yndigo

Until you actually need one, it’s hard to imagine how many translators and translation agencies are out there. Especially the first time, how can you be sure you’re getting a good translation?

Get a recommendation: Ask a colleague or friend. Chances are good that if they received quality and service at a fair price, you [...]

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When a word has no good equivalent
In my last post, I talked about words that were so closely tied to a certain country’s sporting event, they are inevitably used internationally in their original language. But how about words that don’t translate at all because the situation they grew out of just doesn’t exist elsewhere?
Many websites [...]

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When one language dominates the terminology

“Kiss your Julys goodbye,” someone told me a few years ago when I started watching professional cycling. He was right. The Tour de France is upon us and now, along with WordPress, my e-mail, and a translation I’m reviewing, I have two browser tabs dedicated to today’s 4th stage, a [...]

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Fisher Tool Co., Inc. v. Gillet Outillage
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion the other day in a case that involved, among other things, an apparent mistranslation. Mécanisme à cliquet was translated into English as “ratchet mechanism,” a mistranslation the opinion claims “certainly isn’t clear on its face, since French-to-English dictionaries support [...]

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Translation pricing

When you talk price with someone who’s never bought translations before, there are frequently two reactions: laughter and then shock.
Laughter at the idea that translators charge by the word or that a penny higher or lower makes a big difference. For example, I was interviewed by SmartMoney.com about working with freelancers and the [...]

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