Beauty Of Languages

Steps to Be Followed When Translating Website Content

05. April 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Language

There are several steps that have to be followed, when translating website content.

The first step that has to be followed, when translating website content, is that of collating the content that needs to be translated.

The second step that has to be followed, when translating website content, is that of undertaking the actual translation. This is followed by thorough proofreading, to ensure that there are no embarrassing mistakes.

The third step that has to be followed, when translating website content, is that of uploading the translated versions.

The fourth step that has to be followed, when translating website content, is that of publicizing the availability of the translated versions of the website, so that people can start using them. If yours is a very popular website, you can do the publicity work on it. If, for instance the folks behind the Gmail system described in this post come up with a new language version, they normally publicize it right there on the site. This is where, for instance, you go to the www.gmail.com login page, and you are informed that Gmail is now available in such and such a language, and then you click on a given link if you are interested in using Gmail in the said language.

Making the Decision on Whether to Render a Given Website in Multiple Languages

28. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Language

There are several issues that you need to consider, when making the decision on whether to render a given website in multiple languages – so as to end up with a version for each language.

The first issue for consideration is whether you can substantially increase the website’s reach by having it translated.

The second issue for consideration is whether you can afford the translation.

The third issue for consideration is whether you can find truly good translators, to get the job done. Oftentimes, it is better to forego the translation than to do the translation and do it shoddily, which would lead to the production of a website that is a bad reflection of you as an organization/entity.

Of course, there are circumstances where the decision is guided by other considerations. If, for instance, you visit the website through which federal grants and loans for students are disbursed, including this loan service, you will notice that it is available in both English and Spanish. The reason for this is probably political-correctness: because it would be unseemly to have a US federal government website that doesn’t have a Spanish version. This is not withstanding the fact that most of the people who visit the site understand English.

Using Email to Send Copies of the Same Message in Various Languages

14. March 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Foreign language

Often, situations arise where you need to use email to send copies of the same message in various languages. That is, for instance, where you need to send the same message, to various people, in English, French, Italian and Arabic. The email system in use here could be, say, the Ymail system, which is described at greater length on this blog post.

As it turns out, the first approach you can use, if you are keen on using email to send copies of the same message in various languages, would be the approach where you do the translation manually – for each language – before proceeding to send the messages. This is the approach to use, if you want to ensure that the translation is done right. But you have to be ready to invest quite a bit of time and effort in it.

The second approach you can use, if you are keen on using email to send copies of the same message in various languages would be the approach where you use a web-based translation tool, to translate the message in the languages you are interested in disseminating, before proceeding to dispatch the copies hence translated. This second approach, while more efficient, is likely to result in translations that leave a lot of be desired, as the translation tools we currently have aren’t very sophisticated.

Two Approaches You Can Use When Looking for Work as a Foreign Language Translator

23. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Language

There are two major approaches that you can use, when looking for work as a foreign language translator.

The first major approach that you can use, when looking for work as a foreign language translator, is that of targeting the traditional market for translation services. You can look for work in diplomatic services, educational institutions, marketing companies, courts and so on – where translators are often required for various roles.

The second major approach that you can use, when looking for work as a foreign language translator, is that of targeting the emerging market for translation services. The emerging market we are making reference to is, of course, that which is on the web. You may, for instance, come to learn that an Internet-based discount stock broker like Etrade is in need of translation services for their website. Upon learning that, you can do a translation of the Etrade sign in page, and send that as a sample to show them what you can do. Subsequently, they may contact you with a lucrative translation project. Even if they don’t, you wouldn’t have lost anything besides the time you used to do the sample project (which shouldn’t be painful, because if you truly love translation work, you would be willing to do it even for free).

Two Ways In Which a Web User Can Browse Through Web Pages Written in Foreign Languages

18. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Foreign language

In our last post, we looked at the ways in which websites get translations (from one language to another) done. In this post, we will take the discussion a step further, in trying to understand how a web user can browse through web pages written in foreign languages.

Now the first way in which a web user can browse through the web pages written in foreign languages would be by selecting the ‘versions’ of the websites he or she is interested in that are rendered in the foreign languages. The big-time websites, such as the Plenty of Fish dating site pof.com accessible from this post turn out to have various versions for the various languages. You can, for instance, opt for the French version of the site, if that is what you are more comfortable with.

The second way in which a web user can browse through the web pages written in foreign languages would be by making use of web-based automatic translation tools, like the one provided by Google. The resultant translations will certainly not be perfect, but they often turn out to be good enough to make it possible for the web users in question to understand the information in the translated web pages.

Two Ways in Which Websites Get Language Translation Done

06. February 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Language

There are some two ways in which websites get language translation done.

