Language facts Archives - ASIST Translations

Language Facts: Central Ohio

Austyn Buchanan — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:14:39 +0000

According to the 2002 U.S. Census Bureau report, a language other than English was spoken in more than 9.0% of households in Franklin County, Ohio. About 8.0% of its residents are foreign born. Franklin County’s foreign-born population has tripled during the last 15 years and is projected to reach nearly 12 percent of Franklin County’s population by 2010. (For example, between 1990 and 2003, this number increased from 32,235 to 56,628. An average of 9,000 immigrants make Franklin County their home each year.)
Columbus, Ohio is home to the second-largest Somali population in North America. There are at least 17,000 Somalis in Franklin county. However, some sources cite current figures in the neighborhood of 40,000.
Per a 2006 census report, 35,526 of Franklin County’s population (3.26%) identified themselves as Hispanics as of July 2005 and most of them speak Spanish at home. This is the second-largest Hispanic population among all Ohio counties.
At least two-thirds of Franklin County’s Hispanics are of Mexican origin.
The number of Chinese speakers throughout Ohio increased by 66.10% between 1990 and 2000, while the number of Spanish speakers increased by 53.13% during the same period.
The population speaking many other languages, including Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, French and various African languages, is also growing. Given the diverse population in Central Ohio, the need for trained interpreters, translators, and professional translation agencies is expected to increase steadily.
ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world…

www.ASISTtranslations.com

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Symbols in Foreign-Language Translations

Austyn Buchanan — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:14:35 +0000

You need to be very careful how symbols are treated in the source text you provide for translation to other languages. Here are a few common issues:

#

Not everyone associates this symbol with “number.” In many languages, some sort of text abbreviation for the word “number” is used (for example, Nº or núm. in Spanish).

ʺ

This abbreviation for inches should usually be avoided in translations. While it may be recognized in regions familiar with English usage (Canada, Spanish speakers in the USA or Mexico), it is better to use the standard abbreviation in the target language. Of course, unless the item being described necessarily comes in inch sizes—like a nut, wrench or pipe fitting, for example—it should usually be converted to metric system anyway!

&

To most speakers of foreign languages, the ampersand does NOT represent the word “and.”

@

The “at” sign is ubiquitous in e-mail addresses, of course. But many languages use a distinct term for this symbol, that doesn’t suggest the word “at” to speakers of that language at all. Consequently, creative constructions like “Work@Home” don’t translate.

/

American English frequently uses the slash symbol to represent the idea of “or” or “and.” To minimize ambiguity in your source English text for translation, it is recommendable to actually use the words “or” or “and.”

$

When the dollar sign is used in Spanish, to avoid confusion this should be the version with a single vertical bar — not two vertical bars, which is used for the peso in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Cuba.
ASIST Translations can help you prepare your source text for translation to a foreign language, to ensure that your original content is as universal and unambiguous as possible. Feel free to contact us about effective communication in today’s multilingual, multicultural environment.
ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

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African French Translation

Austyn Buchanan — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:14:33 +0000

Quick, name the continent with the most French speakers in the world…
That’s right… it’s Africa!
French is spoken in 31 African countries. Out of a population of nearly 900 million, up to 115 million people throughout Africa speak French as their first or second language (compared to 53 million in France, 7 million in Canada, 4 million in Belgium, and 1.5 million in Switzerland).
African French varieties are grouped into 3 major categories. The largest is that spoken in west, central and eastern Africa (75 million), followed by Maghreb French (Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia; about 36 million), and a variety spoken by less than 2 million Creoles in the Indian Ocean.
Like Arabic in northern Africa and the Horn of Africa, and Swahili in southeastern Africa, French is an important lingua franca among people from western, northwestern and central African countries.
African French varieties have many differences in pronunciation from European and Canadian French. The differences in vocabulary are even more pronounced, including loan words from other languages, terms that acquire different meanings in African French, plus a wealth of colloquial and slang expressions that, like pronunciation, vary from one region to another.
After Paris and Montreal, the third-largest French-speaking city in the world is Kinshasha (Democratic Republic of the Congo).
African countries with the largest number of French speakers (a majority of these speak French as their second language):

Democratic Republic of the Congo (24 million)
Algeria (19 million)
Côte d’Ivoire (13 million)
Morocco (10 million)
Cameroon (7 million)
Tunisia (6 million)
Guinea (6 million)

