Dragoman Transcreation

What is a certified translation?

Dragoman offices can provide certified, notarized and apostilled translations in many regions and languages of the world. However, many government and private institutions prefer the translations to be performed or reviewed by translators holding either an ITI or CIOL certification.

Interpreting at the UN Week

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opens every year on the third Tuesday of September. If you are attending or organizing an event in New York during the UN week, make sure to book your interpreters and interpreting equipment well on advance.

I Am Professional, But Am I Detached?

Every now and then, we receive a translation content that sends us down the emotional roller-coaster. Like I said, a good professional is to be able to detach from the content and simply do their job.

Four Tips for Navigating the Immigration Process

Immigrating to a new country is a major undertaking. You’ll have to go through an extensive legal process in order to earn the right to work and live in the country of your choice. These tips will help you overcome common obstacles for new immigrants. Dragoman Language Solutions offers expert translation services tailored to your needs at every step of your immigration journey.

How Dragoman Localizes Your Website Content

In the post-pandemic world, going digital goes beyond country borders. A big part of expanding a business internationally is to ensure that you are understood other markets and cultures. Website localization includes many levels of adaptation from content and graphics to navigation and compatibility. In this post, I will focus on content transcreation, which [...]

Microsoft Teams Adds Language Interpretation

It is possible to enable language interpretation on your Microsoft Teams account. Having an option to enable interpretation and invite a professional conference interpreter to their meeting will make event organizations much easier.

frequency response

Frequency response is the quantitative measure of the output spectrum of a system or device in response to a stimulus, and is used to characterise the dynamics of the system. That would require a uniform (flat) magnitude of response up to the bandwidth limitation of the system, with the signal delayed by precisely the same amount of time at all frequencies.

Can you hear me? Yes, but I cannot translate this!

Using the right microphone is essential when joining an online meeting for two main reasons: your voice will be heard clearly and the conference interpreters can translate your speech with ease. You may be hearing your colleague but still the sound quality may not be high enough for simultaneous interpreting.

Health and efficiency benefits of using infoport systems for interpreting

Infoport or simulport is a mobile interpreting system that one can easily carry in a tiny case and use for simultaneous interpreting to a small group of people, typically for short durations. Please feel free to drop us an email and we will be happy to discuss your particular use case to understand whether an infoport suits your needs or perhaps you may go for a full ISO standard interpreting booth and sound equipment.

medical terms

Medical terminology is language that is used to accurately describe the human body and associated components, conditions, processes and procedures in a science-based manner. Some examples are: R.I.C.E., trapezius, and latissimus dorsi. It is to be used in the medical and nursing fields. This systematic approach to word building and term comprehension is based on [...]

How to write correctly Kiev or Kyiv?

Given the popular hashtag #kyivnotkiev, Ukrainians want to use Kyiv. Kiev is closer to Russian pronunciation and it is a remnant of the Soviet past. Kyiv sounds more Ukrainian. Ukraine is a sovereign state and it is their utmost right to name, call and ask the world to call their capital city the way they [...]

Choosing the right microphone for your Zoom and Webex meetings

Many people assume that they can directly speak to their laptop when they are in a Zoom meeting and it may be good enough for a personal gathering among friends. However, choosing the right microphone makes a huge difference during professional meetings, especially when simultaneous interpreters are used. Wireless or Wired? They look cool but [...]

Some notes on subject-verb agreement

Feeling conflicted about choosing a singular or plural verb for a tricky subject? Well, we all have been there. The subject-verb agreement may sometimes be confusing, even for native speakers. First, you should remember that it is the subject that determines the number of the verb. For example, look at this sentence: All anyone wanted [...]

How to setup interpreters for hybrid meetings

Hybrid meeting (event) is a broad definition and rather vague. It may mean connecting a small board meeting to online attendees via webcam and desktop sound system. Or it can refer to HD cameras, professional video crew, delegate microphones in front of every speaker and onsite headsets to transmit different languages. Interpreter may join onsite [...]

