Category: Translation Skills

The Role of Brand Translation

What is Branding?

When you go out to your local shopping centre to buy a product you often get completely overwhelmed by all the different names that are used for what basically seems to be the same product. There is a very good reason for this and that’s because a business wants you to recognise its own brand.
When a company sets out for the first time marketing for example peanut butter with a secret ingredient no one knows the company so it chooses a name for the products it produces. This is so anyone who happens to choose the product and ends up liking it will be able to identify it again by its brand name.
If the brand name doesn’t seem a lot different from others the buyer will have difficulty differentiating products, so in the end the company won’t achieve much. It has to have a brand label that can be picked out easily. A brand name change may be necessary if a competitor chooses a similar type of branding.
Creating awareness through a brand name means an accurate translation
The more work a company puts into creating a brand and identity the more likely it is to create an awareness of it. For example, even without adding any additional language, Coca-Cola is familiar throughout the world. The brand defines itself through its red colour and the presence of the can or bottle to hold the liquid. This is certainly identity and branding revealing itself in the best way possible. What’s most important too is that when a brand is marketed overseas any slogans used may need a brand translation that correctly represents the brand. Slogans are hard to translate accurately unless an experienced human translator does the job and it’s not left in the hands of a machine translation tool.
There have been several incidences when poor translators have been used for a brand translation. This is mainly the result of a brand slogan being translated in a way that makes it culturally sensitive or even offensive. This sort of translation mistake can ruin a company’s brand and taint its reputation so a brand name change may be necessary.
Conclusion- Why Brand Translation is Important
Branding is one method of identifying a product to consumers so they know what the packaging and labelling looks like when they enter a store. When it comes to marketing overseas the company has to be very careful who it chooses to do a brand translation because it needs to be sure any translation fits the brand perfectly.

Unusual Languages Where Translation May Still Be Required

It’s not too difficult to find a translator who can translate your text into a more commonly used language but when it comes to unusual languages like the African languages of Acholi, Ewe, Dzongkha, or Mien this can be quite a challenge!
Often, less spoken languages are found in poorer parts of the world where there are few speakers and the educational level of the population is poor. This means it’s rare to find a good language translator who has the skills to translate from or into his or her lesser-known and more unusual native language into a language such as English. Finding an online resource to do the job of translating these less well-known languages into other languages is a feat in itself, let alone finding an experienced translator with these skills.

What Do You Do When Seeking a Translation of an Unusual Language?

There is always someone trying to find a niche, whatever the industry. So you could probably find someone who does speak the unusual language, but isn’t necessarily that competent in English. Even an experienced language services provider (LSP) may not be of much use as they too may have difficulty accessing speakers of unusual languages.
This doesn’t mean they won’t attempt to find somebody to do the translation job as they will have a good go. They will spend time searching through their database of translators until they come across somebody who has the competency to do the translation job. Basically, when it comes to making the decision of who to hire for your unusual translation you take a chance that the translator you eventually hire has the ability to do at least a readable translation.

How Professional Language Service Providers Translate Unusual Languages

They will try to use whatever technology they have to ease the difficulty of finding a competent translator for the unusual language pair. They will, of course, integrate the resources that come with machine translation (MT) but machine translators need to have been inputted with information before they can be used effectively. The chances are with an unusual language that the machine translator won’t have sufficient information stored as this type of device tends to work only when a huge amount of translated content has been completed, analyzed, and stored so that when accessed it can generate a translation with the help of all the stored information.
Once you have chosen your translation services to translate your text from an unusual language into English you will just have to sit back and hope you have made the right decision.

The 6 Most Translated Songs of All Time

1. Pop songs
When it comes to song translation of pop songs “This Too Shall Pass” sung by the United States rock band OK Go is the most translated pop song of all time. It was first released in 2010 and was heard often in a variety of shows, like the television series “My Generation” and “The Vampire Diaries.” It was heard also in the movie ‘Vow’s soundtrack which was first released in 2012. This song can be heard in 18 different languages.

2. Christmas Carols
For Christmas carols, “Silent Night” comes out first as the most translated song translation and this is in more than 100 languages. Joseph Mohr, an Austrian pastor wrote the original song. The music to the song was composed by the choir director and organist Franz Xaver Grube. The first title for this carol was “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.” It was first heard in 1818 on Christmas Eve at Oberndorf in St. Nicholas Church.

3. Hymns
“Amazing Grace.” a hymn written by clergyman and poet John Newton in 1779, has had the honor of having its song translated into 50 or more languages which include Spanish, German, Inuit, Russian, French, Cherokee, and English.

4. Children’s Songs
“It’s a Small World (After All),” written by The Sherman Brothers in 1963, was written for a Disney production but it wasn’t under copyright rules. It has since been translated into more than 25 languages and is one of the most translated songs for children.

