Back to Basics - Translation Definitions

Information about you or your business needs to be translated accurately and flawlessly, since it will determine the image you project. Mistranslation can pose a serious risk to your company's reputation and have an adverse effect on your business.

Recent advances in globalisation mean that the need for prompt access to accurate information is no longer only reserved for big, multinational organisations. An ever growing number of companies compete for business on an international scale. An incorrect expression, wrong number or a seemingly harmless misplaced comma can expose your business to unacceptable risk. That is why, when selecting your translation company, you should check that your chosen provider has substantial knowledge and experience in servicing the finance, accounting and banking industry.

And of course, the more detailed your understanding of the translation process, the better the final product. With this in mind, we have put together a selection of definitions and commonly used terms, which will arm you with knowledge that can help you when selecting your translation company.

What is translation?

Translation is the transfer of one written language into another written language without changing the meaning, register or nuances of the source language and without additions or omissions.

What is sight translation?

It's an interpreting technique used to orally render material written in one language into another language. A specialised skill, sight translation is most often used when the gist of a letter or document needs to be determined with urgency.

What is source text?

Source text is the text that is to be translated.

What is source language?

The source language is the language from which the source text is to be translated.

What is target text?

Target text is the text of the translated document.

What is target language?

The target language is the language into which the source text is to be translated.

What is a certified translation?

A certified translation is a translation that has been reviewed by a certified NAATI translator and deemed to be a true and correct reflection of the source text.

What is accreditation?

In Australia accreditation is a credential awarded by NAATI to people who have demonstrated a certain level of ability to interpret or translate, and an understanding of socio-cultural and ethical issues. There are three levels of accreditation: "Professional" and "Paraprofessional", which are both awarded by either exam or course completion, and "Recognition", which is awarded as an interim measurement of rare or emerging languages for which no exams have been set.

What is back translation?

Back Translation is the process of translation back from the target language into the source language by a second translator. Back translation doesn't always ensure accuracy as the second translator won't pick up errors such as incorrect numbers and may in fact introduce errors into the text. Every language allows flexibility of word choice, and this choice can only be deemed accurate through an understanding of the original text.

What is a comprehension check?

This is a test done to ensure speakers understand the meaning of a translation.

What is checking?

This is the stage of written translation where the draft is compared to the source language text and all information is confirmed as having been accurately reproduced.

What is extraneous information?

This is material included in a translation but not found explicitly in the source text. This information is deemed necessary to include by the translator in order to communicate the message of the source text. This can also be referred to as a translators note.

What is gisting?

Gisting is the process by which a rough or outline translation of a text is given to provide an insight into the subject and overall content of the source text.

What is idiomatic translation?

This is where the meaning of the original text is translated into forms which most accurately and naturally preserve the meaning of the original text.

What is interlinear translation?

Interlinear translation is a form of translation where each line of a source text has a line placed directly beneath it which gives a word by word literal translation into a target language.

What is literal translation?

Literal translation is a type of translation where the forms of the original text are retained as much as possible.

What is loan translation?

This is the process of borrowing the meaning parts of a source word and directly translating them to the target language, instead of using a native term from the target language.

What is localisation?

Localisation means to adapt a product to a specific locale, i.e. to the language, cultural norms, standards, laws and requirements of the target market.

What is machine translation (MT)?

Machine translation is; a) a translation produced by a computer program; b) use of a translation program to translate text without human input in the actual translation process.

What is native speaker competence?

This means that a person has oral and written command of a language equivalent to that of a person who learned the language as a child and has continued to use it as his/her language of habitual use, but who also has had some language training.

What is AUSIT?

AUSIT is the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators - A fully independent association which aims to promote the highest standards in the translating and interpreting business.

What is NAATI?

NAATI is the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters - an examination and accreditation body for interpreters and translators in Australia.

What is revising?

