בלוג

Summary: Certified translations for USCIS are required for foreign language documents supporting citizenship or naturalization applications. What documents are required? What should you pay attention to?

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is that part of the federal government that has jurisdiction over citizenship and immigration issues.  

1. What is a certificate of translation?
A formal statement in which a translator shows that they have accurately translated a foreign-language document into English. Any foreign language document must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and correct, and by the translator's certification that they are competent to translate the foreign language into English.

2. Who needs this?
Anyone who is immigrating to the United States of America (USA) or applying for naturalization.

3. What documents need to be certified?
Any and all documents submitted to support an application or petition are required to also have an English translation. This translation must be accompanied by a certification from the translator that attests the translation is both complete, accurate and that the translator is competent. Examples include birth certificates, marriage certificates, college transcripts, and police records.

And it’s important to know what information the USCIS  requires in a document. In some cases where the original document is lengthy countries will issue an ‘extract’ version of the document. These ‘extract’ documents will be accepted only if they contain the required information and if they were produced by an authorized official. (the “keeper of record”)

4. Do all translators offer this service?
No, not all translation services provide this service. Be sure that this service is offered before you engage with any translation service. MotaWord will usually return your certified translation within hours of being submitted. Read more about MotaWord’s USCIS certified translations here. or watch our Video: MotaWord Certified Translation

5. When am I required to have certified translations?
There are several scenarios in which you’ll need your non-English documents to have certified translations. Those include:

• Legal proceedings such as trials or hearings
• Immigration applications
• College applications
• Corporate and Business documentation
  • Documents might include, financial reports, contracts, patent filings. Additionally, businesses hiring a new employee may require: medical records, bank statements, passports, and visas

Here is one of the main reasons why you should choose MotaWord to handle your certified translations for USCIS. The largest immigration platform in the United States does and we are proud of our work with them. You can read more about how MotaWord provides USCIS ready translation service to Envoy Global every day, saving time, money and hassle to their clients here: https://www.motaword.com/cases/certified-translations-envoy

Useful Resources

How do I apply for U.S. citizenship? (PDF)
USCIS Resources in Other Languages

Summary: For non-English speaking computer programming students, do the benefits of learning to code in an “English translation” outweigh learning in a foreign language?

Reading this article on Wired.com CODING IS FOR EVERYONE—AS LONG AS YOU SPEAK ENGLISH got me thinking about language learning and learning to be a software developer.

In software programming, there are keywords that are part of the vocabulary used to write a given software program. Most software languages originated in an English language speaking country. So to write code in that programming language, developers have had to learn the English-based vocabulary. Does this disadvantage non-English speakers learn to write code? And what advantages might there be in learning a programming language in what might be called, an English translation or version?

The challenge could be daunting. But many people believe that the benefits of a large community who share the same code and support resources far outweigh the negatives of learning to code in English-based or an English translation version.

And working with MotaWord's software developers, all of whom are not native English speakers, I have the perfect group to talk to about English translations, reading code, and writing code in English. I grabbed MotaWord's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Oytun Tez for his perspective. Below is an interview, edited for length and clarity.

MD: Ok, thanks for agreeing to this interview. This is a series of questions about learning English and your journey as a programmer. How old were you when you learned to speak English?

OT: I probably started learning English and coding at the same time, which is around like 10 or 12 years old.

MD: Did you encounter English language keywords in those programming languages, separately from your conversational English?

OT: Definitely. I had two vocabularies. One is coding English vocabulary. And one is the social vocabulary. So for instance, I learned many keywords such as Declare, and Constant. Those things are coming from my coding vocabulary. Whereas I wasn't really exposed to those words in my social English. There's a big alignment there, they support each other.

MD: Would it have been easier to learn coding had it been in Turkish, your native language?

OT: I don't think so. I don't think it would have a huge contribution to that, really.
It may even be better to learn it in English as a second language because coding is a different mindset. You don't see that kind of mindset in real life. So it's okay to learn this vocabulary so that you have a more coherent understanding of that paradigm.

MD: ...because natural language, our conversational language is so nuanced. It has connotations. It doesn't have the strictness and formality of mathematical language. 

OT: Yeah, because you're learning that alien language in a very structured, very strict way as you said. I guess it lets you concentrate on just the content of the word instead of its relations with social life. Like when I see “Class”, which is a coding term. I don't immediately remember a classroom. Because I don't have that native connection. But now I have a very good understanding of “Class” in programming, unrelated to the social word “Class”.

MD: Would you guess that say, a Chinese or Korean person would find viewing an English translation or version to be a barrier when learning to code?

OT: I think the formal differences such as the shape of the expression -  you only see them in the first few experiences of learning how to code. So after a month, let's say, you're not really seeing those things. Because they're just shapes for you. And you have other meanings about those shapes in your mind. As long as you know how to type then it doesn't matter what they look like. They could just consider it the coding language. It doesn't really have to be in the Latin alphabet. It can be any language as long as I know which character is which meaning. 

MD: Right. So you have a visual association between those characters and the concepts that they represent. 

OT: Yeah. Now that you ask, I'm imagining a programming language with Chinese characters. Let's say they don't look as complicated as they do now to me. I guess I could have a similar experience. It will be alien until I learned the syntax and how to memorize those symbols. And then it's just using them.

MD: Right. Well, thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts on learning to code, English translations, and learning to
code as a non-native English speaker.

Supporting Oytun Tez’s view is a video: 



Speaking with another team member here at MotaWord, Priya Ajit, Director of Business Development, she had some additional thoughts:

In my opinion, I think it will be difficult to have a multilingual software language, as there will be very limited online resources & communities of developers. All the current software languages have existing vast online resources to help and guide programmers in case of any issue or to further enhance their knowledge. This might not be a possibility in case of a multilingual software language.

However, if this can be solved, then it would definitely increase the possibility for any person to become a programmer even if his/her knowledge of the English language is limited or none.

There are, in fact, are examples of programming languages that were both created and exits in non-English languages. These typically have their English translation versions too. You can read more here:
Non-English-based programming languages (Wikipedia)

And if you’re a foreign-born programmer considering working in the U.S. you’ll need certified translations of your important documents. Not to worry. Read an example here:
Get A Certified Translation From Spanish To English For USCIS

Summary: Should the German translation of your content be localized or globalized? With three forms of standard German, you will still need to know your audience.

German is the official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland.

German is spoken by 95 million native speakers around the world (Wikipedia)
Countries by percentage of German speakers:

  0-1% German-Speaking

  1-5% German-Speaking

  50%+ German-Speaking

(Source: Wikipedia)

Standard Forms of German (Source: Wikipedia) 

  

German Standard German - as the name would imply, this is the dialect spoken and written in Germany. This is the variety of German that is most frequently taught in schools internationally. There are regional differences to this variety of German language. 

Swiss Standard German is also called Swiss High German. This version is one of four official languages in Switzerland and is mostly used as a written, not speak the language. What is spoken in Switzerland is Swiss German. Swiss German is also referred to as Alemannic German. 

Are you confused enough yet? A German translation could be any one of the previously mentioned dialects. How then does one do a German translation of a video or audio recording? Amateurs should not try this at home. It can only end in tears for your company’s marketing department.  But wait! There’s one more type of standard German to be accountable for.

Austrian  Standard German, spoken in Austria, is considered the most prestigious form and is used in formal settings and in the media. For casual situations, Austrians will use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects. 

For a taste of the variety of dialects in Germany alone you’ll enjoy this:

Me speaking in 12 GERMAN DIALECTS!

Wrestling with this topic might seem daunting but it’s worth remembering that Germany alone is a prized market to be in. Read our blog on this topic. The Case For German Translation - you’ll see that the reward could be well worth the effort.

Let’s focus more on localizing and how a business should approach this task through the lens of Spanish translations. The principles are exactly the same regardless of the specific language.   

Read: Spanish Translation For Your Website: Which Spanish?

Now that I’ve scared you sufficiently with many of the larger linguistic landmines you should be aware of, it’s time to provide a guide for how to think about a German translation of your content.    

To globalize or to localize? 

   

That is the question!
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous mistranslations

I think you get where we’re going with this. For your business, your choice of a German translation can have significant consequences.   

What does it mean to globalize a German translation? The quick answer is Standard German but if you go to this Wikipedia link you’ll see it lists German Standard German, Austrian Standard German, and Swiss Standard German. So once again, it is better to do careful diligence and/or hire an expert to understand your target audience and what the best match will be for globalizing

If you have a clearly defined audience that speaks the same dialect then the choice is easy (easy is a relative term here). Localize for that audience’s variety of German. Again, it’s best to hire an expert company. We know that MotaWord has both the skilled translators and the experience needed to localize your content. That guarantees you’ll be completely satisfied with the result. And our platform generates a constantly updating glossary so that each successive localization takes advantage of our prior experience. 

Let us know if you have further questions and we’ll gladly address them. After all, you can reach us 24/7 just by visiting www.motaword.com.

Summary: How must your company think about localizing your content in French? A French translation for Quebec differs from a French translation in Switzerland or France.

Where is French spoken? 

Source: Wikipedia

What are the challenges your company will face when trying to reach French-speaking audiences worldwide? What’s at stake here? It could go a couple of ways. You can effectively engage and sell to your new market or instead you could confuse and alienate this new market with an inappropriate French translation. You need to understand if there is a ‘Standard French’ that will be universally understood or if the market you are trying to reach requires a specific dialect. Put another way, you need to know how to navigate the linguistic and cultural waters and avoid the hidden reefs and shoals that can wreck your ship.

A brief humorous interlude on linguistic ambiguity from the classic, The Princess Bride.

 

To craft an effective French translation of your content you need to wrap your head around the concept of a ‘Standard French’ versus a French translation that has been localized for a specific country or region. For perspective on a standard or global French start with “Standard French”  on Wikipedia.

We make a case for targeting a specific language market here: Speak to Global Customers in Their Own Language. Now would be a good time to check that article out to see why we press this issue.

The French Language: By the Numbers

Source: diplomatie.gouv

• 300 million people worldwide speak French
• 5th most spoken language in the world after, Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, and Arabic
• 29 countries have French as the official language
• 2nd most used language, after English, in diplomacy
• 3rd most used language in business

How many dialects of French are there in the world? There are 29, including Belgian, Quebec, Swiss, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Haitian French to name a few.

Select E-commerce Markets in French Speaking Countries

Source: statistica.com

France

• Annual Revenue $50 billion (2019 est.)
• The e-commerce penetration rate of 77.4% (2019 est.)

Quebec

• Annual Revenue $9.1 billion (2018)
• E-commerce penetration rate 58% (2018)

While not specifically a French translation recommendation, generally there are a few things that will help you succeed when entering into a new market.

• Do your research and consult with experts to learn the buying habits of the new target market. 
• Make the new website appear to be native to that country. Did you know that 62% of Canadian e-commerce buyers prefer to buy from a ‘.ca’ address? Of course, that makes sense but as you plan your go to market strategy you might not remember it.

To continue with the Canadian example here’s a quick read on 3 website improvements that will help you sell to Canadians

Finally, you can read about Irena, one of MotaWord’s many professional translators doing French translation work. She does French translations into English and German with particular care. German Translator in Switzerland: A Translator Shares Their Life

And… for a free quote on your French translation or any of your translation needs, 24/7, click this link.

Summary: For French translations, how much influence should the Académie Française have in how foreign words are rendered in French?

A few weeks ago, March 3, 2019, there was an article in the New York Times, The guardians of the French Language Are Deadlocked, Just Like Their Country. It piqued my interest since discussions of language usage are so often proxies for larger societal issues such as class and race. We won’t go down that road but it does make things… interesting, to say the least.

Rules, Rules, Rules: Descriptive vs. prescriptive
Does anyone else remember being taught in school that “like” should not be used as a comparative? We were told the correct word to use is “as”. That was prescriptive and few people were willing to abide by that rule. The cigarette brand, Winston, famously played on this rule with their long-running ad, 'Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should'. By contrast, the descriptive view is that if a majority of people use a word or phrase and it conveys meaning then it becomes an acceptable part of the language. 

The example that may irritate purists:
Less (sic) people avoid using ‘like’ than in bygone years. 
Would anyone like to go to the mat and wrestle me over using “fewer’ instead of ‘less’?
Read the fewer/less rules and pick a side.

For a more extended explanation of prescriptive versus descriptive grammar read, Linguistic prescription. In most countries, these kinds of discussions take place in academia, bookstores, and college coffee shops. But France has a tradition of being particular about how the French language is used. English incorporates vocabulary and grammar from multiple sources. 

Speaking of prescriptive, you’ll enjoy watching this classic scene from the movie, My Fair Lady, that deals with ‘proper’ English language usage.



History of the Académie française
In 1635 Cardinal Richelieu, a cleric and chief minister to King Louis XIII, founded the Académie française to protect and preserve the French language. The academy existed for 60 years before they published their first dictionary, the Dictionnaire de l’Académie française. Across three centuries and the publication of nine editions the academy is considered to be the definitive word on what is correct and pure French. They are famous for rejecting new terms from other languages, especially Anglicisms (English derived words). The Academy prefers a French translation over one originated in another language.

Examples of these French translations are:

• buzz – ramdam
• tuning – bolidage
• chat – éblabla

So who are these, ‘so-called’ immortals? They are the forty members of the academy who collectively make these judgments as to what is acceptable in the French language. They are typically esteemed members of academia, respected authors, retired government officials among other society notables. Each applies to be a member and if elected serves for life. It doesn’t mean they live forever so perhaps the name is a misnomer.

Can the Académie française stop the rise of Anglicisms in French?

How do French translators approach a French translation with regard to a descriptive or prescriptive orientation for proper usage? This often depends on who is the intended audience of a text. And that then determines whether to localize the French translation for a particular geographic region or attempt a more universally understood, globalized version of your French translation. 

We’ve written about the question of whether to localize or globalize and on different dialects in a given language. Here are two that are immediately relevant:

French Translation? Which French?

Spanish Translation For Your Website: Which Spanish?

Any questions translations? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We specialize in making you comfortable with our translation services.

Summary: This snapshot of the Japanese economy gives insights into the value of a Japanese translation and localizing your website and marketing content for this market.

Japan is a powerhouse economy and must be a part of your plan when you take your company global. Companies globalizing, on average, will have their marketing in thirty-two languages. You can be sure that a Japanese translation is foremost among those. But knowing the market, culture, and business practices are all part of entering any market, not in one’s home country. So a Japanese translation of your content must be more than an exercise in word matching. Let’s learn more about Japan.

Population
(Source: CIA Factbook)
126 million

Economic Overview 
(Source: CIA Factbook)
The 4th largest economy in the world
GDP Per Capita PPP: $42,900 (2017 est.)

Japan’s Main Industries 
(Source: worldatlas.com)

Agriculture
Farming in Japan is highly regulated with stringent protections for small farmers. The small amount of arable land has forced efficiencies and yields the highest level of crop output per unit in the world. While rice imports are subject to tariffs of up to 777%, Japan imports large quantities of both soybeans and wheat. A trend to watch? How agricultural technology will be affected by the aging farm owners.

Manufacturing
Manufacturing in Japan is a well-known success story and makes up 24% of its GDP. They are a world leader in electronics, semiconductors, fiber optics, and office electronics. Other strong industries include biochemistry and food fermentation. Perhaps Japan’s best-known industry is the automotive industry which produces tires, parts, and components (e.g. engines) for vehicles.

Fishing
Japan’s fishing industry is the 4th largest in the world. This is a mix of small boats, (⅓) medium-sized boats, (½) with the balance going to large vessels. Also included in this industry are fish farms and hatcheries that makeup 30% of Japan’s fishing industry.

Tourism
In 2012 there were 8.3 million visitors to Japan, making it the most visited country in the Asia / Pacific region. By 2013 the number of visitors had grown to 11.25 million. With the 2020 Olympics coming to Japan the government predicts there will be 20 million visitors per year by then. Popular destinations are the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto (for the beautiful temples there) and Hokkaido.

Other 
Other industries make up a majority of the economic output of Japan. Among these are mining, oil exploration, and the service industry. Services include real estate, insurance, banking, retail, telecom, and transport.

Internet and Mobile Phone Penetration
Internet Penetration 91% (2018)
Number Internet Users 117 million
Number of mobile internet users 66.6 million 
*Largest share of internet users - 55 yrs. old and male*

If you plan to enter the Japanese market then knowing the above demographic information is essential to how you position your product or service. And localizing your content, not just translating it, is something you should keep in mind when you do your Japanese translation. Read our blog on this topic: The Case for Localization

E-commerce 
Source: statistica.com

Internet Penetration in Japan 
(Source: statistica.com)

At present, there are an estimated 103 million online shoppers in Japan. By 2023 that number is predicted to grow to 108 million. Per person, e-commerce shoppers are estimated to spend $836 (USD) annually with the 2023 projection being $961 (USD).  As a total online spend that means going from $86 billion (USD) to $104 billion (USD).

What should you do with all this information? Whether it’s $86 billion or $104 billion, you need a Japanese translation of your content for your internationalization efforts.

Market Outlook
A big driver of Japan’s economy will continue to be those businesses connected to caring for Japan’s aging population. Healthcare, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Robotics, and Big Data will all come into play. Will your company be part of this trend?

Learn more: Why Japan’s Aging Population Is An Investment Opportunity

Watch this video on Japan: Economic Health Check, from the International Monetary Fund





For more on how Japan’s aging population will affect its economy read: Why Japan’s Aging Population Is An Investment Opportunity

Read our blog, Why Should You Run Your Website Localization Project On MotaWord

And… for a free quote on your Japanese translation or any of your translation needs, 24/7, click this link.

Korean Translation is hard?

The English playwright, George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying, “ England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” North and South Korea have a similar linguistic divide.

We talked about the importance of Korean translation in our article, aptly titled “Korean Translation, Why?” Giving that a quick read would be a good idea now if you have not already done so. This article is about a bit more than that.

Defectors from North Korea, having surmounted one barrier, face another when trying to navigate a disorienting form of the Korean language. There are terms in the language in South Korean relating to technology, laws, and culture that North Koreans have never encountered and might as well be Greek. (Yes, MotaWord can do Greek translations. More on that later...)

