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The Obama White House has put its force behind machine translation (MT) as it could be judged last week from the “Strategy for American Innovation” issued by the National Economic Council and the Executive Office of the President. Among other recommendations it included the call for greatly improved machine translation technology that would enable automatic, real time and highly accurate language translation between the major languages used around the world. Such development, the document went on to say, would greatly facilitate international commerce and collaboration.
This goes on to show the importance that the current administration places on advanced language technology. But it’s important to take stock of the current state of machine translation, though it has come a long way, it still suffers from a lot of limitations and cannot be depended upon entirely, especially when one is translating critical information whether for immediate use or for the records. It would be great if someone in the White House gave a thought to making the best of existing strengths (human translation providers) along with working on a promising potential opportunity (machine translation).
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It has been observed that people from countries like Finland, Sweden and Denmark have almost native fluency in the English language. Though apparently it’s a good sign, if you look a little critically into this matter and accompanying figures you can’t help but conclude that such a proficiency may also lead to the slow extinction of the native languages of these countries.
According to Leonard Orban, the Commissioner for Multilingualism for the European Union, although proficiency in multiple languages is quite advantageous for individuals as well as organizations, it does not come without a few shortcomings. He pointed towards the fact that commissioners from Italy, France, Romania and Spain generally make speeches in their mother tongue. In contrast, commissioners coming from the Nordic countries mostly use English. Now the clincher is that though one may have an excellent command over a foreign language, it has been seen that such people are not able to negotiate as effectively while using a foreign language as they could with their native language. This is probably because when people speak in their native language they can convey what they have in their mind but while using a foreign language they are limited by what they can put into words.
The other issue is that as people become proficient in more popular foreign languages, they use their own language less frequently. This limits the development and propagation of such native languages For example, new terminology is developed for new inventions, discoveries and concepts, if a specific language is not used by its mother tongue speakers for official purposes then the language is less likely to be updated with new terminology; this would make it outdated and lead to its decline and maybe extinction. So make it a point to use your native language as much as possible.
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Word processing software have bought about remarkable changes in our lives. They have completely transformed the process of proofreading. In the past a proofreader armed with a red pen would go about his/her marking out the text and scribbling comments on the margin.
That seems so ‘long ago’ as now we have the ubiquitous MS-Word document with the red lines or track changes filling a proofread document. It has been a massive shift… this technological method of proofreading is quite efficient and takes significantly less time. But I still remember the good old days when I would work on a “physical” document. It had its own charm and I still believe benefits, which are not offered through the process of proofreading on a word processing application. For example, in the old method the existing text as well as recommended changes can be easily differentiated, the document is neater to look. But anyway, life evolves and I think I am going to keep using track changes, at least it saves a considerable amount of time and of course paper.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
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Languages are a reflection of the culture in which they are used. Every language has a distinct identity because cultures everywhere are different from each other. This is why excellent language translation providers are also highly learned about the culture of the languages in which they work.
It’s a known fact that language translation is not simply the replacement of words in the original language with their nearest equivalents in the target language. Those who are familiar with language translation know that such a translation process can produce unpredictable and mostly unwanted results.
It’s not uncommon to find the same word having different meaning or effect in a different language. There are several instances of big multinationals ending up with costly marketing mistakes after directly translating their advertising into the target population and ending up meaning something entirely different to what they originally intended. Additionally most languages have their own grammar and structure, and also depend upon idioms and the like to various degrees. Idioms are classic examples of phrases and sentences that appear to be about one thing but their meaning and intended expression is entirely different.
One can also take into account a factor like the degree of politeness used in a language. Take for example, the Japanese, who place a high degree of importance on being polite while Americans generally prefer to be relatively direct about matters. These attitudes percolate into their language and their documents. So a person who is involved in translating between American English to Japanese has to make sure that the translation not only conveys the intended meaning but is also accepted by the reader as comfortably as their original language. Such translations are what we refer to as accurate and authentic in other words a high quality language translation and they cannot be achieved without having substantial knowledge about culture.