Revising is the process of reading a text to identify errors, inconsistencies, incorrect grammar and punctuation, poor or inappropriate style, and conformance with the source text.

What is word-for-word translation?

This is a form of literal translation which seeks to match the individual words of the original as closely as possible to individual words of the target language.

What is word count?

Word count measures of the size of a text based on the source or target language.

What are the advantages of having my documents translated professionally?

If your documents are to be lodged with a government authority, you will be required to have it translated by a professional translator who is NAATI accredited. However, even if your documents don't need to be certified, using a professional translator to translate your website, brochures, user manuals or legal contracts will have the advantage of being accurate, professionally researched and presented and being targeted to your readers' needs.

How long does it take to translate a document?

That depends on the language, volume of text, subject matter and the type of service required.

How much does it cost?

Again, this depends on the language, size of the document, complexity of the text and the type of service required.

What is localisation?

It's an adaptation of a product, software or text to a target market, language and culture.

What translation companies should I be wary of?

Spelling and grammatical errors on their website should be your first warning sign. Lack of response to your emails, regularly getting an answering machine when trying to contact their office and lack of explanation when asking about quality control could be another. Whilst you may not be able to tell how good the quality of the translation is, you should expect at least a basic level of customer service when dealing with a translation company.

Feel free to email me if you have any other questions!

Yours sincerely

Eva Hussain

Immerse Yourself in the Greek Language and Culture

The Greek language is over 3,500 years old, though it has evolved through the years. Over 15 million people worldwide speak Greek. It is the official language of Greece and Cyprus, and is spoken natively by immigrants living in many countries around the world. The Greek alphabet is considered the first real alphabet, and was a predecessor of the Latin alphabet, and eventually our own alphabet. The Greek language is one of history and passion, and is an ideal representative of the people who speak is fluently. If you are interested in learning a second language, consider Greek.

Learning the Greek language might seem intimidating. The alphabet doesn't look exactly like the English alphabet. The word pronunciation sounds totally different as well. But there are several ways you can go about learning it, and several benefits to doing so. One option is to attend college, and study the language extensively. You have the choice of studying the Ancient form of Greek, or the Modern language. Learning Ancient Greek is useful if you plan to study Ancient Greek art, archaeology, literature, or history, and you intend to pursue this scholarly field. Earning a college degree in Modern Greek will provide you with a thorough written and conversational knowledge of the language that is spoken today, and gives you career options down the road. Having the ability to speak more than one language can have many advantages for you professionally. If you are fluent in the Greek language, and have some expertise in another field such as law, medicine, or business, you can be certified as a foreign language translator. This stimulating career prospect is one that offers you several options. As a certified translator, you can work full-time for a foreign language translation firm, translating business documents, web pages, and other types of communication for global corporations or for small firms looking branch out. You can also do freelance translation work, where you have the ability to be your own boss, and make your own schedule and set you own workload. Yet another career opportunity open to you as a bilingual professional is to teach English as a second language to Greek students in Greece. By knowing English and Greece, you will be able to live and work in Greece, and have no problems communicating there.

Another means by which you can learn the Greek language is by enrolling in an accelerated course that is available online. By learning Greek in this way, you will gain knowledge of a very basic foundation of the language. Learning Greek through an accelerated online course is a rather quick and convenient way to learn a second language. It is ideal for you if you are interested in traveling to Greece, and you want to be able to communicate in a basic way with the residents there. You will find that you will enjoy your travels much more if the stress of a communication barrier is not there.

An ideal option for learning the Greek language is through an immersion program. This is a perfect option for students who are looking to study abroad for a semester, or for bold travelers looking to experience Greek culture in a new and exciting way. You will not only learn the Modern Greek language, but you experience the vibrant and historic Greek culture. Learning Greek in Greece, where our own language and history has its origins, you will learn the language quickly and easily. You will learn the conversational and informal styles of the language by interacting everyday during your adventure with people who are native Greeks, who probably won't be willing or able to communicate in English. You will be absorbed into the dazzling everyday life of the Greek people, its sights, sounds, and smells. You will gain knowledge and appreciate the storied Greek culture: the history, the art, the architecture, the food, and the people. As a part of the immersion program, you will attend courses in which you will learn the Greek alphabet, how to read, and how to write in Greek as well. Learning the Greek language as part of an immersion is a superb way to experience a new culture.