Much like the variants in species that are found on the Galapagos Islands off of Ecuador, the Korean language spoken in North and South Korea has diverged after seventy years of separation following World War II.

The article, Why Are North and South Korea Divided? gives a thorough and ultimately sad account of the Soviet Union and the US of A’s agreement to divide Korea. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the language from North Korea has integrated some Russian terms while the language from South Korea has adopted American terms.

How does South Korea try to integrate North Koreans into society?

• 3 months required training for defectors
• Seoul's Ministry of Unification routinely publishes lists of common words that confuse defectors - a Korean translation of new terms if you will...
• Private groups teach English to help with those words that have seeped into South Korea
• There’s even an app, UniVoca that translates South Korean terms into those that can be understood by North Koreans, lets you build a vocabulary list and translate terms by scanning them with the phone’s camera

And there’s a joint initiative underway between the two countries to create a comprehensive Korean dictionary Gyeoremal Keunsajeon, that lists all the words common to both North and South as well as the terms that are different in each country. Funny as it sounds, that will make a South Korean translation to North Korean translation more possible.

For those who enjoy fun videos rather than reading this is a good one explaining the difference between the 2 Korean dialects:



According to the Foreign Service Institute, Korean is one of the five most difficult languages for English speakers to learn. Read about their rankings of language difficulty. And given how different Korean is from English, Korean translations must be done by competent translators. The complexity of the syntax, nuance involved and need to understand context all make translating between English and Korean more challenging than between a European language and English.

For businesses looking to have a presence in the South Korean market here are a few facts to note:

• The economy is the 4th largest in Asia and 11th in the world
• They have a high standard of living
• The unemployment rate has averaged 3% over the past 10 years (the US unemployment rate is nearly double that)
• Their education systems are ranked #1 on many global lists of educational systems by country

This would make a strong argument for having your business enter this market. And once you decide that entering this market is the best course of action, the next step is to have a Korean translation of your content. Let MotaWord handle this important job and you can be sure to enter this market in a way that best represents your company. After all, we do this for many of the world’s top brands (see our Client Showcase)

These previous blog posts can also aid you in selecting MotaWord as your trusted partner for your English to Korean translations:

• Why Should You Run Your Website Localization Project On MotaWord?
• Ensuring Accurate Translations With MotaWord
• Translate your business card into Korean

Summary: The Spanish language translations of the leading Democratic candidates for President range from sloppy to poor to missing. They need to do better.

Sometimes the universe drops a gift in your lap. The messengers bearing this gift to MotaWord were some of the leading Democratic candidates for President. What is that gift? They proved that quality language translations are best done by professionals. That would be us and our over 16,000 translators at MotaWord.

In a recent article in Politico, the candidates were faulted for having Spanish language translations of their campaign websites that were sloppy, error-riddled, awful or non-existent. Proving once more that a credible Spanish language translation of a website must be done by language experts - either a qualified person in-house or by an experienced professional.

Campaign 2020 Special Offer
MotaWord is eager to help your presidential campaign. Contact us and we’ll support you.

On the topic of the Spanish language, translations read our prior blog: Spanish Language Translation For Your Website: Which Spanish?

Politico.com reviewed the Spanish language translations of each candidate’s website and rated them on the quality of the translation. In many cases, the results did not instill confidence in their competence or their commitment to engaging with Spanish speaking voters. They ranged from bad to merely sloppy or in some cases, a candidate had no Spanish translation of their website. (Really? In 2019?)

So what happened?
That depends on whose site you were looking at. The primary suspect, a “web tool of interest” is Google Translate. For those who are monolingual, this has been a great way to get the gist of an article with a Spanish translation. We can see that much is wrong but it gives us enough to know the general meaning. Google Translate is not yet remotely good enough to produce a finished product, especially if your goal is to win the hearts and minds of a crucial voting bloc.

The Gory Details. Who did what? 
This won’t be a comprehensive survey. Politico.com did a terrific job and we link to that below. But here are some of the faux pas (or in Spanish, ‘metida de pata’) that were found.

• Grade: A-       
  Cory Booker, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, and Jay Inslee each received this grade and were faulted on minor typos on their websites. Jay Inslee was given credit for good use of technical language relating to climate change.
  
  
• Grade: B+
  The websites of Julián Castro and Kirsten Gilibrand needed more attention to detail, such as input forms, better headlines and translating videos. (with either captioning or voice-overs) Like myself, Julián Castro’s mother is Chicana but he does not speak Spanish fluently. And like mine, many families, when faced with discrimination, made their children speak English only, to avoid the potential stigma. (I’ve been playing catchup ever since)
  
  
• Grade: C
  Elizabeth Warren’s site was graded C+ and Amy Klobuchar was graded C. They each contained errors and Klobuchar’s content matched the output of Google Translate and were thus error-filled.
  
  
• I (Incomplete) or F
  These candidates, who we won’t shame any more than they have already been shamed, either had their landing page in a Spanish Language translation (poorly done) or had no Spanish Language website at all. Dios mío! Come on people. 

• Machinery, Automotive, and Aviation
• Chemical and Medical
• Consumer and Services
• Energy and Environmental Technology 
• Electronics and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 

Security and confidentiality are built into MotaWord’s DNA. We offer more features to ensure your security and confidentiality than most other translation services. At MotaWord, we use an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate, closed servers, and our beloved vetted translator base who sign non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements before they start their first project.

As working professionals, it becomes increasingly dangerous to trust machine translation with sensitive material that you use for your business. You don’t want to copy and paste sensitive content into Google Translate, where any hacker can dig a little and gain all the secrets you didn’t want to share while trying to grow your company globally. This is counter-productive. Instead, it is imperative to find a translation service that is committed to your confidentiality and security, and for this, is your ultimate translation services provider. 

When it comes to security and confidentiality, MotaWord goes above and beyond the norms of the translation industry. With our unique workflow, we create default to creating safeguards that adjust to our customer’s needs by treating each word as sacred. We never email your document to a crowd, we always encrypt, and we treat every client document as we would an ATM pin. Every linguist working under the MotaWord name is consistently and meticulously monitored and recorded.

The translation services industry norm has vulnerability built into its core. Every day, Fortune 500 companies need their private documents translated in a secure and confidential manner. MotaWord does everything within its power to make sure that your document is reviewed only by the necessary individuals to deliver your high-quality translation 20 times faster than the competition.

When you receive a quote from one of our competitors, for example, your document is first emailed to a crowd of potential translators, and the service will create your quote based on the rates those translators require. This makes your document not only vulnerable en route via email, it allows people who may not even work on your document to receive it, and do what they wish with your information. MotaWord is different. Thanks to our evolving infrastructure, talented internal team and unique workflow, we implement translator vetting and high barrier workflows to ensure the safety of your content.

Translator Vetting
MotaWord offers its translators and expert linguists background checks, confidentiality and NDA agreements, and security-specific orientation training at the outset, then ongoing as their career with MotaWord progresses.

While most translation service companies stop there, we believe this is not enough. Our linguists are then actively monitored on each project. Upon customer request, assigned translators will be asked to re-sign confidentiality statements before joining a project. Every entry on our platform is recorded and reviewed. In the event that a violation occurs, we immediately suspend the offender from the project, and if there is a repeat in this behavior, they are removed from MotaWord permanently.

High Barrier Workflow

We never email customer data. When our translators receive project invitations, they only receive the word count and the price rate. It is only when they accept to work on the project that they enter into our secure dashboard, which provides only the text of your document to be translated, through our secure translator dashboard. 

We do not use DropBox, FTP downloads, or any other channels - everything is done through our protected platform. 

Our translation platform works by segmenting your document into hundreds or thousands of text “strings”, depending on the length of the document. These strings are then only editable to the single translator who chooses to translate that single string. While each individual string can technically be translated by a different linguist, our single proofreader model ensures the cohesion of the entire document.

By removing the original format of your document during the MotaWord translation process, we limit the visibility of your document within a secure environment. Your document is then re-formatted into the original form by our internal team and delivered to you.

Let’s say a translator accepts your project and takes a string to translate, but for whatever reason takes longer than 5 minutes to begin. This translator will be promptly and quickly kicked-off the string, and will not be able to re-assign themselves to that string. A translator cannot view more than 20 string in a document at one time, which limits the possibility of screen capture. 

Once your project is delivered, all the data involved with your project is completely removed from any active workspace within our platform. Archives are only accessible to the MotaWord internal team.

As a client, your translation memory (TM) is your property, not the property of MotaWord. TM for a project is only accessible to translators when your project is active.

All companies have content secrets varying in value; all of them can be protected with MotaWord. Do not unknowingly put your company at risk - invest in your confidentiality and order your translation with MotaWord.

For more information, please read our privacy policy.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: WIPO

Fernando Pessoa
13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935

“I’m beginning to know myself. I don’t exist. I’m the gap between what I’d like to be and what others have made of me. . .  That’s me. Period.”
-Fernando Pessoa

An increasingly eccentric Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher is found in Fernando Pessoa. Described as one of the most influential literary artists of the 20th century, Pessoa is one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language. Focused on Portuguese translation, this Famous Translators article is about Pessoa.

• Fernando Pessoa is regarded as the center of Portuguese modernism, writing much more than poems. He had a legendary trunk that he obsessively filled with loose pages of writings on philosophy, sociology, history, literary criticism, short stories, plays, the treatise on astrology and several autobiographical reflections.
  
  
• Pessoa often wrote and published under different names. While this publishing strategy is most widely known as writing under a pseudonym, Pessoa insisted on coining his own term for the practice - he preferred to call them heteronyms. This is just one example of the many ways Pessoa chose to distinguish himself as an eccentric. These heteronyms were not just names - he created individuals with their own history, biography, personal characteristics, and literary style.
  
  
• Portuguese translation was also an occupation for Pessoa. In addition to translating from Portuguese, he also worked in translation with English and French.
  
  
• Among the titles he is responsible for translating into Portuguese is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the short stories "The Theory and the Hound", "The Roads We Take" and "Georgia's Ruling" by O. Henry, the poetry "Godiva" by Alfred Tennyson, "Lucy" by William Wordsworth, "Barbara Frietchie" by John Greenleaf Whittier, "Catarina to Camoens" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and "The Raven", "Annabel Lee" and "Ulalume" by Edgar Allan Poe.
  
  
• After his death, a large trunk was found amongst his possessions. This trunk contained twenty-five thousand manuscript pages, written by Pessoa himself. A testament to his graphomaniacal productivity, any and every kind of paper was found in the trunk, covered in Pessoa’s handwriting. Loose sheets, notebooks, stationery, on the backs of letters, envelopes; it seems any scrap of paper within his reach was a contender to house one of Pessoa’s ideas.
  
  
• Fernando Pessoa’s trunk now rests in Portugal’s National Library, containing the masterpieces that acclaim him as the greatest Portuguese Poet of his century.

Pessoa’s graphomaniacal nature proved successful both during and after his lifetime. Not much is known about his personal life, but one can’t help but assume that someone with such a fervor for writing any time, anywhere, on anything - and hoarding it all in a trunk no less - he must not have had much time for any other voices other than his professional passions and their Portuguese translations.

Fernando Pessoa in numbers:

Number of heteronyms Fernando Pessoa created and wrote under. These figures were known to hold unpopular or extremist views.

Pessoa’s age when his father died. Two years later, his mother remarried a Portugues Consul and they moved to Durban, South Africa, where Pessoa would spend his formative years.

Pessoa’s age when he became completely fluent in English. This would be the year he would win the Queen Victoria prize for an English essay he wrote, chosen out of 890 entrants.

For The Guardian’s review of Fernando Pessoa’s most famous work, The Book of Disquiet, click here.
For interviews with Margaret Jull Costa, one of the more recent translators of The Book of Disquiet, click here and here.
For more figures in Portuguese translation, click here.



About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.
 
About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We will be researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog.
 
You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site. To help us make this segment more tailored to our community, contribute any comments, ideas for articles, or share your story. Please contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Oh! The Places You'll Go...with Translation: The Professional Translator's Experience with Dr. Seuss
• Translating the Horror Fiction by Stephen King
• The Professional Translation of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

Citations: PoetryInTranslation, NewYorker, OxfordHandbooks, SCReview, TheBritishLibrary

Did you already give a try to that podcast app on your smartphone? It’s time. Podcasts are having a cultural moment, with literally thousands and thousands of podcasts available and new ones launching every day all over the world. So if you’re looking for translation-peer advice, insight, and some stories, we have the definitive list of best translation podcasts you can listen to from the comfort of your smartphone.

Speaking of Translation is an occasional podcast about the language industry. The hosts are Eve Lindemuth Bodeux and Corinne McKay. Check out their latest episode — International payment methods for translators.

The World in Words is a podcast about languages and the people who speak them. What happens to the brain on bilingualism? Does it matter that so many languages are dying out? Why are Chinese tech words so inventive? Why does Icelandic have so many cool swearwords? The hosts are Patrick Cox and Nina Porzucki. Check out their latest episode — The sci-fi of another language and follow them on Twitter: @lingopod.

Globally Speaking is a podcast for and from language professionals about building awareness of how important translation and localization services are in helping global brands succeed in foreign markets — no matter where their business takes them. The hosts are Renato Beninatto and Michael W. Stevens. Check out their latest episode #76 — How Following the Herd Impacts Localization and follow them on Twitter: @GloballySpeak.

Translators On Air (formerly known as Blabbing Translators) is a weekly live talk show for translators and interpreters where viewers are invited to join the discussion on a variety of topics from video game localization to working with self-published authors. The hosts are Dmitry Kornykhov and Elena Tereshchenkova. Check out their latest episode — How far can your voice take you.

A Way with Words is a weekly public radio show and podcast about language examined through history, culture, and family: slang, old sayings, new words, grammar, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, speaking and writing well, word quizzes, language news and controversies. The hosts are Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Check out their latest episode #1521 — Spill the Tea and follow them on Twitter: @wayword.

Troublesome Terps is a roundtable-style podcast covering topics from interpreting space and the wider world of languages to help you explore the hidden linguistics gems around the world as they interview real people with real experiences. The hosts are Jonathan Downie, Alexander Gansmeier, are Alexander Drechsel. Check out their latest episode # 34 — The Crystal Ball of Interpreting and follow them on Twitter: @troubleterps.

In Other Words: Language Neutral is a weekly podcast for interpreters, translators, and linguists, where they discuss everything from languages, culture, diversity, current events and interpreter education with some high-profile guests from the industry. The host is Berthine Crevecoeur West. Check out their latest episode — New Era Introduction.

Do you listen to any other language-related podcasts? Let us know on social media. Don’t forget to mention @MotaWord, and we'll be sure to check them out.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Summary: Essential information for doing business in South Korea, including why you should translate your business card into Korean and proper Korean business etiquette. 

If you hope to be successful doing business in South Korea you’ll need to understand and abide by the cultural norms in that country. There are right and wrong ways to interact with people. You’ll maximize your chances of having a successful trip if you do your homework ahead of time.

When first meeting someone, how do you behave? What role does social status play in an interaction? The answer to these questions can make or break a meeting. Let’s look at what you need to know before we take a closer look at business cards.

Age and Status
Social interactions in Korea are determined by status. Understanding where someone is in the hierarchy is important. Status is defined by your role in an organization, what organization you work for, the university attended and your marital status. (Hey! We didn’t make these rules.)

Name
Family names, usually one syllable, are listed first and given names, usually, two syllables, are listed second. Example: Kim (family or surname), Jong-un (given name)

As you’ll see below, there are many areas that require westerners to set aside their existing ways of doing business and operate under a different set of rules. Other topics on you need to well versed in are:

• Gift Giving
• Greetings and Bowing
• Relationship Building
• How to Dress
• Gender Equality (or not)
• Negotiation Style
• Geopolitical Topics
• Preserving Face
• The Role of Dining

You can read about this in greater detail in Conducting Business In Korea

Korean Language Business Cards
And now to the topic that we are most concerned with today: the role that business cards play in Korean business culture. When traveling in Korea you must have a bilingual business card - English on one side and Korean on the other. How do you use them? When meeting someone:

• Remove your card from the case
• With the Korean language side up, and oriented to be easily read
• Pass the card with two hands
  • If your status is junior you will pass the card under the other card
  • If you status is senior you will pass the card over the other card
  • If your status is equal you will pass your card at the same height as the other card
• Once you have their card in your two hands you look at it thoughtfully to show respect
• If you are sitting down together place it on the table where you’ll be sitting
• If you aren’t going to sit together then place it in your card case. This shows respect.

Some Don’ts

• Do not stuff it into a pocket in your pants or jacket.
• Do not write on a Korean business card. You don’t (or at least you shouldn’t) write on someone’s fact

Here’s an excellent explainer video: 

MotaWord makes it simple and convenient for you to create your Korean language business card or one in any other language for that matter. Order your business card by:

Typing the information from your card into MotaWord. Typically this will be your

• Company Name
• First Name
• Last Name
• Title
• Street Address
• Telephone Number/s
• Email
• Company URL
• Company Tagline

We also accept documents in a variety of file formats. For a complete list of the file formats MotaWord accepts go here.
Do you have your trip to Korea planned? Get your Korean language business card taken care of today. Click this link to get an instant quote.

And in case you need to be convinced of the value of translating your content into Korean, read this article.

We will return a translation for your Korean language business card to you, often in minutes.

Summary: A case for the German translation of content and a look at the German startup ecosystems in various German cities. How are they different from US startup hubs? Why is a German translation of your content desirable?

German translation of English content is one of the most requested language pairs on MotaWord. Recently I attended an accelerator demo day for New York City’s German Accelerator. My hope was to see a representative range of German startups. A tall order when you think that accelerators’ cohorts don’t conveniently organize their startups as representatives of a country or industry. So real research into the German startup ecosystem was in order in an effort to understand whether German startups would also need German into English translation of their content (or any other language for that matter). I can safely report the pitches from the German companies I saw had been translated into flawless English.

