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The mobile app business booming, no doubt about it. And in an effort to strike while the iron’s hot, numerous developers are trying to get involved, proposing ideas for new apps each and every day. If you’re also looking to get your foot in the door, there’s one thing you should definitely consider during development – translation.
The ramifications of translating your app involve more than just language. You’ll also have to consider questions such as design and aesthetic, even getting into the issue of character limitations.
Therefore, if you want your iPhone or Android application to work on a global level, you must have localization on your mind from the start.
Start to read up at smartplanet on how to make sure your mobile app is translation-ready.
 When the mind floats to life past retirement, a number of activities come to mind – RV trips, shuffleboard games, golf outings, etc. Learning a new language isn’t exactly at the top of the list.
Nevertheless, a growing group of eager-to-learn seniors are looking to change that, and both the New York Times and the AARP have taken note.
Interest in language learning has increased significantly over the last decade, with individuals around the globe embarking on personal endeavors to learn new languages through personalized study, group classes and immersion programs. This has come largely in response to the ever-changing global market that requires more and more job-seekers to speak more than one language. However, if the piqued interest in the over-50 in language learning is any indication, it has something to do with personal development as well.
The Baby Boomer generation in the U.S. is reaching retirement age, and improved global health standards have increased lifespan significantly, meaning a growing senior population that is unprecedentedly healthy, active and looking for new outlets. The language education industry has reacted accordingly.
The recognition of the older population’s interest in language has translated into a mini-boom of language programs geared specifically towards seniors. Tailored to the learning styles, aptitudes and schedules of the demographic, these programs are popping up at an increasing rate.
Though learning a new language may prove increasingly difficult with age, it’s not impossible – the retirees doing so now are living proof.
 In the world of translation and localization, delivery is as dependent on deadlines as it is on quality standards. These standards are not only specific to client, country or project. They actually include guidelines developed according to industry norms and metrics. The truth is that without quality standards, there is no future in the localization world.
For this reason, quality assurance is a key component throughout the translation process. Key to error detection and correction, it is a must prior to the final delivery of any project, big or small.
Quality is controlled from start to finish throughout the production cycle, with the collection of information on terminology and style and the leverage of glossaries, TMs and style-guides. However, the main stage devoted to quality assurance on any project is performed after translation, edition and proofreading have taken place.
Here at Win & Winnow, concentrate on objective errors during the internal QA stage, focusing on the subjective during the proofreading process.
There are five main quality standards evaluated in our process:
- Comprehension
- Readability
- Language Structure
- Accuracy
- Design and Format
To ensure the respective standards of quality related to each of these fields are met, there are certain steps that must be taken during QA. These include running a spell check, verifying there are no untranslated segments in the target text, identifying different forms of translation of the same segment or word, and implementing consistent versions of the translation to unify the text. The use of glossaries is also quite important, as it helps us to confirm that identical words are translated consistently throughout a text.
In addition to these human checks, there are a variety of tools and software available on the market, which assist us in performing automatic quality assurance checks on texts before delivery. These programs generate reports pointing out possible issues that our linguists can then verify and, when necessary, correct.
A good tool is one that compares source and target text using bilingual documents. It provides a unified view of the bilingual information, which can be prioritized by the person in charge of the QA. We can carry out a quality control of a translation and, at the same time, add translation memories or glossaries, rendering the process even more thorough. The most useful quality assurance tools support a number of input formats including, among others:
- Trados Multiterm glossaries
- Trados TagEditor files
- Trados Studio files
- Trados Word bilingual files
- SDLX .itd files
- Wordfast Pro TXML files
- DejaVu files
As mentioned, there are a number of useful QA tools available on the market, many of which we use on a daily basis. One of the main programs we rely on is X-Bench, which allows for a side-by-side placement of source and target texts, facilitating an improved comparative review. The software enables the discovery of errors introduced at various stages of a project, providing the opportunity to improve on the text at hand.
In addition, it assists in the search for false cognates, discriminatory or offensive terminology, linguistic patterns (such as repetition, redundancy, alliteration, etc.), contextual consistency, mistranslations, additions, omissions, terminology, register, connotations, collocations, punctuation in general, etc.
After the main QA stage and automated checks, the final steps to ensuring quality on any project involve format checks as well as reporting and feedback, usually overseen by the project manager assigned to the job. This should include comparing the final target text against the source to ensure that everything is displayed properly, verifying that all graphics are in place and the text is positioned appropriately, and checks to make sure that all relevant style guides or guidelines were followed.
