Written by Dawn McIntyre
Have you ever thought about the Chinese New Year zodiac and the animals which represent their cultural belief? There are 12 animals which all come in variation of metal, water, wood, fire and earth for each one. You have the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar (Pig). Every 12 years the animal will rotate into one of the different types for example:
February 1951 Metal Rabbit
February 1963 Water Rabbit
February 1975 Wood Rabbit
January 1987 Fire Rabbit
February 1999 Earth Rabbit
February 2011 Metal Rabbit
January 2023 Water Rabbit
For many years, I have followed the Chinese culture and meanings behind it, as it has always fascinated me. Born in the year of the water rabbit, this is something which I have read up about from a great Chinese author, Theodora Lau.
To give you a little flavour of the book for the water rabbit, it states of the person:
The water rabbit will posses an excellent memory and may have the kind of mental power that without his being aware of it, transmits his ideas to others. Consequently, he attracts the kind of people he relates to and he may be surprised by the many supporters who rally to his defence when he least expects. However, he is a subjective soul and his perspective gets distorted by the emotional barriers he sets up. He is not very decisive and in many cases could readily come under the sway of others.
At times, his delicate sensitivity makes him dwell too much on the past. Often reminiscing on long-ago injuries and indulging in self-pity, he needs strong associates to help him see the brighter side of life and enjoy himself. In his negative moods, he suspects the motives of those around him and is uncompromising, secretive and even paranoid. In his positive state, he could rally powerful allies to his aid. He is never without resources or influence so long as he does not carry his neutrality so far that no one will take his side.
If you have a child born under the year of the rabbit or a newborn due to venture into the world in 2023, some of these facts from Theodora Lau may be an interesting read.
A child born in the Rabbit’s year will have a sweet disposition. Even-tempered and obedient, he will be sensitive to the moods of his parents and act accordingly. He can sit quietly and concentrate on one toy or game at a time. However, this does not mean he is not observing everything out of the corner of his eye. Not much escapes the attention of the Hare’s child.
Usually he is a light sleeper and may fret a lot when he is sick. Although he loves being catered to, he will be easy to discipline and should have little trouble fitting in at school. He learns his lessons easily and well. Just because he is better than average manners, it does not mean he cannot or will not be argumentative in his own soft spoken way. He may get his way more often by using this unobtrusive and non-confrontational method. One who can grasp both sides of an issue quickly, he can debate his point effectively and with intelligence. At times, it will be difficult to figure out what he wants or really thinks. Adept at making his feelings, the rabbit will only say what he knows will please you and thus manoeuvre you over to his way of thinking without you even noticing it.
The rabbit child will fend for himself and protect his possessions. Remarkably observant, he can calculate his chances of getting his way. Helpful at home, conforming at school and well-tuned to his environment, this child will know his way around people and problems. Rest assured, he will be well liked and accepted everywhere he goes.
There are many famous people who some may no longer be with us.
Metal Rabbit – former president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, Henry Miller (American Author)
Wood Rabbit – Drew Barrymore (Actress), Ingrid Bergman (Actress), Angelina Jolie (Actress), Orson Welles
Earth Rabbit – Albert Einstein, David Frost (British Journalist), Queen Victoria, Ali MacGraw (Actress)
Water Rabbit – Nicholas Cage, Michael Jordan (Basketball Player), Brad Pitt, King Olav V (former king of Norway)
Fire Rabbit – George C Scott (Actor & Director), Peter Falk (Actor), Harry Belafonte ( Musician & Actor)
Sunday 22nd January will see the celebration of the Chinese New Year and you will expect to see a traditional, colourful and joyous event from the Chinese culture. Their tradition is to give their family and friends a red packet (usually with money or gift) which is a sign to attract luck and positivity.
Join us in celebrating the Chinese New Year and wishing peace, prosperity, health and happiness to everyone!
Written by Dawn McIntyre
Another year over and a new beginning whether in a personal or business life, either way, each and every one of us want to make the best of 2023.
AccuEast would like to share with you 5 top tips for your translation techniques or project planning. Through honing in on some expertise, you may just prevent a stupid mistake or learn how the experts achieve that quality finish.
An obvious choice but when you ask for a quotation for your project work, remember to find out more about the translator. Ask for their experience within that subject matter, what is their history and maybe provide some references. Translators have different strengths and category subjects. Focus on quality translation for 2023.
Don’t just focus on a translator, ask your provider about the process for quality control and if the price includes additional service like a proof-reader. This is really important as a proof-reader is not only a translator but they have more expertise and skills, higher than a translator. They will check grammar, punctuation, spelling and many other areas like tone or native correctness.
