"Guerilla Translating in China, a Labor of Love"

Rick Martin of the "Little Red Blog" explains how the Chinese are keeping up with the high demand for translations of western entertainment.

Guerilla Translating in China, a Labor of Love

Dec 26, 2007 19:04

The Chinese are by far the best in the world at being numerous. The country has a near-infinite workforce which will naturally drive the economy for years to come. Also, Yao Ming can get voted an All Star starter every year by legions of Chinese fans, whether he's deserving or not. Yi Jianlian is likely not far behind. Such are the perks of being numerous. No surprises though, right?

How about this then? What if I told you China has one of the world's best and most efficient language translation networks that this world has ever seen. And the secret to it's success lies in numbers. Read more »

ABC News: Found in Translation, on a Chinese Flight

The following article, from the ABC News Travel Section , gives us some fun on this Friday with examples of interesting translations from an in-flight entertainment guide in China.

Found in Translation, on a Chinese Flight

An In-Flight Entertainment Pamplet Gains Much in Translation

Reporter's Notebook by DAVID KERLEY and CLAYTON SANDELL
Oct. 23, 2007

ABC News correspondent David Kerley and producer Clayton Sandell, currently on assignment in China, couldn't resist sharing these English translations found while perusing the in-flight entertainment pamphlet on a flight from Guangzhou to Beijing.

Making Sense of the Music Program

JAZZ & ROCK "They are vigorous music; they can't be defined to be something belonging to the furious young people only. Listen to Jazz & Rock and release yourselves!"

LIGHT MUSIC "If you feel tired on the journey, you can fling yourself in the light music to relax. In this peaceful music world, you can smell the fragrance of the greens, hear the bickering of the streams and enjoy the beauty of the blooming flowers."

FOREIGN POP MUSIC "When you wake up in the morning, trying to figure out whether you are in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, you hear the harmonic voice of the Backstreet Boys on the radio. You suddenly forget where you are — because music is boundless! This is the power of Foreign POP Music."

Figuring out the Films

CLASSICAL MOVIE "Those movies are so impressive. They attract you to walk into an imaginary world. You can't move your eyes away from the beautiful scenes; you can't help laughing or crying. You are totally moved by those romances."

ART MOVIE "They are the explorers or seekers to art and beauty. They are trying to show you something from their movies that they might not know by themselves. But you will definitely get something from their movies that you can feel."

The Best of American Exports - Hooters Opens in Beijing

by Lauren Nemec

Now Chinese men can also say, "I only go there for the wings."

Hooters has recently opened a restaurant in Beijing, China. It's actually the fourth Hooters restaurant in China (the first is located in Shanghai), but the first in the conservative city of Beijing.

American expats, students and tourists will probably make up a large percentage of Hooters patrons, but the company is hoping that the concept of "sex sells" will also be true for Chinese consumers. Hooters also hopes to capitalize on the masses of visitors who will be visiting Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Waitresses at Beijing's Hooters wear the signature outfits of orange hot pants and tight tank tops as they serve up chicken wings and cold beer. The environment is very much the same as any Hooters restaurant found in the United States - but one aspect has been a little 'lost in globalization' - the name "Hooters" doesn't have the same connotations to the Chinese as it does to Americans. It simply means "owl".

Further reading - Globalization Gone Wild : Hooters Opens in China

Photo: Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

Music of the Night - The Phantom Goes to China

by Lauren Nemec

Sir Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables", has announced that Chinese versions of these musicals will open in China next year. The shows will feature local performers.

I thought this was an interesting topic to post about, because musicals, like all products, are often localized to fit the language, culture and laws of the country where they are showing. For example, the famous chandelier crash scene in "The Phantom of the Opera" is not the same across performances in different countries. In Australia- a laid-back and adventurous country- the chandelier crashes to the stage at a great speed and features pyrotechnics. In Britain, however, strict safety codes usually result in a slower and less dramatic crash.

Many other musicals are expected to play in China in the next few years, including "Mamma Mia", "Cats", "The Lion King", "My Fair Lady" and "Miss Saigon". It would be interesting to see how these performances are adapted to fit the Chinese culture. Anyhow, read the AFP's article, "Les Miserables goes Chinese" for more information about musicals in China.

