How A Professional Translation Company Could Help New Year’s Eve
With the approach of New Years’ Eve comes the planning of several global celebrations. Whether in person or online, there is quite a few events going on this year. However, one event is especially important this year: Puerto Rico is hosting the first ever Spanish countdown on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2022”, one of the most famous broadcasts. It marks an important step in the U.S. because it symbolizes acknowledgment of the Spanish/speaking community. This kind of event requires special attention to translation needs. A professional translation company can help in many ways considering that translation services will be needed from Spanish to English and vice versa. In this post, we will review how Spanish translation could enhance the broadcast.
Spanish Translation Needs Covered By A Professional Translation Company
Even though Spanish is a language spoken by many people in the world, such an event requires Spanish translation services in order to make it understandable and enjoyable for as many people as possible in the world. A professional translation company has the services that fit the need of such an event. Due to COVID-19, the event will take place online and not in person like normal, international translation services can help such as Spanish interpreting services, video translation and even closed captioning services.
A Professional Translation Company Can Also Offer Interpretation
Since the event is online you might think that there is no need for Spanish interpreting services. Depending on what you mean by interpretation, a Spanish interpreter could come in handy for these kinds of events. Knowing that there will be artists like Daddy Yankee or Eladio Carrión, there will be a need for interpreting especially for members of deaf and/or partially deaf communities (just like for a live concert). Spanish interpreting services along with closed captioning and subtitling services are the most accurate when provided by a professional translation company.
Why Purchase Video Translation Provided By A Professional Translation Company?
Video translation is a very useful tool, but it is also very new and has its set of challenges. We know of lot of amateur do video translation on platforms like YouTube. But for an event as important as this one, it is essential to hire a professional translation company for the task, especially knowing it is a live broadcast. Although translating a live feed is often very challenging, a company with excellent Spanish translation services can certainly handle the job.
As much as our professional translation company is concerned, we are very excited for this first global Spanish language broadcast of New Year’s Eve 2022. We hope you will watch it live or streaming. Language Connections wishes you a great New Year’s Eve and a Happy New Year!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections LLC
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
5 Global Holiday Traditions From Your Favorite Translation Company
As Holidays are approaching, we figured it was time to look around us and see how other countries in the world celebrate Christmas. All of us are familiar with Santa Claus and gift giving as American traditions, but did you know these traditions are not the same everywhere in the world? If you did not, don’t worry, your favorite translation company is here to tell you about the most surprising ways people celebrate it outside the US.
A tradition does not appear over night; it only becomes one when a group of people decide to repeat it over the years. Just like Coca-Cola’s Santa conquered America (perhaps by investing in good marketing localization services), it eventually seduced the rest of the world by combining an international marketing approach with excellent digital marketing translation services. A translation company can come in handy for Christmas commercials and even advertising materials with the help of packaging translation services. A lot of people complain about how Christmas has become highly commercialized, as it was originally supposed to be a celebration of Jesus’ birthday in the Christian calendar.
However, we should keep in mind that not all countries are Christian, and traditions vary a lot from culture to culture. Therefore, our translation company decided to tell you more about five Christmas traditions around the world that may surprise you:
1. “La Befana” in Italy from a translation company’s perspective:
In Italy, La Befana is an old woman that is supposed to deliver gift to kids, traditionally in their stocks. She would be the equivalent of Santa, but she does not come on the 25th of December but on January 5th, Epiphany’s Eve. La Befana is an Italian name with Latin roots, but an international translator could offer academic translation ensure better understanding across language groups.
2. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Japan had our translation company speechless:
If you thought the traditional American Christmas had become commercial, you probably did not know what Japanese people have been doing for the last 40 years. Each year, it is tradition for the Japanese to purchase KFC for the whole family instead of making a home-cooked meal. People even have to make an order months in advance due to the popular demand. It is surprising how an American fast-food chain like KFC that probably had to go through much paperwork using Japanese patent translation made up a whole tradition there.
3. Our translation company was surprised to learn that Iceland had 13 Santa Clauses
Believe it or not Icelandic children are visited by 13 lads on Christmas and not one Santa or one Befana. The 13 lads are the ones in charge of putting candy in the little shoes that children place by the window.