Primary School Maths – Why teach it?

There are many people out there teaching different kinds of subject but it is mathematics which is considered to be the most beneficial and even the best for having a bright future later on. In order to be able to teach the subject to children, teachers must have a lot of determination and an ability to make them like the subject right from the beginning as it can be tough and sometimes very boring as well. Hence, primary school maths should always be taught carefully and in an interesting way for the purpose of capturing the attention of students immediately.

Interesting to Teach

Teaching maths to children at this level can be a fun process due to the fact that every day activity classes and assignment give children the chance to learn creativity and hence, both the teachers as well as the students learn in the process. At this stage, children have many bright ideas that they can share with their teachers and enhance their knowledge in many ways as well. Being one of the most fun subjects to teach to children at this level, teachers should definitely not let go of the chance of teaching primary school maths to students whenever they want or prefer.

Uniqueness of the Subject

Apart from being a great and highly fun subject to teach, it is also amongst the most practical subjects that teachers can possibly teach children. With the knowledge of counting and problem solving, children can easily learn to apply these in their daily routine in order to acquire many top notch benefits in the long run. This is what makes the subject informative and definitely worth teaching the younger generation as it gives them a lot to learn and even apply within daily life on a day to day basis in both the short and the long run.

Less Amount of Work

For teachers who are to teach maths to children at this level, one of the biggest benefits is the fact that they do not have to deal with a lot of workload. As children at this age are immensely young and do not require as much counseling and assistance in comparison with those who are older, teachers are going to find themselves with not a lot of work and that is precisely what everyone wants in the first place. Due to this, teachers can focus on many other tasks at hand and go on to teach the subject with deliberate care and attention.

High End Salaries

Teaching primary school maths to students is also a great way for earning a good amount of money. This is due to the fact that mathematics is one of those subjects that are indeed tough at all levels, which is why maths teachers are paid so much in the first place. This is amongst one of the most prominent reasons for teaching maths to children at this level as it is immensely easy and fun, and also pays a lot on the side. As not everyone can teach maths, there is seldom a shortage of such teachers and when that happens, schools and educational institutes pay a good amount of money to immediately hire the teachers they can get their hands on instantly.

Is Teaching Primary School Maths worth it?

Due to these amazing benefits, teachers have been highly recommended to go ahead and teach mathematics to children at this level as it not only allows the children to learn many things, but it also helps them in understanding and learning a lot more than they used to before. There are many job vacancies available for this position, which is why maths teachers should always continue the search until they come across the perfect job.

The Purpose of Studying Concept Maths

More and more students can be seen to be going for maths as the subject allows them to explore a wide range of different careers and it also enables them to solve many things in the daily routine. This is due to the fact that our everyday life revolves around maths and almost nothing is without it. Therefore, studying it is always highly recommended to all individuals. Concept maths is the kind which really sharpens a person’s mind and also gives people the ability to understand maths in general in a much better way. A lot of schools all over the globe have included this subject into their curriculum since there is no going ahead without it.

Enhanced Analysis

An essential reason for studying concept maths is the fact that people can enhance their analytical skills through it. With this being possible, individuals can easily score well on critical tests that demand a lot of analysis. Since analyzing is known to be an exceptionally difficult task, the best way to polish or to acquire analytical skills is to give more importance to maths in school, college and university level. Those who succeed in understanding this are most likely to have better analytical skills than others who do not.

