Before I brief you the process of translation, we should first understand the meaning of translation. Translation is the process to render written or spoken source language texts to equivalent written or spoken target language texts.
At the first glance, as per the definition, it seem very easy and quick process, but in reality it is as complicated and methodological. When a project come for translation it has to go through several stages before it finally reaches to the translator. Even then it goes through more stages till its final delivery. This entire process can be sum up as the Translation Process.
The translation process includes decoding the meaning of the source text, and re-encoding or translating this meaning in the target language. Behind this simple process lies various activities like checking grammar, syntax, idioms, semantics, and the like of the source language and also the culture of its speakers. It is necessary that the translator's knowledge of the target language is more important than his knowledge of the source language.
The process, which is usually followed by all to ensure a well written, accurate translation:
The document that is to be translated is assigned to a person who is well versed with the native language is that which the document is being translated into. The document is edited by a person who is fluent in both the target and source languages. Accuracy, grammar, spelling and writing style are all checked in the editing stage. The document is proofread by a person who is fluent in both languages. It is also necessary to check spelling and layout. Finally, before the document goes to the client, the document is further rechecked to ensure that the translation is correct, there is no missing text or texts and the layout is perfect.
There are also some particular problems in the translation process: problems of ambiguity, problems that originate from structural and lexical differences between languages and multiword units like idioms and collocations. Another problem would be the grammar because there are several constructions of grammar poorly understood, in the sense that it isn't clear how they should be represented, or what rules should be used to describe them. The words that are really hard to translate are frequently the small, common words, whose precise meaning depends heavily on context. Besides, some words are untranslatable when one wishes to remain in the same grammatical category. The question of whether particular words are untranslatable is frequently debated.
Few measures can be taken to avoid and produce the best Translation. It is important that translators are familiar with the product they are translating and also with the tools they are using. The translation process is not the replacement of one word with another, but the formation of concepts in another language. Thus, each translator should have equipment and knowledge compatible with the language being translated. Translation guidelines and instructions should be provided to ensure correct translation. To ensure accurate translation, terminology glossary should also be provided to the translators.
To ensure quality we must follow this process and safety measures. After all it’s the quality and gaining clients trust that matters.
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
Linguistic issues with Translation
One of the distinctive properties of translation is creativity, by which we mean the ability of native speakers of a language to produce and understand new forms in their language. Even though creativity is most apparent when it comes to translation and sentence formation, it is also manifest in our lexical knowledge, where new words are added to our mental lexicon regularly.
Translation is always done in clear and grammatically correct language. Whether it is Hindi, English or any other language, it should be formed grammatically correct as well as grammatically sound. As an English to Hindi translator in Somya Translators Pvt Ltd. I would like to share some of my view on the issues we face while translating from native language to different and vise-a-versa.
Many times it had been noticed that we get so involve and used to technical translation that we forget that translation is not about translating every word, instead its all together a business of forming a whole new sentence from one language to other language conveying the same meaning. As I am not much aware of any other language I can only judge two languages, i.e. of course Hindi and English. Sometimes I do find mistranslations in articles translated in Hindi, which is probably due to insufficient knowledge on the part of the native language, but it is very rare, and I am always surprised when this happens. They do not really contain mistranslations based on misunderstanding of the original language and the technical terms are usually correct, but the target language is sometime so bad that I have to read the original text at least twice before I can figure out what the translated text means.
One of the reasons behind this is the phonological, alphabetical difference between Hindi and English and also the preposition and postposition difference in them. The Devangari script employed by Hindi contains both vowels (10) and consonants (40). Hindi is highly phonetic; i.e. the pronunciation of new words can be reliably predicted from their written form. This is in strong contrast to English. Conversely, it results in mispronouncing words that people first encounter in writing. In Hindi, objects have genders. For instance, a book is feminine and a house is masculine. Hindi uses a different word order than English. Since grammar is quite difficult with two genders, laypeople make mistakes in that regard. Also in Hindi Post-positions are used instead of Prepositions.
Translators should be aware of the fact that incorrect comprehension of a text considerably decreases the quality of the translation. Finding solutions to dilemmas is a constant in the work of the translator. This includes reading comprehension strategies for translation (underlining words, detecting translation difficulties, contextualizing lexical items, analyzing them, and so on.)
Translators should also be aware that meaning is not only conveyed by words. Hence adequate decoding and re-coding of nomenclatures, figures, tables and charts; standardized terms, acronyms, toponyms, etc. is a matter that must be properly considered.
Last, but not least, translators should observe that the essence, in terms of meaning and sense, register and style, etc., and the lay out of the original text, in terms of format, i.e. sources, paragraphs, indentation, columns, tables, etc., is properly adhered to in the translated unit.
If followed properly this can and will certainly help in providing the best translation in business.For More Information Plz visit our site here :- https://www.somyatrans.com/
Translation is always done in clear and grammatically correct language. Whether it is Hindi, English or any other language, it should be formed grammatically correct as well as grammatically sound. As an English to Hindi translator in Somya Translators Pvt Ltd. I would like to share some of my view on the issues we face while translating from native language to different and vise-a-versa.
Many times it had been noticed that we get so involve and used to technical translation that we forget that translation is not about translating every word, instead its all together a business of forming a whole new sentence from one language to other language conveying the same meaning. As I am not much aware of any other language I can only judge two languages, i.e. of course Hindi and English. Sometimes I do find mistranslations in articles translated in Hindi, which is probably due to insufficient knowledge on the part of the native language, but it is very rare, and I am always surprised when this happens. They do not really contain mistranslations based on misunderstanding of the original language and the technical terms are usually correct, but the target language is sometime so bad that I have to read the original text at least twice before I can figure out what the translated text means.