African countries with the highest proportion of French speakers (as first or second language) among their population:

Gabon 80%
Mauritius 73%
Côte d’Ivoire 70%
São Tomé and Príncipe 65%
Tunisia 64%
Guinea: 63%
Seychelles 60%
Republic of the Congo 60%
Equatorial Guinea 60%
Algeria 57%

This Wikipedia article provides some fascinating information about French speakers in Africa.
ASIST Translations regularly provides translations in European French, Canadian French and African French—as well as other languages from Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere.
ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

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7 Myths About Spanish Translation for the United States

Austyn Buchanan — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:14:29 +0000

ASIST Translation Services Inc. has been translating to and from Spanish for the US market for over 25 years (as well as other Spanish-speaking countries around the world, of course!). Among the frequent topics of conversation with our translation clients are the many myths and misconceptions about the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. Accordingly, the Spanish translators at ASIST have helped compile a list of the “Magnificent Seven” myths about English-Spanish translations for the US market.
MYTH: Spanish spoken in the United States is “Spanglish.” It includes many English words and incorrect Spanish grammar.
FACT: This observation is true in relation to some of the colloquial or “street” Spanish one might hear in the United States, but it would never apply to a professional English-to-Spanish translation. Educated Spanish speakers surrounded by an English-speaking culture do indeed incorporate a higher proportion of loan words. In Spanish-speaking cultures around the world, borrowing words from other languages is more readily accepted when an exact (and brief!) equivalent doesn’t exist in Spanish. Even when translating to Spanish for other countries, it is not uncommon for our translators to include an original English term in parentheses if they are concerned that the Spanish version might otherwise be unfamiliar or ambiguous.
Despite all this, when ASIST creates formal Spanish translations for use in the United States, all conventional rules of Spanish grammar and punctuation apply and English words would never be gratuitously included in Spanish text. When “US Spanish” is designated as the target language variety, this in no way implies indiscriminate use of anglicisms, non-standard grammar or slang vocabulary that combines English and Spanish.
Among US Hispanics, in many cases their Spanish-language education may be interrupted or incomplete. This accounts for much of the “Spanglish” that Spanish speakers outside the United States always find so remarkable. Our professional Spanish translators are well aware of these issues, and work with ASIST clients to identify the appropriate educational level for the target audience.
MYTH: English-to-Spanish translations for the United States can be Mexican Spanish, because they represent the majority.
FACT: According to the US Census Bureau (2007 American Community Survey), only about 64% of the Hispanics across the United States (including many who speak little or no Spanish) identify themselves as being of Mexican origin. So, if you produce a translation that is specifically Mexican, without verifying its usability for other Hispanic groups, this potentially alienates over a third of your target audience!
These percentages vary widely from one US city to another. For example, census bureau data (ACS 2003) about Hispanic populations in metropolitan areas (without taking into account their native language, or Hispanic residents in their surrounding counties) tells us that:

In the city of San Francisco, less than half of Hispanics are of Mexican origin.
Within the city of Cleveland, 82% of Hispanics are of Puerto Rican origin.
In Philadelphia, 76% of Hispanics are of Puerto Rican origin.
Less than 5% of Hispanics in Boston are of Mexican origin (Puerto Ricans, at 27%, represent the largest Hispanic group in that city.)
Within the city of Columbus, Ohio, 59% of Hispanics are of Mexican origin.
In New York City, only 8% of Hispanics are of Mexican origin. (Over 30% of Hispanics in that city are of Puerto Rican origin, and slightly over 2% stated Cuban origin.)
However, there are many cities with large Mexican majorities among their Hispanic residents. For example, about 67% of Hispanic residents in Atlanta are of Mexican origin, 73% in Chicago, 76% in Denver, 81% in Las Vegas, 89% in Dallas, 90% in San Diego.

