Ever wondered what the lyrics in a beautiful song you heard actually meant? Perhaps you were listening to music in another language. You may have loved the melodies and the notes which soothed your soul, but just one thing was missing. You could not actually understand the words being sung by the performer. If only you knew the lyrics, you would understand where the emotion came from, and what the singer was trying to portray. This would make more sense, wouldn’t it?

It isn’t just legal documents, medical records or birth certificates that need translating. Song lyrics can be important to translate too, which gives the listener more of an understanding of what the singer is actually trying to express. This is also a good way to learn a new language and many language teachers do advise people to watch TV programmes as well as listen to music in the language they are pursuing. This is where the connection between a song’s lyrics, melody and understanding of the message interchange.

Facebook: Economical Or Social Media?

“There is a real tension between making a lot of money out of this site and making it a really cool site that users want to use”, said Jason Jenkins, editor of tech website CNET UK. This social networking giant will begin selling on the stock exchange next week. It seems that, behind the social media where people are exchanging pictures of their last party, chatting about the last movie they watched or keeping in touch with friends they met on holiday, a sizeable economic incentive is hidden.

In fact, Facebook shares will be on sale to the public from the 20th May 2012. There is here a contradiction between on one hand, trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the Facebook ticker to get as much money as possible, and on the other hand, “accomplishing a social mission” as chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said.

More than 420 million shares will be available on the market (which would worth be about $10 billion in total) for people who would like to have some market shares within the multinational company of Facebook. Let’s face the truth; only rich people will be able to be part of it, such as:

• Shareholders within the company itself.
• Established investors with shares in large banks/companies.
• The public. An interesting fact is that Bono’s (U2 singer) private firm bought a 1.5% stake in FB in 2009, meaning he could potentially earn up to £900 million in time. If this happens, Bono would be the richest rock star in the world.

Will this economical aspect have an impact on the day-to-day life of a Facebook user? It would attract more and more investors and so, the user would have to face invasive advertising while chatting on a “social” media site. Indeed, having 900 million users on the site makes the Facebook website one of the best spots ever to advertise. Talking about FB statistics, here are a few other interesting numbers according to the daily newspaper Metro:

A typical job interview question and a question all businesses instill in their employees. There is no right or wrong answer to this ever popular question. It simply depends on the scenario or context that it applies to. Take for example if you are dealing with a customer who is clearly in the wrong, do you still consider the notion that they are right or that customers are always right? That is something that will be discussed in this post.

In such a situation it is vital for the person dealing with the customer to maintain a professional level of composure and despite knowing that the customer is wrong and they are right, does the serving party still need to bear in mind that the customer is always right? Some may say; how do you do that? It is important to understand that sometimes people do not follow instructions well. It may be a simple case of not reading an advertisement well or a more serious one.

This is one of around 3000 temples in the ancient city of Bagan, most of which were build between 900-1200 A.D.. The great thing about Bagan is that it so accessible, yet it’s limited fame internationally allows you to explore the ancient city without competing with hordes of tourists.

What Are the Problems A Turkish Translator Faces?

Translation ha s never been an easy task for translators. It is possible to see this task as problem solving. A translator can proceed only if he solves these problems. Of course I do not want to show it as the hardest job in the world. No doubt they have more safety than window cleaners of the tallest buildings! However, their jobs need very special attention, analysis and creativity.

I can feel them wishing they could translate the same way in all languages, but unfortunately this is not possible. In this case, for example a sentence written in Turkish “Eve gidiyorum“ would be translated to English as “To home I am going”. As you see, the translated sentence is grammatically wrong. Unlike English, Turkish follows subject+object+verb pattern. This is a very simple example of a difference between Turkish and English grammars.

The Beauty of French

French is a beautiful sounding language with connotations to romance, love and fine culture. It can also remind us of times in the classroom, learning and reciting phrases in front of our classmates and teachers by rote, repeating numbers, questions and verb conjugations. Can this be the reason why Franglais is quite popular in English culture? From the early days of Shakespeare and Chaucer, French is one of those languages that we love to speak in half translation – as I’ve heard many people say before “that was très funny!” instead of “très amusant!” So where did this Interlingua of Franglais (portmanteau of French and Anglais) come about and why is it so popularly used?

