How to Get Cheap and Fast Spanish Translations

Today, with the use of the internet, it is far easier to get a fast Spanish translation at low rates than at any time in history. Speed is everything in the world today and that applies to Spanish translations as much as anything else.

Who needs a fast, cheap Spanish translation?

There are many reasons why you may need a cheap Spanish translation quickly. Some of which are:
you are applying for a job in an English speaking country and you need to translate your references quickly from Spanish to English;
you are going to work in a Spanish speaking country and you need a Spanish translation for your birth certificate, police clearance document, job offer and qualifications and any other documents asked for by the immigration authorities.
businesses may also require urgent Spanish translations when launching a campaign in a Spanish speaking country for a new product.

It is easy to find a cheap Spanish translation

Throughout the world there are more than 437 million speakers of Spanish. This means there is a vast pool of Spanish translators available to translate documents quickly and at cheap rates. Depending on how fast you want your translations completed you should get a quote from a number of translators first. Sometimes translators ask for more if you want a 24 hour turnaround but because there are many Spanish translators who offer cheap Spanish translations it will not take long to find one who fits your budget and can provide a fast turnaround too.
The first thing to do is look for a translation agency that has an excellent reputation and a sound client base. These sorts of agencies will be upfront and honest and will provide you with their cheap Spanish translation rates in advance so you know what to expect when you get the bill. It is only these sorts of translation agencies that can be trusted to choose the right translator for your industry or organisation who is skilled in providing fast but accurate translations.

Translation techniques for cheap Spanish translations

Most professional translators who provide cheap Spanish translations do not take short cuts because of the cost. They use a variety of translation techniques depending on the type of translation. Basically though there are two main techniques used and the one the translator chooses will depend on what other language the Spanish is to be paired with. Some Spanish language pairs are more suited to direct translations while other pairs are better suited to indirect translation techniques.
Most professional Spanish translators specialise in a specific language pair. There are of course a few who consider themselves to be multilingual and may be competent enough to do Spanish translations into more than one language. If you are looking for Spanish translation at low rates and you need to translate your Spanish documents into two languages you may be lucky to find a Spanish translator who is able to do this. There is a good chance that a successful Spanish translator will have a good understanding of the cultures of the languages he or she translates too as this is so important when an accurate translation is required.

Two main translation techniques

Your translator may use a literal translation or direct translation when Spanish is being translated into a second language which has the same grammar and syntax. This is the method used by free online translation tools but it has been found that it is not always accurate. This would not work well enough for Spanish to English translations. Indirect translations methods tend to be favoured by Spanish translators who offer Spanish translations at low rates. It looks into more depth in order to find just the right words for a Spanish translation so that no one could tell it was a translation.

When direct translations are performed by online tools like Google Translate you can expect to see wrong word usages which make the translation clumsy to read. Most importantly anyone reading a direct translation will know it is a translation because these translations are rarely perfect. This would certainly not be appropriate for any types of legal documents where accuracy is so important. Overall, because human translators are still the best translators, indirect translations are more commonly used, even if you want Spanish translations at low rates.

The History and Future of Translations

Translations throughout the centuries have made vital communication aids and have permeated all parts of societies. One of the commonest early translations was of the Bible so that Christians could spread the beliefs and ideas throughout the world. As translators themselves were not commonplace in earlier times, those that were able to translate books like the Bible are still remembered today for their work. This is because of the huge impact sharing information and ideas through language had in those days, which have continued up to this day. They have had a significant influence on the way people think about politics, religion, education and many other fields.

As the world slipped into the 21st century, translators were seen but not heard and concentrated on translating a huge variety of information that needed to be shared. That included works of literature, speeches, key business and organisation documents, contract documents, clinical trial documents, important inventions and discoveries, court cases, presentations. Today the world wouldn’t be able to do without translators. They are the key to global communications in all areas of life and allow businesses to effectively market their products overseas. The history of translations in short can’t be explained, let’s know about the various stages through which translations have

The 8 Stages Through Which Translations Have Gone Through the Time

Stage 1:- The Bible

The very first translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Greek took place in 3BC. It involved 70 translators and this first translation was named the Septuagint. It took 72 days for the full translation to be completed. This translation was used as a base for translations into Armenian, Georgian, Latin and Coptic. One of the suggestions mooted by early translators was not to conduct word to word translations, but the translation should be adapted to suit the theme of the text so that it sounded natural.

