International Translation Day: A Tribute to Language Professionals

10 Interesting Professional Translation Facts

Did you know that there are around 7,100 languages in the world? There is no doubt that translation is vital to our life. Here are the ten most interesting professional translation and interpreting services facts.

Professional Translation Fact #1: Origins Of The Word

“Translation” is a Latin word, and the original meaning of the word is ‘the carrying from one place to another’.

Professional Translation Fact #2: The First Translated Book In The World

The first translation of the Hebrew Bible in Classical times was called the Septuagint. It was translated into a version of Greek called Koine in 200BC. The name given comes from the fact that 70 translators worked on it.

Professional Translation Fact #3: The Most Translated Book

The Bible has been translated into more than 3350 languages. The New Testament in more than 2000 and the Old Testament in approximately 700 make it the most translated book in the world, breaking all records.

Professional Translation Fact #4: International Translation Day

Each year, translators, interpreters, terminologists, and localization services providers celebrate International Translation Day on September 30th. The day celebrates the work of those who translate and promotes their expertise.

Translation Fact #5: The Patron Saint of Translation

St. Jerome is revered as the patron saint of translation. International Translation day is the day of the feast of St. Jerome.

This is because of the year 382, when the pope, Damasus, commissioned the leading biblical scholar of the time, St. Jerome, to provide a translation of the Bible; therefore, producing the Vulgata, which is the canonic Latin version of the Bible used by the Catholic church to this day.

Translation Fact #6: First Translation Theorists

Cicero and Horace were the first theorists who distinguished between word-for-word and sense-for-sense translation.

Translation Fact #7: Females In Translation History

It was in the 19th century that female translators started signing their work with their names; previously, women used pseudonyms or did not sign their translations at all to avoid ridicule or rejection of their work.

Translation Fact #8: A Hardworking Position

Translators work very hard. On average, a translator does 2000-3000 words/day. The number of words translated varies depending on the document’s type and format (word, slides, hardcopy, or others).

Translation Fact #9: The Top 5 Languages

The most targeted languages in the world of translation services are English, French, German, Italian, and Russian, making them the top 5 languages in the translation industry.

Translation Fact #10: Languages In The World And The U.S.

According to Ethnologue, there are currently 7,100 languages spoken around the world. And there are more than 350 languages spoken in the U.S. It should come as no surprise that English is the most spoken language in the country. However, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, about one-fifth of U.S. residents speak another language at home.

Globalization is a fact of life. Understanding other languages is the bridge to help us know the world. With the help of professional translation services. you can explore the world without any obstacles. Whether you need website localization, document translation, or legal translation, a translation agency could help.

Google AR Glasses: The Latest Machine Translation Breakthrough

At the 2022 Google Global I/O Developers Conference, a new generation of Google Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses was officially demonstrated. These new glasses are equipped with Google Translate technology and support real-time spoken machine translation services in 32 languages. Google said its new AR glasses are in the internal testing phase and may provide more functional applications in the future.

Google also released a video on YouTube showing the language translation function of Google AR Glasses, which aims to break down language barriers.

“Looking ahead, there’s a new frontier of computing, which has the potential to extend all of this even further, and that is AR,” Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post on May 11. “These AR capabilities are already useful on phones, and the magic will really come alive when you can use them in the real world without the technology getting in the way.”

The Brief History of Google Glass

This is the second time Google has displayed its AR glasses; the last time was in 2012.

The $1,500 price of the first-generation Google Glass and its “unusual” appearance initially made consumers stop looking at it. In addition, lack of applications, invasion of privacy, and technical problems were all shortcomings of the first-generation Google AR glasses. Apple CEO Tim Cook was very skeptical of the Google Glass, saying at the D11 conference in May 2013 that whether or not it would have a “broad range appeal” was “hard to see.”

Ultimately, the original Google AR Glasses were discontinued nine months after launch.

Google AR Glasses Feature Real-Time Machine Translation

Ten years later, in 2022, a new generation of Google AR glasses emerged. This time, Google just showed one of the real-time translation functions and did not reveal too many other details, giving the outside world much imagination. And the “real-time translation function” is very practical in daily life, attracting consumers.

In addition, in terms of appearance, the new Google AR glasses have a new design, with a black frame closer to real life. The external view of daily wear is no different from ordinary glasses, and consumers will not be seen as “weirdos” to wear them out.

