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Latin language …. And other things the Romans did for us   On a recent trip to Italy and having visited several Roman historical sites such as the coliseum, Herculaneum and Pompeii, I was struck by how many things in Western civilization have been influenced by the work of the…

Language: it’s child’s play! Part one   At university, for my degree in languages, I studied language acquisition and how this differs depending on whether it is your first or second language, and how old you are when you start learning. There are many theories about how we acquire language…

Aboriginal languages: Maori   Think of New Zealand and you’ll probably picture beautiful landscapes, outdoor adventures, the All Blacks rugby team and perhaps a nice glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc. These are certainly images that come to mind for me. I also think of the Māori people, their language and…

In our past 2 posts we’ve looked at the good and bad points of Google Translate. 10 years down the line it is undoubtedly helping many people with their language quandaries. That said, it’s important to look at the flip side of the coin: are we becoming too reliant on…

  Believe it or not Google Translation was born in 2006, and so celebrates its 10th birthday this year. From its original 2 languages the tool can now deal with 103 languages including Hmong (a dialect spoken in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand), Shona (a Bantu language native to Zimbabwe)…

  Outside the translation and language industry little is really known (understandably perhaps) about translation technology. Machine translation is a type of this technology, for example Google Translate and Babelfish, of which many people have heard of. But, tools used by translators, translation companies and the people who require translations…

  In this series so far we have looked at the difficulties of the fields of medical and legal translation. Translating within the fields of marketing and media brings its own set of issues. As our readers should all be aware by now translation isn’t simply a case of replacing…

  Translations of a medical or pharmaceutical nature can be highly sensitive, and the implications of an incorrect translation for dosage, for example, could prove to be catastrophic. This is why it’s vital to have a highly skilled and trained translator translate your medical text. A mistranslated drug leaflet or…

    Translation in and of itself is never a straightforward case of taking one word and translating it into its equivalent form in another language. Each type of translation presents its own difficulties, and legal translation is by no means an exception. Here we look at the two main…

  Interpreting is a skill. Just because you speak more than one language does not mean that you are an interpreter. Training to be a consecutive, simultaneous or liaison interpreter takes years of education, work experience and continual professional development. Interpreters have many avenues for work; the corporate sector, public…

What is translation? The Oxford dictionary defines the term as: “A written rendering of the meaning of a word or text in another language”. I think this definition captures the true essence of translation; i.e. not simply replacing one word in one language with the exact equivalent in another, but…

  Rosetta Translation offers many language services to people all over the world: translating and interpreting in to and out of many foreign languages. We pride ourselves in the quality of the work we provide our clients, and the standards of freelancers we work with on a daily basis. We…

The apostrophe, that little hovering punctuation mark, is widely misused and misunderstood. Yet, it is so important that it has been given its own day in recognition; yes, the 15th August is officially the International Apostrophe Day, and we should all take time to appreciate the trusty apostrophe.  Its use…

Editing and subtitling videos has always been a hobby of mine. In a world where teenagers can build a career by posting Youtube videos and have their vlog, parodies and interviews subtitled for the larger audience to enjoy, it is important for companies to be present on the different platforms…

  You can learn the Korean alphabet in 1 day or less The Korean alphabet, or 한글 (Hangeul), was created during the 15th century by the court of King Sejong the Great, to help every Korean read and write the Korean language. Initially writing was the privilege of the elite…

While the umbrella term ‘project manager’ can be heard in almost all sectors in the professional world, from construction to IT, project management as a practice in the field of translation has only started to emerge in recent years and does not yet, therefore, have the long tradition it is…

It is always fascinating to my mum how I – a native French speaker living in London - am able to understand and speak a language that is not my own with apparent ease. She keeps asking me “how do you do that? You’re practically bilingual!” with a proud smile…

Technology is making our lives easier and more productive each day, and the translation industry is no exception! Two  concepts that are often bundled together and confused by laymen are machine translation and CAT tools. They are, however quite distinct and serve quite different functions. That's why we are asking…

Rosetta Translation officially started its Shanghai operations in 2008. That’s 7 long years already, and I thought it would be interesting to sit back and think what lessons can be learnt in terms of getting a small service business off the ground in the People’s Republic of China.   Get…

  Well, the short answer is: the Chinese language isn’t so difficult to learn, and here is why. Ease of learning depends on (linguistic) distance The difficulty of a new language that we want to learn is very relative, and is significantly related to how similar it is to our…

I have been instrumental in setting up, developing and running the Shanghai office of Rosetta Translation since we first planned a China office in 2007. It might be tempting to think that running a translation business is pretty much the same everywhere, but the situation in the translation industry in…

If you aren't lucky enough to be multilingual, then chances are you've at least tried to learn a foreign language at some point in your life, or at least considered it. The skill of mastering a new tongue certainly comes easier to some than it does to others, but that's…

Here are some tips on how to produce a document that will be easy to translate into another language.  If you've never used the services of Rosetta Translation Ltd before, then you might be surprised to know that we do much more than just translate a document from one language…

There are 33 European languages that are on the verge of extinction, according to new research - but what are these least common languages, and how close are they to disappearing? When you think of European languages, the obvious examples are always going to spring to mind - English, French,…

Brits abroad - two words that are enough to make any respectable English person cringe. However, aside from the lager lout behaviour and general debauchery that springs to mind with this phrase, are we really as bad as the stereotype suggests? In particular, are we a country of language novices?…

