The longest street in Belarus is Independence Avenue in Minsk (Prospect Nezalezhnastsi). This street has had over 10 different names throughout history and stretches about fifteen kilometers.
Belarus has its very own ghost! The Black Lady of Nesvizh is said to be the spirit of Barbara Radziwill, wife of Polish King Žygimont Augustus. The legend of the Black Lady has been around for over 450 years. It all started because royals back then couldn’t marry for love, only for political duty.
In 2015, Belarusian motifs hit the fashion scene in Paris. Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli drew inspiration from Marc Chagall’s paintings. Belarusian traditional patterns looked absolutely stunning on the runway.
Belarus was one of the first countries in Europe to print its own Bible back in 1517. The pioneer printer Francis Skorina began his work in Prague, printing 23 illustrated Bibles in Old Belarusian. He later moved to Vilna in the early 1520s and set up a publishing house. Skorina’s work stood out for its high-quality printing, unique illustrations, and distinctive fonts.
Minsk is the most economically developed city in Belarus, serving as both an industrial and educational hub. The city’s transportation system is top-notch, featuring buses, streetcars, and a metro. Minsk is a city of resilience; it’s been destroyed eight times and rebuilt each time like a Phoenix. Founded in 1067, it’s even older than Moscow. Gomel is the second largest city in Belarus.
The National Library of Belarus holds a whopping 8 million titles across various media. Every day, more than 2200 people visit, and it handles nearly 12000 documents. The construction of this library in Minsk was so expensive that an additional tax was levied on citizens to help fund it.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the largest ancient forest in Europe, even mentioned by the historian Herodotus. In the late 14th century, Prince Jagailo of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania declared the forest a protected area, banning hunting there for almost 600 years. Today, it boasts about 2,000 giant trees and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Belarus is proud to have five Nobel Prize winners: Svetlana Alexievich (Literature, 2015), Zhores Alferov (Physics, 2000), Shimon Peres (Peace, 1994), Menachem Begin (Peace, 1978), and Simon Kuznets (Economics, 1971).
Belarus was like the “Silicon Valley” of the USSR. During Soviet times, it produced more than half of the USSR’s computers and computer parts. Since the 1960s, it’s been a major center for software development and even coined the term “software.”
Pripyat National Park is the only place where you can find lowland oak forests. The pristine lowlands of Belarusian Polesie are home to over 30 hidden lakes in oak and ash forests. The natural bogs of Polesie are the largest in Europe, with the biggest ones being Zvonets (150 square kilometers) and Dikoye (80 square kilometers).
GEORGIA IS NOT CALLED GEORGIA AT ALL At least not by Georgians. They call their country Sakartvelo. The term is made up of two words: Kartvel refers to the inhabitants of the historical Kartli Iberian region. The addition of the prefix and ending Sa…o (Sa-kartvel-o) speaks of the area these inhabitants inhabit (Kartli). The origins of the name “Georgia” are unclear. In English, Italian and Spanish, the country is called “Georgia”, in French “Géorgie”, and in Russian “Georgia”. In earlier times, the name “Grusinien” was also common in German-speaking countries, a term derived from the Slavic language.
GRUZIA IS AN ORTHODOX COUNTRY Georgia was one of the first to embrace Christianity, making it the state religion in 337. Georgians have maintained their faith for centuries, not prevented even by invading hordes, including the armies of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.
POLICE: A SPECIAL KIND OF SERVICE Due to the country’s desire to become more European, there has been a major reform of the police force, which has also affected police work and how they deal with people. You should not be afraid to go to a police officer for information or help. In Georgia you can “hitchhike” with police cars. The police also provide a special kind of service – they can take you to the address you request – when you are a foreigner and traveling alone in Georgia. And if you have consumed excessive amounts of alcohol while visiting, a patrol car can be called. By explaining that you don’t want to create an emergency situation, you can get an unusual service: the police will take you and the car to your home completely free of charge.
NO BRIBES IN GEORGIA This is the result of the fight against corruption that has been waged in Georgia for the last few decades. And they punish not only the one who takes bribes, but also the one who offers them with big prison terms and fines.
500 VARIETIES OF GRAPES GROW IN GEORGIA And that accounts for almost one fourth of the world’s grape varieties, including endangered vines found nowhere else on Earth.
GEORGIA IS THE HOME OF THE OLDEST CULTURAL ARTIFACTS This is where the oldest piece of thread (dating back 34,000 years) was discovered. Georgia is also home to the oldest gold artifacts that were skillfully made by the ancestors of the ancient Kolkhi, the ancestors of the Georgians, in Colchis. It is with Georgia that the myths of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece are associated. Here in the Bronze Age gold was indeed extracted by washing river sand through sheep skins, in the wool of which particles of precious metal were stuck. But the collection of gold items of Colchis can be seen in the gold fund of the National Museum of Georgia.
THE FIRST EUROPEANS PROBABLY ORIGINATED IN GEORGIA This hypothesis is supported by archaeological findings in eastern Georgia, where the oldest remains of Europeans have been discovered. The species goes by the name Homo Georgicus.