Check for price value. There are plenty of small and medium size translation organisations which can offer not only a competitive price but a better personal service. Large translation organisations don’t necessarily offer you the best package or personal service so shop around. Saving money and increasing quality service is a great way to start the year off.
Plan the translation project to allow for plenty of time to ensure final quality checks can be made. Rushing your project is not the best for any outcome but you need to ensure what you are translating is correct and in a native tongue.
Picking up from tip number 4 with native tongue, it is so important that the chosen translator is a native speaker in the language. The quality of work will outshine other translators who do not offer this expertise and skill. This tip will ensure the translation is not just word for word but it protects you against any embarrassment or risks of insults and puts you ahead for a professional touch.
Ok, now you have some great top tips for 2023, let’s get the year started and if you require any further information, support or you would like a quote, email info@accueast.com
Your translation needs are in safe hands with us.
Written by Dawn McIntyre
We have covered many different topics for translation through our blog posts over the last few weeks but this time we will take a look at life-science which is a core subject within the translation industry. For those who are not familiar with life-science, it relates to the pharmaceutical and the medical industries.
The pharmaceutical companies have a huge need for translation of the medicines due to their products being shipped on a worldwide basis. This is a complex translation skill with difficult wording and which requires carefully checked instructions to avoid any major mis-communication issues. As new drugs are developed, these need to be approved by governments around the world which require accurate translation for approval and distribution. Pharmaceutical companies must abide by strict regulations in order to comply with the country, therefore different labelling, packaging and insert translations are all applicable to this process.
Other types of pharmaceutical translation can include patient applications, consent forms, clinical trials and studies, clinical reports, prescription labels & guidelines, market research papers, collecting data for regions and international survey translations.
Think of all the medical devices, installation, user-guides and manuals. Even software use and instructions will form part of the medical device translations. It’s crucial that the translations are 100% to avoid any error of mis-use, accidents or even life-threatening situations.
You then have the translation to point out any licence and copyright T&Cs. For transport and storage communication, translation of labelling and packaging are required.
We take for granted the medical information which are there in our chosen language. What is not seen is the hard work and dedication behind the scenes to ensure safety is a core product from the pharmaceutical industry for translation of their products.
If you would like to some support for any life-science translation or want to talk to us about a quote, feel free to contact us direct on info@accueast.com
Written by Dawn McIntyre
Legal work has a massive responsibility in any shape or form and this also applies to translating legal documents. The translator must have a previous track record of delivering successful quality legal translation work and be skilled to understand the meaning of the industry wording or definitions.
It is fair to say, there is a lot of terminology which is used by the legal system and a translator must be familiar and experienced for translating accurately. Not only do they need to be well equipped for the target language but they should also have sound knowledge and experience within the legal system.
Previous blog posts written by AccuEast have stipulated the importance of using a translator who can speak the language ‘as a native speaker or mother-tongue’. This steps up the quality to another level for translation.
When it comes to legal translation, it is a whole different ball game as you need to ALSO consider the background of how much legal knowledge the translator has had. Matching up the right translator who is a native speaker and with legal translation experience is a MUST.
When it comes to legal documents which are written in English, it is often characterised by impersonal and formal tones as well as content. The documents can involve several subject matters, complex structured sentences or paragraphs – making legal translation difficult to translate. The writing style needs to be adapted to suit the legal system and documentation.
Legal English is usually written in a passive voice and when this is translated into a language which will use active voice, it can cause confusion and change the definition of the source text.
To summarise, legal translation is one of the most challenging tasks within the translation industry. The translator and proof-reader will need to combine their skill, knowledge, expertise and legal knowledge to ensure the document is 100% accurate for the legal system.
If you would like to know more about legal translation or if you have a project in the near future, feel free to email us on info@accueast.com
Written by Dawn McIntyre
Assuming all of your audiences can speak your language is a long shot and to fully understand the content is even further away from your goal post. When you are marketing your business and services within the travel, tourism and hospitality sector, common sense would be to market it to the largest audience possible, correct?
If the content is only in one language, then your audience has been dramatically reduced. If your audience is vastly reduced then so is your customer base, sales, brand and services. Translation has huge global benefits to the travel and tourism industry. If a business or travel agency doesn’t consider or take the plunge to translate their valuable content, a high percentage of potential customers have fallen off the radar or been lost, massively.
Although the UK is great for global business, one of the downsides is that it’s expected or replied upon that people around the world speak English. One of the common research findings is that English people are one of the lowest international language speakers. Being born and raised in England, it’s true and this can stem back within the education sector, historically. It’s crazy as the UK are within the top 5 countries for trade, dealing with export and importing goods.