After all this, you can imagine that there is nothing as satisfying as pressing the send button with a message to the client, “Please find attached the deliverable files for the project.” Phew!
Mariana Sugobono is a Production Assistant at Win & Winnow Communications. She is responsible for all-around production support involving the coordination of projects, QA checks, and in-house translation and editing work.
The commercial demands of modern translation, the birth of translation technology, and the corresponding revolutions in corporate workflows: a threat to the sacred skill of the bilingual soul or a familiar drone? With an office full of linguists who lavish in the satisfaction of successful translated word strings and odd expressions, it is hard to contemplate that what is involved is anything less than genius. More fathomable is that this process is intrinsically creative and rightfully categorized as an art…
 Working in the center of Buenos Aires, with tango dancers on the corners of our streets and flute melodies floating about, bandoneónes and soulful lyrics charming even the smallest darkest cafes in the area, I was delighted to stumble across an article entitled “Translation Tango” by Tony Beckwith in the January 2012 version of The ATA Chronicle.
The author insightfully notes: “Tango, then, is a physical experience as well as a virtual or a literary one. So how should we go about translating a tango? We should read it like a poem. For tango is certainly poetry. We should sing it like a song, of course. And we should view it like a movie, with a soundtrack that fills in the gaps of the story and conveys the mood. That – the soundtrack – is what we must translate, but we should not separate the words too much from the music. For the music and the lyrics are like two tango dancers, both involved in the same event but approaching it from a different angle.”
Now doesn’t that just conjure up a fitting visual of just how creative the translation process can be?
I was reminded of a nice article that I came across in the New York Times about the translation of the work of a Swedish poet, entitled “Tomas Transtromer’s Poems and the Art of Translation.” The writer points out that if you win the Nobel Prize, like Transtromer, economic pressures are likely to expose your translators to a healthy dose of criticism. The risk is the reduction of what was once an art form protected by the sacred license of creativity to a raw product in an unforgiving economic system. The translators are now on display in the amphitheatre, to defend themselves under the sharp gaze and rational evaluations of the public.
How does one best translate complex metaphors from one language to another?
The translator has to place himself within the image created and then create a new one that fits in, not only with the target language, but also the literary intention of the original text.
There are a plethora of factors to bear in mind, and it is hard to formulate a secret to success. Alexis Levitin, literary translator, speaking on this issue simply advises, “You’ve gotta do what works.”
I wonder if we could ever program a machine to this simple recipe: to do what works? Will it ever possible to mirror the creative processes of a human brain or two human brains engaged in translation?
I hope not, for the sake of the linguists and the Argentines among us, for the image that comes to mind is that of robots dancing tango…
In a recent post, we touched on the possibilities of Automatic Speech Recognition technology (ASR) for the modern business world. In particular, we highlighted that this technology is likely to improve efficiency for businesses competing in the global market as the technology is integrated into internal processes. We also pointed to new developments as far as cross-cultural communication is concerned, enabling multilingual dialogue in situations where it was previously impractical to invoke a human interpreter.
 Well, Microsoft is certainly not waiting around as far as ASR is concerned, with the launch of Monolingual TTS, the latest innovation in voice recognition technology, at TechFest 2012.
This software is currently able to translate users’ speech into 26 languages – what’s more, it preserves user’s own voice.
I, a native of New Zealand, never imagined myself speaking Mandarin with a Kiwi accent, but upon reflection, this would certainly be more… natural, if that word still belongs in this field.
How far does Microsoft’s new software go towards turning a monolingual speaker into a multilingual one?
Decide for yourself with Microsoft’s interactive demonstration of how the Monolingual TTS software takes the voice of Rick, a native English speaker, and converts it into Mandarin.
Shrikanth Narayanan, a professor at the University of Southern California who leads a research group focused on the use of ASR in the real world, recognizes that “the word is just one part of what a person is saying.”
Narayanan suggests that an effective translation system needs to capture the essence of what a person is trying to convey through speech. This means preserving intonation, expression, and other important indicators.
“We’re asking if you can build systems that can mediate between people as well as just replacing the words.”
Narayanan, among others, see Microsoft’s research as a part of making this happen.
 It is a given that during criminal proceedings, a person will face various restrictions in regards to certain rights to which they would ordinarily have access. These restrictions are, of course, governed by a complex body of laws and vary widely according to jurisdiction.
In many jurisdictions, for example, prisoners have their phone calls monitored for security reasons. They are required to give prior notice when requesting to make a call in a foreign language so that interpretation services can be made available.