There are other factors like humor – what one culture finds funny might be perceived as offensive to another. The same language spoken in different countries can have significant differences, an example being French as spoken in France, and on the other hand as spoken in Canada. These are just some of the many aspects that arise from culture and have a significant impact on the language.
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According to latest research, the best period for learning a foreign language is between birth and the age of 7, the ability declines significantly after puberty. Common knowledge you would say… most people must have observed how fast babies tend to pick up languages. True, most people know that, but what is it about babies that help them pick up a new language so quickly and efficiently? This is something that few people understand.
Those few people are scientists working towards deciphering this mystery and they may well have struck gold as it was recently revealed that these researchers have found that babies have a powerful ability to distinguish between various sounds. Now every language uses a unique set of sounds. Though initially babies are able to differentiate between all kinds of sounds, as they grow old this ability withers out. It becomes progressively weak as a baby’s native language starts getting dominant and by the time it has begun uttering its first words it already seems unable to differentiate between sounds that do not belong to the language it was taught predominantly.
The initial language learning process is quite like a new circuit being hardwired into the brain which guides the language learning abilities of a person throughout life. Amazingly, babies who are taught two languages at the same time seem to absorb both at equal speed and demonstrate a more efficient ability to absorb new languages in the future.
Scientists are now working upon the knowledge about how the ability to distinguish between different songs can enhance the ability to learn new languages. They are busy trying to come with methods with which adults could be taught new languages utilizing this principle.
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I came across a very nice piece of news today and just had to share it with you dear readers. The story is about Nora Punales who works as a receptionist with the Anderson Police Department. Punales who is 53 started working on a temporary basis, she was happy to get the job in the first place, but could never have imagined how pleasantly things turned out.
As matters stand, Anderson has a rapidly growing Hispanic population but the police department did not have any fluent Spanish speakers. At the best they had a few officers with limited Spanish skills, consequently communication with the locals was fraught with difficulties. That was till Nora Punales joined, she is now the only one now who speaks both English and Spanish fluently and helps the department communicate clearly with Hispanic visitors and prisoners on a daily basis.
Punales on her part is very happy that she gets to work as a receptionist, as well as the resident translator and interpreter. Apart from the regular responsibilities of answering the phone, filing and answering various queries of visitors, she spends about 40-45% of her time putting her translation skills to use. The Hispanic locals have become a lot more comfortable coming to the police department with their issues, in fact many of them ask for Nora Punales straightaway. She has proved to be so valuable to the police department that inspite of the fact that she was hired temporarily, the Anderson police department have been able to raise a sufficient amount of money to extend her job for another year.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
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This morning I woke up in a nostalgic mood… I was especially thinking about the time I started working with Tomedes. It’s been long since then, and all of us, that is our site Tomedes.com, every one working here and even our customers have learnt and grown in the meantime. I cannot speak on the behalf of others but I have learnt so much here at Tomedes. This is why I couldn’t help myself from writing my very own Tomedes review.
We started out with the aim of building a site that would transform the way professional translation services are provided around the world. Not only did we want to become the most comprehensive translation service company but also the most dynamic, accessible and affordable. We aimed to become what we fondly refer to as the one-stop-shop for all language translation requirements, for anyone, anywhere in the world.
It gives me great pleasure to look back and affirm that we are on our way, with the same enthusiasm and gusto with which we began and it’s been a terrific journey. We have achieved a lot since we began and are now offering language translations in over 200 language pairs and a host of beneficial services which are not found anywhere else, at least not together, because we have taken great pains to study almost all types of existing translation services and bring their best aspects to Tomedes. Our path-breaking new features now include “Name Your Price” which has been eagerly embraced by our customers.
The journey is far from over, in fact I would never want it to get over, we at Tomedes believe in setting new targets as we achieve previous goals. And I know that I will have a lot more wonderful stuff to write about when I embark on my next Tomedes review. 
