International Translation Day

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Since 1991, every year on the 30th September, translators from all over the world join this celebration to promote translation as a profession, and each year a different theme is chosen. In the past the themes have included Language Rights and The Changing Face of Translation and Interpretation.

Each year, the 30th September marks a very important event in the world of translation-International Translation Day, in celebration of the patron saint of translation, St. Jerome.

Where Did It All Start?

The Bible is by far the most translated text in world history, and has been translated into over 2800 languages. St. Jerome was one of those to translate this famous text, translating it into Latin, the style spoken and written by the people of his time, despite being well versed in Classical Latin. Jerome died peacefully in 420, on the 30th September, and it is on this day that the translating world comes together to celebrate translation across the globe.

International Translation Day As We Know It Today

Since 1991, every year on the 30th September, translators from all over the world join this celebration to promote translation as a profession, and each year a different theme is chosen. In the past the themes have included Language Rights and The Changing Face of Translation and Interpretation. This year, the theme which was proposed by the American Translators Association (ATA) and is Translation and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds. The idea behind this theme is to celebrate how translation brings enables us to share the worlds of business, science, medicine, law, etc.

Feeling Artistic?

In 2012, the International Federation of Translators introduced a poster competition to the event, allowing member associations and other people with an interest in translation to submit posters promoting International Translation Day. The motif of the poster must be linked to the theme chosen for the year, and the design must accommodate two different languages. The winner of the poster competition receives the International Translation Day prize, which consists of a certificate and/or plaque, and where possible their logo will appear on the poster.

This event is a great way of celebrating the importance of translation, and promoting it across the globe!

 

And what about us?

Here at BigTranslation we have celebrated it the best way possible: translating! Of course every good celebration needs delicious food, especially when it’s our international team! We hope you have enjoyed the day as much as we have, and that it helped you to realise how essential translation is.

Linguistic variations: Minor Mistakes, Major Consequences

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It is well known that English is among the most widely spoken languages in the world, along with Chinese (Mandarin) and Spanish, but we never specify which English we are referring to. Although we think of English as being one universal language, it actually has many variations across the globe.

It is well known that English is among the most widely spoken languages in the world, along with Chinese (Mandarin) and Spanish, but we never specify which English we are referring to. Although we think of English as being one universal language, it actually has many variations across the globe. This is why it is important to bear in mind your target audience when you are translating – because one word may have two very different meanings depending on where you are from.

Do you dare to assume linguistic variations are insignificant?

For example, if you are giving an address to the first floor of a building, an American would go to the ground floor of a building, whereas a British person would be waiting one floor above.

Another issue may arise when a party invitation has the instructions fancy dress. At an American party this would mean formal dress, black tie and ball gowns, but a British person could turn up in any outfit from a Mickey Mouse costume to a Superman cape – not a mistake you want to make!

Another common error is the difference with the word pants in the UK and the USA, as in the USA it means trousers, whereas in the UK it means underwear. Another piece of clothing American’s tend to find confusing is the jumper. Although to British people this is quite clearly an item to keep you warm in winter, in America a jumper is somebody who commits suicide by jumping off a building or bridge. Fortunately the popularity of Harry Potter, and particularly Ron Weasley, across the globe has helped Americans to understand the commonly used British meaning!

But perhaps the most embarrassing slip up you could make is with the word “rubber”. In Britain, this is a commonly used classroom object for erasing mistakes, and nobody would bat an eyelid if a 7-year old said “Please may you pass me the rubber”, but in America this would seem very strange, as rubber in America means condom!

Native translators, and say goodbye to misunderstandings!

It is clear to see that for different audiences across the globe, the same word may have very different meanings and connotations depending on its variation, which is why when doing a translation it is of the utmost importance to use experienced translators who know their language and their target audience to avoid these simple but significant errors.

Website Translation: More Than Just Words!

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As the modern world is advancing at such a rate, companies are using online resources more and more to expand and improve their business. An impressive website is essential for a successful business, but in order to really reach out to a global client base, websites need to be translated, a task which is no easy feat.