Stage 2:- The 4th Century

4 BC brought a Buddhist monk, translator and scholar to fame called Kumārajīva. He concentrated on translating numerous Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese. A key Buddhist text called ‘Diamond Sutra’ became one of his most important translations.

Stage 3:- The Medieval Age

9BC saw the translation from Latin to English of Boethius’s “The Consolation of Philosophy and Bede’s Ecclesiastical History.” These translations helped in the advancement of English prose during King Alfred the Great time. 12BC and 13BC saw the establishment of the foundations of the modern Spanish language, aided by translators from the Escuela de Traductores de Toledo, or the Toledo School of Translators. A few came from various areas of Europe to translate important scientific, medical, philosophical and religious works into both Castilian and Latin from Greek, Hebrew and Arabic. In the same century the 13th Roger Bacon, a linguist in the English language remarked that a translator should be completely knowledgeable in both the source and targeted languages in order to produce a really accurate translation. They should also be an expert in the subject they are translating.
In the 14th century, John Wycliffe unveiled the 1st first Bible translation from Latin to English while Geoffrey Chaucer translated the Boethius’ works from Latin to English and also, ‘Roman de la Rose’ into English. Wycliffe did a lot of translations of Italian authors’ works into English.

Stage 4:- Later Medieval to the Early Renaissance

Gemistus Pletho hailing from Constantinople went to Florence to reintroduce Plato’s philosophy. He opened The Platonic Academy headed by Italian scholar and translator Marsilio Ficino. This academy translated all of Plato’s works and those of Plotinus’ ‘Enneads’ into Latin. In the 15th century the works of Thomas Mallory of ‘Le Morte d’Arthur,’ which included King Arthur’s tales and the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot, Merlin and Guinevere were translated.

Stage 5:- The West Rises

The 16th century saw the middle class grow while printing became more prevalent. There was an increase in demand for more translations of literary works. Also, Englishman William Tyndale led the New Testament’s first translation in 1525. It was for the first time translated directly from Hebrew and Greek into English. After the New Testament translation was completed, Tyndale translated 50 per cent of the Old Testament but because he had an English version of it in the absence of a license he was handed out the death penalty so one of his assistants completed the translation of the Old Testament. Later mass productions of these translations took place.

Stage 6:- The Industrial Revolution

By this time, the accuracy and style of the translated text were both important features of a translation. At this time also footnotes explained that the text was not original but was a translation. In 1898 Chinese scholar and translator Yan Fu unveiled a translation theory based on the extensive experience he had had of English to Chinese translations of documents related to the social sciences. The theories were all about faithfulness, which meant getting close to the source material, expressiveness and elegance. Yan Fu decided that expressiveness was the most important as it permitted the delivery of the meaning of the content to its targeted audience.

Stage 7:- Today

Translation Studies has become an academic course which studies philosophy, terminology, semiotics, linguistics, philology, computer science, history and comparative literature.

Stage 8:- The Future

The future for translators looks optimistic, as the expected value in 2020 will be US$56.18 billion. The move towards machine translation is not expected to dent too much the demand for human translators unless the machine translators can learn to read between the lines. Further development in higher order machine translations is not likely to put much of a dent in the human translator market at least this is not predicted to happen in the short term.

Good Reasons to Translate your Blog using a Professional Translation Service

Many businesses and individuals use blogs to provide information and market products while individuals describe the flow of events in their life in the hope that readers will be enlightened. Businesses use blog posts to attract customers because blog topics which are added to regularly are often about news or breakthroughs related to the blog writer’s business. If for example, the blog owner is a travel agent the blogs may be about the appraising of great travel destinations. For the ardent traveller, this may be a blog post they go to regularly. The travel agent, of course, hopes to attract customers as a result of interest in reading the business’s blog page. Of course, these day’s businesses and individuals want their blog posts to be read around the world so this means accurate professional translators are required to undertake an accurate blog translation.

The Blog Title Determines the Number of Readers:-

The blog title is a blog’s key tool and should not be overlooked. It helps people to find your blog on the internet. It determines if anyone wants to actually read your blog. If you spend a minute getting your blog title translated your blog reader could be reading your blog for hours.

A Blog Translation may be Required

The importance of a blog translation is if the blog draws interest from the local market this is the time to get a professional translation of the blog. This draws in more readers of the targeted languages who may not otherwise bother reading a blog in a language they have little knowledge of. Many businesses depend upon blogs as a way of showcasing who they are on the international market. This will never work unless a blog translation is done first. A good blog translation would be one that looks like the translation is natural and has no sign of mistranslation or awkward wording.