Enhanced Brain Activity

It is very important to study concept maths due to the fact that it enables people to acquire sharp thinking skills, which they cannot acquire so easily otherwise. The subject tests the thinking limits of an individual and where most people do not attempt to think outside of the box, they are most likely to do so while studying this type of maths. In short, individuals are going to be benefitting a lot in the process of increasing thinking skills on a large scale.

Critical Thinking & Reasoning

People study this type of maths also for the purpose of enhancing their critical thinking skills as well. Since that requires a lot of reasoning in general, this subject is known to especially help it in one way or the other. Education experts have revealed that only through maths can people increase with reasoning skills and critical thinking. While there are quite a lot of others ways to achieve this, learning mathematics is considered to be the most efficient and most commonly known ones these days. Ever since the subject was invented, it has been unique and it still is to this day.

Understanding Concepts

On the other hand, the subject is also taught to people in order to get their facts and concepts straight. Mathematics is all about knowing the right concepts and applying them well. Those who figure this out soon can do exceptionally good in the subject in the long run. However, people who are looking forward to know all there is about mathematical concepts are highly suggested to go for this type of maths as its main purpose is to provide the proper kind of guidance in the matter of knowing the concepts of maths. Due to this reason, more and more people can be seen to be opting for it.

The Verdict

All in all, learning concept mathematics has a lot of short and long-term advantages that people surely do not want to miss out. It has been included in the curriculum of many schools, colleges and even universities in different parts of the world. Due to these exclusive reasons, all the interested students are highly recommended to study maths in order to benefit from all that it has to offer. Studies also reveal that people who opt for maths are also the ones who end up having the most top notch careers as their options are countless. With maths, individuals can enter purely maths-related as well as science and IT fields if they wish.

Things I Carry: Laptop, Swimsuit & Country Music

As CEO of HP, I spend a lot of time on the road, traveling around the world to meet with customers, investors and employees. Last year alone, I spent more than 60% of my time traveling.

While I’m accustomed to frequent travel and moving at a fast pace, there are a few things I always try to carry and can’t go without. These help me stay focused, tune out the noise and provide the flexibility I need whether I’m at home or on the road.

Staying Focused

Since competing in high school, I’ve tried to make swimming a part of my regular routine. The physical exercise and time alone in a pool is a great outlet for focusing my thoughts and relieving stress. When I’m in town, I start my day at a local public pool where I’m enrolled in a Masters Swimming program. When traveling, I always carry a swimsuit and try to stay at a location near a pool so I can get in a morning swim regardless of time zone.

Tuning Out the Noise

As any member of my team who has spent time with me in a car will tell you, I’m a big fan of Country music. Some favorites include George Strait, Brooks & Dunn and Shania Twain. I keep my phone loaded with playlists that I use to tune out the noise and help me concentrate while traveling. Our CFO, Cathie Lesjak, shares a similar appreciation for Country music – sometimes when we’re working late you can hear Country playing from our cubicles.

Flexibility On and Off the Clock

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t include at least one plug for HP. One item I can’t travel without is the HP Envy x2, our latest laptop/tablet hybrid. It’s lightweight and easy to carry on trips. While on a plane, I use it as a notebook to send emails and handle work. When I want to unwind, I slide off the screen and use it as a tablet to watch a movie and decompress. I have to work efficiently when I’m on the go and the Envy x2 helps me get the job done wherever I happen to be.

Universal Docking Station Dual Monitor for Laptop and Desktop

Multitasking is the evergreen trendy word. It is always desirable to have one thing with lots of other features in it, which is in demand for computer accessory as well. We always have to face the problem of  managing bunch of wire around our laptop or desktop, which can be called an important evil. A universal docking station can sail us through our difficulties by reducing the bunch of wire. Universal docking station is the product which does multitask by providing a single port for all the peripheral devices that we commonly use with or computer.