4. Ethiopia and their processions
One thing to be aware of is that Ethiopians still follow the Julian calendar and then celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January and not the 25th of December. On the 7th, they gather in a congregation to do a procession around the Church in which they celebrate Christmas.
5. “La Quemada del diablo” in Guatemala
It means “Burning the Devil” and it is an old Guatemalan tradition that has been around since the 16th century. Usually people collect the most old/used thing they have in their house and burn it. It is supposed to symbolize spiritual cleansing.
All these traditions come from very unexpected places around the world. You realize that almost anything can become a tradition. In a few years, you might even have something like bitcoin becoming a gift-giving tradition in some countries and next thing you know they will need a translation company to translate bitcoin.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections LLC
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
Could The 5 Most Popular Christmas Songs Use Translation Services?
Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have heard hundreds of Christmas hits just as December 1st arrived. From Mariah Carey to Michael Buble, the Christmas discography is huge. No matter how old some songs are, most of them make it into the global charts every December (according to Spotify). This worldwide phenomenon occurs in spite of the language barrier, but how? Could these songs be more popular if they used translation services, or quite the opposite?
There are different answers for these questions, but no ultimate truth. As you can imagine, most of these have been translated or interpreted many times in different languages around the world but why didn’t they blow up like the original versions? One reason could be that they did not use any professional translation services or interpretation services. Translating song lyrics is nothing like translating a random 1-page document; it requires special attention to the general meaning or message of the song as well as its rhythm. Most of the existing translations for these songs have been done by amateurs and not by any professional translator. We can take website translation as an analogy; an amateur could do a great job, but professional website translation could deliver a cleaner result with greater attention to detail.
Let’s explore 5 hit Christmas songs and review what makes them popular:
1. Translation Services and “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
This classic cannot go unnoticed, as M. Carey could spent the rest of her life living on the royalties she’s made off of it since 2011. Ten years after the release of this song, it might be a good idea to give it a fresh breeze by properly translating it into several languages. Considering its corresponding music video is streamed millions of times every year. Video translation could be especially helpful to ensure that the meaning of the song is accurately conveyed to people around the world.
2. Translation Services For “Last Christmas” by Wham!
Since its release in 1984, Wham!’s song gets stuck into everyone’s head around holidays. Translating it would also require a lot of attention to the song’s unique rhythm, but if a professional translator were given the task he would certainly succeed in transforming the song into multiple languages without sacrificing the song’s fun mood or rhythm patterns.
3. “It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas” by Michael Buble and Translation Services
Since it first came out in 2011, Buble’s sweet melody continues to bless our ears every year. As opposed to the last two songs, this one may be more suited for translation as its rhythm is more constant than the others.
4. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
Although Williams’ song came out in 1963, it is still one of the most streamed songs on Christmas time. Properly translating this Christmas classic could a good thing but, given its long history, it might do a disservice to the song’s proud tradition.
5. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
Because the song came out in 1964, many translations have been done over the years. However, the original version always remains the one people listen too. Like Andy Williams’ song, it may also be a matter of tradition and not language.
At the end of the day, what makes these songs popular is the sense of nostalgia and spirit the music conveys rather than their lyrics. After all, music is the universal language.
For these and many other reasons, it would be interesting to see what they would become if they were professionally translated. Purchasing translation services and interpretation services for these songs would perhaps give them a sense of freshness and create more linguistic diversity in the Christmas hits of today. Such a context might even require contract translation for every individual involved to completely understand their role in such a project.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections LLC
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
5 International Thanksgiving Celebrations For the Interpreter to Enjoy
It’s Thanksgiving. Which means it’s autumn. Which means it’s the harvest time. Which means rejoicing and being thankful. But also that some 17th century British Christians landed on a rock and then feasted with the local natives with the help of a native interpreter?
We are here to translate, interpret and localize what this special time means around the world (and to celebrate it!)
In the past, nations would toil and pray every year for a bountiful harvest at the end of the summer so they would have enough to eat during the winter. In continental climates (regions with hot summers and freezing winters), this was a natural and common concern.
In such a situation, a successful harvest was very much cause for joy and merrymaking. Let’s look at five countries’ holiday traditions and see what makes each one a little bit different.