Do not go for the Cheapest Blog Translation Option:-

There is always this attraction to translating a business’s documents using machine translators like Google Translate; after all, it is free. This is not an option if you really want to gain from your translation investment. Too many clumsy mistakes and misunderstood language takes place when online tools like Google Translate are used for translations.

Use a human Translator to Translate your blog’s title

There are so many examples showing how serious blog titles have been turned into comical titles because the translation was done by machine translation tools like Google Translate. Blog writers can be very talented and produce text that is so creative that readers are keen to share. Using a machine translation tool can change their catchy style and destroy their creativity. Human translators create the best result as they use their translation skills so that the blog writer’s creativity is not lost. Machine translators do not have the capability to do this yet.

Machine Translations could Spoil a brand’s name

If you really have no idea what a translation of a language looks like you should never use a machine translator. A Chinese restaurant owner found this out the hard way when in his blog post he tried to change his Chinese restaurant name into English but the machine translator could not find any equivalent words so it came up with ‘Translate server error’ As the restaurant owner could not speak any English he thought the translation must be correct. He used the words in his campaign blog to attract customers, so the advert came out like this ‘Sichuan pork shoulder and noodle soup, only 30¥ today through to Saturday at our restaurant, Translate server error!’This is definitely a mistake that would never have occurred if a human translator had done the translation. No doubt for anyone who understood English they would have difficulty finding a restaurant with such an unusual name.

Google Does not like Machine Translations

If Google detects you have used a machine translation tool it could affect the ranking of your blog. You can take the risk and begin your translation with a machine translator and then revise it accordingly. This should work if you use a human translator to do the revisions. If you prefer to use free Google translations on your site, you could display the widget for the Google translation website. Google does support this way of doing a blog post translation.

Translate your blog posts the easy way

If your blog post is in WordPress and you add articles often, it is often hard to manage all the translations you require. An easy solution is the use of a WPML plugin. This will create for you a multilingual website. If you use WPML’s translation services, you may have access to experienced human translators so your blog posts can be translated by a professional human translator. This is a tool accepted by Google.


Language translation is increasingly a part of daily life, from doing business in overseas countries to reporting worldwide events and providing information on any topic to an international audience. The importance of blog translation cannot be underestimated as blogs are commonly used as a way of transmitting the information which promotes products and services. Because language use is continually in flux no computer programme has yet been invented that can deal with the varieties of language used in blog posts. This means that the role of professional human translators for blog post translation is guaranteed at least for the moment.

What’s the Difference Between Phone and Written Translations?

In the world today one of the key changes has been the growth in demand for translators. That is because people speaking different languages want to be able to communicate clearly with one another. There are various ways of doing this and one is translating the written word and the other is through oral means, which can take place face to face or through the phone.

What is Written Translation?

Written translation is the conversion of the written language into another language. It isn’t necessarily word for word but needs to be linguistically and culturally appropriate for the targeted audience. If done well, the translation can be easily understood.

What is Phone Translation?

There is not actually anything in existence called phone translation,   This is when a phone interpreter interprets the spoken word that is conveyed down the phone. Other forms of interpreting can take place by remote video or through person to person interaction.

The Key Skills Required For Both Phone Interpreting and Language Translation

One of the key skills of these two jobs is being able to interpret or translate accurately between two languages. Many translators and interpreters choose to specialise in a specific field, like the legal, medical or business fields. This enables them to learn industry-specific terminology and procedures associated with the specialism.

Sometimes, they participate in classes, so they can keep updated with the language required in a particular setting. Interpreters require excellent listening skills so that they can recall what is being said, store it and convert it into the required language.

A Phone Interpreter Should have the Following Skills such as:

  • being able to take good notes;
  • excellent customer service and communication skills;
  • excellent understanding of both grammar and syntax in both the two languages.

Translators need to:

  • be able to research concepts and words;
  • have excellent grammar and composition skills in two languages.

Sometimes, people who consider themselves to be bilingual believe they can translate and interpret proficiently as well. Translators and interpreters require more additional skills in order to be effective than just being bilingual. Also, professional translators and interpreters may have sat proficiency tests to prove their ability to be professional translators and interpreters.

Who Requires Translators and Phone Interpreters?