One of the reasons behind this is the phonological, alphabetical difference between Hindi and English and also the preposition and postposition difference in them. The Devangari script employed by Hindi contains both vowels (10) and consonants (40). Hindi is highly phonetic; i.e. the pronunciation of new words can be reliably predicted from their written form. This is in strong contrast to English. Conversely, it results in mispronouncing words that people first encounter in writing. In Hindi, objects have genders. For instance, a book is feminine and a house is masculine. Hindi uses a different word order than English. Since grammar is quite difficult with two genders, laypeople make mistakes in that regard. Also in Hindi Post-positions are used instead of Prepositions.
Translators should be aware of the fact that incorrect comprehension of a text considerably decreases the quality of the translation. Finding solutions to dilemmas is a constant in the work of the translator. This includes reading comprehension strategies for translation (underlining words, detecting translation difficulties, contextualizing lexical items, analyzing them, and so on.)
Translators should also be aware that meaning is not only conveyed by words. Hence adequate decoding and re-coding of nomenclatures, figures, tables and charts; standardized terms, acronyms, toponyms, etc. is a matter that must be properly considered.
Last, but not least, translators should observe that the essence, in terms of meaning and sense, register and style, etc., and the lay out of the original text, in terms of format, i.e. sources, paragraphs, indentation, columns, tables, etc., is properly adhered to in the translated unit.
If followed properly this can and will certainly help in providing the best translation in business.For More Information Plz visit our site here :- https://www.somyatrans.com/
Importance of Glossary in maintaining Consistency
In the field of Translation, use of glossary and maintaining consistency is the first and foremost rule. But before we move on, let’s first understand what a glossary is?
A glossary is a specialized, customized dictionary used by translators working on difficult text with specific terminology. It includes a term and its definition in the target language.
For any project to be perfect and consistent, glossary plays the important role. Apart from providing you the meaning of the words, it also gives you appropriate meaning in sync with the project. A glossary plays more vital role in industrial or technical translations then in general translation. For a general document, you can compromise with consistency sometime as the same word may mean different and they don't even have strict guidelines of maintaining consistency, but in technical or industrial translation there are norms and rules to be followed. A glossary helps you alleviate this consistency problem in this kind of translation. The glossary helps translators make sure that each time a defined key term appears, in any language, it is used consistently and correctly.
This helps maintaining the essence and true spirit of the source text. Another reason is that most translators know that names of companies, abbreviations, etc. are usually retained in English when translating documents. But a layperson will just go ahead and translate everything without considering the end reader and the accepted norms in translation. This will give a negative impression of the Translation Agency and the translator. Therefore, to ensure the translation adheres to company style guidelines and preferred terminology, for very specialized texts clients are sometimes asked to provide a glossary. The preferred terms are entered into the glossary to ensure consistency throughout a project. A glossary may also include a list of not to be translated terms, typically product names.
The glossary contains key terminology in source language and approved translations for that terminology in all your target languages. It is one of the key tools, along with a style guide and Translation Memory, to assure that all translated materials meet your quality expectations. Moreover, the glossary becomes even more important for consistency if you use more than one translation resource. This is especially true in the case of tight deadlines when many translators may be working on various elements of a project simultaneously.
By helping in eliminating uncertainty in the translation process, the glossary will enforce consistency, shorten the time it takes to translate a document, makes it easy for translators and reviewers to translate and review the document and saves effort and time, while making changes after the review.
Translation, never easy nor diffficult
Translation is the process of converting one language into another with respect to cultural, social values. It is said that “It takes less time to train an airman to become a fighter pilot than it takes to become a good translator". For Translation it is must that a translator should very well aware with both source and target language. This is why more translators are the native speakers of the required language in which translation is needed. But having knowledge of native language is not only a requirement for being a translator.
Translation is neither very difficult work to do but on the other hand it is not also very easier to do.
What is Translation?
Translation is the transmittal of written text from one language into another. Translation Refers to the written language, and is the action of interpretation of the meaning of a text, and subsequent production of an equivalent text that communicates the same message in another language. The text to be translated is called the source text, and the language it is to be translated into is called the target language.
Translation must take into account constraints that include context, the rules of grammar of the two languages, their writing conventions, and their idioms. A common misconception is that there exists a simple word-for-word correspondence between any two languages, and that translation is a straightforward mechanical process. A word-for-word translation does not take into account context, grammar, conventions, and idioms.
Some of the definitions of Translation are:
• a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language
• a uniform movement without rotation
• transformation: the act of changing in form or shape or appearance; "a photograph is a translation of a scene onto a two-dimensional surface"
• (mathematics) a transformation in which the origin of the coordinate system is moved to another position but the direction of each axis remains the same
• (genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
• rewording something in less technical terminology
How to translate?
As we already discussed that translation needs that a translator should have fluent and accurate knowledge of both the source and target languages. Although before doing translation one should remember few technical aspects also like consistency, accuracy, grammar, vocabulary, glossary etc.
Before starting translation important aspects to remember are:-
• Go through the whole translatable document, i.e. Source
• Check the content given, whether the content is complete or incomplete.
• Understand the theme of the content
• Check whether any terminology has been provided or not.
• Check for glossary
• Read the instructions provided.
• If anything is unclear, or have any query, contact the job provider for accurate details.
Only after going through all the above mentioned points, start translating the document. While translating the document also consider these points:
• Translate the document as per the meaning.
• Please avoid word-for-word translation.
• Maintain consistency.
• Follow the glossary provided.
• Do the translation as per instructions.
• Use easy to understand language.
• Follow grammar strictly.
• Use proper words and
• Avoid using bookish language.
