Translation seems simple. Take this content, and express it in another language. Yet translation quality is forever questioned, as it is both a science and an art and can’t be judged on one opinion alone. Which brings us to the question, what is a good translation? We consider a good translation as one that is[…]
Your company profile should engage and attract the right customers for your business. It should gain media attention and entice journalists through their understanding of your mission, products, services, personnel and uniqueness. It’s also integral as an addendum to any business plan – for acquire financing etc. Without a well-crafted profile, you may not attract[…]
As with most things in life, quick fixes don’t work. Getting your uncle’s German speaking wife to translate for you because it’s convenient and cheap is not a long term solution. This will come back to bite you, and will land up costing double. Professionalism and experience are critical. A linguistic degree should be a pre-requisite, not[…]
A colleague once told me the internet has gone “Dexter” on our attention spans. Clearly a reference to the popular TV series and its main character’s ability to slice things up indiscreetly. This got me thinking. If we expect succinct communications online, surely we expect this from other media too? Writing for your business is[…]
Your translations are an extension of both you and your business. They act as an extension of your voice – online, offline and worldwide. They should express themselves just like your business would. Using the correct, approved terminology can help ensure this. Your brand, be it personal or commercial, needs to remain true to the original,[…]
Good copy is part art, part science. Art, because it requires creativity, beauty and style. Science, because it exists in the world of tests, trials, breakthroughs and measurable outcomes. Bad copy is always missing one or both of these elements. Good copy has both in abundance. Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to[…]
A little bit of insight from some of our Sesotho experts. When translating into Sesotho, especially for the Mining industry, there are a few differences between the Sesotho spoken by the Basotho people from Lesotho and the Sesotho spoken by RSA-located speakers. There are two main reasons for this: the orthography (script) used by RSA[…]
We’ve heard there is a new Portuguese orthography in the pipeline, aimed at assisting communication between the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, or CPLC. It seems the new orthography is not mandatory and some regions adopt a mixture of old and new orthography. We’ll keep an eye on this. Until then, we treat every project[…]