Translators are Required for a Variety of Different Purposes such as:
  • translating business’s websites to target overseas customers;
  • translation of documents in medical facilities for patients who don’t understand the usual native language;
  • translation of legal documents for court proceedings involving people who do not speak the court’s language;
  • translating product user manuals and warranty documents for overseas buyers;
  • translating key documents at international conferences;
  • translating key business documents for trading overseas;
  • translating legal documents like birth certificates for migration to other countries.

Who Requires a Phone Interpreter?

A phone interpreter interprets when there is no face to face interpreter available due to the situation where the interpreter is required. This could be late at night or in a remote location.

How to Choose a Phone Interpreter or Translator

The key to making the right choice is asking translation and interpreter providers how their translators and interpreters are trained and how they choose them in the first place. Other questions you should ask is how they ensure that high standards are met by the translators and interpreters they employ. Do they go through a quality control process before translations are released to clients? Once you are happy with your choice of translation and interpreting agency you should start sending in your requirements as soon as you can.

Changing the Way We Learn Languages

How Netflix can help to transform the learning of languages is being tested in schools as there has been a significant fall in interest in learning languages. For decades, people who have been eager to learn English have helped their learning by watching dramas put on by the BBC and even Hollywood movies. Now there is Netflix, which is being used as a new online tool that transforms the streaming service into a comfortable language lab.

The tool ‘Language Learning With Netflix’ (LLN), lets viewers watch foreign language productions which have subtitles in both the original language of the production and English. The tool automatically pauses to let the learner absorb what’s just been heard. It is so popular that downloads have been in the tens of thousands since last December, its launch date.

Netflix Offers Programmes in 190 Countries Covering 26 Languages

Because fewer and fewer pupils were showing an interest in learning new languages linguists believe LNN is a great tool and has education potential as its programmes grow in numbers.

The LLN tool has been developed by two people called David Wilkinson and Ognjen Apic, who started the hobby some time ago. Once they had launched a Chrome browser extension, more and more people saw the benefit and have since downloaded the LAN tool. Wilkinson believes that as soon as possible students should be listening to their chosen language and at the same time there listening should be complemented by a good translation.

Even though Wilkinson was a mechanical engineer by training, he set up a business selling and marketing bilingual books. Three years ago he began his work on LLN. He found like-minded Serbian linguist, Ognjen Apic, who he teamed up with to work on Netflix. The streaming service offers a big range of programmes in many foreign languages, such as Suburra, the Italian crime drama, Blood on Rome, an Israeli based political thriller and the Oscar award-winning film called Roma, based in Mexico City.

What does LLN do for Language Learners?

LLN helps the user to take in the language which he or she is trying to master by letting them view 2 translations at the same time. One is a mechanical automatic translation based more on the literal meaning, while the second has been translated by someone who really understands the idiom of the language. Up to now, there is no certainty that the LLN will reverse the decline in language learning as one of the problems in schools, at least in many English speaking countries, that there is no compulsion for pupils to learn a second language. In Britain, for example, this change in the language learning requirement led to a drastic fall in pupils who wish to study German and French. Other specialists in the language learning field, like Katharina von Ruckteschell-Katte, who is the current director of London’s Goethe-Institut, have observed that making language learning more fun through the use of new tools like LLN certainly should encourage learning a 2nd language. They are a replacement for the human teacher, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Apps Help Language Learning Too

There is not just LLN and Netflix that are seemingly helping language learners, as there are a variety of apps available now like Babbel, Memrise, and Duolingo. These alone attract 13 million users in Britain and this is increasing every day. Duolingo revealed that since early in 2017 there have been 38% increases in British users studying French and 34% increases in users studying German.

Sam Dalsimer, the head of PR at Duolingo, says that LLN is great for learners who have some basic knowledge already of the language they intend to learn. He believes LLN and Duolingo are great companions for learning languages.

Real Teachers are the Only Teachers

Mickael Pointecouteau, who is the course manager for the London base of Alliance Française, believes apps and LLN are not a good substitute for a real teacher. They are too passive and lack the ability to promote proper oral exchanges in the languages being learned.

What is Planned for the Future?

At the moment, the duo of Wilkinson and Apic are considering branching out into platforms like Amazon Video, They are creating a tool for that at the moment. They are including an option that transliterates both Mandarin and Japanese into Romanised subtitles and are working on programmes to provide subtitle translations for the original language.

