Managing In-House Review of Translations

When our clients’ foreign offices review a translation, we always value their input. Their intimate knowledge of their customers, internal processes, vendors and industry terms in their specific market is very useful. As your company’s coordinator for multilanguage translation projects, here are some tips from ASIST Translations that will help you make this process more productive:

1. Most of the time, reviewers are not professional linguists, and are not familiar with the laborious review and double-checking the translation process requires. It is important to emphasize that personal “style preferences” must be avoided. Even the smallest change suggestions typically require review by 2-3 people on the translation side alone—hardly a good investment, if the translated text wasn’t “wrong” in the first place.
2. Like our own translators, editors and proofreaders, your internal reviewers must resist the temptation to add anything to the translated text that isn’t in the English original! Any omissions or ambiguities in the English should be corrected at the source and addressed in all languages where appropriate. This is crucial for multi-language projects. Otherwise, as your company’s in-house coordinator, it quickly becomes unwieldy to manage documents, and each translation could stray from the English meaning in its own way.
3. It is very helpful if reviewers provide you an explanation in English (as a Comment in the translated MS Word file) for every suggested change—indicating exactly what each revision means and why it’s necessary. As you can imagine, this requirement for explanatory comments in English reduces the number of non-essential changes you will receive! Most importantly, being in the loop on how the content is being altered gives you the chance to manage the process before returning suggestions for review, comment and approval by ASIST linguists. Indeed, some comments may suggest improvement that should be made to the English original (and then updated in the other languages).
4. Timing is important. In-house reviews of a translation should be completed in the source Microsoft Word document before page layout, audio recording and so on are done. This is not only more efficient and reduces extra work, but also improves change tracking and consistency in the translation memories that ASIST maintains for your projects.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, studio voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Translation of Page Layouts: Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke

OK, you have your final translated text. Because you used a professional translation agency, proper steps were followed for translation, editing, proofreading and quality-control. Now it’s time to place all this foreign-language content into a print layout. This can be a very error-prone phase of the process—all your final layouts should be reviewed by professional linguists!

This article highlights a few of the most common mistakes we see at ASIST Translations, when page-layout experts are unfamiliar with handling translated text.

Title Case
Title case (initial capitals on individual words) is customary in English for section headings, titles of articles, programs, etc. However, this doesn’t necessarily apply to other languages—Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, for example, where sentence case is the norm. Even if the English original is in title case, don’t “fix” individual word caps in the translated version without consulting a professional linguist.

Punctuation
English conventions for punctuation don’t apply to other languages. Here are some common misunderstandings.

• Bullet lists. Punctuation in bullet lists can be fairly fluid in English. However, in many languages the conventions are different and a more structured approach is obligatory. For example, in Romance languages, one bullet list may have semi-colons after each item and a period on the last item—because each of these is treated as an alternate ending to a partial sentence that precedes the bullet list. Conversely, a different bullet list in the same document may have no final punctuation each list item, because they are fragments that aren’t grammatically linked to the surrounding text. In either case, they may differ from the format of the original English bullet list. Use the text provided by the translators, and if in doubt about differences from the English original, consult a professional linguist!
• Spacing. In French, colons (and usually semi-colons) are separated from the preceding words by a space (ideally, a non-breaking space, in word processing or layout programs). We frequently see French text get “fixed” during layout because this extra space looks like an error to English speakers.
• Numbers. The English use of commas and points to separate thousands and decimals in numbers is exactly the opposite of many languages. Most (but not all) European languages other than English use a point to separate thousands, millions, etc., and a comma as the decimal separator. (Note that Spanish text for Mexico, the USA, Puerto Rico and Panama is an exception to this rule.) That being said, the International System of Units (SI) standard also encourages using spaces (technically, thin spaces, 1/5 of an em wide) as the thousands separator, in order to avoid confusion.
• Quotation Marks. Style guides for the American English recommend placing quotation marks outside commas and periods. But that often doesn’t apply to other languages—don’t try to “fix” anything before consulting a linguist! Of course, languages like German or French also use completely different symbols for quotation marks—the well-known “chevron” style guillemet symbols in French, for example. (By the way, it is also best if the spaces inside French guillemets are non-breaking spaces.) Even so, for contemporary text in many of these languages it is also common to use the more international quotation marks, although dialog in works of fiction is a frequent exception.

