Just for Laughs!
A friend emailed me a joke on how languages can be misinterpreted if not communicated properly. Some of you may have heard it before, so here goes… Confusing Chinese Names Caller : Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan (anyone)? Operator : Yes, you can speak to me. Caller : No, I want to speak to Annie Wan (anyone)! Operator : You are talking to someone! Who is this? Caller : I’m Sam Wan (Someone). And I need to talk to Annie Wan (anyone)! It’s urgent. Operator : I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone! But what’s this urgent matter about? Caller : Well…...
read moreHuman vs Machine Translation – Which is better?
Machine Translation (MT) is generally understood as the process in which a “machine” (specificaly a computer program or software) is substituting words and phrases in one langauge to another. But if you do understand a little bit of the language in which you have translated your document into, you will quickly notice the translation problems. And the end result is definitely not what you have desired and clearly not of publishable quality. MT Softwares consist of dictionaries and algorithms to compose a sentence according to grammar rules of a language. The inherent difficulty...
read moreWhat is Translation defined as?
According to an online dictionary website, it is defined as “a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language” I believe this is the most fundamental definition we know all along. However, if we ponder further, we will know that translation does not only mean written communication. Translation could also mean bring two different cultures closer to understanding each other. When we go to a foreign place, where the language or culture is not anything near to our own, we feel uncertain or even fearful of them as we do...
read moreType of Translation Jobs in Advertising Industry
Do you think that translators only do document or manual translation? Well, think again… our job can be fun and challenging at times. Some of our clients come from the Advertising industry. Most of the times, they do not want direct translation. They would prefer copywriting. This means that our translator would need to write in a creative style and still capture the essence of the whole copy. Yes, the skill level needed for such job is higher. Having to say that, if you have great passion for language semantics, I believe it would not be too difficult to translate into a...
read moreCan Pictures Really Say a Thousand Words?
In your view, do pictures really mean a thousand words? If that is so, can we just do away with words, and just use pictures only? Let’s try… So what is this trying to say? That Frosty the Snowman is celebrating Christmas on a starry December night, and he is asking for a hug from Santa? Many a times, just purely visual ads do not really help a lot in communicating what your thoughts are to your clients. That is why, a copywriter is very important, to make the visuals stand out and attract readers, and hopefully make them your loyal customers. To have your ad in another language,...
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