Languages Ready to Learn Using Netflix

  • Catalan, in the film Benvinguts a la Família, which is a dark comedy that acts out a family that faces eviction out of their home.
  • Dutch, in the film Bankier van het Verzet, which is a 2nd world war film based on Dutch resistance.
  • Filipino, in Kita Kita, which is a romantic comedy based on a tour guide who ends up blind when her fiance cheated on her.
  • Icelandic, in Andið eðlilega, which is a drama based on a tie between a single mum and an asylum seeker.
  • Tamil, in Radiopetti, which is a drama featuring a partly deaf elderly man and a valve radio given to him by his father.

So the future will determine whether these new methods of learning or being exposed to another language are successful in encouraging language learning or not. Maybe, particularly at a young age, making language learning compulsory in schools is the only way a country can be assured it has some citizens could become bilingual.

The Highest Paid Languages for Translations

Today, more than ever before, the world has become a global village. However, this doesn’t mean there is a single global language as there isn’t. As a result, translators are in high demand as people are keen to know what others are saying and eager to communicate for a wide variety of reasons. Not anyone can be a translator as it’s a highly skilled job. To get the best paying jobs you need to choose one of the most in-demand languages for jobs. These are as follows:


German is considered to be one of the highest paid languages for translation. A German translator can be expected to receive a yearly income of over £34,000. There is a big demand for English to German translators and vice versa because Germany and Britain are big trading partners, so business and financial translations are in high demand.


Arabic translators earn a little more than German translators on average. This is because many of the translations are linked to requirements from wealthy oil-rich countries.


French translators are paid well too, as they are a key trading country in Europe. They can expect to receive on average more than £32,000 per annum.


Dutch isn’t as highly paid as some other languages as it’s not spoken as much. However, the country is involved in a lot of international business so this is where there is a demand for Dutch translators.


Spanish is a language that is spoken by more than 400 million native speakers. It is also the second language of another 9 million. Spanish translators are paid well as there is a great demand for their services throughout the world.


Japan without a doubt makes its mark on the world economy even though the language is more or less confined to Japan. It’s a popular language to learn because the Japanese not only travel but they conduct business transactions throughout the world.


A Russian translator can expect to earn about £28,658 annually as Russia becomes more and more involved in the world economy.


Italians left Italy in their droves and found new countries to settle in after the 2nd World War. Today, Italian is the 4th most popular language spoken in the United States. A good translator is both in demand and in the top 9 for annual income.


Even though Chinese is one of the most commonly spoken global languages being a translator doesn’t necessarily mean high pay. An experienced translator of Mandarin could be rewarded with as much as £28,160 annually.

Which language course is best for a career?

If you are thinking about learning a second language fluently enough to be a translator once you have mastered the language, don’t just look at pay. You have to think about what exposure you are likely to get to foreign language careers in high demand, apart from attending courses.

The best courses for learning a language used to be only available at a college or university. Today, you can master a language online using resources like Babel and Rosetta Stone.

Good Luck Symbols in Different Cultures

Lucky charms have been in use throughout the world for more years than anyone could possibly count. They usually are held to either ward off something that is evil or as a wish for financial success. Some lucky charms can be seen duplicated in many different while others may only be used in a single culture.

Here is a list of some good luck charms to keep you entertained.

The Acorn

This has been in the past used widely by the Norse or Viking culture. Just one acorn is placed on the owner’s window sill in order to give protection from a lightning strike. As oak trees, the home of acorns, tend to attract lightning, the Vikings saw the presence of an acorn as having spared them the anger of Thor, who’s the Norse god responsible for inventing thunder and lightning.

An Alligator Teeth Necklace

In a few African cultures wearing alligator teeth brings good, especially when gambling.


This is called lucky bamboo or friendship bamboo because when it’s given as a gift the recipient will experience good luck. If the bamboo plant is placed on the east side of a room it will improve your energy.


Triangles represent strength and their 3 sides represent the human life cycle of birth, reaching a mature age and death. Triangles are the shape of Egyptian pyramids and can also be seen on the U.S. dollar’s back.


Crickets are viewed as protectors in some cultures as when they cease chirping danger is often nearby. Its presence is a good luck symbol in Native American and Asian cultures. It’s certainly bad luck if one is killed.

A Horseshoe Turned Upwards

Because a horse is strong and powerful horseshoes have been used for good luck. A St Dunstan legend from the 10th century states the devil was trapped in a horseshoe so placing one over your door facing upwards helps to keep evil out of the home.


Kachinas are dolls which represent spirits in the world to Native Americans in both Central America and the American Southwest. The dolls, when dressed up, are often used as toys for children. If the doll’s spirit is invited into one’s family and home the family will receive a fruitful harvest.

