Writing: the key for document translation

Today I came across a pretty funny image. Irish-based non-profit organization The Rosetta Foundation tweeted, as it usually does, a picture that speaks more than a thousand words about language and the use of English nowadays.

The message that came with the picture was “Punctuation marks are free... Why don't we use them?”

It is a very good point. The anonymous author of this message would probably answer “because it’s bothersome” (or at least something to that effect), and anyway, wasn’t the message understandable enough?

Communication is all about understanding. An acquaintance of mine who is a foreign language teacher told me that, at some point, she gave up trying to make the students speak and write correctly, and just focused on them developing the minimal skills to be a able to verbally convey their thoughts – well  enough for daily survival. In this Darwinian scenario where only the most vital elements of the language survive, things like punctuation marks, connectors or complex grammar are left behind.

That is why, whenever someone asks me what are the important factors to take into consideration when becoming a translator, and expect me to automatically answer “speaking different languages”, they end up being sorely disappointed. Because the first thing that comes out of my mouth is, in fact, being a good writer. And both experienced linguists and people that have hired translators at some point surely share this thought.

Knowing languages is, obviously, a key part of being a translator. But the quality of a translator is not measured in how many languages s/he knows, but in how masterfully s/he can use them to avoid losing anything during a document translation. And that is achieved by good writing: proper grammar and complete control of the target language will be crucial to make sure that the message stays the same – not literally, but in meaning. Words may differ, sentence construction and even paragraph structure may follow completely different paths, but at the end of the day both texts must leave the same impression on the reader.

Not a lot of people are capable of such a feat. That is why inWhatLanguage takes so much care and pride in its selection of linguists, and considers proofreading an integral part of the translation process. No amount of detail is too much: we are a translation agency, one of the best out there as stated in TopTenReviews, and that can be seen in each and every one of our delivered projects.

Writing for a translator is not only an art: it’s a way of life. Of course, that comes with its set of advantages, as well. Only seasoned translators and linguists can enjoy jokes such as this one!

Subtitlers, the silent heroes

Have you ever watched a movie during which, at a certain point, maybe due to a strange accent, the speed of the dialog or simply because you just cannot believe what you just heard, you thought to yourself ‘dang it, if only there were subtitles!’? If that’s the case, you are one of the many people who recognize the value of subtitles.

Have you ever watched a subtitled movie in which, due to the subtitles not being exactly correct or slightly uncoordinated with the time code, you thought to yourself ‘I just can’t stand this anymore!’? If that’s the case, you are one of the somewhat smaller number of people who recognize the value of good subtitles.

As I was reading today this article in The New York Times, I came to realize the biggest irony of being a subtitler: the best subtitlers out there are precisely those who are least noticeable. For a subtitling job to be flawless, it has to be so in synch with the video it accompanies that it should feel part of it, not a superficial addition. Therefore, it is by definition a career where your professionalism directly depends on your name never being known.

“Train-spotter fans of foreign-language cinema recognize their names, floating in the end credits after everyone has left the theater: Andrew Litvack, Lenny Borger and Linda Jaivin are among the best known in a little-known field that helps make possible the international flow of movie culture,” writes Nicolas Rapold in the article I mentioned before. Which is a somewhat comforting thought.

But generally speaking, subtitlers are silent heroes, in the same league as translators and dubbing actors: their job is to make the works of others understandable for everyone, using their talents to the best of their ability to make their own presence unnoticeable in the transition from oral to written text, or from one language to another. And in the case of subtitling, of course, there are technical hurdles to take into account: size constraints set by different kinds of screens, word and sentence length, non-verbal communication and other noises…

The world of subtitling and captioning is definitely a world of its own, and with the currently increasing demand for this kind of job for all kinds of different media, it is good to know who to ask for a guaranteed high-quality job. inWhatLanguage is blessed to have such an amazing network of talented linguists that are capable of doing that and much more to make sure that the customer receives the best of the best. And that is why we are proud to thank them for being so awesome and for helping us keep our standards so high.

Thank you, subtitlers, for being our silent heroes.

iWL celebrates the World Cup!

Photo from FIFA.com.

The eyes of the whole world are set on Brazil, since the soccer World Cup has finally started!

