Let’s file this under the, “James Bond Tech” file. I highly doubt that a hand held technology will replace translators / interpretors in the near future, but it’s clear that technology is getting better in limited applications. I believe that in specific targeted areas where you need very limited command based language, technology can play an important role, but humans are still the most important part of any communication plan - no matter which language you are talking. More.

Under the Small Business Innovative Research Phase III indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, the Navy will purchase an unspecified number of Voxtec’s Phraselator P2 hand-held device, which facilitates accurate communication in different languages without a human translator. More than 5,000 units are being used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The contract also covers future research, development and refinement of the Phraselator’s phrase-based language technology, the company said.

The Navy will also be able to purchase future low-production prototypes from the Annapolis, Md., company in addition to the commercial devices currently in use.

While I don’t listen to punk rock, I love this review of the punk music band, La Plebe. The band, which sings in Spanish, provided an English translation which was appreciated by the reviewer, showing that bridging the language divide can help communication in just about any community. Read more.

Recorded at Motor Studios with producer Bill Gould (founding member of Faith No More, Brujeria), ¡Hasta la Muerte! is 30 minutes of pure energy. The song “Pinches Fronteras” sings of America’s arrogance towards those trying to find a better life across the border; “Plebe Por Vida” serves as an anthem for the band shouting “We have each other, we’re stronger than those who control,” and “Cerdos Al Marchar” is a tale of a rally turned riot: “They’ve come prepared with rags to protect their faces, for justice they rose together as brothers.”

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Being someone that doesn’t speak Spanish I have to thank the band for putting the translations in the insert with the lyrics. The message of this record is strong, and including the translations insures that that message is not lost by any of the audience. This record is out; go buy it, give it a couple of listens, and then tell your friends about how awesome it is. You’ll thank me, I promise.

I find this interesting… Google is one of the leaders in online translation… but they are looking for real live translators for their products. Why don’t they just plug it into their Google translation pages. Plug in the English and out comes Zulu, Spanish, Abhazian…Read more…

Vlad Patryshev, a software engineer, revealed on the Official Google Blog that “[m]any Google products . . . currently support more than 170 languages, from Abhazian to Zulu.” And of that impressive amount, “Translations into most of these languages are done by volunteers from around the world who are eager to help people view and search the web in their own native language.”

Patryshev was also quick to point out that these volunteers haven’t signed their lives away; “it usually takes weeks for an individual volunteer to finish translating one site,” he wrote. So if you’ve got the ability, some spare time, and an interest in aiding Google, the company’s new Google in Your Language page may be worth a look; it outlines some of the guidelines and FAQs with which translators should become acquainted, and provides a relatively quick way to get started.

Museums are cultural icons of their communities. Should they be required to provide translations for Latino populations? And what if the exhibit is of Latino art or history? In order to attract a Latino audience you need to think about Spanish translated signs, but that’s not all. Read more…

Is translation needed?Recently, LACMA was criticized for failing to provide translations for the wall text describing items in its acclaimed new exhibition of colonial art, “The Arts in Latin America, 1492-1820.” The writing on the descriptive cards as well as the larger explanatory placards is all in English, creating a cultural barrier for the region’s Spanish-speaking residents, contends the LA Weekly’s Daniel Hernandez.The assumption, of course, is that Spanish-speaking Latinos are too clueless to enjoy an art exhibition unless it’s explained to them in their own language. But going to museums where there is little or no explanatory text on the walls happens to be in the best cultural tradition of Latin America, one expert counters.

“It’s generally in the U.S. where you get a lot of signage and a lot of information about a piece,” says former Princeton University anthropology professor Jorge Klor de Alva, who served for six years on the Smithsonian Institution Council. “It’s rarely done in Mexico, and whatever description is given tends to be minimalist. So immigrants, if they had in fact attended art exhibitions in Mexico, would not be expecting much in the way of text.”

The same is true to some extent for Spain and Western Europe, he adds, where many museums have resisted the trend toward more text as a matter of curatorial philosophy.

“Here, there’s the sense that the museum-goer needs to be instructed,” says Klor, who has curated art exhibitions in Spain. “But in Latin America and especially in Europe, there’s much more the sense that people need to be given the freedom to interpret the art on their own. The assumption is that most of the paintings speak for themselves.”

That’s particularly true of the religious art at the heart of LACMA’s colonial show. Non- Latinos may find it foreign, and even off-putting, for its severe, occasionally bloody Catholic images. But Latinos are used to seeing such icons and images in their homes and churches.

Indeed, LACMA has not received a single complaint from the public about the English-only signs, says Ilona Katzew, curator of Latin American Art. She says there wasn’t enough room on the walls to accommodate both languages, but complete bilingual information for the show was provided in the brochure, catalog and audio-tour tapes.

“It’s not just about creating exhibitions that cater to specific groups,” says Katzew, who is Mexican and bilingual. “It’s about creating bridges among different types of people through art, which is truly a universal language.”

You’d think that saying welcome should be a bit easier, however, it seems that translation errors can happen at the most basic level. More.

COLUMBUS A college’s attempt at a warm welcome got a little lost in translation.

Signs posted around Columbus State Community College Monday said “Welcome!” in English and three other languages. Unfortunately, the French and Spanish versions were wrong.

The French welcome was spelled “bienvenu,” but it should have included an “e” at the end. The Spanish greeting was “bienvenida,” but that word is used to welcome one girl. “Bienvenidos” is the word used to welcome all students.

The video game industry is waking up to the multi billion dollar Hispanic market. The ever popular video game football franchise Madden ‘08 is marketing to Latinos by releasing a Spanish translation of their game. Read more.

