Translation Blog

Both Chinese and Hindi have more native speakers than the English language, with roughly 982 million and 460 million, respectively. However, with 375 million native speakers, the English language is the most spoken in the world. It’s also a second language for more than 1.1 billion people. This makes the total number of speakers around 1.5 billion worldwide.

Why is English such a popular language globally? It might have something to do with historic British expansion. There was a time when it was said that the sun never set on the British Empire. Or perhaps it’s related to the global economy, which long treated English as the universal language of business.

Likely, both of these factors played a role. However, it’s also worth noting that English is an incredibly versatile and expressive language that lends itself to evolution. As a result, the English language is constantly growing and changing. This helps provide endless opportunities to express emotions, and ideas, and to create new identities.

Those who are most familiar with the English language, including linguists, authors, and literary historians, have plenty to say on the subject.

1. The English Language is Incredibly Versatile

Noting both the versatility and appeal of English as a whole, American linguist and author Richard Lederer says, “English is the most universal language in history, way more than the Latin of Julius Caesar. It’s the most punderful language because its vocabulary has a certain critical mass that makes a lingo good for punning.”

Indeed, one of the most notable advantages of the English language is how flexible it can be. Although the English alphabet features just 26 characters, the ways they combine to create words and express meaning are practically infinite. More importantly, however, is that words can have multiple meanings, and the accepted meaning of a word can change over time. Words can also merge together to create new terminology that conveys greater meaning than the sum of its parts. English is also famous for adopting words from other languages. This openness to evolution is not just an indicator of English-speaking cultures that embrace change, but of the language’s ability to change with a culture over time.

2. English is an Expressive Language

“The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself,” said Sir Derek Walcott, Saint Lucian poet, playwright, and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

English translation can be incredibly difficult because of the complex expressions and flexible nature of the English language. However, these are also its greatest strengths, especially when it comes to expressing ideas and emotions.

3. Mastery of the English Language Is No Easy Feat

Crime writer and poet Dorothy L. Sayers aptly summed up the process of learning English when she said, “The English language has a deceptive air of simplicity; so have some little frocks; but they are both not the kind of thing you can run up in half an hour with a machine.”

It is widely agreed upon in linguist circles, not to mention anecdotally, that English is among the most difficult languages to learn. Oddly enough, this is even true for many native speakers. Consider how many English speakers confuse there, their, and they’re. Others stumble over rules like “i before e, except after c,” because there are so many exceptions. Now think how difficult it must be for non-native speakers to learn such a wildly dynamic and contradictory language. There’s no shortage of instances where the English translation is a matter of knowing the rules and when to break them.

4. Shakespeare is an English Institution

Of the beloved William Shakespeare, American literary historian and author Stephen Greenblatt say, “First of all, there was a volcano of words, an eruption of words that Shakespeare had never used before that had never been used in English before. It’s astonishing. It pours out of him.”

Shakespeare is typically the greatest playwright in history. He had an amazing knack for observing the human experience and making it relatable and entertaining. Perhaps his greatest feat, however, was finding the right words to describe it all—or simply making up new English words when the ones he wanted didn’t exist. Shakespeare is credited with adding thousands of words to the English language throughout his life and career, including common phrases that are still in use today.

5. There’s Always Room for More

As French author Mireille Guiliano notes, “In France we have a saying, joie de vivre, which doesn’t exist in the English language. It means looking at your life as something that is to be taken with great pleasure and enjoy it.”

Language is inextricably linked to culture, insofar as we use language as an expression of social and cultural values, ideals, morals, and the principles that govern our lives.

However, English isn’t perfect. Sometimes infusing its sentiments with words and phrases from another language is the best way to express the true essence of a feeling or act. In doing so, the language becomes an even richer mélange.

Professional English Translation Services

Our company has a network of over 5,000 professional translators across the globe. Whether a translation into English or vice versa, we can provide the needed help in multiple language pairs. We have provided many global clients with round-the-clock service and translations in many different industries.

Your partnership with Renaissance Translations comes with professional memberships such as ATC and a guarantee to meet any tight deadline placed on us. If you would like to discuss your translation project, feel free to contact us to speak with one of our professional project managers. You’ll be glad you did!

Whether a business owner looking to expand your operations into Brazil, or a student planning to study in Rio de Janeiro, many people need Brazilian Portuguese translations at some point. Similarly, if you are a tech company with users in Brazil, you will have to translate idiomatic expressions and localise your website or app from English to Brazilian Portuguese.

The Brazilian dialect is unique, and it’s often difficult for non-native speakers to understand. To complicate things further, Brazilian Portuguese has many regional variations. Therefore, translating into this South American language is notoriously difficult! This article is here to guide you, offering tips and tricks for improving your translations.

