Clarence Williams » Legal Translation

Societal Power and its Effects French Language

Clarence Williams — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:52:50 +0000

We can trace the roots of what we properly term nowadays as French literature as far back as the end of the 10th century. It is from this or the following century that most of the texts one is going to discover will refer to. French to English Translation of these manuscripts has revealed that even then, the language was not pure French that we know today. Nevertheless, scholars are rather convinced that by the end of the 11th century, French being a well-structured unity of grammar and vocabulary was the language masses of people chose to speak. For many centuries previous to this, literature had been composed in France, or by natives of that country, using the term France in its full modern acceptation; but until the 9th century, if not later, the written language of France, so far as we know, was Latin; and despite the practice of not a few literary historians, it does not seem reasonable to notice Latin writings in a history of French literature. What historians find interesting is the phase in which the French language was known as Lingua Romana Rustica and at a much later stage it gain enough independence in order to be called a language. Not earlier than the 7th century, the so called Lingua Romana, which was not to be mistaken with Latin and Teutonic, is mentioned as a language used in court cases. More recently, these documents have been translated from Latin to French by a Legal Translator service. The first written scripts in the French language, as most literary critics would claim, date back to the 9th to the 11 century and range tremendously in character and content. One of them confirms how Louis the German allied himself with Charles the Bald exchanging the Oaths of Strassburg.

Probably the one nation that did not succeed in adjusting to the new literary and cultural norms introduced by Italy and France throughout Europe were the Germans. The same cannot be said about their neighbors – the Scandinavians and the Latin-influenced English. The foreign intervention in the German literature has always motivated the Germans’ struggle against its damaging effects. Nonetheless, the Scandinavian literature of the 19th century and the English literary tradition of the 18th century were significantly thought to have a healing effect on it. The Restoration highlights the most influential works in the literary history of Germany. We cannot but refer to Germany’s most prominent scholar of the time – Martin Luther. Both a priest and theology professor, his writings had a major impact both on the church and on the German culture – notably he served as a model for Protestants priests to have the right to marry. Instead of Latin Luther translated the Bible into German which influenced tremendously both the church and the whole German culture. A German Translation of the Bible meant that Luther would become an author of immense importance. This also sped up the development of the standard German language. The Bible was translated into a German variant spoken at the Saxon chancellery and it was supposed to widely understood by the whole German nation. Thus this type of dialect owing to Luther formed the basis what today is termed as High German (or Hochdeutsch in the original language).

Issues and Challenges In German to English Translation

Clarence Williams — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:41:28 +0000

Practically everyone who has ever worked as a professional translator knows that English and German share many similarities when it comes to vocabulary. This can be both a benefit and a curse for students of English to German Translation.

Many Anglophones learning in German translation studies should be aware of this fact. However, unfortunately, many early learners of German or English don’t understand that things are not always what they may seem. What experts call “false friends,” or “false cognates” are words that sound like a similar word in one language but mean something completely different. In the translation profession translators should be just as wary of false language friends as they would be of false human friends. Once again, false cognates are deceiving because they look like a common word, but in actuality they have nothing to do with it. The improper placement of false cognates in a translation can lead to conveying the wrong meaning of a text and the possibility of a lawsuit.

When it comes to translating from German to English or vice versa, there are numerous false friends because the languages are in the same family. There are countless words that look and sound alike in German and English. Some examples of true cognates (or true linguistic friends) are the following: hound /Hund, mother / Mutter, end / enden, word / Wort, dance / Tanz, and many others. Many such true cognates exist between the German and English languages, and these should be differentiated from the many false cognates between the two languages.

Whether you are an English-native speaker translating from German or a German language native translating from English, the use of true cognates makes texts more readable and makes the translation process go much faster. However, false cognates can present stumbling blocks regardless of whether you are translating from German to English or from English to German. No matter whether you call them “false friends” or “falsche Freunde,” these false cognates are something that every translation service professional needs to be aware of to avoid producing a flawed translation.