MYTH: Spanish is Spanish. There is only one correct version. The principal Spanish dictionary is that of the Real Academia Española; therefore, the Spanish spoken in Spain is also appropriate for all other Spanish speakers in the United States and Latin America.
FACT: Many varieties of Spanish exist around the world. The formal written and spoken versions used in various countries or regions are equally legitimate. Just as with English, the fact that a language may have originated in a one country, or has a greater number of speakers in another, doesn’t make any given variety “better” than others. Certain vocabulary and grammar used in Spain can be unfamiliar for many American speakers, and in spoken Spanish the accents from regions within Spain can be hard to follow. Each translation must be tuned for the target audience, and when there are significant differences, the knowledge and creativity of the translation team will address this issue.
MYTH: “Neutral” Spanish translations will be equally comprehensible to Spanish speakers from anywhere in the world.
FACT: There is no such thing as “neutral” Spanish! Well-known grammatical differences include the use of vosotros the second-person plural form of address in Spain, and the use of vos to mean “you” in many South American countries. (In some countries, vos is less formal than the tú form, and in others, it is more formal.)
Even more problematic, however, are the thousands of minor differences in vocabulary and usage from one country to another. Words used for even commonplace objects—especially, clothing, food, plants and household items—can vary widely. Experienced, professional translators have interacted with many Spanish-speaking cultures, and are aware of these differences. This informs their decisions about which terms to use, and whether alternate terms need to be provided in order to produce the most inclusive translation possible. (Indeed, there are occasions when two separate translations are required.)
MYTH: If the Spanish translation is for Florida, it should be Cuban Spanish.
FACT: Even in Miami, census data (ACS 2003) tells us that only about 54% of the Hispanic population in that city is of Cuban origin. In Orlando, a mere 5% of Hispanics state Cuban origin, in Tampa about 35%, and about 13% in Jacksonville. It is interesting to note, however, that half of our nation’s Cuban-Americans reside within Miami-Dade County.
MYTH: In Spain they speak “Castilian,” and in the rest of the world they speak “Spanish” (español).
FACT: Another article in this blog explains how Castilian, Spanish, castellano and español are all synonyms for the same language. To avoid confusion, the language spoken in Spain can be referred to as Peninsular Spanish or European Spanish. (Occasionally, Spanish speakers in the Americas use the word castellano to mean “good” Spanish; i.e., not regional or slang. But that is a colloquial expression, not a linguistically accurate description.)
MYTH: Because the metric system is used in Spanish-speaking cultures, all measurements should be converted to metric units.
FACT: Spanish speakers in the United States are immersed in a culture where “English” measurements are the norm. Accordingly in US Spanish translations, these units appear first—commonly followed by the metric conversion in parentheses). When ASIST creates Spanish translations for use in other countries, the order of measurement units is usually the opposite, because elsewhere in the world, the metric system is the norm. Exception to this rule are made when approximate metric conversions would be misleading or cause problems; for example, plumbing fittings or wrench sizes.
While we are on the subject of numbers, it should also be noted that, in Spanish, the use of commas and points to separate thousands and decimals is opposite from English. That is, they would write 1.000,01 instead of 1,000.01 as in English. This is the norm in the Spanish-speaking world, except in Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico… and the United States.
ASIST Translation Services, Inc. is a full-service interpreting and translation agency located in Columbus, Ohio. We provide translation, interpreting, proofreading, studio voice recording and media production, localization of interactive and Web content, and specialized language services to clients around the world.

www.ASISTtranslations.com

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Esperanto: A Language with a Cause

Austyn Buchanan — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:14:25 +0000

Esperanto is the international language created by Dr. Ludwik Zamenhof from Poland. The goal of Esperanto was to allow all people to communicate with one another. Dr. Zamenhof published the first brochure about the Esperanto language in 1887. Esperanto, which means “he who has hope”, was thus born.
Since its creation at the end of the 19^th century, Esperanto has developed into both a written and spoken language. Esperanto’s vocabulary is primarily derived from Western European languages, while its syntax is based upon Slavic languages. Due to Esperanto’s simple and logical grammar, its ability to form an infinite quantity of words from just a few roots as well as the international character of its vocabulary makes it a relatively easy language to master.
According to a study conducted by the Academy of Esperanto, there are between 200 and 2000 native speakers of Esperanto, which includes businessman George Soros and Daniel Bovet, winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Esperanto’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it is not the language of any single culture or of any single country. The aspiration of Esperanto is to facilitate communication throughout the entire world.

ASIST Translation Services in Columbus, Ohio is a full-service agency, offering translations, interpreting, multi-media productions services, and DTP/page layout for over 25 years. For a free estimate for translation, interpreting, localization, or audio-visual services, visit http://www.ASISTtranslations.com/ and click the “FREE Quote” button.