Of course, your best option is to acquire the services of Brazilian Portuguese translation agencies. This ensures that your Portuguese translation is accurate, idiomatic, and culturally sensitive. However, there are many factors to consider when choosing a Brazilian Portuguese translation service provider, which this article also helps you navigate.

Tips for Translating from English to Brazilian Portuguese

Here are some tips that will help you translate to Portuguese:

1. Use a Dictionary: A Brazilian Portuguese dictionary will help you understand the meaning of words and phrases in the language. It can also be helpful to look up translations of English words to understand their usage better.
2. Be Aware of False Cognates: False cognates are words that look similar in English and Portuguese but have different meanings. When translating to Portuguese, be mindful of false cognates to avoid using the wrong word and confusing your audience.
3. Use Translation Tools: Translation tools can help you translate English to Brazilian Portuguese. These tools are less accurate than professional translators, but they can provide a basic understanding of how words and phrases are used in the language.
4. Consult a Brazilian Speaker: If unsure how to translate a word or phrase into Portuguese, it’s always best to consult a native speaker. They will be able to help you understand the correct usage of words and phrases to ensure your translation is accurate.
5. Use a Professional Brazilian Translator: There are over 210 million people in Brazil, making Portuguese the most spoken language. But this doesn’t mean everyone is good at translating. You must use an experienced and qualified Brazilian Portuguese translator if you want accurate and authentic translations.

What is a Professional Translation Agency?

As mentioned, hiring a professional Brazilian Portuguese translator is crucial for precise and effective translations. Translation agencies are the best source of top talent. But what is a translation agency, and why is using one advisable over machines or enlisting the help of native Brazilian speakers?

A typical translation agency will have a team of experienced Brazilian Portuguese translators who are experts in various industries and subject areas. Whether you need to translate financial documents, legal documents, marketing materials, or website content, the agency will help you translate to Portuguese. Agencies will cater to businesses, individuals, and organisations, working flexibly to fulfil your needs.

You might use an online translation service, but if you require accurate and reliable translations, you will need the services of a professional agency. Professional translators understand the local culture, the Brazilian business environment, and Portuguese grammar well. They’ll ensure that your translation is accurate and tailored for the audience that speaks the Brazilian language. They ensure you receive the best English to Brazilian Portuguese translation possible!

Choosing an Agency for Brazilian Portuguese Translation

Qualified Brazilian Portuguese translators offer the best translations as these people understand the language and its nuances. Therefore, professional English to Brazilian Portuguese translations are imperative for any business looking to expand its reach across Brazil. However, not all translation agencies deliver the same quality of work.

Here are a few factors to consider to help you find a reliable language services provider:

1. Translation Expertise

You can search for translation agencies based on the expertise and experience of the translators in their network. Also, evaluate the feedback they’ve received from customers before choosing one company over another. If working with an extensive network, ensure you check the reviews from clients ordering Brazilian Portuguese translations and not another language.

The agency’s expertise is crucial for all businesses needing to translate from English to Brazilian Portuguese. You can’t afford to take the risk when choosing a translator. You need someone whose work you know and trust, with years of experience providing quality services for clients.

2. Fees & Budget

The price you are quoted for your translation needs to be within your budget. You should always check the value of services included in this amount and see if there is enough value for money. Remember that translating from English to Brazilian Portuguese is an investment, but don’t spend more than you can afford.

When comparing quotes, verify whether the agency has editors and proofreaders who can check the translations before submitting them. This could affect pricing, but services that include these additional checks are worth the extra money as you receive consistently high-quality deliverables.

3. Services Provided

Businesses need various documents and multimedia formats to be translated from English to Brazilian Portuguese. You might need video subtitling of an online training course, technical translations of scientific or engineering materials, or a website translation.

When translating to Brazilian Portuguese, check that the agency offers your required services. Some only offer general translations in minimal language pairs, whereas others provide full-service offerings and translations in many languages.

Renaissance Translations’ Portuguese Translation Services

Brazilian Portuguese is an important language that is spoken in most of Brazil. International companies doing business there or interacting with native speakers often need translation services. Acquiring services from a translation agency is recommended because of their expertise, understanding of local dialects, and professional translators.

Renaissance Translations has a network of skilled translators who can help translate from English to Brazilian Portuguese or any other language. Our translators work only in their areas of expertise, taking into account the different forms of the Portuguese language, your unique target audience, and your business plan. We are an associate member of the Association of Translation Companies in England as well as SDL LSP Partner Programme. Contact us today to discuss your project.

To the untrained ear, Chinese and Japanese languages might sound somewhat similar. However, these two Asian languages are very different. A translation from English to Chinese language is entirely different from an English to Japanese translation.

Undeniably, the written languages do share similar characteristics. Both writing systems are based on Chinese characters, known as hanzi in Chinese and kanji in Japanese. Unlike the English alphabet, hanzi and kanji represent entire concepts or words. Japan initially used hanzi to write Japanese before adapting them into modern kanji. Today, the languages’ writing systems share about half their characters.

