Language Lines - Newsletter

December 2007

From the Editor
After a short hiatus, Language Lines is back with a new format. With this issue, we are introducing a new monthly feature: “Language Laughs.” Brighten and lighten up your day by reading our examples of humorous mistranslations and cross-cultural miscommunication.

Language Translation Inc.’s newsletter will continue to bring you brief yet pertinent articles on translation, interpretation and localization and their importance in today’s economy.

Our revamped newsletter accompanies the launch of Language Translation Inc.’s new website, where you will find a clear, colorful and concise presentation of our language services.

For more frequent updates about language and technology in the global marketplace, feel free to subscribe to our news blog.

Your suggestions and comments are always welcome and can be addressed to editor@languagetranslation.com

 

Feature Topics:

Google Switches Online Translation System

Which Languages Are the Keys to Successful Localization?

Bilingualism and Language Services

 

Google Switches Online Translation System

Google has changed its online translation system. Is the new in-house platform more accurate?

Google is no longer working with Systran, the company that had been providing most of Google’s online language translation service. The search engine giant is now using its own translation technology to provide automatic translation in 25 language pairs.
Google’s translation software is based on a new approach that differentiates it from Systran’s “rule-based” system, which focuses on vocabulary and grammar. Called “statistical machine translation,” Google feeds billions of words of text into computers, and aligns those texts to examples of human translation. “We've achieved very good results in research evaluations,” explains the company on Google Translate FAQ.

After reading that remark, of course I just had to try out a number of test translations on Google as well as on Babelfish, powered by Systran. Going from French to English both systems were sometimes capable of translating an isolated sentence correctly. But as soon as I fed in larger quantities of text –entire Web pages, for example –the results quickly became somewhat to extremely muddled.

For maximum fun, I tried to translate a few texts pertaining to a specialized field. For example, I fed an article about rugby into both platforms, with this result from Google:

“The coup de gueule coaches biarrots therefore currently borne fruit. Mounted in niche after piteuse begins conducted Aguiléra against an amazing team…”

Systran also spit out nonsense – albeit different nonsense:

“The blow of mouth of the trainers biarrots thus temporarily bore its fruits. Gone up to the crenel after the piteous one starts realized in Aguiléra against one surprising team…”

This is why Google itself doesn’t claim to render accurate translations. In fact, they clearly point out that “today's most sophisticated software, however, doesn't approach the fluency of a native speaker or possess the skill of a professional translator.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

 

Which Languages Are the Keys to Successful Localization?

Of course it is important to localize your company’s website into a number of languages…but which ones?

A new report by Common Sense Advisory identifies which languages are the most important to target in corporate localization projects. Entitled “On the Web, Some Countries Matter More Than Others,” the study (available by subscription only) identifies the countries and languages companies need to focus on to maximize communication with consumers worldwide.

According to CSA’s research, 10 languages make up 76 percent of Web users. The study also takes into account other factors, such as GDP, and suggests a new yardstick called “e-GDP,” defined as “a proxy for internet-addressable buying power.”

Using this measure, the report identifies the six languages that represent 88% of the current online market: English, Japanese, German, Spanish, French and Italian.

It is interesting to note that despite the huge growth in Internet use in India and China, the best potential for online business still stems from traditional economic powers – at least for now.

Of course, each company is unique, and successful localization strategies must be tailored to your firm’s products, target markets and business plan. A qualified LSP (Language Service Provider) such as Language Transation Inc. can help you define the scope and objectives of your localization project.

 

Bilingualism and Language Services

Interpreters and translators constantly navigate between two languages. So must they be “born bilingual?”

Good translators and interpreters must be bilingual, in that they must speak at least two languages with perfect fluency. Some are “born bilingual” and others acquire a second language later in life. Is one type of bilingual speaker better suited to a translation or interpreting career?

It would be easy to think that “born bilinguals” are the best candidates for language services work, but possessing native language skills in two tongues does not necessarily guarantee the skills necessary for translation and interpreting.

Speaking two languages is certainly a good start, but additional competencies are necessary. A translator must have excellent writing skills, for example, which are not automatically acquired through being bilingual. Translators virtually always translate into their native language, so while they must understand their source language perfectly, they do not need to have the same writing skills in it.

Interpreting is a different ball game. While translators take time to mull over formulations and consult dictionaries, interpreters must constantly think on their feet. In many situations, such as medical and court interpreting, they translate material to and from both languages, making “born bilinguals” good candidates for this profession. Specialized training and practice is, however, essential in order to perform language interpreting efficiently.

In both cases, being bilingual is not enough. A person cannot automatically translate between two languages just because he or she can speak two languages. That’s why translation and interpreting are specific skills, requiring training and practice as well as language ability.

 

 

Cross-cultural communication can bring about amusing errors and misunderstandings. Share a few language laughs with us…

Desperation Lost in Translation:

The hit TV series "Desperate Housewives" has been re-translated and re-dubbed into Chinese. A first attempt to present the show to Chinese audiences failed miserably in 2005. “Bad translation…obviously failed to express the ‘desperation of the housewives,’” reports China View. The Shanghai Film Dubbing Studio hopes for less desperate viewer ratings with its newly-dubbed version.

Undiplomatic Translation:

A group of hapless Israeli journalists recently consulted an online translation service in order to phrase questions in English for the Dutch foreign ministry. As numerous press sources have reported, the results were highly inaccurate…and indelicate.

Questions such as “What in your opinion needs to do opposite the awful the Iranian of Israel?” clearly do little to further the cause of international peace, love and understanding. Even worse, the online translation system came up with decidedly unsuitable forms of address – “Helloh bud” – as well as (fortunately) incomprehensible references to the Dutch diplomats’ mothers and beds.

The mini-incident has been largely covered in the international press, and serves as yet another example of the limits of machine translation.

 

Beware of False Friends:

“Embarazada” is the Spanish word for pregnant. It is a notorious false friend for English-speaking students of Spanish, since trying to say "I'm embarrassed" by saying "estoy embarazada" means "I'm pregnant" in Spanish.

When Parker Pen entered the Mexican market, its advertisement claiming that Parker Pens "won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you" was terribly mistranslated, saying they "won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant” – hardly the best advertising hook!

 

For more news about languages, translation and localization, and international business, visit our news blog, updated three times a week.

For previous newsletters, visit our archive.

You may have our newsletter delivered to your inbox each month by subscribing to Language Lines.