Nunavut Official Languages Act comes into force

Source: Language Magazine

The Nunavut Official Languages Act came into force this month — a milestone in the history of this young and vast Canadian territory. The new act maintains the rights and privileges of English and French, while the Inuit language will be elevated to equal status. This level of statutory protection for an aboriginal language is unprecedented in Canada. The Inuit languages Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun are the native tongues of 83% of the population of the territory.
“I am proud that Inuit in Nunavut now have a clear statement of their inherent right to the use of the Inuit language in full equality with English and French,” said James Arreak, Minister of Languages. “The act further recognizes the important cultural contributions of Anglophones and Francophones in our territory and affirms our commitment to deliver programs and services to the public in all three official languages.”
All three official languages will enjoy equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in territorial institutions — namely in the Legislative Assembly, the courts, and the departments of the government of Nunavut — and public agencies. The legislation that OLA replaced, the Northwest Territories Official Languages Act, made the official language of the Inuit second only to French and English in terms of status. The same lesser position was assigned to six other aboriginal languages. It took five years to pass the act as law. Now, the residents of Nunavut may access various services of the government in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun. More.

See: Language Magazine

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

New app translation service announced for Google Play developer console

Source: Android Central

New developer tool to take away the difficulties with language barriers

During the Google Play developer console presentation in the Google I/O 2013 keynote, a fantastic new tool has been unveiled for the first time. Language barriers are tough to overcome, but Google is introducing a new app translation tool right within the developer console.

The demo given by Ellie Powers on stage showed the new feature, by choosing a language — Russian — desired for translation. Then developers can select a translation service, pay, send their app away, and in around a week it comes back all translated and ready to go. Fantastic news for developers to help them get their apps out to a wider audience.

See: Android Central

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

[Grants] PEN Translates – open for submissions

Source: English Pen

English PEN is now accepting submissions to its PEN Translates!programme which offers grants for translation. Launched in 2012, this unique new fund is open to submissions from all UK-based publishers.

PEN Translates! will fund up to 75% of translation costs for selected projects. When a publisher’s annual turnover is less than £100,000 we will consider supporting up to 100% of translation costs.

Work from all languages is eligible and it is not essential for publishers to have acquired the rights at the time of application.

The submitted project may be in the form of fiction (including children’s literature), non-fiction, poetry, prose or plays (for print edition), but not magazines.

Our PEN assessors evaluate applications and original manuscripts against the following criteria: Literary Quality, Strength of the Project and Contributing to Literary Diversity. A panel of experts then make the final selection of books for inclusion in thePEN Translates portfolio of supported titles. The panel will be looking for a range of languages, genres, and a good balance of male and female authors in the final selection.

Please note that this programme (unlike our programme for promotional grants) does not ask for books to have a link to the PEN Charter; this is not one of the established criteria.

The deadline for submissions will be Friday 28 June 2013

Please download our Application Form and Guidance for Applicants.

See: English Pen

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Internship in translation services

Source: UN jobs

Human Resources Development Department - International Labour Office

Vacancy No: ROSTER/INTERNSHIP/2013/02/08

Title: INTERNSHIP IN TRANSLATION SERVICES

Contract type: Internship

Duration of contract: 3-6 months

Date:

Application Deadline (midnight Geneva time) 19 May 2013

Internships

Organization unit:

Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland

The ILO values diversity. We welcome applications from qualified women and men, including those with disabilities. Applications from non- or under-represented member States would be particularly welcome.

You are applying to the ILO generic internship roster, which is published several times per year. The roster will be made available to all departments which will then select and directly contact suitable candidates only.

An internship with the ILO provides an opportunity to:

(a) Increase their understanding of relevant issues at the international level by involving them directly in the work of the Office and the application of ILO principles, programmes and strategies;

(b) Gain practical work experience with the ILO directly related to their field of studies.

The internship programme is not intended to lead to a career in the ILO. There should be no expectation of further employment at the end of the internship.

Description of Duties

As an intern in Translation services, you would be exposed to work such as translating written or recorded material from two or more languages into another and producing a version that is, in meaning, style and effectiveness, equivalent to the original language version. More.

See: UN jobs

Russian Translation Workshop

Source: University of Oxford

Mediterranean Editors and Translators – Language, Culture and Identity

Source: About Translation

Registration is now open for Mediterranean Editors and Translators’ 9th annual meeting

Language, Culture and Identity

24-26 October 2013, Monastery of Poblet, Tarragona, Catalonia

www.metmeetings.org

See: About Translation

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

AITI’s new code of ethics and professional conduct

Source: No peanuts

At its General Assembly on April 13, 2013, the Italian Association of Translators and Interpreters (AITI) adopted a new Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Below are two of the new Code’s twenty-three articles:

Article 10. Duty of Competence

II. Translators shall work exclusively into their native language, the language of their native culture, or the language in which they are able to prove equivalent expertise.