Translation, when practiced by relatively bilingual individuals but especially when by persons with limited proficiency in one or both languages, involves a risk of spilling-over of idioms and usages from the source language into the target language.
The art of translation is as old as written literature. Since the Industrial Revolution, developments in technology, communications and business have changed translation greatly. In particular, the advent of the Internet has greatly expanded the market for translation and introduced a vast array of new tools and types of work.
Once the activity of a relatively small group of clerics, scholars, it is now a profession with accredited schools, professional associations, and accepted standards and pay scales. Translators, professional as well as amateur, have thus played an important role in the evolution of languages and cultures.
Translation is neither very difficult work to do but on the other hand it is not also very easier to do.
What is Translation?
Translation is the transmittal of written text from one language into another. Translation Refers to the written language, and is the action of interpretation of the meaning of a text, and subsequent production of an equivalent text that communicates the same message in another language. The text to be translated is called the source text, and the language it is to be translated into is called the target language.
Translation must take into account constraints that include context, the rules of grammar of the two languages, their writing conventions, and their idioms. A common misconception is that there exists a simple word-for-word correspondence between any two languages, and that translation is a straightforward mechanical process. A word-for-word translation does not take into account context, grammar, conventions, and idioms.
Some of the definitions of Translation are:
• a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language
• a uniform movement without rotation
• transformation: the act of changing in form or shape or appearance; "a photograph is a translation of a scene onto a two-dimensional surface"
• (mathematics) a transformation in which the origin of the coordinate system is moved to another position but the direction of each axis remains the same
• (genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
• rewording something in less technical terminology
How to translate?
As we already discussed that translation needs that a translator should have fluent and accurate knowledge of both the source and target languages. Although before doing translation one should remember few technical aspects also like consistency, accuracy, grammar, vocabulary, glossary etc.
Before starting translation important aspects to remember are:-
• Go through the whole translatable document, i.e. Source
• Check the content given, whether the content is complete or incomplete.
• Understand the theme of the content
• Check whether any terminology has been provided or not.
• Check for glossary
• Read the instructions provided.
• If anything is unclear, or have any query, contact the job provider for accurate details.
Only after going through all the above mentioned points, start translating the document. While translating the document also consider these points:
• Translate the document as per the meaning.
• Please avoid word-for-word translation.
• Maintain consistency.
• Follow the glossary provided.
• Do the translation as per instructions.
• Use easy to understand language.
• Follow grammar strictly.
• Use proper words and
• Avoid using bookish language.
Translation, when practiced by relatively bilingual individuals but especially when by persons with limited proficiency in one or both languages, involves a risk of spilling-over of idioms and usages from the source language into the target language.
The art of translation is as old as written literature. Since the Industrial Revolution, developments in technology, communications and business have changed translation greatly. In particular, the advent of the Internet has greatly expanded the market for translation and introduced a vast array of new tools and types of work.
Once the activity of a relatively small group of clerics, scholars, it is now a profession with accredited schools, professional associations, and accepted standards and pay scales. Translators, professional as well as amateur, have thus played an important role in the evolution of languages and cultures.
Difference between Hindi and Urdu
Linguists think of Hindi and Urdu as the same language, the difference being that Hindi is written in Devanagari and draws vocabulary from Sanskrit, while Urdu is written in Persian script and draws on Persian and Arabic.
Hindi is closely related to Urdu, the main language of Pakistan, which is written with the Arabic script, and linguists consider Standard Hindi and Standard Urdu to be different formal registers both derived from the Khari Boli dialect, which is also known as Hindustani.
The separation is largely a political one; before the partition of India into India and Pakistan, spoken Hindi and Urdu were considered the same language, Hindustani. Apart from the difference in writing systems, the other main difference between Hindi and Urdu is that Hindi contains more vocabulary from Sanskrit, while Urdu contains more vocabulary from Persian.
Hindi Translators
Hindi is closely related to Urdu, the main language of Pakistan, which is written with the Arabic script, and linguists consider Standard Hindi and Standard Urdu to be different formal registers both derived from the Khari Boli dialect, which is also known as Hindustani.
The separation is largely a political one; before the partition of India into India and Pakistan, spoken Hindi and Urdu were considered the same language, Hindustani. Apart from the difference in writing systems, the other main difference between Hindi and Urdu is that Hindi contains more vocabulary from Sanskrit, while Urdu contains more vocabulary from Persian.
Hindi Translators
Hindi, the second most spoken language
Hindi is the second most spoken language in the world, after Chinese. About 500 million people speak Hindi, in India and abroad, and the total number of people who can understand the language may be 800 million. The constitution of India (Article 343) recognizes Hindi as the official language of India. Hindi is also the main language in many states of India such as Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal/ Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh. It is spoken by more than 487 million people in the world. The other dialects of Hindi are Brajbhasha, Bundeli, Awadhi, Marwari, Maithili, and Bhojpuri, to name only a few.
Clearly there's only one Hindi language, but as in most countries different sections of the population will have different phrases and use of language. Hindi can be traced back to as early as the seventh or eighth century. The dialect that has been chosen as the official language is Khariboli in the Devnagari script. Other dialects of Hindi are Brajbhasa, Bundeli, Awadhi, Marwari, Maithili and Bhojpuri.
It was in the 10th century that authentic Hindi poetry took its form and since then it has been constantly modified. History of Hindi literature as a whole can be divided into four stages: Adikal (the Early Period), Bhaktikal (the Devotional Period), Ritikal (the Scholastic Period) and Adhunikkal (the Modern Period).
Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language with about 487 million speakers. It is one of the official languages of India and is the main language used in the northern states of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, and is spoken in much of north and central India alongside other languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi or Bengali. In other parts of India, as well as in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Hindi is understood. In Fiji people of Indian origin speak Hindi, and in some areas the Fijian people also speak it.
History of the Hindi Language Hindi shares with English and most other European languages the same ancestral roots. They evolved from a language thought to have been spoken in Central Asia around 5,000 BC, called by linguists the Indo-European parent language. For this reason and because of the 200-year influence of the British in India, many basic words in Hindi are the same as or similar to their equivalent in English. English words of Hindi origin include cot, loot, thug, chintz, bandanna, dungaree, rajali, pundit, coolie, tom-tom, and juggernaut.
Hindi first started to be used in writing during the 4th century AD. It was originally written with the Brahmi script but since the 11th century AD it has been written with the Devanāgarī alphabet. The first printed book in Hindi was John Gilchrist's Grammar of the Hindoostanee Language which was published in 1796.
Hindi language has its roots in the classical Sanskrit language. The language acquired its current form over many centuries, and numerous dialectical variations still exist. Like Sanskrit, Hindi is written in the Dev Nagari script, which is common to several other Indian languages as well. Much of the vocabulary of Hindi comes from Sanskrit, though Hindi also has a special relationship with Urdu. Their grammar and much of their vocabulary are virtually identical.
The development of Hindi into a national language had its beginnings in the colonial period, when the British began to cultivate it as a standard among government officials. Later it was used for literary purposes and has since become the vehicle for some excellent prose and poetry.
After independence of India, the Government of India worked on standardizing Hindi.
In 1954, the Government of India set up a Committee for preparing a grammar of Hindi. The committee's report was later released as "A Basic Grammar of Modern Hindi" in 1958.
Hindi became the official language of India on January 26, 1965, although English and 21 other languages are recognized as official languages by the Constitution of India.
Vowels and vowel diacritics
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilcbSqNdOPtgcC4yJ0P1As-zUNOeytjDhpAPQiYcO-jzoTrYU_RKeBHLO6Pk0Zny58_CLW7BkvO0fSXCoGh99HXixxkPh0t4crvLJlygIAmLGqWXB7vxCjMxFGq2ghJKO2XSnp8l2iRY/s320-rw/Devnagiri_image2.bmp)
Consonants
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvSXC-RppLB6acUFYPj89sOZ3l6BRliBkliMaquPx0v9zOQiLLw1Wg28DkDoD6RWWT4m92m4JElMeWZNNxDLkXvHScvqj4aJW6Cl6VIV_pA3gtDjDH15tynmiSNMtBgNyi3rO-Mwhgws/s320-rw/Devnagiri_image1.bmp)
Numerals
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLosvYpoUCwKIus4Ojjo2eVtYDJelcAd0ziyDHC3OaGZjnq0vPo79D9CkPeZMjEwq2aeu_x0cXLQ0o-FUNVXWYjJiY-0h1zq5QniWp3uQoz3Ss-GliRsyWD1Mqi8QfNS4f7RN3rIyWig/s320-rw/Devnagiri_image.bmp)
Total speakers | 487 million |
Official language of | India |
Statistics | |
India | 363,839,000 |
Bangladesh | 346,000 |
Belize | 8, 455 |
Botswana | 2000 |
Germany | 24,500 |
Nepal | 170, 997 |
New Zealand | 11,200 |
Philippines | 2,415 |
Singapore | 5000 |
South Africa | 890, 292 |
Uganda | 147, 000 |
United Kingdom | 243 000 |
USA | 26,253 |
Yemen | 65, 000 |
Total | 487,000,000 |
Clearly there's only one Hindi language, but as in most countries different sections of the population will have different phrases and use of language. Hindi can be traced back to as early as the seventh or eighth century. The dialect that has been chosen as the official language is Khariboli in the Devnagari script. Other dialects of Hindi are Brajbhasa, Bundeli, Awadhi, Marwari, Maithili and Bhojpuri.
It was in the 10th century that authentic Hindi poetry took its form and since then it has been constantly modified. History of Hindi literature as a whole can be divided into four stages: Adikal (the Early Period), Bhaktikal (the Devotional Period), Ritikal (the Scholastic Period) and Adhunikkal (the Modern Period).
Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language with about 487 million speakers. It is one of the official languages of India and is the main language used in the northern states of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, and is spoken in much of north and central India alongside other languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi or Bengali. In other parts of India, as well as in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Hindi is understood. In Fiji people of Indian origin speak Hindi, and in some areas the Fijian people also speak it.
History of the Hindi Language Hindi shares with English and most other European languages the same ancestral roots. They evolved from a language thought to have been spoken in Central Asia around 5,000 BC, called by linguists the Indo-European parent language. For this reason and because of the 200-year influence of the British in India, many basic words in Hindi are the same as or similar to their equivalent in English. English words of Hindi origin include cot, loot, thug, chintz, bandanna, dungaree, rajali, pundit, coolie, tom-tom, and juggernaut.
Hindi first started to be used in writing during the 4th century AD. It was originally written with the Brahmi script but since the 11th century AD it has been written with the Devanāgarī alphabet. The first printed book in Hindi was John Gilchrist's Grammar of the Hindoostanee Language which was published in 1796.
Hindi language has its roots in the classical Sanskrit language. The language acquired its current form over many centuries, and numerous dialectical variations still exist. Like Sanskrit, Hindi is written in the Dev Nagari script, which is common to several other Indian languages as well. Much of the vocabulary of Hindi comes from Sanskrit, though Hindi also has a special relationship with Urdu. Their grammar and much of their vocabulary are virtually identical.
