Posted by Jim Cottrell on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 @ 10:04 AM
When translating a document from English into Spanish, the number of characters and words will likely increase. Important to keep in mind if you're creating website buttons, event signs, chart headings, etc. What if the size of the Spanish word doubles or triples? The key is leaving extra room for translation. But why is that? As our Spanish translator explains, there are different reasons why text expands when translated from English into Spanish.
English and Spanish belong to two different language families. English is a Germanic language and Spanish is a Romance language. Germanic languages are filled with 1-syllable words. Romance languages, which are Latin-based, are filled with multi-syllable words.
1. Nouns - Here are some examples...
- pen - bolígrafo
- flag - bandera
- zoo - zoológico
- fan - ventilador
- hope - esperanza
- height - estatura
- will - testamento
2. Verb forms also tend to expand:
- We study - Nosotros estudiamos
- I'll work - Yo trabajaré
- You won - Tú gabaste
- If I had known... - Si yo hubiera sabido...
3. Since possession is expressed with the particle "de" (belonging to), possessive nouns are a big source for expansion:
- Mary's son - El hijo de Mary
- The teacher's desk - El escritorio de la profesora
- John's notebook - El cuaderno de John
4. English allows the formation of new words by placing a noun in front of another noun to create an adjectival noun. Spanish requires the use of "de":
- toy store - tienda de juguetes
- English teacher - profesor de inglés
- dishwasher - lavadora de platos
- game board - juego de mesa
5. An important source for text expansion is the abundance of idiomatic expressions in English. If the expression does not have an equivalent in the target language, it needs to be explained.
- to take a rain check - tomar una invitación en una oportunidad futura
- to chip in - contribuir entre todos para la compra de algo
With the text expansion of the Spanish comes fit problems. The most common occurrences are website buttons or graphics where the English just barely fits and now the size of the word or phrase has to double. At that point, the only options available are to make more lines or substantially reduce the point size which starts to take away from the overall look and style.
Something to keep in mind when you know something will involve Spanish translation in the future. Leave as much extra room around the English as possible.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 @ 10:37 PM
We understand that businesses are watching their bottom line more than ever. You want to get the best value for your translation dollar - the highest quality at the most competitive price. Every project is different and the pricing can vary. The more we know about your project, the better we can meet all of your objectives - even price.
Here are some ways we can work with you in saving some money on your translations:
- Volume Discounts. With large projects, we have the ability to streamline the translation process in order to offer you a lower price per word. This is normally offered when projects exceed 50,000 words.
- Repetitions / 100% Match. Your documents will be analyzed for phrases and unique words that are repeated over and over again. This program will highlight these repetitions (sometimes called "100% Match") and show the translator what he or she used last time. The translator will then double-check to make sure the translated words used before are in the right context and matches the idea of the new sentence. Because the translator does not have to translate those words again from scratch, we offer a 50% discount on phrases and unique words which are repeated in the documents. Website translations have the highest incidence of repeated words, sometimes as high as 30-40% of the total word count.
- Multiple Language Discount. If you have a large project that needs translated into several languages, we will offer a multiple language discount. It will vary depending on many factors such as the size of the project, the languages involved, and how specialized the document is. We will also need the entire project available to start at once.
- Internal Use Only. Some clients need a document translation because they just need to know what it says for internal purposes. The translation is not going to be printed and distributed worldwide. In these cases, you probably don't need a certified translator or to have it checked by a second translator which always adds to the cost. If you are willing to cut corners on quality, we can cut corners on the price.
- Quality. Believe it or not, quality can save you money too. If you choose a translation service who charges only pennies per word for their translation and they give you a bad translation which harms people or makes your business look non-professional, that is far more expensive than the few extra bucks you saved. For more information on translation quality, check out our blog post - Tips for Getting Quality Language Translation.
