Name: Aisling O’Callaghan
Location: West Cork, Ireland
What languages do you work with? What are some of the intricacies or challenges of the particular language you work with?
I work primarily from English into Irish and vice versa. I also provide translation services from French into both Irish and English. Irish can be particularly challenging due to the different dialects spoken, three main dialects in all. Historically, the Irish alphabet is different from the English alphabet, where the letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, and z were omitted. This has changed somewhat over recent years with the advent of more technical vocabulary, such as that related to computing.
If you work with more than one language pair, how do you balance between different languages?
The majority of my work is from English into Irish and vice versa. As a result, I tend to concentrate on these languages when undertaking any additional training or study. I have always been passionate about languages and like to keep up to date with any recent changes. When engaging in larger projects in one language pair it can take a moment to readjust to working in another language pair.
What are some of your most interesting projects? Why?
I find translation in the field of advertising most interesting. Short catchphrases require a thorough understanding of the meaning of the message and of the target audience. The original meaning of the text must be respected and the translator must coin a phrase that is both catchy and unique in the target language.
What is the best part about being a translator? What do you love about it?
It has to be the the freedom offered by the profession. My favorite “working” location to date was on a spectacular beach in Thailand! I love being able to pick-up and take my work with me.
How did you know you were “ready” to be a translator?
I don’t think that I was “ready” as such at any particular point. My mother is a fluent Irish speaker and always instilled a great love of the language in me. When I was a teenager I dreamt of working in France and being immersed in the French language, a dream that I went on to fulfill. It was a natural progression to move into the translation field.
What is the most difficult part about your job?
I feel the most difficult part of my job is finding the time to do everything. There is so much more to being a translator than simply converting a document from one language to another. It can be extremely challenging running an entire business by yourself.
Can you translate a sentence for us? Your favorite quote? Your favorite word?
I’m particularly fond of the following saying:
English saying - He who runs away lives to fight another day
Irish translation - Is fearr rith maith ná drochsheasamh
Direct translation in Irish: A good run is better than a bad stand
Are you planning a conference? Do you know what to expect from your conference interpretation provider? The major players in simultaneous interpreting events are the technician, the interpreter, the speaker, and the audience. How can they all communicate? During conferences or for international meetings with delegates from many countries, interpreting equipment becomes an essential part of the communication process. The interpreters will listen to the speakers and simultaneously interpret what they say on their own microphones, which are delivered to the headsets on different channels. The listeners tune into the channel for their respective languages.
Infrared receivers
The receiver is an important tool for the listener. Sometimes, an LCD screen will provide the name of interpretation language (e.g. English, Spanish), language number, signal strength, battery life and volume level. This means the people using these receivers will have all the information they need about the interpretation languages at their fingertips.
Each receiver is equipped with a pair of light-weight stereo headphones to amplify the transmitted audio signal.
Interpreter Booths
Booths also must be well positioned (in direct line of sight) to see what is going on in with the speakers and the audience. If the space does not allow for it, video is used. The booth should be big enough for two interpreters to fit inside, as simultaneous interpreters work in pairs. All booths should meet and exceed ISO-4043 standard for sound isolation. Inside the booth, per industry standards the interpreter must have a console, a microphone, a headset, and a reading lamp.
Interpreter Station
The interpreter will have a station or console that controls the volume, bass, and treble of the audio without disruption. The microphone transmits the interpreter’s voice through the infrared transmitters to the infrared radiators. The infrared radiators will generate a high frequency infrared signal that will cover every section of the conference room. The infrared receivers will connect with that signal retrieving all channels (the speaker and all required language channels) as well as data for information display on the receivers’ LCD. In the most sophisticated stations, the technician has the ability to communicate with the interpreter, and can even repeat a few seconds of previous audio in case the interpreter wants to clarify something. The sound must be clear, within 125-12,500 Hz.
Conference Microphones with Channel Selector
The conference remote microphones include built-in speakers, channel selector with headphone insert and independent volume control, and a speech timer to every delegate. The low profile delegate microphone is an easy to use push-to-talk style microphone. The microphone connects digitally to the interpreter consoles and the infrared language distribution system. The microphones must have on/off switches which are controlled by the technician.
The conference microphones goosenecks are flexible to position to the users need. The gooseneck often contains a light ring indicator which will illuminate red when active and blue when the delegate is “requesting-to-speak”.
It is important to find a conference interpretation provider who will supply the talented interpreters as well as the equipment needed to enhance understanding between cultures at your conferences. Inadequate equipment can ruin an international conference, and a company which regularly provides high-level conference interpretation will work with you in planning your event to ensure that you will have the proper equipment to support all of your requirements.