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
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Just came across this piece on the Internet. It was about William Gonzalez, a bilingual police officer who works part time for the Gettysburg and Waynesboro, Pa., police departments. Gonzalez helps bridge the communication gap between residents of the area who are largely Hispanic and the police department.
According to Mark King, the Chief of Waynesboro police department, having Gonzalez in their department helps them in creating a better relationship with the Spanish speaking people. Even the police department of Cumberland Township have been known to borrow Gonzalez whenever they need help with Spanish translation.
There are police departments in the neighboring areas which do not have any Spanish speaking police officers. Chambersburg on the other hand does have a bilingual officer who works part-time, but considering the requirement the borough council is planning to recruit a full time police officer who is fluent in Spanish.
Hot deal welcomes 2010 - 10% Discount on any translation order.
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Product uptake is suffering in Africa because of extremely slow pace of translation. There are several African languages that have not been documented yet, moreover there are many modern terms, a lot of which are related with technology that do not have equivalent terms in African languages. Some of these terms are mouse, malware and phishing among others. This slow pace of translation has been further aggravated by lack of agreement on language terms, as well as the lack of technical expertise.
Due to all this, the development of software in African languages has been seriously hampered. An example is the fact that Microsoft has still not released the Swahili translation of Vista when it is already testing its upcoming operating system Windows 7.
Another problem comes from the fact that even languages are changing fast, so just like the Windows Vista would probably become obsolete when it is released in Swahili, so will many terms that were used in it and have been replaced by new and often better substitutes.
Big brands like Google, Microsoft and Facebook among others have been trying hard to get their products translated into as many languages as possible, but they require investing more to get results.
Microsoft whose products are available in eight African languages has to face hurdles because there is a serious lack of localization experience for these languages. Because of which the company has to train people for the required languages, localization methods and tools. All this takes time resulting in delays like the aforementioned Swahili translation of Vista.
The other problem that these companies face is in deciding the standard form of languages and from whom to get translation services. In the former case, companies face a dilemma about whether to get translation from commercial translation companies or from local universities/communities. Commercial providers are more efficient and on the other hand working with local communities strengthens relationships and ensures local relevance of the brand. In the latter case let’s say a product needs to be translated into Swahili. If the translation is done in Kenya it might not be accepted in Tanzania where people speak a purer form of the language and might find a difference in terminology.
Google has tried to get around the problem by relying on machine translation. It has served them, but then machine translation is seriously limited compared to human translation.
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I have gained many valuable lessons while working with Tomedes.com. There are some general principles which are always adhered to at Tomedes no matter what, and I strongly believe that they are the reasons why our clients keep coming back to us. So I thought why not share them with you dear readers, hope the following help you in your path to success.
- Deadlines are sacred for Tomedes – At Tomedes, we not only strive to meet deadlines but make it a point to deliver completed translations before the scheduled delivery time.
- Tomedes is always available for Clients – Tomedes is readily accessible to existing and potential clients 24*7 through email, live chat and telephone. We respond immediately and resolve any translation issues in the shortest possible time.
- Tomedes provides exactly what clients require – We do have an automated process, but are flexible enough to accommodate any specific requirement(s) of our clients. We make it a point to take detailed briefings about every project, and make sure that all the requirements are fulfilled.
- Tomedes respects clients’ time – We understand that our clients’ time is valuable, hence after an order has been placed; we manage rest of the translation process and deliver the translated document to the client.
- Tomedes is ready to go the extra mile for benefit of clients – Our mission is to make high quality translations available and affordable to everyone, at all times. We make sure that our clients get the best, even if that requires walking the extra mile.
- Tomedes takes client feedback seriously – If a client is somehow not satisfied (a rare occurrence), we make sure that the issue is rectified. We are always open to feedback and suggestions, and evaluate every one of them in detail, following them up as and when possible.
- Tomedes works to establish long-term relationships – We appreciate our long-term clients who have shown their faith in us, and keep coming up with incentives for them in terms of discounts, coupons and other goodies.