The development of Hindi into a national language had its beginnings in the colonial period, when the British began to cultivate it as a standard among government officials. Later it was used for literary purposes and has since become the vehicle for some excellent prose and poetry.
After independence of India, the Government of India worked on standardizing Hindi.
In 1954, the Government of India set up a Committee for preparing a grammar of Hindi. The committee's report was later released as "A Basic Grammar of Modern Hindi" in 1958.
Hindi became the official language of India on January 26, 1965, although English and 21 other languages are recognized as official languages by the Constitution of India.
Vowels and vowel diacritics
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilcbSqNdOPtgcC4yJ0P1As-zUNOeytjDhpAPQiYcO-jzoTrYU_RKeBHLO6Pk0Zny58_CLW7BkvO0fSXCoGh99HXixxkPh0t4crvLJlygIAmLGqWXB7vxCjMxFGq2ghJKO2XSnp8l2iRY/s320-rw/Devnagiri_image2.bmp)
Consonants
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvSXC-RppLB6acUFYPj89sOZ3l6BRliBkliMaquPx0v9zOQiLLw1Wg28DkDoD6RWWT4m92m4JElMeWZNNxDLkXvHScvqj4aJW6Cl6VIV_pA3gtDjDH15tynmiSNMtBgNyi3rO-Mwhgws/s320-rw/Devnagiri_image1.bmp)
Numerals
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLosvYpoUCwKIus4Ojjo2eVtYDJelcAd0ziyDHC3OaGZjnq0vPo79D9CkPeZMjEwq2aeu_x0cXLQ0o-FUNVXWYjJiY-0h1zq5QniWp3uQoz3Ss-GliRsyWD1Mqi8QfNS4f7RN3rIyWig/s320-rw/Devnagiri_image.bmp)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Style guide Creation for Assamese Language (Part II)
Morphology and grammar
The Assamese language has the following characteristic morphological features.
1. Gender and number are not grammatically marked.
2. There is lexical distinction of gender in the third person pronoun.
3. Transitive verbs are distinguished from intransitive.
4. The agentive case is overtly marked as distinct from the accusative.
5. Kinship nouns are inflected for personal pronominal possession.
6. Adverbs can be derived from the verb roots.
7. A passive construction may be employed idiomatically.
Phonetics
The Assamese phonetic inventory consists of eight oral vowel phonemes, three nasalized vowel phonemes, fifteen diphthongs (two nasalized diphthongs) and twenty-one consonant phonemes.
The parts of speech uses in Assamese languageNoun1. Common Noun ---- Man, cow
2. Proper Noun ----- Ram, Rahim, Hari
3. Material Noun ---- Water, Box, Table
4. Verbal Noun ----- Movement, tour
5. Abstract Noun ----- Happiness, beautyPronoun
Example ------ he, she, they, yesterday, now
Adjective
1. Proper Adjective ----- beautiful, ugly
2. Verbal Adjective ----- edited, drawn
3. Adjective Adjective ---- Very much, too much, too many
4. Adverb ---- quickly, repeatedly
Verb
1. Transitive ---- eat, get
2. Intransitive ---- walk, cry
The Assamese language has the following characteristic morphological features.
1. Gender and number are not grammatically marked.
2. There is lexical distinction of gender in the third person pronoun.
3. Transitive verbs are distinguished from intransitive.
4. The agentive case is overtly marked as distinct from the accusative.
5. Kinship nouns are inflected for personal pronominal possession.
6. Adverbs can be derived from the verb roots.
7. A passive construction may be employed idiomatically.
Phonetics
The Assamese phonetic inventory consists of eight oral vowel phonemes, three nasalized vowel phonemes, fifteen diphthongs (two nasalized diphthongs) and twenty-one consonant phonemes.
The parts of speech uses in Assamese languageNoun1. Common Noun ---- Man, cow
2. Proper Noun ----- Ram, Rahim, Hari
3. Material Noun ---- Water, Box, Table
4. Verbal Noun ----- Movement, tour
5. Abstract Noun ----- Happiness, beautyPronoun
Example ------ he, she, they, yesterday, now
Adjective
1. Proper Adjective ----- beautiful, ugly
2. Verbal Adjective ----- edited, drawn
3. Adjective Adjective ---- Very much, too much, too many
4. Adverb ---- quickly, repeatedly
Verb
1. Transitive ---- eat, get
2. Intransitive ---- walk, cry
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Style Guide Creation for Assamese Language - Part I
Assamese is an eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 20 million people in the Indian states of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, and also spoken in Bangladesh and Bhutan. Assamese is closely related to Bengali and Oriya.
The Assamese alphabet is written with a version of the Bengali alphabet. The first printed book was Atmaram Sarma’s translation of the Bible, which published in 1813 by the Serampore English Missionary press in Kolkatta.
The first Assamese dictionary was compiled by an American Baptist Missionary Dr. Miles Bronson. In 1867 at American Baptist Mission Press Sibsagar, published his dictionary. The second dictionary of Assamese language is ‘Hemkosh’ based on Sanskrit spellings, compiled by Hemchandra Barua.
Alphabet
The Assamese script has 41 consonants and 11 Vowels. The Assamese script has 52 characters including 41 consonants and 11 vowels. The characters are similar to the Devanagari. The language has a number of Juktakhars which are combination of consonants.
Assamese alphabet
Vowels and vowel diacritics
The Assamese alphabet is written with a version of the Bengali alphabet. The first printed book was Atmaram Sarma’s translation of the Bible, which published in 1813 by the Serampore English Missionary press in Kolkatta.
The first Assamese dictionary was compiled by an American Baptist Missionary Dr. Miles Bronson. In 1867 at American Baptist Mission Press Sibsagar, published his dictionary. The second dictionary of Assamese language is ‘Hemkosh’ based on Sanskrit spellings, compiled by Hemchandra Barua.