WORD GWPRZKWNIT Compared to the Indo-Germanic languages we know, the Georgian language has some peculiarities. For example, there is no upper and lower case. All letters are written in lower case; there are no capital letters. There are also no grammatical genera such as masculine, feminine or neuter. But the biggest problem is that Georgian is an agglutinating language. Agglutination means that grammatical functions such as person, tense, or case are attached to the root form of a word. This sometimes results in regular clusters of consonants that are very difficult to pronounce. For example, in the name of the Georgian city of Mtskheta. Or the Georgian shorthand phrase “You’re ripping us off” – “gwprzkwnit”, where there are eight consonants in a row.
HI MEANS “BE A WINNER!” The fact that Georgia has had a turbulent history, that the country has suffered from invaders many times, can be seen in various linguistic phenomena today. For example, if you say “Hello” in Georgian, it sounds like “Gamardshoba” (politely: Gamardshobat), which literally means “Be victorious!” “Good morning” is pronounced “Dila mschwidobisa”, which means something like “Morning of Peace”. The same applies to good evening (“Ghame mschwidobisa”).
GEORGIA IS THE LAND OF RUGBY Even before the Middle Ages, a sport similar to rugby was practiced in the area that is now Georgia. In the game “Lelo Burti” (field ball) two villages competed against each other. The essence of the game was to carry a ball weighing about 7 kilograms to the opponent’s half. It was said that the winning village would get the best harvest. Rugby today is primarily spread in New Zealand, England, Australia, South Africa. Georgia ranks 12th in the world rugby ranking. This position is higher than Italy, USA, Russia, Spain, Brazil or Germany. Following the ancient game, the Georgian national rugby team is called “Lelos”. The term “Try”, i.e. placing a play device in the opponent’s zone, is called “Lelo” in Georgia.
THE DEEPEST CAVE IN THE WORLD IS IN GEORGIA Kroeber’s Cave (also called Crow Cave) is the deepest cave in the world. The cave is also called the underground Everest. So far, they have explored explorers at a depth of 2191 meters. However, the cave is believed to be much deeper. The cave is located near the village of Zandrypsh in the Arabika massif in Abkhazia and close to the coast of the Black Sea. The entrance to the cave is through a vertical shaft only 1 meter wide and 60 meters deep. The cave system is branched. In the upper part, most of the shafts fall almost vertically. At a depth of 1710 meters there are underground waterfalls, lakes and a large hall.
THREE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5000 METERS The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc at 4804 meters, there are no mountains higher than 5000 meters in Switzerland, Austria, France or Italy. Georgia has three peaks of five thousand meters. With an elevation of 5201 meters. Shkhara is the highest peak in Georgia, followed by Dzhanga with a height of 5051 meters. Both mountains are located in Svaneti. The third five-thousand-meter peak is Kazbek in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. Georgia is also home to the highest permanently inhabited village in Europe at an altitude of 2,100 meters. This is the village of Ushguli, located at the foot of Mount Shkhara.
THE FORTRESS WALL IN THE CITY OF SIGNAHI It is not as long as the Chinese one, but it is also very ancient and picturesque. Signakhi, the pearl of the Kakheti region, is located 110 km from Tbilisi. The city is surrounded by a four-kilometer long fortress wall with 23 towers and six gates, built in 1770s. Interestingly, each tower of the fortress was named after the nearest village so that the locals could hide in case of danger.
CABLE CARS INSTEAD OF BUSES In most cities, people ride streetcars, trains or buses. This is not the case in Chiatura: in this industrial city, cable cars perform this function. Most of them were built in the 1950s, when manganese mining was booming in Chiatura. 26 cable cars transported people and goods to and from the manganese mines. Today, the industrial importance of Chiatura is less pronounced. Nevertheless, some 17 cable cars still run in and around the town. In the hilly terrain of Chiatura, they are the fastest way for locals to get to work or shop in town. There is no charge to use the cable cars.
ARCHITECT’S DREAM There are many historical monuments in Georgia. Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi, Gelati Monastery, historical monuments of Mtskheta and Upper Svaneti are protected by UNESCO under the World Heritage Project.
GEORGIAN DANCES – INTANGIBLE HERITAGE OF UNESCO Georgian folk dances are incredibly incendiary, colorful and memorable. Spectators always enjoy watching the sharp and fast movements of the inhabitants of mountainous regions. The peculiarity of these dances is the “toepoint” technique, dancing on the toes in thin leather boots!
“CHAKRULO” IN EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORBIT In 1976, NASA sent a recording of the Georgian song “Chakrulo” as an example of the musical talent of Earthlings.
ELEVATORS IN GEORGIA ARE PAID Almost all high-rise buildings in Georgia now have to pay for an elevator. It is true that you have to pay a little, only 5 tetri (0.02 cents) and if you go up. But going down is free of charge. The residents themselves often use a personal key for the elevator.
LAUNDRY IS DRIED LIKE IN VENICE Another interesting fact is that Georgians are used to hanging laundry everywhere. If you go into old well yards in Tbilisi, you will undoubtedly see laundry stretched between balconies. In high-rise houses, the rope is thrown over to the nearest pole and they dry their towels in peace.
