TLC's Translation Blog

Teneo Linguistics Company Named Small Business of the Year

tlctranslation — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:13:01 +0000

Teneo Linguistics Company has received the 2011 Small Business of the Year Award from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce today. We are very excited to have been recognized and given this honor. Winners were selected from a field of 45 nominees, 28 applicants and 11 finalists. Criteria for the award are business growth and performance, sound business strategies and practices, customer service strategies, business challenges, unique and innovative approaches, and community involvement.

Press Release

Writing Help

tlctranslation — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:42:17 +0000

As the cliche goes, “English is a funny language” because of its often inscrutable structure. This month we bring you the first of a list of “interesting” words: for use in crossword solving, letter sprucing, and family stumping. Enjoy!

Schadenfreude: Sadistic pleasure derived from someone’s misfortune.

Porphyrophobia: Fear of the color purple.

Senescence: Growing old or aging.

Ichthyophagous: One that feeds on fish.

Syzygy: Linear alignment of 3 celestial bodies (the sun, the moon and the earth).

Stegophilist: A person who climbs buildings for the sake of fun.

Kexy: Dry and brittle.

Regime/Regimen/Regiment

tlctranslation — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:54:54 +0000

Some people insist that “regime” should be used only in reference to governments, and that people who say they are following a dietary regime should instead use “regimen”; but “regime” has been a synonym of “regimen” for over a century, and is widely accepted in that sense. However, “regiment” is an error in this sense. The only way you could follow a strict regiment would be to march behind a highly disciplined military unit. Your diet or exercise routine is not a “regiment.”

New Year’s Around the World

tlctranslation — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:23:15 +0000

Although a surprising number of countries ring in the New Year with midnight fireworks the same way we do here in America, the world is filled with unique New Year’s celebrations. Here are some of the traditions we found most unique:

Great Britain: The first male visitor to the house after midnight is supposed to bring good luck. The man brings a gift like money, bread, or coal, to ensure the family will have plenty of these in the year to come. The first person must not be blond, red-haired, or a woman, as these are supposed to be bad luck. In London, crowds gather in Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus to hear the chimes of London’s Big Ben as it announces the arrival of the New Year.

Hungary: In Hungary the people burn effigies, or a scapegoat known as “Jack Straw”. The scapegoat represents the evils and misfortunes of the past year. Burning the effigy is supposed to get rid of the bad luck.

Japan: Oshogatsu in an important time when all businesses are closed. To keep out evil spirits, a rope of straw is hung across the front of each house. The rope stands for happiness and good luck. When the New Year begins, the Japanese people begin to laugh, which is supposed to bring them good luck in the New Year.

Portugal: The Portuguese pick and eat twelve grapes from a bunch as the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve. The twelve grapes ensure twelve happy months in the coming year.

Russia: Grandfather Frost, who wears a blue suit instead of Santa’s red, arrives on New Year’s Eve with his bag of toys for the children.

Wales: At around 3:00 to 4:00 am on New Year’s morning, the boys of the village go from house to house with an evergreen twig to sprinkle on the people and then each room of their house, to bring good luck. On New Year’s Day the children travel the neighborhood singing songs are rewarded with coins and sweets.

Using Technology to Save Money

tlctranslation — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:21:11 +0000

What happens when a client wants to translate a document similar to one they have already had translated? What about one with several repetitions of the same few lines? If it seems silly to be charged full price for something that was already partially done, you are not alone in thinking so. Thanks to software currently available to translators (a good example of which is SDL Trados), work done once doesn’t have to be left to be done again. Computer assisted translation suites not only make it easier to translate in a line by line format, but also have translation memory, so repetitive lines only need to be translated (and paid for) once. Working with these programs can save thousands of dollars over time, and countless hours of precious translation time. In today’s competitive market, it’s no wonder that programs like Trados are becoming an industry standard among linguistic professionals.

Class is in session!

tlctranslation — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:44:21 +0000

Looking for a way to use your bilingual skills? Starting Tuesday, January 25th, Hana will be starting a Foreign Language Interpreting class through TCU Extended Education. The class will meet Tuesdays from 6:30-8:00 PM on campus and is a target language neutral, meaning it is open to speakers of English + ANY other language! This class has been a huge success in the past, and there is still time to sign up.

Click to sign up and get more information. See you there!

Who is Correct? Well, it Depends on Whom You Ask.

tlctranslation — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:43:07 +0000

Who and Whom. Brings back wonderful memories of high school grammar, doesn’t it? Often, choosing between the two pronouns is a guessing game, but recognizing the differences is easier than it seems. Who (or whoever) is always used as a subject, as in “Who stole the computer?” While whom (or whomever) is used as an object, as in “We want to know on whom the prank was pulled.”

An easy way to help you decipher is by substituting the who/whom for a different pair of pronouns, such as he/him. If the sentence makes sense with the word “he” such as “He stole the computer” then “who” is used. This same rule applies to substituting “him” and “whom,” since both words are object pronouns.

Is punctuation really that important?

tlctranslation — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:18:03 +0000

Ever since middle school, we’ve all been drilled with rules about usage, grammar, and punctuation. Having a sound understanding of these rules does miracles for making a writer sound educated and articulate, but are they really all needed to get a point across to an audience? We’re going to go with yes because clearly, punctuation saves lives.

A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Hang him, not release him.
Hang him not, release him.

Let’s eat grandma.
Let’s eat, grandma.

New Year’s Resolutions

tlctranslation — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:36:18 +0000

Americans seem to have a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. 44% of us make them, and less than 10% of us manage to keep them. The issue? We tend to make our resolutions because it’s what we think we should do, instead of what we want to be doing. As a result, we often lack the motivation and commitment to see our resolves through.

How about trying something new this year? Instead of telling yourself eat healthier, lose weight, stop smoking, etc., write yourself a list of commandments. Listen to what’s buzzing around in your brain, and think of ideas, as opposed to “rules” for yourself to live by. Not only is this a great alternative to the dreaded “Lose ten pounds” type resolutions, it’s an easy and fun way to do a little bit of soul searching.

Here are a few commandments to get you started.

Stay in touch
Forget the past
Go outside
Be generous
Enjoy the process
Feel the love
Enjoy simplicity
No complaints
Baby Steps

Five Things to Ponder at Christmas Time

tlctranslation — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:07:01 +0000

1. Why is it that everything Santa brought me was wrapped with paper we had in the house and had Sears price tags?

2. Why is it that when a package says Some Assembly Required it doesn’t say a PhD in engineering, and $400 in power tools are ALSO required?

3. If athletes get athletes feet, do soldiers get missile toe?

4. What is “nog” and what part of the egg does it come from?

5. Why don’t we get paid holidays for all twelve days of Christmas? And if there are 12 days, is the 1st day also the “2nd Day of Christmas” Eve?