The Trouble With Idioms – Linking Ideas
When You Get the 'Dangerously Bad' and Rarely the 'Possibly Good' Linking Ideas As translators, we've all faced the frustration and befuddlement of running into a cluster of words whose…
The Devil is in the Details – How This Rule of Thumb Applies to Translations
The Devil is in the details and failure to pay attention to them can lead to a completely inaccurate interpretation. Almost everyone would agree it makes sense to pay attention…
When it Comes to Translation, Not All That Glitters is Standard English.
When It Comes To Translations… Sometimes people use the Internet as a virtual lamp post or telephone pole for posting all kinds of notices. This isn't to say you can't…
O Preço Que Você Cobra Por Palavra é Irrisório Ou Justo?
Você está satisfeito com o preço máximo que você consegue praticar no mercado de tradução? O preço que você cobra por palavra é irrisório ou justo? Não são poucos os…
Your Directory Tree – Neat and Tidy or a Jumbled Mess?
WHAT DOES YOUR DIRECTORY TREE LOOK LIKE? Okay, we want you to think of a tree and what it looks like. Let's focus on its main parts. roots, trunk, and…
Numbers Don't Lie – How to Slash the Time Spent on Searches
Fake is a Deliberate Misrepresentation of Facts. Over the past few years we've heard a lot about 'fake news', 'fake stories', 'alternative facts', and so on. Admittedly, while we all…
When 'FROM' and 'OF' Part Company
English Prepositions… Oh, Them! It comes as no surprise to anyone who works with languages that there are some words in Portuguese for which we can't find exact matches in…
WORD ORDER – WHEN IT STARTS AT THE END… OR FROM THE MIDDLE
Will Your Client Have a Hard Time Understanding Your Translation? We've established that translating is a technical skill, but more than that, it's an art. Every translator needs to have…
There's No Shame In Asking For Help!
Need Help With a Term? Don't Be Too Proud To Ask! We translators have every reason to take pride in our profession and in the quality of work we strive…
The Effects of a Word-for-Word Translation
Beware of 'Ad Pedem Litterae' The Latin expression 'ad pedem litterae' literally means 'to the foot of the letter', which is closest in meaning to the English expression 'to…