GEORGIAN WEDDINGS ARE VERY BIG Georgians love to celebrate by inviting a lot of guests. Weddings are no exception and usually have more guests compared to other celebrations; each party invites at least a hundred people. Therefore, a wedding for 100-150 people in Georgia looks small.
GEORGIAN WHO RAISED THE SOVIET FLAG OVER THE REICHSTAG Meliton Kantaria, Hero of the Soviet Union, Georgian sergeant of the Soviet Army, did it on April 30, 1945 together with Mikhail Egorov, which marked the victory over the Nazis. Today he is memorialized in a park in Tbilisi.
THE COMEDY “WOE FROM WIT” WAS WRITTEN IN GEORGIA True, only the first and second acts. And it happened in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), where Alexander Griboyedov was the secretary of the Russian diplomatic mission.
VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKY CAME FROM GEORGIA The famous Russian futurist poet was born in Baghdati in the Imereti region of Georgia in 1893. The town is one of the oldest settlements in the area and is still home to a close-knit community of 3,000 people, many of whom are farmers and winemakers. The town was renamed Mayakovsky in 1940 and retained the title until 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The monuments dedicated to Mayakovsky, however, remain intact in the town to this day.
Already in the 1960s they seemed destined to disappear, but this has not been the case. On the contrary, we are witnessing their rediscovery in the most diverse fields, thanks in part to linguistic atlases, grammars and dialect vocabularies.
The monument dedicated to the Milanese poet Carlo Porta on Verziere Street in his hometown
The Revival of Dialects: From Decline to Rediscovery
“In my opinion, the difference between the Italian language and dialect, is that the Italian language, it is better understood, it is softer and calmer, and it is also expressed with love; and on the other hand, dialect is said in a loud and misunderstood voice, with a shady tone, and also expressed with a bit of hatred. In truth, I think it is preferable to speak in Italian, because it is a language that expresses in my opinion so much love for others.” Who knows where that little girl or boy from Alberobello (BA) is today.
She was attending elementary school when she took part in a survey conducted since 1995 by dialectologist Giovanni Ruffino, professor of Italian Linguistics at the University of Palermo, president of the Center for Sicilian Philological and Linguistic Studies and a full academic of the Crusca. The question was, “What do you think is the difference between Italian language and dialect?” Ruffino posed it to 9,000 young people, from Trentino-Alto Adige to Sicily, and collected as many judgments and prejudices, which he then faithfully reported in the book “L’indialetto ha la faccia scura” (Sellerio, 2006).
In the years of the survey’s inception, according to Istat, 24 out of 100 Italians claimed to use “only or mostly dialect.” Twenty years later there are just 14 (data from the latest survey were published in late 2017 but refer to 2015) and “mostly those with low educational qualifications.” Dialect dies, one would think. Yet in the same graph there is another curve pointing upward. “Both Italian and dialect” reports the legend: in 1995 it was 28 percent, today it is 32 percent. So dialect endures, particularly in the Northeast and South. Carla Marcato is full professor of Italian Linguistics and Varieties and History of Italian at the University of Udine, a university of which she directed the International Center on Plurilinguism (Cip). For “il Mulino” he edited the volume “Dialect, Dialects and Italian”.
Predictions about the extinction of dialect from the cold data of Istat do not excite her. She is more interested in its “transformation,” its relationship with Italian and what she calls the complex and ever-changing “situation of the speaker.” “The most interesting data reported by Istat concern not so much the exclusive uses of dialect,” Marcato explains, “which show an expected decline, but rather the Italian-dialect alternations. Because these show how dialect, or dialects, are not exclusive but are there.” Compulsory schooling, greater exposure to the national language and its “prestige,” and increasing contacts with the outside world have made Italian more “available,” Marcato continues.
And prejudices are difficult adversaries to defeat: “Dialect is still considered by some as a language to be ashamed of.” Just as in the past. “The Italian language is spoken with parents and other neat and important people”-reported another young ‘interviewee’ from Genivolta (CR) to Ruffino’s survey-“while dialect is spoken on farms and by farmers. Alongside prejudice, however, Marcato notes how among educated people the “fear” of dialect has given way to interest. “Sometimes we encounter dialect where we would not expect it: in a newspaper article dealing with culture or sports. Where those who have skills and familiarity with writing in Italian switch to dialect out of curiosity, interest or simply for expressive reasons.”
The “dialect resurgence” is also found “in advertising, store, bar and restaurant signs, the Web, comics, song, local radio and television” (Ruffino). It is a coexistence that, for Professor Marcato, also makes dialect “a kind of reservoir from which to draw to enrich one’s language, to amuse, to have fun, to be different from others,” as is often noted in the linguistic uses of young people. A peer relationship. “From a strictly linguistic point of view,” Professor Ruffino clarified, “between language and dialect there is no difference in terms of the structure of the system and its functioning: both have their own phonetics, their own morphology, their own syntax, their own lexical repertoire. And “the difference between language and dialect can only be based on historical, cultural and social (or sociolinguistic) criteria.”