Alphabet
The Assamese script has 41 consonants and 11 Vowels. The Assamese script has 52 characters including 41 consonants and 11 vowels. The characters are similar to the Devanagari. The language has a number of Juktakhars which are combination of consonants.
Assamese alphabet
Vowels and vowel diacritics
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Translation Fundamentals
Why translation and localization?
Translation is as basic a human activity as creating originals. It’s a natural trait of mind to express anything noticed new in the language one follows naturally. This has inspired the human beings to translate almost ever since the beginning of human civilization. Before the advent of modern technology, translated word was the only way to know that, in fact, there exists such a vast and diverse world beyond what we could see.
The world is as much indebted to the amateur translators as to the great scientists and inventors, revolutionary thinkers, prophets and social reformers. But for the translators’ efforts, the inventions, the thoughts, literature and mythology, and the revolutionary ideas that changed the world could not have traveled so far and wide.
The Challenge
In contrast to translation of literature and mythology, translation in technical domain has its own typical challenges and methodologies. It has developed a specialized process of migrating to other languages that we call localization. Localization is a broad sphere of activities of which translation is a major component. Technical adaptation with due respect to cultural sensitivities are the basic tenets of localization. This calls for a perfect blend of technical and linguistics skills.
Web and telecommunications are new and evolving domains. They are spreading at a speed that no other domains have achieved so far. Their user base is growing by leaps and bounds. Unlike other technologies, the web and telecommunications did not have time to mature first in the native land and language and then migrate to other lands and languages. Their technical maturity and widening of base have been simultaneous. This is the challenge for the translators: to be faithful to the domain and yet be welcome to the common user.
Almost every other day some new features are added to enhance mobile experience. Engineers and enthusiasts are working round the clock. Mobile manufacturers are in a cut throat competition to score over one another. The convergence of different technologies and domains has blurred the divide among them. So the translators now have to translate keeping this convergence in mind. This calls for a cross domain consistency.
With the evolution of Website localization as a specialized offshoot of translation, highly technical domains such web and telecommunications have developed industry specific standard terminology. This is a great help as well as a challenge for the translators. It’s a challenge because at times you have to accept a terminology which you do not find welcome from the language point of view. This underlines a fundamental rule of translation: consistency.
Translation always requires an active human involvement to come out in a welcome shape. Machines would always have a limited and supporting role in translation because they can only perform in a defined way. They cannot think. And here in comes fundamental 1.
Think
Think before you start. And think what? What is the domain? What is the text? What is the context? Who are the audience? To think clearly towards coming out with a good piece of translation, you need to read. This is fundamental 2.
Read
Read the text in total, not in isolation from the whole. This is a thumb rule. This would give you a feel of the content in its totality. At times, you get the actual message conveyed only at the end. Also read some existing domain translation to know what not to do. We should learn from others’ mistakes. It would be better if you just read the translation, not the source. This is very important. A reading would give you a feel whether this is an original text or a translation. General reading is immensely helpful. The more you read and know the better for you.
Post translation reading is equally important. Again read it in total, feel the flow and consistency of tone, style and narration. If you feel that it sounds like a translation and not an original, then the translation has failed the purpose and you have learned an important lesson: a translation has to sound like an original. This is fundamental 3.
Be close to original
The success of a translation is measured on how the audience accepts it in the target language. It must sound as if it is written in the target language itself. It must be as close to the original as possible in size, flow, and narration. An oversized translation with an entirely different narration is not a faithful translation. This underlines the need to be simple and precise, which is fundamental 4.
Be simple and precise
There is always a need and scope in translation to be simple and precise. The very purpose of translation is defeated if the message is not conveyed to the reader in the target language. You would never remember or fall back upon a complex document for guidance. We tend to use heavy terms while translating. We have to resist this and opt for the simpler terms wherever possible.
Golden Rules of Translation
Follow the source: A major challenge in translation is to reflect the tone, style, and structure of the source. This is simply addressed by respecting the source. It’s always safe and wise to follow the source.
Follow the rules: You are always correct if you follow the rules of language and grammar. A grammatically correct sentence is rarely a wrong translation. Being grammatically and linguistically correct is like speaking the truth. You don’t need to remember what you said the last time. This curtails half of the efforts at the review level. This ensure consistency of language and style.
Maintain Consistency: Consistency is the basic requirement of localization tasks. To a certain extent, it is more important than good quality. So much so that it can be acceptable if a translation is wrong but consistent but it is never acceptable if a translation is correct but inconsistent. And consistency is not restricted just to language, but it is also required in style, terminology, and narration. Beyond that, it extends to cross domain consistency. Ever growing convergence of technologies requires consistency in localization. Similar functionalities and concepts in telecom and software should be translated consistently.
Linguistically, consistency makes things easier for translators and reviewers. This saves efforts while making changes after the review. It helps in saving costs as we do not need to pay for anything that is already translated. It helps in developing logics and base doe machine translations.
Typical Challenges in Translation
To Translate or not
In technical translations, certain things are not to be translated. These are mostly company and product names, trademarks, sound marks and patents. They are not translated because they are known and identified in their original form, color, and shape. For example, Microsoft, as a rule does not translate its name and its product names. But this is not the case with all the companies. Certain companies like Nokia do not mind their brand name being written in target languages. Besides, untranslatable text may have technical significance. One has to be very judicious in making these decisions.