The most important thing when getting a website translation or language translation of any kind is communication. If we can work together with you to fully understand the specifics of the project, we can offer you the best price for a quality language translation.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Mon, Jun 15, 2009 @ 05:23 PM
You have a large engineering document which needs translated into Spanish. You go to Google and type "spanish translation" or "language translation". A bunch of names and companies come up (hopefully including ours) and you pick a few. A form is filled out. A call is made. Then, the quotations start rolling in...
How do you pick? How do you know the translation will be good? Is the $0.20/word translation really better than the $0.15/word translation? Why does it take 4 weeks to translate 35,000 words? Is the translator also experienced and well-versed in engineering? What if I get the translation and my client doesn't like it? Then what? All real questions.
Before you make your final decision, here are some tips that may help:
- The Price Shouldn't Be Too High or Too Low. This is hard because the translation market is competitive; but yes, a price can be too low. When you are analyzing quotes, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Look deeper beyond the price and ask about their translation process, the translator's experience and what if something goes wrong. Your company's reputation is too important. Maybe what you need translated even has health or safety implications if there's a mistake. Expert language translation performed by a certified translator and reviewed by an editor does cost a little extra. Don't get fooled by the lowest price in the group.
- Free Sample of Large Project Available. Before you spend thousands of dollars on a translation project, you may find it helpful to have a page or two translated. This way, your staff or client can review the translation to make sure the translator understands the essence of the original document, the writing style is correct and it's written appropriately for your target audience. This is something we offer on large projects to give you peace of mind.
- Certified Translators. Here in the United States, translators can go through a certification process by the American Translators Association where they are tested on specific languages. Translators living in other countries have similar certfication programs. Using a certified translator may cost a little more but it's another way to help make sure the best translators are working on your document.
- Translation Double-Checked by Editor. It's easy to forget that translation is very much like writing. The translator doesn't just switch words from one language to another, but they rewrite the idea or concept into their own language so that it is clear and easy to understand for the reader. Each translation should be double-checked by a second translator who serves as an editor making sure the translation is correct and makes sense to the reader.
- Translation Takes Time. If you were involved with writing the original text you want translated, do you remember how long it took to write, edit, discuss in meetings, and finally get those words finalized? Probably weeks. It won't take that long to have your document translated; but since each word, phrase and sentence is carefully analyzed and researched, translation does take some time. On average, a translator accurately translates 2,000 words per day. If they go much faster than that, quality starts to become an issue.
- No Machine Translation. There are programs which you can purchase or find online, like Google Translate, that will take your text and process it through a database of word matches attempting to translate your document into another language. For a casual reader, it may be fine. But many times, the translated sentences aren't very understandable and almost sound like a bunch of words thrown together. It's certainly not what you want for your business website or marketing materials. You get what you pay for.
- High-Quality Language Translation Company. Why use a language translation company to have your document translated? They will ensure that all of the above items are met without you having to worry about it. And not just for one language but for several if that's what you need. Using these double-checks combined with our years of experience and access to over 10,000 specialized, experienced translators; we can find that right combination of quality translations at a competitive price.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Tue, Jun 09, 2009 @ 04:55 PM
How good of a job does your business, especially retail, reach out to Hispanic buyers in their own Spanish language?
Did you know that the Hispanic buying power will increase 46% in the next five years? That is according to an article published on Kiplinger.com. In addition, the Asian buying power in the United States will grow by 48%. Now contrast that to the buying power of the whole United States which is only expected to increase 30% during this time. The bottom line: Positioning your business to also cater to the rapidly growing Hispanic and Asian ethnic groups can dramatically increase your sales in the years ahead.
How do you do that? A couple ways would be to invest in language translation and website translation.
- Are your marketing materials in Spanish?
- Does your website have a section in Spanish so Hispanics can learn more about your company in their native language?
The U.S. Census Bureau has projected there will be 102.6 million Hispanics living in the United States in 2050. Think about how many people that is! Throughout the United States, the Hispanic buying power is already near $1 TRILLION per year - the largest of any minority group. With some Spanish translation, is it possible to tap into some of this money?