So dialect is (also) written. “A learned person whose name I will not mention recently said that the difference between dialect and Italian is that dialect is not written,” Marcato recalls. “This is not the case at all: I refer her to the written texts of Carlo Goldoni.” Or to those of Carlo Porta (1775-1821), whose “Poems” chosen and translated from Milanese dialect by poetess Patrizia Valduga was republished this year by publisher Einaudi. It is no coincidence that the “Great Italian Dictionary of Usage” once directed by Tullio De Mauro defines dialect as a “linguistic system.” Which cannot necessarily be “taught” as if it were embalmed, flattening the profound differences between our country’s dialects. “If I wanted to introduce dialect as school teaching,” Marcato reflects, “I would have to have a reference dialect. Which one? For example, what kind of Sicilian? Every country has its small or big difference.” So? “More than teaching the dialect as such one should teach to know and appreciate the local culture of which that dialect is a part. As if it were an asset and heritage of a given area. I will not teach a grammar that is meaningless but the knowledge of a communication tool related to the local culture. But teaching dialect as if it were a foreign language does not make much sense.”
“The ‘dialect resurgence’ is also found ‘in advertising, in store, bar and restaurant signs, on the Web, in comics, in song, in local radio and television'” – Giovanni Ruffino
And this also conditions the study being made of dialect. “Today the study of dialect in relation to Italian prevails, such as situations of use or perception of use. In the past,” Marcato continues, “descriptive studies prevailed: phonetics, transformations or historical facts. The tools available to those who wanted to learn about dialects are many: linguistic atlases, grammars and dialect vocabularies, and writings in dialect (many of them literary in nature). “Nineteenth-century vocabularies,” Marcato continues, “were compiled to improve knowledge of Italian through dialect (Milanese, for example, like Francesco Cherubini’s, or Piedmontese, Venetian, Neapolitan, Genoese). Which is not the dialect of today.”
“More than teaching the dialect as such, one should be taught to know and appreciate the local culture of which that dialect is a part.”- Carla Marcato
Those vocabularies are reprinted but also continuously compiled. “Currently, those who compose vocabularies do so more to record the words of their time, to document a state of affairs, to make memory of words. Avoiding, on the one hand, turning it into a “vague past” or, on the other, falling into the risk pointed out by Ruffino of a “folklorification that isolates the heritage of popular culture from its authentic communicative, socio-cultural and historical context.” Regional laws called to promote the valorization and protection of dialects should intervene with this attention. Even through supporting dialect works, events or songs. Given up for dead as early as the 1960s, dialect continues to survive, Marcato recalls. “But the death of a language is a natural fact and it can also happen to dialect. When it doesn’t know, and it doesn’t necessarily happen.” He was right after all, that young man from Terrasini (PA) who answered Professor Ruffino’s question, “For me the Italian language and dialect are very beautiful languages.”
The richness of Italian dialects and differences from standard Italian
Standard Italian is the nation’s official language, but the Italian peninsula has a wealth of unique dialects that reflect the diversity and lively historical.
Italy is a country known for its rich history, art, culture and linguistic diversity. While standard Italian is the nation’s official language, the Italian peninsula has a wealth of unique dialects that not only reflect the country’s historical and regional diversity, but also offer a glimpse into the vibrancy of Italian culture. Some dialects are so different that speakers of standard Italian may have difficulty understanding them. For example, Neapolitan spoken in Naples has a rich vocabulary and phonetic differences that distinguish it from the language spoken in Rome.
In this article we will take a peek into the intriguing world of Italian dialects, exploring their origins, distinctive features and some fascinating trivia.
Origins and Diversity – Influence on Italian Culture.
Italian dialects have their roots in ancient regional languages and Latin. Today there are about 34 main Italian dialects, each with its own vocabulary, pronunciation, grammatical nuances and meaning.
Italy’s history of city-states and regional divisions has contributed to the development of various dialects. Some of them have been influenced by northern European invasions and settlements; others have retained elements of their medieval origins and are known for their distinct and melodious sound. Not surprisingly, dialects have influenced the traditional folk music of the various regions, adding a unique flavor to their songs and celebrations.
Consider the picturesque island of Sicily, where the Sicilian dialect is still widely spoken. Sicilian not only differs from standard Italian, but also boasts a rich literary tradition. Famous authors such as Giovanni Verga and Luigi Pirandello chose to write their works in Sicilian, infusing their stories with the unique charm and flavor of the region.
Italian dialects have made significant contributions to the country’s cultural heritage. Literature, music and even theater have been strongly influenced by regional dialects.
The works of authors such as Dante Alighieri, who wrote “The Divine Comedy” in Tuscan dialect, have had a lasting impact on Italian literature.
In the field of music, Neapolitan dialect shines through in classic Neapolitan songs such as “O Sole Mio.” These songs have transcended regional boundaries and have become beloved pieces of Italian music, appreciated worldwide for their timeless melodies and heartfelt lyrics.
