GoiHata Translation Services

www.goihata.com
Dictionaries tell us that a Freelancer is one who pursues a profession under no long-term contractual commitments to any one employer or company. They are on their own to find work, negotiate the terms and compensation for that work, and deliver the work to the satisfaction of the paying client. Related terms are independent contractor, consultant, and vendor. Most of us in the translation industry enjoy the freedom, independence and absolute command of our business affairs.
It is very important to be true and honest when you play your professional role to stand out from the rest. We must feel and be truly unique and well prepared and on top of it enjoy what we do: that renders great benefits, both professionally and personally. We have qualities or characteristics that distinguish us from our competitors and colleagues and we have very special personal traits that are worth mentioning to boost our reputation in this career.
It is also essential to build online presence and make yourself noticed to reach potential customers requiring your services. You have to be where people can see you so that they become familiar with your name and the way you work. And the very famous “word-of-mouth” marketing, really works: satisfied customers, in a way work as your sales agents, telling partners and aquaintances that your work is excellent value. Thus, you start building a good portfolio as your professional reputation grows.
You must keep up with technology as well; this is a key issue as those who evolve are the ones who survive, especially in this area. Study; keep on learning and researching to be always on top.

Whenever possible try to join a Translator’s Association or Directory in your country or abroad to get exposure and enhance your practice, as you are backed up and get spotlight benefits. Feel confident and pursue your goals of expansion and stability. This is a wonderful profession!

Paulina Torres De Witt
www.goihata.com

www.goihata.com
Whether you are a translator or an aspiring one, I’m sure you must have heard thousands of times about the evolution of language and how it changes with time. I myself have been living and breathing the English language for over twenty years now, but how quickly some words enter the mainstream English lexicon still amazes me, especially loan words. The use of words borrowed from other languages seems to be one of the latest trends today and little by little it is conquering the journalism and publishing worlds.

That is why a reporter might write about, “the ‘it’ girl of the moment dining alfresco with his beau on a balcony overlooking the sea,” or, “the famous Hollywood couple enjoying some drinks at a trendy brasserie.” Of course you and me can dine outdoors or hang out with our boyfriends, but God forbid these mundane words should ever be associated with the rich and famous! And I wouldn’t mind having a drink at a bar like the rest of the world. What about you?

Of course loan words are used for their prestige value and because they add an air of sophistication to the text. And that is exactly why they often pose a special problem in translation. What are we translators supposed to do then? Do we keep the French or Italian versions of these words in our translations so that they can have a similar impact on the target readers? Or do we replace them with their “simpler” counterparts and risk losing the eccentric flair they are supposed to render? And, most importantly, in case we replaced them, wouldn’t we be missing the whole point of language evolution and ignoring a language trend altogether?

After all, a farewell fête is not the same as a farewell party just because they aren’t equally sophisticated. They also differ significantly: the first one belongs to the modern language of today, and the other one doesn’t. And that is why a trendsetting teenager would probably say that his favourite actor is über-talented, since super-talented is “so yesterday.” And, once again, a journalist might report on some juicy gossip and say that “the famous singer went out clubbing sans his girlfriend,” as if using a simple without were not enough.

It is hard to keep up with new trends. Right?
Clarisa Attademo
www.goihata.com

- www.goihata.com
Have you ever felt you missed out on a joke even though you understood every single word of it?

Have you ever felt lost in translation?

When I was younger I used to believe that learning a foreign language was not a difficult task. Words could be memorized, I thought. I remember thinking that one day there would be no more tenses to learn and that sooner or later I would be done with grammar. Boy, was I naive! The truth is that mastering a foreign language is actually an incredibly complex task. A language is not just reduced to dictionaries and grammar books. There is much more to it than that. Mastering a foreign language is getting to know every little aspect of it. It is understanding all its nuances and subtleties. So, probably you heard someone tell a joke and you didn’t get it. Well, the truth is that in order to understand a foreign language you have to be open and embrace its culture as well. Cultural differences, for example, play a big part in understanding jokes. And so do idioms and collocations, which might sometimes get a non-native speaker quite confused. That’s why a native speaker of English won’t have problems understanding the meaning behind “101.” And when his high school buddy didn’t mince his words and told him, “You’re in desperate need of a crash course in Dating 101,” he immediately understood what his friend was getting at. He soon got the idea that he needed to know the basics of high school dating as quickly as he could. A set of simple rules he should follow in order to get a date.

Mastering a language is much more than words, or numbers for that matter. Is is being able to see through cultural differences, to grasp the meaning of idioms and collocations and the contexts they are used. So, whenever you feel you’ve missed out on a joke, try to see what’s beyond the surface, try to see if there’s something more.

Clarisa Attademo
- www.goihata.com