As the modern world is advancing at such a rate, companies are using online resources more and more to expand and improve their business. An impressive website is essential for a successful business, but in order to really reach out to a global client base, websites need to be translated, a task which is no easy feat.

Native translators make the difference

At BigTranslation, all of our translators are native to their target language, which is key to a successful translation. Primarily, this is because they are able to use a variety of language, which sounds natural to the target audience making it easy to read. For example, somebody may be able to write perfect US English, but for a British audience this will not sound natural.

Native translators also have the advantaimagen-blog-compressorge of living in the country for which they are translating, meaning that they know and understand the market needs, and therefore which points need to be emphasised, and also those that may be less relevant to the audience.

Similarly, native translators are familiar with cultural differences between countries, and therefore are able to translate a text without causing any offence or confusion to their target audience, by choosing the information included and the style in which the information is presented effectively.

Marketing, a winning bid

Once the text of a website is translated, the next step is to work on the marketing within the website. With a different target audience there comes different cultural differences and customs, and this must be taken into account when translating a website. An example of this would be considering images and colours within the website. For instance, in some countries having a moustache is deemed as mature and attractive, whereas in China it is seen as a sign of bad luck! Therefore on a Chinese website, it would not be wise to use a model with a moustache to advertise a product.

In different countries, the preferred format of website varies. For example, in some countries a simple, spacious website may be favoured, whereas others may prefer a more exciting website with lots of colours and visual stimulation.

SEO to succeed

Finally, in order for the translated website to be successful, careful thought must be taken into translating SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). SEO is when key words are used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high place in the list of search engine results. This makes the website much more visible and greatly increases the number of visitors to a site.

Sometimes, the key words chosen for SEO in the source text are not successful key words in the target text, or may have more than one translation, therefore it is important to choose the translation which is most successful in the target country, or choose a new SEO altogether to create a successful website.

If you are looking to translate your website, our translation agency offers this service with translators from over 25 different languages and countries. Get in touch today to improve your business!

Tablao Flamenco shares its tradition with the world

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Tablao Flamenco Cordobes is the only tablao flamenco in Spain that brings together the most important flamenco artists the most often with the most distinguished artists, in such numbers. Since 1970, top performers have checked in at this Nasrid-inspired decorated venue in the heart of Las Ramblas in Barcelona.

Tablao Flamenco Cordobes is the only tablao flamenco in Spain that brings together the most important flamenco artists the most often with the most distinguished artists, in such numbers. Since 1970, top performers have checked in at this Nasrid-inspired decorated venue in the heart of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Visitors can spend the evening either watching the show or enjoying traditional gastronomy in their highly-acclaimed restaurant. While it is a long established Spanish tradition, thanks to the increase of tourism and the rapid advance of the online world, it has become a must-do for visitors from around the globe.

As is the case with many companies in the modern world, Tablao Flamenco Cordobes uses online tools to advertise and reach out to new visitors and invite them to join in with this unique and impressive experience. Their website contains comprehensive information about their location, restaurant, tablao, show schedules and booking options. This is an extremely important element of their business, and therefore, they are much more likely to attain a successful business with a successful website.

tablao-flamenco-traduccion

How they expanded their business

In order to expand and improve their business, they wanted their website to be available to speakers of Italian, Chinese, Russian and German in order to obtain a wider client base, and to do this they chose BigTranslation. We at BigTranslation know that high quality, accurate translations are paramount for anybody who wants to expand their business on an international scale.

We have a team of over 50 native translators with years of experience, and so we were able to quickly and efficiently translate all parts of the Tablao Flamenco Cordobes website into the requested languages. This process included not only the translation of the text, but further editing and proofreading which is an essential part of the translation process. Often overlooked, proofreading consists of not only spotting errors in the spelling and grammar of the text, but also making the text sound natural in the target language.

SEO Translation: not to be forgotten

As the online world is advancing at such a rate, we make it our priority to ensure that the text will have search engine visibility in the target country by carrying out a full SEO analysis, specifying any key words and expressions which will be attractive to search engines in the target language.