The objective (Objektiv) act (Akt) of translation should be done after (After) review of the document. This sentence shows how the German words in parentheses can be misinterpreted because of their nature as false cognates. As an illustration, the words in parentheses: “After”, “Akt” and “Objektiv” have very different meanings from their English equivalents. In actuality they mean “rectum,” “nude” and “camera lens” in English. Similarly, in Medical Translation, “Visite” actually means “house call,” or “patient rounds”. And finally, good medical translators know that words like “tasten” mean “to touch” and not “to taste.”

Similar difficulties are found in legal translations, which false cognates popping up frequently. These often include words like “Rathaus,” which means “City Hall,” and not a home for a rodent. Legal Translation Services may also include other words which you might think to be legal terms, but which really are not.

And these are only a small number of the long list of false cognates that plague the English and German languages. For example, the word “drogerei” refers to what Anglophones know as a drugstore, but it does not carry medications. In other words, a “Drogerei” is a small shop that typically carries shampoo, soap and other personal hygiene items, but does not carry prescription medications. Those who speak fluent German know that the “Apotheke” is the shop where medications are sold. To get your prescription filled at the “Apotheke,” don’t forget to take your “Rezept,” but if you need a receipt, you should ask for a “Quittung.”In the end, this article seeks to simply remind professional translators that there are many pitfalls of translation, and that when translating from German to English or vice versa, one must be highly cognizant of the presence of false cognates. Sloppy translation of false cognates will inevitably end in poor translations which negatively impact the translator, the translation agency and the person or company who is buying the translation.

Fine Tuning Your Expertise in Interpretating and Translating

Clarence Williams — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:37:09 +0000

Because we can no longer think of our world consisting of homogeneous who all speak the same language, we must be able to communicate with people in a variety of ways. As you are already aware, some international college students can be very difficult to understand, but local US college can seem quite clear with when communicating. It’s also possible that we will encounter people with a speaking disability that forces them to rely on non-oral forms of communication. In these cases, people may try to communicate using a crude form sign language. There individuals will find it more challenging to listen than speak.Are you good at reading body language? The reason for asking is that some people may prefer to use body language and we must be able to recognize to this and respond appropriately.

According to a Korean to English Translation agency, explaining common communication problems is done by example. Therefore, It sometimes helps people to think of familiar people that have trouble communicating. Some of the people have their own style and level of communication. Individuals who are visually impaired, hard of hearing or deaf, or who have suffered a stroke, have dementia or a learning disability, may have their own style of communication. The key to effective and efficient communication involves creating effective solutions when challenges appear. Here is a set of questions to help you when you find yourself in a similar situation.
_ Can images be used to break down information?
_ Does the person communicate in writing, by drawing or in other certain ways with others?
_ How should you communicate with the person?
_ Should drawings, images or pictures be introduced to build dialogue?

How important is it to ask these questions? In terms of German Legal Translation, most people will automatically recognize the purpose. If you do not do this, you will cause frustration, waste considerable time, get incorrect information and possibly even avoid talking because you cannot understand each other.

Even in the world of Russian Medical Translation, one must place great importance on the art of conversation and interactions that take place between relatives, co-workers, insurance companies and other external services companies. If the communication is not effective within and between these groups, then the communication with the service users will not be right. Everyone has a right to make their own choices in life and this includes the people you support.

Let’s imagine that you are tasked with providing service to a German speaking visitor. Since you don’t have a full time German Translation worker to assist you, there is an easy way to begin the process. To begin the process, you need to develop an action plan that defines how you will get information from the subject and how they will give information to you. Most importantly, find out how the individual wishes to be addressed, e.g. Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Jo, Bert.Never under estimate the importance of calling a person by their name and more important, doing it accurately. This informs the person you are speaking to him, gets his attention, and shows respect. Until you know the patient well, it is usually not advisable to use his or her first name. In fact, some cultures may consider this rude.

