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Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our list of Frequently Asked Questions. Please feel free to email other questions to us.
What is the difference between interpreting and translating?
Q: What is the difference between interpreting and translating?
A: Generally, the term 'interpreting' refers to the action of transferring the spoken word from one language (also called the source language) into another language (the target language) as in a live oral format, whereas 'translating' describes the equivalent activity for written information.
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Q: Why is translating and interpreting important?
A: Translation and interpreting have been major forces shaping the development of world culture. Without translation, the information revolution of today would not be happening. Translators (and interpreters) will continue to play a crucial role in transferring information across language barriers enabling international understanding and globalization to expand. America will only survive in a global economy by expanding its trade. Good communication and strong relationships with overseas clients are essential to winning business. Asia's over-crowded market is extremely competitive so expert language assistance will provide a competitive edge.
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Q: Who makes a good interpreter/translator?
A: To be a translator or interpreter requires professional training and expertise. It is not necessarily any native speaker who makes a good interpreter or translator, although this may appear to be the only prerequisite. Translators need to be more than bilingual. They need to have a genuine interest in language and culture, be quick to absorb linguistic information, learn new words and to know how language is used in different situations.
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Q: How does a person qualify as a translator/interpreter?
A: Translation is generally a profession for graduates from various disciplines. To practice as an interpreter or translator, it is necessary to be accredited by ATA - the American Translators Association. It is an independent body with the objectives of establishing and maintaining professional standards, developing and implementing an accreditation, registration and licensing process.
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Q: How can I select a good interpreter or translator?
A: It is important to ensure that the person has professional accreditation through ATA (see previous question). This should ensure that the interpreter/translator is a professional who takes the quality and ethics of his/her profession very seriously. ATA was established as a national organization and provides a national newsletter, workshops and seminars to advance professional standards. Other objectives include upholding ethical standards, promoting professional interests, rights and recognition of members.
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Q: How should I work with an interpreter?
A: When working with an interpreter, speak directly to your client (not the interpreter) and always use the first person. For example: use "How are you?" rather than, "Ask him how he is." Don't engage in conversation with the interpreter, excluding your client. Use short sentences and do not speak for too long or the interpreter may not be able to record or remember everything. Choose language which is easy to understand and explain any difficult terms and concepts. (It is not the interpreter's job to add in content including additional explanations, only to render the source language into the target language). Try to avoid using slang or colloquialisms as these are very hard or, in most cases, impossible to interpret. Depending on the subject, it may be necessary to brief the interpreter prior to the meeting, particularly in relation to technical or complex matters. Providing a list of terminology will ensure that the interpreter can prepare adequately.
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Q: How should I work with a translator?
A: To work with a translator in obtaining translated written materials it is important to inform the translator who the target audience is. In the case of the Chinese language, this will determine which version of Chinese characters and expression style to use. The source documents should be well written - with attention paid to grammar, punctuation and spelling - and should be proofread and/or spell-checked to eliminate typing errors. Avoid the use of puns or plays on words. Provide fuller definitions of titles, abbreviations and acronyms. If proper names are used it is important to provide current translations of them, if available. In Chinese there is generally no set translation of names. If no documentation has been translated previously, it is beneficial to discuss methodology with the translator, otherwise copies of previous translations and the original source documents will assist the translator with names and terms already established. Discuss the project in advance with the translator and if you are going to be translating documents on an ongoing basis, it is a great advantage to build a relationship with the same translator to ensure consistency.
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Q: Can I use computer software to translate documents?
A: There are a number of multilingual translation tools available on the web. While translations of languages using the Roman alphabet work to a reasonable degree of accuracy, for character-based languages the accuracy is poor. A qualified translator would probably spend more time correcting the translation than they would translate the document from scratch. This is because computers can only do literal translations; context is not able to be understood, nor are idioms and proper names. Where there are a number of meanings for a word, the computer will select one randomly, and sentence structure is also poorly rendered.
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Q: Why should I learn Chinese?
A: Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more people than any other language on earth, including English. China is becoming America's largest trading partner and in the new millennium will possibly become the world's largest economy. By commencing a course of study now, your Chinese language skills would be sufficiently developed to take advantage of this growing influence to broaden your career opportunities.
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Q: How long will it take me to learn Chinese?
A: The study of Chinese characters means it takes about three times longer to achieve competence compared to languages using the Roman alphabet. However, for adults who are able to spend some time (1 or 2 years) in China or Taiwan and who are prepared to study diligently, fluency in Chinese is possible within five years. Communicative competence is possible in a much shorter time, and Global Connect Forum caters to these students.
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Q: Is Chinese difficult to learn?
A: Yes, and no. Learning to speak Chinese is not very difficult. While you need to learn some new sounds, there aren't as many different sounds as in English. The Chinese system is completely phonetic and, unlike English, has no exceptions. And Chinese grammar is very simple since there is only one verb form, with no masculine, feminine or plural forms. Excellent software is now available for typing Chinese, lessening the importance of writing characters by hand. For those who do not wish to learn Chinese characters, Chinese can be written with our alphabet using a system called 'Hanyu Pinyin' (for example Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin are all Romanized using Pinyin instead of Chinese characters).
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Q: What is the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin?
A: In mainland China there are 8 main (spoken) dialects, each of which could be called a language. Mandarin is the official language of the People's Republic of China, so theoretically everyone understands it and speaks it (but with varying accents). Cantonese is spoken in Guangdong Province, in part of Guangxi Province (west of Guangdong) and in Hong Kong and Macau. In Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, most people understand Mandarin as well, but in Hong Kong, the main second language is English. The written language is basically the same, although there are old (complex) and new (simplified characters) used for writing. The old characters are still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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Q: Should I learn Cantonese or Mandarin?
A: If your business or other interests are only in Hong Kong or Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces it is worth considering studying Cantonese. However, since America's interests lie in Asia, it is important to remember that Mandarin is the predominant language in the region.
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Q: Why is it called Mandarin?
A: Mandarin was the language spoken by the Mandarins in the palace. It was greatly influenced by the Manchu foreign invaders in 1644 when the Ming Dynasty was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty arose. Foreigners coined the term 'Mandarin' for the language because it was the language of the officials. Many Chinese, however, are not familiar with the word 'Mandarin', and refer to the language as Putonghua, or Guoyu, or simply Chinese.
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Q: How do I find a good teacher?
A: More information about our services can be found on our Services page. If you are learning Mandarin, ensure that the teacher speaks Standard Mandarin, since a large number of Chinese speak Chinese with their own local accent or in their own dialect.
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