When moving into a foreign market, it's important that you do as much background work as possible before your 'launch' to ensure you hit the ground running. In modern business, your website is your shop window - so it's vitally important that everything is in the right place and makes…

Can you ever imagine the English language no longer existing? It seems like an unlikely thought, but that is what has happened to an estimated 400 languages over the last 100 years, which roughly equates to one tongue dying out every three months. In addition to this, the BBC reports…

Learning a new language can do wonders for your brain - regardless of age.   'You can't teach an old dog new tricks', or so the saying goes.   However, this might be true for certain aspects of life (who wants to learn how to 'freerun' any way?), it's certainly…

It was quite close in the end, wasn't it? However - as many predicted - Scotland voted in favour of staying in the United Kingdom, with 55.3 per cent voting 'No' to independence and 44.7 per cent choosing 'Yes'. So, for the meantime at least, we're still all one big,…

Translating - if it's not done right - can be a risky business. As well as words that have multiple meanings, there are also cultural connotations with certain phrases that can have an adverse effect on the message you're trying to communicate. This post is about what can happen when…

If you are already trading overseas or have ambitions to move into a foreign market, it's likely that at some point you will have to consider if you need a business interpreter to assist with your venture. While some might see this as an unnecessary cost based on the assumption…

Despite it being almost literally a world away from English, it's not impossible to understand the Thai language. However, you'll have undoubtedly noticed that learning how to speak, read and write this fascinating tongue is likely to take a wholly different approach to learning German, French or Spanish, for example.…

It's no secret that translation is a difficult process at the best of times, with those doing the work needing to possess a number of key skills in order to be successful in their jobs. However, the best translators are not only talented in the act of reproducing literature from…

As the tenth most widely-spoken language in the world, Punjabi - the official language of the Indian state of Punjab - is used primarily in India and Pakistan. In the former country, the most recent census shows around 30 million people use this tongue, while there are 70 million speakers…

Whether you need help with interpreting to facilitate conversation between a group, during a conference or similar event, or on a one-to-one basis, at Rosetta Translation Ltd, we can provide services to assist you. However, there are a number of different modes of interpreting that we offer, each suited to…

It is often the case that translating a piece of text from one language to another is never as straightforward as it seems to someone who hasn't done it before. As well as being skilled in understanding at least two tongues, the best translators also specialise in a professional sector.…

For those who just speak English, or any other Western language for that matter, understanding the Chinese language - both in written and verbal forms - can be a challenging task, even if you are curious about interesting idioms in Chinese. The country is quite literally on the other side…

When it comes to receiving a good service from an interpreter, there are probably two key elements you'll be looking out for - accuracy and efficiency. Both are equally important, as incorrect interpretations will inevitably lead to misunderstandings, while an interpreter who cannot keep up with the speed of the…

When localising your brand for any market, you should never presume this can be something done easily. It's never as simple as translating from X language into Y language and often it's not a few poorly-converted words that can end up costing you time, money and reputation - it's those…

When you need translation work done, it's vital that you employ the right person for the job. Not only will you require your translation to be done to an impeccable standard, but you need to know that it will be done by the right deadline, as for a great number…

The British are known for many things - tea, scones, roast dinners and a passion for sarcasm, to name just a few of our great loves. However, when it comes to modern foreign languages, it would be fair to say that, as a nation, we are notoriously bad at them.…

Recent years have seen an explosion of online translation tools there to help us. They pop up when a page is in an unfamiliar language, casually requesting if you fancy having that page translated into English. Google Translate is probably the most well known and enjoys the same verb-like status…

We understand that confidentiality and data security is very important for our clients and naturally it is for us too. Confidential material comes in all shapes and sizes, no matter the type of document everything at Rosetta is treated with the strictest of confidence. Our minimum confidentiality protection measures involve…

Research has shown that bilingual people have brains that are able to deal with ambiguities faster, are able to distinguish sounds even against a noisy backdrop faster, and resolve conflicts or problems quicker. Studies have also shown that bilingual brains remain ‘sharper’ for longer and can resist diseases such as…

As a linguist I am sometimes asked what I think is the most difficult language to learn. Having studied German, French, Japanese and Spanish at various stages my knowledge is relatively limited, and from my point of view there is no definitive answer. But, some are definitely more difficult than…

Having studied languages at various stages in my life, school, university (under and post graduate) it has always been evident that languages were more of a ‘girls’ thing’ rather than a boys’. In classes, for every one guy there was at least five girls; a favourable ratio perhaps for the…

It is estimated that there are approximately 7000 languages spoken in the world today, although about 1000 of these only have a few hundred speakers. It is also estimated that 25 languages are lost every year, which is a sad thought. Are we moving towards a new chapter of globalisation…

The trend of using machine translations has made its mark in recent times. It’s a service that is free and available online anytime.  Nothing really compares when you need a quick reference right there and then for a few phrases or sentences.   Its efficiency, therefore has led most businesses…

Top 10 Advertisement Translation Mistakes Since advertising experts, working in their own native language, still often struggle in getting the words and message right, how surprising is it that linguists face substantial challenges in translating highly colloquial and emotive advertising documents? Not getting the message quite right is one thing,…

Most of us are familiar with the day-to-day language services we provide. So, I thought that this month’s article should be dedicated to one translation area in particular: subtitling and dubbing. But, to spice things up a little I have decided to introduce you to subtitling and dubbing in the…