Dream Catchers

The culture of Native Americans features dream catchers as they gather the good dreams and eliminate bad dreams. This originates from the Nokomis story who is the grandmother in Ojibwa tribal folklore. Nokomis day in and day out watched a single spider weave its web until a day came when her grandson entered and attempted to murder the spider. She proceeded to protect the spider and the spider in return came to the window and proceeded to spin in the moonlight a fresh web. The spider said to Nokomis: “Watch how I spin and learn as each web will bring bad dreams. Only the good dreams will pass through the tiny hole.”

Evil Eye

Featuring mostly in the cultures of the Middle East an Evil Eye amulet keeps out the Evil Eye: a curse provided following the malicious stare of another person. The amulet offers protection from this evil look to the wearer and is subsequently a top tourist buy throughout the Middle East.

Scarab Beetle

A scarab beetle amulet was particularly common throughout ancient Egypt. It represented several things such as the rising sun, the warding off of evil, and was associated with rebirth.

4 Leaf Clover

Irish tradition states if you find a four-leaf clover you will be lucky as each of the 4 leaves symbolizes good luck for faith, hope, love, and more luck for the person who spotted the 4 leaf clover.


This is Japanese for “beckoning cat.” It is a lucky figurine of a cat lifting up one or two paws. It is commonly found placed at the entrances of the majority of businesses, shops and restaurants. It is sometimes mentioned as the “Chinese lucky cat.” It is linked with providing prosperity and protecting from any evil that could be present.

The Fuzzy Dice

This was frequently used by fighter pilots throughout World War II. It played a lucky charm role for those at war. The fuzzy dice helped them return safely following an encounter with war. Also, it’s believed that fuzzy dice charms make drivers avoid getting involved in an accident. Because of this, a few drivers hang the dice on their car’s mirrors.

Number Eight in China

Number eight is a lucky number in many Asian cultures, including China. Eight sounds like the word “fa” in Chinese, which means becoming wealthy. Because of its reputation, number eight is highly regarded and attracts a high price. For instance, one single car with 8 on its number plate reached $640,000 recently in a sale. It is commonly believed that anyone who possesses lucky number 8 is likely to have a strong intuition, insight, and is honest and becomes a great businessman. As a result, 8 is typically the main choice for many people when selecting important dates, phone numbers, and car i.d. numbers.

The Sparrow

Indians think that when a sparrow builds its nest on someone’s roof, it means good fortune. It might mean that very soon a wedding will take place. Therefore there is no need to worry if the sparrow creates a mess when creating its nest. Additionally, if a woman on Valentine’s Day spots a sparrow the belief is that she will gain happiness from marrying a poor man! Also, when the sparrows call, rain is on its way,

How Many Languages are Spoken in China?

The official language and most spoken language in China is Mandarin, which originates from the Han, one of China’s main ethnic groups originating in the north of the country. This is spoken by 910 million people. Another important language, the Wu language, has 77 million speakers, the Min language, which has 70 million speakers and Cantonese, which has 71 million speakers and is also a language used in China.

What are the Top 3 Languages Spoken in China?

The top three languages spoken in order of the number of speakers are:

  • Mandarin
  • Wu
  • Min.

Mandarin makes up a group of related Chinese languages spoken in southwestern China and northern China. This includes the Beijing dialect which is the foundation of Standard Mandarin. With its 910 million speakers there are 200 million who speak it as a second language. Its language families are the Sinitic languages and Sino Tibetan languages. The writing system is Chinese characters both simplified and traditional.

The history of the Chinese language modern Wu comes from ancient Wu and Yue, which today is spoken in northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu. Suzhou was likely to have been the 1st place where Wu was developed, as the Suzhou dialect is the best example of Wu. The Wu that was developed in Shanghai led to the forming of standard Shanghainese. Shanghai is an important economic centre and has the biggest number of Wu speakers.

Min, or Miin, is a group of Chinese languages with 30 million speakers spoken in the Fujian province and 45 million descendants of the Fujian province who moved to Guangdong in the Chaozhou-Shantou and Chaoshan areas, the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan and three counties in south Zhejiang, some of Zhongshan and off Ningbo in the Zhoushan archipelago, some communities in Liyang in Jiangyin City in the Jiangsu province, and in Taiwan. The name originates from the River Min in Fujian. Speakers of Min dialects can’t understand one another or any other Chinese language. In South East Asia, amongst the Chinese migrant population, Min can be heard spoken. Some of the Min languages resemble Old Chinese.

