There is nothing more frustrating for the linguistically-challenged than watching a film without subtitles.  At the same time, there is really nothing quite like hearing actors speak their parts in one’s native language. But one organization has come up a creative solution. Mozilla is sponsoring a new program, Universal Subtitles, which makes it easy for […]

An article today in the New York Times talks about efforts by the Shanghai Commission for Management of Language Use to combat the rise of “Chinglish,” a mangled version of English used by Chinese, which has resulted in some hilarious mistranslations–quite an embarrassment for this cosmopolitan city which is hosting Expo 2010. Funny? Maybe. But […]

This picture posted by one of our fans on Facebook caught our eye. The Chinese characters were displayed vertically, the way they traditionally are in Chinese. Is this a big deal? Indeed. Our Director of Translation, Mei-Ling Chen, once made a presentation on how to handle a translation project from English to Chinese involving marketing […]

Did you know that Norwegian has a smaller vocabulary compared to English, but is richer in words describing nature and weather?  A member of our staff turned on the radio  and this interesting discussion came right up on National Public Radio. http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-04-28/readers-review-out-stealing-horses-petterson Jeffry Frank, co-author of a translation of “The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen” […]

The expression ‘lost in translation’ refers to puns or cultural references that lose their significance during translation from one language to another. The expression has been used as a title in articles, literature, television, music and movies. Our Director of Translation, Mei-Ling Chen’s article “Lost in Translation” in the ATA Chronicle illustrates how the design […]

Translation is not an easy task. It requires knowledge, experience, and cultural awareness. Machines can greatly assist humans in the process of translation, but they are still far from being able to autonomously provide accurate translations that reflect cultural differences and take into account the context of a discourse. This underscores the need to ensure […]

April is National Poetry Month.  At Monterey Language Services, our professional team has edited the English translation of an all time favorite Chinese poem.  See our version of translation below. Drinking Alone under the Moon Amongst the flowers I am alone with my pot of wine drinking by myself; then lifting my cup, I asked […]

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. In contrast to English verse typically characterized by meter, Japanese verse counts sound units (moras), known as “on“. The word on is often translated as “syllable”, but there are subtle differences between an “on” and an English-language “syllable”. Traditional haiku consist of 17 on, in three metrical phrases […]

At Monterey Language Services, we specialize in managing translation projects that involve the marketing of products and services and technical and legal communications for leading U.S. companies.  With over twelve years of experience in the translation industry, we pride ourselves on our ability to apply technology to the management of foreign language translation projects. Today, […]