Cisco Webex and Simultaneous Interpretation

Finally Cisco Webex launched its interpretation feature. It is currently available on limited clusters and soon will be rolled out to the entire Webex users. To enable simultaneous interpretation, you need to login to your admin panel and toggle the slide bar to right. You can choose to add as many languages as you wish [...]

Searching the web — the golden rule of translation

What makes a good translation? You probably heard this question in your introductory translation class or read it in the first few pages of the book you decided to buy to help you acclimate to the industry. A classic (yet still the most popular) answer is having a native/near-native command of the source and target [...]

Be careful about your hyphen

Hyphen use has been largely a matter of personal preference. The lack of definitive answers to hyphenation might create confusion, especially for non-native speakers and new writers. However, we, fortunately, have general guidance from the AP Stylebook on how to use hyphens. You should primarily use hyphens to clarify meaning or produce a single idea from [...]

Episode 7 - Do we need a Ferrari

Do you need a Ferrari or a bike to get from A to B? It is you to decide.

Episode 6 - A new era for Translators

A new era for translators is coming or has already come. Roles and tasks are changing. New skill sets are required.

Episode 5 - How can we manage the Tsunami

The tsunami of artificial intelligence is unprecedented. How can translators, translation agencies and academia manage this tsunami?

Episode 4 - Art of Machine Translation

There is so much hype around machine translation and language AI. Here is Taia's angle on machine translation. And they call it an art.

Episode 3 - Secret of a Successful Translation Agency

Simplicty, saving time, visibility and eliminating manual tasks are the secrets of a successful, modern translation agency.

Episode 2 - How Taia works

Second episode of Umit - Matia interview. Listen and discover what makes Taia unique among other localization platforms.

How not to use a relative clause

One of the key elements of writing well is to understand the use of relative clauses. For non-native speakers, and especially for my fellow Turkish colleagues, abuse of relative clauses is common and easy to overcome mistake. Please do not take me wrong, I am not suggesting that relative clauses are totally useless and therefore one must never use them. I am only trying to show you how to reduce them. Here is an example from Izmir Train – the IZBAN. […]

Decimals and commas – Dragoman Style

Use decimals and commas for English figures as follows: General Figures: 22,500 people, 1.5 million cars, 42.8 square meters Money figures: $4,564.54, $4.5 million, 5.67 billion Turkish lira Percents: 43.8 percent, 43.8% Note: Decimals and commas in Turkish figures are reversed; use the English format.   Source Dragoman Style Guide for Figures

Spell out Acronyms and Abbreviations on First Reference

The AP Stylebook cautions against using abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize, and Dragoman prefers spelling out acronyms and abbreviations on first reference. Incorrect: The CBRT‘s latest interest rate hike, the third this year, drew a muted response from international investors. Correct:     The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey‘s (CBRT) latest interest rate hike, the third this year, drew a muted response from international investors. Correct:     A top...

Decades and Centuries – Dragoman Style

1. Use figures for decades: the 1990s, the ’90s, the mid-1990s. 2. Use an apostrophe before the decade if abbreviated as in the ’80s, the turbulent ’60s. 3. Spell out the decade when used at the beginning of a sentence: Nineteen-eighties business models are no longer sufficient. 4. Follow the “less than 10” as in the fifth century, the 15th century, mid-eighth century, mid-12th century, ninth-century literature, 17th-century poets. 5. B.C. follows the year or century as in 88 B.C. […]

Avoid artificial superlatives

The following text is taken verbatim from the book, 300 Days of Better Writing: A daily handbook for improving your writing written by David Bowman (2010) “Artificial superlatives are words like really, super, and very. People use them in an attempt to get the reader excited about some idea or topic. Consider these sentences. “The Broncos are really great. They are having a very good year.” The problem is that these words don’t actually add anything to the meaning. For […]

Umit interviews Matija Kovac of Taia - Episode 1

Matija talks about Taia's success story, growth challenges and how to balance.