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Death of Languages: Like All Living Things, Languages Experience a Life Cycle of their Own

Austyn Buchanan — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:14:17 +0000

When Alban Michael passed away earlier this year at the ripe young age of 89, the occasion really marked two deaths. You see, Mr. Michael was the last surviving speaker of the Nuchatlaht language once spoken by his Native American ancestors of the Pacific Northwest. His death also marked the quiet end of yet another language that has died out over the millennia of human existence.
Like plants and animals, human languages have proven to have their own life cycles: they’re born, they grow, they adapt, they expand and, invariably, they die. Sometimes their death is a slow reincarnation, like the transition from “Olde” English into our modern vernacular, or how Latin was gradually replaced by Italian. Other times their unfortunate demise is driven by oppression—conquering armies throughout history have often either destroyed indigenous cultures or prohibited the use of native tongues. For the thousands of languages that have disappeared over the ages, there was always one last soul—like Mr. Alban Michael—who carried the final words of their people to the grave.
So just how many languages have been lost to time? There’s no definitive answer.

Estimates range widely from 600 to 60,000. It’s especially hard to guess how languages came and went among primitive groups of people thousands of years ago. The Eblaite and Sumerian tongues are among the oldest languages whose deaths are traced back to the 2^nd millennium B.C. But more recent studies on the death of languages are not much more conclusive. Some have estimated that 4,000 languages have become extinct just within the past few hundred years. If you read our last blog, you learned that about 250 languages died out in India alone over the past 50 years, with many more on the “endangered” list. In fact, some experts predict that 90 percent of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken around the world today will be extinct by the year 2100, if not sooner.
This expedited death toll can be attributed to a couple of key factors:

Globalization is urging populations to grow closer together and remove communication barriers that hamper economic, social, scientific and cultural interactions.
Communication technology is bringing cultures and people together at an unprecedented rate, which can force smaller, undeveloped communities to forsake their native tongue for more mainstream languages in order to compete, or just to survive.
Homogenization is slowly winnowing the number of languages that young people have traditionally learned either in schools or from their parents. In recent centuries, many countries have urged—or forced—assimilation of cultures within their borders, so instead of nurturing language and cultural differences, young people grow up learning only the more dominant language of their society, and the native tongues of their ancestors slowly die off as a result.

Of the 7,000 languages in use today, the majority of them are spoken by relatively small clusters of people. According to the website Ethnologue, which catalogs all of the known living languages on Earth, six percent of the world’s languages are spoken by 94 percent of the world’s population; the remaining 94 percent of languages are spoken by only 6 percent of the population. Consider the small island of New Guinea: despite its minuscule percentage of the world’s population (0.1%), it is home to more than 1,100 languages, or about one-sixth of the world’s total. About 130 languages around the world are spoken by fewer than 10 people, which illustrates the extreme vulnerability of that speech as the speakers age and die out.
When it comes to existing languages susceptible to extinction, the Top 10 countries with the most endangered languages are: United States (227 endangered languages); India (199); Brazil (190); Indonesia (149); Russian Federation (148); China (148); Mexico (143); Australia (108); Papua New Guinea (98); and Canada (93).
As a leading language service provider for more than 30 years, we hate to see any language die. In addition to being unique and intricate links to humankind’s collective past, languages can also provide valuable information across cultures. For example, aborigines in Australia used their traditional language to educate modern medical staff about otherwise unknown uses of a local plant that cured skin rashes. It shows that languages represent more than just words; they also carry the memory of a people, complete with the irreplaceable knowledge, insights and experiences gained over the centuries.
We see language diversity as a healthy and essential part of a thriving planet. Promoting multilingual families, schools, businesses and communities is a more enlightened and constructive approach to a globalized world than one where we all speak the same language. We’ll continue to do our part to make sure we all can communicate with each other, even if it’s in an obscure, possibly endangered, language. We think Alban Michael would have shared our view.

For more than 30 years, ASIST Translation Services, Inc. has worked with business, government, educational and non-profit clients around the world. We improve foreign language communications through a full menu of translation and interpreting services, including content localization, studio voice recording & audio-visual production, transcreation, proofreading, website content, page layout & design, cultural training, and other specialized language support. To learn more about how we can assist you, visit our LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook pages or our Website!

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