Symbols
Some common typographical symbols in English are not acceptable in many other languages. When these form part of an artwork file, some redesign may be required. For example, the number sign (#) is not often used in other languages, and frequently gets substituted by an abbreviation for the word “number.” The ampersand is very uncommon in other languages, and gets replaced with their word for “and.” The “at sign” (@) does not automatically suggest an abbreviation for the word “at” in most languages, and its use is mostly limited to e-mail addresses.

Hyphenation and Line Breaks
If the page-layout program doesn’t have a hyphenation table for your target language, the post-layout proofreading process will be more cumbersome. If this feature is available, always make sure that the program you’re using properly indicates the language being formatted. As a general rule, it’s useful to know that Romance languages favor hyphenating prior to the initial consonant of the next syllable, for example. However, in languages like Chinese, where the words themselves are not separated by spaces, only a Chinese linguist can ensure that the line breaks in your final layout don’t create anything “funny” sounding.

One last note of caution: never retype translated text, no matter how brief! Cut and paste directly from the source translation document; you will avoid a lot of problems.
Another article in this blog provides more general tips for foreign-language layouts. Planning ahead for translated content always makes the process smoother.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service interpreting and translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide technical translation, interpreting, proofreading, studio voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Foreign-Language Video Translations: Basic Tips

When producing a video that you know will be translated to other languages, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:

Translations often have larger word counts; as much as 25% more in Romance languages, for example. Plan ahead by leaving more space around your onscreen text. If you already crowding the available space in your English original, the problem can get much worse in the translated version.

1. Increased word counts can cause you even more headaches in narrations. Suppose your original English voice-over is cruising along at 120 words per minute, with no big breaths or pauses between sentences or paragraphs. For the equivalent translated voice-over with 25% more words, the narrator has to sustain 150 words per minute. For many situations, this is simply too fast for the message you need to transmit—and will inevitably feel rushed to the listener. If you leave a little bit of extra time around each bullet point or paragraph in your original English narration (perhaps even creating a special edit of the video, specifically for dubbing purposes), you and your audience will be much happier with the translated results.
2. Some languages, like Chinese, Hindi, Farsi and Arabic, use more complex characters than the Latin alphabet used in English. Consequently, the equivalent text in your onscreen titles often needs to be slightly larger in order to maintain legibility. For example, many Chinese characters have very fine strokes that can flicker or “sing” when displayed at a small size on a video screen. Be sure to check with your translation agency about which character sets for those languages are most “video-friendly.”
3. If you build graphics or titles in other programs (Adobe AfterEffects or Live Type, for example) that include text, make sure the source script documents you submit for translation include all this text, clearly tagged as a graphic.
4. Even for languages that use the Latin character set, some fonts don’t support the required diacritical marks (accents, etc.). Obviously, this issue is more frequent with specialty fonts, and in languages such as Hungarian, Czech, and so on. Sometimes the errors are obvious, but in other instances it’s more confusing, because characters actually get switched to something else! For this reason (and many others, such as odd line breaks) always have your final video text proofread by your translation agency before releasing it.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

7 Myths About Spanish Translation for the United States

ASIST Translation Services Inc. has been translating to and from Spanish for the US market for over 25 years (as well as other Spanish-speaking countries around the world, of course!). Among the frequent topics of conversation with our translation clients are the many myths and misconceptions about the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. Accordingly, the Spanish translators at ASIST have helped compile a list of the “Magnificent Seven” myths about English-Spanish translations for use within the United States.

MYTH: Spanish spoken in the United States is “Spanglish.” It includes many English words and incorrect Spanish grammar.

FACT: Educated Spanish speakers who are surrounded by an English-speaking culture do indeed incorporate a higher proportion of loan words. As with other Spanish-speaking cultures around the world, borrowing words from other languages is more readily accepted when an exact (and brief!) equivalent doesn’t exist in Spanish. Even when translating to Spanish for other countries, it is not uncommon for our translators to include an original English term in parentheses if they are concerned that the Spanish version might otherwise be ambiguous.

Despite all this, conventional rules of Spanish grammar and punctuation apply when ASIST creates formal Spanish translations for United States speakers, and English words would never be gratuitously included in Spanish text. When "US Spanish" is designated as the target language variety, this in no way implies indiscriminate use of anglicisms, non-standard grammar or slang vocabulary that combines English and Spanish.

