translation industry Archives - Dialogue

How Latin Unlocks Language Learning

Robert Shimwell — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 11:54:39 +0000

“Latin?” I hear you say. “Isn’t that a thing of the past?”

Well, yes, it all started in the past, but Latin has had a tremendous influence on many of the modern languages we speak around the world today. Let’s take a look at how Latin, one of the building blocks of the English language in particular, is still used in English now and how it can bring extra value to learning modern languages in general…

Let’s hop back in time to when the Romans invaded Britain, just over 2,000 years ago in 55BC. You can hear Julius Caesar’s famous words, veni, vidi, vici (I came; I saw; I conquered), echoing around the dark and drizzly British Isles. Ironically, the Romans only conquered Britain in 43AD under Emperor Claudius, and they eventually left in 410AD. But they brought with them straight Roman roads, coins, food, bath houses, gladiators, gods, literature, laws and of course, the Latin language.

Although English has evolved over the years, heavily influenced by Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and the French language especially, it is estimated that still half of all English words come from Latin…

We all know that Latin is still widely used in medicine and science, as it is in some churches, schools and various English traditions. The words ‘decus et tutamen’ (glory and protection) are written around the edge of our British one pound coin, and our new King Charles will appear on our coins with the Latin inscription ‘CHARLES III DG REX FD’ (Dei Gratia Rex Fidei Defensor – King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith). But did you know that we use Latin much more widely than this?

Hidden Latin Words

We use Latin abbreviations on a daily basis. When you wake up at 7am, do you know what that AM stands for? It means ‘ante meridiem’, before midday. And PM (no, not one of the many people living at number 10 this year) stands for ‘post meridiem’ – after midday. Similarly, BC (as in, 55BC) stands for ‘Before Christ’, so you might think that AD stands for ‘After Death’, but it doesn’t. It is another Latin abbreviation, ‘Anno Domini’, meaning ‘in the year of the Lord’. Latin is everywhere, right down to the names of the cities you may be living in: Manchester, Doncaster, Grantchester, Towcester, Worcester or Winchester. These were all originally Roman towns, and the names are derived from the Latin word ‘castrum’, meaning military camp or fort.

Latin Phrases

Many Latin words and phrases are still in use in the English language today. Many of the words are original Latin words, but their English meaning has evolved in places:

vacuum (orig. empty thing)
exit (orig. he/she goes out)
media (orig. things in the middle)
innuendo (orig. by hinting)
agenda (orig. things to be discussed)
fungus (orig. mushroom)

Equally, there are some Latin words and phrases that are used in English with the exact same meaning as they have in Latin: carpe diem, ad hoc, impromptu, versus, vice versa, status quo, bonus, ergo, post factum, pro bono, alibi… the list goes on!

Prefixes and Suffixes

These are like Lego bricks! The beginnings and endings of words. Take the prefix ‘trans-’, meaning ‘across’, ‘beyond’ or ‘on the other side of’ in Latin, and see how many English words you build from it: translate, transfer, transcribe, transmit, transactional, transgender, transformation, transgression, translucent, transparent…
And how about the English suffix ‘-port’, from the Latin root, meaning ‘to carry’? Which words come to mind? Import, export, support, deport…

Latin Roots in Modern Languages

In a similar way to the prefixes and suffixes, a knowledge of Latin can help us decipher words in other modern languages, especially the Romance languages, but not exclusively.

Take a look at the word ‘year’ in the following languages: Latin (annus), Italian (un anno), Spanish (año), French (l’année / l’an), Portuguese (un an). Are you noticing a pattern?
And the word ‘wine’: Latin (vinum), Italian (il vino), Spanish (el vino), French (le vin), Portuguese (o vinho), Romainian (vin), Russian (вино, vino), Czech (víno), Lithuanian (vynas), Estonian (veini), Norwegian (vin).

A Useful Tool For Digging Deeper

Latin came in very handy when I started studying Russian at university, not only because some Russian words also find their roots in Latin, but mainly because of the grammatical case system that Russian and Latin both share. Nouns in Latin have seven cases, and in Russian, they have six. The concept of the nominative, accusative, genitive and dative cases – ‘the whaaht now?’ you might be thinking – enabled me to understand which noun endings follow which verbs in Russian as I had already learned these alien concepts a few years back when studying Latin. If you read or study literature in any language, Latin can also help you to unpack the meaning of longer, complicated words, and give more depth to the text when you analyse the choice of the author’s words.

Latin can help unlock modern foreign languages as well as expand your English vocabulary and understanding of English culture and literature. If you want to dive into this subject a bit more, why not book a language lesson with Dialogue today? You won’t regret it!

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Why the ATC Awards’ recognition beats tinned pineapple – and why YOU should care

Robert Shimwell — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 13:15:00 +0000

Drum roll. “And the ATC Awards for Best Project Manager and Best New Company go to…”

I’ve never won anything in my entire life – nothing, nada, niente! Apart from a tin of pineapple at a school fete too many moons ago. So, you can imagine my delight when Dialogue scooped two of the ATC (Association of Translation Companies) Awards at their Annual Awards event on 21^st September. As I proudly cradled the trophy on the way home, I mused over what ATC recognition actually means; not just to Dialogue but to our clients as well.