The first way in which websites get language translation done is through the use of software programs that are designed to automate language translation tasks. This approach to translation of web pages is very cost-effective. Indeed, some of the language translation tools are available free of charge. Unfortunately, the resultant translations tend to be very unrefined. The truth of the matter is that the software tools developed for translation purposes have not yet evolved to a point where they can do highly nuanced translations.

The second way in which websites get language translation done is through the use of human translators. These can be expensive to pay. But then, they tend to do proper translation, and the output is usually very refined.

It is, by the way, possible to tell the sites that do their translation using human translators from those that do translation using software. An example of a site which probably does translation using human translators is the Scottrade website (www.scottrade.com). And if you visit, say, the Chinese version of the Scot Trade login page, you are likely to notice that the translation done there is very refined: the sort of translation that can only be done by human translators.

Difficulties You are Likely to Encounter When Developing an Automatic Web-Based Languages Translation Tool

29. January 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Foreign language

There are several difficulties that you are likely to encounter when developing an automatic web-based languages translation tool.

The first difficulty that you are likely to encounter, when developing an automatic web-based languages translation tool, is on account of the fact that languages tend to differ greatly in terms of logic. Thus, people may have difficulties making sense of the output from the translation tool.

The second difficulty that you are likely to encounter, when developing an automatic web-based languages translation tool, is on account of the fact that some words have no perfect equivalents in other languages. Some single words may have to be translated into phrases and vice versa.

The third difficulty that you are likely to encounter, when developing an automatic web-based languages translation tool, is on account of the fact that the rules of grammar tend to vary considerably from language to language. Having developed the translation tool, you may test it by having it translate a website – like, say, www.gmcard.com into a language like, say, French. What you are likely to notice is the fact that although the translation of the GM Card site you end up with may be perfect, it is nonetheless likely to have lots of grammatical errors. Those would be attributable to the differences in the grammar rules between English and French.

Is It Prudent to Take a Student Loan to Go Through a Foreign Language Course?

14. January 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Foreign language

The question as to whether it is prudent to take a student loan to go through a foreign language course is one that career counselors have to deal with on a regular basis. The question is best answered on a case by case basis. But the basic answer is along the lines that, so long as one is planning to use the foreign language knowledge hence acquired productively (to earn cash), then taking a student loan to go through a foreign language course is indeed prudent.

What is worth noting is the fact that, in four-year and two-year colleges, foreign language courses are just as expensive as other courses. What you also get to learn from sites like my ed account is the fact that the loans taken by folks studying foreign languages are due for repayment just as soon as all other student loans. Just as the process of applying for student government loans is uniform, so is the process of repaying the loans. So the point we are making is this: you need to figure out whether your mastery of a foreign language is likely to give you money. If it isn’t, it would probably be imprudent for you to take a student loan to go through the foreign language course.

Career Paths Taken By Folks Who Study Foreign Languages in College

26. December 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Language

There are several career paths that are typically taken by folks who study foreign languages in college.

The first career path that is typically taken by folks who study foreign languages in college is the one where they join the diplomatic services.

Another career path that is typically taken by folks who study foreign languages in college is the one where they become translators.

Yet another career path that is typically taken by folks who study foreign languages in college is the one where they become teachers (at various levels).

It becomes necessary for these students to think of career paths early on because, when all is said and done, most of them go to school with borrowed money. If you go through most of what folks apply for when filling in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at, among other places, wwwfafsagov.net you will realize that it is mostly borrowed money (student loans), with just a few inconsequential grants thrown in. That being the case, it becomes necessary for the student to chart out a career path, before borrowing money to go to school. Any other course of action can lead to great regrets later on: when the lenders who financed the studies start asking for their money.

Ways in Which You Can Avail Learning Materials to Students of Foreign Languages

26. November 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Foreign language

There are several ways in which you can avail learning materials to students of foreign languages.

The first way in which you can avail learning materials to students of foreign languages would be by use of the postal service. This is about printing out the learning materials, and then emailing them.

The second way in which you can avail learning materials to students of foreign languages would be by setting up a website, from where the materials can be downloaded. The website in question can be a private one, where only the students with passwords can download the materials and where only a fixed number of downloads are allowed per student to avoid plagiarism or piracy of the materials.

The third way in which you can avail learning materials to students of foreign languages would be by handing them out in person.

The fourth way in which you can avail learning materials to students of foreign languages would be by emailing them, as attachments. The students who don’t have emails can be encouraged to set up accounts specifically for this purpose. As you can learn from this blog, neither the yahoomail.com sign up procedures nor the ymail.com login procedures are hard, and there is no reason as to why anyone should have difficulties creating an email account where learning materials can subsequently be sent.