translation industry Archives | Raptor Translations Magazine

7 things I hate about being a translator

5Nov

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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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...

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....

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...

Subtitling vs voice-over, which do I need?

24Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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Subtitling vs voice-over, which do I need?

At Raptor Translations, we offer both multilingual subtitling and multilingual voice-overs. However, there comes a point where businesses ask themselves “Which one do we need?” If a video has a strong visual message- a voice-over may be better. However, for training manuals, subtitling may be better. What is Multilingual Subtitling? With subtitled videos, the audience hears the original language and read translations appear at the bottom of the screen. The existing audio remains unaltered and viewers get to hear the original tone and inflections of the narrator and interviewees. This provides the viewers with an authentic experience of the original recording or film. What are the drawbacks of Multilingual Subtitling? If the speech is long, this can be ...

Will Brexit destroy the translation industry?

20Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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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...

5 things translation students can never forget

13Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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5 things translation students can never forget

Translation students. What do you need to know? Becoming a translator isn’t easy. But nothing worth doing. Is ever worth doing. It takes more than just language skill. No matter your experience. Many students graduate each year in language related fields. With hopes to take the industry by storm. Only to be hit by reality. Of being a translator. So what does a prospective translator need to know? 1. Competitiveness Whether you’re a freelancer. Or an employee. You’ll face steep competition. Many linguists don’t realise the level of competition. For in-demand languages. Such as Spanish. French. German. Italian. Or Polish. The competition is more. Linguists working with these languages. Often compete on a number of factors. Not just price. And accuracy. But in-depth knowledge. Exper...

6Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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6 great jobs for expert linguists…

Learning languages can be fun. But also useful. Other than just a translator, what other jobs can linguists get? There are plenty of jobs a language learner can get. Even usual jobs now require or advise that applicants speak at least one foreign language. Whether you speak Spanish or French to Catalan or Occitan, you can get great jobs. 1. Online Tutor This job was unheard of 10 years ago. If you know a foreign language and want to teach others. But don’t want to have to mark stacks of books. This job is for you! As an online Tutor, you can interact on a 1 on 1 or 1 on 2 basis. You can teach at your students pace without having to worry about the curriculum. You can do this relatively simply- set up a listing on something like EBay, Craigslist or set up your own w...

Which languages are in demand the most for linguists

23Jul

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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Which languages are in demand the most for linguists

Last week, we did an article on how to become a translator. However, many people might ask what languages are the most in demand for linguists today? The most in demand languages will depend on where you are located. However, generally speaking: Spanish, French, Russian, German and Portuguese are often in high demand. In Britain languages such as Romanian, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Arabic, Hindi and Bengali are often in high demand as well. The languages that are most in demand are those where there are large minority communities. In Britain there are large Polish, and Eastern European minority communities, as well as large Indian, Bengali, and Pakistani minorities. Due to this job agencies (who often find employment for people of these minorities) require translators with ...

Translator or Interpreter?What’s the difference?

9Jul

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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Translator or Interpreter?What’s the difference?

Translator or Interpreter? It's a common question. And it's one thing many people get confused about in the translation industry. And this lack of concise knowledge can cost you and your business everything. For me personally, this can be one of the most irritating things about being a translator. Because people don’t seem to know the difference between a translator and an interpreter. Which is one of, if not, the most annoying things about being a translator. A few days ago, I was reading through the comments section of another blog for another respected translation agency, and a comment read “what is the difference between a translator and an interpreter, you basically do the same thing, one’s is with words on a page, the other is with words being spoken.” This comment really...

25Jun

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

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Will Machine Translations Take Over?

Machine Translation, including such applications as Google Translate, have a pretty terrible reputation, and quite frankly, they do not work. I am not going to sit here and tell you that automation is not really a threat or that it won’t cut jobs, because it will, and anyone who says otherwise needs to get with the times. This got me thinking after talking to friend of mine who is also a translator, will automation- in this case machine translation- one day take over and displace human translators? My friend argued no, that machines can never always get the intricacies of language correct 100% of the time. All they are is a box of algorithms, which is a fair point. He also talked about how applications such as Google Translate aren’t particularly accurate,something that anyone ...