Fantastically organised by the ATC’s CEO Raisa McNab and team, the awards evening brought together some of the leading and most respected translation companies in the UK, recognising some of them for key achievements and merits.

They certainly put us through a rigorous qualification process, scrutinising our quality management system, client approach/feedback, recruitment and ethics amongst other things – and the awards we received recognised all of this.

Talking shop with other ATC members in the hall it struck me that the association really does represent the crème-de-la-crème of the industry; leading innovators and tech-savvy, client-orientated providers. Both our Translation Manager (Best PM), Dan Thomas, and I felt privileged to be amongst them. Check out what the ATC had to say about us here.

Whatever business you’re in, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the value of your work and ethics being recognised by your own professional standards body. With the ATC it’s not just a box-ticking exercise. Almost 50 years old and with over 200 members, the ATC has established itself today as a significant stamp of translation quality.

Why is the ATC seal important for translation buyers?

Quality is King! One mistranslation can cost you clients and reputation.

Parkers Pens lost its appeal in Spain when assuring new customers that their product wouldn’t get them pregnant! An unfortunate (and ironic) mistranslation of ‘embarrass’ into Spanish from the original slogan “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you”.

So, if you suddenly find yourself in need of a translation partner, it’s worth taking the time to find the right one. Don’t be tempted to opt for the cheapest – it’s often likely to end up costing you more.

If you’re struggling to choose one of the 1,200 UK-based translation companies, looking out for the ATC-stamp should whittle it down to a reliable 16%. You can be assured of:

1) Quality:

The ATC assesses applicants’ full quality management system, ISO-certification, QA processes, linguistic competence and feedback process. If quality is key to you this is a big tick. It now even offers its own ISO-certification programme to boot, certifying companies on specific specialisms from post-editing machine translation through to legal translations.

2) Code of conduct – ethics:

All ATC members need to adhere to a strict code of professional practice. If it matters that you will be treated fairly and the wool won’t be pulled over your eyes – let this reassure you.

3) Customer service:

They also check over T&Cs, contracts and NDAs in place as well as scrutinise feedback from key clients to ensure members exhibit a reliable, legally watertight and customer-focused approach.

4) Partnership-approach:

Although this isn’t a given, certainly many of the companies I met, us included, strive not to take a conveyor-belt approach to translation service provision. Instead, we take the time to understand your business and challenges and establish an approach that works for you individually.

If you care about getting it right and you’re looking for an ATC-translation company that will take time to understand your needs, why not call us on + 44 1865 596980 or email us at solutions@dialogueuk.com?

Blog by Cathy Branson - Business Development & Marketing Director at Dialogue

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The Language of Our Time

Robert Shimwell — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:33:17 +0000

There are over 7,000 languages spoken world-wide, at least half of the world’s population are bilingual and countless words are being added to dictionaries across the world every year. Language is alive! Here at Dialogue, we work with over 200 languages and our in-house team are proud to be able to speak an impressive 8 different languages from Italian to Polish, German to Russian!

Language is constantly evolving. Did you know that last year alone, over 3,000 words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary? Here are some of my favourites from 2022:

Fluffernutter

For all the people with a sweet tooth out there, this is a very American snack made by mixing peanut butter (of course) and marshmallow spread between two slices of white bread. Yum…

Dine-and-dasher

You can probably guess this one; a person who dines in a restaurant then dashes off without paying the bill. Anyone come to mind?

Birdo

Not a weirdo, a birdo. Aka, my mum – an avid birdwatcher. I was once woken up by my mum at 5am and dragged out of bed to go and see this rare bird she’d spotted in the garden. By the time I got downstairs, I could only see a couple of pigeons…

Doomscrolling

Something I think I have mastered over the last two years in particular. It’s the art of endlessly scrolling through depressing news stories online and constantly checking for updates, despite knowing that any new news isn’t going to be good news.

That last new entry is a real sign of the times we live in. Language is ever evolving and adapting to keep up with these changing times. So many words were added to the dictionary during the pandemic that just weren’t a thing before 2020: lateral flows, antivaxxer, super-spreader, coronacoaster. Likewise, other words resurfaced or grew in popularity: a staycation, self-isolation and hydroxychloroquine – the latter brought back into use thanks to a certain US ex-president.

At Dialogue, we are also committed to changing with the times. We are now working remotely, using the latest translation technology, launching our very-own online-learning platform (Kudos – check it out!) and branching out into transcreation. It’s safe to say that Dialogue has a growth mindset; we adapt the way we work to make our business more effective and our clients all the more satisfied. One of our company’s values is that learning is for life – if you don’t move forwards, you fall behind.

How we can help you at Dialogue

That’s why you can be sure to entrust us with your translation and training needs. In all of our work, we go the extra mile to make sure that our services meet your requirements, even if that means taking a brand-new approach to the task at hand. We are not a one-size-fits-all company, and we aim to establish a conversation – communication on a level playing field. Our excellent team of linguists will work with you to pick out just the right words for your translation and ensure that you reach the correct target audience, taking into account different language varieties.

Fun fact – Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese are more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian! So, if you want a consultation on how to tap into the current global market, you need help localising your translation or discerning whether to translate into German or Swiss German or one of 20 Arabic dialects, then give us a call – we’d be happy to help!

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