When we consider the degree to which our ability to communicate effectively is influenced by language, we realize that any restrictions to this must be reasonable and justified. How far should restrictions to speaking one’s native language go when in custody?
This issue recently came to a head when the Ministry of Justice in Wales argued that a Welsh prisoner imprisoned for vehicle theft, Martin Tate, must give 48 hours notice to speak his native Welsh language with his family. If not, English, or the lines would be cut.
The justification: to ensure that translation facilities were available to monitor the phone calls in the interest of public safety. But in the modern world, 48 hours is rather a long time.
In communications last year, Martin Tate’s mother expressed her concerns, “We haven’t done anything wrong and why do we have to talk English because he’s done wrong?” The Welsh Language Board objected to the policy, arguing that it was unacceptable. In reaction, the prison service has recently relaxed the rule for Martin Tate and other Welsh-speaking prisoners who do not pose a significant security risk.
What’s more, all of this occurred despite Welsh being recognized as an official language in Wales. These events also contradict the Welsh Language Act of 1993 which gives Welsh speakers an absolute right to speak their native language in Wales courtrooms as long as the court clerk is notified beforehand.
While this treatment of the language may seem rather outdated, the Welsh language has had a particularly tough time over the last couple of centuries. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, for instance, some Welsh schools prohibited the use of the Welsh language, imposing a punishment system called the Welsh Not. Any child overhead speaking Welsh had to wear a piece of wood around his or her neck, inscribed with the letters WN, and could only pass the “not” on to another child overheard speaking Welsh. At the end of the day, the child adorned with the Welsh Not would face physical discipline.
In recent times, the Welsh language has experienced several successes against what could be defined as language discrimination, as well as a revival in its popularity and use.
The implications of the recent Welsh case certainly make one think. For us women with the gift of the gap, it can be nearly impossible to hold our tongues, even when we set our minds to it. In the corridors of justice, how would you feel about restrictions on the right to speak your mother language? The rather bumpy ride that the Welsh language has had is a cordial reminder that some things – as imperishable as our native tongues may seem – are not to be taken for granted.
Some words may change their meaning and usage over the course of time and, as a result, become more flexible or acquire a new meaning. When reading a newspaper article or a magazine, we encounter many of these newly coined words that have recently gained new currency.
 I remember reading an article from the Washington Post illustrating this phenomenon. The article talked about the sufferers of the “survivor syndrome”, to describe the health problems observed in the people who work for companies that are downsizing. In a similar context, I also read about “recycled workers”, referring to workers that were dismissed from their jobs and later rehired by their companies. However, if we consult with a dictionary, we will see that these words have an original meaning that is quite different from the one that we understand in the examples.
According to the Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1985), a “survivor” is someone or something that exists in spite of having been nearly destroyed or almost dead; and the verb “recycle” means to pass again through a series of changes or treatments (a liquid body, waste, glass or cans) in order to regain material for human use; to adapt to a new use; to make ready for use. The same dictionary tells us that the term “anorexic” means affected with anorexia nervosa (loss of appetite especially when prolonged). This meaning does not appear to have much to do with the meaning attributed to the same word in a phrase like “corporate anorexia” (when a company goes through downsizing and becomes less effective) or “anorexic defense” (used mainly with reference to sports).
The last example that I wanted to mention is the adjective “wired.” This is one of the many terms that has an extended meaning thanks to the invention of the Internet and has become a “hot” word in recent years. Once again, the dictionary sets out the original meanings: furnished or bound with wires; reinforced by wires; having a wirework netting or a fence; and feverishly excited. To these meanings a new one was added: adept at the use of the Internet.
The words mentioned above are just a few examples of the many terms that have extended their meanings and have taken on new ones. The case of “anorexic” is a clear example of a word that belongs to a specific field of knowledge (medicine) but which may now be used in a different context to express another idea. The same thing occurs with the term “recycle,” which has acquired the meaning of “re-use” and can be used with reference to people as well as things.
Juan C. Sager describes it well: “As well as serving for the task of general communication, in our information-and technology-oriented society, language also has to fulfill another task, that of serving special communication, which means transmitting special knowledge, previously stored in linguistic and other forms in great diversity of written and spoken messages.” This is to say that, in the present globalised world, the general public need (and want) to know about as many subjects as possible. Knowledge cannot, therefore, be reserved for use by just a few professionals, scientists, doctors etc.
Nowadays, the process in which the general public are able to absorb new information has been facilitated by the invention of the Internet, through which we can access extensive information on any subject in a matter of minutes. In addition, the Internet appears to serve as an independent source from which new word meanings are created (as with the term “wired”).
