Wednesday 30 December 2020

Translating Marketing Content

 Marketing translation refers to the integration of text as well as the delivery of the right marketing message, considering the cultural preferences of the target audience. The process considers the proper adaptation of the style and language to the local culture, which means that the translator must also be aware of the specific culture of the local target. Marketers need to know what marketing translation is and how it works. To ensure that the marketing message is the same in any language as it is culturally suited to all target consumers, the organization thus must have to employ a professional translation service with extensive marketing translation experience. The way marketing materials are translated varies a little from standard translation. This is because the translator must find a way of communicating in one or more languages for the same business message.

 

This is important for your brand, as what appeals to one group in another country will not always appeal to the other. Your brand image would be affected if your content displeases people that speak a certain language. Translated websites are a commodity for sales teams in the marketplace and therefore help recruit local talents, partners, and dealers. B2B organizations benefit from the ongoing production of value and differentiation. To find results among new global customers, B2B marketers must broaden their content strategies to the international market. 

 

Types of Marketing Translations

Marketing translations go beyond a translated version of the company logo or tagline. One of the most frequently translated marketing materials, are:

• Billboards; (printed & online)

• Advertisements

• Brochure

• Mails and bulletins

• Media platforms;

• The website;

• Media

• Explanations of products

• Attributes to SEO

 

The possible loss of meaning and cultural adaptation can result in literal translation and therefore, marketing translations need a more sophisticated approach called trans creation. Language professionals need to dive deep into the cultural aspects of which the message will be displayed, ensuring that the key message remains conveyed even if words are different between the source (original piece) and destination text (newly translated work). Each of these pieces must be transcribed with special attention, taking carefully into account the nuances in each language. When insufficient attention is paid to transcreation, many companies faced a massive backlash. A critical mistake could prompt your brand to a marketing failure ranking. Multiple factors play an important role in creating materials that fulfil these demands, as words, images, tone, and style must work together.

 

 

1.      The Translation Value

One of the most effective and useful ways of building relationships and providing value is to communicate with international buyers in their preferred languages. However, companies do not need to build hundreds of assets from scratch to serve these buyers.

 

• Enhanced global customer confidence

• A consistent experience of brands across all markets

• In-market support for teams, distributors, and partners

• SEO advantages that increase the results of local searches

 

2.      A platform for new markets experimentation

Translation and location are different aspects of translation, although often treated synonymously. The conventional translation is what most people consider it to be: rewriting content in another dialect, easy to understand, and region-neutral. Localization goes beyond conversion word for word and uses words and sentences that are reflected in particular markets. Regional translations make it look more authentic and create more customer interest and commitment. Cultural elements such as the date and time formats and transactional elements such as currency can also include localization.

 

3.      Prioritize your Website

Your organization's website is the most valuable tool for localization. It is important to provide localizations with global market contact information, such as phone numbers, mailing addresses, and translation of legal requirements, if necessary, for local sales or support teams. it is important to translate assets across your corporate website to have a global digital impact.

 

4.      Reaching Global Customers Everywhere

Research suggests that potential customers should be exposed to your brand before they purchase. This means that you must use as many channels as possible to reach global clients anywhere and use localized Omnichannel assets to access them.

 

Global B2B brand marketing can boost more sales and more prospects through their multilingual online content and continue to engage more customers. Search for translation partners to help locate all your digital content to realize the full potential of your company in the international online market. The best ones can save customers' money by repurposing previously translated content for social media postings, e-mail content, and more, for example, materially translated for your website.

Monday 21 December 2020

What is Kotodama?

 In Japan, there is a popular myth about the spirit of language called Kotodama, the belief that a certain supernatural force inhabits the Japanese language. This ideology originally comes from ancient times as part of a Shinto ritual, but the concept has managed to survive through Japanese history, and the word kotodama is still frequently quoted in public discussion. The kotodama concept has a strong link with Japanese language identity and the kotodama narrative has been repeatedly redefined based on the non-linguistic factors surrounding Japan and the changing concept of "purity" in the language.

Historically, it is thought that Kotodama's belief dates back to the Nara period (710–794). It appears throughout the compilation of poems Manyoshu, in which the phrase "the land where Kotodama brings bliss" is used to define Japan. Its origins are found in Shinto, the animism religion of Japan. It is believed in Shinto that not only individuals but also animals and all items do have a soul. It is not unusual, in this sense, that words are also assumed to have a soul. In prehistoric times, the spells and incantations of the kami [Shinto divinities] have been seen as carrying some supernatural abilities, especially if they were spelled in a certain way. Shinto priests willingly avoided using words that came from Chinese, believing that kotodama lies only in the Japanese language of provenance.