Translate or Transliterate
This is a major challenge for translators, particularly in the technical domain. At times one sees more transliterations than translations. This requires a very sound linguistic judgment, particularly when you do not have specific guidelines on what to translate or transliterate. At times, the client provides clear guidelines on what should be transliterated. This is simple to follow. As of now, there are no rules to guide the translators on this. However, there are generally agreed practices in the localization industry.
We just transliterate company and brand names (Nokia, Motorola), product names (Motorazr), domain specific terminology (modem, software, server, E-Mail, infrared, wireless, broadcast, and headset etc.), technology types (Multimedia) and proper names. Terms like file, folder, profile, call, settings, shortcut, operator, menu, media, gallery, card, video, clip etc. that are widely used in local languages in their adopted form are generally transliterated. However we have to be particular about their correct representation in the target language. We should use correct phonetic sounds to represent correct pronunciations in the target language.
Country names are a special category. Some country names have well adopted and accepted parallels in other languages like the United States of America (Sanyukta Raajy Amerikaa), South Korea (Dakshin Koriyaa), South Africa (Dakshin Afrikaa) in Hindi and other Indian languages. But certain country names with similar nomenclature like Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and South Sandwich Islands are just transliterated because they are not well adopted or widely used in other languages. Certain country names are simply not translated as their adopted names conflict with other names. A typical example is United Kingdom which has to be transliterated as the exact translation (Sanyukt Raajya) would conflict with that of the US.
Another associated challenge is whether to transliterate the acronyms and how to transliterate them. The agreed practice in this regard is that we transliterate very popular acronyms like PIN and SIM. But when it comes to hard core domain specific acronyms like Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) Files, Push-to-Talk (PTT), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), we transliterate them and follow it up with the acronym in bracket in English. For ex. Push-to-Talk (PTT).
Cultural Challenges
We often come across typical terminology and names (Hangul Hanja, Katalan). It is pardonable if you misspell an unheard name unless it’s not culturally offensive. But a good translator would go and try to find native speaker to find the correct pronunciation of a typical term or name.
These issues are addressed by
1) following a common phonetic convention;
2) searching the web; and
3) speaking to a native.
Another important thing to remember is to respect the cultural sensitivities in translation. Never go ahead with what you find unparliamentary or offensive in your language.
Translation is as basic a human activity as creating originals. It’s a natural trait of mind to express anything noticed new in the language one follows naturally. This has inspired the human beings to translate almost ever since the beginning of human civilization. Before the advent of modern technology, translated word was the only way to know that, in fact, there exists such a vast and diverse world beyond what we could see.
The world is as much indebted to the amateur translators as to the great scientists and inventors, revolutionary thinkers, prophets and social reformers. But for the translators’ efforts, the inventions, the thoughts, literature and mythology, and the revolutionary ideas that changed the world could not have traveled so far and wide.
The Challenge
In contrast to translation of literature and mythology, translation in technical domain has its own typical challenges and methodologies. It has developed a specialized process of migrating to other languages that we call localization. Localization is a broad sphere of activities of which translation is a major component. Technical adaptation with due respect to cultural sensitivities are the basic tenets of localization. This calls for a perfect blend of technical and linguistics skills.
Web and telecommunications are new and evolving domains. They are spreading at a speed that no other domains have achieved so far. Their user base is growing by leaps and bounds. Unlike other technologies, the web and telecommunications did not have time to mature first in the native land and language and then migrate to other lands and languages. Their technical maturity and widening of base have been simultaneous. This is the challenge for the translators: to be faithful to the domain and yet be welcome to the common user.
Almost every other day some new features are added to enhance mobile experience. Engineers and enthusiasts are working round the clock. Mobile manufacturers are in a cut throat competition to score over one another. The convergence of different technologies and domains has blurred the divide among them. So the translators now have to translate keeping this convergence in mind. This calls for a cross domain consistency.
With the evolution of Website localization as a specialized offshoot of translation, highly technical domains such web and telecommunications have developed industry specific standard terminology. This is a great help as well as a challenge for the translators. It’s a challenge because at times you have to accept a terminology which you do not find welcome from the language point of view. This underlines a fundamental rule of translation: consistency.
Translation always requires an active human involvement to come out in a welcome shape. Machines would always have a limited and supporting role in translation because they can only perform in a defined way. They cannot think. And here in comes fundamental 1.
Think
Think before you start. And think what? What is the domain? What is the text? What is the context? Who are the audience? To think clearly towards coming out with a good piece of translation, you need to read. This is fundamental 2.
Read
Read the text in total, not in isolation from the whole. This is a thumb rule. This would give you a feel of the content in its totality. At times, you get the actual message conveyed only at the end. Also read some existing domain translation to know what not to do. We should learn from others’ mistakes. It would be better if you just read the translation, not the source. This is very important. A reading would give you a feel whether this is an original text or a translation. General reading is immensely helpful. The more you read and know the better for you.
Post translation reading is equally important. Again read it in total, feel the flow and consistency of tone, style and narration. If you feel that it sounds like a translation and not an original, then the translation has failed the purpose and you have learned an important lesson: a translation has to sound like an original. This is fundamental 3.
Be close to original
The success of a translation is measured on how the audience accepts it in the target language. It must sound as if it is written in the target language itself. It must be as close to the original as possible in size, flow, and narration. An oversized translation with an entirely different narration is not a faithful translation. This underlines the need to be simple and precise, which is fundamental 4.
Be simple and precise
There is always a need and scope in translation to be simple and precise. The very purpose of translation is defeated if the message is not conveyed to the reader in the target language. You would never remember or fall back upon a complex document for guidance. We tend to use heavy terms while translating. We have to resist this and opt for the simpler terms wherever possible.
Golden Rules of Translation
Follow the source: A major challenge in translation is to reflect the tone, style, and structure of the source. This is simply addressed by respecting the source. It’s always safe and wise to follow the source.
