How can you ensure
accurate translations? The last thing you want to do is spend
your hard-earned, over-taxed dollars on a translation device and
then be frustrated in your efforts to communicate with someone
who speaks another language. Three
old saws come into play, here:
- You get what you pay for.
- Use the right tool for the job.
- Garbage in, garbage out.
You get what you pay for.
We sell a range of translators, for most
languages. You can find cheaper models elsewhere. We don't sell
any low-end models. Why? Because low-end models nearly always
disappoint those who buy them. They lack the features,
usability, vocabulary, and quality to provide effective
communication and reliable service.
Our
TL-2 and
800-series translators offer huge
vocabularies and some very impressive features. Click the
links to see what these are.
Use the right tool for the job.
The better the unit, the more
communication power you have. It's that simple. A bigger hammer
breaks rocks faster. Don't use a mid-range or low-end unit for high-end
tasks. If you need to communicate with your employees, with a
potential mate from another country, with an adopted child from
another country, and so on--you need the biggest hammer
you can get.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Effective translation sometimes
requires people to speak and write in ways they are not used
to. Most Americans have rejected Standard Written English (SWE)
in favor of a less structured way of using words. When
translated into another language, the result can be gobbledegook.
It's often that way in English, which is why there are so many
misunderstandings. But compound that with translation and you
really have a mess.
For example, most
Americans misuse the word "only," by placing it in
the wrong place in a sentence. If you will observe where
"only" appears when people speak and write, you will
find they are nearly always saying something other than what
they mean.
This is only one example of the complexity involved
in translation--even with a live person. An electronic device can't possibly
second guess you and try to figure out what you mean vs. what
you are saying. It doesn't have the
context. This same factor is why e-mails are so widely
misunderstood. English speakers rely more on context and other
factors than sentence construction to convey meaning.
It's the old "garbage in / garbage out"
rule catching up to you.
While sloppy speech may work fine within a
given culture--and that's debatable because misunderstandings
are so common--it completely undermines communication when
translating between languages.
Unnecessary words can also undermine the
effectiveness of your translation. For example, adverbs and
adjectives seldom add meaning but do add complexity. Does it
make any difference if something is "really large" or "large?"
Is it more clear to say, "Turn there in order to enter the
restaurant" or "Turn there to enter the restaurant?"
So if you want to communicate accurately,
do this:
- Buy the best unit available. That would
be an
iTravl or
900-series translator.
- Give it "good English" to translate
into the target language. Simply be a bit careful, and the
other person will understand you accurately.
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