The similarities in writing Japanese and Chinese don’t constitute the entire language overlap. Both languages largely eschew the use of plural nouns, and nouns and adjectives are typically genderless. Yet despite these minor similarities, the Chinese language and the Japanese language differ considerably. So, how can you tell them apart?

Chinese is a Tonal Language

Tone is fundamental when translating from English to Chinese. This is different from intonation, which refers to vocal fluctuations when speaking (you use intonation in English when your voice rises at the end of a sentence to indicate a question). In Chinese, many words might sound the same to outsiders, but the tone conveys a precise meaning.

The difference between praise and insult could be as simple as a slight tonal shift. For example, the word “ma” could mean mother or horse (among other words), depending on the tone. You definitely don’t want to confuse the two when addressing someone’s mother! You must use the right tone when speaking the Chinese language. In fact, you could create unintentional confusion or offence if you don’t.

The Japanese language is very different. Some words have specific intonation patterns, but different tones do not generally change the meaning of syllables. This makes pronunciation much easier and decreases the risk of misunderstanding. An English to Japanese language translation is thus more straightforward as there is less risk of making a mistake regarding tone.

Japanese Uses Honorifics

While Japanese does not have tones, it does have an honorific system called keigo incorporated into its grammatical structure. Keigo has to do with the level of politeness one must use when speaking with others. This speaking system is based on the societal hierarchy in Japanese culture. Due to this concept, Japanese is known as an honorific language.

Keigo means that Japanese verbs have many forms, such as polite, humble, and honorific. The proper form will differ when you speak with a friend, a colleague, a professional superior, or a client. Pronouns like “I” and “you” also vary, depending on how polite or humble the speaker wants to seem. An accurate translation from the English language to Japanese needs to have a clearly defined audience, so the correct honorifics are used.

The Chinese language is also considered an honorific language. Although constantly used in Ancient China, the concept of honorifics has largely been phased out of the modern lexicon. Nevertheless, classical honorific concepts are sometimes used in formal settings. Your English to Japanese language translator will be able to advise when their usage is appropriate.

Dialects in Chinese & Japanese Languages

Most languages have a variety of dialects that vary from one country to the next. For example, British, American, and Australian English are unique in terms of vocabulary and pronunciation. Dialects can also vary within a country, such as the Queen’s English versus Cockney. These dialects are punctuated by differences in accent, slang, and cultural semantics.

The Chinese and Japanese languages are no different. In fact, there are significantly more dialects found within these two languages than most:

• Japanese has four main dialect groups: Eastern, Western, Kyushu, and Hachijo. Within these categories, there are roughly 47 different minor dialects spoken across the country. These dialects are associated with the prefectures of Japan. You must choose the suitable variant when translating from Japanese to English.
• Modern Chinese has seven major dialect groups: Gan, Kejia, Mandarin, Min, Wu, Xiang, and Yue. However, there are hundreds of minor dialects spoken by the Chinese population. Mandarin is the largest dialect and is often used for English to Chinese language translation. A different dialect might better suit your project when targeting specific local regions.

Therefore, not only are Chinese and Japanese distinct languages, but some dialects within the language have low mutual intelligibility. This means people speaking different dialects of the same language may struggle to understand each other.

Chinese and Japanese Writing Systems

The Chinese language might seem to be more difficult than Japanese when it comes to speaking. However, Japanese is arguably more difficult to write. In general, written Chinese consists of the Mandarin dialect represented by hanzi. A simplified version of writing characters was introduced in the late 1940s to increase literacy, but it’s still called hanzi.

There are over 50,000 hanzi characters, but in Chinese, most have only one pronunciation. That said, most educated readers will learn fewer than 10,000 characters. This is all you need to know for most English to Chinese language translations. In fact, the average adult only uses about 3,000 hanzi for everyday reading, such as perusing a newspaper.

In contrast, there are three Japanese writing systems: kanji, katakana, and hiragana. Kanji is based on traditional hanzi, and the meaning of kanji characters is often the same as or similar to the Chinese meaning. Yet unlike hanzi, most kanji characters have multiple pronunciations. Kanji’s pronunciation depends on a few factors, such as whether words are used as a verb or as a noun.

The characters used in katakana and hiragana (also called kana) do not have multiple meanings. Instead, each kana represents a particular sound, such as “ka” or “tsu”. Katakana is frequently used for onomatopoeia or foreign words, whereas hiragana is most often used for verb endings or Japanese words that do not have a corresponding kanji. Translating from English to the Japanese language requires an understanding of all three writing scripts.