For inWhatLanguage, Brazil is not just one of the most beautiful countries in the world – it also holds important ties to our translation agency, both personal and business-related. Some months ago, iWL CEO Cody Broderick had the chance to go there on a trade mission with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to promote Utah, along with approximately 30 other people from different industries of the state. This helped Broderick develop some very interesting new business relations and discover a world of opportunities.

We also are proud to offer top-quality Portuguese translation services, highly localized and for very affordable prices, and best of all, with all the perks that come from working with a family-structured company like ours.

But that is not all: the World Cup is also a very special occasion for iWL! As we have informed you some months back, one of our most important clients is… FIFA, the international governing body of association football(soccer), futsal and beach soccer!  It feels like yesterday, but it was in fact last Autumn when we started translating its materials into 10+ languages in preparation for the upcoming World Cup. Now, the big championship is here, and we cannot help but feel proud. We contributed to its communication campaigns by making them comprehensible for the whole world!

Once again, our dear iWL linguist demonstrated their talent and translating skills as they gave their all to a project that was not only overwhelming in size, but also in content. Football, or soccer, is not only a sport: it is a whole world of its own, and it has a very specific “dialect” in each and every one of the languages our linguist had to work with. Football terminology is no walk in the park, and in order to do it right, each linguist had to have a heavy base of knowledge –which doesn’t mean that they didn’t learn anything new on the way! Just to illustrate what I’m trying to say, here is an actual Glossary ofFootball Words and Expressions taken from UsingEnglish.com.

But now we are finally reaping the rewards. All that effort was worth it, and now we can all enjoy the emotion of the games with the satisfaction of having been part of it by doing what we love and do best: translation.

Team Riley & iWL Cares: An epic combination for posterity!

Go iWL!

And the day came! As we have announced last week, this Saturday, young Riley Culley’s family had organized a race to raise money to help with the cost of medical expenses after Riley was diagnosed with bone cancer. The campaign turned out to be not only a lot of fun, but also extremely successful!

“I have been struggling for days to find the right words to express my gratitude and appreciation for all of the love, generosity, service, kindness, friendship, inspiration, and support from the most amazing community in the world. We are so blessed. This event was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced!” Young Riley’s mother, Jackey Culley, posted this message in Facebook after the event was over.

Many people answered Culley’s call for help, among whom was, of course, the inWhatLanguage family. As part of one of our iWL Cares initiatives, the members of the core team that were available ran in the race, enjoyed a gorgeous day out and got to meet some amazing people, all the while of course contributing to the fund for young Riley’s treatment.

“It was great! Such an incredible thing for us to be a part of. It was my first 5k and I may have finished last but I finished!” says iWL Office Manager Erin Millet with a big smile.

“Being involved in such a great cause is always such an amazing experience,” adds Natalie Herrera, iWL's Book Keeper. “Knowing that we where a small portion of contributing to the fight in Riley's battle was rewarding and made every step we took even more meaningful. There is something about being around others who want to do good that makes you want to thrive, to be the best person that you can be. It was a great day and we wish Riley the best!”

“It’s always great to be involved in the cause of making someone’s life better, or at least offer some relief,” says Maurice von Zutphen, iWL Vice President of Operations and Project Management. “But in the case where someone is fighting for his life, it is especially rewarding to offer support beyond the financial. The moral dedication and hope that is generated can offer great therapy. I am always impressed with how local communities (neighbors, friends, families, school, student body, rival schools…) respond in such a time of need.”

The iWL team members brought their families along, and they all enjoyed a fabulous day of exercise and fun, taking part also in the activities after the race: for instance, iWL CEO Cody Broderick bid on a University of Utah helmet that was signed by the coaches of the University of Utah and won. A little memento of a magical day for everyone!

We wish young Riley the best of the best, and we are really honored to help him in this time of need!

And now... Picture time!!

Cody reaches the finish line! Congrats!	And there goes Erin! Go team iWL!
From left to right: Natalie Herrera, Cody Broderick, Erin Millet.	Erin Millet, Cody Broderick and Maurice von Zutphen.

From left to right: (Front) Front: Vanessa and Marcus Broderick. (Back) Jackie Cullie,

Brian Bodine, Cody Broderick, Riley Culley, Mark Broderick

with Luke Broderick and Nicki Bodine.