Threats and preservation
Although Italian dialects have a strong cultural presence, many of them face challenges in today’s globalized world. Standard Italian is increasingly dominant in media, education and business. This has led to a decline in the use of dialects among younger generations. Efforts are underway to preserve and promote these languages through language courses and cultural initiatives.
In the charming city of Alghero on the island of Sardinia, activities dedicated to the preservation of the local dialect, Algherese Catalan, are being carried out. Here street signs, festivals and even schools proudly embrace the dialect, ensuring its survival and role in preserving the city’s unique cultural identity.
Interesting facts
The Sicilian dialect incorporates words from various languages, including Arabic due to centuries of Arab domination, adding an exotic touch to its vocabulary; it boasts a rich literary tradition, with famous authors such as Giovanni Verga and Luigi Pirandello writing in this regional language.
Sardinia is home to many unique dialects, reflecting the island’s complex history and diverse cultural influences.
Some dialects incorporate words from other languages, such as Arabic in Sicilian and French in the Piedmontese dialect.
The Italian dialect spoken in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, called Friulian, is known for its distinct and melodious sound.
In the Alpine regions of Italy, such as Trentino-Alto Adige, German dialects are spoken alongside Italian, demonstrating the country’s further linguistic diversity.
Piedmontese, a dialect of the northwestern region of Piedmont, has been influenced by French due to its proximity to the French border. This linguistic fusion adds a touch of sophistication to the dialect’s vocabulary.
Italian dialects are not just linguistic variations, but living testimonies to Italy’s history and cultural richness. They offer an interesting journey through the different regions of the country and provide insight into the unique identity of its people. The beauty of Italian dialects demands every effort to preserve and cherish these linguistic treasures for generations to come.
Whether you are a language enthusiast, traveler or simply curious about the world’s linguistic diversity, exploring Italian dialects is a delightful way to get in touch with the heart and soul of Italy. Next time you visit this enchanting country, don’t be surprised if you hear a few words of a local dialect-it’s all part of the charm that envelops Italy!
The development of science and technology is only possible if scientists and engineers from different countries have access to up-to-date information. This requires high-quality translation of technical texts. These can be research data, scientific articles, monographs, conference proceedings, etc. Such translation involves many technical and linguistic subtleties. A mere knowledge of the foreign language is not sufficient. Therefore, it should be entrusted to professionals who have been working in the field for many years. For example, contact a translation agency that takes on this type of work.
PECULIARITIES OF TECHNICAL TRANSLATION
These texts are usually written in an informative, unemotional and concise style. If they are scientific articles or monographs, the author may use certain techniques typical of a fictional text. But when translating technical texts into Russian, they usually are not retained, since the Russian academic environment has its own established grammatical norms. These include emotionlessness, a large number of passive and indefinite-personalisms, and a formal-logical style of delivery.
All types of translation are ordered for this field – full, abstract (in which only the most important fragments are highlighted), annotation (only theses are taken).
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A TECHNICAL TRANSLATOR
Even with extensive experience in this field, the translation of technical texts remains a complex process that requires not only knowledge of the foreign language but also
a mastery of the relevant terminology;
knowledge of technical documentation, reference books and other reliable sources
knowledge of the technical field to which a given material relates.
The best option is for the translator to have both linguistic and technical backgrounds.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN TRANSLATION
Technical documents often contain graphical information. These include tables, charts, graphs and diagrams, illustrations etc. There are abbreviations and symbols used in blueprints, schemes and other infographics, which need to be adequately translated or adapted to Russian standards.
The terms in these documents are often borrowed. Some of them are of Latin and Greek origin, and in the field of information technology, there are many English-speaking terms that have no analogues in Russian. Translators may need to seek help from an expert in order to find the right terminology, e.g. tracing it back to its original language or transliterating it into Latin. The units of measurement can be equally problematic, as not all countries use the international system.
The structure of the document can also be problematic. For example, in a reference book or any other text, where everything is alphabetically arranged, the original structure is distorted when translated into another language. The translator needs to adapt it to its Russian counterpart (or vice versa – when translating from Russian into a foreign language).
Multiple meanings of terms, quotations, Latin expressions and idioms are other problems that translators have to deal with. The advantage of working with a translation company is that the work will be divided between several specialist translators and they will be able to consult each other in order to find a collective solution to the problem. This also allows the work to be completed within an agreed deadline.
English translator David Bellos noted in his book that a person who knows nine languages can communicate with about 5-5.5 billion people on our planet. Among those languages, he named Chinese (that’s over 1.3 billion speakers) and Japanese (130 million speakers). But if he had added Korean and some Turkic languages, the numbers would have been more impressive. These are all the languages of East Asia, which is home to more than 22 percent of the world’s population. So translating a text into the languages of the countries in this region is becoming an increasingly sought-after service. But it’s not easy to do – you need specialists who know all the intricacies of translation.
Challenges of translation
When translating a text from an East Asian language, translators face many challenges:
Their own writing – all languages have it, and it is more complex than European writing (regardless of the use of Cyrillic and Latin). The characters used in China, Korea and Japan also affect the structure of the text as a whole.