5. Birthday Songs
In 1998, the Guinness Book of World Records stated that the song, “Happy Birthday to You” has the status as being the most recognized English song in English. Patty Hill, a Kentucky kindergarten principal, with her sister wrote this song in 1893. It has been translated into at least 30 languages, which is one of the most translated songs for birthdays.

6. Folk Songs
The most translated Filipino song “Anak” was written by Freddie Aguilar, a folk singer and means daughter or son was first sung in Manila in 1977 at the 1st Metropop Song Festival when it became a finalist. By 2015 it has been translated into 27 languages one of the most translated songs in the folk song genre it has been and released in 56 countries around the world. It was a song featured in “Gangnam Blues,” a South Korean film.

What Is Technical Translation?

Technical translation is a specialised branch of translation which involves the translation of technical documents from one language into another. By technical documents may be meant medical, scientific, engineering documents and any other documents that may require specialised knowledge of the subject and its terminology.

The degree of difficulty involved depends on the subject matter. This can vary immensely from short descriptions of how to use a particular drug through to lengthy scientific research papers and technical manuals.

Generally, it would be expected that technical translation is done by technical translators. These may be freelancers who have started their career in a particular technical field, such as the medical profession, then diverted into translation at some point. Technical translation agencies may provide different types of technical translation to suit most needs.

Technical translation is difficult to work and requires a level of accuracy that may not be necessary for other types of translation. Technical translators are usually already well qualified in their particular field and tend to expect a higher rate of payment for their work than more general translators.

In addition to the higher cost of technical translation, it would be expected that the turnaround time for technical translation would be longer than for simpler translation tasks.

Perhaps surprisingly, it may be noted that technical translation tasks lend themselves more readily to automated translation software than other types of translation. This is because the language tends to be highly structured without room for personal nuance. The language used, whatever the actual language will always be the standard language used in the country, not a local dialect. The text will not be subject to colloquialisms and subjective expression. The use of translation memory (TM) and glossaries, while not replacing the value of the technical translator, serve to speed up translation, provide a level of consistency in multiple translation tasks and overall provide a cheaper, yet no less accurate product.

What is NAATI Accreditation and Recognition?

NAATI Accreditation and Recognition

Not all countries have strict rules for translators and interpreters, but Australia does. The organization that sets and monitors standards in this field is called the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). It is the body that provides the national standard and accreditation for translators and interpreters. Its aim is to seek to maintain high national standards in translating and interpreting to ensure there is a pool of talented and accredited translators and interpreters available to meet the demands for language translation in a multilingual country. The primary aim of NAATI is to issue credentials or accreditations that recognize the skills of translators and interpreters so that they can be employed in the community and those who employ them know that they will do a good job.

How to Get NAATI Accreditation?

There are several ways of getting NAATI accreditation

  • Sitting and passing a NAATI assessment test
  • Passing a course that has been NAATI approved
  • Providing proof of an overseas qualification in translating and interpreting at the tertiary level
  • Providing proof of membership of a translating professional body overseas.

NAATI recognition isn’t offered in all languages, particularly those that aren’t in high demand.  Once you have been granted NAATI recognition it is an acknowledgment that you have recent experience as a successful translator and/or interpreter.

There are a number of NAATI-approved translation and interpreting courses that are qualifications of at least a diploma level or higher. The courses are offered by certain Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education campuses that have been approved by NAATI as having the credentials to teach and assess the knowledge and skills needed in the translation environment. Anyone who gains a qualification at a NAATI-approved educational institution may file an application for NAATI accreditation without the necessity to undergo any more testing.

NAATI certified

Revalidating your Translating Credentials is a Requirement of NAATI

Accreditation from NAATI does have an expiry date. Every now and again if you have NAATI accreditation you are required to produce evidence that you have been working as a translator and have been involved in professional development. This evidence is sufficient to revalidate your credentials for the following 3 years.

Why NAATI Accreditation is Useful for Immigration

NAATI accreditation isn’t just there to prove you can translate. It can help those wishing to migrate to Australia in a number of ways, including the following.

  • It is part of a skills assessment for those migrants or workers who are sponsored by an employer or who have been nominated for employment by a territory or state government.
  • Accreditation is a qualification that points can be claimed for in the skill category as a translator or interpreter, which is particularly useful for a migration visa that is accessible on gaining a certain number of points.
  • NAATI accreditation can also be used for the migration visa that’s based on points called the Credentialled Community Language (CCL) points.

The 1994 Migration Regulations has allocated NAATI as the assessment authority for the interpreter and translator occupations. If you file an application for your skills to be assessed, NAATI will offer to provide an assessment of your skills in two categories, which are either as “suitable” or “unsuitable” for your specific occupation as either a translator or interpreter, i.e. NAATI professional-level accreditation or higher.