Sattar Langary
Maryland, USA
What languages do you work with? What are some of the intricacies or challenges of the particular language you work with?
The languages I work with mostly are English, Dari, and Farsi. I also speak Urdu/Hindi and Pashto but I have not worked with these languages as much.
Both Farsi and Dari are Indo-Iranian and Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
If you work with more than one language pair, how do you balance between different languages?
It is not very difficult to balance between different languages if a person is good at them. I personally think identity development along with speaking these languages is very important. Because language is also part of culture and by balancing between languages, I also have to adapt to the culture of the language I am speaking.
What are some of your most interesting projects? Why?
I love translating news reports, opinion pieces, stories, and books. They are both challenging and educating.
How did you know you were “ready” to be a translator?
I learned that I was a good translator because I did my higher education in my own native languages of Farsi and Dari. I also got my MA in English language. Both these languages gave me an ability to be a good translator of both colloquial languages as well as academic pieces.
What is the most difficult part about your job?
The most difficult part is the timing when my clients want certain pieces to be translated at a specific time. It is difficult, challenging, and meanwhile fun!
Can you translate a sentence for us? Your favorite quote? Your favorite word?
Culturally, “I love you” is translated two ways in Farsi and in Dari. If translated as عاشقت ام it means ‘I love you’ but we can only use it for the significant other –boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, and/or wife. However it is not used for ‘loving’ mothers, fathers, children…etc Instead, in Farsi, and in Dari we use دوستت دارم. This still means ‘I love you’. We can still use دوستت دارم for boyfriend/girlfriend, or husband and wife. Both عشق and دوستی mean love and they are beautiful words I think ;)
Name: Sohail Moghal
Location: Pakistan
What languages do you work with? What are some of the intricacies or challenges of the particular language you work with?
The main language I work with is Urdu, my native language and the national language of Pakistan and also widely spoken and understood in India and globally. I also work in three other provincial languages: Punjabi, Sindhi and Saraiki. Since I was educated both in English and Urdu, I have near-native proficiency in English also.
The biggest intricacy/challenge of my languages is that they are all RTL (right-to-left) ones.
If you work with more than one language pair, how do you balance between different languages?
Its easy! Since my languages are RTL, I do not feel any difficulty in balancing them. There is one thing I must mention: Sindhi, one of my languages, has an entirely different set of alphabets, so I can only speak and understand it, but I cannot write it. For your benefit, here are my language pairs: 1) ENG<>URDU (both ways) 2) SINDHI>ENG (one way) 3) SARAIKI>ENG (one way) 4) ENG<>PUNJABI (both ways).
What are some of your most interesting projects? Why?
My most interesting projects are those when I’m asked not to do just ‘translation’ but they want me to do ‘transcreation’ which is a mixture of translation and creative writing. Obviously, they test my language skills to the core and are very highly paid too. For that I love such projects.
What is the best part about being a translator? What do you love about it?
The best part, as I feel, is keeping constantly in touch with your native language/s as well as the feeling that I’m contributing in their global development.
How did you know you were “ready” to be a translator?
I knew I was a good translator when I was finishing my school; I had an innate ability of English and Urdu as compared to my other class-fellows. So, when I decided to leave my permanent job as a Community Development Executive in a renowned organization, I immediately decided to make freelance translation as my full-time profession.
What is the most difficult part about your job?
For me it’s the most difficult when several of my valued clients simultaneously ask my availability for their projects. It sometimes becomes too hard to manage :)
Can you translate a sentence for us? Your favorite quote? Your favorite word?
“ Life is just a dream, a dream that we live not just watch ”
"زندگی بس اِک خواب ہی تو ہے، وہ خواب جو ہم جیتے ہیں صرف دیکھتے نہیں
No, it’s not
President Obama(he tried his hand at Irish during his famous speech in Dublin). It’s Manuela Spinelli!
While interpretation and translation has never been recognized as a glamorous profession, there is one interpreter in Ireland who is changing that idea. Instead of translating literature or interpreting for the European Union, Italian interpreter Manuela Spinelli has found another industry that better suits her interests: professional football. One of popular sports figures in Italy, the Republic of Ireland’s national football team manager Giovanni Trapattoni, uses Italian interpreter Spinelli when speaking at press conferences or with the team. While Trapattoni is known for his warm demeanor, he is also known for his lackluster language skills.
Interpreters may also work for European sports organizations like the European Rugby Cup in Dublin, where Spinelli started as an interpreter. Now, she can be found aside Trapattoni, even imitating his signature hand gestures like him from time to time. She talks about her job and the importance of learning another language in this video.
