Okular: how to work on PDF documents

Okular is a document viewer. The specific utility that I want to show you is that thanks to Okular you can work on documents in PDF format.

If you usually work with Linux, you can find the program and install it in the Software Manager.

Once you have installed the program, when you open it, you will see the following screen.

Now you can open the file that you want to work in clicking on "file" and looking for the document in your folder. I chose a legal translation text that talks about marriage contracts in German. This is an exercise that can be very helpful for translators, for example, to mark and remove vocabulary of a text and make notes or marks that later will help you for the translation.

In the top menu "tools" you will find the "review" function. When you press it, it will appear some tables on the left side of the document, that you have to select to make different marks on the text.

Among the functions that you can use, you can add notes to the document, highlight text and replace text, make freehand marks, underline text or make straight and different ways marks.

Proofreading: how to win the “lottery”

The revision and correction are two steps that we mustn't forget after translating. Sometimes we have just enough time to give a fairly accurate translation (especially in examinations). But if we consider the revision time and keep us a few minutes to review a text, we can improve it a lot.

However, if we think a lot about a phrase, a word or a whole text, finally we see that everything is all right. Our brain gets used to read always the same information and that is why we don't realize some errors and typos. Therefore, as far as possible, it is recommended that another person revise our text. Someone who hasn't read it before and possibly will detect the mistakes easily.

On the occasion of Christmas, I leave here an image about the commercial of this year spanish Lottery Christmas. In the window of the coffee shop there is a little mistake, which although is camouflaged, some people have detected it.

*Elejir in spanish has a spelling mistake. The correct word is elegir, with g. Elegir means choose in english.

With this, I want you to remember the importance of the review not only after translation, but also to any writing. In many cases, a letter, an e-mail or message can be our cover letter and it can say a lot about us. Maybe we won't be rich with the revision of texts, but we can win trust and importance with another person (a client, someone who could give us work, someone we admire or just a stranger who treat cordially). Regardless of how a person expresses himself, there is always a degree of correction that is important to maintain.

Merry Christmas!

Reform of the Spanish Criminal Procedure Law: without the right to a fair trial

The spanish government has recently proposed the reform of the Criminal Procedure Law, which provides, in relation to translation, that if a foreign person is brought before a court or has to give evidence in a police station may need the services of an interpreter. However, the interpreter doesn't have to be a person with special academic training in this type of process or in both languages that are required.

Different associations of translators and interpreters in Spain have mobilized to stop this damaging reform, which affects not only the interpreters and translators who have received special academic training and have the knowledge to work in this type of process in the most appropriate way and professionally as possible, but also to foreigners who require these services to resolve his trial fairly.

Here you have some links where you can read more about this issue, and if you want, you can also participate to try to stop this reform.

https://www.change.org/p/pablo-casado-retiren-el-proyecto-de-ley-org%C3%A1nica-que-modifica-la-lecrim

http://www.aptij.es/index.php?l=es&s=n&c=50

http://aptij.es/index.php?l=es&s=n&c=52

http://www.abogacia.es/2014/12/16/traductores-e-interpretes-denuncian-que-la-reforma-de-la-lecrim-es-una-amenaza-para-los-implicados-en-un-proceso-penal/

This example is another one that demonstrate that the translators and interpreters aren't as valued as they should.

Advertising translation

The advertising translation is one of the types of translation that requires more creativity from the translator. During the translation of these texts there are many factors to consider, for example the culture of the country that created the advertisement and the country that will receive it, the audience who it is directed, the media (radio, television, posters...) and if the text comes with an image that is essential to advertise the product.

Many advertisement campaigns are translated into different languages. However many others remain in their original language, maybe because they are clear enough for the audience or the translation eliminates the effect or the aspect that makes attractive the advertisement.

Now I show you the example of two brands that haven't translated his slogans:

                              

In the following videos of the cosmetics brand L'ORÉAL, they have translated his famous slogan “Because you're worth”, in this case into spanish Porque tú lo vales.

The next picture is curious from the perspective of translation (it is possible too, that this text had something to do with the first sentence of the famous Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody):

At first, the text should not suppose any translation problem, because we could translate it into spanish ¿Esto es la vida real o es una fantasía? This phrase would work well, because the word "fantasy" contains the word “fanta”, the name of the brand. But, what about the picture? In English it is played with the word "fantasy" and image of the "sea".

Into spanish, we can translate it literally ¿Esto es la vida real o un mar de fanta? But with this option, we lost the original connection between real life and fantasy that gives the message and the advertising wouldn't produce the effect that initially had.

What do you say? Can you think of any solution for this translation problem?

International Translation Day

Hello!

Today is an important day for the translators and that's why in this post I wanted to share with you a little bit of story.

30 September is the International Translation Day because it is commemorated the death of Saint Jerome, the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. This version of the Bible is known as the Vulgate (vulgar Latin) and it was characterized by being simpler to understand than another previous versions. Therefore, St. Jerome is considered the patron of the translators.

As you can see, the task of the translation has always been done, because the humans need to communicate. In this case, the translation of the Bible have been able to transmit beliefs that have influenced millions of people.