In a related article by the U.S. Census Bureau, it's very interesting to see how different the United States will be in 40 years. Here is a breakdown of the population projections in 2050:
- Total Population - 419.9 Million
- Non-Hispanic, White Population - 210.3 Million (Right at 50%)
- Non-Hispanic, Black Population - 61.4 Million
- Hispanic Population - 102.6 Million
- Asian Population - 33.4 Million
- Other Ethnic Groups - 12.2 Million
As you can see, when you add all of the minority groups together, they will actually start to become the majority. It's the same trend which we have seen over the past 20-30 years.
Is it possible this can benefit you? It might be time to start marketing towards the Hispanic and Asian communities in their own language. There might be an untapped resource who are just waiting to use and buy your product or service.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Mon, Jun 01, 2009 @ 04:37 PM
When you see 06/01/09, what date instantly pops in your mind? June 1, 2009 or January 6, 2009? Maybe even January 9, 2006! It all depends on the country in which you live.
One of the challenges of language translation is making sure that the dates and times are clearly written for the target country. Each country has its own way of writing the dates. Getting the dates mixed up can cause some real difficulties. Fortunately, there is an "international standard date and time format" commonly called ISO 8601 which can help lessen the confusion.
Here are some examples of how June 1, 2009 is traditionally written around the world:
- United States - 06/01/2009
- Europe - 01/06/2009
- China - 2009/06/01
- Canada - All Three (06/01/2009, 01/06/2009, 2009/06/01)
- Mexico - 01/06/2009
- Russia - 01/06/2009
- Australia - 01/06/2009
- Argentina / Brazil - 01/06/2009
- Japan - 2009/06/01
- International Standard ISO 8601 - YYYY/MM/DD - 2009/06/01
There is a great list of date formats on Wikipedia which might be helpful. Of course, we will always double-check with the translators living in the target country.
What about the time format around the world? If it's 11:30 PM, people in the United States would write it just like that - hh:mm:ss (am/pm) with the old-fashion "am" or "pm". Most other countries would write it as 23:30. The "military time" or "24h notation" has already been standard in most countries for decades. Only a few English-speaking countries still use the "am" and "pm". In fact when we are translating the text, most countries don't even have abbreviations like "am" and "pm".
The ISO 8601 Time Format is hh:mm:ss - set to a 24-hour time. So, 11:30 PM is written as 23:30.
Just another thing to keep in mind if you're involved with global marketing and language translation. It's important to catch all of the cultural aspects (like metric conversion) in addition to properly translating the text into the target language.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Wed, May 27, 2009 @ 04:58 PM
One of the questions we always ask when we're working with a client on a Portuguese translation is "do you want "Brazilian Portuguese" or "European Portuguese". Some of the spellings and phrasing is different between the two. Kind of like the difference between US English and UK English. Pretty soon, that may not be an issue.
There are 230 million people worldwide who speak Portuguese. 190 million of them live in Brazil. Portugal, which is where Portuguese originated from, only has 10.6 million Portuguese speakers. But, thanks to Brazil's dominance, Portuguese is the #6 language in the world.
Well, there was a change which quietly took place on May 15, 2009 in Portugal. The Portugal parliament voted to introduce changes to the Portuguese language in order to spell hundreds of words the Brazilian way. This will allow for a more "Universal Portuguese" which can be used in both Brazil and Portugal and some other smaller countries who also speak this language.
Why would they do this? Advocates say the benefits include easier Internet searches in Portuguese and uniform legalese for contracts. Plus, Brazil's economy is big enough that to align itself with the European Union (which Portugal is one of the smaller members) might offer some political and economic benefits.
Here are some of the changes which were introduced to the Portuguese used in Portugal:
- They will add "k", "w" and "y" to the alphabet
- Silent consonants will be removed - "h", "c", "p"
This will affect the spelling of approximately 2,000 Portuguese words. So, the word "optimo" (great) would become "otimo" and "accao" (action) would become "acao". It's expected that Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva will sign these changes into law. Then, they will be phased in over the next 6 years.
