Translation vs Transcription

Copyright (c) 2009 Ajay Prasad

Spanish is the native language for approximately 340 million people in the world and one of the five most commonly spoken languages. Spanish-speaking Latin American nations are one of the emergent powers of the future with large-scale imports and exports to many nations. It will continue to gain importance as Latin American economies grow. Again, Spanish is a leading language in tourism, art, literature and business. Spain and Mexico are two of the most visited countries in the world. From this, you can imagine the number of tourist guides, websites, hotel brochures and other documents needs to be translated into Spanish.

Spanish is often the first choice for companies that are expanding their marketing to foreign language speakers. Translation is an effective way to reach millions of people. The Spanish-speaking population is one of the fastest growing segments in the world, especially in the United States. The Spanish- speaking segment constitutes a huge community that shares products, services, culture offering businesses and institutions a truly unique growth opportunity. This is especially in United States, where the Hispanic population has recently become the largest minority in the country.

Spanish translation can be from Spanish to Spanish or from any foreign languages to Spanish. The Spanish language spread widely everywhere and today people speak Spanish in Europe, Asia, North and South America. Naturally, these regions developed their own variations and that's why the Spanish spoken in Miami is different from that of Spain. These distinctions explain why you have to work with different translators in different parts of the world to provide correct nuance of language.

The purest form of Spanish is called Castilian, the original dialect. Spanish vocabulary is basically of Latin origin, though like British and American English, there are differences in vocabulary in different parts of Spain. There are numerous particularities and idiomatic expressions with Spanish or Castilian. In Spanish, there are question and exclamation marks, which appears right at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. Capitalization occurs only at the beginning of the sentence and for proper nouns, not for days, months, years, languages etc. This written form of dialect is standard for broadcast, media and print.

Most of English speaking countries are Spain's important business partners. Therefore, the English Spanish translation is a necessity for companies trading with Spain. A large number of English documents required to be translated in Spanish, as Latin American countries are becoming commercial business partners worldwide.

A variety of documents needs to be translated into Spanish in different industries like-
1. Advertising and marketing
2. Automotive
3. E business
4. E-learning
5. Finance
6. Legal
7. Media and entertainment
8. Travel and Tourism

Translation tips

1. Don't simply interpret the word, 'feel' the intention for whom you are translating.
2. Use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation for the highest quality translations.
3. After translated, proofread the document by an expert before sending.
4. Translators should be a native to that place only, so that they can do a proper justice while translating.

For this, you can take help from an online dictionary or a translating machine. Online Spanish dictionary provides thorough and current definitions, new vocabulary and word borrowings from other languages much like translating machines.

The rate of translation into Spanish varies according to the nuance of language you wish. That means if a translator has to perform a lot of research, translation will take more time and naturally, more rate.

Difference between Translation and transcription

Translation is the action of interpretation of the meaning of a text and subsequent production of an equivalent text that communicates the same message in another language. Spanish translation involves listening to an audio or video tape in Spanish language and producing an English translation or vice versa.

Transcription, on the other hand, is the conversion of a spoken source into written or printed format in the same language. The Spanish transcription is generally done by a Spanish person, while translation by an English speaker translating into English.

Spanish translation is more than just putting words into another language; it requires an understanding of the information being translated, so that the spirit, meaning, tone and style of the communication are preserved, While Spanish transcription requires a good listening skill, understanding of the subject matter and ability to write the same information in the same language.

To perform Spanish transcription and translation, one has to listen and write down the content in the language in which it is presented. Then translate it to the target language required.

Spanish translations of official documents, such as driver's licenses, birth/death certificates and school or university transcripts for submission to govt. offices require certification. That means the translator must be certified by the certifying body of the province in which the document will be submitted. Translation should ensure localization, clarity and overall cohesion of message for the target audience. Whether you need to transcribe interviews, focus groups, depositions or conferences, the goal is the same-conversion of audio into text format.

Online dictionaries are now available to translate English words into Spanish languages and vice versa. In English to Spanish translation, machine translation can help certainly with specific words and some phrases in the same way as an online dictionary, but it is not yet powerful enough to cope with all kinds of translation. A computer cannot think the way a human editor can do; the 'feel' will not be there.