German Startup Stats at a Glance
6,000 - 7,000 Startups in Germany (Startup Guide)
Nearly 30% of startup employees are non-German

The Three Main Legal Structures of Companies in Germany:

1. Sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen) 
2. Limited Liability Company (GmbH)
3. Civil law partnership (GbR)

Germany has many programs to support startups, including the IBB, Berlin’s business development bank. Make sure some of that support goes to localizing your content with German translations of your marketing materials!

More on setting up a business in Berlin here: What to know about setting up a company in Berlin

City Profiles  (Global Startup Ecosystem 2018 Report, Startup Guide, Valuer.ai)

• Berlin leads Germany with FinTech companies including consumer banking and B2B platforms as well as companies working on IoT (Internet of Things). Over the next ten years, this sector is expected to add 40,000 jobs. The German startup ecosystem gets support from corporate and government organizations, including industrial giant Bosch. With three major universities and the support of Bayer and Pfizer, Life Science German startups in Berlin also have a rich environment in which to grow.
  
  
• Munich, Germany’s 3rd largest city, is also third in funding startups. In 2017 17,000 new businesses were registered in Munich. FinTech, healthcare, and mobility lead the startup sectors in this city. Budding entrepreneurs are supported by the local universities, including The Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) and the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE).
  
  
• Hamburg is home to roughly 400 startups, coworking spaces, and programs and has headquarters for Google, Facebook, Hootsuite, and Yelp. The range of Hamburg’s startup industries includes logistics, media life sciences, aviation, the blockchain, fintech, and e-commerce.

Other important German startup cities are Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Karlsruhe.

What cultural differences exist between the US and Germany? The video below asserts that Germany is more risk-averse than the US. In particular German venture capital is averse to risk. Video: German versus American startup culture | Made in Germany

Maybe so, but generalizing has its dangers. The startup culture of Silicon Valley and New York City are very different so we have to be careful about the conclusions we draw. This reminds me of a favorite cautionary quote on this topic: “All models are wrong. Some are useful”

You might ask, “How does this help my company looking to enter the German market?” The answer: Remember that different markets have different requirements to succeed. That means, if you are serious about selling in Germany, you’ll need to localize your web content with a German translation for this market. MotaWord has years of experience delivering high-quality localized translations in over 90 languages. Read how we can help your company successfully enter new markets.

Why Should You Run Your Website Localization Project On MotaWord

To see just how easy and affordable it is to get a quality German translation for your website go MotaWord for a free quote 24/7.

MotaWord is your business partner for delivering high-quality translation at the lowest cost possible on the market. How can we prove it? Our company’s performance speaks for itself, with countless documents successfully translated to date, we consistently provide the best in quality translation on-time, and at an affordable price-point.

Our cloud-based API-enabled translation platform allows buyers to access the services of thousands of tested, qualified, expert linguists committed to providing accurate translation in record time. There is no other company on the market that does exactly what we do, at the price-point we offer. 

Our pricing includes a full translation and proofreading of the document you provide, completed at the deadline you require. We complete translations 20 times faster than our closest competitor and we have a very simple pricing structure 14 US cents per word for any language.

Of course, projects are the heart of MotaWord. Every time you log on to our site to upload your document and receive your quote, you will be able to add all of your documents, style guides, glossaries, as well as any combination of language pairs you require for your translation. Some modifications may be required depending on the file format and overall needs of the project, but our MotaWord internal team is always standing by, working 24 hours, 7 days a week around the globe to assist in any additions your project needs. 
When you upload your documents, glossaries, style guides, and anything else your project needs to ensure accurate translation, you will receive a single project detail with its total word count, price, language pairs, status, and related dates. Then, watch us work! As a client, you can access your project at any time through your dashboard, make comments to working translators, and view the progress of your project. Your account will be charged as soon as your project is launched for translation, and the price will also be shown on the project model in your dashboard.

In addition to our simple pricing basics, MotaWord has a few other tricks up our sleeves, should you want more out of your experience. It is likely that, as a client attached to a reputable company, you are eligible for our corporate account benefits. 

A corporate account with MotaWord will allow you to receive your translations actively, regularly, and of course, accurately, whenever you need them. As your company expands, your translations should be one step ahead. A corporate account will allow your organization to order services at any time and have your company be billed monthly.

After setup, you and your authorized team members will be able to order translation services at any time without the need for any payment information.

Within the account, hand picked, authorized linguists will be designated to translate your projects consistently, within your desired time-frame. Your corporate account will help you avoid minimum charges and allow you to order even a single sentence for translation and editing.

A corporate account is ideal for companies who have an ongoing need for translation services, at a specific volume, and at a discounted price. At MotaWord, we believe every company with global dreams deserves the excellent services we provide.

MotaWord is exceptional because we dramatically increase the productivity and skill of our translators by allowing them to share resources, work together, and learn from each other. It is at the core of this collaboration that allows us to offer you lightning fast translation at the highest quality in the shortest time.

Don’t believe us? Try us for yourself and order your translation today.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

Citations: PRWeb

Stan Lee
December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018

"Stan Lee was as extraordinary as the characters he created [...] A superhero in his own right to Marvel fans around the world, Stan had the power to inspire, to entertain and to connect. The scale of his imagination was only exceeded by the size of his heart."

    - Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger

The marvelous Stan Lee was a comic book writer, artist, and publisher. As editor-in-chief and chairman emeritus of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee was the face behind the booming superhero industry for decades until his death on November 12, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. Marvel Comics is widely considered as being one of two giants in the superhero franchise. Its parent company, Marvel Entertainment, is an owned subsidiary by the Disney Company. Marvel Comics and Marvel Entertainment have revolutionized the entertainment industry, but have also affected global cultural sensibilities. With the idea that any ordinary person can be a superhero, Lee gave hope to new generations for a better life. Lee’s creations allowed the comic book industry to move from a fringe sub-culture to a widely consumed global phenomenon. Headquartered in New York City, Marvel is no stranger to global fame, and with that comes lots and lots of need for translation.

• Created in 1961, the Marvel universe was launched with The Fantastic Four and began to grow across the globe, demanding comic books by commissioned artists Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. With its first release, readers were introduced for the first time to a world of superheroes interacting with current global affairs. Characters with incredible supernatural abilities were able to interact with each other in a realistic, true to life fashion, allowing fans to connect to powerful stories like never before.
  
  
• Comic book culture has been profoundly influenced by translation around the world. The two defining moments solidifying this cultural shift in written entertainment being the “golden age” of North American comics in the 1930s, and the height of the Japanese manga craze in the 1990s.
  
  
• Storyline organized into brief moments shown in panels across a page may have started with the major influence from the United States, but the expansion of this cultural form worldwide has had an undeniable effect.
  
  
• Lee had a hand in the evolution of comic book language as well. Reinventing bland declarations of plot into sensational, jazzy dialogue allowed readers to read directly and fluidly; Lee’s re-invention of the way the books were written allowed the story to happen to the reader, just like it was happening to the characters in the story itself.
  
  
• The books instilled powerful feelings of belonging in fans, and shortly the trend continued with a boom of fresh new characters flooding the early 1960s - Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The X-Men. The Majority of these books were written by Lee during that time, illustrated by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
  
  
• “The Marvel Method” was Stan Lee’s way of brainstorming a new story with an artist; the artist would draw up some story panels, and Lee would fill-in word balloons with captions. A style that became well known as quintessentially comic.

Stan Lee is considered by many of his fans to be the single most significant author of the super-hero pop-craze that has inflicted the 21st Century and is considered to be the sole creator of the said universe. Giving birth to dozens of Marvel titles between 1961 and 1972 is not only his crowning achievement, but the cultural implications of his stories allow everyone to feel like their own superhero.

Stan Lee in numbers:

100+	Number of character Stan Lee created, including Iron Man and Black Panther.

4+	Marvel Comics will team up with Italian publisher Panini Comics to translate its most popular material into French, German, and Italian. Titles include Deadpool, Civil War, Avengers, and Ms. Marvel, with new titles released each month.

11+	With translations now available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Russian, Hindi, German, Italian, Portuguese and Hebrew, Marvel’s creations will now be even more widely accessible to fans around the globe.

For more comic and graphic novel translation, click here.
Create your own Marvel Comics here.

About This Article

Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We will be researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog.

You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site. To help us make this segment more tailored to our community, contribute any comments, ideas for articles, or share your story. Please contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Deadly Translation: The Politics of Hitoshi Igarashi's Japanese Version of The Satanic Verses
• One Man's Soul Mountain: Translating Gao Xingjian
• The Mistranslation of the Mystical Nostradamus
  

Citations: ComicBook, ResearchGate, Britannica, IMDb, HollywoodReporter, TED, LanguageMagazine, MultiversityComics, Vulture

If you are looking to order Korean Translation service you are in the right place (just the wrong page). You can order Korean translation service anytime, day or night by clicking this link: Order Korean Translation

Summary: Learn about the South Korean economy to understand how a Korean translation of your website and marketing materials gives you access to this valuable market.

With many South Korean companies doing business globally and with an ever more affluent consumer base willing to buy online, it is imperative that your company have Korean translations of your offerings. Why leave this rich market untapped? Let’s consider a few of the main drivers of this thriving economy and how MotaWord can help you unlock your company’s share through a Korean translation of your content.

South Korea’s main industries are: Electronics, Telecommunications, Automobile, Chemicals, Shipbuilding, and Steel. The South Korean economy is strongly influenced by conglomerates called chaebols. These business entities are large conglomerates run and controlled by an owner or family and is commonly made up of a large number of diversified affiliates. On top of these large conglomerates, South Korea is also home to a flourishing startup scene mainly in the capital city of Seoul. (read more about the startup scene in Seoul)

Out of a population of 51 Million (CIA Factbook) for the whole country, Seoul is really the dominating city with close to 10 million people. 

Economic Overview  (2017 est.CIA Factbook)

4th largest in Asia

11th largest in the world

GDP Per Capita PPP: $39,500 USD

According to a noted research company, Global By Design, leading global brands support an average of 32 languages. Uber supports 46 languages. That’s a lot of talking cars! But Wikipedia is the winner with a staggering 280 languages supported. As your company grows, having a Korean translation for your content will be only one part of your globalization efforts.

1. Samsung Electronics - The world’s largest producer of smartphones, semiconductor chips, and televisions. Founded in 1969, Samsung Electronics originally made refrigerators, televisions and washing machines. Now 50 years later it is valued at nearly $209 billion with profits of $59 billion on $215 billion in revenue. (Samsung.com)
   
   
2. SK Holdings - Founded in 1953, this conglomerate is made up of 95 companies. The core companies are in energy and telecommunications and include shipping and chemical production. Sk Holdings has revenue of $26.77 billion and net profits of $2.7 billion. (Reuters)
   
   
3. Hyundai Motors - South Korea’s largest auto company and the world’s 3rd largest. Founded in 1967 the company has annual revenues of $85 billion with net profits of $1.6 billion. (Hyundai.com)
   
   
4. POSCO - Is a multinational steel manufacturing company is the world’s largest steel producer with an annual output of 21 million tons of steel. Annual revenues are $59 billion with net profits of $7.25 billion. (World Atlas)
   
   
5. LG Electronics - Was founded in 1958 and Is also a South Korea based multinational company. With annual revenues in 2017 of $55.4 billion and profits of $2.23 billion, the company is second only to Samsung Electronics in the production of televisions. (LG Newsroom) 

More on the major companies of South Korea: The Most Profitable Companies of South Korea

Education System (worldtop20.org)

As of 2017, South Korea’s educational system ranked first in the world for the fourth year in a row. And the country is expected to maintain this ranking for the foreseeable future. Their excellent school system tracks with the rise in the average income of workers ($35,191 in 2017 Source: Wikipedia). With internet use also rising smart companies are creating Korean translations of their online content.

Internet and Mobile Phone Penetration

(as of 2017 statistica.com) 

Internet Penetration (2017) 95.1%

Number Internet Users 43.94 Mil.

Number of mobile internet users 40.18 Mil.

Average internet speed 28.6 Mbps

(Global average 7 Mbps)

E-commerce

 

Source: eshopworld.com

Currently, there are 30.5 million online shoppers and that is expected to grow to ~32 million by 2021. Online shoppers on average are expected to spend $1,023 annually. The current online purchasing power of Korean speaking online shoppers is over 31 billion dollars annually. (eshopworld.com) 

In 2017, online purchases from the foreign business were $2.0 billion, with US online retailers taking 55% of that business. But before we rest on our laurels, we need to consider that this is a decline from 2016 where US online retailers had 65% of those purchases from foreign purchases. The E.U. and China are increasing their share of the South Korean market. (Source: export.gov) There is, of course, the proximity card there but also the fact that both E.U. and China are more adept at localizing their offerings through Korean translations and speaking to Korean consumers in their language. E.U. especially has translation on automatic pilot as the block of countries deal with 27 languages on an ongoing basis. 

Market Outlook
South Korea’s economy shows signs of continued growth. The government is investing in education and the technology sector to entice tech companies to establish a presence in the country.

Given the clear strength of South Korea’s e-commerce economy and competition from the E.U. and China, US businesses must have a Korean translation of their websites and other content in order to enter and thrive in the South Korean market. The size of the pie may be increasing but so are the number of people at the table.

 

Read our blog, Why Should You Run Your Website Localization Project On MotaWord

And visiting South Korean businesses to explore partnership opportunities also means you’ll need Korean translations of your business cards. 

Read, Translate a Business Card Into Korean, Korean Translation is hard. Ask Koreans...

And… for a free quote on any of your translation needs, 24/7, click this link.

Although New York and Paris based, MotaWord’s translators represent over 80 languages in 154 countries. How each grew to become a professional translator reflects the cultures that make the world so rich. In this blog, Irena Rullo, a German translator in Switzerland recounts her path to becoming a French to German translator.

A French to German Translator Acquires Her Skills

Growing up, what languages were spoken at home?

I grew up in the German-speaking part of Switzerland in a family from southern Italy. At home, we spoke Italian and our Italian dialect. At school, I spoke Swiss German with the other children and in class, the lessons were held in standard German. So I think of myself as being native in four languages.

 

Though Swiss, Irena Rullo does not speak the 4th Swiss language, Romansh. Watch a few people speak this rare languag

Failing to give feedback has consequences. Feedback is necessary to address unacceptable behavior, and while MotaWord seeks to set our translators up for success, sometimes information can slip through the cracks, leaving room for constructive criticism from MotaWord peers, or our Internal Team.
    
We have created an action plan to help you in the moments where you would like to give feedback and do not know how to, or, you find yourself on the receiving end of some feedback from MotaWord, and are not sure what next steps you need to take to respond and implement the feedback. 

Instead of saving up all of your feedback until it feels like a volcano ready to explode, MotaWord has set up numerous features to empower you to give feedback anytime, anywhere. 

Feedback does not have to be fear-provoking or unnerving, especially when handled immediately. Giving feedback is the key to improving quality - and the promise of quality is a page we should all be on when working on a MotaWord translation.

1. Double check ambiguous feedback
Let’s say you receive a comment on your translator dashboard from a fellow translator, a proofreader, or a client stating, “sorry, that is wrong, you always make this mistake.” What do you do? This comment has no clear action plan and does not specifically let you know what the feedback is - just that it is undesirable. 

When engaging in a feedback discussion, it is important to make your intentions clear, which this comment does very well. The writer is unhappy with the performance. But this comment is unhelpful because not only is the feedback ambiguous, it exaggerates frequency.

We need to know what the mistake was, where to find the mistake, and how to go about fixing the mistake. Be specific in your language and, if you’re on the receiving end of such feedback, ask clarifying questions. We are always available to mediate any feedback conversations.

2.  Actionable feedback with a negative or aggressive tone.

There is no need to be personal or nasty with any feedback you give. Be clear, concise, and neutral in your tone.

3. A peer asks you to make changes violating the client-provided style guide or glossary.

The immediate first step here should be obvious to you - do not deviate from the client provided glossaries and style-guides. If someone should give you such feedback, politely inform them of this policy and refer them to the appropriate client-provided documents, then let the internal team know.

4. Limit your comments
Being clear and concise in every aspect of your life will wildly improve your ability to accept and retain any feedback thrown your way. When giving feedback, make sure you clearly outline the issue, what the correction should be, and how to solve it. Any given feedback session should not discuss more than 2 issues. 

5. Errors vs. mistakes

An error is a flaw in thinking, and a mistake is a flaw in mechanics. For example, an error is something done often due to lack of knowledge, teachability, or ignorance. A mistake is a one-off spelling error, an accidentally missed word, or an untranslated string. Both are in need of correction, but the feedback process and educational needs are very different. 

Being an active translator that is committed to MotaWord’s high-quality promise will not only raise your value as an employee with MotaWord, but it will give you more work, and ultimately lead you to proofreader status and more. As a translator, we need to know your name, and we need to trust you. We chose you, vetted your credentials, and are committed to your professional growth as a translator. Help us, help you.

These are just a fraction of the policies and standards we expect from our translators.
If you receive any feedback violating these guidelines, please let the MotaWord internal team know. 

For more information regarding:

Giving Feedback on a MotaWord Translation, click here.

For Giving Feedback on a MotaWord Translation - For Clients, click here.
For Giving Feedback on a MotaWord Translation - For Proofreaders, click here

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: TED, FastCompany

Our proofreader community is an integral part of MotaWord’s high-quality promise. Our most experienced linguists, our proofreaders, are what set us apart from other translation services. Giving feedback on a MotaWord translation is one of the most important jobs a proofreader has, and this small guide serves to aid in any questions you may have during that process.
 

1. Be prepared
   Let’s say you are proofreading a completed translation on a project, and you come across some unsatisfactory strings. You see this string has some clear complications, there are comments from the client, and the translator is unresponsive. Check the style guide, the glossaries, and check with the MotaWord internal team. Rely on your own expertise as well as the expertise of those around you to correct the mistake. Reach out to the translator is a question, and if they are unresponsive, let us know. Use any combination of the many tools we have to offer.
   