Interpreting Services vs. Machine Translation

While Google’s AR glasses appear promising, the real-time function is being questioned. Suppose you are trying to have an actual conversation through a translation app, even with a virtual phone assistant like Siri. In that case, you must speak slowly, methodically, and clearly.

Indeed, machine translation cannot wholly replace human translation and localization services. If you want to communicate bilingually without any inconvenience, regardless of grammar, accent, and speed of speech, it is best to invest in real-time interpreting services provided by a professional translation agency.

8 Hilarious Advertising Translation Fails

Every brand wants to go global and expand into foreign markets. One of the most vital things is to invest in marketing translation and localize campaigns to fit your organization’s target markets. Slogans are always an effective way to let consumers know about a company. However, even crafting a simple slogan can prove difficult without help from language service providers, especially when dealing internationally. LSPs can help companies understand the local culture, habitats, and languages to create successful marketing campaigns in these countries. Here are some funny examples of advertising translation fails.

Car Manufacturers Need Accurate Advertising Translation

It seems that car companies struggle the most with marketing campaigns. Many prominent manufacturers have made errors when translating their slogans for non-English speaking markets, which can lead to amusing results.

Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors clearly failed to hire adequate translation services. It did not translate the vehicle name “Pajero” in Spanish, which means “wanker” in Spanish, when Mitsubishi Motors entered the European market.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz entered the Chinese market under the brand name “Bensi,” which means “rush to die.” Mercedes-Benz then modified its name to “Benchi”, which means “run quickly”, and has now become one of the most popular brands in China.

General Motors

When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, the company was unaware that the Spanish expression, “No Va”, meant “It won’t go.”

Food Companies Need Advertising Translation Services

Even food companies have made hilarious mistakes when translating their slogans from English to other languages.

KFC

When KFC opened its first restaurant in Beijing, a cannibalistic translation error changed “finger-licking good” to “eat your fingers off.”

Coors

Coors launched a campaign in Spain with its slogan, “Turn it loose”. However, the customers didn’t rush out to buy the beer because they were puzzled over the Spanish translation: “suffer from diarrhea.”

American Dairy Association

It is another Spanish translation fail. While the American Dairy Association’s “Got Milk?” campaign was very successful among English speakers in the States, Spanish-speaking people were confused about why the association would translate its slogan to “Are you lactating?”

Other Companies Who Need Advertising Translation

American Airlines

To advertise their leather seats, American Airlines used the slogan “Fly in Leather,” which translated in Spanish for the market in Mexico as “Fly Naked.”

Parker Pen

When Parker Pen was advertised in Mexico, it wanted to use its slogan, “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you,” which was used in Spain even though it translated to “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”

A foreign market always means more potential to increase your profitability. If you can localize your product effectively, there is no doubt your organization see an increase in profits.

The most efficient way is to hire an agency that provides professional translation and localization services. The translation experts will be helpful in document translation, marketing translation, and even video translation, making sure your marketing slogans will not become a laughing stock!

38 English Words That Don’t Need Spanish Translation

Are you a cocktail lover? Do you know the words Daiquiri, Mojito, and Tequila are all Spanish words adapted to English? Unsurprisingly, many more Spanish words are hidden in English, requiring no Spanish translation.

Spanish is a Romance language derived from the 9th-century dialects of Iberia. It developed into a separate language as it expanded through Spain during the Middle Ages. Today, Spanish is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and Mercosur; as a result, translation services and interpreting services for Spanish are in high demand.

The following lists are Spanish words that have been assimilated into English. Moreover, most of them retain the spelling and even (more or less) the pronunciation of Spanish!

