It is the time of the year when the Chinese people celebrate the full moon.  Speaking of the full moon, it plays a major role in folk tales.  It is when werewolves come to life.  A werewolf is of course a human who turns into a wolf. 

It is worth noting the origin of the word werewolf.  The first part of the word most likely derives from Old English wer, meaning “man”, thus the word plainly means “man wolf” (or “wolf man”, to match the movie title).  The translations in many other Indo-European languages agree with this root, like hombre lobo in Spanish and λυκάνθρωπος in Greek.

While most European languages are specific about the animal into which a human transforms, the Russian description of “werewolf” is more general.  For example, a Russian word used for “werewolf” is оборотень, which is closer to “shape shifter”. 

Shape shifter?  Folk tales the world over have frequently contained shape-shifting beings.  Our speculation might be that the Russians’ fear of wolves co-opted the idea of a shape-shifting being.  Could the use of this word in Russian be because of the differences between Russian culture and other cultures?

By the way, according to ethologist Valerius Geist of the University of Calgary, wolves are usually not a direct danger to humans as long as they are well fed, but if they start going hungry, they can turn aggressive.

As a translation and desktop publishing company, we deal with words every day.  Font is something that we use all the time.  However, typeface is not a topic that people consider much when writing or reading.  Therefore, when we heard about the book Just My Type, it was a wonderful surprise to us.  Font is endearing to us and is very close to the heart of our work and daily life.

When you pick up Monterey County’s most widely read newspaper, The Herald, you cannot help but notice the two words, The Herald.  The two words certainly bring out the paper’s characteristics and make it interesting and lively.  But do you know which font it is?  It is called Blackletter.  Did you also know that it is the same font in which the title of The New York Times is written?

Among the other interesting facts about fonts:

• The credits of all Woody Allen’s movies since Annie Hall are written in Windsor.
• When you open a Word document in a Mac, the default font is Cambria, versus Times New Roman in a PC.
• The Google logo is written in Catull, whereas the font of the Monterey Language Services logo is Calibri.
• The Harry Potter books are set in Adobe Garamond.

Fonts can change the mood of a given text and dress up an idea.  They can make a text look official, surreal, delightful, humorous, or romantic just as much as the actual words can.  Font is part of what makes a language project appealing and fascinating.  When we pay attention to it, we can bring out the language’s full possible potential.  Go for it!

At a conference, an English-speaker stands at the front of a table giving a speech in a normal presentation voice.  There are two interpreters seated near the speaker at the front on opposite sides of the table.  Each interpreter wearing a transmitter listens to what the speaker says and verbally translates it into Spanish and French in a softer volume, so as not to interfere with the speaker or each other.  Through the receivers the participants seated around the table hear the interpretation very clearly in their own languages, no matter how far away from the speaker they are seated.  The conference goes off without a hitch.

What is magic is that there are two languages being spoken, but people only hear their own languages.  If you do not wear a receiver, you will hear the dominant voice and the two softer voices in the background.  The interpreters, however, ingeniously stay focused and manage to perform two complex tasks at once.  It is an almost mystifying process.  Just as in Robert Altman’s movies there are many conversations going on at once but it is still clear what the focus is, the focus is very defined in this situation.

Unlike consecutive, which is a stop-and-go process, simultaneous interpretation happens concurrently with the speaker, which saves time.  All the while, the brain has to perform two processes at once: listening to the speaker, and then converting the speech into another language and speaking it at the same time.  Practically everyone can drive a car, but not everyone can simultaneously interpret a language, which requires training.

Simultaneous interpretation is the preferable form for conferences.  Interpreters have to go through training to acquire their skills.  Technology and interpretation equipment are also employed to assist in the process.  Interpreters work in pairs and take a break after a certain amount of time due to the concentration required.  In the process, interpreters might also have to interpret a speaker’s tone and emotions and convey the speaker’s personal style.  In that sense, interpretation is almost like a performance.  In the end, because of the thrill and excitement, an interpreter can feel like a singer does after the curtain call.

Imagine what the future routine of translation and interpretation can be.  You could end up doing something very interesting, like addressing the United Nations General Assembly from your virtual office, or making a presentation from your home to people in China.  Regardless of where you are or what you do, chances are that you will need an interpreter at some point in your daily life.

Scenario #1: simultaneous interpretation

 An American firm hopes to gain exclusive rights to market a Mexican company’s product in the United States.  The Mexican company’s executives show the American representatives a short film in Spanish about the company via video conferencing.  So, the American company hires a Spanish-to-English interpreter versed in technical argot.  The interpreter, wearing a headset, verbally translates the film’s dialogue into English.  

Scenario #2: consecutive interpretation

A French sales representative wanted to go to San Francisco to negotiate with a winery about sales rights in France.  Without enough time to meet directly with the executives, he has to have a video conference with them.  He has an English-to-French interpreter, while the company has a French-to-English interpreter.  The two sides discuss the business deal through consecutive interpretation.

Scenario #3: sign language interpretation

A hard-of-hearing person has had a medical condition and is in the hospital.  The doctor has to explain the condition and what has to be done, but of course cannot simply tell the patient directly.  The ASL interpreter performs sign language interpretation through a videoconference where the interpreter can see the patient and doctor.  They jointly explain the patient’s condition, with the doctor speaking and the interpreter manually translating.  The patient understands perfectly.

With these ideas in mind, Monterey Language Services is not just imagining what the future could be: it is moving towards the future by providing video remote interpretation services and video conferencing services.  To Monterey Language Services, the future is now!