Madden sells a lot of copies, but it could always sell more. Which is why EA are, if Amazon and GameStop are to be believed, about to release a Spanish-language version of Madden for the US market. Called Madden NFL 08 en Español, it would be the first major game (at least that I know of) to target the Spanish-speaking population of the United States, and looks due on November 13. There are only listings for a PS2 and 360 version, which would make sense, this being a risky venture (November’s pretty late, so bilingual Hispanics may well have opted for the English version by then).

Interesting to see an overview from the perspective of an interpreter. At WLS, we work with many industries, and we find that in the workplace, those acting as interpreters may be highly -trained professionals, the cousin of the owner who took a few years of Spanish, or in hospitals, the young child of an ill patient - and everything in between. Let’s not forget that quality customer service, whether in a hospital or at a restaurant requires quality communication. Read more.

Maria Currano isn’t a doctor, but for people who speak only Spanish and need to go to the hospital, she could be just as important.Currano, 30, is a Spanish translator and interpreter for the Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly. She helps doctors communicate with Spanish-speaking patients.

“Part of what makes my job so rewarding is that I’m able to use my language skills to help people,” Currano said. “For patients, it makes their hospital experience a lot less scary and more productive if they can communicate well with health-care providers.”

A translator is someone who takes written information and rewrites it in another language. An interpreter listens to what someone says and repeats it in another language. Not all translators are interpreters, and not all interpreters are translators. Currano learned how to do both in school.

English is Currano’s native language. She started learning Spanish in middle school, then studied in Spain and at the University of Maryland. She majored in Spanish and linguistics (the scientific study of language) and took classes in translation. For a while she wanted to be a teacher, but during college she started working at the hospital and enjoyed it.

Translators and interpreters are needed in many industries. Police, schools, courts, the government and international businesses all use translators and interpreters daily.

Most translators and interpreters don’t have extra training in the area they want to work in. Currano didn’t have any medical training and for a long time would carry a medical dictionary wherever she went. More important, she said, is to know about the culture of the group you are translating or interpreting for.

There are so many people in the US who do not speak English. While learning English is an important step for immigrants to become integrated into our culture, both socially and economically, we do need to do what we can to help people them out. I just read this article about a law in Kansas that does just that. Rea Read more…

Linda Covey sat next to a courtroom bench Friday afternoon, conducting a murmured conversation with a defendant’s father while the magistrate judge moved on to other cases.

Speaking in Spanish, Covey told the man that his son was being moved to another county jail, and he needed to contact the court to find out how much his son owed in court costs and fines. She also told the man that his son had 90 days to pay or his driver’s license would be suspended.

After several minutes of conversation, the man thanked Covey and left the courtroom.

Helping Spanish-speaking people understand the complexities of the legal system is part of the daily routine for Covey, a full-time interpreter for Ford County District Court. She also helps English-speaking people navigate the system and fills in wherever she is needed.

Covey said she has worked as an interpreter for five years, and she believes she was born to do that job.

“I’m not saying that pridefully, not at all,” she said in a recent interview. “I’m just saying that I’m a tool to be of service, and that’s what I do.”

Helping people understand the courts

Under Kansas law, courts must have interpreters when needed to help a non-English-speaking person understand what is happening. The interpreter translates the proceedings into the person’s native language, listens to the person’s response, then translates their comments into English for the court.

I guess to say that Harry Potter-mania breaks all geographic and cultural boundaries is an understatement. It only took three days for an unauthorized Spanish translation of the latest Harry Potter book to show up on the internet. It even was available for reading in Afghanistan in the local language! More.

Unofficial translators produced a Spanish version of J.K. Rowling’s latest Harry Potter book in just three days.

Just three days after the English version was published, hundreds of PDF pages appeared on the internet with the latest adventures of the boy wizard translated into several languages. The sites where the unofficial version is available have received more than four million hits so far.

“Thanks to the whole team; they have done us justice and have given us the right to read the book in our language and enjoy it more”, says Maria, a Mexican reader. But most of the comments on the blogs are anonymous, which is the key to this phenomenon. Proyecto DH is a team of translators and proofreaders, but it’s almost impossible to get in touch with them through official channels - something that makes it difficult for lawyers to go after them.

Salamandra, which is already working on translating the original text and will publish the official Spanish version in several months, has not started any such legal action. It’s not just in Spain where unofficial versions flourish. Demand in China has ensured that, prior to the official translation due to be published in October, plenty of fake versions are available in Chinese.

Although they are missing some sections and contain errors, the book’s price is attractive: just two euros. In New Delhi and Bangladesh, non-authorized copies of Harry Potter have become the top products of travelling salesmen. In India, You can buy a copy for less than four euros and in Bangladesh, jus one euro. Even in Afghanistan, avid fans can pick up the books. A US courier company delivered the latest work from author J.K. Rowling to 50 residents of Kabul the same day that it was released worldwide. Just three days after the English version was published, hundreds of PDF pages appeared on the internet with the latest adventures of the boy wizard translated into several languages. The sites where the unofficial version is available have received more than four million hits so far.

It happens all the time but it never ceases to be funny. I saw some of these from this site. They make for a great read…

In a Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.

In a Tokyo Hotel: Is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis.

In a Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.

In a Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk.

In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.

In a Yugoslavian hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.

In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.

Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

In a Bangkok dry cleaner’s: Drop your trousers here for best results.

Outside a Paris dress shop: Dresses for street walking.

In a Rhodes tailor shop: Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.

Similarly, from the Soviet Weekly: There will be a Moscow Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years.

In a Vienna hotel: In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter.

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own ass?

On the faucet in a Finnish washroom: To stop the drip, turn cock to right.

In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

In an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

Two signs from a Moroccan shop entrance:
- English well talking.
- Here speeching American.