How Many Different Languages are Spoken in China?

China has at least eight linguistically different language groups and literally hundreds of dialects. Usually, they aren’t mutually understandable. Mandarin is considered to be the official language of both Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. It is an official language of the United Nations and also in Singapore.

Why is the Chinese Language Spoken Most in the World?

Most people still think that the English language is the most widely spoken language in the world today, but in fact, Chinese is the most commonly used language. There are a large number of the native of speakers as well as many who speak it as a second language. Mandarin and Cantonese are the two most dominant languages and Mandarin has the status of being the predominant spoken language, while Cantonese is spoken throughout China and in Hong Kong and Macao.

Cantonese resembles more the earlier forms of the language and is considered to be a conservative Chinese language. It has nine tones: three with short syllables and six with regular length. Mandarin isn’t like Cantonese at all and includes four tones and a neutral tone. The Chinese language is widely spoken and Chinese words have been imported into Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese languages, and these days comprise more than 50 percent of their vocabulary.

The percentage of vocabulary with a Chinese origin is more prevalent in abstract, technical, or formal language. In Japan, Sino-Japanese vocabulary accounts for about 35 percent of the words found in entertainment magazines, more than 50 percent of words in newspapers, and 60 percent of words used in science magazines. Today written Japanese is made up of Chinese characters called Kanji and kana. Korean is written in North Korea with Hangul, and Chinese characters called Hanja can be found in South Korea. Vietnamese today is written using the Latin alphabet.

Overall, due to the large population in China and neighbouring countries, Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

All You Need to Know About Translation

Why is translation important?

Translation is the conversion of written or printed text from one language into another. It is similar to, but distinctively different from, interpreting and not as old. Interpreting is the conversion of the spoken language rather than the written one. The importance of translation today in the twenty-first century cannot be under-emphasised. The world has grown smaller as nations and their citizens are now communicating far more than they have ever done before with other people around the world who may not speak their language.

What year was translation invented?

No-one will ever know exactly when translation began, but it must have been many thousands of years after the first interpreting. Translation is all about the translating of text and the conversion of text from one language into another. The question about when translation arose presupposes knowing when the first written texts were used. The first forms of writing were thought to have been created by various agriculturally based societies ten to twelve thousand years ago. This doesn’t mean that there was any need for translators at this point as this would depend on the existence of at least two or more different forms of written text. It is definitely known that the Bible was translated into Latin from the Hebrew and Greek in the fifth century, so perhaps this was when translation got a kick start.

Who was the first translator?

No-one will ever know who the first translator was, but some say that St. Jerome back in 405 B.C. may have been the first well-documented translator, as he translated the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek into Latin then. This doesn’t discount earlier translators, but as already mentioned it presupposes the existence of at least two written languages.

Why do we need a translation?

Translation is necessary because, despite the global use of certain languages, particularly English, the fact is that most people around the world are more conversant in their own native language than one single international language. Many people are now multilingual, but that doesn’t mean that their knowledge of saying English, Spanish, French or Chinese is good enough to communicate everything they want to say.

Documents and other written forms of text must be converted from one language, the source language, into at least one other, the target language. A very simple example of the need for translation is the manual that accompanies so many different household appliances these days. Typically, many of these are now manufactured in China but sold all around the world. The Chinese instructions must be translated into dozens of major world languages for these appliances to be used correctly.

What is the written translation?

All translation involves written (or printed) text rather than the conversion of oral language. This allows translators to work independently of the presence of the person or people who want the translation completed and the person or people who are to read it. Interpreters, on the other hand, need to be present, or at least in hearing range through electronic means, of the people they are interpreting for. Translation involves a different set of skills than interpreting because it involves written words rather than spoken ones.

How do I translate a language?

You can get a document translated in several different ways. The most foolproof way, but the most expensive, is to ask a professional translator to do the translating for you. Usually, this can be done very quickly, although the translation of a website or book may be a lengthy business. You could also use a friend who was bilingual or uses an online translation tool, for example, Google Translate. It all depends on the accuracy that you need for your translation. If you need accuracy, you will need to spend some money and get your text translated professionally.

What is a free translation?

A free translation is usually the term that refers to a translation done that generally conforms to the message that needs to be translated but may not be an exact translation. Free translation in this context may be provided by a non-professional but is not necessarily free of charge.

What do you understand by the term ‘translator?’

