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From an industry standpoint, Paris, France, is the world’s simultaneous interpretation and translation capital. From a business standpoint, it’s one of Europe’s (and the world’s) most important cities. To top that all off, the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and countless other tourist attractions make the “City of Lights” one of the most consistently…
While misconceptions about translators and interpreters are common, they can also prevent you from hiring the right professional for the job. In this article, we’ll share seven of the most common misconceptions about translators. Stay tuned for next month’s post, which will cover common misconceptions about interpreters. No matter what your needs are, learning more…
What do Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Afrikaans, Swahili, Wolof and Amharic all have in common? They are all languages spoken in Africa, and this list doesn’t even begin to cover all the myriad of smaller subsets of various language and indigenous languages and dialects that pepper this vast continent – There are thousands! Indeed,…
It was a wandering French geographer with a vision of language as a unifying and deeply generative cultural influence who coined the term “Francophonie” (French-speaking world). His name was Onésime Reclus, a 19th century booster of French culture and language who traveled widely and wrote books primarily about the French colonies in Africa. His vision…
Originating from the Latin spoken in the streets of the Roman Empire or “Vulgar Latin”, Italian is anything but vulgar to the ears of English speakers or to anyone who discovers the alliteration and beauty of its lyrical cadences. A language of aural beauty, providing aesthetic pleasure, Italian was forged by Tuscan poet Dante Alighieri…
When a Montreal executive and a Parisian colleague speak French in a business meeting, they understand each other. But the differences between their dialects can create subtle misunderstandings that matter in high-stakes interpretation and translation. For organizations working across French-speaking markets, knowing these distinctions is essential. French is a pluricentric language, meaning it has multiple…
Being an international business interpreter can be an exciting profession, especially when your duties require you to travel around the world, meeting and interacting with others, in order to enhance business negotiations for your company and/or clients. That being said, there is a tremendous amount of responsibility involved. In addition to language fluency, business interpreters…
Today’s world sees more and more people interacting and doing business with individuals from other countries. A major barrier to these interactions is language. At conferences or other gatherings, interpreters are often in the background offering an interpretation of the speaker’s words from one language into another. Interpretation is conducted in two different modes: simultaneous…
As communication between nations becomes more and more necessary, the need for highly qualified interpreters expands. If you are considering a career in interpreting, or are considering hiring an interpreter for a specific need, you should be aware of the various specializations in the field. There are various types of interpreting, each requiring a different…
Simultaneous interpretation is usually contrasted with consecutive interpretation. That said, the adjective “simultaneous” may be a misnomer in that, although the interpreter is still in the booth wearing headphones and speaking into a mic, the interpreter needs to wait until the sentence is understood and processed before interpreting. Nonetheless, a simultaneous interpreter is listening and…