Glossary

Acceptability

In linguistics, acceptability is a concept that stems from various factors, the most important being grammaticality. There are different levels of acceptability for a text or utterance. In translation, the acceptability of a translated text is determined according to whether it is grammatically correct and, as regards the semantic level, if there is a complete reproduction of meaning. As for the socio-stylistic aspect, acceptability is determined by the aesthetic intelligibility developed in the text, which goes as far as claiming, and thus paying for, a stylistic level of adaptation quality or "zero-error" editing quality, i.e., well beyond just translation quality.

Adaptation

Transposing a text, or more broadly a work, into another language, making sure that the socio-style, graphical presentation, and the content of the message conform to the characteristics of the marketing prospects in the source text. This accordance is only possible if it is done by translators/copywriters and graphic designers, in order to correctly reflect in the target language all the elements that were originally established in the source language. Adaptation quality differs from translation quality and publishing quality. (See Editing, Translation, Publishing)

Carbon copy

Literal translation, which reproduces the structure of the source language in the target language. It consists of a word for word translation so feared by the client who is, often rightly, concerned that the text should not be transposed blow by blow from the dictionary. Furthermore, it is well known that natural languages do not tolerate being translated word for word.

Copyright

Name given to the author's rights, and consequently to the banning of reproduction without prior authorization. Not to be confused with copywriting.

Copywriting

Conception and editing of advertising or marketing texts according to the rules of the craft, marketing objectives and positioning of the product/service. In translation, copywriting quality requires the text to be translatable. (See Translatability).

Delocalization

The delocalization of a linguistic product stems from the fact that you are writing or translating a text into another language in relation to the spoken language in that particular country, in which the editor or the translator of the text lives. If, for example, you write (translate) into Italian or into Japanese outside of Italy or Japan, you are causing the delocalization of linguistic products. The harmful consequence of this delocalization is demonstrated by the numerous lexical, idiomatic, or conceptual alterations that the translator or reviser unwittingly introduces into the text. The same translator or reviser, who lives abroad, but who continues to write in his or her own mother tongue, is influenced by the language in daily use in that country. In effect, they tend to unconsciously retranslate foreign expressions into their mother tongue. Furthermore, each language is evolving, more so than you would believe. In time, even translators who have emigrated, inevitably lose their grasp of terminology and even the style of the original language. This is therefore the reason that has pushed Eurologos to found its strategy on the "relocalization" of its linguistic production through the creation of subsidiaries and branches in the target language countries (where the languages are spoken). This way they can ensure the linguistic quality of texts.

Desktop Publishing (DTP)

Literally speaking, this is a publication done in an office, with the help of a computer program. Desktop Publishing is, without doubt, the technological application that has done the most to revolutionize editing in the 80s and 90s. Setting out with modest intentions, DTP has gradually replaced photocomposers with its new graphic networks. They are mostly made up of powerful computer workstations, B&W and colour scanners, and numerous page layout and illustration programs.

Dialect

Even a homogenous language varies with time, to create diverse forms due to socio-cultural variations and speech communities. These varieties of the language are called dialects and can, in turn, achieve, as a reverse process, the status of a language.

Dubbing

Translation, interpretation and recording operations so as to provide the soundtrack to a film (publicity, commercial or fictitious) in another language of communication. At Eurologos, dubbing is preceded by the translation-adaptation of the visual sequences of the films in order to achieve - in the case of sub-titles - texts of an adequate readability and restoration of the dialogue. In the case of dubbing, oral interpretation of the actors has to be preceded by the translation of the dialogue while at the same time adapting it to what is known as "lipping", the articulation of the lips by film actors.

Editing

In the industry, editing refers to all the operations necessary for the publication of a commercial message (informative, advertising or, in general, marketing). In the editorial field (editing consists of rewriting) the task of a skilled writer a text intended to be published. Even the author of the text can lend a hand in correcting the final version. Multilingual localizations designate all the translation operations necessary to produce a document in several languages. The term editing is often used as a synonym of publishing. However, the term publishing covers the graphic, typographic or, generally speaking, the mastering operations (audio/video recording) carried out to produce the cassettes, CD or CD-1. (See Publishing).

Excellence (publishing)

Whereas quality is always relative (it is defined by the relationship between the promised product and the actual product), the supply of excellence is defined in absolute terms: the best caviar in the world (or one of the best), the fastest PC, and the most efficient technology, the highest level of multilingual service (what is known as "zero-error"), etc. Excellence in translation and multimedia publishing can only be achieved by translation agencies that have subsidiaries in several countries, which are capable of ensuring an internal linguistic check using hi-tech equipment for pre-press and mastering. (See ISO, Overclaim, Quality).