Among US Hispanics, in many cases their Spanish-language education may be interrupted or incomplete. This accounts for much of the “Spanglish” that Spanish speakers outside the United States always find so remarkable. Our professional Spanish translators are well aware of these issues, and work with ASIST clients to identify the appropriate educational level for the target audience—while still maintaining grammatical accuracy and adherence to correct rules of style.

MYTH: English-to-Spanish translations for the United States can be Mexican Spanish, because they represent the majority.

FACT: According to the US Census Bureau (2007 American Community Survey), only about 64% of the Hispanics across the United States identify themselves as being of Mexican origin. So, if you produce a translation that is specifically Mexican, without verifying its usability for other Hispanic groups, this potentially alienates more than a third of your target audience!

These percentages vary widely from one US city to another. For example, census bureau data (ACS 2003) about Hispanic populations in metropolitan areas (without taking into account their native language, or Hispanic residents in their surrounding counties) tells us that:

• In the city of San Francisco, less than half of Hispanics are of Mexican origin.
• Within the city of Cleveland, 82% of Hispanics are of Puerto Rican origin.
• In Philadelphia, 76% of Hispanics are of Puerto Rican origin.
• Less than 5% of Hispanics in Boston are of Mexican origin (Puerto Ricans, at 27%, represent the largest Hispanic group in that city.)
• Within the city of Columbus, Ohio, 59% of Hispanics are of Mexican origin.
• In New York City, only 8% of Hispanics are of Mexican origin. (Over 30% of Hispanics in that city are of Puerto Rican origin, and slightly over 2% stated Cuban origin.)
• However, there are many cities with large Mexican majorities among their Hispanic residents. For example, about 67% of Hispanic residents in Atlanta are of Mexican origin, 73% in Chicago, 76% in Denver, 81% in Las Vegas, 89% in Dallas, 90% in San Diego.

MYTH: Spanish is Spanish. There is only one correct version. The principal Spanish dictionary is that of the Real Academia Española; therefore, the Spanish spoken in Spain is also appropriate for all other Spanish speakers in the United States and Latin America.

FACT: Many varieties of Spanish exist around the world. The formal written and spoken versions used in various countries or regions are equally legitimate. Just as with English, the fact that a language may have originated in a one country, or has a greater number of speakers in another, doesn't make any given variety "better" than others. Certain vocabulary and grammar used in Spain can be unfamiliar for many American speakers, and in spoken Spanish the accents from regions within Spain can be hard to follow. Each translation must be tuned for the target audience, and when there are significant differences, the knowledge and creativity of the translation team will address this issue.

MYTH: “Neutral” Spanish translations will be equally comprehensible to Spanish speakers from anywhere in the world.

FACT: There is no such thing as “neutral” Spanish! Well-known grammatical differences include the use of vosotros the second-person plural form of address in Spain, and the use of vos to mean “you” in many South American countries. (In some countries, vos is less formal than the tú form, and in others, it is more formal.)

Even more problematic, however, are the thousands of minor differences in vocabulary and usage from one country to another. Words used for even commonplace objects—especially, clothing, food, plants and household items—can vary widely. Experienced translators have interacted with many Spanish-speaking cultures, and are aware of these differences. This informs their decisions about which terms to use, and whether alternate terms need to be provided in order to produce the most inclusive translation possible.

MYTH: If the Spanish translation is for Florida, it should be Cuban Spanish.

FACT: Even in Miami, census data (ACS 2003) tells us that only about 54% of the Hispanic population in that city is of Cuban origin. In Orlando, a mere 5% of Hispanics state Cuban origin, in Tampa about 35%, and about 13% in Jacksonville. It is interesting to note, however, that half of our nation's Cuban-Americans reside within Miami-Dade County.

MYTH: In Spain they speak “Castilian,” and in the rest of the world they speak “Spanish” (español).

FACT: Another article in this blog explains how Castilian, Spanish (castellano, español) are all synonyms for the same language. To avoid confusion, the language spoken in Spain should be referred to as Peninsular Spanish or European Spanish. (Occasionally, Spanish speakers use the word castellano to mean “good” Spanish; i.e., not regional or slang. But that is a colloquial expression, not a linguistically accurate description.)

