No tiremos las palabras a la basura

 
Me gusta mucho leer. Es muy interesante cómo, con la aparición de las redes sociales, podemos compartir contenido casi de forma inmediata. Cada vez más gente se anima a escribir. Los lectores están cada vez más cerca, aunque paradójicamente tal vez nos leen desde países cada vez más remotos. Sin embargo, el principal problema de este crecimiento exponencial de contenido es la falta de filtros, de moderación. ¿Cuándo se escribe con convicción y cuándo se escribe por escribir, para simplemente generar contenido y llenar páginas?
 
Creo que quienes creamos contenido tenemos la enorme responsabilidad de ser moderados; de cierta forma tal vez auto-moderarnos. A veces es difícil resistir la tentación de escribir por escribir, para “hacer ruido” o para mostrar actividad en nuestros sitios (páginas, blogs, etc.).
 
Contener el instinto de escribir y publicar inmediatamente puede también tener su recompensa. Crear en nuestros lectores la expectativa, la ansiedad, el deseo de leer nuestro próximo texto es tan importante como el texto mismo. De lo contrario, con el tiempo es posible que perdamos el entusiasmo de quienes nos siguen.
 
Entre las tantas personas que saben escribir y ya tienen sus seguidores están Santiago Bilinkis, con Riesgo y Recompensa, y Oscar Bianchi con Kaipress. Nos sorprenden con reflexiones, pensamientos distintos e ideas innovadoras. 

Quienes los leemos con frecuencia sabemos que su atractivo radica en que son lecturas con contenido. Al no encontrarnos todos los días con una publicación nueva, luego de leer y participar comienza nuestra espera del siguiente texto. Mientras tanto, podemos comentar, pensar y compartir el contenido. De esta forma, lo que escriben realmente llega al lector.
 
Por el contrario, hay otros sitios que lo único que buscan es “hacer ruido”. Encontramos contenido repetido, errores ortográficos y más. ¿Vale la pena generar “contenido” a costa de la calidad? 

Como lectores, tenemos el poder de decidir qué leer y qué no; si elegimos comer en un buen restaurante en vez de comer comida chatarra, ¿por qué elegir lectura chatarra?

Don't contact a translator!

- "Finally! I finished my business presentation for my upcoming trip to South America. I worked so hard on this, I hope it pays off."

- "I'm guessing you prepared it in Spanish, right?"

- "No! Why would I do that?

- "Well... Actually you're visiting Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. Last time I checked, people there speak Spanish."

- "I know! But they all understand English, so why would I translate it?"

- "I can think of at least 5 reasons why. You want to attract them, to persuade them, to get new clients. How comfortable would you feel if someone wants to talk you into a business and approaches you in another language? Second, wouldn't it be a pity that your message be misinterpreted? I'm calling a translator. You'll need that."

- "No! Don't contact a translator! I can do it. I took Spanish in high school and two semesters in college. I can do it."

- "You must be kidding me. Why would you translate it yourself?

- "I know Spanish, that is all it takes to make the translation! Besides, what does a translator know about business development? Just don't contact a translator. I'll do it."

- "You entrust your finances to an accountant, right?"

- "Yes, of course."

- "And you asked a lawyer to draft the contract you closed last week, as far as I remember..."

- "Yes, what's your point?"

- "Well, you referred to the right professionals when you had a professional need. Why not doing the same with your translation needs? There's much more than knowing a language to translate. Translators are specialized in different fields, so your text will have the same impact in a foreign language as it does in English, as you wrote it."

- "Alright... That makes sense. Contact the translator."

This dialog happens daily. When resorting to professional translators, not only do we rest assured that our linguistic needs are being taken care of. We have the certainty that -apart from mere words- all the effort we put on preparing the original document will be translated into a text which will convey exactly what we meant in the first place.

At Palindromic we provide real-time answers to your linguistic needs. Professional translators handle every translation as unique, and offer tailor-made solutions that fit your requirements. So, next time you need something translated into another language, just don't contact a translator. :)

Looking out the window: A good habit.

Deadlines, new projects, queries, new businesses... During the week it gets hard to keep our eyes away from the computer screen. But we should!
Last week, it was about 5.30 in the afternoon and I was very concentrated working on a business proposal. I needed to think of a different approach to the client, and nothing came to my mind. It was cold outside, and winter was taking away the sun early that afternoon. I decided to go to the window, and leave everything aside. Just go back to the basics, enjoy a beautiful sunset.
Here are some pictures of what I found.

To my surprise, I had a sudden feeling of calm. That was exactly what I was looking for. Just a couple of minutes of peace staring at a setting sun gave me clearer thoughts. When I went back to my computer, I felt somehow better.
At times it's important that we get back to basics. We have plenty of things to worry about, and many obligations that keep our eyes and mind far from the window and close to the computer screen. Simply looking out the window could be a good habit.

Translating music lyrics: transcreation at its best.

In the past few years, it has become more and more popular to have famous local artists perform all-time international favorites in their mother tongue.
Marcela Morelo -an Argentine singer and songwriter- surprised her fans with a Spanish version of Moonlight Shadow by Mike Oldfield. Now, was it as simple as translating the lyrics? Of course not.
At her album release, she stated that “When I started with this album I asked myself “How do I go about this song, this songwriter?” And I took my chances to dive into the spirit of the song. So first I learned the melody and the lyrics in English. Then I made a literal translation of the song and was surprised to see how it deals with death in a very natural way. It was then when I started to work on the Spanish version. This was a big deal, took a lot of effort, because it’s not simply translating but getting the idea, the concept: you need to get inside the DNA of each song.”*
Her words clearly identify what linguists call a transcreation process. It’s going beyond translation. It’s adapting your message to your audience leaving word-for-word translation aside.
Below you will find a brief comparison between the original lyrics of this great song by Mike Oldfield and how the back-translation of this Spanish version reads.