Court interpreting in The Hague

The importance of court interpreting can never be underestimated. Poor interpretation could threaten the freedom of an innocent man, but court interpreting done properly might prove the difference between a life of imprisonment and freedom. It is the only way that the accused can fully comprehend what is happening in the trial.

The vital role of court interpreting was demonstrated in a much talked about trial that took place in The Hague’s International Criminal Court – a case involving six Kenyans accused of crimes against humanity in their country’s post-presidential election violence of 2007. Being Swahili speakers, the defendants obviously required the aid of interpreters. This enabled them to keep fully abreast of proceedings, and any problems that arose as a result of a language barrier were quashed.

Certified Translation-Careers

There is a massive demand for certified translators in the age of advanced internet technologies and global business expansion.  A qualified translator will want to receive full certification in order to fulfill their career ambitions.

With the economy being as unpredictable as it is, organisations are trying to invest in translation services carefully – using their budget wisely to achieve the best results. The one question that always arises is “Are your translators certified to do the job?”

All New Quick Lingo Google+ Page

It gives us immense pleasure to be a part of the Google + network. Launched by a young entrepreneur, Godwill Bindeeba, Quick Lingo aims to provide fast and reliable translation services whilst maintaining high quality at the same time. If you’re a language lover or simply want a document or a website translated, Quick Lingo is the answer to your needs. By adding us to your circles, you will get instant updates about our translation services, be informed about our exclusive discounted rates and offers, view our unique and informative videos and photos about languages, cultures and translations, share content with us as well as ask any questions you have in mind on our Quick Lingo Google+ page.

Medical Translation is Not for Machines

Never is it wise to rely on machine translations. Especially when it comes to translations concerning specialised industries, there is no substitute for a translator with a high level of expertise in the relevant field, and no finer example of this exists than in medical translation.

Firstly you have to consider the same rules that apply to any sort of translation. It’s always so much more than a matter of doing things word by word, as is the tendency of machine translations. The exact message and sentiments of a text have to be maintained, requiring a native translator who understands the subtle nuances and colloquialisms of the target language.

Fundamentals of French Translations

French isn’t just the language of love. It’s also very much a language of business and industry, due to it’s millions of native speakers in some of the most influential countries around the world.

To say French language services are subsequently in-demand is a huge understatement, yet how do you go about choosing one that suits your business? Use the following five points as a guide for what a service should offer, and you won’t stray far from the mark.

Difficulties Overcome by German Translation Services.

Germany is the second largest exporter of goods in the world, the third largest importer, and has the third largest economy in the world. Language-wise, German is the most commonly spoken language in the EU. Not hard to see why German translation services are so in demand then, is it?

Among the main European languages, though, it is one of the most complex. Having a translator who is a native speaker and familiar with German culture is a basic necessity.The following four factors demonstrate just why German translation can prove so difficult.

International Mother Language Day - 21st February

The International Mother Language Day is held annually on the 21st of February. This observance, founded by UNESCO in 1999 promotes awareness of language, multilingualism and cultural diversity. The realization of marking this day goes back to the 50’s, when the people of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, who spoke Bangla, protested against the Governor General of Pakistan who claimed that Urdu would be the national language for both East and West Pakistan. On 21st February, 1952 students in Dhaka called for a strike which resulted in a number of students being killed by the Pakistani police.
A country that has given importance to its regional languages is China, which consists of more than 120 languages. The Chinese government has invested a lot of time and effort in protecting the rights of minority languages in their country. A primary reason for this is to cherish the culture that is attached to each language.

By the Power of Twitter

Gone are the days when everything had to be in English. The powerful micro-blogging site, Twitter announced on Wednesday that it had added right-to-left languages namely, Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu to its Translation Center. These languages will be available on Twitter.com in Spring this year. With volunteers exceeding 400,000 around the world, Twitter’s translation center aids in making Twitter comprehensible to the masses.

With the addition of these 4 languages, the total number of available languages on Twitter equals 22.  Other foreign languages added by Twitter are Japanese, Spanish, French, Russian, Turkish, Dutch, Indonesian, Chinese, Hindi, Filipino and Malay amongst others.

New Year: New Opportunities - Website Translations

A recent survey revealed that only 18 percent of non-English speaking European customers are willing to avail services or buy products from a website which is not written in their mother tongue while 82 percent of the consumers do not want to visit a website containing information in English. This result signifies the importance of website translation in increasing your revenues and sales.