State & City Names In Spanish Translation

The following names don’t require translation or localization services:

• California — a mythical island from the 1510 Spanish novel Las sergas de Esplandián by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.
• Colorado — “red-colored” (referring to the color of the river that is the state’s namesake).
• Montana — from montaña (“mountain”)
• Nevada — “snowy”
• Texas — the Spanish adopted the word tejas from the language of the indigenous Cado people. It means “friends” or “allies.”
• Utah — derived from the name of the indigenous Ute people, by way of Spanish yuta.
• Las Vegas — “the meadows”
• Los Angeles — a shortened version of the older name, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Porciúncula River”
• San Antonio — “Saint Anthony”
• San Francisco — “Saint Francis”
• Santa Cruz — “holy cross”

Food & Drink and Spanish Translation

• avocado — (originally a Nahuatl word, ahuacatl)
• burrito — “little donkey”
• banana — (word, originally of African origin, entered English via either Spanish or Portuguese)
• barbecue — (from barbacoa, a word of Caribbean origin)
• chorizo — “spiced pork sausage”
• cilantro — “coriander”
• daiquiri — named after Daiquiri, a port city in eastern Cuba
• habanero — “from Havana”
• jalapeño — “from Jalapa”
• mojito — diminutive form of Cuban Spanish mojo (“sauce”)
• nacho — named after Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who is purported to have invented the dish in 1943
• oregano — from orégano
• piña colada — from piña (“pineapple”) and colada (“strained”)
• salsa — “sauce”
• sherry — from Old Spanish Xerés, modern Spanish Jerez
• taco — “plug”
• tequila – named after Tequila, the Mexican district where the spirit originated
• tuna – from Spanish atún
• vanilla — from Spanish vainilla 

Geography & Weather Words

• arroyo — “stream”
• breeze — from brisa (“cold northeast wind”)
• caldera — “cauldron”
• canyon — cañón
• mesa — “table”
• playa — “beach”
• sierra — “mountain range”
• tornado — from tronada (thunderstorm)

Spanish is undoubtedly one of the most dominant spoken languages in the U.S. There are more than 37 million Spanish speakers. Therefore, Spanish translation services are always in high demand.

As one of the largest Spanish translation services provider, Language Connections offers specialized linguistic solutions to meet your needs, including Spanish legal translation, Spanish interpreting services, and Spanish document translation services.

The Top 5 Languages In The U.S. And The Role of Translation Services

According to Ethnologue, there are currently 7,100 languages spoken around the world. More than 350 languages are spoken in the U.S. alone. While most Americans speak English, English is commonly mistaken as the official language of the United States. In fact, the U.S. doesn’t have an official language on record; a perfect representation of the rich culture in the U.S. Given this incredible linguistic diversity, it’s no question that translation services and interpreting services play a vital role in ensuring clear communication between different language groups.

Here are the 5 of the most spoken languages in the U.S.:

1. English

It should come as no surprise that English is the most spoken language in the United States; it is spoken by approximately 78% of the population, with more than 231 million speakers.

Though it isn’t the official language, it is the de facto national language. In the U.S., almost everything is in English, including the official currency, laws, and road signs. Additionally, most businesses use English as their primary form of communication.

2. Spanish

Spanish is undoubtedly the most dominant spoken language in the U.S. Since 1980, the U.S. has seen around a 233% increase in Spanish speakers. There are more than 37 million Spanish speakers and interpreters and translators are always available to provide support to those who need their assistance.

In terms of vocabulary, Spanish has greatly influenced American English, such as the names of numerous American cities and states (San Francisco, Nevada, El Paso, and more).

3. Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, and More)

During the Gold Rush of the 1800s, many Chinese immigrants moved to California with dreams of discovering gold. Chinese is becoming a well-recognized language in the U.S. with 3 million speakers, and its popularity is growing.

San Francisco became the first city to have a Chinatown, which is a term for an area with a high concentration of Chinese Americans. New York City hosts the largest population of ethnic Chinese outside of Asia, as there are 12 Chinatowns in the New York metropolitan area.

4. Tagalog (Filipino) And Translation Services

Tagalog is the 4th most spoken language in the U.S. Originating from the Philippines, Tagalog evolved into Filipino, which is what usually causes confusion. Filipino is the official language in the Philippines. There are approximately 1.6 million Tagalog speakers in the U.S., with the majority living in California, New York, and Hawaii.

5. Vietnamese And Translation Services

Vietnamese is one of the fastest-growing languages in the country — the number of speakers has increased by 500% since 1980. Vietnamese has become the fifth most popular spoken language in the United States. 1.5 million Vietnamese speakers can be found in the U.S., with California(39%) and Texas(13%) hosting the most Vietnamese-speaking individuals.

In this diverse culture, translation services are always needed. People need legal translation services when involved in a lawsuit. They need real-time interpreting services when they cannot understand an English-speaking doctor. For businesses, if they would like to win more market share from another culture, translation and localization services are a great help. Hiring a professional translation agency will solve most of the language problems in your life!

