UK Company Vets Baby Names for Hidden Meanings
Nov 29, 2009 A British company is offering translation services to help expectant parents to avoid embarrassment. For a fee of £1,000 (about $1,700 US), Today Translations will research into at least 100 worldwide languages to ensure that parents' unusual baby name choices do not have unintended meanings in … » read more
Celebrated Chinese Translator Dies at 94
Nov 29, 2009 The Chinese literary scholar and translator Yang Xianyi has died at the age of 94. Yang was renowned worldwide for his translations of Chinese literature into English. His best-known translations were of ancient works and classics such as A Dream of Red Mansions and The Scholar. He was also praised for … » read more
London Theatres Unveil New Translation Device
Nov 29, 2009 Foreign tourists will be able to enjoy West End shows when a new translation device becomes available in London's theatres. Although overseas visitors are responsible for a third of all theatre ticket purchases in the UK capital, up until now they have had to rely on a screen next to the stage to relay subtitles, in just … » read more
Afghan Translators Accuse British Army of Abandonment
Nov 21, 2009 Native translators in Afghanistan say they have been unfairly treated by British armed forces, risking their lives with little or no compensation. A report by the UK's Channel Four this week featured Yusuf, who spent several weeks in a coma after being caught in a bomb blast while interpreting for the British Army. … » read more
Google Announces New Translation Features
Nov 21, 2009 The internet giant Google has updated its online translation tool to include three new features. Google Translate now offers free, real-time translation in 51 languages, representing 98 percent of internet users worldwide. Users select languages to translate to and from, and the translation appears virtually … » read more
English Dictionary Looking for Lost Words
Nov 15, 2009 An English dictionary publisher is rooting out obscure local dialect words in the UK. Linguists at Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins, are surveying words from seven of Britain's regions, hoping to discover which have completely died out and which are still in use. Lexicographers are working from a list of two … » read more
Japanese Firm Invents Hi-Tech Translation ‘Spectacles’
Nov 06, 2009 A technology company in Japan will launch a headset that provides real-time translation of foreign languages. The hi-tech gadget looks like a pair of glasses, but is designed to beam subtitles directly into the user's retina, translating conversation as it is picked up by a microphone. Creator NEC, a … » read more
Award for US Academics' Korean Poetry Translations
Nov 01, 2009 Two US university professors have been awarded for their outstanding collaboration in translating Korean poetry into English. Song Chae-pyong and Anne Rashid were given the Grand Prize for Poetry at the 40th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, announced today. For the contest, they submitted … » read more
Translator Shortage Hampering FBI
Nov 01, 2009 A shortage of translators may be hurting counter-terrorism efforts, according to a new report released by the US Justice Department. A damning audit by Inspector General Glenn Fine revealed that 14.2 million email messages - a third of the total gathered during counter-terrorism operations - were never read. … » read more
British Teachers Fear for Loss of Student Exchanges
Nov 01, 2009 Language teachers in the UK say that student exchange trips are under threat from increasingly tight child protection laws. Foreign exchanges have been a feature of secondary school life for decades in the UK, with children travelling to France, Germany, Spain and beyond to spend a vacation experiencing foreign … » read more
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