European countries are potential markets where there is demand for numerous products. The number of consumers is huge and their requirement of products is versatile. If you can reach the customers of this market, you can double the size of your current business. But there is still one barrier left that you need to deal with. It’s the difference of language which should be considered and resolved first to enter the European market. At present, the easiest way to reach the end-users is developing a website containing information about who you are and what your products are. The work is not finished here; you need to translate your website in different languages depending on your targeted area. With the help of a professional translation agency you can easily accomplish this task.

Cross-cultural Marketing Blunders

If you’re thinking of expanding your business and tapping into International markets, it is important that you hire the services of a translation agency. There have been numerous instances of renowned brands investing huge sums of money globally, without realizing that the message being conveyed could be interpreted incorrectly or may be perceived wrongly in another country. Let’s take a look at the top 5 biggest cross-cultural marketing blunders by world famous brands:

Pepsi: The literal translation of Pepsi’s slogan “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation” got interpreted as “Pepsi will bring your ancestors from the dead” in Taiwan.

Chevrolet: When the Chevy Nova car was launched in Latin America, Chevrolet experienced a massive drop in sales in that market. The word “no va” means “it doesn’t go” in Spanish, when clearly Chevrolet wanted Chevy Nova to “go” always.

The continuing globalization of businesses is putting pressure on companies to release their documents, websites, and marketing texts in several languages. As a result, the demand for translation service providers is increasing, to translate business documents within a local setting and also to assess the message that companies want to convey to their target customers in international markets.

When you hire a translation agency to translate your business documents, you expect quality from them. In order to enable them to properly meet your preferences and to translate your material effectively and clearly, you need to provide them with a well-prepared document.

Recession and Its Impact on the Translation Services Sector

The world at present is going through an economic and financial turmoil, not experienced ever since the Great Depression of the 1930s. While nearly all the sectors are experiencing the consequences, some suffer more seriously when compared to others, depending on a range of factors such as capital and consumers. The translation sector is certainly not an exception in this case. It is suffering from a decline in business like other sectors but on a positive front its fundamentals remain to be in a better position. There are a couple of good reasons for this.

Reaching New Markets through Languages and Translation

In today’s world of open economy, researching on new markets and competitors whilst adapting to different business practices is the key to success of any business. If you confine your business in a particular area, there is a likelihood of losing your potentiality in your business sector. To communicate with the people in different regions of the world, it is important that you understand and use their language effectively. This is where professional translation services come in, assisting you with your translation needs for effective communication within your business fraternity. But many businesses take translation as a quick, easy and straightforward procedure. They don’t put much emphasis on it and hire an inexpensive translation agency to reduce the cost, without realizing that this could lead to poor results and an even greater investment in future. As a result, translation projects end up in prodigious failure and their invested money doesn’t bring any fruit to them.

Global Village and Translation Services

The world is certainly becoming a global village. It does not really matter where you are in this world. If you would like expand the horizons of your business, you have to spread it around the world diminishing all the boundaries. Difference of language should not stop you from sharing your ideas and service with people of other regions. In order to help you in this undesirable situation translation services are there. They offer services like converting audio, video, manuscript and other documents from one language to another.Today, every company has websites. It is extremely important part of an effective business strategy.

Chinese Wunder Kids

In the UK, Chinese children significantly outperform their peers. Following statistics, they make up only 0.4 per cent of the secondary school, but more than 25 per cent of them are on the gifted and talented register. This can compare with 15 per cent of white children and 15.9 per cent of mixed-race children.

Many teachers say that their parents expect nothing less and their children thrive under the pressure. Chinese parents are extremely driven and most of all, they want their children to succeed.

Although Chinese parents are typically very interested in their children’s education, their approach seems to be significantly different from that of the British pushy parent familiar to many teachers. British parents who want their children to succeed are more likely to blame the school or teacher rather than their child.

Talking Kitchen

A Newcastle University has created a device that delivers cooking instructions in French to help language learning. The talking kitchen follows a user's actions with motion sensor and communicates in a similar way to satellite navigation systems. It’s designed for schools, universities and homes; it should be available by the end of 2012.

By international standards, the UK is low down on the league table when it comes to learning languages - a problem that inevitably has an economic impact. Following the creators, an overriding objective is to reverse the trend by making language learning more enjoyable.

“Is That a Fish in Your Ear?”