Professional Translations from Renaissance Translations

With so many dialects, tonal variations, alphabets, and characters, translating the Chinese language and the Japanese language requires a high level of expertise. You should never let a Japanese speaker translate from English to Chinese language or vice versa. Despite their similarities, both are distinct and highly complex Asian languages.

If you need to translate from Japanese language to English, Renaissance Translations can help. With over 10,000 qualified, professional, native translators, we are more than capable of meeting your translation needs. Your partnership with Renaissance Translations comes with professional memberships such as ATC and SDL LSP Partner Programme. Contact us today to discuss your Chinese and Japanese translations!

The long summer days bring additional hours to spend hosting backyard BBQs and enjoying long naps. However, you should also consider learning languages online in your spare time this summer. Whether learning English or discovering one of the 7,000+ other recognised languages worldwide, there is no shortage of fun languages to learn.

But how do you learn languages effectively? How do you choose which language to learn? And what makes summer the perfect time to pick up a new language? Read on to see the benefits of using the season of sun and fun to learn something new.

Learning Languages Improves Communications

An obvious benefit of learning languages online is the increased opportunity for communication. This is particularly advantageous if you plan to travel to countries where they speak foreign languages. You could choose a dialect based on a location you’re visiting this summer to help you order food and arrange transport abroad. In fact, immersing yourself in the language and culture is one of the recommended ways of how to learn languages more effectively.

Alternatively, you might want to speak a new language that will help you in your chosen profession. Many businesses are global, and some require employees to be bilingual. If you’re a non-native English speaker, learning the English language can dramatically improve your career prospects. It is the lingua franca of the business world and the most widely spoken language worldwide.

Time to Spare During Summer

Our busy modern lifestyle is jam-packed with obligations throughout most of the year, but summer is a time when people tend to take a break. When asking experts how to practice a new language, they always say it requires consistency! This makes summer the perfect season for learning languages online; with more free time, you can schedule regular learning sessions.

Whether you take a class, seek out a private tutor, or guide yourself through lessons online or via mobile apps, it’s essential to set aside regular time each week for learning. English language learning, for example, not only teaches you new vocabulary and the basics of conjugation, grammar, and our Subject-Verb-Object sentence structure. It also reinforces previous English language lessons.

Enhances Holiday Travel

Are you planning to travel to a foreign country during your summer holiday? Learning languages online is a great way to enhance your stay. Not only will locals appreciate your efforts, but they’ll probably be happy to help you out by speaking slowly, offering corrections, and even teaching you new words. As mentioned, immersion is one of the best ways for how to learn languages!

Rather than relying on a language translation app, you can do the translation yourself. It’s an excellent opportunity to listen to locals and perfect your pronunciation to pick up regional flair. Plus, many people overseas want to improve their English language. If you’re a native English speaker, you can help each other pick up a second language.

Practice with Bilingual Friends

If some of your friends speak a language other than English, talking in their language can be a fun way to get to know them better and grow an appreciation for their culture. Learning languages like this also helps the learning process. While speaking with friends isn’t quite the same as living in another country for several months, it’s always helpful to learn from those with more experience.

This method of learning makes things fun, too. Make a weekly date to chat over cocktails and appetisers, or plan a trip with your friend group to a place where your new language of choice is spoken. You can also try learning languages online between sessions with your friend. This is a good method to learn basic vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence structure.

How to Choose Which Languages to Learn?

We’ve explained a few best practices and the benefits of learning over the summer. But before you try immersion, speaking with a friend, or learning languages online, you need to decide what language you want to practice. The world is full of unique and beautiful languages, each providing opportunities to expand your horizons and better understand diverse cultures.

Do you love the melodic lilt of Scandinavian languages? Maybe you’re fascinated by the guttural sounds of Germanic dialects. Or perhaps the challenging nature of learning Asian languages when you have a background in Romance or Germanic languages is appealing. Learning languages you like the sound of or languages spoken by cultures you’re interested in is one option.

You can also take a more practical and purposeful approach. While learning languages is fulfilling in its own right, it can also open the door to career opportunities that allow you to turn your passion into a paying gig. Learning English is a good business for non-native speakers. Other languages to learn for career progression include Mandarin, French, and Spanish.

Professional Translation Services from Renaissance Translations

Learning languages online opens your mind to new ways of thinking and expressing yourself, as well as understanding different cultures. It can also improve memory, flexible and creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. Learning English is also extremely practical in a career sense, helping to open up new opportunities to non-native speakers.

You’ll gain even more benefits when mastering a new language during your summer holidays. With extra time to spare and opportunities for immersion, practicing a new language effectively suddenly becomes possible! We have many language facts and other information on our website if you need help deciding which language to pick up and make your summer project.

If you decide that learning languages isn’t for you, we also can help with any translations you need. We have more than 10,000 professional translators delivering round-the-clock translation services in hundreds of language combinations. Contact us today to discuss your translation needs.