator must understand and pay attention to:

1. The actual context of both the source and target language - The meaning and connotations of the same concept can be very different in two languages.

2. The rules of grammar of both languages - Grammar is an essential part of language translation and every language has its own set of structural rules that must be observed.

3. Correct spelling in the target language, for example, even in American and British English the spelling of the same word can be different . For example, the American English word "color" would be spelled "colour" in British English.

4. The writing conventions of the target language - These conventions include spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and paragraphing. The translator needs to employ the correct conventions to enhance the readability of the paper.

5. The meaning of idioms and phrases of both the source and target language is often a complex issue. For example, if we use the English phrase "Wear your heart on your sleeve" translated literally, it will probably not have the same meaning in another language.

6. The usage of points and commas to separate decimals and thousands within numbers has different rules in different languages. This is important as in English the convention followed is 1,000.01, while the same is written as 1.000,01 in the Spanish language. This is something that needs to be considered for high quality service for Spanish translations.

7. Plus, while translating in certain languages such as Arabic and Hebrew, a translator must translate using a right-to left alphabet.

In addition to the above mentioned factors, it is important for the creation of an error-free translation to carefully proofread the translation against the source text. Editing at different stages is a good method to come up with an error-free copy. And even after editing, before delivering the final copy, final proofreading is must.

Keep these things in mind while selecting an agency for translation in Toronto or any other large Canadian city.

Textronics Communications Ltd. is a Canadian-based translation agency that serves customers in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and many other cities across Canada, the United States and Europe. It provides reliable service in Spanish translation along with Chinese, Russian, German, French and more than 80 other languages in all professional subject matters.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Google Ads During the Election

Did you notice the ads during this political season? The ad pictured above depicting Democrat incumbant senator Barbara Boxer bull running in Spain is sponsored by her Republican opponent Carly Fiorina. If you hold your mouse over the subtle “i” you will see that the ad is also sponsored by Google. I like the ad, but I have never seen Google show any hint of wanting to hide the “Ads by Google” message that prevents the blurring of website content with advertising. Perhaps Google doesn’t mind a little confusion within political ads that range from tame (like this one), to offensive, (more common). After all, these ads don’t involve ecommerce, just the future of the country.

Generated by BlogIt

BlogIt - Auto Blogging Software for YOU!

Six Ways to Stay Motivated during Hideously Boring Tasks

Motivation can be tough. Even when you want to do something – like exercising regularly, eating right or keeping a journal – it’s easy to find your enthusiasm slackening off.

But motivation gets really tough when the task at hand is downright boring.

I don’t know exactly what your most-dreaded things are, but maybe they look something like this:

• Repetitive, boring data entry or copy-and-pasting tasks on the computer
  
• Housework – laundry, cleaning, cooking, tidying, washing dishes...
  
• Sorting and filing papers
  
• Delivering leaflets door-to-door
  

They’re tasks that are repetitive, unchallenging and uncreative. There might be relatively little reward or recognition for completing them. No wonder you put them off, or struggle to focus when you’re tackling them.

The problem is, you can’t simply ditch these tasks. For whatever reason, they need to be done. So here’s how to stay motivated (and sane!) while you’re tackling them:

#1: Remind Yourself WHY
Whatever the task at hand, there’s a why behind it. Sometimes, focusing on the why can help you feel more motivated to do a good job – even though the work itself is boring. Your why might be:

• An end result that benefits you – e.g. a clean, tidy house that you can relax in
  
• An end result that helps someone else – e.g. a happy client
  
• Saves you doing more work in the future
  
• Doing good in the world – helping charity or a political/religious organization that you support
  
• Your paycheck – an important motivator for many of us!
  

#2: Think How Good You’ll Feel When You’re Done
Chances are, you might have been dreading this tedious task for a while. Maybe you’ve been putting it off for days, weeks or even months. It’s been hanging over you.

Think about how great you’ll feel once you’re done with it. You’ll have it off your mind, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment, and you’ll be able to get on with the rest of your life without dreading this one thing.

The faster you get on with the task, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of having finished. Yes, I know that’s obvious – but we sometimes need to remind ourselves of it.

#3: Work in Short Bursts
You know what happens when you try to concentrate on something for hours on end ... your attention wanders. Perhaps you manage 20 minutes or so, but then you’re onto Twitter, and you click on a link, and you end up reading web comics. Or you flick the television on and get drawn in.

By working in short bursts, you help yourself stay on task. If you spend 15 minutes cleaning the kitchen or 30 minutes entering data, before taking a break, it’s much easier to focus – you know the end is in sight!

#4: Crank the Music
I find that music distracts me from my more intense, creative work – but it’s ideal for boring tasks. You’ll probably want to choose something with a fast tempo and a bit of energy to it – maybe rock music, or whatever works for you.

If you’re not a music fan, or if you’re working in an environment where loud music isn’t appropriate, try audio books. Try LibriVox for classic books, read by volunteers – they’re free.

#5: Use Your Task as a Breather
This might sound odd – but you can actually use those dull tasks as a welcome break in the day. Sure, two hours of cleaning or data entry might drive you nuts, but spending 15 or 20 minutes doing something unchallenging can give you a chance to unwind, in between more intense tasks.

You’ll find that it helps to pay attention to the times of day when you’re most creative – and the times when you’re feeling a definite slump. Use dull tasks to fill your “slump” times, and keep your most important work for your best hours.

#6: Work With a Partner
You might not always have this option, but when you do, it’s often a great way to improve a dull task. Find someone else to work with. That might mean:

• Doing the housework with your partner or kids
  
• Asking a colleague to help you out at work
  
• Getting a friend to come over and clear out the garage with you
  

...and so on. It’s motivating to have someone else along because you’ll be sharing the work (so it’ll get done faster), you’ll have someone to talk to, and you won’t want to slack off because you’ll be letting them down. Of course, you’ll probably need to return the favor in future...

What hideously boring tasks are festering on your to-do list? What could you do to make them a little more bearable?

Written on 5/28/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: Samael Kreutz

Generated by BlogIt

BlogIt - Auto Blogging Software for YOU!