ORIGINAL LYRICS
The last that ever she saw him
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
He passed on worried and warning
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.

Lost in a river last Saturday night
Far away on the other side.
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
And she couldn't find how to push through

TRANSLATION OF SPANISH VERSION
He looked at her to say his goodbyes,
and walked away, with the light of the sky.
He flew away, doesn’t have limits,
he took hold of the light of the sky.

He will pass by to see her on an April night,
just to get to see her smile.
An ivory light will shine for ever for her.

Before Mr. Oldfield sues the Argentine songwriter for translation malpractice, it’s important once again to remember the concept of transcreation: translation + creation. Here, it’s not only translating, but also creating a new, totally independent version which stands on its own and carries its own significance and utterances.
At Palindromic, we deal daily with this type of challenges in the most varied scenarios: from translating a car advertisement to localizing a new software or online game.
Our next blog post will talk about transcreation and movies (why, for instance, the Spanish version of the famous movie Jaws was Tiburón, “Shark” in English), but for now, let’s focus on music. Relax, indulge yourself and take an hour to listen to one of your favorite albums.
EAVB_EAHZHVFABL

*This quote is a free translation from the interview published by Argentine newspaper Clarín. Click here to read it.

New offices, new services, same old-school quality.

In line with our philosophy of providing our clients with top-notch translation services, Palindromic opened its brand new offices in Buenos Aires and announces the implementation of more CAT tools, leading the deployment of translation technologies in Argentina.
Strategically located just a few minutes away from downtown, this new venue allows us to increase our daily output while keeping our quality standards.
Benefit from the work of our in-house professionals. Managing end-to-end processes internally means higher quality and faster turnaround at our same competitive rates.
Contact us to learn more about what translation tools we use and how they can contribute to your success while keeping an eye on your company’s economy. 

Palindromic is expanding. Expand with Palindromic.

When merely translating is not enough

At times clients require more than merely translating a text. For instance, when working on websites, our DTP department is faced with the challenge of fitting in the translation in the same space designed for the source text. Translations into Spanish are generally 20% longer in text than the source documents in English. We could simply provide our client with the translation and have them work on the website. Or... we could use our DTP resources and readapt the site so that it carries all the content.

Here's an example. Note the difference in length between the first version (EN) and the second version (SPA):

This job demands skilled Web Designers and some more time, but final results are simply great. So why outsourcing for translation and then outsourcing for DTP if you can have everything done in one place? Clients deserve more and they should ask for more. Merely translating is not enough.

Online video subtitling by Palindromic

In our constant search for providing state-of-the-art translation services, we've developed a new concept: professional subtitling for online broadcasting. Learn more with our sample video.

Translation mythbusters

We often receive questions and inquiries on translation services and I believe we can all benefit from the answers. Here are some myths regarding the translation market:
 

Translators only deal with legal documents.

Although there are many professionals specialized in the translation of public documents, nowadays we count with an increasing number of translators devoted to technical and scientific texts. Moreover, localization companies have translation teams specialized in marketing, cultural adaptation, transcreation projects and more.

Translators work with .doc files only.

The development of new translation technologies is amazing. Nowadays translation companies like Palindromic have tools that allow us to translate almost any type of editable file: from a simple PowerPoint presentation to SAP reports or web and graphic design files.

Translators are hermits who work by themselves.
 

Nothing further from the truth. These days, translators form professional communities for sharing knowledge, networking and terminology assistance. There is an increasing tendency for translation companies to have in-house staff: this allows for a more direct interaction project by project. Clients get the best part out of this since projects delivered by inhouse translators have more solid QA processes, translations are more consistent and turnaround times are considerably better.

Translations are expensive. It is better to have one or two members of my staff proficient in the foreign language I need and just that.

If we have to deal with tax issues, we resort to an accountant. Before a legal dispute, we do not hesitate in contacting a lawyer. Translators are the professionals qualified to connect cultures and take your ideas and projects anywhere in the world.

Regarding rates, at Palindromic we offer customer loyalty programs that represent discounts of up to 10% of the monthly invoicing, so savings are immediate and tangible.
 

It is through communication and making questions that we can learn more about this great industry. Be part of this and add any questions you may have!

Multi-language recruiting: When outsourcing is the right call

At times HR executives of globalized companies face the challenge of recruiting multi-lingual staff for their companies and need to test their language skills.

What to do?
Normally, if we are talking about regular languages it's quite simple: have one of our HR staff interview the candidate in the language in question. It's a common process and the results are generally good.

However, what if proficiency in the language is essential (e.g. Sales Executive for Latin America or even Asia)?

In these cases, outsourcing the language assessment seems to be the right call. Nowadays many companies offer the services of native speakers to interview candidates by phone or in person and provide the company with a more accurate projection of who the right candidate is.

This is just another stage in the recruiting process and companies rest assured that candidates are evaluated by professionals.

If we use an HR professional for assessing candidates' potential and skills, why not using a language professional to assess their language skills? This would lead us to better results while reducing our total cost of hiring.