THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A SPANISH INTERPRETER? CHOOSE YOUR DIALECT FIRST!

Is there a purest Spanish amongst all the different shades of Spanish spoken in the world? What is the difference between Spanish and Castilian? Which one is really the best Spanish above all the variations we can find between Spain and Latin America?

CALLING ALL ITALIAN INTERPRETERS

The European Commission is one of the most ambitious places to work for an interpreter.

The fact that there is a lack of Italian interpreters at the European Commission is quite serious. The Italian booth is present in approximately 45% of the meetings organised by DG Interpretation of the Commission, in 58% of the meetings organised by DG Interpretation of the European Parliament and in about 50% of all hearings before the three jurisdictions that make up the Court of Justice of the European Union.

MARK TWAIN ON THE GERMAN LANGUAGE: A FUNNY BUT TRUE ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLEXITY OF GERMAN

Maybe no one else but Mark Twain could give such a clear and yet hilarious view about the German language.

In his famous essay “The awful German language”, the American author illustrates some of the main aspects of German grammar and tries to establish a comparison with English.

EXPOLANGUE: A FULL IMMERSION IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

The French language received a special mention at the latest festival of Expolangues that took place in Paris in February. The theme of the festival – Francophonie and its differences – was completely dedicated to the modern langue d’oil in all its aspects. Linguists, writers, anchormen, professors and experts in communication all gathered to discuss everything from the evolution of the language and its transmission, to its current use and its future.

DO NOT CUT THE FUNDS FOR COURT INTERPRETERS

I am sure most of us have seen Red Corner, an American film starring Richard Gere and Bai Ling. It tells the story of an American businessman named Jack Moore (Richard Gere) working in China who ends up on trial for murder and gets jailed in Beijing (even though the film was actually shot in LA). Mr Moore’s defence is in the hands of ShenYuliean (Bai Ling), a Chinese female lawyer who will eventually prove his innocence.

A LOOK INTO DUTCH – THE CLOSEST LANGUAGE TO ENGLISH?

Dutch is spoken by the majority of people in the Netherlands and also in some parts of Belgium, Aruba, the Netherland Antilles and Suriname. In total, Dutch is spoken by 21 million people.

The Story behind Bollywood

With a world population of 182 million speakers of Hindi and a thriving cultural industry, we investigate the story behind Bollywood in translation – the focal point of traditional India cinema enjoyed the world over. However, there are lots of misconceptions about this worldwide phenomenon. Although it is commonly interpreted as a wide spanning term for Indian cinema, it is actually a smaller part of it. Bollywood is only part of the Indian film industry, which produces films in regional language. Known formally as Hindi cinema, it also has an increasingly common feature of incorporating Indian English in songs and dialogue (Hinglish in translation).

WHERE DOES YOUR SPANISH COME FROM?

Keep in mind when you deal with Spanish translations, where the Spanish in question comes from. You will be amazed by the difference a single word can make in a conversation. There are lots of words that don’t exist in Spain but have a full and specific meaning in Mexico or Argentina. Sometimes in Colombia they might exist but with an opposite, much odder meaning. It’s not just about accents or dialects, it’s about brand new words.

Simultaneous Translation –Full Speed Ahead!

Translation can be such a tricky Endeavour, and speed is not always of the utmost importance when it comes to matters such as these. Language is the code of custom, of distinct social behaviours and conducts that caution has to be exercised to prevent being lost in translation!

Polish Language under the Microscope – some Translation Tips!

The Polish language is considered one of medium difficulty to learn from English, with good reason! However, with a base of 40 million speakers and being the second most popular East Slavic language after Russian it seems to be very widely spoken indeed, hence the strong demand for Polish interpreting services! According to this infographic, Polish would take 44 hours and 1,110 class hours to gain a spoken and written proficiency for an English native speaker because of its significant differences to English. Want to start by learning more about the Polish language and see some of its facts in translation? Read on Polish interpreting services

Conference Interpreting Services – Don’t get lost in translation!

Languages are such a fascinating and multi-faceted concept that is the result of many generations and cycles of revision, updates, trends and cultural flavours. Because of this, it can be so hard to get your message and services across when in a meeting of so many different cultural identities. You can’t simply use a phrase book to get the right business message or marketing tag line across in an accurate and effective way. So how can you stop getting bogged down in cultural understanding and avoiding faux pas according to their customs?