2. Avoid confusing language
   It is no secret that everyone has their own perspective. As a proofreader, it is your responsibility to accommodate your tone when giving feedback to ensure your points are getting across clearly. Abstract words and concepts without solid, actionable examples will not yield any result. Confusing language will lead to more confusion. Keep it simple; keep it clear; keep it high-quality.
   
   
3. Refer to the client provided style-guide and glossaries
   Our clients have a very specific vision and image in their mind of what they want from our translation services, and we trust our proofreaders to be aligned with that vision. This is where the style-guide and glossaries come in. It is up to you and the team of translators on the project to use the information in the style-guide exactly as the client asks. No embellishments, no additions. In the event that something in the style-guide or glossary is confusing to you, please reach out to us via email or the intercom widget on our site.
   
   4. Be communicative with the MotaWord internal team
   We are here to help you! Do not keep anything secret. We all work remotely, all over the world. When you need us, we will be there. Letting us know what is happening with a project, how you are working, and any comments your colleagues are making on a project will always do one thing: make our translation services better. Providing any feedback to us regarding your proofreading experience will give us more insight into how our colleagues’ performance is progressing and will allow us to make any necessary changes to solve any problems that may come. Just because a situation may initially be unhappy does not mean it needs to end that way, and a productive feedback session is one that ends on a positive note.
   
   5. Help to improve the quality of our community
   How can we improve in silence? How can a person improve their performance if they only receive positive or negative feedback? A happy relationship between positive and constructive feedback is crucial to achieving the desired change in behavior. We have automated features to help make quality assurance easier. The best tool we have found is for our translators and proofreaders to work together with our translation editor. Automatic suggestions will prompt you from a translation memory associated with that client.
   

Our single-proofreader model and philosophy were not conceived overnight. When done right, it works to deliver the MotaWord high-quality translation promise. Following these simple feedback guidelines as a proofreader will enhance the communicative relationship with your colleagues, and will result in increased motivation, respect, and productivity. We are all involved in MotaWord under the common desire to deliver the best to our clients. We should all be committed to respecting each others’ feedback just the same.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: TED

If you’ve ever worked on a localization project, you know that having the right service at your fingertips can save you a lot of time (and stress). Taking on projects that require translation to multiple languages is by no means a simple job, but we’re here to take the hassle out of this somewhat tedious process. We’ve put together a list of 10 time-saving features of MotaWord to make your life easier. Check them out to find out how MotaWord will help you speed up your translation workflow by making it more efficient.

1. Collaborative translation. MotaWord combines the efforts of talented human translators from around the world. This ability to simultaneously utilize multiple translators makes MotaWord exceptionally fast.
   
   
2. MotaWord offers translation to 80+ languages which means you could do your whole localization process in one place. No more search for an individual translator of that rare language, we’ve got them all.
   
   
3. Each translator is super efficient. They’re not only native in their languages but also have expert knowledge of their specialized field which gives them a real unfair advantage of being extremely fast while delivering high-quality translations.
   
   
4. Instant quote on MotaWord will help you get immediate insights into our pricing. Because waiting for a quote via email is so 1990.
   
   
5. MotaWord removed the never-ending back and forth before translators can start working on your project. As soon as you submit a project, they’re automatically invited via email. We eliminated waiting and delays, that’s it.
   
   
6. MotaWord API allows you to easily automate and integrate the ordering and delivery of translated documents into your own system to make your translation fast and easy to manage.
   
   
7. MotaWord offers a few very powerful plugins including WordPress plugin, Grabber Chrome Extension and Google Drive Chrome App that eliminate the hassle of manually copying and pasting content from one medium to another.
   
   
8. MotaWord supports a variety of file formats (and the list grows every day). No need to convert your original files into something else just to use our translation service. You may upload whatever you’re used to working with and we’ll handle the rest.
   
   
9. Our translators use lots of professional resources like glossary, translation engine and memory which makes them very fast while maintaining high-quality work.
   
   
10. Great customer support matters. At MotaWord, client’s problem is never somebody else’s business! Every person on our team—no matter the job title—spends some time talking directly to our customers and helping them if they get stuck.

Are there any other features of MotaWord that saved you time? Let us know on social media (don’t forget to mention us @MotaWord), and we'll be sure to check them out.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.


Citations: Collaborative Translation, MotaWord Languages, MotaWord Developer Portal, MotaWord File Formats

When applying for a Green Card, Naturalization or to replace your Naturalization or Citizenship documents you will often need to translate documents from Spanish to English.

Often times birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, transcripts, inoculation documents, divorce decrees and death certificates that are in a foreign language need to be translated into English in order to be admissible in your immigration file.

We are focused on the most widely translated language in the United States for this article and that is of course Spanish. The Spanish into English translation of your documents needs to adhere to the rules set forth by the USCIS. The translation needs to be a certified translation from Spanish to English for USCIS. (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) It is always more prudent to get a 3rd party, who knows what they are doing, such as MotaWord, to handle these translations.

A certified translation needs to be done by a person who attests to being competent to translate the foreign language (in this case Spanish) into English. When the translator performs the certified Translation from Spanish to English for USCIS they then certify that work as being complete and accurate with their signature (sometimes it also needs a notarization but more on that for a later article - we are only covering certified translation of Spanish into English documents for USCIS in this one).

For all the rules on the certified translation, you may click this link and go to the source at the Certificate of Translation page on the USCIS website:

On MotaWord, it’s simple to get your documents translated from Spanish into English. Whether it is a birth certificate, marriage certificate, diploma or any other document we’ll do it for you quickly and correctly. With legal documents and immigration issues, you must use a service that knows what they are doing or you could end up regretting it.

How do you get this done? All you need to do is take a photo of the document on your phone, upload it to MotaWord, get a price quote and make your payment. (You can get a quote 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) Your quote will include an estimate of how soon you can expect to receive your translated document.

Here’s a video on Ordering a Translation on MotaWord

Usually, within a few hours, we will send you an email with your certified translation in a PDF format with all the signatures, ready to be used by the USCIS.

Wondering how we can translate a picture of words? MotaWord uses a technology called OCR (Optical Character Recognition) that can read the words in a picture. And this can be done for Spanish or any language.

You may get more information about our certified translation service via this link: Certified Translation 

You may also see a brief video of how to order your translation using your smartphone in this video.

Now that you know how easy it is, don’t delay. Get a quote today so you know your certified translation from Spanish to English for USCIS is ready to be submitted.

• Does the Spanish translation service I will use provide around the clock service?

• Do they have access to the latest technology and tools necessary to ease the burden of Spanish translation?

• Do they have access to professional Spanish translators?

• Will they be able to save me from archaic translation industry practices such as “minimum charges” and “additional charges for proofreading”? and

• Will they be responsive to my needs 24/7 through always accessible account managers?
  

• What countries or regions am I trying to reach?

• Will a broadly understandable globalized website meet my goals?

• If I choose website localization to translate my website into Spanish will it have sufficient impact to justify the time, effort and money to address more specific markets?
  

• Neutral Spanish

• Standard Spanish

• Global Spanish

• Universal Spanish
  

At MotaWord, our clients are our focus. Giving feedback is a delicate process, and we want to make this process as seamless as possible for you, our treasured clients.

As a client, we hope you never have to utilize the following information. At MotaWord it is our goal and passion to provide you with excellent, high-quality translations, every time - exactly as you request them. We love to hear both positive and constructive feedback on how we can make our services better for our clients. We hope to hear you shout from the mountaintops how perfectly satisfied you are with our performance, but in the event, this is not the case, constructive feedback is encouraged and embraced. We are here to deliver exactly what you need for your translation.

Client and customer feedback is extremely valuable to us, and without it, MotaWord cannot grow. How you feel about us should not be a secret. 

1. “I like it, but we wanted something different”
   This kind of feedback indicates that there was a key misunderstanding at the time of ordering your translation. Somewhere along our journey together, we stopped being on the same page. We have a few options to prevent this kind of feedback and deliver you our high-quality promise.
   
   a. Make sure you make use of “Style Guides” and “Glossaries” when ordering your translation
   To prevent your project from getting started on a shaky foundation, and to make your goals as a client clear to our cloud-based, collaborative team of linguists, make sure to provide a style guide and glossary to your project. This will ensure that every individual working on your translation will be virtually sitting next to you, getting all of their stylistic, grammatical, and localization questions answered by your ready-made style guide and glossary. You may also make use of our “client comments” section of your dashboard, where you are able to make comments to any linguist working on your translation project in real time. If any glaring issues should arise, we will also be there watching, and you can reach out to us anytime via the intercom widget on your main page.
   

2. “That is the wrong translation and I want a different one.”
   An unfortunate mistake, indeed. Whether it is your fault or ours, when you order a translation with MotaWord, you agree to promptly review the delivered translations and notify us within 7 days of any errors such as outright mistranslations, typos, omissions or nonadherence to any approved glossary and/or style guide. We will correct such errors at no cost to you. You may cancel the services you have ordered at any time - in writing. You will have to pay for the amount of translation work already completed in draft condition at the time of the cancellation. In the event that you send us a document in error, and the translation has already been completed correctly and successfully, you will need to order a new translation with the correct document and pay again as if it were the original.
   

3. *Complete Silence*
   Silence is indicative of a big communication problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. We encourage you to communicate with us as much as possible and let us know anything and everything you think about our translations, performance, and your satisfaction as a whole. Ideally, we should be in clear communication with you before you order, during the translation process, and after your translation is complete, proofread, and delivered back to you. The worst feedback we can receive is no feedback at all. If we see you going silent, we will reach out to you.
   

As a client, your feedback is necessary throughout the process of translation. You are free and encouraged to be as involved as you wish during the translation and proofreading process. Clients can make comments utilizing their dashboard in real time, and the individuals working on your translation will be able to see the comments and act accordingly. 

As linguistic professionals, we understand that giving feedback can be a delicate process. There is no doubt that identifying issues and solving them is invaluable, but feedback should be managed positively and with integrity so we can complete your translation in a timely manner and help improve and grow your business.

For MotaWord’s general principles for giving feedback on a MotaWord translation, click here.

If you are not a client or would like further reading on how we handle feedback at MotaWord, try Giving Feedback on a MotaWord Translation - For Translators or Giving Feedback on a MotaWord Translation - For Proofreaders.



About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: HubSpot

MotaWord is looking for talented entrepreneurs and/or business developers to support its ambitious growth objectives in new countries and regions. Join our diverse and dynamic team in 3 continents and a network of fellow BD professionals all over the world.

Interested in joining a dynamic and diverse technology startup disrupting the translation industry by creating an innovative platform? MotaWord might have a position for you…

MotaWord is the World’s Fastest Business Translation Platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language, up to 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

MotaWord’s hybrid translation solution combines the speed of a smart algorithm powered project management system and of collaborative translations, with the quality of human translations done by professional native speakers.
 
What you’ll be doing:

• Understand and have full command of MotaWord's translation service offerings, capabilities, benefits, and competitive advantages
  
• Research prospective clients through internet research, trade show lists, referrals, professional directories and personal investigation
• Source and close new clients through referrals, cold calling, networking, trade shows, regional organizations, and any other means
• Cultivate and maintain long term relationships with clients by delivering elite client service and engaging them by using knowledge of each industry and organization
• Formulate sales plan to achieve monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets
• Generate daily outreach efforts to prospective clients
• Build a productive pipeline and manage each phase of the sales process
• Develop project budgets and create proposals
• Track all customer sales related activities in MotaWord proprietary systems. Set and execute follow up tasks
• Ensure that the www.motaword.com website is correctly setup for your region and is SEO competitive
• Grow and manage our client database in your country/region
• Maintain and develop relations with existing clients
• Assist online marketing efforts in your country
• Participate in events and shows to promote MotaWord’s unique translation solution
• Work with our industry partners such as WeWork (https://www.motaword.com/blog/brand-ambassadors)

About you:

• You have 1-2 years of sales experience, preferably in the Translation industry
• You are interested in tech and innovative solutions
• Comfortable working in a distributed time-zone, global team
• You have a very good level of English (it will be your internal working language) and at least one other language
• Proven sales life cycle experience - lead generation through business closing
• Proven track record in achieving sales target
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Effective time management
  

This is full time position with MotaWord that offers you the possibility to work within a truly global and growing technology platform. Your ability to join in on the ground floor will enable you to have even more pronounced sales targets and help disrupt a sleepy industry. 

You will be compensated a base salary + a very high sales commission which we hope will entice you to onboard as many clients as possible for our platform.

Just click the button below to apply. We look forward to talking to you.

Understanding the best practices and limitations of translation and keeping current with what technology allows can be very important for global product managers. As a translation platform, we often see that both of these are not readily understood. Some think that machine translation is a viable alternative to product localization. Others think the traditional translation agency model is the only option they have. None of these statements are true and there are better options global product managers can use.

This article is a good place to start to learn some things to consider.

In an earlier role I had at an education company, we were building a digital platform for document management in the academic world. This platform allowed students, faculty, and researchers to share documents and collaborate on writing research papers. At first, the product team did not fully appreciate how universities in different countries view enforcing copyrights and their own agreements with content providers. This resulted in sales being hampered until we gave the customers’ admins the ability to restrict or turn off document sharing. Clearly, localization was not in for forefront of our planning and that cost us time and money.

Managing a product involves a lot of important steps. Understanding the user and market, determining the business strategy for that market, designing the user experience, ensuring product build and delivery and handling the product growth and customer support; these are all daunting tasks even on a single product and market. As a global product manager, you have to navigate multiple locales, multiple languages, and cultures. That’s when things become even more difficult.

The W3C’s page on internationalization gives an excellent example of the requirements of correctly localizing content for a specific market.

“Cultural problems also need to be considered. Symbolism can be culture-specific. The check mark means correct or OK in many countries. In some countries, however, such as Japan, it can be used to mean that something is incorrect. Japanese localizers may need to convert check marks to circles (their symbol for 'correct') as part of the localization process.”

The lesson here is that localization must take cultural differences into account. Merely translating text is not the end of the job when it comes to localization of content.

A translation service needs to support the task of a global product manager by being technologically current, low-cost, agile, truly on-demand, fast and allowing instant access to tens of thousands of skilled translators. The only contender for being able to do that is through an AI managed platform model. (Read here our article titled “Very fast translation thanks to a different approach”.

How early should a global product manager think about localization when developing a new product? That depends on a number of factors including, budget, available staffing, and your company’s resolve to be global.

In an ideal world global product managers should consider a localization component during  these phases:

• UX Design

• Surveys

• Interviews

Ever since their beginning, humans have evolved to use their hands to make tools and communicate with each other. These human-made tools have evolved to a point where we constantly use the greatest communication tool created to date: the computer. But how did that happen? How does our interaction with machines affect our life?

How can we transition from the very philosophical idea of human evolution to computational user experience and programming?

From my professional, technical perspective, I am amazed by the human mind’s ability to govern its environment. I decided to become an engineer to research that very topic. My job today at MotaWord is to translate routine problems into the language of the machines: into computer code.

The first computer ever was created for translation. This journey begins in England. Alan Turing was trying to crack encrypted Nazi military messages during World War II. With his mathematical genius and curiosity for machines, he realized that any system can be implemented by machines; as easy as a wristwatch showing time.

Computers are able to perform actions when you can “explain” it in their language: in code. But what exactly is computer code when it performs as a language? At heart, it is mathematics. Although coding engineers do not work with pure math or binary code, the language of the machines is far from human language. The language of the machines is derived from mathematical expressions. 

Like natural, human languages, the programming language has grammatical rules. As you can guess when we talk about computers, there are many strict rules when it comes to explaining something to the computer to get it to perform the action we want. Do not worry, I am not going to bore you with language processing jargon. I just want to point out that we have to follow these programming rules of grammar with absolute certainty, so various services, like applications, can be enjoyed on your devices.

Another exciting element of machine language is communicating with an entity that is entirely digital. Have you ever thought that in the near future, we may be able to talk to a computer without knowing it is a machine? You may have heard about Artificial Intelligence and robots like Sophia from the news. Sophia can speak very fluently and give answers. What is the mechanism behind this phenomenon? A  very complicated network of processors inside Sophia is trying to dissect the words and applying rules constantly. This is how robots can understand us.

In conclusion, we understand how professional translation is a cornerstone to keep ourselves connected to the world. At Motaword, we work every day to deliver you the fastest, most accurate translation experience with this philosophy, and we are using and researching the latest technology. We combine the latest advancements with topnotch human quality control methods.

And in doing so, we are bringing machines and humans closer.

 
About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: Stanford, Turing

At MotaWord, we want to be better and do better for our clients, translators, and proofreaders. No matter which community you belong to, giving and receiving both positive and constructive feedback allows our professional community to grow and flourish, no matter what perspective we are working with. When giving feedback, any two parties involved may view the same situation differently, whether they realize it or not. Feedback issues must be resolved for MotaWord to be able to achieve the high-quality, professional translations for which we are known and loved.

As an internal team, we at MotaWord thrive on feedback from our clients, translators, and proofreaders. Without this information, we are nothing. MotaWord believes managing the different perspectives involved in the feedback received on a translation is just as important as the quality and accuracy of the translation itself. We find that having an agreed-upon process for giving feedback on a translation will, more often than not, prevent unnecessary altercations and will help all individuals involved solve issues easily and uniformly. 

Life is already stressful, and we at MotaWord are in the business of relieving stress for our clients and employees - not creating a source for it.

Any issue that may require feedback is easy to solve if there is an agreed upon process. 

1. Be Clear and Concise
   Nothing is more gratifying than understanding another human being’s words and intentions. When we are specific, there is very little room for misunderstanding - only elaboration. The goal when providing any kind of feedback, whether it be positive or constructive, is to achieve a desired changed behavior. The receiver of your feedback will not understand what is problematic about a particular behavior if you do not spell it out for them in detail - we like to use the “explain it like I am 5 years old” rule. Part of the joy of working in a multilingual, cross-cultural environment is the misunderstanding, however, when addressing changed behaviors, it is important to be painfully clear in your words and intentions.
   
   
2. Be Action-Oriented: Create a Clear Path Forward
   At MotaWord, we believe in delivering feedback proactively. Address issues immediately. Feedback should not come as a surprise to anyone, and providing feedback as close to the event as possible is the best way to ensure full understanding and illicit changed behavior.