After using BigTranslation’s services, Tablao Flamenco Cordobes have now broadened not only their business, but also shared the iconic tradition of flamenco dancing with four new nations, and, thanks to a professional translation agency, they can rest assured that their website sounds natural in all languages.

Using translation services is a fantastic way of sharing cultures and traditions across the globe in just a single click.

Transcription Services to Boost your Business Profile

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Translations have allowed companies to grow like never before, and the profession is constantly expanding and evolving in order the meet the demands of clients from all across the world. One stand out example is the presence of videos across the internet, particularly on social media, which has led to a higher demand for audio and video transcriptions.

These days, people are more aware than ever of the importance that good language practice can have in terms of developing their business. Translations have allowed companies to grow like never before, and the profession is constantly expanding and evolving in order the meet the demands of clients from all across the world. Indeed, an increasing amount of companies are adapting their services to respond to the evolution of new media. One stand out example is the presence of videos across the internet, particularly on social media, which has led to a higher demand for audio and video transcription services.

More and more companies have been tapping into this; not just because the use of transcription allows for greater accessibility in the online global marketplace, but also because videos provide an excellent opportunity to boost a company’s SEO. For pages that produce longer videos, the advantages are even greater. Longer videos logically contain a larger transcript, which gives businesses a huge opportunity to target additional keywords in various languages.

Something for everyone

The benefits of transcription aren’t just reserved for e-commerce, where good SEO is always a priority; several studies conducted by a range of companies, including Discovery Digital Networks, SafeNet, and even the radio show This American Life have proven that adding subtitles and transcripts to videos can increase search traffic, page views, search rank, and engagement. A similar study by LiveClicker compared 37 web pages before and after adding transcripts. Pages with transcripts earned on average 16% more revenue than they did before transcripts were added.

Satisfy your clients

In addition, these pages also have an opportunity to increase customer satisfaction when they enlist the help of a transcription service. For example students, researchers, journalists or anyone else who’s looking for a particular moment or quote within a video will no longer have to trawl through minutes or even hours of footage just to find what they’re looking for. It’s all there, fully transcribed and easy to locate.

Clients with hearing difficulties are also accommodated for, and will appreciate a service that is not always available to them from other businesses and media outlets. Transcribing your video opens your business up to an audience of millions of people throughout the world who rely on this kind of service to make their multimedia experience worthwhile.

There are a number of reasons why businesses or individuals could require a transcription or captioning service. Whether you’re looking to provide your customers with greater satisfaction, someone requires a written copy of your video or audio file, or you want to use your content in new ways to spread your message to a wider audience and increase your SEO, transcription and captioning can provide innumerable advantages to you and your company.

Gigantia Choose BigTranslation

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Gigantia is a Spanish based company that specialises in large scale offset printing. With offices located throughout Spain and staff with over 29 years of experience, Gigantia provides large format printing, displays, packaging, signage, assembly and much more. BigTranslation was recently chosen by Gigantia to translate the site into English, French and Portuguese, allowing the company to open itself up fully to the global marketplace.

Gigantia is a Spanish based company that specialises in large scale offset printing. With offices located throughout Spain and staff with over 29 years of experience, Gigantia provides large services in format printing, displays, packaging, signage, assembly and much more.
Its website features a very modern and attractive design, and is very easy to navigate. BigTranslation was recently chosen by Gigantia to translate the site into English, French and Portuguese, allowing the company to open itself up fully to the global marketplace. Our team of native translators worked together quickly and effectively over a period of days, translating, editing and proofreading the entire website in order to achieve the highest possible level of accuracy and to successfully convey the company’s unique selling point to an international audience.

 

Gigantia expert in offset printing

Improve your business results with SEO

At BigTranslation, we choose our words very carefully. When our team was completing this website translation, we made it a priority to carry out a full SEO analysis on Gigantia’s specific product range, analysing and specifying the keywords used and incorporating these into our final translations to achieve the kind of results that the client was looking for in terms of search engine results.

