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04.12.2024
I Thought I Speak English. I Was Wrong...
I was born and raised in New York. English is my native language...or so I thought.
Turns out, I was wrong. A few weeks ago, I visited London. I asked for instructions to get to the train and instead, they sent me to a "tube." They told me to get off at "Glosster" but didn't tell me it was spelled "Gloucester." I went looking for a parking lot and got sent to a car park (not the kind of park I'm used to...). People made me think I was really smart until I realized that "brilliant" meant that something was agreeable or good. It took me some time to re-"centre" myself. 😉
OK, maybe it wasn't that bad and I actually did expect all of that, because I know that English (US) isn't the same as English (UK); Spanish (ES) isn't the same as Spanish (Mex); French (FR) isn't the same as French (CA); Portuguese (PT) is not the same as Portuguese (BR); and Dutch is not Flemish.
It's not enough to get the language right. In translation and localization, you must ensure the right dialect, nuance, spelling, idioms, and everything else your target audience will expect.
That's why, as I say, when it comes to translation, it's not enough to be smart...you need to be - WEIS.
(P.S. - I apologize for writing this post in American and not in English.)
Turns out, I was wrong. A few weeks ago, I visited London. I asked for instructions to get to the train and instead, they sent me to a "tube." They told me to get off at "Glosster" but didn't tell me it was spelled "Gloucester." I went looking for a parking lot and got sent to a car park (not the kind of park I'm used to...). People made me think I was really smart until I realized that "brilliant" meant that something was agreeable or good. It took me some time to re-"centre" myself. 😉
OK, maybe it wasn't that bad and I actually did expect all of that, because I know that English (US) isn't the same as English (UK); Spanish (ES) isn't the same as Spanish (Mex); French (FR) isn't the same as French (CA); Portuguese (PT) is not the same as Portuguese (BR); and Dutch is not Flemish.
It's not enough to get the language right. In translation and localization, you must ensure the right dialect, nuance, spelling, idioms, and everything else your target audience will expect.
That's why, as I say, when it comes to translation, it's not enough to be smart...you need to be - WEIS.
(P.S. - I apologize for writing this post in American and not in English.)
A recovering attorney, I am the founder and CEO of Weis-Words International Translations and Weis Words Internationa Limited. Having grown up personally and professionally in multilingual…
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