MYTH: Because the metric system is used in Spanish-speaking cultures, all measurements should be converted to metric units.

FACT: Spanish speakers in the United States are immersed in a culture where “English” measurements are the norm. Accordingly in US Spanish translations, these units appear first—commonly followed by the metric conversion in parentheses). When ASIST creates Spanish translations for use in other countries, the order of measurement units is usually the opposite, because elsewhere in the world, the metric system is the norm. Exception to this rule are made when approximate metric conversions would be misleading or cause problems; for example, plumbing fittings or wrench sizes.

While we are on the subject of numbers, it should also be noted that, in Spanish, the use of commas and points to separate thousands and decimals is opposite from English. That is, they would write 1.000,01 instead of 1,000.01 as in English. This is the norm in the Spanish-speaking world, except in Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico… and the United States.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service interpreting and translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, studio voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

African French Translation

Quick, name the continent with the most French speakers in the world…
That’s right… it’s Africa!

French is spoken in 31 African countries. Out of a population of nearly 900 million, up to 115 million people throughout Africa speak French as their first or second language (compared to 53 million in France, 7 million in Canada, 4 million in Belgium, and 1.5 million in Switzerland).

African French varieties are grouped into 3 major categories. The largest is that spoken in west, central and eastern Africa (75 million), followed by Maghreb French (Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia; about 36 million), and a variety spoken by less than 2 million Creoles in the Indian Ocean.

Like Arabic in northern Africa and the Horn of Africa, and Swahili in southeastern Africa, French is an important lingua franca among people from western, northwestern and central African countries.

African French varieties have many differences in pronunciation from European and Canadian French. The differences in vocabulary are even more pronounced, including loan words from other languages, terms that acquire different meanings in African French, plus a wealth of colloquial and slang expressions that, like pronunciation, vary from one region to another.

After Paris and Montreal, the third-largest French-speaking city in the world is Kinshasha (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

African countries with the largest number of French speakers (a majority of these speak French as their second language):

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (24 million)
• Algeria (19 million)
• Côte d’Ivoire (13 million)
• Morocco (10 million)
• Cameroon (7 million)
• Tunisia (6 million)
• Guinea (6 million)

African countries with the highest proportion of French speakers (as first or second language) among their population:

• Gabon 80%
• Mauritius 73%
• Côte d’Ivoire 70%
• São Tomé and Príncipe 65%
• Tunisia 64%
• Guinea: 63%
• Seychelles 60%
• Republic of the Congo 60%
• Equatorial Guinea 60%
• Algeria 57%

This Wikipedia article provides some fascinating information about French speakers in Africa.

ASIST Translations regularly provides translations in European French, Canadian French and African French—as well as other languages from Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Symbols in Foreign-Language Translations

You need to be very careful how symbols are treated in the source text you provide for translation to other languages. Here are a few common issues:

#

Not everyone associates this symbol with “number.” In many languages, some sort of text abbreviation for the word “number” is used (for example, Nº or núm. in Spanish).

"

This abbreviation for inches should usually be avoided in translations. While it may be recognized in regions familiar with English usage (Canada, Spanish speakers in the USA or Mexico), it is better to use the standard abbreviation in the target language. Of course, unless the item being described necessarily comes in inch sizes—like a nut, wrench or pipe fitting, for example—it should usually be converted to metric system anyway!

&

To most speakers of foreign languages, the ampersand does NOT represent the word “and.”

@

The “at” sign is ubiquitous in e-mail addresses, of course. But many languages use a distinct term for this symbol, that doesn’t suggest the word “at” to speakers of that language at all. Consequently, creative constructions like “Work@Home” don’t translate.

/

American English frequently uses the slash symbol to represent the idea of “or” or “and.” To minimize ambiguity in your source English text for translation, it is recommendable to actually use the words “or” or “and.”

$

When the dollar sign is used in Spanish, to avoid confusion this should be the version with a single vertical bar — not two vertical bars, which is used for the peso in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Cuba.

