Atlas News - October 2009
· Don’t forget the Language Show
· New Easy Read Service
· Join the ITI – The leading professional association for translators and interpreters!
· What is Braille?
· Dress code lost in translation at Nomura’s Tokyo office
· Icelandic translation of Dan Brown’s novel stolen
Don’t forget the Language Show
Don’t forget that Atlas will be exhibiting at the Language Show from 30th October till 1st November 2009 at Olympia, London! Make a note to visit us at Stand 276 when you're there as we’d love to meet you! If you're interested in learning something new, we have a range of courses to offer at a discounted rate, if you book on the day. Contact us for free tickets.
Question of the month! Test yourself with our October question:
Does bimonthly mean: a) 'twice a month' or b) 'every two months'? (Answer can be found at the bottom of the newsletter)
New Easy Read Service
Atlas is now offering a new Easy Read service! Easy Read is one of the accessible information formats along with large print, Braille and audio recordings. It is mostly used by people with learning disabilities, as well as other groups such as the elderly and speakers of other languages.
Atlas has a range of qualified linguists, who are experienced in converting texts in to Easy Read format. They do two main things - make the words simpler, and use pictures alongside the words. Other features of easy read are:
Easy words
Easy Read uses easy words that people use all the time and avoids 'jargon'. If a difficult word has to be used, for example the name of a group or report, then the meaning of this word is explained. Easy Read uses words like ‘I’, ‘we’, and ‘you’ to make information friendlier.
Short sentences
Easy Read aims for 15 words or less per sentence, with one idea in each sentence. Each paragraph contains no more than 4 or 5 sentences.
Fonts
Easy read uses a sans serif font. These are fonts without serifs, the horizontal lines added to the top and bottom of some fonts. Popular sans serif fonts include Arial, Helvetica or Univers. The main text is usually in 16 point or higher to make it easier for people with visual impairments to read.
Layout
Layout is about putting words and pictures together on a page to make them look attractive. A simple layout for easy read is to put the pictures on the left hand side, and the words on the right. Plenty of white space is used in easy read, rather than squashing everything together. Without white space, text is unreadable, graphics lose their emphasis and there is no balance between the elements on a page. This will help give information a more professional look.
Pictures
Easy read uses pictures alongside words to help make ideas easier to understand. This is exactly what photo symbols are designed for. You can use pictures on their own, or put several together to explain different ideas.
Active, not passive verbs
Easy Read uses active verbs rather than passive verbs because by using active verbs information is much easier to understand.
Get information down to size
Easy Read takes into consideration the reader’s needs and cuts out any unnecessary content. There needs to be a good reason to make anything longer than 1000 words.
Contact us for more information, guidelines and standards about our new Easy Read service.
Join the ITI - a leading professional association for translators and interpreters!
"There are many advantages to joining ITI, which go beyond designatory letters and a subscription to the industry's leading journal. Professional recognition by clients and peers is a key benefit, as is a listing on our web-based Directory of Members, which is considered to be the first port of call for potential clients worldwide," says Karen Floyd, Director of Communications & Development at the ITI.
Karen Floyd, Director
of Communication
and Development at the ITI
As a supplier to Atlas Translations you may be aware that the company is a corporate member of the Institute of Translation & Interpreting (ITI), but did you know that membership of the ITI is also open to freelance and in-house translators and interpreters?
Members of the ITI take advantage of an exclusive range of benefits and services and qualified membership demonstrates your professionalism and commitment. Membership of the ITI also enables you to take part in extensive networking opportunities, offering support if and when you need it.
There are six grades of membership encompassing the different levels of experience and qualifications in translation and interpreting. Applications are only accepted at the correct grade, so be sure to read through the requirements for each grade carefully before applying.
The benefits of membership cover:
Professional recognition – designatory letters after your name, member logo, Code of Conduct
Honing your skills – wide range of excellent training courses
Growing your business – online Directory of Members
Supporting your career development – assistance with CPD, Professional Support Group
Keeping you updated on industry news and issues – the ITI’s award winning Bulletin and website
Networking – many events throughout the year
Discounts on a range of services – insurance, software, hotels and more
Free legal advice – 24 hour legal helpline
To become part of a leading professional association for translators and interpreters visit www.iti.org.uk or call +44 (0) 1908 325250.
What is Braille?
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write. Braille was devised in 1821 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character or cell is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two columns of three dots each. The Braille system was based on a method of communication originally developed by Charles Barbier in response to Napoleon's demand for a code that soldiers could use to communicate silently and without light at night called night writing. Barbier's system was too complex for soldiers to learn, and was rejected by the military. In 1821 he visited the National Institute for the Blind in Paris, France, where he met Louis Braille. Braille identified the major failing of the code, which was that the human finger could not encompass the whole symbol without moving, and so could not move rapidly from one symbol to another. His modification was to use a 6 dot cell — the Braille system — which revolutionised written communication for the blind. Contact Atlas for all your Braille requirements.
Dress code lost in translation at Nomura’s Tokyo office
Exactly a year after Nomura successfully merged with Lehman Brothers, the company is running like clockwork. However, one or two oddments are still getting lost in translation. A recent e-mail politely reminded staff in Nomura’s Tokyo headquarters that “gay colour nail polish and manicure” fell outside the company’s dress code. Internally, everyone is convinced that the word “gay” was intended to mean cheerful and bright. The problem is that many of the electronic Japanese-to-English dictionaries on sale in Japan are behind the times on the more common usage of some English words. The person who wrote the e-mail appears to have innocently typed the Japanese word hadena (gaudy) into one of those dictionaries and received the translation “gay”. The e-mail went onto say, “Bare foots” are no longer appropriate and neither are shoes “of bold handle”. With autumn now here, those carefree, tieless summer months are gone and the winter dress code is in force. A Nomura spokesperson said that the “unfortunate” translation was a well-intentioned attempt by a manager to ensure that people knew that the summer dress code had ended.
Icelandic translation of Dan Brown’s novel stolen
Icelandic police are looking for someone who might be reading the Icelandic translation of Dan Brown's new novel, "The Lost Symbol." A burglar who broke into the offices of the Bjartur publishing house on Tuesday got away with the first proof copy of the translation. "Possibly the burglar gave up on his English copy of the long novel and in his desperation decided to get a copy of the Icelandic translation before anyone else," said Gudrun Vilmundardottir, chief of Bjartur publishing house. “The burglar apparently fled after being disturbed by a photographer arriving for work”. The publishing house said another copy of the translation was sent to the proofreader and they are not worried about the translation leaking out on the Internet or some other form. "Although you have to wonder a little, seeing as the burglar did take a computer scanner as well," said Gudrun Vilmundardottir.
Answer to October question:
a) and b) I'm afraid it means both! But in the publishing industry, it is used fairly consistently to mean 'every two months'. The same ambiguity affects biweekly and biyearly. If you want to be absolutely clear, use a phrase such as 'twice a week' or 'every two years'.
Compiled by Sara Roden-Scott
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