Intercultural Communication and Translation News

Google does a decent job translating Web pages from other languages, but machine-based translation is still not good enough for when you need a truly accurate translation. A new service called the Google Translation Center looks like Google is making its machine-translation technologies available to human translators. If you have a document that needs translating, you can upload it and request a translator to work on it, according to the marketing information on the site. The service can accommodate both professional and volunteer translators, and will let them use Google’s automatic translation tools and dictionaries to do their work. This could make translations a lot easier to do because the machine translation tools could take a first pass at the documents, meaning the translator would just have to correct any mistakes instead of starting with a blank screen.

Read more >> Google

SDL (LSE: SDL), the leading provider of Global Information Management (GIM:  8.75, -0.02, -0.22%) solutions, announced today the launch of a worldwide language service provider (LSP) partner program. Modeled after the successful Idiom LSP Advantage Program, the SDL LSP partner program is designed to work closely with LSP partners who leverage SDL GIM technology to increase the value they provide their customers seeking cost-effective delivery of timely, relevant global content into local markets.

“Typically more than 90 percent of an international company’s source content has a global audience, yet due to the massive complexity of managing dynamic global content only 10 percent is actually translated,” said Mark Lancaster, CEO of SDL. “One of our main corporate goals at SDL is to provide joined up technology solutions across the translation supply chain. This means not only focusing on translation management systems, but also to enhance the value of our solutions, terminology management and desktop translation editors to provide more value to LSPs and translators. We aim to provide integrated solutions that offer seamless connectivity throughout the extended translation supply chain.”

Read more >> SDL 

As Nato-led forces try to establish security in Afghanistan, another lesser-known mission is happening - to make sense of the place names for English-speaking people.

As Nato and Afghan forces try to overcome the Taleban, with help from Afghan forces, western officials behind the scenes are also trying to standardise the names of every town and village.

At a conference in London, US and UK officials discussed how important it was that western translations of Arabic place names in the country should be consistent.

The process of transliteration - translating from one alphabet to another, such as Greek to Russian - has so far happened in a rather ad hoc way in Afghanistan and can leave the English-speaking armies and NGOs a little confused.

Although the well known cities and regions - such as Kabul, Kandahar and Helmand - have a clear and common translation in the western Roman alphabet, many Afghan villages have multiple spellings, even in their original forms, and many villages in different areas are called the same thing.

Read more >> Afghanistan

Muslim scholars are working on a Gaelic translation of the Koran in an attempt to promote better understanding between faiths.

The Muslim Academic Trust, which is publishing the translation, said that it was important that every language had a version of the holy book.

Abdal Hakim Murad, who heads the trust and lectures on religion at the University of Cambridge, said: “The Koran speaks of the diversity of human languages as a sign of God’s beauty and creative power. We feel that the specific genius of each language needs to be honoured by Muslims, and that a good translation of the Koran would be an important way of bringing this about.”

Although Scottish Muslims have embraced the project, which costs £50,000, church leaders in the Western Isles, where 61percent of the population speak Gaelic, say that there is no demand for a Gaelic Koran. The Reverend Iver Martin, of Stornoway Free Church, said: “I wouldn’t have thought there would be much of a market for this. I’m not sure that a lot of Gaelic-speaking people would be inclined to read it.

Read more > The Quran 

After sparking outrage among disabled advocacy groups for insensitive language in an official guide for Olympics volunteers, the Beijing Olympics organizers have issued an apology and will rewrite the offending handbook.

The guide had described disabled athletes and spectators as a “special group” with “unique personalities and ways of thinking.” It went on to say that “some physically disabled are isolated, unsocial, and introspective; they usually do not volunteer to contact people. They can be stubborn and controlling; they may be sensitive and struggle with trust issues. Sometimes they are overly protective of themselves, especially when they are called ‘crippled’ or ‘paralyzed.’”

Last week one Olympics official had said the problem resulted from a poor translation, though the AP noted that the original Chinese version “contained many of the same stereotypes.”

Read more > Olympics 

A group of Gwent Police officers are learning sign language to improve how they communicate with deaf people.

Nine officers and staff are following the 20-week British Sign Language course following an introductory course last year.

Those taking part include a custody officer and a station inquiry officer.