Travel can be equally important whether for personal or business needs but either way, ensuring the content has been translated 100% correct is the NUMBER ONE priority.
Never assume the customer speaks the language of the content and don’t reduce your audience
Prepare your social media posts in different languages whether this is in the content description area or the post itself.
Set up your translation on your website if you want to offer travel on a global basis or for the audience whose doesn’t have English as first language.
Have a professional translation agency to check any translated content to save your brand and from ending up ‘red faced’
Add translation services to the content for your social media, website, marketing, events and publications of your brand to attract bigger and new business
Finally, if you feel there is a specific demographic audience you would like to try out or target, start off with one translated language. Although China has not opened its borders for travellers, there is still a huge target audience in the UK of Chinese residence or visitors who are passionate about travel. You could be missing out!
If you would like to know more about translation services, help with protecting your business for translated content, please feel free to contact us for a friendly chat or a quotation.
written by Dawn McIntyre
Buying a property can be one of the most stressful transactions but imagine your location is in another country. There are so many points where you need to be 100% sure of the content accuracy for translation for your life changing decisions.
Real estate translation differs from other translated content as it is not just about localisation or cultural differences. The translation for real estate content includes contracts, appraisals, property development documents, leasing information, property management papers, housing deeds and legal aspects. The understanding of what you are signing is imperative, therefore you must be fully sure the translation is correct at top level.
Buyers will need property information translated into their first language for other aspects of geographic location, commuting routes, schools and transport links. It’s not just about the property. Sellers will need to ensure their property is promoted and includes the right type of target markets. Whether it is a buyer or seller, an experienced legal and real estate translator must be employed.
There is so much that can go wrong and at such a high cost for real estate! Image the translation is incorrect, no matter how small but the wording doesn’t explain that you are not the freeholder of the property. What about T&Cs which may be incorrect and you find that you have signed on the dotted line to discover there are annual maintenance charges. This is your future investment and accuracy is the most important aspect of all.
For real estate translation, you will need to ensure your translator has a high level of legal experience. Ensure this is backed up with references to minimise any risks.
Whatever the cost of your property you purchase, the price you pay for the best translation service will be a drop in the ocean compared to the high personal and financial risks which could come back to bite you if not followed by the right route.
Financial translation is one of the most important services for any international or growing organisation. Here we set out a blog post to allow you to understand what is included and the importance of finance translation from an expert service provider.
Global organisations will have access to several international reports which are written in different languages. Here they will need to be translated into one common, agreed language. The financial reports are a crucial element of any business decision making or structure from lessons learned to what worked. Having this information translated accurately, hugely matters.
In all translation in any shape or form, accuracy is the NUMBER ONE factor to gain the best end result. Without accuracy, your risks catapult to a greater high. Your brand will be at risk, your business confidence will be jeopardised and your financial gain can plummet. Imagine you have incorrect data or information translated within your business reports from any of your international branches or groups. The errors this can be catastrophic for your business!
So, remember that when choosing a language provider, ensure they have financial translators who are native speakers and who have a financial translator with a minimum of 2 – 3 year’s experience.
Financial translation can be general with a wide range of services. Common translated documents in addition to financial or company reports can include the organisations accounts, T&Cs, balance sheets, contracts, tax reports, statements, shareholder summaries, bonds, stock, equities. This is name just a few.
Attention to detail is a must. Proofreading will be a huge part of the quality check process so ensure your provider has this role included in the services provided. The proofreader will be different to the translator and generally higher experience. They are used as a second pair of eyes and specialise in the grammar, punctuation, terminology, flow of content and correct native wording. These checks are vital for both speed and accuracy.
Use a financial translation organisation who can provide you with their expert translators.
If you would like to know more about financial translation or you would like a quotation, please feel free to contact us direct through our website or info@accueast.com
Written by Dawn McIntyre
Professional translation can be difficult in most subjects but believe me when I say Patent and Intellectual Property (IP), requires a certain type of initiative, skill and cleverness. It’s about successfully ‘getting it right every time’ as this subject is attached to a legal consequence matter.
AccuEast fully understands the market in China as Chinese is their core expertise within the translation service delivery. Knowing the system which is used is also highly recommended as it is different to the UK. It is always advised to seek professional guidance if you have a product or service which you are registering in another country for IP or patents.
Some examples of serious issues for inaccurate patent or IP translations can include:
As we have stated in the past regarding matching the right native translator to the correct subject matter, you go onto another level with patent translators. Certified patent translators are normally native speakers or who has a long history of expertise within this discipline. They will usually have a background in specific industries such as medicine, biotechnology, science, technology, pharmaceuticals or engineering.