Geo-style

The geo-style of a language is made up of characteristics specific to a certain country (or geographical zone). For example, there is British English or American English, Catalan or Argentine Spanish, Lusitanian or Brazilian Portuguese. Even on arriving in the Netherlands there is Dutch or Flemish (as is written and spoken in Belgium), which is less than 100 km apart. The process of globalization seems to favour, in an apparently paradoxical fashion, the characterization of languages and it seems to make the strategic divergence of linguistic geo-styles (Czech, Slovakian, Serbian, Croatian, etc.) more favourable. Since language is increasingly a valuable factor in quality and the competitive geo-marketing sector, it is necessary to possess the ability to produce it (and to control it) " Where it is spoken." Here is another reason on which to base the strategy of relocalization of linguistic production, which has enabled the growing globalization of the Eurologos Group.

Gist

A translation done entirely by software without any human interference. Often the level of intelligibility of this gist is insufficient, to the extent that this type of translation (automatic) is unusable. This depends of course on the original and target languages and above all the "Translation Computer" used. Eurologos uses the Systran system, the world leader in automatic translation.

Globalization

Conceptual and linguistic process which allows for the realization and description of new products adapted to the general as well as local realities of modern globalizing markets. The companies of our era, also known as the globalization era, have changed their approach with the conception of their new products and services: in order to adapt to global and open market requirements of our time, the construction and sales of this production must be validated at a prior stage. Thus the localization of this production, conceptual as well as linguistic can only pertinently be carried out by using the global and local (glocal) expertise of Eurologos offices already implanted in the target markets. For this reason, this type of service is called “globalization-glocalization” here at Eurologos.

Glocal

This neologism comes from the words "global" and "local." This new adjective combines the opposing signifiers of the two words: The concept of global and of local. In effect, "glocal" comes from the English word "glocalization," which appeared in marketing language at the end of the 1990s in the United States. "Glocalization" describes the creation of services aimed at international markets but conceived to be adaptable to each local culture. The concept of the relocalization of language production (Producing them where they are spoken), which is at the foundation of the strategic positioning of the Eurologos Group's activities, is nothing but the "glocalization" of linguistic services. After twenty years of globalization in the world economy, the " Think Global, Act Local" strategy of the 1970s can only achieve a new concept of production specific to world activities and, at the same time, very locally: the glocal aspect of communication languages for example.

Graphic design

The designer of the 70s and 80s, with his constant supply of glue and scissors with which to make his model has been replaced by the modern graphic designer, who, with mouse in hand, has totally abandoned the old paint brushes. Modern illustration programs and layout programs like Indesign, Quark Xpress, Photoshop, and Illustrator allow the graphic designer to do virtually everything on the computer.

Hypercorrection

The imperfectability of texts can cause the writer or the proofreader to keep making changes forever, despite any grammatical, terminological, or stylistic need to do so. This excess correction is known amongst linguists as hypercorrection. It can mean, quite often, the paradox of worsening the text by introducing syntax variants or the loss of exact meaning of the original.

Idiolect

An individual's specific phraseology in a given situation. Idiolect comes from the word technolect and determines an individual's specific style.

In-depth reading

Detailed reading, on several different levels (semantic, stylistic, morphological, and lexical) to which every good translator commits himself or herself in order to learn the vertical and horizontal dimensions of a text. In-depth reading is always the initial phase of a translation.

In-house

Internal collaborators within the business. Translators, graphic designers, or in-house writers.

Interference

When two languages are used together often, lexical or syntactical interference frequently occurs. This phenomenon, which describes the errors brought about by the influence of one language on the other, is a classic problem in translation and can be solved by rereading and revising the text several times. A poor translation into French of the German phrase Ich danke Ihnen dafür, daß Sie gekommen sind by Je vous remercie que vous soyez venu is the result of a syntactical interference between the two the languages.

Interpretation

Interpretation has been defined as any oral translation from one language to another, which is aimed at an audience. Translation, on the other hand, is defined as any written transposition into another language. Eight types of interpretation are listed: simultaneous, whispered, consecutive, liaison, by sight, teleconference, mixed, and sworn interpretation.

Layout

Positioning and proportionality of graphic elements, photographs, and text on a page.

Linguistic check

Linguistic Control at Eurologos makes up the initial sequence of the "Locked-in Quality" procedure (which includes two other processes: correction of identified faults and the validation of the final multilingual text). Linguistic control of multilingual texts is achieved by working within several parameters, which must of course be pre-prescribed. In fact, linguistic control, or more often linguistic controls in the plural, is the keystone of Linguistic Quality (and of its eventual layout) Simple ortho-syntactical control can be used as easily as pertinence control (during writing), semantic accuracy (during translation), terminology control or idiomatic phrasing, geographical or social style controls, textual suitability in relation to the layout of the text, etc.(See also In-depth reading and Locked-in Quality).

Linguistic engineering

Modern translation theory, particularly since the 1990s, is increasingly turning into information technology in general and specifically telematics, to develop new multilingual production techniques. Linguistic engineering is coming of age in a high-tech way. The most frequently used systems are IBM's "Translation Manager," Trados' "Translator Workbench," Atril's "Déjà-Vu", and the " Optimizer," made by the French Eurolang.