Even within the recent era, kotodama has been connected to the notion of "pure" Japanese language as compared to other languages. This faith has political consequences that were particularly visible mostly during the Second World War. In our current era of globalization, kotodama is sometimes the argument used by people who feel that the Japanese language and culture are threatened by Western influences. Ideologies have been seen in other cultural regions similar to Kotodama. The Old Testament refers to the Holy Spirits, while in the New Testament such spirits are referred to as "Pneuma" in Greek. The term "pneuma" is derived from the verb "pneo" (to blow) and pertains to the breath of a powerful being. It's not recognized where the wind came from and where it's going. In particular, noise or sayings were assumed to have the effect of chasing away evil creatures or spirits. It was conducted at cultural events, festivities, or to get rid of evil spirits all over the globe. Examples of sound power include drum beats used in Shinto rituals and clarinets, bells, and synth used during county fairs.

Even the spiritual power of quotes was used as an invocation or authority of the emperor. Although there are, various versions of what the primary 'koto' is. For example, a few presumed that "truth is a great stone upon which church could be built," whereas others argued that if you seek out the truth, gaze at someone’s reflection in the mirror, and all must therefore be revealed," that the truth was something that could be understood or grasped; yet both suggested that the "koto" itself is not something that human beings can ever know. This varied significantly depending on culture, age, and individuals.

The multiculturalism of Japanese society goes hand in hand with the diversity of its vocabulary, as we've seen from the massive rise in Japanese borrowing words. At the very same time, although this increases the sense of uncertainty about Japan's cultural and linguistic identity. As a consequence, the old Kotodama myth was reinvented by the idea of a pure language as a means of manifesting Japanese linguistic identity. Kotodama has no fixed definition and begins to convert as Japanese society changes. It is questionable whether the Japanese still really believe mostly in the spiritual power of words the myth of linguistic purity continues in the minds of Japanese through the term kotodama.

Tuesday 15 December 2020

Basque language

 Basque (Euskara) is one of a multitude of non-Indo-European languages with a home in Continental Europe. These include Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Sami, and Maltese, the oldest European language still in use today, and is assumed to be a descendant of Aquitaine, an ancient language spoken around the Pyrenees, dating back as far back as 200 BC. The Basque folks have been isolated from the rest of Europe for thousands of years, mainly due to its dense forests and mountain ranges, and landforms. This is probably why, unlike the rest of the ancient European languages, the Basque language has survived. The Basques are assumed to have inhabited their present territory long before the Celts and the Romans invaded their lands. Their culture goes back to the Palaeolithic era, which makes their language the most ancient in Europe. The name Basque comes from the Latin 'foresters' Vascones. Vasconia was the Roman name for the western Pyrenees.

Basque spoken by 659,000 individuals in the Basque Country (Euskadi), an autonomous community in the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain, South-West France, and the autonomous society of Navarre in Spain. Basque is a statutory regional language in the Basque Country of Spain, where most Basque speakers also speak Castilian. It has no official recognition in the Basque Country of France, where many people speak French as well.

Dialectics

·         Guipuzcoan

·         Alto Navarro Septentrional (High Navarrese, Upper Navarran)

·         Alto Navarro Meridional, Biscayan (Vizcaino)

·         Roncalese

·         Avalan

·         Souletin spoken in France

All dialects, except Souletin, are mutually intelligible. Batua ('unified' in Basque) is the most widely used standardized dialect. It's educated in most schools and used in the mainstream press. It is typically referred to as the Basque Standard. Even though regional variants are sometimes favoured for oral communication, there is a deep desire to use the unified Batua standard.

Basque is not an Indo-European language and is not linked to any other known language spoken today. It is known as an isolated language, its roots are not in Latin, or in any other Romance or Germanic languages. Over the years, the Basque language has, of course, been impacted by the Romance language in terms of most of its vocabulary, but its framework and sentence structure are still entirely different.