 

We are committed to providing a quality service that will be greatly appreciated by the client. Thanks to our team of native translators and our marketing and SEO experts, our translation agency is able to provide a quick, efficient and accurate translation service that can propel your business towards achieving its maximum potential in terms of online positioning. We are aware of the importance of good language translation, but we are also determined to provide our clients with a service that will allow their company to stand out in their field of expertise. Choosing to work with us provides an excellent opportunity to boost your SEO, promoting your product online and raising your business profile.

 

What Happens to the English Language Now?

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For native English translators and language undergraduates, one of the main points of concern in the aftermath of Brexit has been the prospect that English will now cease to be an official EU language. It is claimed that this scenario would result in English becoming far less in-demand, reducing the overall status of the English language in terms of business, culture and international relations.

What happens to the English language now?

For native English translators and language undergraduates, one of the main points of concern in the aftermath of Brexit has been the prospect that English will now cease to be an official EU language. It is claimed that this scenario would result in English becoming far less in-demand for European institutions, putting the jobs of language graduates in danger and reducing the overall status of the English language in terms of business, culture and international relations. This would all seem to make sense, given the fact that Ireland and Malta will be the only remaining countries in the EU with English as an official language. However, there’s reason to believe that things may not be so simple.

La Langue Universelle?

A quick scan of history shows that it wasn’t the presence of the UK which gave English its status as Europe’s lingua franca in the first place. When the British joined the EEC along with Ireland back in 1973, the official language of communication within the EU institutions was French. This was partly for historical reasons, and partly because the institutions were located in predominantly French-speaking cities: Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. The priority given to French was therefore justified, and the incoming UK and Irish officials alone were not numerous enough to make a difference to the language arrangement.

Native English Translators| BigTranslation
Native English Translators| BigTranslation

Things started to change about 20 years later. With the arrival of Sweden, Finland and Austria in 1995, English was used increasingly and was used to draft legislation, as it was the first foreign language of a growing number of new officials who required a common language for consultation purposes.
The 2004 enlargement of the European Union was its largest single expansion to date. 10 new countries became members, nearly all of whose national education systems offered English as first foreign language, not French. As a result, English became the most obvious common language of communication of new member states and therefore, by extension, the European Union as a whole. Now the EU works with 24 official languages.

Native English Translators still in High Demand

This is why even without Britain’s continued membership of the EU, one would suspect that English will continue to have a central role in communication between member states – at least for the considerable future. The Lithuanian official will still have to use English to communicate with her Dutch colleague, who will then be required to relay the information in English to his Czech boss. For English speaking language graduates, the image of this very common scenario may represent some light at the end of the tunnel.

In terms of translation post-Brexit, it is still the case that English-speaking officials, both administrators and clerical assistants, are in great demand. This puts translators from the Republic of Ireland, Europe’s largest remaining English speakers, in a rather advantageous position. Future selection competitions for recruitment, without competition from British nationals, should therefore favour Irish nationals slightly more than in the past.

Go East for Translation Inspiration

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The languages of Central and Eastern Europe are rich, complex and steeped in centuries of history. The years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union have seen the reopening of these societies after decades of isolation. Indeed, Eastern Europe’s desire to revolutionise itself in terms of establishing democratic institutions and free market economies has led a number of Western companies to invest in this virtually unexplored part of the continent since the 1990s.

Go East for Translation Inspiration

The languages of Central and Eastern Europe are rich, complex and steeped in centuries of history. The years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union have seen the reopening of these societies after decades of isolation. Indeed, Eastern Europe’s desire to revolutionise itself in terms of establishing democratic institutions and free market economies has led a number of Western companies to invest in this virtually unexplored part of the continent since the 1990s. The demand for translation and interpretation is in consequence increasing significantly.

However, in terms of providing language training in light of the growing demand for translation and other language services to and from Eastern European languages, the response of many Western countries has been surprisingly poor. For example, in the United Kingdom, there are fewer students of languages in secondary and higher education whilst the demand for translation and interpretation is increasing significantly. Of the languages we do study at school, German is one of the most widely taught, yet recent years have shown the demand for translation from and into German slowly decreasing.