Article 19. Equitable Compensation

I. Translators and interpreters must refrain from providing their services in exchange for compensation that is not commensurate with the quality of their work….
III. Translators and interpreters should avoid offering or accepting discounts or below-market rates which may represent a form of unfair competition with their colleagues.

(The full Codice di deontologia e di condotta is available on the AITI site.) More.

See: No peanuts

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Google Translate adds Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Javanese and Marathi

Source: The New Age

Ever wanted to translate words or phrases to Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Javanese and Marathi? Well now you can, thanks to Google Translate.

The search engine company announced through its blog that these five languages would now be added to the system, increasing the total number of languages on the platform to more than 70.

“With the exception of Bosnian, these new languages are ‘alpha’, meaning while the quality isn’t perfect, we will continue to test and improve them over time,” Sveta Kelman, program manager, Google Translate wrote.

Google Translate is available online, via Android or iOS apps, or via Chrome and in Gmail, according to googleblog.blogspot.

The company also recently announced that Android OS users will be able to access the translation tool regardless of whether or not they have an internet connection.

The updates to the Google Translate app for Android apply to versions of the app on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and up, and the app supports translation between over 50 languages ranging from Italian to Arabic, though the offline version may provide less comprehensive options than the online version.

In order to use the updated app in offline mode simply launch the app, select “Offline Languages” in the app menu in order to see the available language packages which support offline translation and select the two you wish to translate between English and French, for example.

Once this offline language package has been downloaded, users can then easily translate between the two selected languages.

See: The New Age

Cloud Computing and big data: how it impacts the language industry

Source: eCPDwebinars

This webinar, delivered by established trainer Anne-Charlotte Perrigaud, will provide attendees with an overview of cloud computing and the way translation data fuels and empowers translation engines.

She will look at the challenges and risks of using such solutions, and then discuss the opportunities that it affords freelance translators in terms of productivity, quality, real-time communication and content sharing and added value.

Finally Ms Perrigaud will show attendees how to create a plan for the future of the translation industry before taking questions from the audience.

Duration: approx. 1 hour plus Q&A. You may log one hour of CPD. Certified ATA members may log 1 CE point.

Time: 4:00 pm BST

Cost: £22 = approx US$34*, €25.50* (*guideline only)

See: eCPDwebinars

English translation of novel on Prophet unveiled at TIBF

Source: ABNA

According to the news headquarters of the 26th Tehran International Book Fair, the English rendition of the book was unveiled in a ceremony arranged in the presence of a number of religion experts and the book’s author and translator. Addressing the audience, Ebrahim Hassan Beigi, author of the book, stated that he started writing the book in 2005 following the desecration of the Prophet Mohammad by European cartoonists.

He further complained about the lack of proper introduction of the Prophet in the world, and asserted that no TV series, books or movies were created prior to the desecration by Moslems of the world.
He stated that he intended to write the book as a step to the introduction of the Prophet to the people of the world.
He went on to add that the book has so far been rendered into Turkish, Arabic and Uzbek. The work has also been converted into English for all English speaking readers in the world so that a much wider range of readers will be able to enjoy reading about the Prophet’s life and divine mission.

He further called on the officials of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization to require all their representatives working in Iran’s cultural offices in the world to have the work published in different countries so that all people of the world will learn about the greatness of the Prophet and no such profanities will be seen against Islamic values anymore.
“By reading the book, readers will learn about the greatness of the righteous religion of Islam and will no longer allow desecration against it,” he further added.
The 26th Tehran International Book Fair is held at Tehran’s Grand Imam Khomeini Prayer Ground until May 11 2013.

See: ABNA

Iranian Minorities: what future after Ahmadinejad?

Source: UNPO

”Iranian minorities: what future after Ahmadinejad?”  will take place at Palais des Nations – Geneva, on 11th June 2013, 13.00-15.00  (TBC).

Through this event, UNPO in cooperation with the Nonviolent Radical Party aims at bringing attention to the human rights situation of religious and national minorities in Iran and discussing the impact that the upcoming Iranian presidential elections could mean for them and the country‘s human rights situation as a whole. Iran’s population includes a large number of religious, ethnic, and linguistic minorities More.

See: UNPO

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Literary Translation events in Norwich and London

Source: Brave New Words

I have organised a literary translation reading in Norwich on 17 May at 4 pm in the Undercroft (under the market). You can hear short excerpts from texts that have never been translated to English before. All the translators are UEA staff or students. The readings are free. (See below for the poster, which was designed by my PhD student Alex Valente. Thanks, Alex!)

On 22 May, you can hear a talk by me in London at City University on Fallen Women, Moody Bitches, and Stupid Southerners: Language Usage in Thrillers and Their Translation. This will take place at 6.30 pm in Room AG22, College Building, St John’s Street, and it is also free, followed by a reception.

