Facts Archives | Page 2 of 2 | Raptor Translations Magazine

22Oct

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

10 best things about being a translator

We have talked quite often about becoming a translator, but not being a translator. Like many jobs, there are an abundance of upsides of being a translator. Just what are they exactly? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. Fulfillment Most people hate their jobs, that’s been shown hundreds of thousands of times, with countless studies. The most common reason for people hating their job is the lack of fulfillment. However, translators have one of the lowest rates of job dissatisfaction. This is normally due to the wide array of tasks a translator has to do. One day a translator may be translating a vital document for one of the world’s largest corporations. But the next, he is translating a document for an SME that helps them to grow....

Hyperpolyglots- What is it? Why are there only 1000 of them?

1Oct

By Gareth Seagull1 Comment

Facts

Hyperpolyglots- What is it? Why are there only 1000 of them?

When you meet someone who speaks one or two second languages, it’s impressive. But when you meet a hyperpolyglot, it will blow your mind... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); But what exactly is a hyperpolyglot? Before we can define a hyperpolyglot, we need to define other language labels. These definitions come from those stated on ILanguages.org. Monolingual- someone who speaks only one language. Monolingualism constitutes roughly 40% of the world’s population.Bilingual- someone who speaks two languages to an equal level of fluency. Bilingualism constitutes roughly 43% of the world’s population. Trilingual- someone who speaks three languages to an equal level of fluency. Trilingualism constitutes roughly 13% of the world’s total popula...

What is the first language spoken by man?

10Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

What is the first language spoken by man?

Man has been around for 200,000 years. Many languages have been spoken since, but what was the first language spoken by man? What first language spoken by man is a difficult question to answer. Whilst there were undoubtedly languages before. We just don’t know their names or what they sounded like. They have simply been lost to history. The first languages were likely those in the cuneiform script, dating back to the 8 millennium BCE. However, other linguists claim that Sumerian or Egyptian are the oldest- simply because they have the oldest writing systems. What are the first languages spoken by man that we still use? Tamil (5000 years old)- Tamil was first spoken Sri Lanka. It is also the official language of both Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is spoken by 78 milli...

Names- Expert: We shouldn’t translate names

3Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

Names- Expert: We shouldn’t translate names

In this globalised world, it’s quite easy to find material in another language. Just last week, I read an article in Spanish. It was about the British Royal Family. However, when I read it, I was taken aback. Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t referred to as “Queen Elizabeth”. But as “Reina Isabel (II)”. The Spanish translation for Queen Elizabeth. Her son and grandson also had translated names. Instead of it being “Prince Charles” or “Prince William”. It was “Principe Carlos” and “Principe Guillermo”. This stunned me. As in English media, we never refer to “Rey Felipe” as “King Phillip”. Normally, just “King Felipe of Spain”. Nor his father “Rey Juan Carlos” as “King John Charles”. However, I sat and read an Italian article. On the same subject. However, the names were ...

What are the 5 most spoken languages in the world 2019?

27Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

What are the 5 most spoken languages in the world 2019?

We have talked often about languages. It is our passion. We have talked about what languages are best for translators. What translation students need to know. And more. However, a common question, and a hotly debated one at that. What are the 10 most spoken languages in the world? This is not as simple as it seems. Different sources say different things. There is also the question of “What do you mean by speakers?” Native speakers? Or all the speakers, native and non-native? These two approaches can deliver far different results as to the most spoken languages... Then, there’s a question of the boundary of language and dialect? When do you consider a dialect, a completely different language? This is not as cut and dry as it may seem. People have different opinions. Even experts have...

4Jun

By Gareth Seagull1 Comment

Facts

11 Weird Facts About Translation

Like everything, there are an array of extremely weird and intricate facts about translation and the industry. So, this begs the question, what are they? 1. A dedicated day Every year on the 30th of September, it is International Translation Day. It was started to promote and celebrate translators and their expertise, who would have thought that? 2. Patron Saint The translation industry has its own patron saint, his name is Saint Jerome. He gained this accolade and became the guardian of the profession after he translated the Bible into Latin in the 5th century (that Bible went on to be called ‘The Vulgate’). 3. Work load It’s no secret that being a translator is a physically and mentally demanding task. So it came as no surprise when a study showed that the average tran...