French and English translations – The Challenging Aspects
May 10th, 2009Though there is a reasonable number of similarities between the French and English languages, French to English and English to French translation is not exactly a cakewalk. There are certain potential areas of pitfalls which if not taken into account can result into botched up translations.
Though they belong to the same family of languages that is the Indo-European family, French and English split long back and have over the years become quite strict about their distinct identities. The differences have largely risen from the divergent literary traditions of the two languages.
The English language frowns upon long sentences, while on the other hand it is quite common to find such sentences in French. So while translating from French into English, a language translation expert has to ensure that all such long sentences should be broken into palatable pieces for English readers. If this is not done then the translation would make for a difficult and clumsy read. However, breaking up sentences has its own peril that is one has to do away with the pace of the original content. So a translator has to manage this part very carefully to ensure that there is minimum loss in translation.
The other frequent area of problem in French English translation stems from the fact that French uses verb conjugation and noun gender while English uses conjugation only sometimes and grammatical gender never. This creates problems in the proper positioning of noun phrases and their modifiers in French to English translations.
French translation is the way to go
April 20th, 2009This is both for people who require French translation for commercial expansion and those who provide language translation services or plan to get into the business. From the point of view of translation the French language provides the most profitable opportunities. Consider the following facts –
- Apart from English the most popular languages used in the corporate world include Spanish, French and Chinese. Out of these French has 265 million speakers spread across 35 countries, these countries have a continuing requirement for English to French translation.
- French is one of the most popularly spoken languages in Europe. It is also quite simple to learn which makes it a widely comprehended language. This also makes French the language of choice for both business people interested in overseas business, as well as translators targeting the European countries.
- Its popularity in Europe has influenced Global organizations like the UN and the NATO to settle for French as the language of choice over English.
- A list of 10 most influential global languages put together by Weber ranked French in the second position right after English. The list was compiled after taking into account various factors related to languages like population of first and second language speakers, economic strength of the countries using the languages and primary areas of communication in which the languages were used all over the world.
The results speak for themselves- with French and English languages being the giants among world languages, French to English and English to French translation promises golden opportunities for a long time to come.
French Translator - Choosing the right one
February 27th, 2008A translator’s job is not as simple as it may appear on the face of it because it means being able to do much more than simply replace words in one language with words in another language. It also differs from being an interpreter in that translation refers mainly to writing the translated work while interpreter means speaking in the target language.
A French translator will thus be someone who must create translated text that is lucid and which is easy to read in the target language. So, in order to hire either an online French translator or a physical translator, you need to first of all learn a few things about how to select the proper translator.
The best way to ensure that you hire only the best French translator is by making sure to choose a person or firm of translators that are accredited. With an accredited translator, you can be sure that they will provide you with the best translated works because they are sure to follow the proper standards and thus ensure both accuracy as well as quality.
Secondly, you must approve the prospective translator’s previous translated samples. In most cases, it is also better to go with a translator whose native tongue is French. The best French to English translator would be one who is either French or whose mother tongue is French. However, just being a native French speaker does not guarantee proper translation abilities and so you must also check that the translator has adequate prior experience in doing French translation.
The bottom line is that the best way to protect your interests is to hire a French translator who has adequate experience, and who can show excellent samples of previously translated works and who is also accredited as well. Making a wise decision in hiring the best will prove to be a win-win situation for everyone and so, by following these guidelines, you should not have any difficulty in hiring a French translator of proven ability.
French Translator: Know the Basics
February 25th, 2008Aspiring French translators, in order to shine in the profession, they need to be good at two aspects: one, obviously, the language skills, and the second is technical knowledge.
Language skills refers to the command in the particular language – in this case, French – its grammar and vocabulary, idioms, phrases, and those needed to translate the other language(s) to French and vice versa (for example, Translation from English to French and back).
Technical knowledge, on the other hand, talks about one’s domain knowledge and his/her skills to explain a concept or term(s) that has no direct translation available in one or both of the languages. Only a person who has in-depth knowledge in both the languages would be able to handle such situations effectively, sans compromising the word meaning.
Language translation is an art and in order to master it, there is no better method available than learning the tricks of the trade by doing the job oneself. While working as a French translator in some professional French translation firm, you’ll get a chance to gauge your language skills against the demand, and see where you stand at the end of the day.
Also, it is imperative that one works hard on his/her language skills continuously.
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