The first book in Basque was published in 1545, although there are carvings in Basque dating back to the Roman period. There has been no standard orthography for centuries, and the Basque has been written with the Latin alphabet complemented by symbols that represent sounds not present in the Romance languages. In 1964, the Royal Basque Language Academy introduced a new standardized orthography, which is now uniformly used. Only 27% of the population in the Southern Province speak Basque.

Basque may be the language of the Basque Country, but less than half of the population speaks Basque. This is in comparison to some of Spain's other languages, such as Catalan, where some 73% of the population speaks it and around 95% understands it. There are approximately 800,000 Basque native speakers, although there are also a significant number of Basque native speakers in other parts of Europe as well as in the Americas due to migration.

First, before the Basque Country was becoming distant and outsiders arrived, people began to communicate in other languages, such as Spanish and French. Second, during the Franco regime (1939-1975), languages other than Spanish were severely suppressed. It was prohibited to speak Basque in schools and prohibited in the media, which led to a reduction in the number of individuals able to speak the language. However, efforts have been made in recent years to revive the language and encourage Basque-language learning, so that numbers are increasing.

It is said that the Basque language is very difficult to learn, and there is a myth that sometimes the Devil was trying to learn the language because that he could decide which of the Basques was going to Hell. After seven years of trying to learn, he finally gave up because he still couldn't understand!

Monday 7 December 2020

Does Language Play a Significant Role in Nursing?

 Language is the medium through which communication is both transmitted and received. To better understand and convey meaning, it is essential to analyse the philosophical underpinning of the conceptualization of the word. The factors of linguistic knowledge however are somewhat uncertain and eccentric. The language provides our human lifestyle with a unique combination of ways to communicate meaning and understanding in today's society. Language as a communication process dates back to Egyptian hieroglyphics and Greek mythology because it is through their heritage of language that their distinctive lifestyle and cultural identity are expressed to the citizens of the world today. It is the understanding conveyed by language that has the possibility of the nursing field to direct, teach, coordinate, and plan patient care.

In the field of nursing, language plays a powerful role in taking care of and educating patients.

In today's confrontational society, a good channel of communication between patients and nurses is essential. The significance of a standardized language is far-reaching and is not limited to the fact that it will benefit others. Several questions are arising from the adoption of a standardized language for nurses and its use in professional communication. Language should promote communication between health care providers and facilitate intervention in health facilities and environments. The language should also explain the results of nursing using a computer-ready coding system so that data analysis can be carried out at a later stage.

There is a lot to be done in developing a single standardized nursing language, but several works have been done in this regard. The International Classification for Nursing Practices (ICNP) (ICN, 2006) is an attempt by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) to establish a single language for nurses. ICPN is a terminology that maps different vocabulary, local terms, and classes.

Other languages developed for nurses include the Nursing Outcome Classification (NOC) and the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC). They are linked to other notable nursing languages such as the Omaha system, the NANDA nursing diagnosis, and the Oasis of Health Care. NIC has also been translated into nine different foreign languages, and NOC has been translated into seven foreign languages.

The main aim of having a common vocabulary is to make communication between nurses and other professionals easier. Other benefits associated with the nursing language include greater visibility of nursing arbitration, good patient care, better assessment of the outcomes of nursing care, an increase in health care standards, and an assessment of the competency of nurses. Communication plays an important role when it comes to taking care of individual patients. At times when patients are required to be transferred to another hospital, unit, or facility, the language is of great concern as the documents are to be checked by the nurses.

Nurses employed in the clinical areas of hospitals are involved in a variety of media in the effort to improve communication systems for team members. Major urban hospitals are supposed to use a computerized collection of data on the patient's bedside through palm top technology to record specific individual medical information. Other institutions in a rather sophisticated environment accept recording devices that incorporate computerized or written progress notation to inform and update the nursing team. This epitome in a ward, unit, or hospital provides nurses with a known communication language.

Standardized nursing languages are verified by the American Nurses Association (ANA) which manages the Nursing Data and Information Set Evaluation Center (NIDSEC). The ANA evaluates the language in terms of its phraseology and confidentiality.

Communication for the medical profession is a challenge as there are different requirements for specific situations. Nurses acknowledge that language helps facilitate clear agreement and hence significance. Elitist language, when communicating with other health professionals, does exist within specialized units, although it is difficult to determine where the commonality of the language ends and an elite language begins. Language has the power and authority to educate and communicate with patients while proving difficult in the context of international global nursing requirements. We can simply say that if the goal is to improve patient care, it is important to adopt a standardized nursing language.