For generations, Christmas literature and its professional translation have carried the festive spirit that marks the end of the year. Among all the stories read at this time of year, none is as iconic as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Its enduring appeal across cultures and languages owes much to the quality of its translations.
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Tips for a successful Online Christmas Campaign
Are you finalising the details of your Advertising Campaign for Christmas 2023?
Here are some tips with a 360 perspective that may help your online strategies.
Read more “Tips for a successful Online Christmas Campaign”AI translation: the answer to all your problems?
Only if it’s done right!
In recent months, we’ve all become obsessed with AI. We love it and we’re sick of it all at once. Everyone is discussing the possibilities, the ramifications, the ethical implications, but above all, for many businesses, what’s at the top of the list is the possible SAVINGS!
Read more “AI translation: the answer to all your problems?”Barbieheimer: the dangers of not considering the culture of the target market
The Barbieheimer phenomenon has taken over social media since the announcement of the release of both films on the same day. Users on social media took this opportunity to post messages and memes that ensured visibility to both feature films. However, this phenomenon has not been well received in all markets.
Los Indianos – how the carnival is celebrated on the island of La Palma
One of Spain’s best-loved fiestas, the carnival, is about to take place! Just like every year, it’s a time for colour, music, festivities and above all, having a great time.
They know a lot about this in the Canary Islands, where the carnival has a very important place in their hearts and their traditions.
Today we will be taking a look at a celebration that is perhaps not so well known to the rest of the world: Los Indianos of Santa Cruz, La Palma.
This famous tradition is celebrated on the island of La Palma coinciding with the Carnival Monday, every year since the 19th century. This celebration commemorates the time when many islanders emigrated to the Americas, then known as Las Indias, specifically to Cuba, in search of a new life and wealth for their families, who eagerly awaited their return home.
On Carnival Monday, the streets of Santa Cruz de La Palma become the alleys of Havana and everyone dresses in white with the traditional clothes from that time, to remember all their ancestors who returned to the island with bags full of riches, ostentatious clothes and of course, tobacco and rum. One of the most striking aspects of the festival is when the locals throw talcum powder at each other to the rhythm of punto cubano, a combination of Cuban and Canary Islands music resulting from the encounter between emigrants and locals back in the 16th century.
And, we can’t talk about Los Indianos without mentioning their most important character, La Negra Tomasa. This character starts off the party in the morning, simulating the arrival of the boat that transported people who had emigrated to The West Indies to the capital of La Palma, then touring Calle Real and Avenida Los Indianos.
Although the starting time for Los Indianos is officially 12 pm, many people can be seen early in the morning dressed in old-fashioned white clothing, taking a walk around the city or starting the day in a bar with friends and family. After disembarking, the Los Indianos parade moves through the city from Avenida de Los Indianos to the town hall. Once they arrive, after a brief announcement by the local authorities, dances and music begin all over the capital, which won’t stop until dawn.
Los Indianos is probably one of the most unique carnivals in all of Spain, with more than 80,000 people taking part, including locals, neighbours from other islands and cruises that pass by La Palma, intended to coincide with this day.
This year (2020) the big day will take place 24th February. So, if you want to take part in a truly unique celebration, we encourage you to take the opportunity to visit the island for Los Indianos.
Since you can’t buy love, sell romance
February is the month of love, tokens of affection and romantic getaways.
This month, thousands of couples will visit romantic destinations such as Paris, Rome, New York and Florence to leave padlocks secured on their bridges and affirm their eternal love. This gesture is an emotional commitment to their partner, but also to the experience they share.
Translation for tourism: The definitive guide
In the tourism sector, translation is a basic need, and the companies that operate in this area know that only too well. Whether they’re hotels, travel agencies or any other kind of business related to tourism, these companies want to reach the highest possible number of people, in as many countries as they can. And how can you reach them, unless you speak their language?
Tourism translation, quality makes the difference!
At the risk of stating the obvious, most of us know what a challenge it can be travelling or merely being in places where our native language is not spoken. The feeling this inspires could best be summed up as being a ‘fish out of water’, flapping around uselessly as we try to get out point across, in much the same way as said fish! It is not only us non-foreign language speakers that go through this uncomfortable experience, but of course all those non-English speakers that we come into contact with, whether they be friends (or potential friends), business contacts or those poor souls charged with making our holiday a fun experience.
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How a poor translation can mean bad business for restaurant owners
Look up “translation fails” on the internet, and you’ll immediately see why this is always good for a laugh. There are so many hilarious, unintentional bloopers out there that it’s a bit difficult to digest them all, and you certainly wouldn’t want to eat in a restaurant that serves these mistakes!
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Tourism Translations
All of us have seen those lists of “top 10 translation fails” on Buzzfeed or similar pages, with their ridiculous and hilarious mis-translations from one language to another, but no-one actually wants their business to be the butt of these jokes, or appear on the lists. While it’s very amusing to see “ducha” translated as a “douche” (who wants to find one of those in their room, right?) or “exit” as “’exito” in Spanish [success, not really what people are expecting to find at the end of the hotel corridor], and “stir-fried wikipedia” sounds like an interesting item to find on the menu, if your business is in the tourism industry, you want to limit these translation mistakes to the internet where they belong.