1. Japan: Thanksgiving and Labor
On November 23rd, the Japanese commemorate Labor Thanksgiving Day. People give thanks for their productivity and their workers. Although the holiday has roots in the Shinto harvest ceremony Niiname-sai, it was actually instated by law during the post-World War II American occupation of Japan.
2. Germany: A Bucolic Thanksgiving For the Interpreter
The Erntedankfest, or the Harvest Thanksgiving Festival, takes place in the Urdenbach borough of the city of Düsseldorf. It’s a Christian harvest festival that is celebrated every first Sunday of October. Autumnal crops are arranged in remarkably artful ways to decorate streets, public buildings, and procession cars.
3. Mexico: Say a Thanksgiving Prayer
Mexico’s close proximity with the United States has resulted in the adoption of the Thanksgiving holiday, called by locals: Día de Acción de Gracias. Given the deep-set Roman Catholic belief system, Thanksgiving is taken as an overtly religious holiday. And, oftentimes, they will roast a pig rather than a turkey!
4. Rwanda: Age-Old Thanksgiving Tradition
In Rwanda, Thanksgiving correlates to Umuganura Day, observed on the first Friday of August. The celebration traces back over a thousand years as the mark of the beginning of the harvest season. Today, about 80% of Rwandans work in agriculture, making it a holiday of great national meaning.
5. USA: An Interpreter Saves Thanksgiving
In the year 1620, 102 people landed on Plymouth Rock (in modern-day Massachusetts) on a ship called the Mayflower. They were British Separatists fleeing prosecution, but we commonly refer to them as Pilgrims. In the unfamiliar, already-occupied land, the odds of survival were stacked against the group from the start.
These Europeans would ultimately survive through trade and collaboration with Native American tribes. This liaison was possible because of two Natives who spoke English as a foreign language: Samoset and, more famously, Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, who spoke English fluently and provided language interpreting.
Thanksgiving Translation in Every Language
Professional language service is how we do business with our neighbors, how we market our products and services, how we expand international aid and immigration law translation. But it is also how we fraternize, bond, and share what we are grateful for with our global community.
Contact us with your language needs and forge connections with international reach.
Thank you for joining us! Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Language Connections!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections LLC
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
Armistice Day and Its Meaning Around the World
Last week, on November 11th, it was Armistice Day.
Armistice Day coincides with Veterans Day in the United States and Remembrance Day in Commonwealth countries. The significance of the holiday is commonly attributed to honoring those who serve, served, and lost their lives serving in the military. But what’s the history of Armistice Day?
The Signing of the Armistice
World War I ended “on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” in 1918. The four years of WWI stunned the world. No one had ever witnessed such great capacity for destruction and death all at once, a result of new technological advances in weaponry and the advent of industrialization.
After four years of a war that caused about 40 million in casualties, the final remaining Central Power, Germany, was running out of supplies and manpower. At 6:45 in the morning on November 11th of 1918, in the private railcar of French commander Ferdinand Foch, Germany signed an armistice with the Allies. It took effect 11 o’clock that morning, thereby ending all hostilities and effectively ending the war.
World Celebrations of Armistice Day
Armistice Day became a holiday in many countries all over the world. In 1938 in the United States, Armistice Day was marked with so many ceremonies, religious services, and parades that Congress approved an act to make it into a legal holiday. In 1954, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day.
Gatherings are a common way to celebrate Armistice Day in observant nations. But, for example, in the UK, Remembrance Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of November. At 11 o’clock in the morning, a two-minute period of silence is observed throughout the country.
Additionally, in the UK and Canada, the poppy flower is considered a symbol of the armistice. So, paper and cloth poppies can be seen adorning towns and people’s clothing. For this reason, sometimes Remembrance Day is known as Poppy Day.
The Language of Armistice
Armistice Day is a day to celebrate world peace, honor, and service. With so many different countries involved, one can only imagine the effect of linguists, translators, and interpreters at such a critical time.