3. Breathe and Check Perspective
   We do not believe in being mean-spirited. Before you contact someone regarding their behavior, please take a moment to breathe and understand how your feedback may be received. Especially if the feedback is constructive, it is important to create safety and comradery before providing the feedback. If the person receiving the feedback does not feel comfortable, then the positive of constructive feedback you provide them will be ultimately unproductive. Check your bias. What is your motive for giving this feedback? Remind yourself why you are contacting this person and make sure the goal is to improve the situation and the person’s performance. Being harsh, critical, and offensive will accomplish nothing.
   
   
4. Have a Discussion
   Nothing is worse when it comes to feedback then the 1,2 punch approach. “You ruined this project, and I will not work with you again”. Do not have a negative, one-sided interaction. Even if all your feedback is constructive, and you can think of nothing nice to say, take a moment to start a conversation with the person about any assumptions both of you may have about the project needing feedback. Every person on this planet has external stressors in their life, and work should not be another source of stress. Engage in a two-sided discussion that leads to a game plan for improvement. Discuss no more than two issues per feedback session. 
   
   
5. Follow Through
   This is where the MotaWord internal team comes in. Thanks to our strategy of working remotely, We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via our intercom widget on our website. Message us anytime with any feedback you may have regarding anything MotaWord. We are here to make high-quality translation seamless and effortless, and your cooperation with the above tactics will ensure a seamless working relationship that will benefit all involved.

When feedback is provided to the MotaWord internal team, after an appropriate amount of time has passed, we will follow up with the associated parties utilizing the feedback given to us. Thank you to all of our clients, translators and proofreaders for making MotaWord the world’s fastest business translation platform. 

Are you reading this as a client, translator, or proofreader? Click below to review MotaWord feedback tactics tailored to your specific interests with us:

Giving Feedback On a MotaWord Translation: For Clients
Giving Feedback On a MotaWord Translation: For Translators  
Giving Feedback On a MotaWord Translation: For Proofreaders

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: BusinessNewsDaily, Entrepreneur, MindTools, Forbes

The most popular online language was the first thing that I started to research when I signed up to write articles for MotaWord. A global human translation platform with a twist. It is actually an AI coordinating their over 15 thousand strong translator base.

You might ask why. And to answer, one of my favorite quotes come to mind::
“Because that’s where the money is.”  - Willie Sutton, bank robber, when asked why he robs banks.

Understanding what language internet users speak and the economic potential each language represents will empower you to increase your bottom line. Localizing your website across multiple languages, across borders will help you maximize your profits. Or you could leave that money on the table. On that topic, I would highly recommend that you read a previous article written by a colleague of mine titled; “Why should you run your website localization project on MotaWord?”

Back to our search on the most popular online language… Can you guess how many countries have a population that speaks the German language? Probably no. Well, I couldn’t either and that is why you should read on and find the answer.  

Factoid: There are 22 countries and locales where the German language is either the main or one of the recognized official languages. But wait, there are a further 10 countries in which the German language is used by a significant subset of the population. This brings the number to 32 locales. Languages spread to other countries and regions for various reasons including colonization, trade, and conquest. For a full list of all those countries that speak German language you can see the link. 

It is higher than you thought it would be right? So in my quest to look for the most popular online language I came across quite a few of these little factoids. I will not shy away from dropping them as necessary.

But the answer to the “What is the most popular online language?” is not German. It is another Germanic language. You guessed it right. It is in English. The English language is the most popular online language and the lingua franca of the internet.

Look at these numbers:
Online language users in millions (Source: statistic.com, as of Mar. 2017) 

You can see the lead English language has over even Chinese. But, that being said, the savvy business people do not only see English as the clear winner when they look for the most popular online language.

They see the runner-ups and also see that a simple act of website translation into the 3 following popular online languages can add over 1 billion visitors to their potential reach.

Let me leave you with another of my favorite quotes:

“Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” - Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Hall of Fame member.

Keep the most popular online language in mind. But, get your site, content and market research material translated through global online providers like MotaWord that can support you all through the way.

This article is originally written in English, however, it will promptly be translated into Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, French, German, Hebrew, and Turkish.

I will leave you with this funny video of Hamilton translated back into English using Google Translate.

 

Number of individuals who have been extrajudicially executed outside of Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. These murders are thought to have been carried out by agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Italian translator Ettore Caprioli and Norwegian translator William Nygaard were also two victims of the fatwa as a result of their respective translations. On July 3rd, 1991, Caprioli was attacked in Milan, surviving the assassination attempt. Nygaard’s assassination attempt resulted in Norway recalling its ambassador to Iran.

Number of copies of The Satanic Verses sold in Japan, making the novel wildly successful in the localized Japanese.

The number of years Salman Rushdie went into hiding after the issuance of the fatwa. Ayatollah Khomeini, who said the book was blasphemous and anti-Islamic, died in June 1989, but the assassination order has been reaffirmed by the Iranian authorities.

For the New York Times story on Igarashi’s murder in 1991, click here.

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• One Man's Soul Mountain: Translating Gao Xingjian
• The Mistranslation of the Mystical Nostradamus
• High-Quality Translation Philosophy with Jorge Luis Borges
  
  

Citations: IranRights, NYTimes, JapanTimes, LATimes, UPI

Giovanni Pontiero
10 February 1932 – 10 February 1996

“There are things that you can do in a romance language, syntactically, that you simply cannot do in English. You would just wind up with gobbledygook. You have to impose certain syntactical rules for it to be a sentence in English, so it doesn’t match up with the original. In other words, you can leave every subject pronoun out of the sentence and move things around in Spanish or Portuguese in a way that you simply cannot do in English. But Pontiero translates it beautifully.”

    -Edith Grossman, on why Giovanni Pontiero became a famous translator.

Giovanni Pontiero was the leading professional translator of Portuguese literature in the 20th century. One of the most ardent advocates of Portuguese translation, Pontiero was a British scholar of Portuguese fiction, most famous for translating the work of Jose Saramago. Pontiero introduced many Portuguese authors to the English reading world, including Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Manuel Baneria and Clarice Lispector. In addition to Portuguese and English, Pontiero was also a translator of Spanish and Italian. His translation work received several international awards during his career.

• Giovanni Pontiero received several awards and nominations throughout his career as a translator. His English versions of Saramago gave him the Independent Foreign Fiction Award in 1993, the American Translators Award in 1994, and the Teixeira-Gomes Translation Award from the Portuguese government, as well as a nomination for the Aristeion Award.
• Mr. Pontiero was such a prolific, award-winning figure, that his very own award, the Giovanni Pontiero Prize for Translation, is given each year in his honor by Instituto Camões. Each year, the award is dedicated to an important translator; on years that fall on an even number, the Giovanni Pontiero Award is received by a Spanish translation originally in Portuguese, and on odd years the award goes to a Catalan translation originally written in Portuguese. 

Credited for introducing Portuguese literature to the English world, Giovanni Pontiero is the pioneer of Portuguese to English translation in the 21st century. He is known for his kindness, brilliance, hospitality, love for his subjects, and for creating the warm family atmosphere in his university department. Giovanni Pontiero certainly deserves posthumous international recognition for his vast contributions to the global translation community.

Giovanni Pontiero in numbers:

Number of Jose Saramago novels Mr. Pontiero translated into English.

Number of novels by Brazilian author Clarice Lispector that Giovanni Pontiero translated into English.

Mr. Pontiero’s age of death on 10 February.

Giovanni Pontiero is commended in Edith Grossman’s interview here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

 

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Deadly Translation: The Politics of Hitoshi Igarashi's Japanese Version of The Satanic Verses
• One Man's Soul Mountain: Translating Gao Xingjian
• The Mistranslation of the Mystical Nostradamus
  
  

Citations: The Independent, ArchivesHub, Univ. of Barcelona, Fivebooks

MotaWord’s unique working model, known for generating high-quality translation way faster than its competitors, never fails to bring the ideal results demanded by our clients. Whether they are looking for a legal translation or localizing their marketing materials; you name it, MotaWord will do it! But for some project types, we offer even more features. Continuous translation projects, like website localizations, enjoy our smart approach the best!

And here’s why:
As someone who has the first-hand experience in every aspect involved in creating and localizing a website, I can tell you certain things that you would like your translation provider to offer you and the translators working on your project, and how MotaWord fits all of these requirements.

Without further ado…

On their MotaWord dashboard, our clients can see every detail regarding their projects.
Our 100% transparent, the cloud-based workflow is something we invite everyone to experience. Just by remaining on your dashboard after you have purchased your order, you can witness how fast - for most cases in just mere seconds - translators across the globe can start working on your project. You can monitor the progress of your project and check the strings (lines of translation) that are being translated in real time on our platform. Reach out to our MotaWord internal team via the Intercom widget on our main site, or to the translators working on the project by leaving comments.
You will be pleased to find very few mistakes from our vetted, professional translators.

When you work with skilled, professional linguists on MotaWord, and utilize our single-proofreader model, you produce high-quality translation; every time.           

The quality in question could only be achieved by maintaining perfect accuracy; accuracy that can only be achieved through MotaWord.

In order to maintain accuracy, the glossaries are being used by the translation agencies and translators. While it is easy to find glossaries for generic subjects, things might get trickier as we go for the niches. They are important for all types of translation, but when it comes to website localization, they have a much more crucial role.  Ex-The accuracy of a client’s translation depends on the glossary and style guide. At MotaWord, our website localization projects include glossaries either provided by the client or generated by our Translation Memory over time. Since this type of projects usually has continuous nature, i.e. they consist of multiple projects, we have to maintain accuracy not within a single project, but among multiple projects with various subjects, targets, and tones.

When incorporated into our platform, your glossary lists become mandatory checkboxes that need to be filled correctly, every time. Our Translation Memory and proofreaders are there to make sure nothing slips or gets out of the tune.

We understand that for our clients, their websites are their identity. They all have different corporate approaches and personalities that they show in their native language. Some of our clients use MotaWord to localize their blog contents with us like Brut, and others require certain field experience like Trading 212 - both of whom work with us daily.

If you would like us to localize your website with our approach you can get an instant, no-obligation quote, or see our languages. Don’t hesitate to share your mind with us on our social media accounts about the importance of 100% transparent workflow, why proofreading is not a luxury option but a must, or how glossaries are the backbone of any continuous localization project.      

  

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: MarketFinder, Forbes1,  Forbes2

Lately it seems as though there is a day for everything. Are you a Sign Language Interpreter? You can celebrate on Sign Language Interpreter Appreciation Day. Enjoy tongue twisters? There’s a day for that. Always keep track of what language related holidays you need to be celebrating with this comprehensive list for translators: 

4th of January — World Braille Day
World Braille Day is annually celebrated on January 4th, the birthday of Braille inventor, Louis Braille. The day recognizes his contributions in helping blind and visually impaired people to read and write.

21st of February — International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21st of February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and promote multilingualism. 

20th of March — French Language Day
The United Nations has established language days for all of their six official languages. The purpose of the language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to increase awareness and respect for the history, culture and achievements of these languages. The dates for the Language Days were selected for their symbolic or historic significance in connection with each language: 20th of March is International Day of Francophonie.

20th of April — Chinese Language Day
This is the day that the United Nations established to celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity created by the Chinese language.

23rd of April — English Language Day
This is the day that the United Nations established to celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity created by the English language. It is also traditionally recognized as William Shakespeare’s birthday.

23rd of April — Spanish Language Day
This is the day that the United Nations established to celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity created by the Spanish language. It is also characterized by the death of Miguel de Cervantes, a great Spanish writer.

1st of May — Sign Language Interpreter Appreciation Day
On Sign Language Interpreter Appreciation Day, we come together to celebrate the work of sign language interpreters who break down language and communication barriers, from medical appointments to large conferences.

6th of June — Russian Language Day
This is the day that the United Nations established to celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity created by the Russian language. It is also the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, a great Russian poet.

23rd of September — International Day of Sign Languages
The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 23rd of September as the International Day of Sign Languages in order to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf.

26th of September — European Day of Languages
The European Day of Languages is 26th of September and has been jointly organized by the Council of Europe and the European Union. Its aim is to encourage lifelong language learning across Europe.

30th of September — International Translation Day
International Translation Day is celebrated every year on 30 September on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators. You can see here our article under the Famous Translations series detailing St. Jerome and his accomplishment as a translator.

16th of October — National Dictionary Day
Dictionary Day is held in honor of American lexicographer, Noah Webster. In 1806, he published “A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language” that defined an impressive 37,000 words.

10th of November — International Tongue Twister Day
The history and the origin of International Tongue Twister Day are unknown. Celebrate it by practicing a few challenging tongue twisters or even organize a tongue twister competition with your family, friends or colleagues. You can come across interesting tongue twisters in English on MotaWord’s Instagram page, make sure to follow us there. Here is an example: “Imagine an imaginary menagerie…”

21st of November — World Hello Day
World Hello Day is observed annually on November 21st, to express that conflicts should be resolved through communication. To celebrate, participants verbally greet ten people or more on that day. Why not do it in your native language and have it translated so these strangers can learn something new?

18th of December — Arabic Language Day
This is the day that the United Nations established to celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity created by the Arabic language. On this day, the United Nations General Assembly designated Arabic as the sixth official language of the United Nations in 1973.

Do you celebrate any other language related holidays? Let us know on social media. Don’t forget to mention @MotaWord, and we'll be sure to check them out.

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Citations: United Nations, Council of Europe, Famous Translators

As all of you hopefully know by now, MotaWord is not yet another translation company. It’s primarily an innovation-driven technology company with a laser focus on delivering high-quality translation service to save our clients time and effort. While we have written a lot on localization and why you should have your website content translated into multiple languages, this is not the article for that. 

It's impossible for modern companies to thrive without technology and innovation. Identifying and evolving with industry trends and finding new ways to keep our clients 100% satisfied with what we have to offer is what separates successful businesses from the rest - and us from the rest of the myriad translation providers out there.

One of the best ways to expand our industry knowledge and sharpen our innovation practices is by attending technology events and discuss the latest trends with industry leaders and experts in person.

That being said, there are other reasons why we do it also.

The 5 reasons that make us devote our time after work to attend or speak at various industry events are:

Any conference we’re part of is always an unavoidable learning experience where we acquire knowledge and new skills in an engaging and very efficient way. All events we attend are also an excellent way for us to connect with people outside of our immediate social circle and hear their thoughts about technology, innovation, business (and also our translation business as they perceive it) and understand what problems they’re experiencing and how we can potentially help solve those problems.  The learning also expands to the preparation stage for our speeches and discussion pieces for certain events. There is no better motivator to learning that being face to face with sometimes hundreds of people showing up to listen to you talk about how you innovate translation industry or advance the future of work. Events are also a perfect way to get inspired by a cutting-edge technology (AI or blockchain anyone? ;)) or simply another brilliant business idea you never thought of.  Attending events also helps us to get feedback from our clients or potential clients so we can hear their thoughts and improve our service accordingly.  And last but not least, events are also there to have fun. Yep, you heard it right! We all are human beings and our brains need to get some rest. So it might be a good idea to spend an evening or two in the company of some amazing fellow industry professionals only to get back to work the morning after, well-rested and motivated to push ourselves ahead because we realize that what we do matters.

If you or your teammates didn’t yet have a chance to attend or speak at any events, the best time to start is now. A good industry event brings learning, networking, and fun into one seamless experience — and here is a list of just a few events we’ve attended or spoken at in 2018, all of them are highly recommended if you’re not sure where to start:

• Google I/O: Mountain View
• Wolves Summit: Warsaw, Poland
• Salon Des Entrepreneurs: Paris, France
• Droidcon: Dubai, London, Vienna
• GDG DevFest: Milan, Nantes, Prague, Jurmala, Dublin, Vienna, London
• Google Cloud Next: London
• AI Conference: London, New York
• TechFest: Bucharest
• MobileOptimized: Minsk
• Ada's List Conference: London
• Google Product Experts Summit: Sunnyvale
• Google Developer Experts Summit: Sunnyvale
• Android Dev Summit: Mountain View
• Codemotion: Milan and many more.

Each of these events was filled with tons of valuable content, new industry connections, and simply endless inspiration. If you ever see us, the MotaWord team, at one of the industry events, don’t be a stranger — come by and say hi. We absolutely love connecting with new people, discussing our translation business and getting to know people on a personal level. That is one of the most amazing outcomes of any event.

Is there any particular industry event that you're looking forward to seeing us at? Let us know on social media (don’t forget to mention us @MotaWord), and we'll be sure to check it out.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.

Here at MotaWord, we strive to provide the best possible translation and proofreading experience for our translators and proofreaders. We believe in growing our product as a community and for this reason, we’re always listening to your needs. 

For collaborative projects, theTranslation Editor is an integral part of MotaWord’s translation process. Our translators and proofreaders spend most of their time in the editor to translate or to proofread various documents on hundreds of different subjects. Whether it is a legal translation or a personal letter, our aim is to provide high quality and professional translation.

If you’re new to the translation editor or just want to learn more about how you can get the most out of the translation editor, here are some tips:

• Use search bars:
  • There are two search bars in the editor. The first one is located on the header and lets you search for anything within the document and its translations. The second one is located on the suggestions panel and lets you search in previous projects, translation memories, and glossaries.
  • Translating highly technical terms can be a little bit tricky. If that’s the case, a quick search for the term can give you a lot of ideas on how to proceed with your translation.
    
    
• Use filters when necessary:
  
  • Filters can be really helpful, especially in longer documents. Have you ever found yourself navigating between pages to find untranslated segments? Well, if your answer is yes, filters should be your new best friend! To quickly filter out all translated or approved segments, you can click on the filter icon on the editor header and select the option “Untranslated”.
  • Before starting to translate, it is a good idea to check automatically translated segments to have an idea on the overall tone of the expected translation. To see segments that were translated automatically using a translation memory, click on the filter icon and select “Machine Translation”.
  • You can combine filters with search results as well. Let’s say you want to check other translations of a term for consistency reasons. After searching for the term using the search bar located in the header, you can select the “Translated” filter to see all translated versions of the queried term. 
    
