facts about translation industry Archives | Raptor Translations Magazine

7 things I hate about being a translator

5Nov

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Uncategorized

7 things I hate about being a translator

A few weeks ago, we did an article on 10 best things about being a translator. Now, I aim to show the flip side of that article with the 7 things I hate about being a translator. This is quite a personal article as I love my job, but there are certain things I hate about being a translator. 7 things I hate about being a translator (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. People who say "Can you just translate this?" I get asked this a lot, my wife likes to introduce me to her friends by telling them I’m a translator. Normally, I get one guy, normally a boyfriend of my wife’s best friend, who thinks he can speak Spanish. Normally, his grasp of the language is pitiful, and he makes himself look like a complete idiot in front of everyone. Nor...

15Oct

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Learning Languages

10 hardest languages to learn

When it comes to learning a language, some languages are harder to learn than others. Whilst some languages may be easy, others can be one of the hardest languages to learn. 10 hardest languages to learn (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 10. Estonian According to Estonian World, Estonian is the hardest language to learn when it comes to Latin alphabet languages. Estonian has around 14 cases that make Estonian incredibly complicated. Whereas, English has all, or most of its cases, it makes it quite the shock when an English speaker tries to learn Estonian. For example, English uses personal pronouns: forms such as I, he and we are used in the role of subject (‘I touch the book’), while forms such as me, him and us are used in the role of o...

8Oct

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Learning Languages

10 easiest languages to learn

Learning a language is never easy, just some languages are easier to learn than others. But, when it comes to learning some languages reign supreme in terms of ease. But what are the easiest languages to learn? 10 easiest languages to learn (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 10. Esperanto Whilst Esperanto may be a shock, there's a reason for it being on this list. But Esperanto is rather strange on this list- it isn't a natural language like Spanish, German or French but is man made. Without getting too specific, in 1887, L L Zamenhof published his book on the language under the name Dr. Esperanto. Just as Zamenhof hoped, it is an unofficial language of the world. Many global organisations and corporations use the language, such as the EU a...

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...

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 ...

Will Brexit destroy the translation industry?

20Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Uncategorized

Will Brexit destroy the translation industry?

Brexit is a political matter. Britain is exiting the European Union. It’s a combination of two words. “Britain” and “Exit” which becomes “Brexit”. But how does it impact the translation industry? Brexit has its implications. Both good and bad. Even if Britain doesn’t leave on October 31st. This has left many industries uneasy. What does the future (post-Brexit) world have in store? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The post Brexit economy Brexit has certain financial implications. One of the selling points of Brexit was getting financial freedom. Not having to worry about European policymakers. However, analysts say this will take a few years to reveal itself. Some believe Brexit will have immediate economic impact. And not for the...

16Jul

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Uncategorized

How to become a translator

Anyone with budding language skills should consider a path in the translation industry. It is an industry valued at $40 billion! The average translator earns staggering $50,000! Not bad at all. A translator should obviously speak 2 two languages, preferably as their native tongue. A translator should preferably have at least a bachelors degree in one of the languages, although the most important thing is that they are fluent in at least two languages (eg. English and another language). For anyone looking to become a translator, many translation agencies also look for: Multiple Languages: If you can speak more than one language (eg. English, French, Spanish and Portuguese). This is because Translation Agencies like people who are diverse in the languages they can provide tra...

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...