The product supports up to 6 additional USB display. HDMI, VGA and DVI monitor port supports resolution up to 2048*1152/1920*1200. There are different video mode is available in the product like extended Desktop mode, mirror desktop mode and primary mode. Along with video, it supports 5.1-channel surround sound through DMI interface and of course input is available for headset and microphone.

The product comprises of 4 USB 2.0 port, 2 USB 3.0 port and one USB 3.0 gigabyte Ethernet network port. The 4 USB 2.0 port can be used for devices such as scanner, digital camera, keyboard, mouse, printer, joystick etc. and the other two USB 3.0 port helps in transferring data at the speed of 5gbps.The third USB 3.0 Ethernet port supports IEEE 802.3, 802.3ab and full duplex operation with IEEE 802.3x flow control. One fast charging port with charging current can charge your smart phone faster.

The product is perfect for all the personal computer like laptop, desktop and Ultra book. It can bring relieve from those unwanted web of wires around the computer. For customer`s convenience, these product is  available on e-commerce platform as well, which makes it easy to buy. Due to its multitasking ability and easy to use design, product falls under the list of most popular products.

Generation Z - It's Not Your Grandpa's Laptop

Julian, my 12 year old son, had an interesting thought today. He and his brother just started GenZLink, an agency helping organizations seeking to inspire and connect with Generation Z. I asked him if he would write up his thoughts. I usually find the boys more inspiring than anyone I know, so I figured maybe someone else might also. Who knows? He says…

The kids of today are different from the kids before us. A very big difference is the new technology, mostly computers and other digital devices. Adults and kids have very different views of computers. Adults in the modern age got computers when they were older, so their memories of computers are using them for boring, lonely 'work.' My generation uses computers for fun and games with friends; creating happy memories all the time. We also use them for creative expression.  

My generation and the generations before us grew up with different kinds of ways to entertain ourselves and connect to the world. Members of my generation entertain ourselves by playing on our computers or other devices, whereas the generations before entertained themselves by watching TV, drawing, playing games, etc. When my generation looks at a computer, they think of good times and freedom - just like how the generation before us waited for their favorite TV characters’ next episode and thought of good times, common thoughts, and freedom.

Today’s adults used to have common characters like Samantha, Darrin, and Tabitha on "Bewitched," or Gilligan, The Skipper, and Thurston Howell on "Gilligan’s Island." The kids nowadays all know about Steve from Minecraft, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach from Mario, and at least a few Pokemon characters. 

Cars (maybe a family station wagon), bikes, landlines, and the newspaper used to be the connection to humanity for the kids before my generation. They used to ride to places, like a mall, to socialize and hang out with friends. They wanted to read the newspaper because it connected them to the rest of the world. Now, computers are a major connection to humanity. Kids today socialize by Skyping their friends and playing games together. Friends get together with their laptops - playing or making games or apps. It’s not all as unhealthy as it sounds, though. We also play games where we exercise: Think Wii Sports and Wipeout on the Wii. And, we don't leave home without our Fitbits; which connect back to our laptops or phones.

Computers are changing how kids do everything. My generation uses computers to do everything the generation before us used to do and more.

Frankly, even this collaborative post - it’s a ‘family memory,’ clearly something I couldn’t have done on two separate laptops at a kitchen table on Google Drive when I was 12 years old in 1977. We’re even looking up (and bantering) about appropriate grammar usage together to get this written.  And, now we’re battling out the right image. We’ve decided that ‘cats sell,’ and we’ve even started talking about the 'Cute cat theory of digital activism.'  We figure this cat and mouse image will inspire your eyeballs, and it’s in memory of our now lost Muffin.  

If this post was boring, we humbly apologize. If you are inspired to share some inter-generational digital moments, we appreciate it and maybe someone else will too.  Thank you.  

Written in collaboration with Julian and his Dad (me). Julian is the co-Founder of GenZLink.  Dan is the President and CEO of CaseStack, a Board Member ofThe Center for Retailing Excellence, and the author of Collaborate: The Art of We.