How A Localization Service Can Prevent The Next Pandemic

Living in an English-speaking country, we often feel that information is at our fingertips, as we can Google any question and find the answer quickly. During the Covid-19 period, people actively sought information on infection symptoms, vaccine development progress, and the state of the pandemic. But it still is not easy for people in non-English speaking areas to find information effectively. Enter the help of international development translation services provided by a professional localization service.

The Language Gap And How A Localization Service Can Help

There are about 7,100 languages worldwide, but translation services like Google Translate support only around 100 languages. An article mentioned, “For over half of the world’s population, people can’t expect to Google their symptoms, nor even get a pamphlet from their doctor explaining their diagnosis, because it’s not available in a language they can understand.”

How World Governments Are Addressing the Problem

Many national governments and volunteer agencies are actively translating Covid documents. The five WHO guidelines have been translated into posters in more than 220 languages, and WHO’s myth busters fact sheets have been translated into over 60 languages. Language Connections even helped the local governments translate public materials into many different languages.

But there is still a language gap. For example, South Africa and Brazil governments often spread the Covid information most in English rather than other official languages. This makes it challenging for people who do not understand English to obtain accurate information.

Why A Localization Service Is Important

The best way to stop the spread of a disease is to localize the disease information and send it to everyone worldwide. At the early stage of the epidemic, when there was no vaccine, all we could do was change how we lived, including washing hands frequently and keeping social distance.

In addition, providing COVID-19-related content, both written and audio-visual, in various languages to be accessible enough to keep everyone safe is far from being as quick and easy as you might expect. Luckily, translation and localization services play a vital role in the progress. If the information can be translated faster, then the pandemic can be controlled earlier in more regions. For example, Seattle’s King County has been producing fact sheets in languages spoken by local immigrant and refugee communities, such as Amharic, Khmer, and Marshallese.

Language service providers can provide accurate legal translation services, video translation, or document localization services. But in the face of a global pandemic like Covid-19, eliminating the language gap still is a huge challenge even for professionals. Going forward, governments around the world should strive to invest in the appropriate language services in advance of the next pandemic in order to ensure that everyone, regardless of language, can have access to accurate public health information.

How Language Translation Services Help Soccer Players Communicate

Are you a fan of soccer clubs? Have you ever wondered how players from different countries communicate? While the majority of players at Barcelona mainly speak Spanish, at Paris Saint-Germain majority speak French, and at Premier League clubs speak English, how do players from foreign nations understand their coaches and teammates? Enter the role of language translation services.

Gestures and Language Translation Services

Body language is the easiest way to communicate. Soccer games require communication between players to coordinate players and formulate plays. Without the help of interpreters, players can find an efficient way to communicate during matches, by using glances, hand signals, shouts, or even winking.

A small gesture is more powerful than a whole sentence. Soccer players are limited to using short and clear messages, especially in fierce competitions. Gestures can help players transmit messages immediately, as they have formed tight bonds with their due to longtime training.

Language Translation Services and Translation Devices

Translation devices are also great assistants when off the field. iFLYTEK once published an advertisement featuring Chinese soccer player Wu Lei, who plays for Espanyol club. When formulating tactics, Wu Lei cannot understand what his coach is saying. Luckily, through the use of translation device, he can easily communicate with his coach an participate in player meetings. While sometimes machine translation devices do not work as accurately as professional interpreting services, translation devices are popular because they are lightweight, portable, and easy-to-use.

In addition to translation devices, many translation applications can be found on mobile phones. With the help of these devices and applications, player are able to adapt quickly to new environments.

The Role of Language Training

Effective and smooth communication is the foundation of a team’s success. When a newly signed player has a language barrier, clubs often offer various ways to help them.

First, clubs can provide language training to help players communicate with coaches, managers, and teammates. When needed, the clubs will hire interpreters from translation agencies for real-time interpreting services.

But usually, new players can seek help from senior or multilingual team members. For example, Ivan Rakitic plays for Barcelona, and he can speak six different languages: English, French, German, Croatian, Spanish, and Italian. Therefore, he can communicate with every team member in their native language.

In this internationalized world, translation and localization services are increasingly required. Team cooperation has no borders, but communication requires the skill of speaking multiple languages. Language Connections is passionate about building a world without language barriers.