Cultural peculiarities of a country. Sentences that sound neutral or polite in Russian may not correspond to oriental business etiquette.
The rules by which compound words are formed. An example is the GPHIN early warning system used by the UN and WHO. It processes news sources to find information about diseases in time. But in Chinese, not all diseases are called by common terms. Here, unofficial, multi-word names are in use. Setting up the system so that it learns to recognize these complicated words has been a real challenge.
Added to these challenges are other problems that translators face, such as “false friends” or difficulties with grammar and punctuation. For this reason, you should turn to a technical translation company, which works with experienced professionals, including those who are proficient in East Asian languages, to ensure a high-quality text.
Specifics of East Asian languages
If you need a text translation from one of the East Asian languages, there is another peculiarity. Borrowing has been active in these languages. For example, Korean has an original Korean vocabulary, but it also has borrowed Chinese vocabulary. There are also words borrowed from English. This makes the speech richer, but at the same time it makes the structure of the text – and the translator’s task – much more difficult.
Japanese also has its own specifics. For example, there are three types of writing, although hieroglyphs take precedence. For words borrowed from foreign languages, katakana is used. For writing suffixes there is the syllabic alphabet hiragana. Romaji is also used for transliteration into Latin script. Romaji is used to write most electronic letters, including business letters. These features make written translation even more complex.
What is required of a translator
A professional translator working with East Asian languages needs more than just knowledge of the subject. He or she needs to be fully immersed in the culture in order to accurately reproduce the meaning of the original text without distorting it. He needs to constantly improve his skills by reading books and watching films in order to grasp current cultural trends and codes that native speakers use almost subconsciously. The ATT translation agency works with the best experts in the field, who are well versed in the specificities of East Asian culture.
One type of translation activity is the translation of a text. It is distinguished from technical translations by the properties of the original itself. A literary work can describe objective reality, but different techniques are used for this, which should also be taken into account when adapting a text, translating it into foreign languages. It is not just the translation of a text, it is a full-fledged literary activity. In this case, the translator in a sense becomes the co-author of the writer.
Distinguishing characteristics of a fiction translation
A scientific text requires precision. For a literary text, it is also important. But it is not literal accuracy, but the ability to convey the nuances of meaning. A literary translation requires:
accuracy – sometimes literal, but more often semantic;
clarity that leaves no room for ambiguity;
conciseness – there is a certain correlation of words between languages, the structure cannot be exactly the same, but if the original text does not contain lengthy arguments, the finished text should not have them either;
transferring not only the meaning, but also a certain rhythm of the text (if poetry is involved).
All this requires a high level of skill of the translator. It is no coincidence that many of the classics have been translated by professional translators. For instance, the famous poet Boris Pasternak translated Shakespeare’s works. The English playwright’s sonnets are familiar to Russian-speaking readers through translations by Samuel Marshak. Not surprisingly, in many countries, copyright law extends to the work of the translator, as he or she partly becomes a co-author.
What problems do literary translators face?
Literary translation is one of the most difficult industries. It can be even more difficult than writing because of its severe restrictions. After all, a translator is not free to choose words but must find an analogue that accurately conveys the meaning. That is why literary translation is often viewed from a literary perspective.
Very often, literary translation involves locating realities that the translator may not be familiar with. A prime example is the Soviet translators who could not find an analogue for the word ‘hamburger’. They simply did not know what it was. Even in the era of globalisation, when there is no longer an iron curtain separating us from other countries, not all details of everyday life can be known to the author of a literary adaptation.
Another example is the translation of anagrams, puzzles and other unusual elements. A classic example is the translation of the Harry Potter books. As you know, the name of one of the characters, Tom Marvolo Riddle, is an anagram of the phrase “I am Lord Voldemort”, and this is a key point of the book. Most translators, especially in non-alphabetic Eastern languages, had to make explanations and leave the original name unchanged. But in some countries translators have transformed the name according to the peculiarities of the mother tongue. For example, in the French translation the name sounds like Tom Elvis Jedusor, which is not only an anagram of “Je suis Voldemort”, but also a reference to “Jeu du sort” (translated as “fatal enigma”). And there are many such examples, although books that could equal Joanne Rowling’s cycle in popularity are rare.
Translation of the book’s title is another problem. Often the translator has to choose a variant that is far from the original, but which appeals to readers.
Artistic translation is a real art. It requires the translator to be highly skilled, erudite, aware of many cultural realities.
The request “page translation” on the search engines brings up at the top of the list all kinds of links to online translators offering free translation of a word, a phrase, a page or an entire book. But our article is for those who are interested in how to calculate translation pages correctly. What is a standard page? What do translators or translation agencies mean when they write “1 page translation” on their price lists? And so on.
Evaluating the work of a translator
Evaluating the work of a turner is quite simple – how many parts the turner has made, turned out, drilled, so many units recorded by the master and for this amount the turner gets paid. Evaluating the work of a translator is a little more difficult. Some try to evaluate the work according to the time spent for translation, counted in astronomical hours. How much per hour you translate, that is how much you will be paid? But one translator’s speed may be different from another. Moreover, all texts are totally different. It is impossible to measure the effort and compare the time spent on one simple text with the time spent on a much more complex highly specialized text. This is why we use a word or character count per page with the price list fixing a multiplier for the increasing complexity of the translation.
