by Marina Spanou I recently watched the film Arrival. From the moment I found out that the protagonist was a translator/interpreter, I was very curious about its linguistic approach on a very common movie subject, i.e. aliens. I must say that, barring a few common misconceptions and clichés, I wasn’t disappointed at all. I will try to limit the spoilers for those of you…
Interview with Will McMorran
Interview with Will McMorran Senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London Will McMorran recently translated Marquis de Sade’s famously explicit novel “120 Days of Sodom” with Thomas Wynn for Penguin Classics. Yourtranslator asked him what sparked his interest in this author and how he dealt with the translation of what is arguably one of the most obscene texts in the history of literature. Tell us a…
Translating Europe Forum: machines and minds working together at a truly European conference
by Marina Spanou Translating Europe Forum took place for the third consecutive year in Brussels, on 28-29 October, under the auspices of the EU Commission’s Directorate General for Translation. Just like last year, one of the greatest advantages of this event was its truly European character; walking through the corridors and halls during the breaks one could hear languages and accents from all over…
Will translators really be replaced by machines…and when?
by Marina Spanou Machine translation is a very popular subject in the language industry, and, perhaps even more importantly, it is attracting increasing interest from the investor and startup world. What is machine translation after all? A friend or a foe? Something out of a science fiction movie or the new technology around the corner? And what does this all mean for professional translators…
“Developing our Connections” at Elia Together 2016
Yourtranslator at Together 2016 “Developing our Connections” Relationships, Growth and Technology Organised by: Elia, 11-12 Feb, 2016, Barcelona by Dina Tyrovola (Παρακάτω ακολουθεί η μετάφραση του άρθρου στα ελληνικά) It was with great interest and pleasure that we attended Elia’s conference in Barcelona, which focused on the agency-freelancer relationship and took place last month. In this context, Stephen Lank’s keynote speech highlighted the need…
Interview with Susan Harris, Words Without Borders
Interview of the month – Susan Harris Editorial Director, Words Without Borders Founded in 2003, Words Without Borders promotes cultural understanding through the translation, publication, and promotion of the finest contemporary international literature. Yourtranslator spoke with Editorial Director Susan Harris about the organisation’s goals and the future of the publishing sector. Tell us a bit about yourself and the work you do at Words…
Lost in Translation: The case of Chinese
Mandarin Chinese constitutes the official and most widespread spoken dialect of the People’s Republic of China; it’s the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and one of the four official languages of Singapore, while its writing system is also used by speakers of other Chinese dialects. It belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Chinese language is of particular interest not only…
What I’ve learned from yoga about professional translation
When you start practicing yoga, you are told things you find hard to believe; one of them is that you can apply things you learn about yourself on the yoga mat to your everyday life. It sounds quite ambitious, but one of the main goals of the yoga philosophy and practice is self-awareness. Even if you resist it initially, at some point you are…
3 reasons to invest in a high-quality translation
One of the biggest problems faced by the translation sector is customer perceptions on translation cost, which is often deemed too high. This is due to the fact that translation, both as a science and as a profession, is largely misunderstood due to the ignorance surrounding this field. However, if you are considering translating your website, advertising material or any other company documents and…
Translating Europe Forum: the importance of mentoring and (social) networking for professional translators
This colourful conference, organized by the EU Commission, took place in Brussels on 29 and 30 October and brought together almost 500 translators, interpreters and linguists of all ages and nationalities to discuss and debate the issues that are impacting the sector today. The reigning atmosphere was one of optimism and enthusiasm, which was resonating in the beautiful amphitheatre provided by the Commission for…