TikTok’s New Video Translation Tools

TikTok, a popular video-based social media platform, just announced in a July 21st blog post that it had developed new captions and video translation tools such as subtitling services to make entertaining videos more accessible.

Why Video Translation?

The company has been working on reducing language barriers. In 2021, it launched the caption function so that video creators can transcribe their content to generate subtitles and make it more accessible to people from other countries. And it has continued to improve the user experience.

“Today, we’re introducing new caption and translation tools in hopes of lowering the language barrier to help bring entertaining global content to more users,” TikTok wrote in the blog post.

Tiktok updated three language translation and transcription services tools: auto-generated captions, translations for captions and video descriptions, and translation for text stickers. With these tools, video viewers can easily understand video content and not miss any funny parts!

Tiktok’s Auto-Generated Captions

Previously, creators who posted videos on TikTok could choose whether they wanted auto-generated captions posted to their videos. But the audience does not have the option to turn on or close the captions. The updated auto-caption feature allows viewers to choose and make the content they view more understandable.

“With auto-generated captions, in addition to creators, viewers now have the option to turn on closed captions for videos, helping make entertaining content more accessible,” the company writes.

TikTok’s Video Translation Support

TikTok is currently offering global translation services support in English, Portuguese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish and Turkish. Users who watch videos in these languages will also have access to automatically created captions, which can be translated into one of the nine languages. It makes content more accessible to a broader range of users.

With these upgraded functions, TikTok believes people can share happiness and entertainment regardless of language barriers. “These easy translation solutions help overcome language barriers and bring people closer together over shared entertainment,” the company’s blog reads. “Through these efforts, global content will become more accessible regardless of the language(s) you speak and where you are in the world.”

Because of the Internet, there are no borders to communicate with each other. We only need to type on the keyboard to chat with friends on another continent. But understanding each other’s language is the foundation of communication. Professional translation and interpreting services can help you communicate with the one you are concerned about without any barrier. Language Connections is passionate about helping you connect with the world.

Why Japanese Translation Services Are Essential to Manga Culture

Have you ever checked out a manga store? Do you like Japanese comic books? In America, Manga has been on an upward trend in popularity. Whether you like Manga culture or not, you will find manga stores everywhere. Unbeknownst to many, the medium’s ubiquity is due in large part to the help of Japanese translation and interpreting services.

What is Manga?

According to Wikipedia, mangas are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conforms to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. The form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. Usually, the term manga used in the U.S. refers to comics originally published in Japan.

The Japanese Market Needs Japanese Translation Services For Manga

Japan has a market-oriented and highly developed economy. The country has the second most developed economy in the world and is a member of the Group of Seven nations. Japan has focused on manufacturing precision and high-tech industries such as hybrid vehicles, robotics, and optical instruments. In addition to these traditional industries, manga is an important part of the cultural and entertainment industry in Japan.

Manga became popular in Japan in the post-war era. The manga trend swept the world thanks to television, the internet, and globalization. To some people, it even serves as a gateway to Japanese art and culture. Manga has appeared in translation in many different languages on every continent, as manga fans are all over the world.

When there is an international business, language translation is always the most crucial part. Translation services are needed everywhere, such as commodity contracts translation as well as import and export documents translation.

Manga in the U.S. And Japanese Translation Services

Most millennials grew up watching cartoons and anime on television. Dragon Ball Z, Astroboy, Digimon, Detective Conan, Captain Tsubasa, Pokémon, Gundam, Slam Dunk, and the newer One Piece were just some of the shows that accompanied Gen Z’s childhoods both in the East and the West. As manga culture increases in popularity, it attracts more and more fans.

Dating back to the 60s and 70s, American publishers started importing Japanese comic books to diversify their comic portfolio. To appeal to American audiences, the publishers localized the books, plots changed, and the characters were often given Western names. The success of anime in the United States has accelerated the globalization and promotion of manga.

Today, the development of manga in the U.S. is undoubtedly successful. ICv2, a media news website, reported that U.S. manga sales more than doubled for retailers in 2021, a growth rate of 160% over the previous year.

For Japanese manga, the quality of translation determines its popularity. Language Connections provides professional Japanese translation and localization services and is passionate about helping you launch your business globally.