Eastern Europe Translation: Big demand for Czech, Polish, Russian

On the other hand, language service companies, like BigTranslation are seeing a marked increase in requests for documents to be translated from and into Eastern European languages, particularly Polish, yet the response in terms of education has been almost non-existent. In the years to come, this could be a considerable cause for concern if we fail to give our young people the training they need to respond to this increasingly fast growing market. Britain’s universities have been slightly more effective in terms of providing adequate language training services to modern language undergraduates. At the University of Glasgow, for example, students from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC) are now free to take up the study of subsidiary Czech, Russian or Polish on entering Junior Honours. This opportunity should be particularly attractive to students of French and German, since the European Commission is looking for translators and interpreters who speak French or German with Czech or Polish.

However, the benefits of studying Eastern European languages aren’t limited to graduates of Central and Eastern European Studies; SMLC graduates who have any knowledge of Czech, Polish or Russian have found it has helped them in finding jobs on graduation, since UK employers tend to interpret this expertise as a special commitment and are impressed by the line of study. Native English UK graduates with some knowledge of Czech or Polish are also sought after in Central Europe. So, for current or future translation students looking for the language combination that could serve them best in terms of employment, new experiences and opportunities, it may be an idea to look towards the East for inspiration. The possibilities are very exciting indeed!

 

 

Difference Between SEO Translation and Localisation

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Many people think that localisation and SEO translation are basically the same thing – if you fall into this category of ‘many people’, then we suggest that you think again! While they are both types of translation, they each have different purposes, and most companies look for translators or translation agencies who can provide them with both of these types of translation as it helps to increase their business globally.

Localisation 

Many people think that localisation and SEO translation are basically the same thing – if you find yourself in this category of ‘many people’, then we suggest that you think again! While they are both types of translation, they each have different purposes, and most companies look for translators or translation agencies who can provide them with both of these types of translation as it helps to increase their business globally. The majority of translation agencies will only provide you with localisation, which is why agencies such as BigTranslation are so valuable as they also specialise in SEO translation. Let us now make the distinction between these two processes by starting with localisation. Localisation is a process which involves us adapting a text to make sure that it is culturally and linguistically appropriate for the target audience, most often used for website translations. This focuses on the more human aspect of translation as the target text will be received by a completely different culture, therefore native professional translators are often needed to carry out this kind of translation process, ensuring it has the same effect on the target audience as the source language audience. A good example of this is the translation of brand names; a good brand name in one language might be hilarious in another if translated literally (E.g., an Iranian soap product line is called ‘Barf’, which actually means ‘snow’ in Farsi, but becomes ‘vomiting’ in English). They could also be considered offensive or ridiculous: the Ford ‘Pinto’ means ‘penis’ in Brazilian Portuguese and the Rolls Royce ‘Mist’ would be ‘manure’ or ‘dung’ in German. Similarly, one excellent marketing slogan in one language could become a total disaster in another. An example of this is when American Airlines translated their slogan ‘Fly in Leather’ literally to ‘Vuela en Cuero’ in Spanish. The problem with this is that ‘Vuela en Cuero’ would actually be interpreted by Spaniards as ‘Fly Naked’ as it is a set expression in Spanish.  This is precisely why it is important to have a native translator of the target language to make localisation possible and ensure that a text is translated in such a way that it is familiar and appealing to the target culture.

