Category: Curiosities
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Can Innovative Technology Replace Human Creativity in Transcreation?
We often get asked or sometimes it comes as a direct comment by those in and out of the language industry about whether or not AI is going to replace Barbier human linguists. And my answer remains an absolute no. Even though the language services world continues to see amazing technology tools that assist our…
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Stronger Together: Why Having A Great Team To Rely On Is Crucial For Successful Translation
At first, translation does not seem like much of a team effort. It is predominantly known as a solitary activity. It is an attractive job for introverts due to the idea of the typical translator who spends their day alone in their rooms, working on their assignments with a cup (or three) of coffee as…
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Decoding Presidents Day: Beyond Washington and Lincoln
Are you scratching your head, wondering why we’ve shifted from celebrating Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays separately to a single holiday called Presidents Day? Or maybe you never knew that about this! Once, February was all about honoring two of America’s greatest leaders: George Washington, the father of our nation, and Abraham Lincoln, the emancipator. Their…
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What Language Should I Learn?
A few weeks ago, I started thinking about a new language to learn. At Barbier, where we work with a diverse range of languages, and the daily exposure to linguistic diversity serves as a constant inspiration for learning more. And I realized that, as a professional translator, the decision to learn a new language sometimes…
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I am the only one who cringes when I hear the word “savage”?
Are we the only ones who cringe when we hear the word “savage?” We are not the politically correct police, but now that Gen Z is using it to mean “amazing,” “cold-blooded” or “wild”- sometimes in a positive light – it makes explaining our “cringiness” even more complicated. Many at Barbier grew up learning through…
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Overwhelmed with the constant tsunami of new English words?
With an average of 1,000 words officially accepted every year, the Language Service Industry braces for their tsunami impact both good and bad. I want to make the situation worse… At the rate that the English language is growing, maybe there’s a societal reason behind it. The Global Language Monitor states that we actually create an average of 5,400…
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Do idioms make you feel like an idiot?
Throughout many types of language services like interpreting, translating and language training, one of the most troublesome parts of serving our clients is handling idioms. The words “idiom” and “idiot” come from the same ancient Greek word “idios” which means “of one’s own” or “private.” According to a study by the Guardian, idioms were seen as a private expression, impossible to decode…
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6 books every translator should read
Reading is one of the cornerstones for the acquisition of knowledge. It is also one of the best skills we can obtain and will accompany us throughout our lives allowing us to understand the world and everything around us. Books also help us grow as professionals. Around the world the translation industry is in a constant state…
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The music and power of concentration while translating
The first things that can come to your mind when reading this title are how music and cognitive activity related. How important concentration is in the exercise of translation, and its close relation with empowering productivity. Concentration is considered the ability to have a selective focus on objects or activities without allowing elements foreign to it. On the…