Providing Accurate German Translation Service Is Focus Of New University Curriculum

Clarence Williams — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:41:55 +0000

Many people don’t understand how mistakes can be made in document translations and this article attempts to provide some of the reasons. Because a translator realizes that translation is subject to error, he talks about translation from inside the process, knowing how it’s done, possessing a practical real-world sense of the problems involved, some solutions to those problems, and the limitations on those solutions (the translator knows, for example, that no translation will ever be a perfectly reliable guide to That’s why during the 1990′s leading scholars in the subject began working together to develop a curriculum that would promote higher quality methods. This led to the development of a degree in translation studies with the goal of giving greater precedence to ensuring that word meanings and cultural nuances are carried over.

As more German Translation studies programs were developed, a formal curriculum was developed that included a history of translation theory, beginning with the ancient Romans and encompassing key twentieth-century structuralist work. Once coursework in the historical aspects of translation were completed, students would move on to take courses that address common problems in literary translation, medical translation and other forms of legal and scientific translation.

One of the most fundamental lessons in a translation program involves reliability. To put that differently, translation students must know the causes of error because future actions and decisions will be based on the translation. Perhaps the first lesson that students learn is that simple word by word translations have tremendous disadvantages. For an explanation of why this is so, one simply needs to use an internet translation product. Sometimes translation workers must use this type of translation strategy when involved in medical translation, Legal Translation or another form of highly technical translation. The following true story attests to the difficult issues encountered by professional translators.

Several months ago, a major healthcare provider sought the assistance of a Medical Translation worker in the United States. Consequently, the project required some travel to Dresden, Germany. Although his native language was English, he spent a semester in college at a German university. However, it’s important to note that while this person was a native speaker of English, his German language skills were somewhat limited. At the hotel, a service desk attendant asked him if the temperature in his room was acceptable. He understood the question, how he would reply in his native language and the translation of those words into German. Since he was quite warm, he responded answered by saying that he was feeling a tad bit too hot. He made a common mistake that people from English countries overlook. There is a huge different in what he should have said, “it is warm to me.” and what he actually said, “I am hot.” Unfortunately, the service worker looked befuddled and amused which suggested that the reply was incorrect for the occasion. What the American had done was made a sexual remark instead of indicating something about the temperature of the air. In German, there is a big difference between the two statements, even though in English the statement “it is hot to me” is a bit awkward and cumbersome.

Mapping Out the Lineage of a Autonomous Spoken Langauge

Clarence Williams — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:43:48 +0000

When one decides to embark on a study of French literature in its modern sense, the 11th century is the earliest back he/she will be able to reach. It is from this or the following century that most of the texts one is going to discover will refer to. French Translation of these manuscripts has revealed that even then, the language was not pure French that we know today. However, it will be right to claim that as early as the 12th century French, as a set of grammatical and lexical rules, had become a language of frequent and variable use. For ages prior to this, various literary forms had been written in France, or by citizens of that land, using the name France in its modern sense; nevertheless, as far as we are informed, until the end of the 8th century, or later, France’s written language was Latin. Therefore, it does not seem to make any sense, save for few literary historians to argue that Latin writings occupy a significant place in French literature. Such a history properly busies itself only with the monuments of French itself from the time when the so called Lingua Romana Rustica assumed a sufficiently independent form to deserve to be called a new language. Not earlier than the 7th century, the so called Lingua Romana, which was not to be mistaken with Latin and Teutonic, is mentioned as a language used in court cases. It was recently when these documents were translated from Latin into French by a Legal Translation Service service. A few written signs have remained from the time when French was a young language. They can be traced back to the period between the 9th and 11th centuries and are of various nature. The first such documents accounts for an alliance called the Oaths of Strassburg between Louis the German and Charles the Bald.

Probably the one nation that did not succeed in adjusting to the new literary and cultural norms introduced by Italy and France throughout Europe were the Germans. The same cannot be said about their neighbors – the Scandinavians and the Latin-influenced English. Rather, their literary history has been a struggle for independent expression, a constant warring against outside forces, even when the latter – like the influence of English literature in the 18th century and of Scandinavian at the close of the 19th – were hailed as friendly and not hostile. One of the most fruitful periods in the history of German literature is probably the Reformation. Martin Luther, Germany’s greatest man in this age of intellectual new-birth, demands a larger share of attention in a survey of literature than his religious and ecclesiastical activity would in itself justify, if only because the literary activity of the age cannot be regarded apart from him. Instead of Latin Luther translated the Bible into German which influenced tremendously both the church and the whole German culture. With his German to English Translation of the Bible Martin Luther added new principles to the art of translation and encourage its translation into English of the King James Bible. It was important that the dialect into which the Bible was translated should be comprehensible over as wide an area as possible of the German-speaking world. In this way the dialect Luther used for his translation of the Bible evolved into the modern German language known as Hochdeutsch.

