Translation & Interpreting Archives

Gender of words

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Elizabeth Lake in Translation & Interpreting, Tuition Leave a comment

A new word has entered our vocabulary in recent months – Brexit. It seems our European neighbours are also using this word, but as we know, nouns in other languages are masculine or feminine (in some languages even neuter). So what about in this case? Well, it would seem French and German has decided it should be masculine, as has Spanish, whereas Italian has opted for feminine. This could be because the word ‘exit’ is ‘uscita’ in Italian which is also feminine, or maybe it just sounds better with ‘la’ rather than ‘il’. Or maybe you have some theories of your own?

Chinese Challenges

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Elizabeth Lake in Translation & Interpreting Leave a comment

There are currently some 1.3 billion Chinese speakers in the world. China is growing and developing business relationships with the west, therefore Chinese to English and English to Chinese translation services are being requested more and more. At the same time, however, Chinese translations present a few specific challenges; unlike European languages, Chinese is based on characters rather than letters. Each Chinese character can mean more than one thing and often has subtle connotations as well. Translating documents into Chinese or from Chinese into English requires a vast vocabulary as well as a good knowledge of Chinese culture. It is therefore important to select a professional translator, in order to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

The European Day of Languages

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Elizabeth Lake in Translation & Interpreting, Tuition Leave a comment

The 26th September has been designated The European Day of Languages since 2001; it is an initiative of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Throughout Europe, 800 million Europeans represented in the Council of Europe’s 47 member states are encouraged to learn other languages, both in school and as an extra-curricular activity. Read more

A day in the life of an interpreter

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Elizabeth Lake in Translation & Interpreting Leave a comment

I have been sent some documents as I am conference interpreting next week. I go through the powerpoint presentation, checking the vocabulary for any new concepts. Every industry has its own jargon, and sometimes there can be linguistic challenges. It is better to do the homework, so I can be fully prepared. This also helps interpreters look professional when they are on their assignment. I am grateful for the internet; it would have been a lot harder ‘in the old days’ to get acquainted with these new concepts and learn about the company I am interpreting for.

Why you need a human translator

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Elizabeth Lake in Translation & Interpreting Leave a comment

When you have a letter to translate for work, want to produce your CV in a different language, or have any other translation need, it is tempting to save money and ‘do it yourself online’. Is this a good idea? Read more

Elizabeth Lake Languages new website

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Elizabeth Lake in Translation & Interpreting, Tuition Leave a comment

Hello and welcome to my new website! I look forward to welcoming current students and clients, and meeting new people. Please spend a few minutes looking around my website to get an idea of what I can offer. Maybe you know someone who is struggling at school? Why not point them in my direction? I not only offer help with French, Spanish, German or Italian at any level (and help with preparation for GCSE and A Level), but also offer tuition for literacy, which affects so many other subjects in addition to English. Or perhaps you own a property abroad and wish you could speak Italian, Spanish, French or German to get the most out of your ‘adopted country’? Are you planning a holiday of a lifetime somewhere and wish to learn a few phrases before you go? Maybe your business has the need for interpreters when foreign clients visit, or you need documents translating?

If I can help in any way, please get in touch, either by phone or email. I look forward to discussing your language requirements with you. I am always happy to offer advice, after all, language is my passion! I hope you will check my blog from time to time for some interesting articles and linguistic advice.