Benefits of NAATI Test Clearance

It’s not too difficult to understand that if you have NAATI accreditation it will help with your migration application by accumulating much-needed points.

Why do I Need my Documents Translated by a NAATI Accredited Translator?

NAATI Certified Document

It is a requirement of most Australian government departments including the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, which handles visa applications,  that all documents that are not in English must be translated by a NAATI translator for anyone who wishes to apply in one of the migration categories to reside in Australia (assuming the translation is getting done in Australia). That means if you have important documents like birth and marriage certificates that are not in English they must be translated by a NAATI translator before they are presented as part of your migration documentation. There are other documents that might fall into this category, including degree and diploma certificates, past employer references, and medical examination documents completed in another language that’s not English.

Types of NAATI Accreditation

Under NAATI’s present system, there are 10 different kinds of accreditation, which are listed below.

Conference Interpreter (Senior)

This is the highest level of accreditation for NAATI accreditation. It shows the person has an excellent level in conference interpreting which has been recognized by extensive experience and success in this area.

Advanced Translator

This is NAATI translating accreditation at the highest level. It shows an excellent level in specialized translation, gained through not only extensive experience but international leadership in translation too. 

Conference Interpreter

This shows the ability to interpret in complicated, technical, and sophisticated situations. Conference interpreters work in situations where high-level negotiations are underway and at court proceedings.

Advanced Translator

This sort of competence level is necessary when handling the more complex, technical, and more sophisticated translations. Often an advanced translator will work on technical manuals, will translate research papers, conference documents, and work on documents related to higher-level negotiations and on documents related to court proceedings.

Professional Interpreter

This group represents the lowest level of competence for interpreting as recommended by NAATI for working in many different environments including the areas of law, banking, health, community, and social services. A professional interpreter is capable of interpreting in semi-specialized environments and is able to use the consecutive mode in order to interpret presentations and speeches.

Professional Translator

This represents the minimum level of competence for professional translating and is the minimum level recommended by NAATI for work in settings including banking, law, health, social, and community services. Translators at this level work across a wide range of subjects involving documents with specialized content.

Para-professional Interpreter

This accreditation is the competence level in interpreting for general conversations. Para-professional interpreters usually participate in the interpretation of dialogues that are non-specialist. Practitioners who have been accredited at this level are generally encouraged to get professional-level accreditation if they can.

Para-professional Translator

This is the competence level necessary for undertaking translations of non-specialized information such as a birth certificate. A practitioner at this level could get a more professional level accreditation when ready to do so.

Recognized Interpreter

This credential doesn’t have a specified proficiency level. All recognized interpreters should try to get a higher level of accreditation.

Recognized Translator

This is a NAATI credential that acknowledges the date of the award the translator has had regular and recent experience working as a translator with no particular proficiency level specified.

How NAATI Translator Accreditation is Awarded at a Minimum of a Professional Level

  • from a language other than English (LOTE) into English;
  • from English into a LOTE;
  • in both directions.

NAATI Exam Questions

There are kits you can buy to prepare you for the NAATI exam questions which include materials relevant for your area as follows:

For a Paraprofessional Interpreter, a Test Kit Includes:

  • a complete set of dialogue and questions which are similar to replicate a NAATI test;
  • 2 extra practice dialogues;
  • suggested question answers;
  • a CD that includes a sample test with practice dialogues;
  • an interpreter’s handbook.

For a Professional Interpreter Sample Test, Each Kit:

  • is available in all languages;
  • includes a script of a complete test  with questions, sight translation, dialogues, and consecutive tasks;
  • includes two extra dialogues for practicing;
  • has 2 additional practice consecutive passages for practice; I am into English while the other is into LOTE
  • has a CD that includes 2 extra practice sight translation passages
  • includes an interpreter’s handbook

The Paraprofessional Translator Practice Kit:

  • is available in certain languages only;
  • is a script of 1 set of translation passages;
  • contains ethics questions found in a NAATI test;
  • includes 2 extra practice passages in the 2 languages and in both directions;
  • includes a translator’s handbook.

The Professional Translator Sample Test Includes:

  • sample tests in most languages;
  • a script of 1 whole set of translation passages;
  • ethics questions similar to a NAATI test in both language directions;
  • sample translations and answers to ethics questions;
  • 3 extra practice passages in each language in both directions;
  • extra ethics questions.

Summary

The NAATI translator accreditation is a service that benefits all involved in the translation industry. It accredits translators and interpreters so they can prove their expertise in their field and have a better chance of employment. It helps organizations, such as the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, ensure that potential immigrants have the required credentials to enter the country. It also ensures that NAATI translators and interpreters keep up their standards by insisting on revalidation of NAATI status every 3 years. All in all, NAATI accreditation is the envy of countries throughout the world.