Tricks to effectively learn foreign language

We got used to think that some people were just born with an ability to learn languages and for some, it is just not their cup of tea. Human`s brain may surprise you very much and if you decide on learning to do something or to learn a foreign language, because this is what this post is going to be about, there is nothing what could possibly stop you from doing so unless it is you. How you might ask? […]

simultele

If you subscribe for this service, you can reach qualified interpreters in over 100 languages within 20 seconds. You can have both video and audio calls with your patients, clients and counterparts.

Future of interpreting – A review after 12-months lockdown

This article was originally published on Linked In. A year ago, 90% of all interpreting jobs were lost on this planet. Agencies were reporting losses in tens of millions of dollars. Now we are talking about the new normal, RSI (remote simultaneous interpreting) and VRI (video remote interpreting) have become a daily routine. What is going to happen next? Interpreting (consecutively) for government agencies, public services, immigration centers and hospitals will continue growing. The current ...

How to ace business meetings with international participants

In this episode of our video cast, I interviewed Sean Hopwood of Day Translations, Inc. Sean generously shared his wisdom on remote work, people, engagement and success drivers of online meetings. Sean Hopwood, CEO, Day Translations Sean Hopwood is the CEO of Day Translations, a thriving translation and localization company operating in over 100+ languages worldwide. He built it from scratch by going door to door asking people if they required translations, and today he has a fully remote ...

Simultaneous interpreting on Cisco Webex Legislate

The legacy trusted corporate conferencing platform Webex finally unveils its interpreting addon. Starting from December 2020, Webex Legislate, a seperate Coscio product for parliaments, legislatures, courts and international organizations, began offering simultaneous interpreting capabilities. We met with Cisco product managers online and reviewed some of the available use cases. The current product is a very nice, secure package. It is highly customizable. Interpretation is performed in virt...

Titlovanje i sinhronizacija

Dragoman pruža usluge titlovanja velikim medijskim kucama, odjeljenjima za korporativnu komunikaciju  i PR agencijama. Tursko tržište titlovanja je u velikom usponu, naročito zbog prisutnosti Netflix-a na trzistu. Mnogi pružaoci OTT usluga su zainteresovani za ulazak na tursko medijsko tržište. Takođe, turske serije postaju sve vise popularne i to ne samo na području Bliskog Istoka i [...]

Online simultaneous interpretation on Zoom

Onlajn simultani prevod putem ZOOM-a

Dragoman je vodeća prevodilačka agencija za potrebe prevođenja Zoom sastanaka i vebinara bilo kojih razmjera i bilo kojih jezičkih kombinacija. Nudimo vam usluge nekih od najboljih konferencijskih prevodilaca iz cijelog svijeta a pokrivamo preko 100 svijetskih jezika. Ne samo da kontinuirano testiramo i provjeravamo naše prevodioce u pogledu iskustva i prevodilačkih vještina već testiramo i [...]

Translating disabilities

According to the AP Stylebook and several other guides, when writing about people with disabilities; Avoid using terms such as “handicapped” or “cripple.” Clearly define the type of disability if you can. If this is not possible, you can use “people with disabilities” or “disabled people.” Example: Inappropriate: Services for the handicapped and their families Use: Services for people with disabilities and their families   Avoid language that suggests pity such as “suffer from”, “afflicted wi...

How to become a citizen in Montenegro

Montenegro passport gives you visa-free access to over 120 countries including the Schengen zone. There are three ways to become a Montenegro citizen: By employment or business ownership: Takes 10 years By marriage: Takes five years By investment: Takes three – six months Business option: Montenegro gives temporary residence permits so easily but not the citizenship. If you start a business in Montenegro or employed by a Montenegrin company, the passport police gives you a temporary residence...

THE BEST ENGLISH-TURKISH MACHINE TRANSLATION MODEL EVER

SYSTRAN & DRAGOMAN LANGUAGE SERVICES LAUNCH THE BEST ENGLISH-TURKISH MACHINE TRANSLATION MODEL EVER MADE Paris, July 1st, 2020: SYSTRAN, leader in advanced machine translation solutions, announces the release of the best English to Turkish neural machine translation model ever built. The model has been trained with data from a trusted translation company in Turkey: Dragoman Language solutions. With the launch of SYSTRAN Marketplace, SYSTRAN opened their proprietary translation technology deve...