Heather Blythe, from Gwent Police’s training department, said officers had already put their skills to good use in incidents involving deaf people.

“We’ve got a Pc who works in the Newport area and she was called to an incident involving a deaf person because she was learning sign language,” said Ms Blythe, who is also doing the course.Read more > Police 

From 1-11 July  2008, the 3rd IATI Summer School “SummerTrans III: Translation meets  Management” will take place at the University of Vienna, jointly organized by the Center for Translations Studies and TermNet, the International Network for Terminology.

For programmes and registration, please visit:

SummerTrans III: http://www.termnet.info/english/events/sumtrans2008.php

Students will receive 6 ECTS for participation and their written scientific summaries.

TOPICS OF THE SUMMERTRANS III:

* Language – Culture - Translation 

* Screen Translation

* Translation und Cognition

* Open source tools for translators and terminologists

* Multidimensional Translation

FOCUS DAYS TRANSLATION AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT:

* Translation and Quality Management

* Quality in Interpreting

* EN 15038 - new European Standard

FOCUS DAYS DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT FOR TRANSLATORS:

* Diversity Management and Translation

* Community Interpreting

* Linguistic & cultural diversity within the concepts of DiM

* PhD-School

* and much more…

Sessions will be held in German and English. For more detailed information about the program and speakers please visit:

 http://www.termnet.info/english/events/sumtrans2008_program.php

PLEASE NOTE: Parallel training from 7 to 11 July: International Terminology Summer School at University of Vienna).

Although being independent seminars, you have the possibility of register partly for both events: http://www.termnet.org/english/events/tss2008.php

Of course you are always welcome to contact us if you have questions: Blanca Nájera bnajera@termnet.org

Please spread the word among your colleagues and friends! Everybody is welcome.

A side note: from 7-29 June 2008 there will be the EURO 2008 (European soccer championship) in Austria and Switzerland and the finals will be in Vienna. Please arrange transport and accommodation as early as possible as room shortages are expected.

Multilingual marketing services are in growing demand as the world flattens and more Michigan companies export goods and services. Translation businesses say they are thriving despite fierce competition.

“It’s a good business these days with everything going global,” explains Lori Ann Elzerman, founder of Expert Language Services in Rochester Hills. “With the slowdown of the U.S. economy, companies are trying to sell their products abroad.”

Elzerman, who confesses her own lack of foreign language expertise, focuses her business on technical automotive documents and human resources materials, as well as on marketing pieces for advertising agencies. It specializes in multi-language projects, often translating one document into 14 others.

“Basically, if you were interested in a Lincoln MKX and walked into a dealership in Central America, you would pick up something we translated,” she says.

Other services include interpreting for business meetings, corporate training, voice-over services, scripts and Web site translation, which is growing at a fast rate. Consulting goes hand-in-hand, as in the case when Elzerman was given a memo to translate regarding snow removal and ice that wasn’t applicable that time of year in Brazil.

Read more > mlive.com 

Around 250 charities and organisations will be promoting Deaf Awareness in events taking place across the country this week, coordinated by the UK Council on Deafness. The week aims to highlight the different methods of communication used by deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people in the UK, including British Sign Language and lip reading.The Deaf Awareness Week website contains useful information for anyone looking to use the week to promote awareness of deafness, including interviews with companies and individuals showing good practice, interesting facts about deafness, and downloadable posters and leaflets.

British Sign Language is the first or preferred language of a huge 70,000 people in the UK. CILT’s Languages Work website provides information on how to become a British Sign Language interpreter, as well as a case study describing the experience of Linda, a BSL interpreter for the BBC.

CILT will be providing information for teachers and managers involved in or interested in providing British Sign Language courses for adults as part of this year’s Adult Education Languages Show. Catherine White from Action Deafness Leicester will be leading the workshop on ‘Teaching and Managing British Sign Language’ at the national Show, which takes place at the University of Derby on 6 June.

Read more > Deaf Awareness 

The European Commission said it has approved a range of new measures designed to reduce the administrative burden for companies in Europe.

Companies will no longer need to publish business data in the national gazettes and may use translations certified in one Member State when opening branches in other Member States.

In the accounting area, parent companies without material subsidiaries will not need to prepare consolidated accounts. Furthermore medium-sized companies can be exempted from providing detailed data in the annual accounts.

Read more > Forbes