Ümit Özaydın – Dragoman Transcreation

Events, conferences and simultaneous interpreting in the new normal

Posted on May 8, 2020May 8, 2020 conference interpreting

Online meetings and video conferences were less than 3% of the entire conference industry until only a few months ago. Starting from March and with the global lockdown measures, on-site interpreting was literally obliterated. We found ourselves in an almost 100% remote video format. It is impossible to know what the event industry look like once the pandemic is over, but it is safe to assume that the share of online meetings will not go back to 3%, it will […]

Remote simultaneous interpreting on Zoom video meetings and webinars

Posted on April 12, 2020September 16, 2020 conference interpreting

Dragoman is a leading interpreting agency for Zoom meetings and webinars of any size and for any language combination. Our office can provide you with some of the very best conference interpreters from dozens of countries and in over 100 languages. We constantly test and vet our resources not only for their experience and interpreting skills, but also for their online-readiness. It is critical that interpreters work on decent computers, use broadband internet and high-quality headsets. Zoom has become an […]

How to avoid junk words? Tips on plain language.

Posted on November 7, 2019November 8, 2019 Translation_Tips

This article was originally published on our blog Dragosfer a couple of years ago. It focuses on how to eliminate junk words in Turkish to English translations. As part of our consolidation efforts, I wanted to include it in this knowledgebase. Avoiding junk words is a much wider topic and a good habit to acquire. We are open to publishing your articles and more tips on plain language. Turkish language is usually long winded and redundant. Translators should learn how to avoid unnecessary words […]

Why do simultaneous interpreters need a monitor in the booth?

Posted on September 1, 2019October 6, 2019 conference interpreting

Simultaneous interpreters need a monitor in the booth to see the presentations better. Some conference rooms are large and typically the interpreting booth is installed in the very end of the seating rows. To make the matter worse, attendants may occasionaly walk pass in front of the booth which disturbs the concentration of interpreters. Please note that simultaneous interpreting requires very sharp reflexes and a congnitive capacity to translate sentences in a matter of seconds. Interpreters need clear and uniterrupted […]

Express your feelings in English

Posted on August 28, 2019October 6, 2019 Accents

Expressing your feelings requires a little more then just using an adjective. Try the following common words, check out their synonyms and improve your word usage in English. Happy Content Every old person, no matter how content they seem, feels that sense of regret. Earl Woods Satisfied Are you satisfied with your working conditions? Delighted Kate Winslet was delighted with Oscar nominations. Pleased We are pleased to extend the term of our agreement. Ecstatic I feel ecstatic every time she […]

Wild mushroom soup, intelligence and XTM Live London

Posted on May 25, 2019September 5, 2019 Dragosfer

Few tastes compare to a wild mushroom soup served at the Lufthansa Senator Lounge, Heathrow Terminal 2. And this time it felt like heaven after an amazing XTM Live London event, cheerful networking, uber intelligent discussions, all celebrating XTM International’s grand achievements. (More below) Terminal 2 is compact yet does not miss a single luxury, such as nimbling caviar & champagne, single malt whisky tasting, or shopping at Harrods. From check-in to your flight it is only a few minutes’ […]

Eliminating redundancy

Posted on January 13, 2019January 27, 2019 Editor Notes

Eliminating redundancy is one of the key skills to fluency, but what is redundancy or a redundant word/phrase? If you can remove a word from a sentence without changing its core meaning, that word is redundant or unnecessary. Not every redundancy is a flaw, sometimes it is helpful to add variety to your sentences. The safest way to get rid of redundant phrase is to hire a professional copy-editor. Check out the following example, it is not only redundant but […]

Converting Passive to Active – Translating Audit Reports into English

Posted on October 30, 2018August 5, 2019 Sentences

Auditors are tasked to identify non-conformances and share their findings and observations in a clear and understandble report. Writing an impactful report is a challenge. Translating a poorly written report into English is sometimes a bigger challenge. Converting passive sentence forms to active sentences is an important skill for Turkish to English translators. This skill plays a critical role when translating audit reports. Despite my best efforts to train as many auditors and bankers as possible in the past decade, […]

Devaluation vs Depreciation

Posted on October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 translation

Turkish lira is losing value agaist major currencies including US dollar and Euro. Which is the correct verb to use when translating into English: Devaluation (because the currency is losing value) or Depreciation? The correct answer is ‘depreciation’. Devaluation happens in fixed currency regimes when a government voluntarily reduces the value of its currency. It is their decision. Depreciation happens in floating currency regimes and Turkey has a floating currency regime. Turkish government does not and cannot declare the value […]

Tips for Turkish to English Transcreation

Posted on October 17, 2018July 21, 2019 Transcreation

Transcreation is a hot topic and there are different translations of it. Some assume it is only for creative content, while some use this term as a synonym to localization. Others claim that translation is more verbatim, literal and closer to the source text as oppose to transcreation focuses more on the message, meaning and the audience. Old schools argue that all of the above are 50 shades of translation and by definition a good translator is expected to manage […]