Age Old Challenges in German Translation

Clarence Williams — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:02:47 +0000

Practically everyone who has ever worked as a professional translator knows that English and German share many similarities when it comes to vocabulary. English to German Translation students usually find this to be a blessing and a curse.

English-speakers who are learning to become German translators need to be aware of this. But often times, beginners make assumptions, and things are actually not at all what they seem. Also known as “false friends,” false cognates are words that look like or sound like a word in another language, but actually have nothing in common with it. Translators are regularly challenged by the questions surrounding whether or not a particular word is a false cognate. As stated before, these words look like a familiar word but actually have nothing in common with it. The improper placement of false cognates in a translation can lead to conveying the wrong meaning of a text and the possibility of a lawsuit.

When it comes to translating from German to English or vice versa, there are numerous false friends because the languages are in the same family. Experts will readily confirm that English and German have many words that sound alike. Brother / Bruder, auto / Auto, house / Haus, glass / Glas, etc. are just a few examples of the numerous true cognates that exist between the two languages. There are literally hundreds of words like these that are truly similar in meaning and appearance in the English and German languages, but be careful.

No matter if you are translating into English or into German, texts are easier to translate when true cognates (as opposed to false cognates) are used. But false cognates are just a fact of life for a translator, whether you translate from German to English or from English to German. Translation service workers must avoid making translation mistakes because they do not recognize these “false friends,” also known as “falsche Freunde,” “faux amis” in French, or false cognates.

After (After) all is said and done, the act (Akt) of translation can be quite objective (Objektiv). In this sentence, the German words in parentheses actually mean something quite different from what you might expect. In German, the word “After” is defined as “rectum, the German word “Akt” is defined as “nude” painting, and the German word “Objektiv” is defined as “camera lens”. Medical Translation are also full of false friends, such as “Krank”, which really means “ill” or “sick”. And finally, good medical translators know that words like “tasten” mean “to touch” and not “to taste.”

Legal translations have similar pitfalls, as with the German word, “Rat,” which means “advice” or “counsel,” and the German word, “Advokat,” which means “attorney.” Some other false friends that can be found in inaccurate German Legal Translation Services include words like “Akt,” which really means “nude” (in artwork).

Unfortunately, this is only a sampling of the numerous false cognates that exist between English and German. A “Drogerei” is like a drugstore, but lacks the drugs. In other words, a “Drogerei” is a small shop that typically carries shampoo, soap and other personal hygiene items, but does not carry prescription medications. Those who speak fluent German know that the “Apotheke” is the shop where medications are sold. If you need a prescription filled, it is called a “Rezept,” but this is different from a receipt, which is a completely different word in German.Finally, we wish to stress once again that if translators ignore the importance of remaining wary of false cognates, their final translation projects, and therefore their livelihoods, could suffer tremendously. Sloppy translation of false cognates will inevitably end in poor translations which negatively impact the translator, the translation agency and the person or company who is buying the translation.

Identifying and Confronting Issues With Medical and Legal Interpretation

Clarence Williams — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:19:22 +0000

The world is more complex than ever and each day in the business, legal or medical fields we encounter people who have their own means of communication. In most cases, native speakers will be very good at talking, while new immigrants may not be very good at talking. In addition, some people may not have the skills or ability to speak and will rely on writing notes or letters. That’s why we should be ready when a person tries to answer our questions through different bodily motions. There individuals will find it more challenging to listen than speak.Instead of listening and speaking, other people will insist on using non-verbal language like tone of voice, eye movement, posture, hand gestures, facial expressions and more.

