![]() ![]() ![]() 20:5 in Latin America means twenty divided by five in the UK it’s a ratio of twenty to five. Mathematical symbols present another problem in number translation. A mis-used comma or mis-placed decimal point or even space can make a world of difference to the meaning of a translation. Suffice it to same that those translating numbers need in-depth knowledge of the number formats in both languages. There are plenty more examples I could give. A million in the US is 1,000,000 in Russia it is 1 000 000. One hundred thousand in India is 1,00,000 in the UK, it’s 100,000. However, in Russian it would mean three point five zero seven. That’s three thousand, five hundred and seven, right? Well, yes, in English. The Problem with Decimal Pointsĭecimal points and commas present another issue. If you’re translating a document that has detailed weight measurements in pounds and ounces from English into Portuguese, will you stick with the imperial definitions or do you need to convert everything to metric measurements? The need to translate versus localize quickly becomes a challenge here. Does the target language leave a space between the number and the symbol or abbreviation, for example 5.30 pm or 5.30pm?Īnd what do you do when a symbol of measurement is in Greek in the source language, such as β being used to represent the second angle in a triangle or δ representing a percentage error? Imperial Versus Metric There are plenty of complications around the symbols, words and abbreviations used in number translation. Clearly, this is something with the potential to trip up unwary number translation noobs. In South African English, one billion is one thousand million in Afrikaans, it’s one million million. However, in most Spanish-speaking, French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries (along with many others), one billion is one million million (referred to as one trillion in English).Īs if that wasn’t complicated enough, some countries use both meanings. In most English-speaking and Arabic-speaking countries, one billion is one thousand million. How much is a billion? Seemingly a simple question but the answer actually changes depending on where in the world you ask it. There are multiple reasons why translating numbers is challenging. As such, numerical translators need to be methodical and analytical, with a superb grasp of financial terms and concepts in both the languages with which they work. ![]() Translating numbers requires exceptional attention to detail, due to the work involved and the potential impact that any mistakes could have. ![]() If it’s presented in numeric format and it needs translation, it counts as numerical translation. The numbers can relate to currencies, weight, height, temperature, pressure or the measurement of pretty much anything. That encompasses anything from a set of company accounts to engineering blueprints, and anything and everything in between. Numerical translation is the translation of number-heavy content. Shall we dive straight in? What Is Numerical Translation? I’ll run through what number translation is and some of the challenges it involves, then consider a few pointers for translators undertaking this kind of work. Today, I want to take a look at numerical translation. Every type of translation requires its own particular knowledge and skillset, from translating numbers to working on medical documents. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |