Adventures in Translation

The Challenges of Interpreting Humor

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:03:00 +0000

“The interview”

During interviews, in the best case scenario, the interpreter will be allowed to look through the questions in order to prepare for all possible answers given that he or she is knowledgeable and updated on the matter to be addressed. I believe this was not the case here but there was some level of coaching for both the miner and the interpreter so they would have their witticisms prepared for topics that would be coming up.

“Funky”

Although different languages do not have the exact same repertory of slang or swear words, they all have basic ways to express joy, annoyance, anger, or perplexity. In these cases, rather than looking for a literal translation of the word, one looks for the expression used to convey the same feeling. When confronted with such situations, the interpreter must be confident of possessing both the relevant cultural knowledge and quick reflexes.

A different kind of difficulty arises when a clever remark is rooted in a language itself and feeds off national and/or cultural references that will prove incomprehensible to those who do not share the same cultural space. For example, would it be possible say the term “Cantinflada” without explaining first what this icon Cantinflas represents in Latin America?

Plays on words are funny because of the combination and contrast of meaning and sound however, they are almost impossible to translate. For example, “How much can a bear bear?” Also, puns are usually untranslatable, except when there is a fortunate acoustic coincidence between languages of the same family. Usually the interpreter can do no more than explain a pun in as interesting a fashion as possible
Even if a joke is conceptually and linguistically translatable, the pace of simultaneous interpreting is unforgiving and will often force the interpreter into offering a compressed explanation of the cultural reference, leaving precious little time for the humor itself. The interpreter must be nimble and must recognize the built-in limitations without being deterred by them. Sometimes, as the video clearly demonstrates, the interpreter can have enough wit and hilarity to convey something even more humorously without compromising the integrity of the original message.

“Conference Interpreting”

In all the situations described, familiarity with the rhetorical style of a speaker is a huge help. Unfortunately, given the nature of conference interpreting (the bulk of our work at CG&A) we don’t always have that luxury, and are thrown into an event where we must interpret for a person we have just met.
If the joke happens to be hilarious, all participants have the right to join in the fun. But the interpreter, who listens directly to the speaker along with those in the audience who will laugh first, does not have the right to laugh. To be capable of communicating the cause of the laughter to the still-silent headset wearers, the interpreter must maintain concentration and hold back the flood of humor that must be redirected toward her impatient listeners. When entering the booth, we automatically go on “interpreting mode” and install an “anti-joke filter” in our heads which allows us to transmit funny comments without being compelled to even chuckle which I might say, is quite outstanding…

The Miner and his Interpreter (click here to watch)

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:01:00 +0000

More Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Grand Opening!!

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Dear clients and friends of ELI and CG&A Translations,

In our journey towards the development and growth of our company, we have been making some enhancements along the way; and now, have the pleasure to announce that this week we will be moving into new, bigger and better facilities.
Since the inception of English Language Institute (ELI) in 1986; its students were able to experience a better teaching methodology, presented by teachers with vast experience, and superior to those of the competition that has emerged since we closed our doors in order to concentrate on our translation projects at CG&A Translations.
In recent years, we have updated this teaching methodology by way of looking into the latest breakthroughs in the market and incorporating our acquired skills as interpreters and translators.
After several requests made by our loyal clientele, we will once again have the space and comfort necessary to resume our language lessons for all of you thanks to this recent development and will now re-open our doors as CG&A Translations and ELI combined.

IN LIGHT OF THIS RELOCATION, WE HAVE HAD TO CHANGE OUR TELEPHONE NUMBER TO THE ONE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. HOWEVER, YOU CAN STILL REACH US AT +503 2273 9563 or +503 78599615 BUT ONLY FOR URGENT WORK REQUESTS AFTER OFFICE HOURS AND WEEKENDS. OUR NEW CONTACT INFORMATION IS:

TELEPHONE: (503)2264 8225
FAX: (503)2273 3915
ADDRESS: 101 Av. Nte. No. 513, Col. Escalón, San Salvador, El Salvador

PLEASE KEEP THE SAME ELECTRONIC CONTACTS:
fcgarcia@cgatranslations.com, fgm@cgatranslations.com, web@cgatranslations.com

WEBSITE: www.cgatranslations.com

Thank you for taking note of our new contact info and driving us to our success by being the reason for our continued efforts and dedication. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

¡¡Gran Apertura!!

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Estimados clientes y amigos de ELI y CG&A Translations,

Siempre en nuestro camino hacia el crecimiento y desarrollo integral de nuestra empresa, tenemos ahora el agrado de comunicarles que esta semana nos mudamos a nuevas y mejores instalaciones.
Gracias a esta mejora, contaremos también con suficiente espacio y plena comodidad para reanudar nuestras clases de idiomas; las cuales, desde su comienzo en 1986, probaron que nuestro método de enseñanza así como los profesores que lo impartían eran superiores a los de la competencia que ha surgido desde ese entonces.
En estos últimos años, hemos actualizado dicho método a manera de incorporar lo último en el mercado así como también nuestras destrezas adquiridas con la interpretación y traducción.

DEBIDO AL CAMBIO DE DOMICILIO, LES INFORMAMOS QUE LOS TELEFONOS PUBLICADO ANTERIORMENTE, (2273 9563 y 7859 9615) PERMANECERAN ACTIVOS UNICAMENTE PARA CASOS DE TRABAJOS URGENTES SOLICITADOS FUERA DE LAS HORAS DE OFICINA. NUESTROS NUEVOS DATOS SON:

TELEFONO: 2264 8225
FAX: 2273 3915
DIRECCION: 101 Av. Nte. No. 513, Col. Escalón, San Salvador, El Salvador

MANTENDREMOS LOS MISMOS CONTACTOS ELECTRONICOS:
fcgarcia@cgatranslations.com, fgm@cgatranslations.com, web@cgatranslations.com

SITIO WEB: www.cgatranslations.com

Muchas gracias por tomar nota de nuestros nuevos datos y por seguir siendo los propulsores de nuestro éxito y la razón de nuestros constantes esfuerzos y esmero.

The Translation Process

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Translation is NOT simply a matter of transcribing text from a source language into a target language. From inception to delivery, it is a complex process of multiple steps. Linguists and other specialists are tasked with providing accurate, linguistically correct, and culturally appropriate translations. Clients who understand this process can help ensure that translated documents successfully communicate their message to their target audience.

The Translation Team

Whether 500 words or five million words, the translations project should pass through a number of experts as it is checked, double checked, and triple checked on its way to the client. These experts include a project manager, translators, editors, desktop publishing support, and proofreaders.
The project´s life begins when it is assigned to a project manager. A project manager is much like an orchestra conductor. The conductor must effectively communicate the notes, music and tempo of any given piece to orchestra members. Project managers do the same with their team members. They must not only communicate clearly with other team members, but with clients and sales staff as well.
Project managers must analyze how the source project is presented (e.g., InDesign, FrameMaker, HTML) and pay close attention to such specifications as content, volume, target languages, matches from the translation memory, subject matter, formatting requirements, target audience, and deadline. Based on the initial analysis, the project manager selects the members of the project team. It is crucial that the project analysis be precise to ensure the accuracy of the cost estimate and the schedule. The project manager´s ability to pick the right team members, understand client needs, create realistic deadlines, and price a job correctly is critical to the success of the project.

The second stop for the translation project is the translator. Translators are experts in grammar, terminology, punctuation, hyphenation, syntax, and spelling in both the source and target languages. Translators know subject-specific vocabulary and how to confront the linguistic challenges presented by colloquialisms and slang.
Industries have their own highly stylized jargon and acronyms. For a faster translation process, clients should provide a glossary of industry jargon, company-specific terminology, and a list of acronyms with phrases or names spelled out.

The third stop is the editor’s desk. Editors review the translator´s work to give it a linguistic fine-tuning. Editors check for appropriate cultural adaptations and seek to strengthen the document’s integrity and text flow. The editor also compares the source document with the target document to make sure there are no omissions.

The fourth stop for the project is to a member of the desktop publishing team. His or her job is to mirror the source document design issues. For example, a common translation problem is text expansion. An English source document expands by 25% when it is translated into Spanish. They may reduce kerning, font size, and decrease margins so the document can fit.
The proofreader is the last stop on a project´s journey. Proofreaders look for dropped diacriticals such as accent marks and make sure word-wraps are correct.

Tips to ensure your event runs smoothly when using simultaneous interpretation. Communication is Key!

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:29:00 +0000

* Ask for references from similar meetings. You will want to be certain that the vendor has a track record of matching the most appropriate interpreters with its clients' needs. A vendor who has the ability to staff your meeting with interpreters who are familiar with your business and industry will better ensure the success of the interpretation.

* Find out exactly who your bidders are. Are they audiovisual companies and language schools that offer interpretation on the side or companies that specialize in providing interpretation services?

To ensure on-site success with interpreters, appoint one knowledgeable person to coordinate with the interpreters, equipment engineers, hotel staff, and meeting planner (before, during, and after the meeting).

Provide your interpreters with background material, in each language, well in advance of the meeting. This information will give the interpreters a good command of the subject matter and intended messages, as well as help them clearly understand the speakers. Include the following nine items to ensure success:

* A comprehensive agenda, detailing the order in which presentations are to be delivered and clearly noting all scheduled breaks

* Transcripts of all presentations, or, when not scripted in advance, detailed outlines or synopses (If some speakers choose to refer only to notes, these notes can be provided in legible form to the interpreters in advance whenever possible.)

* Glossaries of preferred terminology in each language

* Registration materials, brochures, and all other documentation sent to the attendees in advance

* Handouts and other materials that will be given to attendees on site

* Transcripts of audiovisual presentations

* Technical and promotional material regarding the products and services to be discussed

* Minutes from previous meetings on the same subject

* Curricula vitae for key speakers

Plan an advance briefing with the interpreters to answer any questions they may have about your industry's terminology, the agenda, or any other issue. This briefing is usually held in person on the day of the meeting. If possible, you should include your speakers in this meeting as well to answer specific questions that might arise.

Successful conference interpreting is a team effort--introduce the interpreters and the equipment engineers to your staff before the meeting.
Use only interpretation equipment that meets the specifications of the International Organization for Standardization. This will ensure that your interpreters have adequate working conditions--in terms of booth size, lighting, ventilation, and so on--to perform effectively.

Use a technician-controlled delegate microphone system for interactive discussions. And make sure to tell your speakers to always speak into the microphone so the interpreters can hear them clearly.

Control discussions by using a chairperson to recognize speakers. Only one voice can be interpreted at a time, and the interpreter must know whose voice to interpret next.

Position the interpreters so they have a clear, unobstructed view of the speakers and of any projection screens or displayed reference materials.

Schedule periodic coffee and meal breaks during the day. Interpretation requires tremendous concentration and can be exhausting. Breaks will allow the interpreters to return refreshed and help to maintain a high degree of accuracy.

The cherry on top of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Robin Sharma In El Salvador

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:27:00 +0000

18th Ibero-American Summit - Overview

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:23:00 +0000

We recently had the great privilege of covering the 18th Ibero-American Summit held in San Salvador. Our nation really stepped up to the plate with our people’s collaborative and organizational skills added to all the hard work and planning efforts which led to what turned out to be a majestic event, one that should make us feel immensely proud for many years to come.

Economic concerns dominated the summit, which ended on Friday, Oct. 31 in San Salvador.

Leaders from Spain, Portugal and Latin America on Friday called for an emergency world summit overseen by the United Nations to tackle the financial crisis, as recession fears rose.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said a large multilateral agreement was necessary in order to carry out "deep reform of the international finance system model."

Participants Argentina, Brazil and Mexico plan to present the statement at a meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) leaders on the global financial crisis in Washington on November 15.

The leaders also signed agreements to fight poverty among young people, the main theme of the three-day summit before the crisis took over.

"Some 150 million youths will benefit from these policies," said President Antonio Saca of El Salvador at the summit's closing.

Colombian music star Shakira, who set up a regional aid organization two years ago, presented a food, health and education project for some 22 million poor children aged under six living in Latin America.

"We know that in this world financial crisis, hunger will spread in the poorest layers of our society and thousands of children risk dying from hunger," Shakira said.

The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) this week warned that the region would suffer the world economic crisis through a drop in investments, remittances and demand for its raw material exports.

It also revised down its regional growth prediction from four percent to no more than three percent.

The El Salvador summit also condemned terrorism, specifically referring to a car bomb attack on a university in northern Spain on Thursday in which 17 people were injured.

It again called for a lifting of the US embargo on Cuba and claimed Argentina's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Notable absentees from the meeting included Cuban President Raul Castro and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, who pulled out citing fears for his personal safety in El Salvador.

Next year's summit will take place in Portugal with the theme of "Innovation and Technology."

Ibero-American Summit - Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Recent Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Unsung Savior - Washington Post

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:20:00 +0000

(You can read the original article containing a picture slideshow by clicking on the title above)

A Salvadoran Diplomat in Nazi Europe Lent His Nation's Protection to Hungarian Jews
By David Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 15, 2008; C01

From San Salvador to Budapest to Washington: The tides of memory and
forgetting swept into the El Salvador Embassy on 16th Street NW the
other day, transporting ghosts.
Mounted on the walls, their faces peer from postcards of a desperate time -- identity papers, manually typed in great haste, accompanied by glued-on family snapshots, all scanned and enlarged like inscrutable posters for our inspection 64
years later.
One incongruity stands out. You can't help wondering
if some Nazi officer noticed it, too, back in Budapest of 1944,
pounding on the door of an apartment, babies crying, hands trembling,
the trains being loaded for Auschwitz:
The papers say the bearers are citizens of El Salvador, "with all the
rights and duties inherent with this nationality." That included the
right not to be shipped to an extermination camp.
Yet the names on these "Certificates of Nationality" sure don't ring Salvadoran:
Rabbi Jehudah Glasner, with wife Deborah and son Moses. Leiba, Sara and
Elijas Javneris. Abraham, Malka and Rifka Perelman.
It was amazing how, just when Hitler began applying the final solution to the last major Jewish community in Europe, there suddenly appeared in Budapest, by some estimates, thousands of Salvadorans who happened to be Jewish. They were scared
but now clinging to hope, down by the Rio Danube.
In Spanish, "salvador" means "savior."

* * *

World War II doesn't occupy a central part of the national narratives of most
Latin American countries, including El Salvador. When we think of the
war and that part of the world, we think of Nazi officers hiding out in
Argentina or Chile, and that's about it.
But the memory of the Holocaust has a way of making the world feel smaller. People of
different nations can imagine they share a single human drama.
Salvadorans have been as surprised as anybody to rediscover their part
in it. To have been on the side of the angels at one of the darkest
moments in history, when other countries stood by, is something a
small, relatively poor, geopolitically minor nation can be proud of.

The Salvadorans have launched a campaign to gain wider recognition for this
obscure story. The display of evidence at the embassy has been part of
it. Diplomats and researchers have been scouring archives on two
continents for three years to document the facts of the case.

In May, President Elías Antonio Saca González recalled the history in a
speech to mark the 60th anniversary of Israel's founding. Later this
month, the diplomats and researchers will journey to Jerusalem and
present their findings. For the second time in a year, they will visit
Yad Vashem, the Israeli institute and museum dedicated to the memory of
the Holocaust. They will press their petition to Yad Vashem for formal
recognition of the key Salvadoran player in the drama -- the late Col.
José Arturo Castellanos, the man on whose authority all those Hungarian
Jewish Salvadoran citizens were freshly minted in their hour of need.
The Salvadorans want Yad Vashem to bestow upon Castellanos the designation
"Righteous Among the Nations." He would join an honor roll of non-Jews
who took personal risks, for no personal gain, to rescue Jews during
the Holocaust.
Most of the more than 21,000 righteous gentiles
named so far -- including Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg -- came
from Europe. There are two Brazilians and one Chileno, but no
Salvadorans.
"Most unfortunately, El Salvador has been in the
news for bad things," says Ricardo Morán Ferracuti, who has been
leading the research effort. "It's the guerrillas, it's the gangs, it's
deporting of the illegals. We also have to show the world that we have
good people who did good things to humankind.
"It will be an honor for us to have a picture of Colonel Castellanos in Yad Vashem. .
. . It's a matter of pride for El Salvador."

A Partnership to Save Lives
At the center of the story is a friendship.
There are pictures of the friends, now deceased, on the wall of the embassy
in Washington, too: Castellanos -- short, plump, with thick lips and a
warm smile -- and a Hungarian Jewish businessman named George
Mandel-Mantello -- thin, intense, haunted.
The broad outlines of the endeavor that grew from that friendship are not much in dispute -- as compiled by the Salvadoran researchers, supported by some
documentary evidence and witness testimony, corroborated by a recent
documentary called "Glass House" and by the research of some independent historians.
However, some details remain murky, lost in the fog of history. Yad Vashem has
yet to judge the larger claim that Castellanos's work rises to the
level of Righteous.

The story goes like this:
On government business in Europe before the war, Castellanos meets George Mandel. The
war starts. Castellanos is posted to a succession of European cities as
a diplomat. With Nazi tanks overrunning the continent, Mandel, as a
Jew, knows he's in peril and turns to his friend. Castellanos makes
Mandel an honorary Salvadoran diplomat and gives him a Salvadoran
passport. Mandel changes his name to Mandel-Mantello, to give it a more
Latin ring. Castellanos issues Salvadoran visas to other European Jews.
By 1942, Castellanos becomes the Salvadoran General Consul in Geneva and
appoints Mandel-Mantello the consulate's "first secretary," a
fictitious title that does not exist in the Salvadoran diplomatic
hierarchy.
Mandel-Mantello proposes to Castellanos that they
issue Salvadoran documents to help Jews survive. They charge little or
nothing, whereas the papers from some other Latin American countries
are being sold for high prices.
What starts as a relatively small-scale distribution of Salvadoran visas (against the wishes of Castellanos's own government), mushrooms by mid-1944 into the mass
production of nationality certificates. The Nazis, strangely legalistic
and bureaucratic in their own way, seem willing to accept the
proposition that foreign citizens, even Jews, could be exempt from
anti-Jewish edicts.
After their invasion of Hungary in 1944, the
Nazis step up the systematic slaughter of Jews, deporting hundreds of
thousands from the countryside to death camps, then focusing on the
hundreds of thousands remaining in Budapest. Typists in Geneva churn
out the Salvadoran papers. They ship them via couriers into Budapest.
When photos or biographical information are unavailable, they send
pre-signed papers for Jews to fill in themselves.
The Salvadoran government asks the Swiss, as neutral representatives in Budapest, to
protect the new Salvadoran citizens. In international safe houses --
such as the famous Glass House, a former glass factory -- the Swiss
harbor thousands of Jews who possess Salvadoran papers or similar
documents. The Swedish Wallenberg's parallel effort is underway in
Budapest at this time, while the Swiss program is directed by Carl
Lutz, also subsequently recognized as a Righteous gentile.
"It's one of those exceptionally chaotic situations when I think maverick
actors can do important things," says Tim Cole, a Holocaust scholar at
the University of Bristol in Great Britain.
Before the Salvadoran researchers started digging into the history, one of the
few thorough accounts of the Salvadoran action was David Kranzler's
2000 volume, "The Man Who Stopped the Trains to Auschwitz." Kranzler
portrayed Mandel-Mantello as the inspiration behind the operation but
credited Castellanos as the authority without whom it would not have
been born.
Kranzler estimated that as many as 9,000-10,000
Salvadoran nationality papers were issued. Ferracuti, the Salvadoran
diplomat-researcher, cites a document found in Holocaust archives in
Haifa that reports more than 13,000 certificates were issued. Since
each document could cover a family, Kranzler has guessed that 30,000 or
more Jews could have been covered by the papers.

A Righteous Reunion
After the war, few if any of the new citizens actually emigrated to El
Salvador. That was never the point, anyway. They resumed their old
nationalities, or settled in Israel.
Castellanos was posted to London, retired and died in relative obscurity in San Salvador in 1977, his role in the story all but forgotten.
Mandel-Mantello continued as a philanthropist and businessman after the war. His deeds were better known, and he had received some international recognition
by the time he died in Rome in 1992.
But Mandel-Mantello was forever haunted by one thing: Just as the Jews of Hungary were late in realizing the Nazis would come after them, so, too, was Mandel-Mantello
late in recognizing that his parents and dozens of relatives in the
Hungarian countryside were in danger. They were killed at Auschwitz.
"He reproached himself," says Enrico Mandel-Mantello, 78, George's son, who
was spirited to Geneva thanks to a Salvadoran passport, and who as a
teenager witnessed the production of the Salvadoran papers in Geneva.
"He missed by one week. And they would have survived with those papers."
Enrico Mandel-Mantello and Frieda C. de Garcia, one of Castellanos's
daughters, had a reunion recently at the Salvadoran Embassy in
Washington. They embraced, and Mandel-Mantello reminded the assembled
guests that Garcia's "father saved my life. It's a moment to express my
gratitude."
Garcia, 59, now an official translator for Saca, the
president, says her father never spoke of his role. By chance she heard
of it shortly before he died. "Why didn't you ever tell us that story?"
she asked. "And his answer was, 'Because anybody in my position would
have done the same thing.' "
As historical drama, what the story lacks is the on-the-scene heroism of a doomed Wallenberg or a shrewd Schindler. Castellanos and Mandel-Mantello operated from the remove of Geneva, devising a bureaucratic response to meet the threat of
bureaucratic butchers. And yet the story has power. It sets an example for conduct.

"As human beings, we love seeing the little person doing big things," says
Leonor Marlowe, a native Salvadoran who made the documentary "Glass
House" with her husband, Los Angeles filmmaker Brad Marlowe.
She first heard about the story in the mid-1990s: "My single proudest
moment as a Salvadoran." They have yet to find a distributor for the
film and in the meantime are preparing to sell it themselves through a
Web site.
An audience of several hundred saw "Glass House" recently at Washington Hebrew Congregation.
"People were incredibly moved," says M. Bruce Lustig, senior rabbi at
Washington Hebrew. "In our day and age, when we face the crisis in
Darfur, when people are left on the fringe of society, the callousness
that goes on, we find there are people who stepped forward."
Lustig says his congregation plans to write letters in support of the
Salvadorans' petition to Yad Vashem. "They were no superpower, but what
they did was extraordinary."
Extraordinary -- but Righteous, too?
Unknown is how many Jews were actually saved by the papers. But the success of
a rescue operation is not the test of its righteousness, says Irena
Steinfeldt, director of the department for the Righteous Among the
Nations at Yad Vashem. "The test is the nature of the deed."
"We have proof that [Castellanos] did issue all kinds of protective
papers," she says. "Sometimes this paper could make the difference
between being taken now, or surviving another three or four weeks until
the Russians arrive in Budapest."
However, Steinfeldt says, lacking so far is proof that Castellanos risked, if not his life, then his position, by trying to save Jews. It's a key criterion of
righteousness.
"In order to submit the case, I need to have some
kind of proof that Castellanos was acting against Salvadoran
instructions," Steinfeldt says.

Ferracuti, the Salvadoran diplomat-researcher, says he has assembled evidence to show that in the early part of the war, when El Salvador's president was sympathetic to Germany, Castellanos did act against his government's policy. Only in
mid-1944, when a new president took power, did the country formally
sanction Castellanos's and Mandel-Mantello's efforts.
He will present his research during his upcoming mission to Yad Vashem. Then,
like all Righteous petitions, the case will be considered by a special
Israeli commission, presided over by a supreme court justice.
Steinfeldt declines to estimate how long a decision might take.
If Castellanos -- and El Salvador -- earn the coveted recognition, the
Salvadoran who helped designate so many new citizens of El Salvador
will posthumously earn the right to be declared an honorary citizen of
Israel. And Yad Vashem will present to Castellanos's family a specially
minted medal. It will bear an inscription:

"Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe."

Still Wondering About 'RSS'?

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:11:00 +0000

This instructional video is a step by step tutorial which describes how to use the RSS Reader and be able to take advantage of this wonderful tool. It will only take 3.5 minutes to show how you can save lots of browsing time.
Just remember to add us to your list!

A Helpful Insight on Free Translation Resources (Controversial?...I don't think so)

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:52:00 +0000

Now, I know that what I am about to show you here is not in my best interest and I will probably get some heat from other translators who wish this kind of thing wasn’t so readily available to the public.
But, who are we kidding? In this day in age everything is just a click away. The only catch is: that you can’t easily tell what things on the web are reliable or high-quality and which ones are not.

These are all tools that even though they will NEVER and I mean NEVER be as good as a human translator. They can be very helpful for those who are looking to translate words, a couple of paragraphs or even a whole website in order to grasp the main idea of a text they have been handed and can’t understand. But that is not to say that they should be used when the purpose of the translated text is of a more formal nature, say for work or assignments. This is because a machine cannot identify most language to language idiosyncrasies nor can it put words into context among other things.
A human translator knows that a word can have several meanings and it is only by means of understanding the context that he /she will have the ability to choose which one should be used. Thus, a machine cannot be expected to express every idea presented on the source text in a way that it will make the same sense once translated.

So with this very looong disclaimer out of the way, these are some of the tools I (not CG&A) can recommend:

Language to language

Say you've got a block of text you need translated. Generally, the best tool for the job would be Babelfish, a simple translation service that translates something for you from a "source" language to a "target" language.
Google Translate can unlock blocks of text for you from language to language. You can also use it to translate an entire web page by simply entering in the URL, but this doesn't always work the way you'd like it to (they also have a language to language dictionary, as well as a way to set Google's interface in your preferred language.) There's also gTranslate, a Firefox add-on that uses the Google translation service to translate the text on the page so you don't have to visit the Google Translate site itself. Windows Live has a similar service.

One of the best (and easiest to use) language translation tools available right now is the FoxLingo add-on for Firefox. It translates web pages and block text in 45 different languages.

Online Dictionaries

WordReference is a set of free online translation dictionaries (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.) that offer a bit more than just straight word to word translation; you also get a spoken word demo as well as detailed etymology of the word or phrase you're trying to translate.
You can also take a look at the list of additional dictionaries I recommend in the left column of this blog.

Miscellaneous Language Tools

The Speech Accent Archive, while not strictly a translation service, does offer you the opportunity to listen to literally hundreds of languages being spoken by native speakers— a great way to see if you're saying something right or getting an ear for the language.
Anyone who's ever attempted to learn a language knows that verb conjugations can get tricky. That's where Verbix comes in handy; it's a free online verb conjugator available for dozens of languages.

If you feel like reading the news from all over the world in your language, try Newstran, a free translator for over 10,000 global newspapers. Note: be prepared for some slow load times depending on what language you're looking for.

How about videos? dotSub is a small but growing site that offers a selection of (mostly technology-related) videos translated into a variety of other languages.

For more on-the-fly translation goodness, try the Google Translate Buttons, drag and drop language functionality for your browser toolbar.

Now, for those of you looking for dictionaries for less common languages which at the same time can be very precise given that they specialize on a specific language pair, you have the following options:

English/German:
Beolingus offers translations as well as definitions, synonyms, example sentences, and aural samples.

English/Chinese:
Adsotrans is a collaborative Chinese-English / English-Chinese translation site.

English/Japanese:
With popjisyo you get every word but should do the sentence translation yourself, this way you won't end up those weird sentences.

English/Italian
Garzanti is a really good resource. It starts in Italian but there’s a link at the top of the page to switch to English.

Sometimes you're in a situation where you don't even know what language the text is in. Langenberg.com has several language identifiers, as well as access to a variety of online machine translation programs in different languages.

That's me at the back interpreting for Good Charlotte...not a bad day at work indeed

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Visit to the USS BOXER

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:07:00 +0000

On May 27th I had the opportunity to not only ride in a black hawk and a double engine helicopter but most importantly to board the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship deployed to the Pacific for the next phase in its Continuing Promise (CP) equal partnership mission that would be conducting relief operations in Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru.

Above, I have posted a picture of the Boxer, but bear in mind that it is much bigger than it seems from a far. I can fit up to 4,000 people and resembles a small city on water (a claustrophobic and wobbly one if you are not used to it). It is equipped with a wide array of facilities, from offices, Operating Rooms, Intensive Care Units to a cozy restaurant/bar where we were warmly welcomed by the Mission Commander for CP, Captain Peter Dallman, the Boxer's commanding officer, Capt. Matthew J. McCloskey and other very hospitable crew members that would be taking President Saca, and the US Ambassador, Charles Glazer for a tour around the medical units where they carry out all their procedures. They all got to appreciate the flexibility of our venture system that consists of wireless transmitters and receivers by means of which they were all able to listen to the tour guide in both languages in spite of all the surrounding noise and activities taking place.

During the 13-day operation in El Salvador, Boxer’s embarked NGOs and military units worked side-by-side with partner-nation military and civilian professionals to provide medical, dental, optometry and veterinary care along with construction, renovation and small-scale civil engineering projects.

It was a real privilege for me to see this creative and projected expeditionary approach where the US Navy has turned an effective warship into an extraordinarily effective platform for performing humanitarian assistance missions. It is certainly is a marvelous dichotomy.

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:15:00 +0000

We recently covered a captivatingly different type of event; it had nothing to do with politics, the economy, trade or medicine. Actually, it could be described as medicinal as it was the presentation of "The Secret." A bestselling book that has helped millions of readers to discover the power of the mind and the importance of having a positive outlook on life while clearly visualizing their goals and dreams. It has been described as the key to success for many professionals that have been able to change their lives by using the tools this book and its authors have to offer. It was indeed one of those moments where we felt fortunate for being able to share this wonderful experience with the other 400+ attendees and on top of it, get paid for helping to convey this wonderful message to the Spanish speaking audience. Yes, being an interpreter certainly has its perks.

More FAQs

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:18:00 +0000

What are my options to receive my translated copy?
We can send you the translation in the following formats depending on your needs:

In Word format attached to our email
In PDF in the attachment of our email
By fax
By overnight courier (Federal Express and UPS)
Priority Mail
First Class Mail
By diskette or CD-ROM

How about confidentiality of my documents?
Your documents are always handled in a confidential manner. We use Work Order forms to assign translation jobs to our translators containing provisions stating the confidential nature of the assigned material for translation. The content of your document is not disclosed to anybody other than our translator and the editor to review the translation for proofreading and editing, if needed.

Do you use machine translation?
We do not use machine translation or software that translates documents between two languages. We use only human translators for your translation needs. We do not know of any machine or software that can translate better than a professional human translator. Machines and software programs cannot translate your texts by taking into consideration the cultural differences, dialects, and updated terms.

Humor is another example that can only be translated by human translators who are up to date in the native language. Human translation takes into consideration all features of a language including morphology creating meaning from each piece of words in the structural), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (intended meaning), and all other linguistic knowledge.

Human translators reflect their years of knowledge, experience, and unique, native language capabilities to give you the meaning of the written words.

Our professional language translators pick up the right words by relying on their mastery of both (source and target) languages and their deep understanding of their specialized fields and the cultural and linguistic differences.

Can I use machine translation on the Internet?
You may use automated translation software on the Internet to get the meaning of some words and sentences. However, you must be careful if the text that you are trying to translate is a legal, medical, or technical text. Machine translation has never reached the quality of human translation and never will.

Machine/Automated Translation (MT) versus Computer-Aided Translation (CAT)?
Machine translation is also called automated or automatic translation done by translation software. It is a typical word-by-word translation process.

Computer-Aided Translation is also called interactive translation is different than MT. CAT is used by professional translators to speed up their translation process and improve the integrity and consistency while they manually translate the material. CAT contains a translation memory (TM) to assist the professional language translator in placing the previously translated words and sentences if they are repeated in the new text. CAT saves time and creates consistency within the text and between the texts that have been translated in the past and the text currently being translated.

How can I know the number of words?
If your text is in electronic format (in a word processor, spreadsheet, PowerPoint, etc.), you can use the word count utility of your software. For instance, in Microsoft Word, click on Word Count listed under Tools when you have your text on the screen. You can get the number of words and characters counted automatically. We need the number of words rather than the number of characters.

What happens if I cannot count the number of words?
If you have the material to be translated in hard copy such as a fax message, a written letter, or a copy of your birth certificate, marriage license, etc., then, tell us the number of pages. We can quickly figure out the approximate number of words based on our experience with such materials. Let us know if your text is “formatted” as in the case of certificates, passports, diplomas, transcripts, and other official documents. We try to translate in such a way to make our translation look as similar to the original format as possible.

Do I pay the same fee for translations from and into English language, both ways?
No. In most cases, translation fees may not be the same as it is from a certain language. For instance, the fee for translating from Japanese into English is different from translating from English into Japanese.

First, the number of words in the target language is not the same. The number of words increases from 10 to 35 percent in the target language. Obviously, it is the number of translated words that reflect the translation efforts involved.

Second, the number of words is different due to use of symbols and characters that mean more than one letter in languages such as Arabic, Korean, and Japanese to name few.

Third, typing in languages with accent marks and symbols (character-based languages) slows down the translation process.

Ultimately, it is the time spent for the translation that counts in addition to the additional efforts made. That’s why a translation from English into another language generally costs more.

FAQs

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:03:00 +0000

What is the difference between a translator and an interpreter?

In the industry, the term translator tends to refer to any written work carried out, i.e. rendering one document into another language. Whereas an interpreter always refers to someone who translates orally, e.g. at a conference where there are two or more parties speaking different languages. Just to confuse you, the term “translator” can also sometimes refer to someone translating orally. However “Interpreter” never refers to written translation.

How long does it take to translate a document?

A competent translator tends to work toward a target of 1,500 to 2,500 words per day. Therefore, should you require a much larger job urgently, it may be necessary to split the job between several translators. In such situations we would appoint a project manager in order to maintain consistency in style and to oversee the smooth running of the project.

When should I consider hiring an interpreter?

An interpreter should be used whenever you want to accurately and efficiently convey information during conferences, seminars, official meetings, social events, disciplinary proceedings, telephone conferences or private phone calls. Using an interpreter ensures impartiality and confidentiality because everyone is able to participate equally, using his or her native language.

Why would I need two interpreters for one assignment?

Team interpreting is standard practice in this profession. Two or more interpreters work as equal members of a team, rotating at prearranged intervals and providing support and feedback to each other. Research shows that the longer the period of time the interpreter translates, the less accurate and effective the service becomes. When an assignment is more than two hours, two interpreters are scheduled. They relieve each other approximately every 20 minutes to ensure the message is as accurate as possible for the full length of your assignment.

What is the difference between simultaneous and consecutive interpretation?

Simultaneous interpretation (also known as conference interpretation) is when the speaker's voice is interpreted without interruption as he/she is speaking. Simultaneous interpretation usually requires sound equipment and a booth for interpreters. The audience listens to the language of their choice using headsets. Due to the challenging nature of simultaneous interpretation, interpreters take turns every 20 minutes to avoid exhaustion. Simultaneous interpretation is usually used for large meetings and conferences.

Consecutive interpretation is when the speaker pauses after every two or three sentences to allow time for the interpreter to deliver the speaker's remarks into the other language. The consecutive interpreter is always in close proximity to the participants, be it between two people or small groups of people. Consecutive interpreting is most effective for casual meetings, tours, assistance through trade show exhibits, interviews, business negotiations, medical appointments, court appearances or receptions.

My First 'Small' Rant

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:57:00 +0000

Accurate translations have become essential in today’s business world. Deals are cut, contracts and agreements are signed, products are sold — and in the international marketplace, all parties need to know the exact terms of these trade agreements. So it is necessary and fair to expect that your interpretation services be as precise and reliable as these situations call for, and this is what we at CG&A strive for and so far, have been able to deliver.

-Brace yourselves as this is where my rant begins- Sometimes it is quite unfair when we find ourselves in the uncomfortable situation where a decision maker on a negotiation table (or anyone for that matter) is not really into the discussion, and as an excuse for his/her lack of attention when being asked a question will say something along the lines of “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure if I understood…it might be a problem with the translation.” And with those simple words, the entire interpretation for that day is now in question, even when everyone else who's listening has understood what was being said perfectly and even when the interpreters have done a good job throughout the entire event.

So a comment as small and insignificant as that can really sidetrack an interpreter for a minute, as they will be picturing themselves coming out of their booth and hitting that person on the back of their head as they explain to them that which they didn’t have the guts to admit they didn’t get because they were too busy doing something else and thought that blaming it on the interpreter was the easiest way out of an embarrassing situation. (just kidding :-))

But it obviously happened to me and I have heard similar stories from different interpreters who shared the same sense of frustration my colleague and I felt because of this unnecessary blow to our morale.
Fortunately, there’s sometimes one knight in shining armor that will come to the rescue -as was the case here- and to help vindicate the interpreters by publically thanking them at the end of that long and strenuous day for the great work they have done.
So, if you have ever been one of these people, it might please you to know that we LOVE YOU for it!! Especially after we have been supra-humanly trying not miss a single word so that the other person’s comment is completely dismissed by the rest. With a gesture like this, everything else becomes secondary and we are only left with a great sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment which in turn makes us look forward to the next day instead of praying for it all to be over.

I'm sure that there are things comparable to this that happen to people in pretty much every position, so it should be a lesson for us all; as it contributes towards enjoying a pleasant and healthy work environment.
So thanks again to those chairpersons, organizers, CEO’s, and employers in general who are graceful enough to acknowledge the effort (not necessarily in public) of those working backstage when they deserve it.

On a more serious note...I present to you "The Glass House"

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:58:00 +0000

This is a preview of "The Glass House" a feature-length documentary about El Salvador's daring action that saved approximately 30,000 Jews during WWII.
-It has already been featured in the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and AFI's Latin American Film Festival in D.C.
-If the right distributor is found, the world will soon have the opportunity to discover this amazing and formerly untold-story of the small country that did a great thing

Very funny..

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Take a minute to read these signs from all over the world that were translated into english and posted next to the text in the source language..

In a Tokyo bar:
Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts.

In a Copenhagen airline ticket office:
We take your bags and send them in all directions.

In a Norwegian cocktail lounge:
Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.

In a hotel in Athens:
Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily.

In a Bucharest hotel lobby:
The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.

In a Tokyo Hotel:
Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such thing is please not to read notice.

In a Leipzig elevator:
Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up.

On the menu of a Polish hotel:
Salad a firm's own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion.

In a Belgrade hotel elevator:
To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order.

In a Paris hotel elevator:
Please leave your values at the front desk.

In a Yugoslavian hotel:
The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.

In a Japanese hotel:
You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers:
Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.

Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop:
Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

In a Bangkok dry cleaner's:
Drop your trousers here for best results.

Outside a Paris dress shop:
Dresses for street walking.

In a Rhodes tailor shop:
Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.

From the Soviet Weekly:
There will be a Moscow Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 SovietRepublic painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years.

In a Zurich hotel:
Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist:
Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.

In a Rome laundry:
Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.

In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency:
Take one of our horse-driven city tours - we guarantee no miscarriages.

In a Budapest zoo:
Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

In the office of a Roman doctor:
Specialist in women and other diseases.

In an Acapulco hotel:
The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

In a Tokyo shop:
Our nylons cost more than common, but you'll find they are best in the long run.

In a Japanese information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner:
Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself.

In a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo:
When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.

On a Malaga freeway:
Locals for sale or rent.

In a hotel in Bruges:
Bathroom light operates with motion sensor. Turns off approx. 15 minutes after last registered motion.

Hands down the best interpreter I have ever seen!!

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Catherine Tate - Translator - These bloopers are hilarious

On the Headlines...

noreply@blogger.com (Frieda García Castellanos) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:05:00 +0000