Whenever a technical term is adopted by laypeople, the possibility exists that the extended meaning given to it will constitute an entirely new sense of the word, as in the example of “anorexic.” We will not often find this meaning in a standard dictionary but we may find it in a new one if the use is widespread.
In summary, we could say that, today’s laypeople need and want access to technical information that, some years ago, was out of their reach. As a result, this information may “lose” a part of its meaning, since the general public’s way of understanding it is not the same as the professionals.’ Furthermore, once the essence of the new terms are understood by laypeople, they are then used in other contexts, attributing even more meanings to the original adaption. It is clear that this drift of meaning that some words undergo is constant, since languages evolve and change all the time.
The development of science, technology as well as our fields of knowledge play an important role in this phenomenon, since we need to create new words and adapt the existing ones to meet our ever-expanding communicative needs.
Virginia Decarre is the Language Lead at Win & Winnow Communications, responsible for the overall linguistic quality of our services. She is the main point of contact for both internal and external teams in regards to linguistic matters and is responsible for the creation and maintenance of glossaries, translation memories and style guides.
 French is usually considered the language of love and given that today is St. Valentine’s Day, we thought we would bring you our greetings in tune with the occasion. It is, after all, interesting the effect that language can have on our communications with one another.
Language is, undoubtedly, an important component within any given culture, and as such, affects the way that each and every one of us see the world. However, to take this even further, it has been questioned whether a person’s personality can actually change depending on the language they are speaking?
In a study through Hong Kong Polytechnic University, psychologists observed that native Chinese students who were also fluent in English seemingly become “more assertive, extroverted, and open to new experiences” when using their second language. These researchers argue that those traits are all more typical of English speakers than Cantonese, indicating a link between language and personality traits.
 In this study, the personality traits also seemed to be affected depending on who the subject was speaking with. It was observed that when the students spoke English to a Caucasian interviewer, rather than a Chinese interviewer, the “English-speaking” personality traits became even more pronounced.
Perhaps then, our personalities are more fluid that we like to think and are heavily affected by the language that we are speaking.
Enough reason to stick with French for Valentine’s Day?
Sawaf and Litchman say it’s highly plausible that the language barrier will disappear within the next decade. And, with the way that technology is taking over the human brain, at least competing in terms of efficiency and economics, I wouldn’t rule it out.
Automatic speech recognition technology (ASR) is the next best thing after machine translation (MT) technology, although the two fields are somewhat interlinked as both rely on computers to interpret meaning.
ASR is still a young technology. It has been adopted as far as its current state of development will allow on Smart Phones (i.e. iPhone’s Siri application), in health departments to communicate with patients, call centers and others capitalizing on the economic savings it offers. The field is developing and creating ripples in the market place and in our everyday lives. It promises improved productivity for small daily tasks.
When you look at integrated ASR and MT applications, the potential is even greater.
Our General Manager is getting married in a few weeks and was optimistic to read the article in the January/ February 2012 issue of the Multilingual magazine on The Automated Interpreter. This was after a selection of chosen interpreters here in Argentina agreed to carry out the ceremony with the forewarning that “weddings are emotional – and there are always a few tears!” Just imagine, a tear-eyed and ecstatic “she said yes!” followed by a couple of sniffs. And all the attention is on the interpreter!
In these high-stress situations, it is all too tempting to replace human error with perfect technology… if it were to exist.
 ASR technology is more sensitive than MT to incorrect use due to greater possibility for causing offense – and with where it stands right now, one can only imagine the types of embarrassment it could cause in a formal scenario like a wedding. ASR has to grapple with, for instance, different accents, gender distinctions, singular and plural verb forms, and words with multiple meanings. At the moment, many IT and computing companies exaggerate the advancement of their technologies in advertisements, most working with Google Translate to deliver their magical promises.
There are some, however, along the likes of Ray Kurzweil, a pioneer in these things, who predict that machines will reach human levels of translation by the year 2029, with computers even developing a level of consciousness. He also holds that spoken language translation will be common by 2019 – that’s sure not a long way away.
For now, where it is taking us? Sawaf and Litchman say it is unlikely to change the business landscape (in the sense of redirecting business or modifying translators’ work processes) as ADR does not increase the efficiency of translation like MT does. However, they note that it is likely to have a significant impact for businesses competing on a global scale as it is integrated into internal processes and also enables informal cross-lingual communication on a scale where it is impractical to invoke a human interpreter.
If this is a new field to you, it is an interesting one, so we suggest you check out the Multilingual article and others in the field.
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