Category: Opinion & features
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Renowned classicist speaks on translating Homer
Classicist Emily Wilson illuminated the intricacies of translation in her lecture “Re-translating Homer: Why and How” held Thursday. The event delved into the challenges and significance of reinterpreting ancient texts for modern audiences. The lecture was divided into four main topics: defining translation, explaining Wilson’s background and priorities in translation, demonstrating a case study and…
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The power of translation: How ‘Shōgun’ champions the art of understanding
‘Shōgun’is a refreshing reminder that in a time where the power of the ‘one-inch tall barrier’ still seems distastefully under contention, sometimes you need to revive the literal Tokugawa Shōgunate to bridge the cumbersome gap between worlds In its grand finale, FX’s captivating rendition of James Clavell’s historical epic Shōgun gracefully bows out with a rendezvous with…
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Should Language Service Providers Rethink Their Offerings?
In early January 2024, when many in the language industry were likely pondering how to eventually incorporate AI into their offerings or processes, OpenAI announced its GPT Store. Back then, a few translation GPTs could be found, including one built by Phrase called “Phrase Expert.” By the time OpenAI launched the store to the general public, there were already more…
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New project on feminist translation
Dr Hilary Brown will be leading a project over 2024-25 which will explore what feminist translation means in practice in the twenty-first century. Dr Brown has been awarded an AHRC Networking grant, together with her co-investigator Dr Olga Castro (University of Warwick/Barcelona), and will be establishing a “Feminist Translation Network” which will bring together researchers, practitioners…
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Language Models Can Predict the Most Suitable Translation Techniques, Study Finds
In a March 21, 2024 paper, Fan Zhou and Vincent Vandeghinste from KU Leuven demonstrated that language models can predict the most suitable translation techniques for translation and post-editing tasks. The researchers highlighted a set of persistent issues that remain in MT such as word-for-word translation, false friends, ambiguity, information omission or addition, and cultural insensitivity, leading to low-quality translations…
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Which translation app should you use?
International holidays are set to return so we asked experts to test some of the top translation apps SPRING HAS SPRUNG, and the summer is fast closing in, and – more importantly – international travel is returning in the coming months. This means the opportunity to immerse yourself in different locations, languages and cultures, and we’re…
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Explaining the politics behind Chinese language translation: The year of “Loong”
This year’s zodiac symbol has been retranslated from ‘dragon’ to ‘Loong’ After mainland Chinese official media outlets started calling 2024 “the Year of Loong” instead of the Year of the Dragon, the word “loong” and its homophones have become a popular meme among Hongkongers on social media, representing the government’s shift toward nationalistic policies and language. The…
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It’s time to use hanzi as standard translation of Chinese script
On April 20, we celebrate the United Nations Chinese Language Day, a day chosen to honor Cangjie, the legendary inventor of the Chinese script. In light of this, I propose that the term hanzi be officially adopted as the translation for the symbols of the Chinese script. For far too long, we’ve relied on the term “Chinese…
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Translation trends at the London Book Fair: Japanese are overtaking the UK market, translations from Ukrainian are on the rise
Translation has consistently been a central focus at London Book Fairs. Translators’ and scouts’ perspectives shape publishing decisions for translations. Nonetheless, their impact on the UK publishing market is limited to 3-6% of the market, which mostly belongs to anglophone writers. Over the last two years, Japanese manga made it clear: the foreign literature segment…
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Survey finds generative AI proving major threat to the work of translators
While AI tools have been used by some translators to support their work, three-quarters of those surveyed believe the emerging technology will negatively impact their future income More than a third of translators have lost work due to generative AI, a survey by the Society of Authors (SoA) has found. More than four in 10 translators said that…
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Pioneering translation’s artistry
Latin American literature scholar Suzanne Jill Levine receives PEN America award for translation When you read Latin American literature in English, there’s a good chance you’re reading a translation by Suzanne Jill Levine, who has been plying her craft since the early 1970s. Her versions of books by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Julio Cortazar and Manuel Puig…
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Literati welcomes Urdu translation of Musibat Nama
Islamabad : Former Federal Secretary and a well-known man of letters, Muhammad Saleem Sethi has come up with a genuinely-crafted literary landmark, the Urdu translation and illustration of the famous Persian poet Fariduddin Attar’s long poem ‘Musibat Nama.’ The book gives a deep insight into the Sufis’ school of ‘Ishq’ which is commonly known as…
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Bill to set up US research centre translating open-source China materials unveiled by lawmakers
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would establish a research centre charged with creating publicly accessible English translations of open-source materials from China. The initiative, to be known as the Open Translation Centre, would also train analysts and linguists to specialise in China and other countries, a full list…
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Prestigious journals make it hard for scientists who don’t speak English to get published. And we all lose out
For the first time in history, a single language dominates global scientific communication. But the actual production of knowledge continues to be a multilingual enterprise. The use of English as the norm poses challenges for scholars from regions where English is not widely spoken. They must decide whether to publish in English for global visibility,…
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What It Takes to Get Hired as an In-House Translator at a Large Company
As previously reported, “Machine translation (MT) and adjacent language technologies are driving industry-wide demand for natural language processing (NLP) engineers and machine learning researchers.” However, as the same article pointed out, more traditional roles at various companies also need to be filled. So what skills are perceived to be the most important for these language-related positions?…
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From Subtitles To Indies: Darcy Paquet Captures The Best Of Korean Cinema
Paquet began his subtitle translation career by proofreading English translations and also sometimes co-translating with a Korean friend. “It was about ten years ago that I felt my Korean was at a level where I could do first drafts,” he said. “And even today I have a lot of people review my work.” Translating subtitles…
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How American Sign Language is evolving with time
NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with Amanda Morris about how sign language evolves over time, the subject of her recent piece in The New York Times. Read or listen to the interview here >
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‘Puzzle piece of Inuit history’: Duo launches translation project of historic letters
Inuk activist and politician Tagak Curley and assistant professor Lydia Schoeppner are working to translate a series of letters written in an older form of Inuktitut syllabics. In the letters, elders share what needs to be done to help Inuit language, identity and culture survive. Read the full piece here >