RE: [WebAIM]: a translation question ...

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006, John Foliot wrote:

> >> ... if a client expects their
> >> site to be to a certain accessible standard but then plans to use
> >> automated translation software to produce in 7 additional languages.
> >>
> > I would think this is blindingly obvious, but yes, you might need to
> > point it out. If your language usage is excellent, and you have an
> > Chaals
>
> I have dealt in the past with bilingual issues (English / French) and can
> state categorically that, even though the mainstream spoken French of Quebec
> is littered with all forms of colloquialisms and plain bad Anglicism's, when
> it comes to the written word the requirement for syntactically and
> grammatically perfect French is near obsessive.  One problem however is that
> even if you get two "official" translators in the same room often they can
> barely agree between themselves.
> I wish you luck.
> JF

as someone who speaks a few languages and interperts in one of them for
over 20 years I can say that there are few perfect interpertations it is
even easier for English/French which are both word based languages. then
when you get to Chineese or Japanese or the other concept based languages
you will really run into problems.    some concepts in one language make
absolutely no sense in another.   I've been told and am not sure if it is
true but it would not surprise me.  Seems the KFC slogan "finger licking
good" translated into Chinese as "eat your fingers" ????

the oonly thing that words reasonably well is a competent live human
interperter, and I generally prefer fining one who is interperting INTO
thier native language.  NASA gets around this on space missions by always
requiring the language of those being spoken to be the language used...


Bob

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Received on Wednesday, 22 November 2006 22:06:57 UTC