Intercultural Communication and Translation News

Migrants hoping to become Australian citizens will soon have to take a test examining their knowledge of the country’s history and institutions, and endorse national values including “mateship”.

While Australia prides itself on its multicultural heritage, the government wants newcomers to “integrate” more fully. From later this year, prospective citizens will have to demonstrate an understanding of the English language. They will also be obliged to answer 20 questions, from a potential bank of 200. Anyone who gives fewer than 12 correct responses will not receive a passport.

Read more: Australia 

CILT is making available thousands of free resource packs to schools, colleges and community groups looking to celebrate the European Day of Languages on 26 September.

The free starter packs contain posters featuring characters DJ Dialect and the De Linguant Dance Crew which ask ‘How multilingual is your world?’  The idea is to count the languages hidden in the poster, identify which languages they are, and work out what they say. Phrases include ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Schätz’ and ‘Dobrze panie Bobrze’ - Polish for ‘lovely jubbly’!  Stickers with ‘hellos’ in over 30 languages are also included, and ideas for activities are posted on-line.

Read more: CILT 

Finding the right hotel room at the best price is a top concern for many travelers. But searching for the right accommodations has not always been an easy task for those who prefer to book in Spanish. Now, hotels.com — the expert in booking hotels online and on the phone — is making the process easier for Spanish-speaking travelers with its new comprehensive site, hotels.com en espanol (http://espanol.hotels.com) and dedicated customer service center (800-316-4145). The site has been designed specifically to meet the needs and interests of Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States.

Read more:  Hotels.com

Globalization has made cross-border business deals more common than ever. But, every day, deals are jeopardized or lost when foreign associates are offended by Americans unaware of other countries’ customs, culture or manners, etiquette experts say.

They commit a faux pas (a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners or conduct) while traveling, meeting a foreigner here or communicating on the phone or Internet.

“Americans are way too informal in their dealings with their counterparts abroad, and they end up perceived as uncouth and even obnoxious,” says P.M. Forni, a professor of Italian literature and civility at Johns Hopkins University. “Innocence, stupidity or arrogance make them behave in Cyprus the way they would in Cleveland.”

Read more: Etiquette Abroad 

Britain’s employers were yesterday accused of failing to promote languages as an essential skill in the job market after French and German were confirmed as among the biggest casualties of the shift towards “easier” GCSE subjects.

Foreign languages at GCSE have been in steep decline since the government’s controversial decision in 2004 to make them optional for youngsters after the age of 14. This year’s results showed a slump in the number of candidates taking the subjects for the third year in a row.

Read more:  Language

While the UK continues to welcome the contribution of immigrants, there is a need to provide translation services to improve their chances of integration and gaining equal access to public services.

Ruth Kelly, the then communities secretary, stirred up a hornet’s nest in June by suggesting translation services should be cut to encourage immigrants to learn English and integrate into wider society. She told the BBC’s Politics Show: “I think translation has been used too frequently and sometimes without thought added to the consequences.” She said some immigrants may lack the incentive to learn English because materials are routinely translated into their mother tongue.

She added that evidence suggested if someone did not try to learn English in their first six months in the UK they were unlikely ever to do so.

Whether or not you agree they should be provided, translation services cost the public sector a large amount of public money each year. The argument should not be about an either/or situation, but how to obtain more costeffective translation and interpretation services.

Read more: Translation and the Public Sector 

A common misconception about the translator is that he or she is a living dictionary, taking a text in a foreign language and turning it into something a little more accessible to the target audience. Some believe that anyone who can speak a foreign language well can excel as a translator but few realise the amount of time translators pour into their work, the endless hours of playing with words and nuance. While online translation engines are a popular tool for anyone needing quick results, these often translate word for word and are unable to identify set expressions, resulting in a stilted approximation which lacks the fluency and natural feel of a text produced by a human being. Translation, is much more than substituting words of one language into another; it’s an art.

Read more: Being a Translator 

More Chinese are given names in western style or just direct transliteration of Western names, according to a survey on the use of Chinese language.

Such Western names as Lina, Lucy or Jenny are widely used in Chinese names with characters following English tones, according to the survey called “Language Situation in China: 2006″ by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

It found that there were names putting first names after given names, contrary to the Chinese style with an opposite sequence. Some people even have English letters as A, B, C in their names.

The survey also found more than 60 million Chinese names carried rarely used characters, probably to avoid repetition or show peculiarity.

Read more: Chinese 

As rising wages and attrition rates in India spur some international companies to seek new locales for outsourcing operations, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America have all been competing to become new offshore hubs.

Now, the Middle East and North Africa are elbowing into the race to host remote sales staff, service centers, tech support and the like, thanks to a favorable time zone, a multilingual work force and an oil-fueled investment and expansion spree. Companies also are attracted by some efforts by some governments there to diversify and liberalize their economies, as well as the prospect of tapping into the growing local market.

Read more: Middle East 

Figures released today which show a halt in the decline in the number of students taking A levels in languages are to be welcomed as a sign that efforts to put across the value of language learning are starting to take effect. Increases in numbers sitting Spanish and German A levels are particularly encouraging. Figures on applications for university courses with languages are also up this year, with applications for German increasing by 20%.

But there is no complacency about these figures. It is recognised that much more still needs to be done to recover numbers lost to languages over the past ten years to redress the imbalance in gender and social class of this country’s linguists, and above all to ensure that young people are properly prepared for the challenges of the workplace in an age of globalisation.

Read more: Languages