Check out our webpages:

http://www.montereylanguages.com/video-conferencing-services.html

http://www.montereylanguages.com/video-remote-interpretation-services.html

Monterey Language Services hosted a successful two-day video conference about a legal deposition between the East and West Coasts this week in high-definition IP-based format. 

Video Conferencing has been around in its recognizable form since 1968.  Originally used by NASA for astronauts to talk to people on earth, it expanded in the 1980s, as personal computers became a common occurrence.  With the rise of the Internet in the 1990s, more efficient technologies were developed.  With the creation of free Internet services like Skype and iChat in the 21^st century, videoconferencing has become an almost daily routine for millions of people.

There is a difference between home video conferencing and professional video conferencing.  Home video conferencing of course refers to peoples’ everyday usage of free Internet services to communicate.  Professional video conferencing refers to high-definition video and high-quality audio, with both the image and voice coming through very clearly.  This is made possible by the use of dedicated, expensive equipment and infrastructure.  Therefore, you do not have to worry about losing the Internet connection, but rather focusing on closing the business deal.

Monterey Language Services provides professional video conferencing services, including technical know-how, industry-standard equipment such as Polycom, large conference rooms, and direct IP-to-IP or bridge calls with fiber optic support, all of which allow you to hold successful and professional video conferences with clients and colleagues who are located elsewhere.

Check out our webpage: http://www.montereylanguages.com/video-conferencing-services.html

Monterey Language Services provides medical interpretation and legal interpretation, which are among the most needed services.  In the medical field, we translate/interpret for doctors and patients, while also translating/interpreting forms, procedures, conferences, presentations, worker’s compensation, AME and QME.  In the legal field, the company translates and interprets depositions, witness interviews, court hearings, trials, conferences and presentations.

The following shows an example of our growth in the two areas.  We had to find interpreters in a pinch to help a hospitalized child, and a person who had been involved in a car wreck.  So, we made countless phone calls to interpreters who were available at the moment, and who could interpret for the right language combination.  This process required significant effort and motivation, but it was a very fulfilling experience knowing that we were helping people in their real lives when in times of need.

So what does this mean?  Overall, it relates to the concept of helping with communication.  We have the dedication and capacity to provide different kinds of language services in the medical and legal fields, whether it is an emergency or it is a language of which you have never heard before.

Please check out our pages about medical interpretation and legal interpretation:

http://www.montereylanguages.com/medical-interpretation-services.html

http://www.montereylanguages.com/legal-interpretation-services.html

Monterey Language Services has become a solid provider for the government and numerous corporations. Our domains of competence are expanding into medical, legal, technical, and business sectors, as well as academic and research institutions.

More and more clients appreciate the individualized approach and personal attention we give to each interpretation or translation project.

For example, when translating a CEO’s letter to his or her employees, we will ensure that the CEO is communicating directly with his employees in their own languages instead of translating the letter mechanically.

When translating a public education brochure, we make sure to write it in a way that is easy to understand and comfortable to read.

The power of language can transform a company in a number of ways.  We are amazed by how well companies and organizations understand and are utilizing the role of languages to its full potential.  Through constant interactions and communications, Monterey Language Services is growing with our customers.

Do you know how it feels to handle 19 languages in one week? You might think it is a lot to manage, but in fact, it is AWESOME! Other than dealing with the language routine, we amuse ourselves with some of the interesting differences between languages.

Did you know that…

– translation of “Sincerely yours” in Russian depends on gender? How you translate it depends on who is signing it, man or woman.

– in many languages, including Polish, addressing someone depends on gender?
Szanowny Panie [for men]!  Szanowna Pani [for women]!  

– Finnish attaches case markings directly onto the noun? (“Facebookin” in Finnish for the possessive noun “Facebook’s” in English).

– Chinese likes to convert nouns in English to verb forms a lot? In Chinese, “renewal of company values” is commonly & easily switched to “renew company values.” (perhaps it is because a Chinese verb makes no difference between past, present, future, gender, singular and plural form!)

– in Portuguese, we do not repeat terms as much as in English? (variety=better style)

– written Spanish tends to use more synonyms than written English? For example, you can rotate between “compañía” and “empresa” as translations for “company.”

– in Turkish, indented paragraph alignment in a ‘written letter’ is a punctuation rule?

– Triqui, an indigenous language in Mexico, has three variations? Alto, Media, Bajo (high, middle, low) and they can’t understand each other.

Every language has its own intrigue and subtleties, and when comparing one language to another, these differences stand out. That is, their intrigue is magnified. This is one of the reasons we are drawn to working on so many languages simultaneously

by Mei-Ling Chen

A new client commented: “I trust you will get the meaning as well as the words in all translations. It is very important.”

When customers say this to us, as Director of Translation for many years, I understand what they mean.

It is vital to get the correct meaning in translation. Even more important is to know who your author and target audience are. With this information, the experienced translator is able to make a judgment call.    

Then the translation can be written from the point of view and background of the original author. Whether from a CEO to employees; a department of communications to the general public; or a teacher to a student—the tone, style, and presentation will have to vary. This is a powerful difference that an excellent human translator can make!

With due respect to machine translation, I must say that in order to achieve the above requirements, excellent human translators are needed.  These are translators who have good sense, can analyze the text and the background, and successfully conduct research.

Sure, machine translation may be able to get a rough idea of what a passage is about and what languages are involved. But think twice whether it can boost your company’s image, or provide the quality that your company is looking for.      

If you are lucky, things might turn out right; but if a human has to edit or find bugs in the work done by machine translation, what could possibly happen?

– a waste time, resources, energy
– the need to scrap the work, and redo the entire project
– troublesome enough where you may want to smash the machine software!

This is why we believe in real, genuine devotion to quality and research when working on a translation project.