    
• Real-time validation is here to help you:
  • Isn’t it nice to have a friend that always has your back and warn you before it’s too late? The real-time validation feature on the editor does exactly that. It constantly checks your translation as you type and warns you in real-time if a potential error is detected in your translation.
  • If a panel named “Warnings” appear on the right, you might have a mistake in your translation. As you type, you also might notice the “Save” button color change:
    • If your save button is in green, that means you’re good to go! Your translation passed all validations, congratulations!
    • If your save button is in orange and you see a “Warnings” panel on the right, there might be something wrong with your translation. Check it again. You can refer to the messages in the “Warnings” panel to correct your work if needed.
    • If your save button is in red, there is definitely an error in your translation. You won’t be allowed to save until you fix all the errors.
      
      
• Always check highlighted terms in the source:
  There are three types of highlighted texts in the source panel.
  • Tags:
    • i.e.: “Text between tags"
    • Consistent tags are mandatory for you to be able to save your translations. Tags should also appear in the same order as they are in the source.
    • You can click on highlighted tags to automatically copy them into your translation.
  • Variables:
    • i.e.: “%variable%”
    • You need to keep variables as-is in your translations. Like tags, click to copy function is available for variables as well.
  • Glossary matches:
    • Glossary matches are also highlighted in the source panel. It is recommended to use them in your translations. You can hover on the highlighted term to see its translation.
      
      
• Don’t forget to save and feel free to use shortcuts:
  • When you are done with your translation, don’t forget to save!
  • The editor will warn you if you happen to forget saving your work by popping up a red blinking error on the translation panel.
  • If you click back on the segment, the warning will go away and you can save your translation.
  • Little square icons on the left are there to show the current status of a segment. If you are a translator, grey means untranslated and green means translated. If you are a proofreader, grey means untranslated, blue means translated (waiting to be approved) and green refers to approved segments.
  • Remember: You can also use the shortcut “Ctrl+S” to save your translations.

We share these tips with videos on our YouTube page. Subscribing to that page will allow you to receive information on all the newly updated videos.

Good or bad, we love getting feedback from our community! If you have any ideas on improving the translation experience within the editor, feel free to contact us anytime with your suggestions.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

Gao Xingjian
Born January 4, 1940

“The human need for language is not simply for the transmission of meaning, it is at the same time listening to and affirming a person's existence.” - Gao Xingjian

Gao Xingjian is a Chinese French national who won the Nobel Laureate in Literature in 2000, the first time the award had been given for work written almost entirely in Chinese. A novelist, playwright, critic, professional translator, screenwriter, stage director, and painter, Xingjian is a true renaissance man. Although his work is less celebrated in China, Xingjian is highly regarded in the Americas and Europe. Earning a degree in French literature in Beijing and settling in Paris in 1987, Gao Xingjian’s plays and translations have since set the trend for experimental drama in China and the West. Two of his translators, Gilbert C. F. Fong and Dr. Mabel Lee, are showcased as Xingjian’s close friends and esteemed colleagues.

• Receiving his basic education in schools of the People’s Republic of China, Xingjian grew up in the aftermath of the Japanese invasion. His mother was an aspiring actress who took great joy in stimulating Gao’s interest in theatre and writing. He wrote his whole life, creating countless manuscripts which he kept in a suitcase. During the cultural revolution (1966-76) Xingjian was sent to a re-education camp, where he is said to have burned that suitcase. He was able to travel to France and Italy in 1979, when he was finally able to publish his work.
  

• During the years of 1980-87, Xingjian published short stories, essays, and dramas in various literary magazines throughout China. He was able to publish four books in French: Premier essai sur les techniques du roman moderne/A Preliminary Discussion of the Art of Modern Fiction (1981), which incited violent written attacks on the author, A Pigeon Called Red Beak (1985), Collected Plays (1985), and In Search of a Modern Form of Dramatic Representation (1987).
  

• Xingjian wrote arguably one of his most famous novels, Soul Mountain (1990), based on a journey through the mountains and forests of southwest China. Pioneering Western interest in Chinese literature in translation, Soul Mountain gained the attention of The New York Times, who called the book “remarkable”, and is said to have been the catalyst that pushed him toward winning his Nobel Laureate 10 years later. On Xingjian, the Nobel Prize Committee said, “In the writing of Gao Xingjian, literature is born anew from the struggle of the individual to survive the history of the masses."
  

• Originally written in Chinese, Soul Mountain needed a translator into English. Born in New South Wales, Dr. Mabel Lee grew up bilingual in Cantonese and English, with a growing interest in Chinese cultural affairs. Her translation of Soul Mountain took her seven years, then an additional two years after that to find an adequate publisher. Just three months after she published her translation, Dr. Lee found herself with Gao Xingjian at the center of International literary recognition when Xingjian won the Nobel Laureate. Today, Dr. Lee works as a Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Sydney in Australia, is the founder of Wile Peony Book Publishers, and is one of the leading authorities on Chinese literature and translation.
  

• Where Dr. Mabel Lee translated Xingjian’s novels, Gilbert C. Fong translated his plays. Also a professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Fong specializes in Gao Xingjian, translated drama, and Hong Kong movie and television subtitling.

Gao Xingjian moved to France to seek political asylum and was granted citizenship in 1998. "After I went to France, I finally had an environment where I could work freely," he said. "So you could say I worked extremely hard, but I was very happy."

Gao Xingjian in numbers:

The decade during which Xingjian stayed in Anhui Province doing farm labor and teaching Chinese at Gankou Middle School during the Down to the Countryside Movement. In 1975 he was allowed to move back to Beijing where he became the group leader of French translation for “China Reconstructs” magazine (《中國建設》).

The number of politically charged plays that are argued to have openly criticized the Chinese government and contributed to his absurdist drama acclaim. Titles include Signal Alarm (《絕對信號》, 1982), Bus Stop (《車站》, 1983), The Primitive (1985), and The Other Shore (《彼岸》, 1986).

Five years after being granted asylum in Paris during a visit to Europe in 1987, Xingjian was made Chevalier de l'Ordere des Arts et des Lettres de la France.

Number of pages in Xingjian’s novel Soul Mountain; a fictional autobiography exploring Xingjian’s boyhood and relationships with women. The protagonists in the novel are named with the pronouns "I," "you," "he," and "she", and explore the interconnectedness of each others’ identity.

For a New York Times interview with Xingjian, click here.
For an interview with one of Xingjian’s translators of Soul Mountain, Mabel Lee, click here.
For the Asia Society’s interview with Gao Xingjian, as interpreted from Chinese by Daniel Fertig, click here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock, and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. If you are a professional translator and would like to work with MotaWord please register using this link.

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• The Mistranslation of the Mystical Nostradamus

• High-Quality Translation Philosophy with Jorge Luis Borges

• Oh! The Places You'll Go...with Translation: The Professional Translator's Experience with Dr. Seuss
  
  Citations: TranslationReview, NobelPrize, UGC, IrishTimes, TIME, NYTimes, AsiaSociety, TheGuardian

For our clients, getting an accurate translation is very important. If you have ever encountered a bad translation, you’ve probably laughed, cried, scratched your head in confusion, and (if you’re a professional translator) tried to fix it. At their best, bad translations are amusing, but at their worst, a low-quality translation can seriously harm your business. So, how does MotaWord ensure that you are getting a high-quality, accurate translation?

With over 15,000 qualified, vetted, professionally-trained translators in the MotaWord roster, we collaborate to analyze, translate, edit, proofread, finalize and deliver only the most accurate business translations to our clients. In record short time, MotaWord translators can take any business document in any of the 80+ languages within our base, and translate into the target language without compromising quality.

We were born of the idea that many translators collaborating to create an accurate translation would ensure speed, take the sting out of deadlines and provide a better experience where a first-come, first- served or lowest bidder approach would no longer be necessary. 

MotaWord is unapologetically human. We are working towards creating a platform which will enable our professional translator base to not be encumbered by housekeeping or project accession tasks. We are also working on creating translation editors that this base can use to provide not 2,000 words a day output but more like 5,000 words a day - more than doubling their work capability without hindering the accuracy of their translations. 

This is something that our translator base is currently experiencing with some of our marketing translation clients like Nielsen whereby we complete translations of over 40 thousand words in multiple languages within less than 24 hours. 

As we continue to positively disrupt the translation industry with our approach to collaborative, cloud-based, high-quality translation, we are growing faster than ever. With global acclaim, we are committed to finding creative and proven ways to make our already thriving professional translator base even more accurate. We are the first to say that MotaWord is a work in progress in uncharted territories - we are better than last year but we will be better soon.

By combining the efforts of several tested translators on one project, MotaWord is able to divide and conquer any translation project with 100% accuracy, guaranteed. So how, exactly, is this achieved? By using our single-proofreader model, concordance tools, and translation memory, MotaWord is committed to maintaining consistency within a document in need of translation. Our translation editor checks segments for punctuation and glossary errors. By utilizing client glossaries and style guides, we ensure the delivery of a translation exactly in the format that the client wishes. 

This brief video shows how our concordance tool helps with accurate translations:

Don’t believe us? Clients can monitor their ordered translations in real time and be part of the quality process! Simply log on to see the status of your ordered translation, and check the language pairs for quality control. We are sure that you will be pleased with our talented translator base.

Additionally, our Translator Quality Score Algorithm (TQS) works in the background to evaluate the quality and competence of each translator working on a project. Using a translators TQS score, we are able to monitor the quality of each translators work. After every job, we provide feedback to each translator and proofreader to make sure our translator and proofreader bases are working toward our high-quality standards. Our information on our translators is not based on hearsay or unreliable and subjective evaluation. It is based on accumulative and statistically significant data.

Our TQS algorithm is not the only tech-tool we have up our sleeve. Not only are our linguists and language professionals working collaboratively to keep each other accountable when it comes to quality, but they are also backed by a proprietary AI system. Our AI minimizes repetition in the background, corrects formatting, and double-checks our human translators for linguistic consistency.

Our commitment to translation accuracy on MotaWord depends on understanding the needs of our clients with every project they send our way. By providing brand identity and company information to our translators through a “translation style guide”, MotaWord translators are able to understand the company tone and voice needed to market client’s products.

Striving to provide an accurate translation is in MotaWord's DNA. Try our translation service today, and be surprised with just how fast, accurate, and easy it is to get your documents translated with MotaWord.

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

Michel de Nostredame
(Latinized as Nostradamus)

14 or 21 December 1503 (depending on the source)  – 2 July 1566

“Indeed, the hereditary gift of prophecy will go to the grave with me.”
- Nostradamus

Nostradamus was a widely disputed French physician, astrologer, scholar, sorcerer, and fraud. Growing up wealthy and honored in the French court of Henry II, Nostradamus was said to be in service of queen Catherine de Medici. Best known contemporarily for his book Les Propheties, which supposedly predicts future events, Nostradamus’s credibility has been widely debated for centuries. His book is credited by a large number of supporters and the popular press with having accurately predicted many world events. However, with the many languages his predictions are read in today, what truth is to be taken seriously and what was lost in translation? 

• Documented accounts and suspicions of deliberate misinterpretations and mistranslations of Nostradamus’s work have caused sources to reject the claim that Nostradamus had any prophetic abilities at all. Academics write Nostradamus’s writings as “characteristically vague” and useless for determining the validity of any claim that Nostradamus had supernatural powers. Specifically, the English versions of his quatrains are not high quality translations. Due to a lack of knowledge of sixteenth-century French by modern authors and translators, the quatrains are often deliberately mistranslated to aid in the mystical quality and style of Nostradamus’s writings. It is rare to find an English translation of Nostradamus that is based on his original edition.
  

• Nostradamus used this Latinizing of his first name for the first time in an almanac published in 1550. The publication was so widely successful that Nostradamus decided to write a version annually. As a collection, these almanacs contain at least 6,338 prophecies and 11 annual calendars. In response to the popularity of these almanacs, nobility and far away leaders became interested in Nostradamus, and employed him for horoscopes and other “psychic” advice from the mystic.
  

• Dabbling in the healing arts as well, Nostradamus wrote two books on medical science;
  Paraphrase de C. GALIEN, sus l'Exhortation de Menodote aux estudes des bonnes Artz, mesmement Medicine, and Traité des fardemens. Included in these medical texts are descriptons for methods used to treat the plague, and the preparation of cosmetics.
  

• To address the version of French in which Nostradamus wrote, some say he used “Old French”, when in reality he wrote in “Middle French”, used in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, rather than in the ninth to fourteenth; Modern French has only been used from the 17th century onward. Whatever Nostradamus originally wrote is rarely ever used. With the very popular translation tactic of translating first Old French into Modern French, then Modern French into the target language, it is very unlikely that these translations were of the high-quality needed to retain Nostradamus’s original prophetic meaning. 

There isn’t much to confirm by way of facts with Nostradamus. With all the mistranslation, mysticism and thought-provoking prophecy, the Middle French astrologer seems to be nothing more than a poetic phenomenon who has shocked the world with the ability to predict coincidence. Nostradamus proves to be interesting when considering the importance of high-quality translation, and is, yet another, victim of the opposite.

Nostradamus in numbers:

Nostradamus is said to have predicted his own death, in the year 1567. Legend has it that Nostradamus was buried in his grave standing upright. Most extraordinarily, when his body was dug up to be moved during the French Revolution, he is said to have been wearing a medallion engraved with that day’s exact date. There is no historical evidence to support these claims.

The number of lines in a quatrain. Les Propheties was written almost entirely using this poetic device, and he used these to write in a kind of code to hide his prophecies from the Church at the time.

The age that Mario Reading, a prominent translator of Nostradamus, died on January 29th, 2017. He was a student of medieval French, and has published translations of all the surviving verses of Nostradamus from 1503-66.

The number of poetic quatrains collected in Les Propheties. First published in 1555, the book has not been out of print since Nostradamus’s death.

For the complete works of Nostradamus, click here.
For a merged French and English version of the prophecies of Nostradamus, click here.
For a list of 9 predictions by Nostradamus that some say foresaw the future, click here.
For a stark contrast to Nostradamus, read our article on Stephen Hawking, whose predictions are based on scientific observation: "Translating the Universe with Stephen Hawking"

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.  

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• High-Quality Translation Philosophy with Jorge Luis Borges

• Oh! The Places You'll Go...with Translation: The Professional Translator's Experience with Dr. Seuss

• Translating the Horror Fiction by Stephen King
  
  Citations: Skeptoid, CSI, LiveScience, Telegraph
  
  

MotaWord is committed to breaking language barriers, one word at a time. For businesses of all sizes and industries, MotaWord offers the world’s fastest enterprise-quality translation in 80+ languages.

So how exactly does the MotaWord translation process work? You have heard that we utilize 100% human translation. You have heard that our translations are made incredibly fast by tech. How can they work together? When it comes to speed, this article on fast translation explains how we do it and why. And all that has been made possible by thinking about the task of translation in a different way. 

“Until now you had only 2 bad options for translation services. Either fast but very low-quality machine translation or slow, expensive, cumbersome and iffy quality translation agencies. MotaWord, with its simple approach, very quick turnaround, 24/7 availability and affordability allows for the best of both worlds,” said Evren Ay, founder of MotaWord.

Start by uploading a document to our award-winning website. There, you will get an instant quote. Once the quote is accepted, the document will be sent to the MotaWord human translators matching the language pairs of the document. Once translated, proofread, checked for quality and accuracy, and finalized, you will receive the translation back in your email.

This short, real-time video explains in 40 seconds how getting an instant quote and starting a translation is made easy with our award winning site.

Our platform approach to translation also allows our clients to track projects in real time, 24/7.

MotaWord is bringing together the world's translators, opening up possibilities by providing work to anyone with the right skills and an internet connection, and building an innovative community based on collaborative translation. The MotaWord translation process is unique, made for the 21st century, and 100% human. Simply sign on and see for yourself. We hope to work with you soon.

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

MotaWord combines a 15,000-strong community of language professionals with an AI tech platform to provide the world’s fastest enterprise-quality translations.  We have the disruptive tech, major marquee clients, and world-class language professionals in 80+ languages. By pioneering collaborative translation in the world, we have hired the best translators the market has to offer. After rigorous evaluation, we train our language professionals extensively, and by monitoring their performance, we hone their skills to the level of high-quality and accuracy we require for our platform.
 
Our global translator base has grown from 8,500 at the start of MotaWord, and we now could not be more excited to be working with over 15,000 professional translators within our platform.

The expertise of a MotaWord translator cannot be paralleled. Our professional translators are passionately committed to providing high-quality, fast translation to anyone who needs it, so they can express themselves professionally and accurately in any language. Machine translation is in its infancy and language is an ever-changing medium that currently AIs cannot interpret. Only a vetted, trained, language professional at MotaWord can deliver the high-quality translation your company requires.

If your goal is to reach out to new clients in a different country and expand your offering in a new language by translating your website, your user’s guides or software, MotaWord’s translators are here to make it painless for you. Translation, thanks to MotaWord, is the fastest, easiest and most often overlooked portion of expanding your business. Our team of expert translators and linguists are here to make sure you do not need to think about translation ever again.

Here are some “business and language” statistics, thanks to the Harvard Business Review, to illustrate just how important it is for any business, old or new, to care about where and how they translate their content:

 - 72.1% of consumers spend most or all of their time on websites in their own language.
 - 72.4% of consumers said they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language.
 - 56.2% of consumers said that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price.

We believe there is only one high-quality, professional solution to the problem of monolingualism in business: utilizing the expertise of our MotaWord translators! With goals that can only be attained through the efficient use of talented human translators, we use our collaborative, cloud-based, high-tech platform to deliver the best translations, in record time, 60% cheaper than the competition.

We look forward to seeing more translation projects sent our way. Just reach out to us directly via Intercom on our site, visit our pricing section, or send us an email at info@motaword.com.

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

Finding ‘translators near me” was a worry that I personally had whenever I had any dealings with my school, consulate or immigration authorities in New York or Paris as a student and then later in life as a young professional. 