Sometimes communication challenges can best be explained by requesting Korean to English Translation students evaluate people who are closest to them. Some of the people have their own style and level of communication. Individuals who are visually impaired, hard of hearing or deaf, or who have suffered a stroke, have dementia or a learning disability, may have their own style of communication. We need to stress that the purpose for doing this exercise is to provide examples that add to the complexity of interpretation. Here are a few questions that you can ask that will help.
_ Can images be used to break down information?
_ How does the individual communicate with others?
_ Under what conditions should you communicate in certain ways with him or her?
_ Would it be worthwhile to communicate through pictures?

How important is it to ask these questions? When it comes to Chinese Legal Translation, the reason is almost immediately visible. If you do not do this, you will cause frustration, waste considerable time, get incorrect information and possibly even avoid talking because you cannot understand each other.

In the arena of Spanish Medical Translation, it is important for the same reasons and you also need to consider how communication works within the medical team, with patients, with families, and with outside agencies. That’s because when messages are incorrectly decoded, the data that is collected will be inaccurate and could result in large, costly errors. Everyone has a right to make their own choices in life and this includes the people you support.

WIth this new information that has been presented, lets imagine that we must serve a non-English speaking customer.. Like most of us, you probably don’t have a co-worker who can easily communicate with this person.. First, you need to learn how you are going to communicate with the service user and how the individual will communicate with you and others. Most importantly, find out how the individual wishes to be addressed, e.g. Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Jo, Bert.While often overlook, it is very important that the name of the person receiving service be used frequently and correctly. Most importantly, this shows the person that you respect them and it also notifies them to pay attention because you are speaking directly to them. Please be aware that in some cultures, it is disrespectful to call someone by his first name if you do not know that person well.

Professors Stress Proven Translation Techniques To Increase Reliability

Clarence Williams — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:07:03 +0000

Translation and interpretation can be extremely difficult, but the common reader usually doesn’t understand the complexity that is involved. In this paper, we attempt to explain some of the more common reasons for translation error and some new courses to aid translators. Translation is different things for different groups of people. For people who are not translators, it is primarily a text; for people who are, it is primarily an activity that is more of an art than a science. Due to the large number of errors found in translations of literature works, leading universities began to develop translation programs of study. This led to the development of a degree in translation studies with the goal of giving greater precedence to ensuring that word meanings and cultural nuances are carried over.

In time, German to English Translation programs become more and more common place and it became common for degree programs to include courses in the history of translation theory and continuing into modern times. New coursework was later amended to study programs plans that emphasized specific problems of literary translation through a close, practical analysis of texts that tackles crucial problems of translation and extensive suggestions for further reading.

In the first semesters of the program, students learn that a text’s reliability consists in the trust a user can place in it, as a representation or reproduction of the original. Students also learn the downfalls of word for word substitution. Most computer based translation applications are based on word for word substitution and we all know how imperfect those can be. These issues are encountered on a regular basis by professional translation workers when dealing with highly technical subject matter like Legal Translation. The following true story attests to the difficult issues encountered by professional translators.

About a decade ago, a junior in a translation program received a Medical Document Translation internship with a leading research organization that is located in Germany. Although his native language was English, he spent a semester in college at a German university. He was a native speaker of English and knew some German – probably enough to make some very embarrassing mistakes. When his hosts asked him if he was comfortable, he knew how he wanted to respond and he knew the appropriate words for “comfortable,” “hot” and “cold.” Since he was quite warm, he responded answered by saying that he was feeling a tad bit too hot. Like most people from the English-speaking world, he didn’t realize that in German he should have replied by saying “It seems very hot to me.” instead of “I am really warm.” While they seem similar in English they are drastically different in German. Unfortunately, the service worker looked befuddled and amused which suggested that the reply was incorrect for the occasion. Indeed, the German translation of “I am hot,” conveys a sexual meaning, whereas “it is hot to me” conveys the meaning that the temperature is too warm. In German, there is a big difference between the two statements, even though in English the statement “it is hot to me” is a bit awkward and cumbersome.