We are proud to be in that line of work, with the hope of supporting law, education, and international development. Our promise is to offer specialized language services – such as immigration law translation, medical device labeling translation, community interpreting, or simply full language service – with the highest efficacy and quality.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, localization services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
3 Spooky Halloween Short Stories from Around the World
It’s almost Halloween. Wrap yourself up like a mummy and get wrapped up in these three spooky Halloween short stories from abroad. We’ve got a mythological monster, a dead man who is still active in his community, and a baroness who made her poor servants’ lives a living hell.
These stories come to us through oral history, language translation, and localization (so we don’t feel like we’re hearing it from a robot or miss any of the juicy details.) There’s a fair amount of gore in these stories so perhaps calling a medical translator could be in order. Don’t read with the lights out!
1. Fenrir: Wolf of Halloween (Scandinavia)
In Norse mythology, Fenrir is a monstrous wolf who never stops growing in size and has supernatural strength. When he was born, the gods were intimidated by the havoc he would wreak and decided to raise Fenrir themselves in Asgard. The only god brave enough to approach and feed Fenrir was Týr.
Fenrir was getting too big to be kept in Asgard. The gods twice tricked Fenrir into becoming bound in chains, but both times his strength won. For their third attempt, they presented a special, lighter chain. Fenrir became suspicious and understood the gods’ intentions wasn’t tomfoolery, but capture.
So, Fenrir said he would let them bind him again if, this time, one of the gods rested a hand in his jaws during the process. The terrified gods knew Fenrir’s intention was to bite the hand off. Knowing his sacrifice would be for the good of the Nine Worlds, Týr chose to volunteer.
As soon as the tethered Fenrir realized that the new magical chain was unbreakable, he chomped down on Týr’s hand and swallowed it whole. Týr lost his hand, but Fenrir was finally contained – for now.
2. Petar Blagojević: Dead and Kicking (Serbia)
The word “vampire” comes from the extremely similar Serbian word vampir. And the first vampire in Serbia was a real man who once lived. His name was Petar Blagojević. A peasant in a small village, he led an ordinary life. It wasn’t until he was deceased that his name spread across Europe.
In a wave of vampire hysteria, Petar was held responsible for nine murders – even though he was already dead. Within eight days of his passing, nine people died. On their deathbeds, the decedents reported that Petar Blagojevic had visited their rooms at night and tried to choke them.
Petar’s family also received postmortem visits. His wife reported that he came to her asking for his sandals. In response, she moved away from town, as did many others who feared a chance meeting. Petar then visited his son, asking for food. When his son did not comply, Petar bit and murdered him.
The villagers decided to disinter Petar’s body. To their astonishment, the body looked as though it were alive and active – in fact, with fresh excess blood spilling from the mouth, it looked like the corpse had recently made a kill. Ultimately, they drove a stake through the chest and incinerated the body.
3. Elizabeth Bathory: Creepy Halloween Queen (Hungary)
Born Erzsébet Báthory in 1560 in the Kingdom of Hungary, this real-life historical figure is known for the one atrocity that she probably didn’t actually commit. The legend goes that in her middle-age, she would drip-dry young virgin girls for their blood, collect it in a tub, and bathe herself. Very, very dark.
Unfortunately, the verified facts are not less dark – Elizabeth Bathory was a serial killer. It all began with her early life influences. As a child that suffered from epileptic episodes, she underwent the treatment of the time, which consisted of rubbing the blood of a non-epileptic onto the lips.
At the age of 13, she would bear and dispose of an illegitimate child. When she was married at 14, her husband had the child’s father, a peasant, castrated and thrown to a pack of wild dogs. Whenever the couple was together, they bonded over a shared interest in the torture of their servant girls.
By the end of her life, Elizabeth and her inner circle murdered 650 girls, with 306 testimonials filed against her in court. Because of her social stature, an agreement was made whereby she would not have to stand trial, sparing her family the embarrassment. Instead, she would go straight to prison.
Halloween Spooks and Delights
It’s amazing to think these ancient spooky stories have been immortalized through simple document translation. That is the relevance of language services. Not only can cultures all over the world take part in the fun but, amazingly, these stories inspire new articles and web content every day.
Every enterprise has a story. Tell other countries the story of your enterprise through translation, conference interpreting, and web localization. If you’re in the business of medical or legal issues (hopefully not like the ones described in today’s Halloween stories), we can be of service.
Happy Halloween 2021!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, localization services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com