Even though Brazil's influence on the world stage helped make this happen, I think it's a good thing to finally develop a "Universal Portuguese" which can be used in Brazil, Portugal, Angola, East Timor, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe. It will be easier for our Portuguese translators to work with our clients in making sure their Portuguese language will be easily understood throughout the world.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Mon, May 25, 2009 @ 10:17 AM
As we celebrate Memorial Day here in the United States, it reminds me that to most of the world, it's just another Monday on the calendar. Since each country observes their own unique customs and historical traditions, it's important to keep in mind these differences as you work with countries around the world.
Here are two websites which list the holidays around the world:
This is another item our translators keep in mind when they are doing a language translation. They need to not only translate the words correctly and make the translation easy to understand; but, they also need to know the culture where this document will be used. That includes knowing about the holidays of each country. If your document talks about celebrating "Memorial Day" here in the United States, that isn't going to mean much in a chinese translation targeted for China or a spanish translation used in Mexico.
Just another thing which makes each country and culture uniquely special!
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Thu, May 14, 2009 @ 11:11 AM
Have you ever wondered how popular your last name is compared to all of the others in the United States? There is a database where you can type in your last name and it will show you where it ranks in the top 5,000 based on data from the 2000 United States Census. Pretty interesting, especially if you have a name that you don't see very often.
The most surprising thing that came out of the related article is how rapidly Hispanic surnames are becoming part of our everyday culture. Of course, Smith is still #1. But, Garcia is #8 and Rodriguez ranks #9. In fact, there are 6 Hispanic surnames in the Top 25. In 1990, only 3 Hispanic surnames were in the Top 25.
Search on your last name
Those rankings are sure to have improved further since this census was taken in 2000. In 2006, the Census Department estimated there were 44.3 million Hispanics living in the United States, comprising about 15 percent of the population. With more Spanish-speaking people living in the United States, the need for Spanish translations continues to increase. Studies have shown that Hispanics expect Spanish to be available on websites they visit, especially if their first language is Spanish. And if your website has Spanish, they are more likely to buy.
This provides businesses a great opportunity. If you market your products and services in both English and Spanish, you can increase your business. By providing Spanish translations of your website, manuals and product information, more Hispanics may choose your services over your competitors. The Hispanic buying power in the United States is estimated to reach $1 TRILLION in 2011, according to the Census Bureau. And as the list of last names suggest, the Hispanic market could be an untapped market for your particular business.
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Wed, May 13, 2009 @ 01:16 PM
Guest Blogger - Tammo Kamminga, Dutch Technical Translator for ProTranslations
One of the criteria that Dutch-speaking people look for when considering buying a new product is "Does it have a Dutch manual? If not, never mind." That is why translating your technical manuals into Dutch is so important. It can actually increase your sales!
Visitors to Holland are often impressed by the level of English that is spoken by the man on the street. "The local florist speaks better English than my auntie," I heard an English guest admiringly say some time ago. It's true that there's a considerable basic knowledge of general chit-chat-English among the Dutch, which can be explained by the fact that English is taught at school roughly from the age of 11 until the age of 15 and beyond, combined with the compulsory education program for everyone until the age of 16. Besides that, the Netherlands has always been a land of trade.
The small nation, strategically located as it is, has discovered that maintaining good relationships with it's larger neighbors Germany, UK and France can be prosperous. Holland's southern neighbor Belgium deserves special mention, for being even smaller than the Netherlands and for being a bilingual country with languages Dutch and French. People in the US probably are wondering what I'm talking about. Germany, UK and France, big countries?? Well, everything's relative.
Looking at a map of Europe or the world, Holland looks more like a city, like Singapore, and as a matter of fact, that's also my view of Holland. 16 million people of which the majority have grown up focused on trading and with an international view in their blood. To give you an idea of the Dutch trading capacity, the US exports a total of $33 billion to Holland each year, which makes Holland rank no. 8 on the US Export list, before the aforementioned bigger brother France.
