Hello, GV'ers!
Welcome to this week's edition of the Translator Newsletter! Today we're talking about…
Linguistic Alchemy
Screenshot taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
When marketing content to a global audience, the power of translation is key. The better a translator you are, the more likely your target audience will believe they're looking at content created originally for them in their native language. The Huffington Post dove into this subject in this article, talking about everything from the importance of tone to creating a sense of authenticity in your translations.
New Facebook Translation Tool
Screenshot taken from https://www.technologyreview.com
Recently, Facebook created a new tool that could help the company improve its interpretation of international slang. Now, when you write a status in one language, you have the option of viewing it in multiple languages before posting it. The translations shown are the version most likely to be readable to other users. Take a look at how it all works here!
Ask a Translator
Screenshot taken from http://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog
The Asymptote Blog recently featured a fantastic interview with their resident translation expert, Daniel Hahn, about the ins and outs of translation. In this talk, he specifically focused on one question posted by a reader — is there anything that is completely untranslatable? To find out his answer, read along here!
Slang 101
Screenshot taken from http://termcoord.eu/
Was I the only one who had no idea that “slang” stood for “short language”? Apparently there was lots I didn't know about slang, like it's origins and how it relates to group identity. Slang is hugely important to societal development and “we should not dismiss it as representing the user’s inarticulacy, or as futile and debased language”. Learn more about the evolution of slang here!
Turning the Tide for Translation
Screenshot taken from https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en
To wrap things up, I thought I'd share this video that the Goethe-Institut New York put out when they spoke with Susan Bernofsky. She is one of the greatest known translators and spoke to them about the art of translation and the state of translated literature in the U.S. Hope you enjoy it!
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As always, thank you all for your hard work and dedication to GV! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, feel free to email me at marianna@globalvoices.org.