Inadvertently, every time I had a bureaucratic necessity it always ended up with me having to provide some sort of foreign language documentation which needed a certified translation to be provided. And finding translators near me was the next step in this bureaucratic necessity. 

In Paris, back in 1993, I remember getting a list of all the translators near me while visiting the Turkish consulate in Paris and finding the closest one - an older gentleman who had a typewriter on a little portable desk at the entrance of a building. There was a short line of people waiting to get their birth certificates or diplomas translated and you would give it to him, go take a stroll and come back within an hour or two to pick it up. 

I have to admit if you got lucky and the line was short, this was the best type of service you could get. But the availability of these translators near me was not guaranteed and their services were not at all cheap. 

Many years later, I had the same need applying to the university in New York and the international student office of my university asked me to get my transcript translated. Once again I was left to look for translators near me in an effort to get my work done on the same day. 

I found a translation agency near me. Called them up, made an appointment and got my transcript translated within a couple of days. 

Perhaps one of the biggest boons of the internet is its ability to match need with a provider. Nowadays a simple search for “translators near me” on Google Maps search is much easier than a handout from a registrar’s office or consulate. It not only provides you with location information of translators near you but also with reviews and availability. 

But more important than that is the ability to conduct transactions right on your phone or computer. Rather than looking for translators near me, I can just take a picture of my document, submit it to an online professional translation service like MotaWord and get the whole process started right away. 

My translation will be completed within minutes and I will receive the translated file - certified if necessary for USCIS, consulate or university use - all from my cell phone. 

This little video can show you how simple it is to get a document translated in MotaWord. And MotaWord can do this for over 87 languages. See this link for a list of all supported languages: https://www.motaword.com/blog/languages

Gone are the days of being dependent on providers and their availability. Platforms like MotaWord are always available and make sure that I am in touch with all of the “translators near me”.

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

Jorge Luis Borges
24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986

“The original is unfaithful to the translation.”
            - Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges is an Argentinian writer, poet, and translator. A key figure in Spanish language and literature. Borges wrote original works of fiction, poetry, and essays. All of these achievements seem to pale in comparison to his secretive contributions to the translation community. He never worked for a translation agency, but consistently translated independently and as a hobby throughout his life. With a translation philosophy similar to Jacques Derrida, another showcase among our famous translators, Borges argues that high-quality translation can enrich a source text, even improve it. High-quality, professional translation and localization provides a text, whether it be business, literary, or legal, with nuanced meaning, connotation and association. Borges enjoyed leafing through different translations of the same text, often as a literary exercise, maintaining that any changes in linguistic code were encouraged in his opinion, and at times necessary.

• With an English paternal grandmother, young Jorge grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a Spanish and English bilingual household. Borges was often reported saying; “the household was so bilingual that [I] was not even aware that English and Spanish were separate languages until later in [my] childhood.”  Later in his life, Borges would move out of his family home to Geneva, Switzerland, where he studied French and German.

• Borges’s translation philosophy revolves around the belief that the work itself is “ultimately more important than its creator”. Rather than gift his readers a literal translation, Borges applied his own method:
  
  

  • He would eliminate elements of the source text that was redundant, unnecessary, or inconsistent with the whole.

  • Remove “textual distractions”, adding nuance, changing the title, etc.

  • He would even rewrite an entire text in the shadow of another, i.e. when he translated Angelus Silesius through a post-Nietzsche lens.

  • Sometimes Borges would even sporadically include a translation from one text in his own work.
    
    

• As a young adult, Borges would develop a career as a translator focusing on English, French, and German into Spanish. He later expanded to include Old English and Old Norse in his language pairs, including the works of William Faulkner, André Gide, Hermann Hesse, Franz Kafka, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allan Poe, Henri Michaux, Jack London, H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Walt Whitman and Virginia Woolf.

Jorge Luis Borges was a champion of Latin American literature, translation philosophy, and along with his friend Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a pioneer of magical realism. He is responsible for some of the most beautiful writings known to contemporary literature. Thanks to his dynamic interest in professional translation, Borges gives us yet another example to follow.

For a comprehensive reading list of Borges best-sellers, click here.

Jorge Luis Borges in numbers:

When Jorges Luis Borges was just 9 years old, he translated The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde from English into Spanish. Borges’ first publication in his life was a translation, and no doubt had an incredible effect on his original work as well as ignited a passion for translation that would last throughout his lifetime.

The translation theories that Borges developed above came about through a series of three essays:  “Las dos maneras de traducir” (1926), “Las versions homéricas”(1932), and “Los traductores de Las mil y una noches” (1935). The main idea offered in these essays to “challenge the idea that original texts are superior to translations and reject the concept of a ‘definitive text.” Meaning, Borges’ view is that alternate and even contradictory translations of the same source text can be equally fascinating.

The year that the University of Virginia Library built a great collection on Borges. The U.Va. Library holds manuscripts, writings by and about Borges in multiple languages, and has over 1,200 entries.

The age when Jorges Luis Borges became completely blind. He continued to write, however, and some scholars believe that his blindness helped him create some of the innovative literary symbols through his magical realist imagination.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Oh! The Places You'll Go...with Translation: The Professional Translator's Experience with Dr. Seuss

• Translating the Horror Fiction by Stephen King

• The Professional Translation of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
  
  Citaitons: CulturesConnection, TheGuardian, UniversityOfVirginia, UniversityOfLeon, TrinityCollege, Transpanish, Britannica, TheParisReview

MotaWord is a simple, seamless, and reliable source for translation services. Using a collaboration of multiple expert translators worldwide, MotaWord settles for nothing less than delighting our clients with access to high-quality and fast translation, 100% performed by our professional translators.

You know and love the MotaWord team, the cost-effective rates, and the blazing fast tech that goes along with utilizing our cloud-based platform - but where do the MotaWord translators actually work?

Our groundbreaking translation platform allows clients to easily upload a document to the MotaWord platform, and get it translated by our global team of 15,000 translators residing in over 250 countries all over the world. And all this with no need to look for that dreaded google search term "where can I find translators near me".

Why Is Our Remote Work Model So Effective?
From Aruba to Syria, Kenya to the Netherlands, Cambodia to Alaska, and much more in-between, our global team of translators work collaboratively to deliver the high-quality, professional translations our clients deserve. A new and powerful approach to our growing cloud-based world, MotaWord offers the fastest translation delivery on the market by employing trained linguists and translators around the world, who collaborate through our shared workspace.

By employing professional, expertly trained linguists and translators all around the world, MotaWord’s collaborative translation model reduces the total time of the translation lifecycle, improves client-translator communications, and eliminates time-wasting management tasks.

Widening Our Base With Global Talent
MotaWord’s ability to simultaneously utilize multiple translators from all over the world on a single project makes the translations we deliver exceptionally fast and highly accurate. Our translators are real people, with real expert knowledge in their language pairs, working together to provide MotaWord’s translation service. By working remotely within our cloud-based system, any registered MotaWord translator can find themselves working with anyone residing in any country on Earth with their matching language pair.

Our technology makes it easier than ever to widen our talent pool and MotaWord couldn’t be happier to work remotely with our expert linguists and professional translators.

The Productivity Of A Global Workforce
MotaWord stays productive by working 24/7, around the globe, across every time zone. The seamless operational and technical foundation of our cloud-based platform allows our translators to work together on a single project, creating a powerful approach to the old single-translator model. Giving our translators the opportunity to work with colleagues remotely through a shared workspace reduces the total time of the translation lifecycle, improves cross-cultural communication, and eliminates tedious management tasks.

From its roots as a concept project - we have become a fully functional business with 15,000 translators, working in over 80 languages, residing in 250+ countries. We are fortunate to be able to share our innovative tech infrastructure with our global translator base, and together bring fast, high-quality business translation to all of the countries that we live in, and more.

Translation work with MotaWord is wherever, whenever, and without deadlines. Need a translation for your business? Get your free quote here. 
Are you a professional translator inspired by this article? Work with us!

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators, MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. Want to read more about us? Click here to visit our blog...

At MotaWord, we work with a team of professional translators and skilled linguists to deliver high-quality translations in any file format. We use a high-tech platform that can support the translation of your documents at any time, in record time, and in any format that is most convenient for your company. You may read more about the MotaWord translation process by clicking the link.
 
Translation of different file formats become important for seamless creation of content in new languages without having to go through extensive editing or recreating of target language material. The Harvard Business Review calls for all businesses to re-evaluate their language strategy for the optimal growth of any company. Language touches everything, and we are here to help you grow your business into the 21st-century globalized market by providing high-quality, professional translations in any file format you may need.

What are the most common translation file formats? 

Every business deals with tons of different file formats, whether it be for a website, mobile app, video, marketing materials, WordPress blog, or social media content - and we're happy to help with them all.

The most common translation file formats we work on are:

• The MS Office suite: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Layout and design formats like Adobe InDesign, FrameMaker, and AutoCAD

• Google Drive files (and for this we invented a Google Drive Integration tool - it allows you to order the translation of a document directly from your Drive)

• App formats (.strings for iOS and MacOS and XML for Android) and

• Scanned or digital PDF files (usually for certified translations for USCIS) 

MotaWord is able to provide instant translation quotes for all these document types and more (the full list can be obtained below). It can also run these projects, ensure that the formatting is respected into the target language and deliver your translation in the same file format that you sent in.  

So when you come to us and ask, “Can you translate my document in my format?” or,  “What format files can I use for translation?”, our answer will always be a resounding:

Yes, we can!

We currently support all of the popular translation file formats, with new ones being added constantly. If you have a specific requirement, we would be more than happy to implement it. Our brilliant IT team is constantly growing their knowledge base, and we are always happy to continue learning and growing.

After your document is translated in whichever file format you chose, after it is proofread (as all translated projects on MotaWord are), your document will be emailed back to you in the same format as the one you sent us. No conversions, no hassle. You can get to using your freshly translated document with ease.

What file formats can I use for an instant quote?
We support a variety of file formats and the list grows every day. You may upload these file formats for an instant quote MS Office Legacy (.doc, .ppt, .xls), MS Office Modern (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx), Open Office (.odt, .odp, .odg), text-based (.txt, .pdf, .srt, .sbv, .xliff), programming (.html, .htm, .xhtml, .ini, .xml, .json, .php). For special file requirements, please contact us.

Citations: HBR

About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel
March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991

"You're wrong as the deuce, 

and you shouldn't rejoice. 

If you're calling him Seuss, 

he pronounces it Soice (or Zoice)."
- Alexander Liang

Professional translators understand that a high-quality translation is not simply a word-for-word rendering of the source text. Rather, a high-quality, professional translation lies in the localization and re-creation of the source author’s intent, voice, and maintenance of meaning in the original work. With such a celebration of language as Dr. Seuss’s children’s books, one can only imagine the extreme difficulty it takes to rhyme as brilliantly in the target language as Seuss does at the source. To translate Seuss effectively, a translator must be both a linguist, a creative writer, and a poet-storyteller.

•  Arguably Seuss’s most famous work, The Cat in the Hat was first published in 1957 and is one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. The title can be found, complete with all its magic, in a number of languages:
  
  French: Le Chat Chapeauté
  Italian: Il Gatto Col Cappello
  Spanish: El Gato Ensombrerado
  Yiddish: Di Kats der Payats
  Latin: Cattus Petasatus

• Terence and Jennifer Tunberg translated most of Dr. Seuss’s works into Latin. Such titles include Green Eggs and Ham (Latin title: Virent Ova! Viret Perna!!), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Quomodo Invidiosulus nominee Grinchus Christi natalem Abrogaverit) and The Cat in the Hat (Cattus Petasatus). The Tunbergs were able to maintain the playful feel of Seuss’s original, not by rhyming in the source Latin, but by using alliteration, “The challenge there was obviously the Seussian wording, but also he had his own kind of rhythmical rhyme. We wrote How The Grinch Stole Christmas in a very alliterative prose”, says Tunberg.
  
  

• When it comes to the famous, Green Eggs and Ham, what is a Hebrew translator to do when their source language calls for a kosher version? Leah Naor, an 83-year-old playwright, songwriter, author, and a translator is at the wheel, publishing Lo Raev, Lo Ohev: the Hebrew translation in 1982. “Lo Raev, Lo Ohev”, which roughly translates into English as, “Not Hungry, Don’t Love it”, artfully does not ever mention the name of the disliked dish. The translation is so fun and whimsical that no reader has to stop to wonder what the dish actually is.

For generations of young minds, Dr. Seuss has coined countless words and themes that carry on into adulthood. The imaginative content in his books has solidified Seuss’s effect on child development, and Seuss’s many professional translators have no lesser talent.

Dr. Seuss in numbers:

	Dr. Seuss wrote more than 60 books during his line, selling more than 600 million copies.
	Seuss’s works have been professionally translated into 20 languages.
	The classic Green Eggs and Ham, the fourth best-selling English-language children’s book of all time, total at only 50 words.
	Seuss’s books have inspired 11 television programs, four films, and a Broadway musical.

For a list of all the words made up by Dr. Seuss, click here.
For more Famous Translators of children’s literature, click here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Translating the Horror Fiction by Stephen King

• The Professional Translation of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

• Global Shakespeare: Translating Iambic Pentameter
  
  Citations: MentalFloss, RWS, ChinaHopeLive, Kveller, PublishingPerspectives, AtlasObscura, ChicagoTribune

Whether or not you are a translator that holds proofreader status with us on MotaWord, the information below is designed to help all our vendors achieve success. We aim to inform and encourage skill building within our vendor base, and hope that the following information will help you understand a bit more about how MotaWord works, the opportunities for growth we can offer you as a professional translator, and allow you to take on more responsibility in projects.

MotaWord is a collaborative, cloud-based business translation platform. We require our professional translator base to work together on translation projects to achieve the highest quality and fastest delivery possible to our clients.

An important part of the MotaWord translation process is our single-proofreader model. While the translation phase of a project is collaborative, the proofreading phase is not. We assign one vendor from our base to each project to look over the collaborative translation and ensure the quality, cohesion, and ultimate success of delivery.

Proofreaders are identified as MotaWord's most experienced linguists. Here is a five-step guide to proofreader success:

1. Correct errors in spelling, grammar, and spacing.

2. Make sure that your browser’s spell check tool is activated in the target language you are proofreading. This will ensure that the spell check feature will work on our platform.

As you are making your edits, you will be prompted on the platform to correspond your changes with a letter. These letters are:

T = Typo
    “T” refers to any spelling mistakes you come across. Select this letter when you find a mistype.

S = Stylistic

    “S” corresponds to any misrepresentations in the subject and style of the document being translated. 

C = Consistency
    “C” is for any error change that you as the proofreader believe to be inconsistent with the overall cohesion of the text.

G = Grammar
    “G” is selected when acknowledging a grammatical error in the target language.

M = Machine Translation
    “M” is selected to notify your colleagues that you know something has been machine translated. When this occurs, please let info@motaword.com know the user I.D. of the corresponding translator.

D = Dummy
    “D” is selected when a nonsensical type is entered in as a translation. Ex.”bmlkjbgofmglbk…” Or you encounter an error you cannot easily classify using the descriptions above.

3. Check for well-written sentence structure
    Are the sentences consistent with the style of the project? Is the grammatical voice appropriate for what the writer is trying to achieve?

4. Follow any client directions
    Most projects are equipped with a “Style Guide” provided by the client. In these guides, you will find anything and everything you need to know to deliver the project in the exact format the client wants. Each vendor, proofreader, and translator MUST read each style guide in its entirety to deliver a high-quality translation.

5. Monitor Consistency

• Terminology acronyms, capitalization, currency and measurements

• Even if you see that the project has reached 100% translation, don’t let this confuse you: even if a project has been translated 100%, this does not include the proofreading phase.

• Ideally, we are looking to set up a proactive, not reactive, approach to proofreading on MotaWord:
      Even before a project is fully translated, you can assign yourself as a proofreader on the project and can guide the direction of the translators with your comments, glossary terms, and expertise. You can actually set the style, tone, and consistency of a  project before and while the translators are working.

• Do NOT validate any phrase that you are not completely happy with. Please edit the content until it is correct. If you come across work that is deficient, please let us know with a quick message on Intercom indicating the Project # and the string that requires attention.

6. If you see someone doing a great job, let us know! We are trying to build a community of proofreaders that are committed and inclusionary. We rely on our proofreaders to provide us feedback on both the positive and negative aspects of vendor performance.

You can reach us at any time via Intercom.

When reporting on vendor performance, please include

• The project #, vendor ID#

• String #

• Translator use I.D.

• Provide exact examples and citations, as well as what needs to be changed and why.
  
  

Proofreaders warn us, the MotaWord Internal Team, we warn the translator, the proofreader fixes, and we delete the problematic translator’s work. If we don’t know of a problematic situation in one of our projects, we can’t act! We need our proofreaders to be our eyes and ears.

We try to see everything, but we simply cannot be everywhere at once. Our proofreaders do see everything that is going on in their project. We rely on our proofreaders to be the gatekeepers of MotaWord to help us deliver on our high-quality promise to our clients.

Are you a MotaWord registered translator? Have you translated most of the projects from the invitations you have received in your language pair? Ready to take the next step and become a proofreader? Write to us at info@motaword.com and let us know! 

Happy proofreading!

Stephen King

Born September 21, 1947

“When asked, 'How do you write?' I invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'”

• Stephen King

Stephen King is one of the most successful and prolific authors of the 21st century. Although King’s style looks simple because of its readability in English, with 3,354 professional translations from the English, his horrific prose are surprisingly difficult to translate. He makes great use of puns, idioms, and local slang from his home state in Maine, USA. Although this is typical of writers who don’t take into consideration their translators, King’s global popularity has made it necessary to translate his work. Among these issues, it is also very difficult to translate horror. To illustrate, the English words “scary” and “horrific” in and of themselves strongly differ in meaning, but refer to an emotional fear present in the mind. How then, can the professional translator match King’s rhythm of terrifying suspense into a target language?