ASIST Translations can help you prepare your source text for translation to a foreign language, to ensure that your original content is as universal and unambiguous as possible. Feel free to contact us about effective communication in today’s multilingual, multicultural environment.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Translation Industry Terms You Should Know

Translation communicates the meaning of the original written communication in another language. As anyone who has attempted to use a Web-based or “machine” translation can attest, this is not simply a word-by-word process, but also requires a deep understanding of the target culture and context.

Interpreting is similar, but deals with the spoken word. Interpreting can be either consecutive (speakers pause every few sentences for interpreting; this is the most common method for legal, medical and business scenarios, whether onsite or via telephone) or simultaneous (nonstop interpreting, through headphones at a conference, for example).

Transliteration is how the sounds of an original word are approximated using the characters of a different alphabet. As part of the translation process for many ASIST customers, the proper names of employees, the company or its products will be transliterated. Instead of the Latin characters used in English and Romance languages, for example, a series of Cyrillic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean or Thai characters provide a similar pronunciation. Exact matches are not always available in the target language, however—certain sounds can be especially problematic or simply nonexistent. Especially when transliterating company or product names, an informed decision must be made between accurate and “market-friendly” renderings for the target culture. And needless to say, as translators we must be very careful about transliterated equivalents that may have some inappropriate connotation!


ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service interpreting and translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, studio voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Foreign-Language Interpreting Services from ASIST

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. has provided interpreting services for over 25 years. ASIST supplies professional interpreters to county & federal Courts, area hospitals, physician offices, social service agencies, numerous law firms, as well as Fortune 500 companies all over the world.

While some of these bilingual individuals may also be qualified as translators (i.e., for written text), the documentation, formal training and skills evaluation that ASIST Translations requires of onsite interpreters comprises a robust system that has been developed and refined steadily over our company history. In addition to the basic requirement of fully competent interpreting in both directions between English and other target languages, candidates must also demonstrate mastery of legal or medical vocabulary, complete training in interpreting ethics, HIPAA compliance, pass background checks, health and drug screenings, as well as pass oral and written tests of their capabilities—both with the languages and the interpreting profession.

ASIST’s interpreting staff networks with nearly 4,000 professional interpreters worldwide to routinely provide onsite interpreting and telephonic interpreting in over 240 languages. Locally, ASIST provides 24-hour onsite interpreting services 365 days per year, currently working with several hundred active and qualified interpreters in central Ohio. Due to the stringent nature of our language screening and testing procedures—including oral and written evaluations—many bilingual candidates apply but few are selected to even attend our introductory interpreter training.

In addition to medical interpreters and consecutive/simultaneous interpreting services to corporate clients, ASIST has provided legal interpreting for over 23 years, to city, county, state and federal courts, as well as public defenders’ offices, law firms and other organizations.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service interpreting and translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, studio voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Tips: International Business Card Etiquette

1. For business meetings in non-English speaking countries, it’s very significant to have a two-sided version of your business card printed—English on one side, local language on the other. This makes an immediate statement about your awareness of global culture. Hand over your card with the local language side up and facing the other person. However, be very careful to obtain a professional translation!

2. In some cultures, it’s customary to include relevant educational credentials (especially postgraduate degrees) along with your job title; check first.

3. In many countries, handling of business cards is more formal than in the United States (Japan and Korea being well-known examples). When foreign counterparts give you their card, thank them, take a moment to review it in detail, and keep it in your hands or on the table during the meeting. It may be considered rude or dismissive to quickly tuck a card into your pocket, day planner or wallet. In many Asian cultures, it’s good etiquette to present and receive business cards with both hands. Tossing or sliding a card across the table can easily be interpreted as a lack of manners or even disrespect. Likewise, avoid writing your notes or comments on someone else’s business card.

4. Unless this person directly reports to you within your own organization, do NOT point out typos or English grammatical errors on others’ business cards.

5. It is ALWAYS preferable to offer cards at the beginning, rather than the end of meetings. Like you, your counterparts may have difficulty remembering or correctly pronouncing foreign names.

6. Unless the number of participants is very large, personally hand your card to everyone present. From an outside cultural perspective, it may not always be obvious to you who the ranking officers or decision makers are, but when possible present cards first to the highest ranking individual(s).

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive, e-learning and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Translating Page Layouts: Top Ten Tips

The team at ASIST Translations has a wealth of experience, adapting our client’s design and page layout projects to many different foreign languages. Here are a few tips we have learned along the way, that will help streamline the process of translating your page layouts to other languages.

