Avoiding translationese
Translationese. A sorry language. It makes a comeback when a translator’s idea of revision is one quick read-over.We’ve all seen stiff-sounding translations by native speakers. At cause:a) the...
View ArticleI rewrote my website’s home page
No little tweaks for me. I deleted my website copy and pulled out a fresh piece of paper.What’s the point of this website?In Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug stresses how important it is to quickly...
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Translating a website? 6 ways to make it more readable
Online reading is different from reading on paper. Because website readers like information snacking. They want to grab and go.So what does this mean for the website translator?We must pay attention...
View ArticleProofreading conflict: One too many tracked changes?
I’ll call him O for Offended.O and I had volunteered our services at an NGO. His job was to translate an article, and mine was to proofread it. And the NGO would get another English-language document...
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Letter to Client: On being ‘happy’ versus ‘satisfied’
Dear Client,The words “happy” and “satisfied” have led to some disagreement, so I’d like to clarify the different notions of happiness.Yes, Happy Birthday (or as you say, Happy Birz-day) is Joyeux...
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Translating a 125,000-word book: connections and corrections
Allison Wright, German & French & Portuguese into English translator As one of many scatterlings of southern Africa, Allison Wright, a German/French/Portuguese into English translator, finally...
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Brand names and internal capital letters
Internal capital lettersI’ve got something against misspelled brand names.It’s a pet peeve of mine. Writers and translators cannot just rename brands at will: iPads are not Ipads.Brand names that have...
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Capitalizing words in titles, headings and subheadings
I get a bit crazy when it comes to capitalizing as you may have seen in Brand names and internal capital letters. It irks me to see MasterCard and PayPal misspelled. I equate this lack of attention to...
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8 editing tips for writers and translators
Editing tips and tricksGet your red pens out, and step up your writing!Here are a few editing tips and tricks I’ve gathered after editing and proofreading other people’s writing and having my own work...
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