General
5 Tips for translating Italian menus
If you love Italian food as much as I do, translating an Italian menu might be your dream project. Have you ever been lucky enough to translate foodie texts or menus from Italian? Then you’ll know what I mean when I say it’s more challenging than you first think. (more…)
Freelance Translator Annual Review
As a freelancer, you can sometimes forget that you are in fact running a business. And as with any business, it is very important to review your progress and growth on a regular basis. Because of the flexibility associated with being a freelance professional, a unique approach is necessary for this kind of review, to take into account the personal aspect of the work we do. For the majority of freelance translators, their freelance business (more…)
Specialised Translations – what does it mean?
Translations about outdoor activities
Today I want to look at the topic of specialisations in the world of translating. What does it mean to be an expert translator is a certain field, like climbing or mountaineering? Whoever wants to work as a translator will sooner or later have to think about one or more areas of specialisation, and this is not always straightforward. You may be thinking, “But I’m a language expert, I’ve studied translation, is that not enough?” (more…)
Eating Up Italy: Food for Thought
I’m currently reading Matthew Fort’s book, Eating Up Italy: Voyages on a Vespa, which follows his journey through Italy, from south to north, on a culinary quest for the truth, culture and people behind Italian cuisine, in all its many varieties.
I’m really enjoying the book and the author’s way of writing, but what I want to focus on here is:
- how foreigners describe Italy
- why this is an important factor to consider when translating.
Let’s start with the first point and have a look at how Italy is seen from the outside with the help of Matthew Fort.
In contrast to many who write about Italy, Matthew Fort does not present himself as a great expert of the country, but rather as someone with limited knowledge of the language and the country in spite of his obvious interest in the place. (more…)
Best Glossary of Climbing and Mountaineering Terms
I’ve put together a list of some websites with glossary resources for mountaineering terms which I have found particularly useful. There are many more out there, but these are a good place to start….
Anything you fancy on the menu?
Why is it so difficult to translate a menu?
If you’re looking for a truly exotic dish, you need look no further than the many badly-translated menus in English…you’ll find all sorts, from ‘fried fishermen’ to ‘revolting eggs’, from ‘feet with jam’ to ‘fried friendship’ and even ‘saucepans in butter with fried hormones’! Mmmmm….delicious!
Errors in menus which have been translated into English often just make us laugh. But they are no laughing matter for those who work in the restaurant industry -with a badly-written menu you can quickly lose valuable customers! (more…)