A translator is most commonly a human who understands two or more languages fluently and works professionally either as a freelancer or in a translation agency or for a government department or a business. There is increasing use of so-called internet translators or online translation tools as well as electronic devices that can translate words and many phrases fairly well. These are becoming more accurate as the technology improves. They are also very fast and handy and in the case of online tools, free. However, they are still only of use for personal or non-essential purposes. For example, if you intend applying for a visa for a country where the official language is different from your own, you will probably have to have any personal documents translated by a professional translator. If you decide to visit that country as a tourist and want to know what signs say in your language, then the internet or online translator is good enough.

What are translation services in libraries?

Many libraries provide translation services, especially where there are numbers of migrants or refugees. Some libraries only provide interpreters, but others will provide translators. There may be a cost involved for the translation and there may be a limited number of languages available for translation.

What happens during a translation?

A professional translator is first assigned to the text that needs translating. This means assigning a translator who has fluency in the required languages as well as proficiency in the type of translation. For example, some translators specialise in legal translation, or marketing translation etc. Depending on the instructions given, the translator may confer with the client as to specific details of the text to be translated. The translation is completed and then given to a proofreader to check for accuracy and errors. Most translations these days tend to be submitted online and returned as translated versions by email as well.

What are the three stages of translation?

There may be three or four stages in language translation, depending on the complexity of the task. The first stage is the raw translation stage. This may be through a translation tool or done by the individual translator. Many professional translators these days use a variety of computer aids to speed up the translation. The second stage is editing. The raw translation needs to be thoroughly checked for accuracy. The more technical the text, the more important this stage becomes. The final stage is proofreading, which is mostly checking for typos, spacing errors and spelling mistakes.

Changes to Australia’s Immigration Rules in 2019

There were several major changes to the immigration rules in Australia that took effect from 1st January 2019.

These were:

  • a longer processing time for overseas partners’ visas;
  • a new visa for parents for temporary visits to Australia;
  • changes to foreign students cash flow;
  • ensuring that migrants sponsored by employers are paid what has been agreed;
  • visas for South Australia start-up entrepreneurs.

1. Longer Processing Time for Overseas Partners’ Visas

The first change is the processing time has been increased for partner visas. As a result of the Family Violence bill that the Senate passed in November 2018, concern had been raised about violence that has been occurring between Australian citizens and permanent residents and the partners who had joined them from overseas countries.

The most significant change is that the partner visa sponsorship will have to be approved before the application is submitted. Any partner from overseas is now expected to pass a stringent screening process which will assess their past life and character before an application can be filed. The process will take longer overall than is usually the case.

The new law now makes it harder for people with a history of domestic violence to be able to sponsor an overseas partner visa. Up to this year, all partner visa applicants had to pass a character check, but not a police check, unless a child was included in the partner visa application. Now, a partner who has a violent criminal background will be refused a partner visa.

2. New Visa for Parents for Temporary Visits to Australia

This visa is for parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents. It allows eligible parents to stay for short periods in Australia with their children, either three or five years. Each year the quota for these visas is fixed at 15,000. The cost of the visas is $5,000 for 3 years and $10,000 for 5 years. It is possible to renew these visas, but only for up to a maximum of 10 years. In addition, the government passed an amendment that ensures the parent applying for the visa wouldn’t place any extra burden on the healthcare system in Australia. If the parent needs healthcare but doesn’t have insurance, the child in Australia will be asked to cover the health costs.

3. Changes to Foreign Students’ Cash Flow

This year, foreign students must be able to show they have at least $20,290 of cash available. Also, if a partner is accompanying them, this will cost $7,100 and each child will cost $3,040. This new rule doesn’t affect an overseas student’s right to work in a casual job to help cover living costs. This is 20 hours a week while college or university is in session and full time in vacations.

4. Ensuring That Migrants Sponsored by Employers are Paid What has Been Agreed

Due to a trend of underpaying this group of workers, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) tax records are going to be checked using the tax file numbers of 457/482 TSS visa holders. This is to ensure they are being paid the correct amount based on the agreed salary.

5. Visas for South Australia Start-Up Entrepreneurs

With the growing trend of migrants’ preference to settle in the large urban areas like Melbourne and Sydney, the Federal government has initiated a pilot program this year for owners of startups who wish to migrate to Australia. South Australia is the targeted state and the requirements aren’t as stiff as those required for the Business and Innovation visa. The new visa won’t require the $200,000 funding and the IELTS score is set at an average of 5. Each applicant will need to provide to the state a business plan with an original business idea.