This is David Bellos new book and it will be of particular interest to people who love languages, history and culture. It is not just a book about translation; it is about human experiences and communication. According to Bellos, we can learn about ourselves by inquiring into the ways we deal with the languages other people speak. He takes us to a journey from the days when the Greeks simply ignored other languages and the Romans forced all subject peoples to learn Latin.

After all, maybe our way of dealing with foreign languages has not experienced any changes. The acceptance of English as a global lingua has lead to the situation where attendees to international conferences and events are expected to communicate in English. We can also see that English native speakers, when travelling, expect people from around the world to speak their language.

Lingua Franca

Lingua franca (or working language, bridge language, vehicular language) is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.

Linguas franca have been seen all over the world throughout history – vulgar Latin around the Mediterranean in the Ancient World, Swahili in East Africa, Hausa in West Africa and Plains Sign Language (not to be confused with American Sign Language) used by the aboriginal peoples of North America.

The Mystery of Euskara

The Basque language (Euskara) is spoken by an estimated 1,000,000 people living in the Basque Country of north-central Spain and southwestern France. About 200,000 Basques live in other parts of the world. Little is known of its origins but it is likely that Euskara is the only remnant of the languages spoken in Western Europe before the arrival of the Indo-European languages to the area. Basque is a language genetically isolated as it has no known linguistic relatives. Its grammar is markedly distinct from that of all other western European languages.

Before the Roman times there is not a single written word which can be safely regarded as being of Basque origin. Throughout history, the Basque language has taken up words not only from Latin, Castilian and French, but also from Celtic and Arabic. On the other hand some words in Castilian, French and English come from the Basque language. The Basque alphabet is identical to the English and the language has no standard phonology.

The first serious linguistic work on the Basque language was carried out by the German linguist and philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt. He held the view that Basque was a continuation of the ancient Iberian language. His linguistic approach, however, is considered somewhat backwards by modern researchers.

Great Britain and Foreign Languages

Languages are increasingly important at a time when the job market is becoming more international, and are needed to ensure the UK can trade and compete with other nations.

Following the British Academy, UK businesses will be "severely hampered" because language skills are falling behind those in other countries. The fall was particularly marked in French and German – traditionally the two most popular languages in UK schools – with both being named among the fastest declining subjects at GCSE level.

Businesses bringing investment to Britain, particularly those from     Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands, have complained to the  Foreign Office about having to recruit engineers from their home countries or elsewhere.

Rugby World Cup 2011; From New Zealand to the World

The Rugby World Cup 2011 just started. During this six-week event, 20 teams will play and fight to become the World Champions. This is the seventh Rugby World Cup and the second held in New Zealand that also organized the inaugural tournament in 1987; the last time the All Blacks won the title. 24 years have passed since then and New Zealanders believe they can win the tournament this time and get a much needed morale boost, after the Pike River mining accident and last year's earthquake in Christchurch.

Language Translation in India; a Sunrise Industry

There has not been a recession for the translation industry in India where the sector is seeing a steady rise in demand as the country is regarded as a great consumer base.

Medical translation is currently a blooming business in India thanks to another lucrative business: medical tourism. This is a growing industry that brings around $ 2 billion per year to the local economy. The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are alternative medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass, eye surgery and hip replacement. In the last couple of years, we have seen medical tourists travelling to India from all corners of the world. Patients from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and others countries travel to India bringing with them new languages and cultural requirements that lead to an increasing demand for medical translators and interpreters.

Dead Languages of the World

A language is called a dead language when it is no longer spoken by people as their main language. In contrast to extinct languages that cease to have any speakers, dead languages may continue to be used in legal, scientific and religious fields. Besides Latin, Sanskrit, Biblical Hebrew, Coptic, Avestan and Old Church Slavonic among others are dead languages which are largely used for religious functions.

An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication. However, language extinction and language death are often equated.

Cumbrian Court Interpreters Protest at New Plans

Interpreters in Cumbria will travel to Manchester next week to take part in a protest over plans to contract with one supplier to provide language services at courts and tribunals.

After a 12-month procurement process Applied Language Solutions (ALS), a Manchester based translation agency was selected for the contract to provide legal interpreting services. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) wants to streamline the system of sourcing and booking an interpreter, saving money and staff time. ALS says the centralisation of bookings makes it possible to “efficiently and  fairly distribute the work available for each language in a given region.”