• Stephen King creates his terrifying realities through dialogue and description. He says,
  “Description creates a sensory reality for the reader and dialogue brings characters to life through their speech.” Rhythm is arguably the most important aspect of writing horror fiction, and is the element that makes this genre very difficult to translate. King’s translators must keep the original organization of his narratives to arouse emotion in the same way as the source text. Keeping the original cutting of paragraphs and sentences from the source text proves to be difficult with languages that have a different literary structure.
  
  

• There is a particular shortage of English to Malay translators for Stephen King’s novels. The amount of skill and stamina it takes to contribute to and complete a novel-length project takes a special talent. Translating King’s Joyland proved to be especially difficult to translate into Malay, with its dense East-Coast American slang vocabulary. The translation took 5 months to complete.
  
  

• King has had a special influence on Italian literary fiction. Italian authors Simona Vinci and Niccolò Ammaniti’s books have been greatly inspired by King’s characterization of children and childhood.  

Translating the genre of horror fiction proves itself not to be as easy as one might think. To create fear in a reader’s mind, a translator needs to not only convert King’s words and style, but must also use complementary mechanisms to insure that the original reality and suspense that King creates within the source text is present in the target text. For the professional translator that is up to the challenge, reception of horror fiction in the target reader’s mind is the key to creating Stephen King-level fear.

Stephen King in numbers:

50+ Stephen King’s novels have been translated into over 50 languages.

56  The amount of novels Stephen King has published in his lifetime, including five non-fiction books and more than 200 short stories.

7  King has published seven novels using the pen name Richard Bachman.

10  The number of pages King is said to write per day. At this pace, King will write 180,000 words over a three-month span.

For a review of the Chinese translation of King’s Bag of Bones, click here.

To find more “Famous Translators” authors in English, click here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• The Professional Translation of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
• Global Shakespeare: Translating Iambic Pentameter
• A Little History of Ernst H. Gombrich's Translation

Citations: WordsWithoutBorders, AsymptoteJournal, BBC, CulturesConnection, LitHub

Behind MotaWord, there are a team of people - nearly all translators - who want to ensure that you access jobs on a constant basis, without having to deal with waiting for a purchase order or confirmation; get paid without sending in an invoice; have full visibility in all aspects of a project and work with like-minded peers. 

With MotaWord, it has never been easier to make money on your own time, and on your own terms. 

The translation industry is an important part of the $22.7 trillion global trade. Generating $40 billion dollars annually is not a market anyone wants to miss out on. With MotaWord, we live in exciting times, bringing the translation industry into the 21st century with a fast, collaborative and cloud-based approach. 

For those translators passionate about their craft and intellectually curious, MotaWord offers endless earning possibilities. And on top of the monetary gains, MotaWord is also an excellent tool for the development of a professional translator; allowing them to view projects in progress for subject matters they are not used to working on, interacting with and asking questions to other translators and of course getting a feedback on their translation contributions after each project.

We eliminate the daily hassles of invoicing, and we arrange our clients for you so the only thing left to do: spend this extra time dedicating yourself to the highest quality translation you can offer, and get paid in the process.

Here are 5 key ways to make the most of your engagement with MotaWord:

1- Be Attentive to Project Invitations
Our simple platform allows for easy access to projects via your cloud-based translator dashboard. It is important to be attentive to your e-mail inbox, make sure our info@motaword.com email is designated as “priority” mail, enable browser notifications to be notified instantly while you are online, be available, provide accurate translations, and contact the internal team often via Intercom with questions or comments.

2- 100 Projects = 100 Dollars Program
$100 dollars are added to your account when you participate in 100 proofreading tasks within a single calendar year! You, as a proofreader, are able to sign on and work as much as you want, for as long as you want. For your first 100 completed projects you work on throughout one calendar year, MotaWord automatically adds a $100 bonus in your account, as a gift of gratitude for all your hard work.

3- Becoming a Proofreader Can Earn You More
Our proofreaders started off as translators on our platform. Become a proofreader by proving your prowess as a reliable and good translator and earn more money. Click here for more information on the responsibilities of becoming a proofreader.

4- The Ambassador Program
Join our MotaWord Brand Ambassador Program! We are looking for Brand Ambassadors within different WeWork locations around the world to get the word out about the World’s Fastest Business Translation Platform - that could be you! Click the link and contact the MotaWord internal team for more details.

5- Sign-on and Watch
Not all gains need to be monetary. As a MotaWord translator, you can learn from your peers and master your skills. Have you done all of the above and still want more? MotaWord is a great educational tool. When you get a notification for a project outside of your skillset, don’t fret! 

Sign-on to the project and watch your peers work. Learn from them. Make comments, ask questions, and grow your skill set, so the next time a similar project comes up, you are the one able to participate and, yes, get paid! The more projects you participate in and the more you interact with your peers and our internal team, the more projects you will be able to take. Chances are, there might even be a string for which you’d feel comfortable providing translations for and in no time, you can also get the gist of translating content that was previously not possible for you. 

We at MotaWord could not be more passionate about representing a massive opportunity for freelance translators to make money, grow their skills, and remain curious. If you are a professional, high-quality translator looking to grow personally and professionally, your time is no longer waisted with invoice hassles and negotiations. Simply sign-on, and get paid.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.  

Very fast translation at a high-quality without breaking the bank. Until recently this was thought as impossible. But things are only impossible if you are not willing to change. 

Very fast translation is easy if you are able to change the way translators work and deliver jobs.

The most dangerous sentence in any language is “We’ve always done it this way.”

When the time comes to make even the slightest shift from conventional thought, it is impossible to not feel agitated. Fear of change is tied directly to a fear of that which we do not understand.

Once you know how to do something really well and can predict the outcome of your changes, things become less scary.

In fact, you see this in all successful business endeavors.

The most useful innovations always come from people who know the choices they have in the market and are either not happy or utterly frustrated with their options. As they have insight into what is wrong, they are not afraid to think and do differently.

It is hard not to agree with this statement by Barry Schwartz:

...a wise person is made, not born. Wisdom depends on experience, and not just any experience. You need the time to get to know the people that you’re serving. You need permission to be allowed to improvise, try new things, occasionally to fail and to learn from your failures. And you need to be mentored by wise teachers.”

At MotaWord, we set out to change many things in the way translation work is served to clients and fulfilled by hardworking translators.

This short video explains how we work.

We no longer want to work in an industry that is dependent on e-mail exchanges, MS Word documents being carted back and forth with no accountability, translators working without being able to freely consult with their colleagues, having to submit invoices for payments when their work is not in question and agencies that over-promise and under-deliver.

We are convinced that when it comes to translation, "doing it the way it has always been done" is archaic and wrong in the 21st century.

Very fast translation requires change. Change does not come easy, it is painful, the resistance - especially by those who give in to the fear; rather than understanding the premise of the change can manifest itself through animosity.

MotaWord is not a platform created by robots; there are people - skilled translators and developers working together. We, in fact, have written an article about this that we published last September. (link here)

We currently are pushing well above 15,000 translators registered and vetted on our platform. We are also growing at a pace of around 50 new translators registering with us every day.

Our platform allows all these translators to work collaboratively (simultaneously, at the same time) using our cloud-based architecture and translation management tools to deliver very fast translations and to do so by checking each others' work for higher-quality. 

As a result, MotaWord is 20 times faster and 60% cheaper than traditional translation agencies. And thanks to its inherent architecture, things like "minimum charges" or waiting for a price quote are a thing of the past.

If you would like to discuss how MotaWord can provide you with very fast translation and take the pain out of localizing your content get in touch with us. We are always available.

Hans Christian Andersen

2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875

“Most of the people who will walk after me will be children, so make the beat keep time with short steps.”

• H.C. Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen is a Danish writer, most famous for his fairy tales for children. With tales that transcend age and nationality, Andersen was also a writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems. Andersen offers adult themes adapted in an innocent manner, creating stories that can be enjoyed at any stage in life. He wasn’t a collector of cultural tales retold, the Brothers Grimm, rather, he was a creator. “The Princess and the Pea”, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, and “The Ugly Duckling” were all cultural phenomenons within themselves, straight from Andersen’s brain. When is comes to the professional translation of fairy tales such as Andersen’s, his universal themes of childlike adulthood in his tales allow for an exciting, fluid literary transition into the cultural exchange. Ms. Tran Thi Minh Tam is the first and only Vietnamese professional translator to not only translate Andersen’s fairy tales into Vietnamese, but she is also the first Vietnamese to receive the Annual Hans Christian Andersen Award, giving recognition to “outstanding achievements in working with Hans Christian Andersen and contributions to promoting and spreading further knowledge of the Danish national to the world.” Tam received the highest international recognition given to people working on children's books for translating and spreading Andersen’s joyful tales to numerous children throughout Vietnam.

• Andersen’s fairy tales were first translated into English in 1846. Notable professional translators from Danish to English of Andersen include Jeffrey Frank and Diana Crone Frank, and Tina Nunnally.
  
  
• Tam has been working with Andersen’s tales for 20 years, translating over 100 fairy tales, compiled in an edition she released in 2003. New editions of her Vietnamese translations are set to come out this year.
  
  
• Tam is the sole professional translator of Andersen into Vietnamese, and Andersen’s trolls, tricksters, and monsters can be enjoyed by children and adults alike in Vietnam because of her influence.
  
  

Even when Hans Christian Andersen was writing for children, he was talking to adults. His stories are much more complex than their Disney adaptations we know today, and we honor Ms. Tran Thi Minh Tam for expanding Andersen’s influence to the Vietnamese language community.

Hans Christian Andersen in numbers:

3381	H.C. Andersen wrote no fewer than 3381 works throughout his lifetime.

125	Andersen’s fairy tales have been translated into more than 125 languages.

For a complete database of H.C. Andersen’s stories in translation, click here.

For more on translating children’s fiction, click here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.  

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Global Shakespeare: Translating Iambic Pentameter

• A Little History Of Ernst H. Gombrich's Translation

• Redeeming a Mistranslated Jules Verne
  
  
  Citations: TheGuardian, Slate, UniversityOfGdańsk, VictorianWeb, Scandasia 

William Shakespeare

Died 23 April 1616

“People tend to say he is a universal writer. It is more complex than that. What makes Shakespeare so mobile around the world is that they are hugely flexible texts. There is something in them that you can play around with. You can pull it apart and put it back together again and it still works.” Andrew Dickson, author of Journeys around Shakespeare’s Globe

Arguably the most thought-provoking English literary phenomenon, William Shakespeare has not only single-handedly redefined the English language but has been professionally translated with great difficulty and skill in many languages. Shakespeare remains unparalleled in style, and the quality of his translators must reflect that spirit in their work, as well. For example, translating Shakespeare into Zulu, Korean, Portuguese, Japanese, as well as many others require not only an expert level of English, but a creative, adaptive, and innovative attitude within the target language.

• As with many of the early literary giants, translating Shakespeare was not without political upheaval and controversy. This seems to especially be the case with early English source language texts. During his time, Shakespeare was an extremely controversial writer and cultural figure in his own right, and this tension only grew as his work expanded into the global market. Shakespeare’s plays are famously left-wing, and in the context of real-life war and censorship, translation of Shakespeare’s genres can suppress or encourage a particular political ideology, as was the case in China, Japan, and the Soviet Union.
  
  
• In the case of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, “Hamlet”, Japanese publishers decided to ban the play in 1932 when Japan was politically focused on challenging Western supremacy. Japan was concerned that the play as translated into Japanese would inspire protest and rebellion against the right-leaning government.
  
  
• In interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays, often the plot points were changed to suit social conditions. In Britain, for example, the ending of Romeo and Juliet is a tragic one. However, in Japan, a dual suicide committed in love might be considered honorable. As it is almost impossible to translate Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter, most translations are nonetheless faithful to the original. Thankfully, Shakespeare wrote in such a way that his subject matters are highly adaptable no matter the language or culture. Tsybouchi Shoyo, a professional Japanese translator, professor and Shakespearean scholar, being acutely aware of these socio-cultural difficulties, completed the Japanese translation of the entire works of Shakespeare for the first time in 1928 Japan.
  
  
• Virtually impossible to translate, iambic pentameter is the poetic verse Shakespeare invented to give him his unique and iconic literary style. Few languages other than English have this “mono-syllabic” word structure, and translating word-for-word makes translating take twice as long. For example, “Sir Toby Belch” in “Twelfth Night” becomes “Sir Toby Hiccup” in Bulgarian, simply because the word “belch” is too long in Bulgarian. 

Shakespeare’s work is all about wordplay. A professional translator can transfer a story, characters, meaning, and ideas of a play, but a meticulously perfect translation of Shakespeare not only proves difficult but is nearly impossible. This impossibility creates a window of opportunity for translators of Shakespeare, allowing them to twist and turn their own language in the shadow of the playwright’s inspiration. Shakespeare’s genius is so pervasive that his work, to be translated, requires the kind of creative wordplay invented by the playwright and allows the translator to become Shakespeare himself.

William Shakespeare in numbers:

Number of Indian languages, using Indian names and settings, Shakespeare’s plays has been adapted and translated into. “Hamlet” and “The Merchant of Venice” have been translated more than 50 times. Over thirty versions of “The Comedy of Errors” exist in different languages in India.

Total number of unique word forms in all of Shakespeare’s work. 12,493 of the original words only occur once.

Number of countries Romeo and Juliet has been performed in over the last ten years. Performance languages include English, German, Spanish, Korean, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, Estonian, Czech, Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Romanian, among many others.

For more detail on Shakespeare as translated into Chinese, Romanian, and Māori, click here.

For a list of the New York Public Library’s collections of translated Shakespearean films and books, click here.

To listen to Folger’s “Shakespeare in Translation” podcast series, click here.

Shakespeare famously borrowed phrases from other languages. For example, 'fat paunches make lean pates', was originally a Greek and Latin proverb by St Jerome. For our article of St. Jerome’s translation, click here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.  

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• A Little History of Ernst H. Gombrich's Translation

• Redeeming a Mistranslated Jules Verne

• A Rebel Translation in a Biblical Era: St. Jerome
  
  Citations: Shakespeare, URI, TheConversation, NoSweatShakespeare, GlobalLingo, OUP, NYPL, ALS, Westmont
  

A Little History of the World

Written and translated by Ernst H. Gombrich

Originally published in 1936

“And that's how it is with 'Once upon a time'. We can’t see where it ends. Grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather... it makes your head spin. But say it again, slowly, and in the end, you'll be able to imagine it. Then add one more. That gets us quickly back into the past, and from there into the distant past. But you will never reach the beginning because behind every beginning there’s always another 'Once upon a time'.” 

- Excerpt from A Little History of the World

Written originally as a way to get children interested in history, Ernst H. Gombrich’s best-selling novel, A Little History of the World was published in German in 1936. Gombrich, only 26 at the time he wrote it, tells an accessible tale of mankind’s journey from the Stone Age to the First World War, focusing on the greater impact of human experience rather than paying meticulous attention to detail. Gombrich would not permit anyone to professionally translate his work into English, his second language. He reserved this project for himself, insisting that he was the only one who could do it properly. At the end of his life, he was rewriting his little history into English when he died in 2001, at age 92.

• A young, ambitious art history doctorate with no prospects for a job, Gombrich attempted and completed a history of the world for young readers. Eine kurze Weltgeschichte für junge Leser gained immediate success in Vienna, now circulating the world in 25 languages. Creating an accessible version of mankind’s successes and failures, Gombrich was hesitant to immediately translate his work into English after its initial German publication. He said A Little History of the World had a primarily Eurocentric worldview and thought it was “too European for the English”.
  
  
• Sadly, Gombrich was unable to complete this English translation himself. WIth collaboration from translator Caroline Mustile and his granddaughter Leonie Gombrich, the English translation was finally published by Yale University Press in 2005.
  
  
• Gombrich was fascinated by child-like intelligence and was convinced that a smart child could grasp all the complexities of adulthood. He was inspired to write A Little History of the World after talking to a young daughter of some friends, who inquired why he was working all the time. He proceeded to explain his work to the young child, using words and concepts that she could understand. Thus, he was inspired to expand this interaction into a whole 40 chapters, writing one a day, miraculously delivering the work is just six weeks.
  
  
• Nearly immediately after its original German release, “A Little History” was banned by the Nazis. Disregarded as “too pacifist”, the novel had yet to reach its full potential in the German market. Already having fled Austria for England, Gombrich then focused on his art history career. 50 years later, in 1985, “A Little History” was reissued with a fresh epilogue from Gombrich, and translated into 13 more languages. Gombrich even released bracketed versions of the work for the French, Italians, and Turks to insert additions about their own history.
  
  

Ernst H. Gombrich not only gave children a gift with A Little History of the World, but his whimsical take on humanity allowed anyone who reads his words in any language a chance to see the world from a child’s eyes. Not only did he pour his German heart into the novel, because he was bilingual he was able to put that same amount of love into the English version as his last gift to the world before his passing. Thanks to Gombrich and his collaborators for spreading “A Little History” all around the globe.

A Little History of the World in numbers:

During his six week stint writing A Little History of the World, Gombrich utilized Ms. Mustill two mornings a week. It is said that they sat “in the front room, crammed with books and musical scores and a grand piano”. Mustil had studied Chinese, and was able to help Gombrich with his thoughts on the Chinese segment of “A Little History”.

Number of chapters Gombrich was able to complete in English before his death. His wife commissioned his friend Ms. Mustill to finish his work, which took her 3 more years to complete.

Number of pages in A Little History of the World.

For more about translating science, click here.
For more about the professional translation of science fiction, click here.
For more on translating for children, click here.

About MotaWord

MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies. 

About This Article
Famous Translators is a MotaWord segment showcasing notable professional translated works and famous linguists from history to the present. We are researching, compiling and sharing stories that matter to every translator on our blog. You, too can be published right here on the MotaWord blog site - just contact kali@motaword.com.

Check out our previous "Famous Translators" articles:

• Redeeming a Mistranslated Jules Verne

• A Rebel Translator in a Biblical Era: St. Jerome

• Who Translated Winnie Mandela?
  
  
  Citations: NYTimes, Britannica, FinancialTimes, TheIndependent