Follow the rules: You are always correct if you follow the rules of language and grammar. A grammatically correct sentence is rarely a wrong translation. Being grammatically and linguistically correct is like speaking the truth. You don’t need to remember what you said the last time. This curtails half of the efforts at the review level. This ensure consistency of language and style.
Maintain Consistency: Consistency is the basic requirement of localization tasks. To a certain extent, it is more important than good quality. So much so that it can be acceptable if a translation is wrong but consistent but it is never acceptable if a translation is correct but inconsistent. And consistency is not restricted just to language, but it is also required in style, terminology, and narration. Beyond that, it extends to cross domain consistency. Ever growing convergence of technologies requires consistency in localization. Similar functionalities and concepts in telecom and software should be translated consistently.
Linguistically, consistency makes things easier for translators and reviewers. This saves efforts while making changes after the review. It helps in saving costs as we do not need to pay for anything that is already translated. It helps in developing logics and base doe machine translations.
Typical Challenges in Translation
To Translate or not
In technical translations, certain things are not to be translated. These are mostly company and product names, trademarks, sound marks and patents. They are not translated because they are known and identified in their original form, color, and shape. For example, Microsoft, as a rule does not translate its name and its product names. But this is not the case with all the companies. Certain companies like Nokia do not mind their brand name being written in target languages. Besides, untranslatable text may have technical significance. One has to be very judicious in making these decisions.
Translate or Transliterate
This is a major challenge for translators, particularly in the technical domain. At times one sees more transliterations than translations. This requires a very sound linguistic judgment, particularly when you do not have specific guidelines on what to translate or transliterate. At times, the client provides clear guidelines on what should be transliterated. This is simple to follow. As of now, there are no rules to guide the translators on this. However, there are generally agreed practices in the localization industry.
We just transliterate company and brand names (Nokia, Motorola), product names (Motorazr), domain specific terminology (modem, software, server, E-Mail, infrared, wireless, broadcast, and headset etc.), technology types (Multimedia) and proper names. Terms like file, folder, profile, call, settings, shortcut, operator, menu, media, gallery, card, video, clip etc. that are widely used in local languages in their adopted form are generally transliterated. However we have to be particular about their correct representation in the target language. We should use correct phonetic sounds to represent correct pronunciations in the target language.
Country names are a special category. Some country names have well adopted and accepted parallels in other languages like the United States of America (Sanyukta Raajy Amerikaa), South Korea (Dakshin Koriyaa), South Africa (Dakshin Afrikaa) in Hindi and other Indian languages. But certain country names with similar nomenclature like Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and South Sandwich Islands are just transliterated because they are not well adopted or widely used in other languages. Certain country names are simply not translated as their adopted names conflict with other names. A typical example is United Kingdom which has to be transliterated as the exact translation (Sanyukt Raajya) would conflict with that of the US.
Another associated challenge is whether to transliterate the acronyms and how to transliterate them. The agreed practice in this regard is that we transliterate very popular acronyms like PIN and SIM. But when it comes to hard core domain specific acronyms like Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) Files, Push-to-Talk (PTT), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), we transliterate them and follow it up with the acronym in bracket in English. For ex. Push-to-Talk (PTT).
Cultural Challenges
We often come across typical terminology and names (Hangul Hanja, Katalan). It is pardonable if you misspell an unheard name unless it’s not culturally offensive. But a good translator would go and try to find native speaker to find the correct pronunciation of a typical term or name.
These issues are addressed by
1) following a common phonetic convention;
2) searching the web; and
3) speaking to a native.
Another important thing to remember is to respect the cultural sensitivities in translation. Never go ahead with what you find unparliamentary or offensive in your language.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Somya Translators Pvt. Ltd. :- A Language Translation Agency
We can translate any kind of text from and into 49 languages and many more. We provide fast and accurate translations services. We can handle all type of documents using our specific domain knowledge.
We have a large and diverse number of qualified and experienced native professional Hindi Translators who can handle all your translation requirements. From small document translations to large multi-language projects whether technical, legal or for marketing we have the cost effective professional solution.
By combining our group of native speaking highly professional Hindi Translators with experience ranging from 4 to 18 years in translation, editing and proofreading, DTP services, subtitling, interpretation, website development and localization, content writing along with our efficient Project Management team, we are able to provide your company with practical experience, innovative services, competitive pricing, high quality standards, on time delivery, ease of payment and customized services as per the requirement of your project.
We are defined by the excellence of the services we offer, the fulfillment of deadlines and objectives agreed upon, and the strictest confidence regarding the handling of information.
We pride ourselves on offering our customers a fine quality service. Our services go beyond delivering a translation. We are always open to hear from you to discuss any aspect related to project even after you have received it. We believe in providing after sales service to our customer.
We have a large and diverse number of qualified and experienced native professional Hindi Translators who can handle all your translation requirements. From small document translations to large multi-language projects whether technical, legal or for marketing we have the cost effective professional solution.
By combining our group of native speaking highly professional Hindi Translators with experience ranging from 4 to 18 years in translation, editing and proofreading, DTP services, subtitling, interpretation, website development and localization, content writing along with our efficient Project Management team, we are able to provide your company with practical experience, innovative services, competitive pricing, high quality standards, on time delivery, ease of payment and customized services as per the requirement of your project.
We are defined by the excellence of the services we offer, the fulfillment of deadlines and objectives agreed upon, and the strictest confidence regarding the handling of information.
We pride ourselves on offering our customers a fine quality service. Our services go beyond delivering a translation. We are always open to hear from you to discuss any aspect related to project even after you have received it. We believe in providing after sales service to our customer.
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