See also http://blog.protranslations.com/blog/bid/5817/Top-Export-Countries.
Back to the Dutch people who speak English... Yes, it's okay for casual talking on the streets, but watch the forums and listen to the man on the workfloor in the factories. When English gets written down on paper with the intent to explain something to the user, it often is confusing and hard for Dutch people to understand. Think about how to handle that newly acquired camera, how to disassemble that gear box and get it back together again, or how to use that particular software program which has an English user interface. In these cases, you'll see there's a big need with the majority of the people to have the information available in their own Dutch language.
Before buying anything, the Dutchman, and woman, does a lot of research. He wants to find out what he gets for his money. And one of the criteria often heard as to whether or not to buy a product is "Does it have a Dutch manual? If not, never mind, because I'm not going to spend hours with a dictionary to figure out what they mean and end up not using the product out of shear frustration." And lots of workmen in the factory are skilled professionals, but when they have taken the first hurdle to even pick up a manual, what will they do when they notice it's in English? Will they take that second hurdle and try to understand it or will they throw the book aside?
So the bottom line is that if you want to open the Dutch market, a wealthy nation with 16 million people, make sure you have a Dutch translation of the manual for your product, whether it be consumer products, factory equipment, engineering systems, IT, etc. Technical translation is a specialized field in the world of translation that consists of as much diversities and disciplines as there are in the technical field. Here are just a few starting alphabetically:
- aerospace / aviation
- automation
- automotive
- astronomy
- building / construction
- cars
- chemistry
- communications
- computers
- electronics
- engineering (from civil engineering to mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering)
- and the list goes on...
And every specialization has it's own vocabulary. That's why there are technical translators. They are specialized in one or more fields of technical translation and are able to transform you're specialized technical manual into another language. This helps the user enjoy his household electronics and the skillsman in the factory successfully disassemble that engine. But more important than that, it helps you conquer the market compared to your competitors. And isn't that why you're exporting to the Dutch-speaking countries in the first place?
Posted by Jim Cottrell on Tue, Apr 07, 2009 @ 04:05 PM
The first thing people think when they consider selling their product in another country is "I need to get everything translated". And that's true. But, it's much more than that. Something as simple as the colors used on the marketing materials, product packaging and even the product itself can determine your product's success in another country.
For instance, when you see these colors, what is your first thought or emotion?
- Red
- Green
- Black
- White
- Orange
- Blue
If you live here in the United States, many of us attribute colors to certain holidays. Others think of a season. And others think of an event such as a wedding or a funeral. When I think of "Orange", I think of Halloween. "Red" and "Green" scream Christmas to me. "Green" by itself represents the environment and the spring season. "Blue" signifies baby boys just as "Pink" is for baby girls. But those are my opinions based on living in the United States and my cultural surroundings.
These same colors mean different things in other countries. Here are a few examples:
- Red - Worn by brides in Eastern Countries and China. (If you were selling wedding dresses to the Middle East or China, definitely something to keep in mind.)
- Green - Green hats in China mean a man's wife is cheating on him.
- Black - The color for young boys in China.
- White - This represents "mourning" in Japan.
- Pink - In Korea, pink represents "trust".
The bottom line is that in regards to product development, retail packaging and advertising; everything is designed around colors. It's worth doing a little research to see what your colors signify in the countries where your product will be sold. Check out our blog post - Global marketing is more than just getting the words translated into a different language.
To help with your research on which colors to use in global marketing and multicultural translation, we included a list of links found on the web:
As part of our global marketing and multicultural translation services, we ask our translators and editors who live in the countries you are targeting to review the packaging and give their opinions. They are like your first focus group for your product - giving feedback to the colors, slogans, branding and overall packaging.
So, before you launch your product in another country, it's very important to make sure that something as simple as color is done correctly in the context of global marketing and language translation. It could mean the difference between sales and no sales.