1. Word counts in translated text frequently increase by as much as 25%. Be sure to leave enough “white space” in your layout to accommodate this.
2. Indicate exactly which version number of the page-layout (DTP) program you’re using, and whether the document was created on Macintosh or Windows.
3. If linked graphic files contain text requiring translation, be sure to include them along with the layout, in editable form! Also indicate which program (and version) was used to create these secondary files. As with the main layout itself, bear in mind that if your English callout text barely fits inside a figure, the translated version probably won’t unless resized.
4. Be sure to always include all required fonts when submitting a project for translation to a foreign language. Also be aware that some fonts don’t support all the diacritical marks required for certain languages; Central European languages in particular can have this issue with many of the more “decorative” fonts. Obviously, many Asian languages will require specific fonts, and ASIST will alert you of this accordingly.
5. Use actual paragraph formatting to create hanging indents and bullet lists, rather than placing returns and multiple tabs on each line to simulate the same effect! Because line breaks and hyphenation in the translation won’t correspond to the English anyway, eliminating such unnecessary characters saves time and money in the creation of your foreign-language layouts.
6. Any review of a translation by in-house personnel (in your foreign office, for example) should be made on the MS Word file using the "track changes" feature—before any translated text is formatted within your layout.
7. The ASIST team needs to know the preferred and permissible options for making your translated text fit. For example, are there any corporate or regulatory requirements, minimum point size and line spacing, or any graphics that absolutely cannot be reduced in size?
8. Be sure to review your content prior to translation. Our translators can help you identify any contact information that may require changes for the international version; for example, mailing addresses or toll-free numbers that wouldn't be valid for customers outside the USA and Canada.
9. Some design and desktop publishing programs don’t properly support Asian fonts or right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew. In some cases, once the final translation has been approved we can convert the text to outlines so that you can still open the layout file. Obviously, if your company is going to create many translated documents, support for non-Latin fonts may be an important factor for choosing the program that should be used for creating the layouts in the first place.
10. Tables can be especially tricky, because of the greater length of many translated terms. Leaving plenty of extra column width—or even breaking the information into two separate tables if necessary— can avoid reducing the translated text to very small point sizes.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

Translation Tips from ASIST Translations

• In many languages (but not all!), the use of points and commas to separate decimals and thousands within numbers is reversed compared to US English. That is, instead of 1,000.01, they write 1.000,01. This is true for most Spanish varieties, for instance; except for Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and the United States itself. As part of the process of creating your translations to and from any language, ASIST Translations guides you through this and similar issues. Number formats are just one of the reasons we always ask, “Where is this translation going to be used?.”

• Toll-free “800” numbers only work within the US and Canada! If you don’t provide an alternative phone number for international callers, you have effectively made it impossible for people in other countries to contact your customer service, ordering or sales departments by phone. Not such a great idea!

• Not all computer programs accept non-Latin alphabets. Right-to- left alphabets (such as Arabic and Hebrew) and so-called “double- byte” languages (Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, for example) also can be problematic with many DTP programs. There are various strategies for overcoming this (including conversion of all text to outlines); be sure to consult with ASIST Translations if you suspect this may be an issue. Incidentally, these character-set limitations are even trickier when translating touchscreen displays or control panels on machinery!

• Various incompatible video formats are used throughout the world (mainly NTSC, PAL, and SECAM). Be aware that, after creating a dubbed or subtitled version of your marketing or training video in another language, you must also create DVD or videotape copies that are converted to international formats other than NTSC (used in North America). Hint: using web or CD-based video instead (for example, in MPEG, WMV or QuickTime format) allows a single version to be used in the entire world.

• English is a relatively compact language. When text is translated to other languages, character or word counts can be significantly higher, by as much as 20–30%. When creating the English original for your multi-lingual documents, be sure to leave some extra space (or plan for font sizes being reduced somewhat), so that the content will fit onto the page.

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of e-learning, interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

ASIST Translation Services

ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency, offering translation, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, DTP or page layout, localization, proofreading, foreign-language voice talents for dialog and voiceover, audio-video recording, and multimedia production services in countless languages and dialects.

The headquarters of ASIST Translations is located in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Please feel free to contact us for more information.

www.ASISTtranslations.com