Only three more days until 2017! But before we leave 2016 behind to embark on new adventures, here are some of the most interesting linguistic news directly from the ATA headquarters: Wikitongues, a non-profit organization based in New York, wants to help preserve and record linguistic diversity. It has volunteers in 40 countries, who have recorded over … Continue reading 2016 Translation News
Tag: german-english translations
Translations update: English apparently on shaky footing in post-Brexit EU
According to an article by the Wall Street Journal, the privileged status of English as an official EU language is likely to wane as some institutions are already focusing increasingly on French and German as replacements. Although there are 24 official languages in the European Union only three (English, German, French) had so far been recognized as … Continue reading Translations update: English apparently on shaky footing in post-Brexit EU
How many languages are there in the world?
An exciting topic, which first begs the question "what is language?" According to linguists from the Leiden University in the Netherlands, language is a system of communication defined by three main characteristics: discrete infinity displacement joint attention, and as such is typical only of human beings. Discrete infinity means that language is made up of individual … Continue reading How many languages are there in the world?
Happy International Translation Day!
Es ist wieder soweit! September 30 is International Translation Day! Our profession has come a long way: "From fountain pens to typewriters to speech recognition. From index cards to electronic dictionaries and the knowledge highway" (you can read the full IFT communiqué here). The market for translation services is truly global in scope and nature, and … Continue reading Happy International Translation Day!
What’s your elevator sales pitch?
Uhh...what?! You know, when you're stuck in the elevator for a few minutes with someone who might look like a prospective client and who (fingers crossed!) asks you what you do. Whether you are in business for yourself or for your employer, you need to come up with a smart and effective answer right away. Think … Continue reading What’s your elevator sales pitch?
Happy International Translator Day!
Today, 30.09, translators from all over the world are celebrating International Translators Day! Poring over technical documents, honing your company's image or the website you are just visiting. Wishing them all a nice day, lots of patience, great spelling and many happy customers! 🙂
How to start a freelance translation business
There are many reasons people (and especially women) go into translations. Perhaps you have a degree in linguistics, language, literature or humanities and this is one of the things you have trained for. Or maybe you're doing this as a temporary gig, as a second job, or to support yourself until the opportunity you'd actually … Continue reading How to start a freelance translation business
5 effective ways to fight off the “translator blues”
“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of … Continue reading 5 effective ways to fight off the “translator blues”