TSM Translation Blog

Picture credits: topbots.com Machine translation (MT) is getting more and more effective everyday. Some online translation tools, such as Google Translate, are developed on a daily basis thanks to their users, who can correct wrong translations or add new ones to the system. The more data these translation tools get, the better they become at translating texts from one language to another. Other mobile apps and softwares, seemingly not related to translation at first glance, use translation as a part of their marketing strategy. Skype, for example, promises its users to translate 10 languages in real time during calls, and more than 60 languages for text messages. With the expansion of these machine translation softwares and services, any person who is unfamiliar with the world of translation could wonder if translators are really necessary, when a machine translation tool can translate long texts in just a second, free of charge. Companies would then be right t...

Getting to translate the words of a world leader is probably the highest place a translator or interpreter can reach in terms of their career. But what if the leader in question seems to have a hard time staying politically and linguistically correct?  This is precisely what many translators around the world struggle with when faced with current US President Donald Trump. With his unique way of speaking (and tweeting!) Donald Trump has been at the heart of many interesting discussions in the field of translation – from online jokes and light broadcasts on television , to actual academic essays and studies on the subject.  As students of translation, let’s consider this case as an opportunity to question the role of political translation.  Why Trump’s speech?  Linguistical problems Leaving any political concerns aside – it is usually agreed that President Trump’s use of grammar and his lexical choices could be better to say the least. As ...

Image taken from:  https://pixabay.com/illustrations/to-do-list-business-checklist-form-4483048/ Everyone has to face prejudices once in their life, and translators are no exception to the rule.   Have you ever heard your friends and family saying that translation is an easy job? They think that it only consists in changing written words from one language to another.   But the truth is that translation is way more than that.   Translators are not only translating, they are also reading, analysing, researching terminology, creating glossaries, using translation tools, planning to meet deadlines, drafting, reviewing, and post-editing.   To better understand the complexity of the translation process or if you are new to translation, here are seven steps to follow to get a text translated methodically and professionally.   1. Project request When translators receive a project request, they usually start by looking at the client s...