2. Languages are unique
• There are hundreds of
languages in the world.
• Each language requires
a different approach in
translation.
• Unique challenges with
unique lingual
attributes.
3. Translation services or
independent translators
• Whoever you hire to do translation will have to
address the problems with the associated language.
• Be aware of problems beforehand so that you know
what to look for.
• Have some sort of quality assurance mechanism in
place.
4. Spanish problem 1
• Spanish verb conjugations work
differently.
• Verbs are in infinitive form in
Spanish, then conjugated.
• Works differently in English
Solution:
• Translation goes sentence by
sentence.
• Don’t always be literal.
5. Spanish problem 2
• Spanish word count is 25-30% longer than English
word count.
• Can cause problems with websites or documents with
limited word count.
Solution:
• Machine translation can help reduce wordiness.
• Quality control processes such as editing can reduce
word count.
6. French problem 1
• So much similarity between
French and English.
• Mistranslations can happen
when a similar phrase is
assumed to have the same
meaning.
• Meanings have evolved
separately, but have same
roots.
Solution:
• Don’t make assumptions.
7. Chinese problem 1
• Difference between sentence
structures.
• English is mostly SVO structure.
• Chinese can be OSV or any other
variation.
Solution:
• Understand when it’s more natural
for what part of the sentence goes
where.
8. Chinese problem 2
• Leaving out grammatical aspects of a Chinese
sentence is common.
• Different things are left to context in Chinese than in
English.
Solution:
• Anything that is left out in an English sentence should
be included in translation.
• Once translation is done, unnecessary words will be
taken out.
9. Japanese problem 1
• English uses a SVO sentence
structure.
• Japanese uses a SOV
structure.
• Translation will seem unnatural
to English speaker.
Solution:
• Know that the verb will appear
at the end of the sentence,
instead of the middle.
10. Japanese problem 2
• Japanese patent translation requires proper form.
• No prepositions are equivalent to English prepositions.
• Subject isn’t necessary for every sentence.
Solution:
• Know which instances require leaving a subject out.
• Know which particles function similarly to prepositions.
11. Bottom line
• Learn what you need to know about each foreign
language translation ahead of time.
• Hire a company that has excellent quality
assurance and control.
• Look for someone that has native lingual
experience.