Selecting the right translator for the project is key and it can make a world of difference to the outcome. Now this is not just for costs and legal reasons as mentioned previously, it’s for meeting quality outcomes and project deadlines which also comes into the mix!
To sum up the life of a patent translator, their expertise in specific industries is a must. They need to know the jargon within the industry, how it is phrased and the technical descriptions used. The speed in which the patent translators work is unbelievable but this is not compromising quality. We have to take our hat off to the skilled, patent translators who work with such ‘attention to detail’ and precision. Their 100% expertise and experience is crucial to the job in hand.
Article written by Dawn McIntyre
It’s a common mistake to confuse the roles of a translator and interpreter. To those in the profession, it can be frustrating and to a business, annoying as they will not be receiving the right set of skills for the person doing the work.
Over the years, we have seen valuable contracts issued which feature the title ‘interpreter’ when the actual work is for translation. This can be a real problem and it shows the procurement team consider the two roles the same. It’s vital you collaborate or work with the right skill set for the best results.
Just so we can help you understand, an easy way to distinguish the two roles is:
Interpreter: has skills for listening, verbal interpretation at a speed to match the verbal discussions within the language being translated.
Translator: focuses more on language writing, using core meaning of source text, cultural language and correctness.
So… from a translation point of view, we look for skills such as
To finalise the skills of a great translator, they should be familiar with the culture, customs and social settings of the source and target language speakers.
Now that you have a much better understanding of the difference between a translator and interpreter, you can see that their roles and skill sets are completely different!
If you have any projects which require experienced translators, feel free to get in touch with us and we are happy to offer our help and support with a no obligation quotation. Contact info@accueast.com
Written by Jennifer Lee
Dating back to Ancient Mesopotamia when medical, mathematical, and chemical knowledge was inscribed on clay tablets in varying languages, translation has always aided the progression of medicine. Inherited knowledge from ancient civilisations contributed to Hippocrates’ Corpus Hippocraticum in 5th century BCE, which was one of many Ancient Greek works translated into Arabic in 9th century Baghdad, Anglo-Saxon in 10th century England, Latin in the 11th century, Castilian in the 13th century, and so on. Each further translation of medical theory has allowed scholars around the world to connect and contribute more to medicine throughout the course of history.
Medical translation, it’s fairly safe to say, is a specialism of its own, and not one that any translator can simply take on. While medical translation does share some features in common with other types of translation, such as the need to adapt cultural differences and the methods of translation, the translator’s priorities are slightly different when it comes to medical writing.
Background Knowledge is Vital
Although many fields of translation also require a thorough background knowledge of the subject, there are few disciplines where it is as vital as medical translation.
Comprehension is an important part of the translation process and medical texts tend to involve less focus on aspects such as rhythm and cultural references.
The medical translator’s priority is to adequately handle “factual complexity and accuracy”, to quote Maria González Davies and Vincent Montalt. Accuracy and validity of information could not be more vital when the health of patients may be at stake. And because accuracy is so important, this means that it’s essential that the translator have significant expertise in the subject at hand.
“If [you] don’t understand the source text, [you] can’t translate it. ” ~ Maria González Davies and Vincent Montalt
While it’s fairly obvious to say, it’s still important to remember that if you cannot understand a source text, you cannot translate it.
One of the basic tasks of a translator is to understand, so that they can enable their readers to do the same. If a translator fails to understand the source text, then it is likely to be misinterpreted or not understood at all by the reader.
Medical professionals should not have to work harder to understand a medical text because a translator has failed to properly communicate the source meaning.
Considering Target Audience
As is also the case with other areas of translation, communicative purpose is a very important aspect of medical translation that must be taken into account.
If the target audience are patients, then the writing of the medical text will be vastly different than if they were healthcare professionals. If the text is for experts of a given field in medicine, then the writing will be significantly less explicatory than it would be for medical students. How familiar the target audience is with specialised terminology and concepts is an important consideration to take into account when translating medical texts.
Which country the audience is from is also an important thing to take into account as many medical terms are spelled differently in different countries, the most obvious example being the difference between UK English and US English. Localisation of the text can sometimes be necessary to ensure that the writing conforms with the typical practice in that country. Some examples of medical terminology that differs in the UK vs the US are:
At AccuEast, we implement particularly rigid Quality Assurance procedures in our medical translation projects, with suitably qualified translators and proof-readers, as well as specialist medical informants. For more information on our services, please contact us at info@accueast.com
Reach out to us today to discuss your needs and request a free, no obligation quotation.