Losing Languages is a Big Deal!
Most of us think of language as a way to express ideas, get a point across, be understood, and the like. However, the worth of language goes far beyond face value.
In my experiences as a language learner, I quickly came to realize that the amount of meaning involved in a language went far beyond just the words. There were ideas and ways of thinking that were different from my native tongue. In addition, embedded within each language are certain types of knowledge about the world that can’t be adequately expressed in any other way.
Because of the value each language adds to the world’s knowledge base, the fact that indigenous languages are slowly disappearing is of grave concern to linguists and to all of us, really.
So, what is the role of the average Joe in this situation? Languages tend to disappear when the small population that speaks them collides with a larger population dominated by another language. So, perhaps one of the best way we can ensure that additional languages are not lost is by encouraging the use of such languages. This can occur both through offering support to those who speak a little-known language and discouraging the discrimination that often accompanies such language speakers.
If you would like to read more on this topic, please see the article, “Preserving Languages Is About More Than Words†from the ATA Newsbriefs publication. It can be found online at: http://www.infoinc.com/ATA/CurrentIssue.html.
Business or Translation or Both?
A recent article in Multilingual magazine addressed the disconnect that sometimes exists between businessmen and their translators. Ironically, it seems that yet another type of translation might be useful to bridge the communication gap between these two types of people speaking very different languages. While the language of business talks money, numbers, and bottom lines, the language of academia prefers speaking in words, ideas, and theories.
So, is there something that can be done to successfully combine these dual realities? Gianni Davico offers three suggestions from the business perspective to help translators adapt their skills to the business world and thereby find success.
First, act as entrepreneurs, which includes seeing things from a moneymaking perspective and using a business vocabulary. Secondly, solve problems and offer solutions. This means talking in terms of how to benefit the client and not merely about how you do what you do. Lastly, stay informed from the best sources, thereby maximizing your time.
Do’s for Assisting Your Translator
The ultimate goal of translation is effective communication. Below are several suggestions from a technical translator that will help make the translation process a positive experience for both you and the translator.
Give context for the document. Tell your translator up front how the text is going to be used as this makes a huge difference in how the translator approaches it.
Provide reference material and specialized terminology. Any type of reference material you provide will help the translator identify specialized terminology and provide further context.
Have patience with questions. Choosing to be responsive and timely in answering translator’s questions removes guesswork on their part.
Be a polite native speaker. Remember that your translator is the one that possesses the expertise in translation, so trust them to use it.
Provide a well-written document in finalized format. Take time to make sure your text is ready and worth the time and effort it takes to translate.
Keep in mind that although merely words describing the assembly instructions or parts to a specialized machine might make perfect sense to you, they may not to your translator.
Achieve a consensus. If at all possible, make sure there’s only one decision maker in regards to the forthcoming translation.
Be patient with timelines. Good translations, just like good writing, take time. Translators will try to give you honest timelines, but your flexibility can do much to ensure a great outcome.
Ideas taken from the article “Top 10 Pet Peeves of a Technical Translator†by Linda L. Gaus in The ATA Chronicle, Feb. 2009, pgs. 18-20.
My 2nd language (or 3rd, or whatever) is retreating faster than I can chase it! What can I do?
As a language learner, it’s hard to feel like a hard-earned language is slowly slipping away from you.  However, an important question to ask in such moments is, does that matter?  The answer might surprise you.
Remember that the brain is an amazing thing.  Once a language is learned, it never really disappears.  However, if it lays dormant for a while, you might find your brain chooses to hit ‘snooze’ instead of responding to a wake-up call in a moment of need.  In an article on his website, Timothy Ferriss (author of The 4-Hour Workweek) makes the point that “It is easier, and much more time-efficient, to catch up versus keep upâ€.  He also shares the steps and sequence he uses to ‘resurrect’ previously learned languages.  He recommends using a combination of movie watching (with English subtitles), “dialogue-rich manga†- the most common type being comic books, phrasebooks, electronic dictionaries, and flash cards.
If you’d like to read more about the way he pieces his program together for great results, check it out at http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/20/how-to-resurrect-your-high-school-spanish-or-any-language-plus-be-on-the-cbs-early-show/.