International athletics has long been an important part of simultaneous interpretation and conference interpretation. NBA players recruited from Europe need to communicate somehow! The Olympics, for example, draws on some of the most talented interpreters and high-tech equipment in the world. With representatives from over 200 countries and a fully packed schedule, there is little room for error. Additionally, every official document must be written in French and English.
CETRA has participated in sporting events like the annual meeting of the the Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (International Fencing Federation). For more information about CETRA’s translation and interpretation work, please contact Tony Guerra at (tony.guerra@cetra.com) .
The New York and Philadelphia chapters of the Marketing Research Association joined forces in Atlantic City, New Jersey to discuss industry trends – most specifically in adapting to buyer behavior – and also had some fun along the way.
Linda McAleer’s presentation was particularly interesting about the voice of the invisible customer. When businesses or customers purchase online, they lose the “human touch” associated with sales. Focusing on the financial industry, she discussed different ways of changing marketing tactics to reach those invisible customers. For example, how about having a 24/7 call center for customer service? What about having an online chat option on your website? It is important not to forget the opinions and values of the invisible customer.
Another interesting presentation was made by Melissa Elliott of ING Direct. Melissa discussed her company’s use of eye tracking to test the efficiency and usability of their website. This was an excellent suite to Linda’s presentation, as ING Direct is primarily an online bank. Customers may never have interaction with a real person, so an effective and welcoming website is essential. Melissa presented a fascinating case study about one critical page of her website: the online enrollment page. While customers were clicking the wrong thing left and right, the eye tracking tool measured and marked the customer’s confusion to provide meaningful data to Melissa and her team. After changing the website based on the data from the eye tracking study, ING direct benefited from an increase in enrollment and a decrease in call center traffic.
While emphasis was given to adapting to buyer behavior, one presentation that had everyone going was Mike Iorio from Dale Carnegie Training. Everyone needs a wake-up call every now and again, and Mike certainly delivered on that. He talked about how to win friends: a few networking tips about small talk and engagement. While some researchers hid and screamed at the thought of public speaking, others pushed people out of the way to try it. Mike offered some great tips for building confidence (body, tone, words!) and helped us move out of our comfort zone. He also gave us the simplest advice of all: smile!
As the conference continued I saw lots of smiles – and hope to see many more when we reconvene in San Diego for the MRA Annual Conference! Don’t forget to visit CETRA at booth 25.
PHILADELPHIA--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--Dr. Jiri Stejskal, President and CEO of CETRA, a leading language services provider headquartered in the US, is pleased to announce the opening of a new company location in Limerick, Ireland. CETRA Ireland Ltd. was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of CETRA, Inc. to better serve the company’s existing clients and to further grow its EMEA client base.
CETRA is establishing its European Service Centre with the support of the Irish Development Agency and plans to create 20 jobs in Limerick over the next few years. CETRA Ireland Ltd. staff will include management, administration, project managers and sales staff.
“We were attracted to Limerick primarily due to the graduate output of the University of Limerick and the ability to collaborate with the Localisation Research Centre in UL to develop a technology localisation offering. We’re excited about expanding our business into EMEA from our Limerick base,” said Dr. Jiri Stejskal.
CETRA Ireland General Manager Adrian Wall commented, “We are delighted to be part of the expansion of CETRA and the decision to base the operation in Limerick. We look forward to building on the success of the US company model within EMEA markets.”
CETRA offers translation, localisation and interpretation services to the market research, legal, and life science industries using a global network of professional linguists. CETRA’s team of multilingual project managers brings a wealth of diverse, worldwide experience to each request. CETRA adds value through prompt and responsive assistance, insightful cultural consulting, and a proactive, partnering approach.
CETRA was founded in 1997 by Dr. Jiri Stejskal, President and CEO, who currently serves as vice-president of the International Federation of Translators (FIT). CETRA actively participates in the development of language quality standards as a member of the US delegation to the ISO Technical Committee 37 and a member of the ASTM F43 Committee. CETRA is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified. For more information please visit
www.cetra.com.
Contacts
or
CETRA Movie Night
"The Church on Dauphine Street"
Monday, April 16th
5:30-6:00 PM Networking
6:00-7:30 PM Film
Please join us for our next movie night, featuring, “The Church on Dauphine Street”. Directed by Ann Hedreen and Rustin Thompson, this documentary explores a miracle after tragedy struck in New Orleans. This is a story about Father Joseph Benson, a Northern Irish-man, and Arthine Vicks, an ex-Marine fluent in American Sign Language: two unlikely allies working to reunite one of New Orleans' most unusual, most independent congregations. Their church is home to the city's deaf Catholics and to many Spanish-speaking immigrants, making it tri-lingual. But more than anything this is a story about home, and the mysterious, powerful allure of New Orleans.