Zoom Weddings

Given the pandemic conditions, we all observe physical distancing rules. There are flight restrictions and many other local lockdown measures. World’s newest household brand Zoom is also becoming popular in online wedding ceremonies. Do we organize your wedding? No, you organize your wedding and we help you transform it into a Zoom Wedding. Now, if you are preparing for a transnational marriage, we are here to help. Our interpreters join the ceremony via Zoom and translate everything live for...

Events, conferences and simultaneous interpreting in the new normal

Online meetings and video conferences were less than 3% of the entire conference industry until only a few months ago. Starting from March and with the global lockdown measures, on-site interpreting was literally obliterated. We found ourselves in an almost 100% remote video format. It is impossible to know what the event industry look like once the pandemic is over, but it is safe to assume that the share of online meetings will not go back to 3%, it will […]

Use a comma after introductory adverbial phrases

The following text is taken verbatim from the book, 300 Days of Better Writing: A daily handbook for improving your writing written by David Bowman (2010) “An introductory adverbial phrase is a phrase at the beginning of the sentence that tells something about the main verb, such as when it occurred, how, or to what degree. Consider this sentence. “After reading the newspaper, John felt relaxed.” The phrase “after reading the newspaper” tells when John felt relaxed. This phrase is an introduc...

US English: Place ending punctuation inside the quotation marks

The following text is taken verbatim from the book, 300 Days of Better Writing: A daily handbook for improving your writing written by David Bowman (2010) “(Note to our friends in Great Britain: reverse the tip in the next paragraph, and you will probably do fine.) When providing a direct quote or using quotation marks to indicate that you are writing about a word or phrase, the comma or period that ends the phrase or sentence should be placed inside […]

Percentage vs. Percentage Point

A percentage point or percent point is the unit for the arithmetic difference of two percentages. For example, moving up from 20% to 42% is a 22-percentage point increase, but is a 110 percent increase in what is being measured. Let’s see this with an example: Source Text:                         Trump’s job approval has risen from 44 percent on March 16 by 5 percentage points to 49 percent nine days later on […]

Drop That That

Using too many ‘thats’ will rob your sentences of their pace and spontaneity. This is especially true for verbs of speech or thought such as say, think, know and so on. Read or listen this example carefully: Bolton said that he will make a statement about the share repurchase plan on Monday. Better:    Bolton said he will make a statement about the share repurchase plan on Monday. But not all thats are the same. Although some thats sound superfluous, not all […]

Avoiding Long Sentences

Writing long sentences will alienate your readers and would even cost you your customers. Try to shorten your sentences whenever possible: Long:       The company will invest $2billion in a new semi-conductor manufacturing plant in San Jose, California, which will have living quarters for engineers, a school, a swimming pool and a  recreation center. Better:    The company will invest $2billion in a new semi-conductor manufacturing plant in San Jose, California. The plant will have living qua...

Remote simultaneous interpreting on Zoom video meetings and webinars

Zoom has become an essential part of our lives during the global lockdown. Families, friends, teachers, schools, government agencies and private corporations are using Zoom on a daily basis. For us, the interpreting agencies, Zoom offers another great possibility: remote language interpretation. If you have a paid Zoom account (minimum Pro account plus a webinar package), you can add simultaneous interpreting to your meetings in up to eight languages. Advanced settings of Zoom can be tricky a...

as – Misused Words

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word as Alternatives because Explanation “As” is sometimes used to mean “because.” But do not use it if there is any chance of ambiguity. In the example below, “as” could mean “because” or “when.” Example Avoid “We […]

while – Misused Words

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word while Alternatives although, whereas Explanation Avoid using “while” to mean “although” or “whereas” if there is any chance of ambiguity. In the example below, “while” could mean either “although” or “at the same time that.” Example […]