Translatus Opens Office in Beijing

by Lauren Nemec

Translatus is delighted to announce the opening of our first office in China! The new office is located at Room 1403, Tower A, Building 2, Jiulong Garden, Guangqu Road, Chaoyang District, in Beijing. Translatus China operations will be headed by Christine Kee, Executive Vice President, Asia Division.

About Christine Kee

Christine joined Translatus in 2004. Since then, she has been leading and managing Translatus' Sales and Customer Service team in Europe. Christine Kee is a native Chinese speaker who was born in Hong Kong. She graduated with a MA in Applied Translation from the University of Leeds in England. Before joining Translatus, she had over 5 years experience in translation, including freelance translation and interpretation, as well as full-time translation service to the Hong Kong Government. Christine speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Christine Kee will lead Translatus China.

About Translatus China

There are currently three staff members at Translatus China, and we look forward to welcoming more as we grow in the region. The Translatus China staff speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

Translatus staff in China will concentrate on developing new business relationships with Chinese companies and will ensure our existing customers get the support they need for their communications in the Chinese market.

We will also establish a second operations center for job processing at the Beijing office. The opening of the new operations center brings us closer to our goal of truly becoming a 24-hour service provider. As Translatus expands into other continents, our clients in every time zone will benefit from having multiple centers of operation around the world working together remotely to process jobs more efficiently.

By knowing the market and buying locally, we have a competitive advantage in that we are able to select the best of Chinese translators and interpreters. People buying translations in China often find that they are charged more or given poor quality because they don't speak the language. Translatus believes that speaking the right language is the key to our clients' success. Our Chinese-speaking staff in Beijing is able to obtain first-class translations at the best prices.

“On behalf of my colleagues at Translatus in China, we look forward to helping our clients successfully carry across their message into any language, market or culture." Christine Kee, Executive Vice President, Asia Division.

Judges Say "No" to Ballot Transliteration

by Lauren Nemec

A couple of months ago, I posted a story about Chinese-American citizens in the City of Boston who were pushing for the full translation of voting ballots, including transliteration of candidate names.

A federal panel of three judges has voted against a move that would require that transliterated candidate names be printed on ballots in precincts of Boston with a high concentration of Chinese-speaking citizens.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin has been opposed to the transliteration of candidate names on ballots, arguing that there is no precise or accurate process of transliterating names and that there is a possibility candidates will sue over poorly transliterated names. Examples of transliterated names of politicians running for President in the 2008 elections include:

Mitt Romney - 'Sticky' or 'Uncooked Rice'
Fred Thompson - 'Virtue Soup'
Thomas M. Menino - 'Rainbow Farmer' or 'Imbecile'
Barack Obama - 'Europe Pulling a Horse'
Hillary Clinton - 'Upset Stomach'

Chinese-American activists have insisted that the city's agreement to fully translate ballots should allow for the transliteration of candidate names. Since the judges have agreed otherwise, Galvin has promised he will "continue to work with voters who have language issues to find ways to make their votes effective".

Yes Sir, Th@t's My Baby

by Lauren Nemec

A couple in China has irritated government officials with their request to name their baby "@". The couple claims that this name (pronounced like English "at") symbolizes their deep love for the child, as the Chinese pronunciation of the symbol sounds like the phrase, "love him".

It's not clear if Chinese officials- who are already bogged down with couples trying to name their children non-traditional and modern names- will approve of "@". In a country where as few as 20 surnames cover the majority of the population, young parents are proposing more and more unorthodox names for their children in effort to individualize them.

There are links to many articles about this story here at Google News.

Transliteration of Candidate Names into Chinese Causing 'Upset Stomachs'

by Lauren Nemec

Who would you vote for in the 2008 Presidential Election: ‘Europe Pulling a Horse’, ‘Upset Stomach’, ‘Beautiful Soup’, or ‘Sticky Rice’?

(Translation: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney)

Chinese-American citizens in the City of Boston are pushing for the full translation of voting ballots, including transliteration of candidate names. Because written Chinese uses characters rather than an alphabet of Roman letters, some Chinese-Americans may have a difficult time understanding an English-only ballot. Advocates for Chinese-American voting rights insist on using transliteration as a tool to assist Chinese-American voters who are not able to read English.


However, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin is opposed to the transliteration of candidate names on ballots, arguing that there is no precise or accurate process of transliterating names and that there is a possibility candidates will sue over their transliterated names.

Remember: Transliteration is not the same as translation.

Translation changes the word into another language while preserving original meaning.

Transliteration changes letters or words into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

Though there is a process to transliterating, it is not without flaws and can be very subjective. When a name is transliterated to Chinese, the linguist will find Chinese words that phonetically sound like the pronunciation of the original name. The linguist will then choose the word with the most appropriate meaning and turn it into the correct Chinese written character for that word.

Take my first name, for example: Lauren. The first syllable, ‘lau’ sounds like the Chinese word for ‘law.’ The second syllable, ‘ren’ sounds like the Chinese words for 'cloud', 'kind’ and ‘patient.’ My transliterated name could therefore be ‘law cloud’.

The problem with this process is that it can create nonsensical meanings in the target language. Perhaps you’ve heard of a very famous transliteration problem of Coca Cola’s. Back in the 1920’s, Coca-Cola was preparing to enter the Chinese market. A translator transliterated the name ‘Coca-Cola’ into Chinese characters. When the drink didn’t sell, the company found out that the transliterated characters meant ‘bite the wax tadpole’ or ‘a wax flattened mare’. The company then changed the name of the product to 'happiness in the mouth' for the Chinese market.

In order for an election to run precisely and smoothly, the ballots should be as clear as possible. Transliterated names could possibly cause more confusion than clarification and might complicate election procedures and results. Politicians with unflattering or poorly transliterated names could potentially argue that it adversely affects them in the polls, possibly resulting in litigation and contested elections. With this in mind, it’s easy to understand William Galvin’s concerns. However, the Chinese-American activists are not out of luck yet: Galvin says, "If there is precise way to do this, then I'll agree to it.” Good luck!

Further Reading:

Candidates lost in Chinese translation: USAToday

Voting rights, not 'Sticky Rice': Boston Globe

Beijing Making Progress in Effort to Clean-up Bad Translations

by Lauren Nemec

It amazes me how interested people are in Beijing's goal to clean up bad translations before the 2008 Olympic Games. Articles on this topic come through my feed reader almost every week. My post, "Beijing Prepares for the 2008 Olympics by Correcting Bad Translations" remains one of the most frequently viewed articles on the Translatus blog.

Okay. I'm sure that most people are not so interested in Beijing's efforts to rid their city of embarassing translations, but are interested in finding examples of 'Chinglish' for a good laugh. But Beijing does not want to be laughed at anymore.

Still, I couldn't help but chuckle this morning as I read about the latest development. Feeling it is outdated and impolite, officials have decided to flush the potty term 'WC' and adopt 'toilet' for all public restrooms in Beijing.

As I mentioned in my previous posts on this subject, a number of groups have undertaken the enormous effort of correcting and standardizing translations across Beijing. So far, they seem to be making progress. For example, linguists are preparing a list of common menu items with their accurate translations. The list will be distributed to Beijing restaurants, and all establishments rated three stars and higher are expected to implement the pre-approved translations into their menus.

No more 'the temple explodes the chicken cube' for you!

China Struggles to Meet Translator Demand

by Lauren Nemec

Exactly one month ago, I made a post about China's endeavor to improve the quality of translations in preparation for the multitude of visitors expected to arrive for Beijing's 2008 Olympic games.

A plan was unveiled in early February to ensure quality translations by replacing mis-translated signs at tourist destinations, standardizing restaurant menus, offering English lessons to city officials, and fixing confusing road signs. For a country notorious for its low-quality (and sometimes extremely funny) translations, this task will require an army of language professionals. As if that wasn't enough to keep them busy, translators will continue to be in high demand throughout the 2008 games as well as for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.

Considering the low translation prices typically found in China- with the quality to match- it comes as no surprise that there is a severe shortage of qualified language professionals. There are an estimated half million translators in China- of which only about 15-20% are officially certified! Getting a quality translation from a Chinese translator without knowing the market requires as much luck as winning a game of roulette.

The English People's Daily Online put up a great article today called, "China struggling to get past its translation bottleneck." It describes the challenges the Chinese are facing in developing translation market standards and sourcing enough professional, highly qualified translators to meet growing demand.

For more information about Translatus, please contact:

Lauren Nemec

Marketing Manager

Email: lnemec@translatus.com

Tel: +420 222 517 153

www.translatus.com

Beijing Prepares for the 2008 Olympics by Correcting Bad Translations

by Lauren Nemec

Since 2001, China has been making grand preparations for their big moment in the spotlight: the 2008 Summer Olympic Games that will take place in Beijing. New multi-million dollar venues are being constructed. Beijing’s subway system is being expanded and modernized. Credit card systems are being developed and opened for international competition. One preparation that has recently been making headlines – and causing a few laughs- is Beijing's campaign to correct mistranslations found throughout the city.

Tourists are often amused at some of the confusing translations they find at tourist attractions or on restaurant menus. At one delightful restaurant, you can choose from a selection of:

“The temple explodes the chicken cube”

“The water boils the beef”

“Chicken silk noodles”

“The soil bean burns the beef”

“Slip away the chicken slice”

“Black mushrooms rape”

“Styn fived pine seeds withcorn”

“The sugar vinegar in ridge”

However, not all mistranslations are funny. Indeed, some can even be insulting, such as the sign on a handicapped restroom door reading “Deformed person.” Some might even be dangerous, like a sign at a hazardous area of the Great Wall of China warning you to “Slip Carefully.” Some are just incredibly confusing, like a park sign saying, "Be civilized visitor, set up the ecosystem scenery together!"

Such examples of “Chinglish” are exactly what the Chinese intend to correct in anticipation of the hordes of foreigners that will attend the 2008 games. A number of groups are spearheading the changes, including the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program, the Beijing Speaks to the World Committee, and the Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau.

These organizations have made significant progress. Translations of popular restaurant menu items have already been standardized, meaning that you will be hard-pressed to find “Slip away the chicken slice” in any Chinese establishment. Public signs, tourist attractions and hotel information will also be getting translation makeovers throughout the next 18 months. Taxi drivers and police officers are receiving English crash courses in order to better serve the estimated 500 million foreigners that are expected to attend the 2008 games.

In related news, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) has recently selected the official language services provider for the 2008 games. The Chinese translation company “Yuanpei Translation” will provide all translation and interpretation services required for the games. You can read the related article here.

If you would like to see more examples of Chinglish or read more articles about this topic, click on the following links:

PocoPico - Photos and examples of Chinglish in China

BBC News Article - "Beijing Stamps Out Poor English"

Wall Street Journal Article - "Tired of Laughter, Beijing Gets Rid of Bad Translations"

For more information about Translatus, please contact:

Lauren Nemec

Marketing Manager

Email: lnemec@translatus.com

Tel: +420 222 517 153

www.translatus.com

To Speak Local - The Way to Success

by Christine Kee
Sales Director

"How does Translatus offer lower prices for Asian languages like Chinese, while other companies in Europe offer a much higher price?"

This is a question that Translatus' Sales team members are frequently asked by their clients. The key to this question is very simple: where and who are we buying from? Translatus buys translations locally in the target countries where your documents are going to be used. We buy Chinese translations (to and from various European languages) in China, where a population of about 90,000 qualified translators and interpreters serve the industry. You benefit from the advantage of this strong and vibrant labor force. However, among these translators and interpreters, you find different levels of quality and a high chance of miscommunication. You may even find that you can be charged more because you do not “speak the language". Translatus is able to select the best of these 90,000 translators and interpreters thanks to the effective communication by our native Chinese speaking staff within Translatus. By knowing the local market, we are able to get first-class translations at the best price. Translatus believes that speaking the right language is the key to our clients' success. No matter how far away you want to sell your products or services, with Translatus, you can deliver your words and ideas in the most native way!

Christine Kee is a native Chinese speaker who was born in Hong Kong. She graduated with a MA in Applied Translation from the University of Leeds in England. She has over 5 years experience in translation, including freelance translation and interpretation, as well as full-time translation service to the Hong Kong Government. Christine speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

For more information about Translatus, please contact:

Lauren Nemec

Marketing Manager

Email: lnemec@translatus.com

Tel: +420 222 517 153

www.translatus.com