Knight adventurers in translation: the wonderful world of job titles
“Freelance translator”: it’s hardly a thrilling job description. Imagine how much more exciting it would be to have “Knight adventurer” printed on your business cards. And a tweet by Susie Dent suggests that this is precisely the origin of the now mundanely used freelancer: “a knight-adventurer who used his lance for anyone who paid him”. […]
What Makes a Good Interpreter?
As we’ve said before in this blog, just being able to speak another language does not make you an interpreter. Professional interpreters have done much training and study to get into the field, they may have also spent a significant amount of time in another field such as law or medicine before making the lateral […]
The Value of Proofreading
At Rosetta Translation, we value proofreading. We handle myriad of documents on a daily basis for varying purposes, audiences and publications. Often, a translation only service will be sufficient for our customers’ needs, particularly if the document in question is for information purposes only and won’t be published anywhere noteworthy. Translation only means that although […]
Language: it’s child’s play! Part 1
Language: it’s child’s play! Part one At university, for my degree in languages, I studied language acquisition and how this differs depending on whether it is your first or second language, and how old you are when you start learning. There are many theories about how we acquire language and when is the optimal […]
What’s all the fuss about translation technology?
Outside the translation and language industry little is really known (understandably perhaps) about translation technology. Machine translation is a type of this technology, for example Google Translate and Babelfish, of which many people have heard of. But, tools used by translators, translation companies and the people who require translations are another kettle of fish. […]
International Apostrophe Day
The apostrophe, that little hovering punctuation mark, is widely misused and misunderstood. Yet, it is so important that it has been given its own day in recognition; yes, the 15th August is officially the International Apostrophe Day, and we should all take time to appreciate the trusty apostrophe. Its use is relatively straightforward (unlike the […]
Behind the scene: Why does subtitling takes so long?
Editing and subtitling videos has always been a hobby of mine. In a world where teenagers can build a career by posting Youtube videos and have their vlog, parodies and interviews subtitled for the larger audience to enjoy, it is important for companies to be present on the different platforms in multilingual format and make […]
Things you didn’t know about the Korean language
You can learn the Korean alphabet in 1 day or less The Korean alphabet, or 한글 (Hangeul), was created during the 15th century by the court of King Sejong the Great, to help every Korean read and write the Korean language. Initially writing was the privilege of the elite and the scholars, and most […]
Behind the Scenes: Being a Project Manager in the Translation Industry
While the umbrella term ‘project manager’ can be heard in almost all sectors in the professional world, from construction to IT, project management as a practice in the field of translation has only started to emerge in recent years and does not yet, therefore, have the long tradition it is seen to have in many […]
How do I become fluent?
It is always fascinating to my mum how I – a native French speaker living in London – am able to understand and speak a language that is not my own with apparent ease. She keeps asking me “how do you do that? You’re practically bilingual!” with a proud smile when to me, I am […]
Machine translation VS CAT tools: What’s the difference?
Technology is making our lives easier and more productive each day, and the translation industry is no exception! Two concepts that are often bundled together and confused by laymen are machine translation and CAT tools. They are, however quite distinct and serve quite different functions. That’s why we are asking the question: machine translation vs […]
Starting and Running a Translation Business in China
Rosetta Translation officially started its Shanghai operations in 2008. That’s 7 long years already, and I thought it would be interesting to sit back and think what lessons can be learnt in terms of getting a small service business off the ground in the People’s Republic of China. Get professional help to register the […]
Sorry: No Language, No Entry
A High Court in the UK recently ruled to uphold English language tests for immigrants wanting to live in the UK. The outrage from some couples caught up in this affair is understandable, but is it too much to ask immigrants to speak the language of their destination country? The rules surrounding immigration have always […]
Tuning Your Language Radio
The importance of foreign languages Having been immersed in a different language from a young age and subsequently pursuing my passion of learning and speaking languages throughout my school life and into my adult career I find it very hard to understand the lack of interest in foreign languages at school. Nor do I understand […]
Our Wonderful English Language
I love English! It’s so versatile and rich in synonyms, turns of phrase and idiomatic expressions. In fact, I like nothing more than expressing something in the written word. When I was younger my mum used to bring out a poem after dinner on occasion, and if we had a guest we’d ask them to […]
Languages And International Business: Which Languages Make You More Employable
Knowing a rare or less–used language has traditionally been considered as a resume advantage, a way to edge out the competition within the ever-shrinking jobs pool. But what do recruiters really think about the languages we know (or claim to know?) A spread of languages will undoubtedly make reading your CV more interesting. Experienced recruiters […]
Advice to an aspiring professional translator
A sombre health warning has to be given first. The following advice is completely unsolicited, biased, quite possibly uncalled-for, and comes from a grumpy, balding, middle-aged and somewhat hungover principal owner of a UK translation company. If taken seriously, it might therefore eliminate any trace of illusion and, possibly, enthusiasm in our young aspiring translator, […]