Standard translation page
According to Microsoft Word statistics, the most common translation page in our country is the one containing 1800 characters including spaces. Why Word? It is because other word processors, such as free OpenOffice and LibreOffice, produce different figures, sometimes significantly different from Word. By the way, programmes for automatic calculation of the number of characters on a page (AnyCount, TotalCount, etc.) also show considerable discrepancies. This is why a Wordboard page has been adopted as a standard.
Why does a page contain spaces? Because a translator does not translate spaces, but charges for them? Because whitespace is a sign, just like a punctuation mark. It is what separates words and sentences and if a translator will give you a text without spaces, you will have to put them in yourself. And given that you may not be familiar with the foreign language, this is not going to be an easy task.
Why 1800 characters with spaces, not 1900? We will not go into lengthy stories about the fact that in Soviet times, typists had these rules, the characters in the standard pages typed in 14 point font with one and a half space, about this is already written a lot. It’s just that over time this standard has been established, that’s all. There are clever among translation agencies who indicate in the price list of low cost translation pages, and then the small text reported that the standard page they have equal to 1000 characters with spaces. When you order a quote for a translation, it turns out that the final cost is much higher than the price they charged initially at 1,800 characters. This is a marketing ploy irrelevant to this article.
How do I count characters per page or per translation? There are some widely divergent opinions among translation agencies. On the one hand, those who consider a translator’s work to be a translation are right. Because that is how many characters and how many pages they translate. This option is also convenient when the source text is difficult to read or difficult to read, e.g. badly recognized files, handwritten text, writings in schemes and pictures, and so on. But on the other hand, a client has the right to know the exact cost of the translation before working on their project. In order to calculate their budget and their effort. So that they won’t find themselves in a position where they cannot afford to pay the translator due to insufficient budget allocated to the project. The customer is always right! This is why our translation agency considers it right to calculate the price of a translation precisely based on the source text, before working on it. The only exceptions are translations from Eastern languages, where there is a lack of correspondence between the number of characters in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and some other languages with our conventional symbols of European languages, including Russian. In these cases translations are always counted in Russian, even if this is not the language of the source text. As a consolation we can inform our clients only about the method of very approximate translation of the number of characters into our characters with spaces. So, the number of Chinese characters should be multiplied by 3.5-4 to get approximately the number of characters with spaces in translation. This means that somewhere between 450 and 500 Chinese characters will make up our standard page – 1800 characters with spaces.
Although translating fiction does not require the same level of precision as translating technical texts, it has its challenges. A translator working in this field becomes a kind of collaborator. Fiction translations are not as easy to formalise as literal translations, much depends on how the readers perceive them. But the main requirement is that they must be done by professionals. That is why it is better to turn to a translation agency.
Features of literary translation
The key feature of fiction translation is that it does not require the same level of precision as commercial, technical, legal and medical texts. Readers may be outraged by some adaptation peculiarities, but that is all. While mistakes in the instructions for a medicine or complex equipment are fraught with unpleasant or even catastrophic consequences. But there are problems in this area too.
It is a special kind of linguistic activity. Translation of fiction aims to create a full-fledged analogue of the original text but in a different language. It conveys not only the plot of the work, but also the emotional component, humorous remarks, witty aphorisms. And at the same time the new text corresponds to linguistic habits of the country for which it is translated. That’s what makes a translator a collaborator. After all, he or she doesn’t just match all the words in the text, but builds connections between them that help convey the mood of the work.
The main problems of literary translation
Professionals who work with this kind of literature have to face several problems:
The need to accurately convey the stylistics of the original. The difficulty of translating certain phrases. The influence of the translator’s personality on the finished document. Lack of clear formalised criteria for judging the quality of the translation. In addition, when translating such texts one has to take into account the culture and mentality of the citizens of other countries, which for the author seemed to be a matter of course.
Stylistics and other difficulties
Fiction-based translations often need to change important aspects of the text to adapt it to foreign-language speakers. Some of them even have to be abandoned. However, the stylistics have to be maintained. It is more than genre, focus, etc. It determines the reader’s perception of the text.
Many difficulties arise with translation of certain lexemes. They can be very different in different languages, sometimes some concepts are even rendered by other parts of speech. But much depends on the author’s intention. Sometimes an exact translation is needed. But sometimes the original author wants to preserve ambiguity – for play on words or for an unexpected plot twist.
Another challenge is to avoid letting the translator’s personality affect the finished text. It is not always possible to understand what the author wanted to say. The translator can interpret his or her thoughts in his or her own way, and the reader will have the wrong impression of the work.
When translators complain about the lack of clear criteria for judging the quality of an adapted work, it is a question of perception. A high-quality literary translation will be a hit with readers. But it also happens that the work itself is a success, while the translation is lambasted, as is often the case with great cult books. Unfortunately, in this case, clients can only rely on their own taste. However, the bureau will try to make the text as close to the original as possible.