SEO translation and localisation

SEO Translation 

Whilst localisation has the purpose of appealing to humans of a particular culture, SEO translation is different in the sense that its target is internet search engines. ‘SEO‘, as it is simply referred to, is essentially a ‘behind the scenes’ option which ensures that your products and services have search engine visibility in the target country. Every single attribute on a web page such as keywords, expressions, tags, titles, metatitles and anchor texts should be translated in order to make the web page attractive to search engines in the target language. In this sense, SEO is a requirement for the best quality translation of web content, as you want your site to pop up as one of the first options when people of a foreign culture type in keywords related to your site. The best way to ensure that your website is ranked well in all of the international markets that you are targeting is to have each of your website’s SEO elements carefully translated by experts with experience in the field of multilingual SEO. This will increase the global reputation of your business, result in additional customers and of course increase the amount of sales. In order to make a web page appeal to a wide range of clients and acheive the best quality, businesses should employ translators who specialise in both SEO translation and localisation. For example, you may have the best localisation in the world but if your page does not appear towards the top of the list in search engines it won’t be able to gain much visibility or popularity, decreasing the amount of site visitors and potential clients. Similarly, SEO translation alone would not be sufficient; if your localisation is bad, users will find your site quickly but will abandon it even faster. Visitors may have a good laugh if your slogan says that you are willing to fly naked, but it won’t necessarily give you many customers.

Overall, it is clear that SEO translation and localisation are two different concepts, however it is vital to rely on translators and translation agencies who are able to offer both of these. It isn’t easy to strike the balance between a good sales pitch to human customers and search engine optimisation. Many webmasters will request a translation from a good localisation professional first and then turn to a separate SEO specialist, which can work out to be quite expensive. Unlike traditional translation agencies, BigTranslation is capable of offering both SEO translation and localisation services. This is thanks to our carefully-selected network of translators that have strong training in international multilingual SEO. Our professional translation service guarantees to maximise the search engine visibility of websites and increase the amount of its users or clients.

SEO Translation in Travel and Tourism

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Translation agencies and companies who specialise in SEO and website translation, such as BigTranslation, thrive on offering their services to clients in the Travel and Tourism sector. This will surely continue to flourish as more and more languages across the globe become more in demand amongst translation agencies and the internationalisation of companies increases.

Travel and Tourism: An Indispensable Industry

If there is one sector which requires the translation of texts the most in order to guarantee success, it is without a doubt the travel and tourism sector! As the whole nature of the industry is based on reaching out to all languages and cultures in order to encourage people to travel across the globe, it follows that the facilitation of communication and translation of texts is an essential part of this process. Hotel websites, brochures, magazines, tourist guides and restaurant menus are just a few examples of the copious amount of documents which require translations in this industry. Translation agencies and companies who specialise in SEO and website translation, such as BigTranslation, thrive on offering their services to clients in the Travel and Tourism sector. This will surely continue to flourish as more and more languages across the globe become more in demand amongst translation agencies and the internationalisation of companies increases.

SEO travel and tourism

Multilingual SEO: A Travelling Tool 

One aspect which enables the expansion of the Travel and Tourism sector in particular is the use of SEO translation in travel and tourism websites. Many clients expect that the translation services they pay for will include multilingual SEO, as it has become such a necessary tool in this translation field. The more languages a translation agency can offer and the more it can expand a travel agency globally with SEO translation, the more likely it will be for them to gain work in this sector, as it is massively beneficial to travel and tourism companies. The first thing most people do when planning or booking a trip is turn to the internet; more often than not they will type in keywords and phrases in Google in order to quickly find what they are looking for. They will then be presented with a list of sites in their native language, and this is where SEO translation comes in. If translators are able to make their target text available to the desired audience through the use of specific words and phrases, the travel company is more likely to appear when certain words are entered into the search engine. One of the reasons it is also essential to use professional translators for travel and tourism websites is that companies need to be 100% sure of the site’s content before allowing customers to view information. Similarly, the customer will want to be certain that they understand the information they have read on the site before handing over their bank details or any kind of personal information. Particularly due to the cultural differences and clashes that can arise when translating from one language to another, it is essential that the translator of these texts is a native professional of the target language to guarantee accuracy of meaning and to avoid misunderstandings for the clients.

The translator of travel and tourism websites will essentially act as the representative of the company abroad, in an attempt to attract as wide a target audience in their native language as possible. For this reason, many travel and tourism companies only employ translators who specialise in this particular translation field, as they need to be familiar with the style of language used in order to attract customers and to increase the SEO of the company. At BigTranslation, our expertise in website translation and SEO translation, along with our large team of native professional translators who specialise in various different fields, we are an ideal translation agency for globalising travel companies and giving them the perfect translation quality they need!