See: Brave New Words

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Wager on the Man Booker International Prize Winner

Source: Online Casino Reports

The Man Booker International Prize is a biennial international literary prize of £60,000 awarded to a living author for a body of work published in English (or generally available in English translation); however, the winner can be from any country around the world.

2013 is the fifth year the Man Booker International Prize is being awarded. Previous winners include well-known and somewhat expected names, from Doris Lessing and Milan Kundera to Amos Oz and Joyce Carol Oate, but this year the literary public agrees that most of the finalists are quite surprising.

This is the first year there have been five judges instead of three, reading their way around the world to find candidates. No one can nominate or submit candidates for the prize other than by the judges’ who have chosen some unexpected authors this year.

Finalists Announced

The finalists were announced at the end of January by chair of judges Sir Christopher Ricks at the DSC Jaipur Literary Festival. Check out each finalist’s odds and place your bets at William Hill Sportsbook. More.

See: Online Casino Reports

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

High demand for Spanish translators spurs Loyola program

Source: New Orleans City Business

Loyola University said today it is launching a Spanish language interpreting and translation program this year to meet growing demand for professional interpreters and translators in the health care and legal fields.

The Spanish/English Translation and Interpreting Certificate Program courses will be offered to both the community and students starting this fall. The translation program will be the first at a Gulf Coast university, according to the school.

The program will be administered jointly from the Office of Professional & Continuing Studies, the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, and the Department of Languages & Cultures at Loyola. More.

See: New Orleans City Business

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

British Centre for Literary Translation – Director

Source: IATIS

Book Alert: how do we read the Arab world today

Source: ahram online

The American University in Cairo’s Centre for Translation Studies will host a four-speaker panel titled: ‘Translating the Arab World: An Anthology’ on Tuesday, 7 May.

The Panel will discuss the recently published book Kaif Anaqra’ Al-Alam Al-Araby Alyoum (How do we Read the Arab World Today: Alternative Views in the Social Sciences).

The four speakers are AUC Sociology Professor Malak Rouchdy, AUC Anthropology Professors Hanan Sabea and Reem Saad as well as Helwan University History Professor Sherif Younis.

The book comprises selected anthropological studies that tackle the theoretical and methodological problems that hinder the study of non-Western nations. The book was translated by Sherif Younis and edited by Reem Saad, Hanna Sabea, Malak Rouchdy and Iman Hamdy.

Programme:
Tuesday, 7 May, 6:00pm
AUC Tahrir Campus, Oriental Hall

See: ahram online

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Mediterranean Editors and Translators 2013 conference: registration open

Source: MET meetings

Registration is now open for the 9th annual Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET) conference to be held on October 24-26, 2013 at the Poblet monastery located in the province of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain. MET is an association of language service providers who work mainly into or with English. The group’s annual meetings, known as METMs, offer a forum for peer-generated continuing professional development on a wide range of topics of interest to language professionals. Read more.

See: MET meetings

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Cracow Translation Days 2013

Source: Cracow Translation Days

Cracow Translation Days 2013 – Frankfurt am Main – Germany – The Cracow Translation Days will be held from 6–8 September 2013.

The Cracow Translation Days are an international conference for professional translators that offers more than just plain vanilla. With a focus on professional education, networking and intercultural exchange, this is not just another conference in an impersonal convention centre, where the goal seems to be to attend as many talks as possible in as little time as possible.

The organisers have chosen a special location for a special conference, the Benedictine abbey of Tyniec, 13 km southwest of Cracow, and put together an extensive social programme in and around Cracow.

Registration for this non-profit conference is now open. Abstracts for talks, workshops or roundtables are being accepted until 31 May 2013.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cracow-translation-days-2013.com/en/home.html

See: Cracow Translation Days

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Aspiring interpreters: where will you be next fall?

Source: The Interpreter Diaries

(…) If you are thinking you might like to study to become a conference interpreter, NOW is the time to be putting in applications to the postgraduate programs starting in the fall.

The University of La Laguna is no exception to this rule. The coordinators here at the Master’s in Conference Interpreting are doing most of their planning for the 2013-14 academic year as we speak. The deadline for submitting an application for next year’s program is May 15th, just under two weeks away, so if you are thinking you might like to come study under the swaying palms of La Laguna’s Guajara campus, you must get your paperwork in now.  Continue reading →

See: The Interpreter Diaries

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.

Minnesota West to offer interpreter program

Source: Daily Globe

Through a new partnership with Century College, Minnesota West Community and Technical College will be able to offer certificates and associate degrees in Language Translating and Interpreting (TRIN).

The program aims to give bilingual students the skills they need to be successful interpreters and translators in a variety of fields, including education, healthcare and law. More.

See: Daily Globe

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.