We look forward to seeing you at our office on 7804 Montgomery Ave!
The process of internationalizing a document happens before any translation takes place. In an English document, there may be some terms or expressions that do not exist in another country. Especially in the pharmaceutical and health care world, it is imperative to identify terminology that would not be suitable for a particular market, and agree on a term that would be acceptable for use in the local area.
Often, words like “physician’s assistant”, “nurse practitioner”, “midwife”, “pharmacist” or may not have an exact translation because there is no equivalent in education system or licensing rules. Additionally, terms for health care facilities vary. The words “clinic” and “family planning clinic” “health care facility” may change based on location. Globally, there are different procedures and regulations for obtaining medicine. In the United States, you can purchase over-the-counter medicine at the supermarket or in a convenience store. In France, for example, all medicinal products, be it over-the-counter or prescription, must be purchased at the pharmacy.
In the March 2012 issue of Quirk’s magazine, George Pettinico discusses brand positioning in the pharmaceutical industry. He says that many brands are “launched with suboptimal positioning,” failing to connect with either the health care professional or the patient. Pettinico further proves that not only is it important for the pharmaceutical company to perform research to capitalize on target market demographics, but also maintaining congruency in language is essential when attempting to brand a product.
How can one connect with a customer when the tone and style of the intended message is swayed? Pettinico even discusses the importance of delving into the psyche of the consumer and recommends ethnographic research. Connection to the psyche of the respondent must start with internationalized surveys, educational materials, or branding before one even begins to translate material into the target market language. Any lapse in judgment regarding the word choice can disable the entrance into the thought process of the respondent, making a marketing attempt useless.
When branding your pharmaceutical product in foreign markets, do not forget to internationalize the document before you begin, and to use only a translator or language service provider who understands the goals of your project.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 15, 2012
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Contact: Blair Latoff 202-463-5682
PERMALINK
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U.S. Chamber Names CETRA Language Solutions of Elkins Park, PA Finalist for 2012 Small Business of the Year Award
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WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today named CETRA Language Solutions, of Elkins Park, PA, one of seven finalists for the 2012 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam’s Club®. CETRA Language Solutions will be honored during America’s Small Business Summit, May 21–23, in Washington, D.C., where a national winner will be announced and will receive a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of the U.S. Chamber.
“CETRA Language Solutions is a shining example of the power of free enterprise and the opportunities it can create for America’s doers and dreamers,” said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber. “CETRA Language Solutions is driving growth and creating jobs in the Elkins Park, PA community and contributing to the strength of America’s economy. Our economic recovery will be fueled by small businesses like CETRA Language Solutions and their dedicated workers. Today we congratulate them on this achievement and encourage them to continue pursuing the American Dream.”
Located in Elkins Park, PA, CETRA Language Solutions offers translation and interpretation services to corporate and government clients in nearly 100 languages. After coming to the United States as a political refugee from Czechoslovakia, Jiri Stejskal began receiving free lance work as a Czech translator. Stejskal incorporated CETRA in 1997 and quickly began expanding. CETRA’s unique employee benefits included thanking staff for reaching goals company goals with trips for the entire staff and their families. Committed to serving their community, CETRA financially supports local and national organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Philadelphia Global Water Initiative, and Translators Without Borders.
The DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award pays tribute to businesses that excel in the areas of staff training and motivation, community involvement, customer service, and strategy. One finalist from each of seven regions was selected out of the 75 Blue Ribbon Award winners. The winner will be announced at an awards luncheon on May 22.
“Small businesses are often described as the pulse or backbone of our country, and we admire the drive and initiative that it takes for their owners to be successful,” said Rosalind Brewer, president and CEO of Sam's Club. “Fifty years ago, Walmart Stores, Inc. was founded as a small business, facing many of the same challenges and opportunities then that these businesses face today. We join them in celebrating this honor and the spirit of entrepreneurship that makes these businesses successful.”
To learn more about the summit, visit www.uschambersummit.com.
Sam’s Club®, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation’s eighth largest retailer and a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than 47 million members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. Members save an average of 30 percent over traditional retailers. To learn more about Savings Made Simple®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam’s Club on Twitter and Facebook.
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
www.uschamber.com @USChamber www.freeenterprise.com
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