Translating a text is a complex process with many details to take into account. It is not enough to know the language well. You need to consider the style of the original text, its main purpose, and its formatting requirements. Therefore, it is worth ordering a written translation to people who are familiar with such nuances. Translation agencies work with translators who know how to work with texts of different styles and purposes, for example.
THE GOALS OF TRANSLATION
Before starting work, an experienced translator always asks about the purpose of the translation. It is not always necessary to do a complete version of the original text. Sometimes the client only needs to know the general idea. There are several types of translation, depending on what the purpose of the translation is:
A full version that aims to present the original text as accurately as possible. Most often, it is ordered together with a layout service. Abstract. Usually it is a matter of a large volume of text, from which little informative part, secondary details, and submit to the customer only the key ideas of the text. Annotation. The translator reads the entire text, then compiles abstracts based on it. In abstract translation key points are disclosed in detail, while in this case – in brief form. Advisory. There are cases when the client has a good command of a foreign language, but is not well versed in technical terms or thematic vocabulary.
The type of translation and its purpose must be specified in the terms of reference or application.
TYPES OF WRITING TRANSLATION
Depending on the type of source and its style, a distinction is made:
Artistic translation. This is a complex variety, because in this case the translation should not only convey the meaning of the original text, but also adapt it culturally, using literary techniques and analogues of stable word combinations. Technical translation. Here the difficulties are related to specific terminology, plenty of graphics and formulas, abbreviations and acronyms, use of national systems of units. Specialist translation. This category covers texts with a narrow subject matter, e.g. legal, economic, medical and so on. The translator will have to deal with a multitude of terms. Sometimes they may have different meanings in different areas, sometimes they are borrowings from other languages. For example, financial texts often use words and expressions from French and medical texts use terms from Latin and Greek.
Translation of documents related to foreign economic activity. It requires not only knowledge of language but also ability to understand subtleties of customs and currency legislation and correctly fill in the documents in accordance with approved forms. Other types of translation. Nowadays, companies in the game industry produce games which they try to adapt for national markets. These games need to be translated too, taking into account cultural differences. Translation also takes place for software and mobile applications, websites and so on.
Each of these areas has its own subtleties. For example, when adapting websites, it is possible to use an advertising style or an informational style. The first is characterized by a play on words, the use of bright literary devices. For the second – clarity and brevity. For the translator, it is important to get as close to the original style as possible. In some cases, he or she will have to consult with experts in the specific industry.
Translating a text seems like a simple task. The availability of online translators like Google, DeepL etc. supports this illusion. But in reality, such translators help to capture the essence of the original at best. They are not suitable for making a complete translation of a text. Only a professional approach can convey the style of the original, its essence, its structure, and, in the case of advertising or fiction, its emotional colouring.
FEATURES OF PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATION
A professional translator knows how to work with texts of all kinds. For this reason, he or she makes a preliminary plan:
The initial stage is familiarisation with the original and comprehension of the text. This includes first and second reading. First, the translator determines the topic and style of the document, and defines his or her task. After the second reading, a glossary (vocabulary) is compiled and an image of the text is formed.
Reproduction, i.e. directly translating the text.
A third reading, when the translator corrects the stylistics or individual words once again.
The translation company gives the prepared text to the editor so that he or she can check it once again for consistency with the original and remove mistakes.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SENSE OF THE TEXT
This step tries to abstract away from the language in which the document is written and identify its main characteristics:
type (scholarly article, advertising brochure, instruction, work of fiction, etc.)
style (business, scientific, journalistic);
theme;
volume;
literary techniques used by the author.
The translator is obliged to specify what results the client is expecting – whether it will be a full draft or an abstract, and what form it should be in.
A second reading will help create an image of the text, i.e. how everything said in the original can be translated into another language. Creating a glossary helps to shape the image. Sometimes it takes more time to get to grips with the subject, to refresh your knowledge, to read current literature. Even if the translator has been working with medical specialities for many years, he or she cannot be equally well-versed in all branches of science. This also applies to other specialist texts.
PECULIARITIES OF REPRODUCTION
Even an experienced translator may not be familiar with certain terms. This is especially true for legal, medical and technical texts. If this is the case, you will have to call in a consultant for help. Sometimes there are no equivalents for a foreign word and in this case the translator needs to decide how best to proceed. For example, it is possible to use the method of calibration or transliteration.
A lot of difficulties arise when translating metaphors and polysemous words. The translator evaluates the context, selects equivalents, analyses the word order and the restrictions imposed by the subject. Only then can the right choice be made.
WHY A THIRD READING IS NEEDED
Once the document is ready, the translator reads it again. This is to correct spelling and punctuation errors, inaccuracies and misprints. It is advisable to take a break and distract yourself before reading the final version. This way you can see the material with fresh eyes.
There is also a fourth reading, when the document is checked by an editor. If it is a large volume of material, the editor also makes sure that the text is consistent and has a homogeneous style. This ensures a high quality of translation.
