Think about the word, “medicine.” What does it mean to you? Do you think of multicolored pills? Your doctor? The pharmacy down the street?
If you are an American Indian from the Ojibwe tribe, the word for medicine is “midewin” (pronounced ma-DAY-win) and it means ‘from the Earth.’ It’s subtle, but the difference is clearly there. For American Indians, wellness does not come from a pill. Healing comes from plants and herbs that treat disease. Not viewed as a physical response with a cause rooted in the laws of science, disease encompasses a patient’s spirit, family, community and environment.
Dr. Doreen Wiese, who is of the Ojibwe tribe, is trying to revive the Ojibwe language precisely because of this difference. In the United States especially, native languages have withered up and died for two main reasons: first, because parents felt their children needed to learn English to become successful in American culture and second because until the 1940's, Native American children taken from their homes were forced to only speak English.
A PhD from Northern Illinois University who studies oral history and the ways in which learning is passed through generations, Dr. Wiese believes, “…language is the thread that keeps culture together. Language is woven into our brains and psyches and memories.”
It’s true. Language reflects culture. While the words can be translated into English, the meaning behind the words may change. An Ojibwean story about “midewin” takes on a new meaning when the word becomes “medicine.”
Dr. Wiese’s goal is to write down the Ojibwe language so it can be taught to others. Not an easy task. Part of her impetus in doing so came when she attended a religious ceremony where a speaker claimed God gives everyone a native language. “He said that if you can’t pray in your native language, the Creator cannot hear you. I wanted to learn how to pray in Ojibwe. I wanted to learn how to tell our stories in Ojibwe. That’s the only way we can be whole again as a native people.”
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
I Know Not What I Pour
As a translation agency that specializes in medical and life science translation, we work on a lot of patient targeted materials. Often these communications hope to elicit patient compliance in some form or another. Many aspects about a patient influence their compliance: culture and language, education level, style of commucation they receive.
A recent experimental study through the Know Your Limit campaign in the United Kingdom indicates that a patient’s noncompliance may not always be a conscious decision.
When asking men and women in the U.K. to pour what they thought was a single serving equivalent of alcohol (25ml, about an ounce in the US), the average pour was 38ml (in reality one and half servings).
The experiment found men to be the most generous in measuring their spirits: 43ml was the average manly pour versus an average of 32ml poured by women. Wine is a different story altogether, in this case women are more generous, averaging a 186ml pour, which is 2.4 times the standard wine serving of 76.25ml (2.5 ounces in the US).
Studies show drinking more than the recommended limit for daily alcohol consumption; (2-3 units for women and 3-4 units for men in the U.K.) dramatically increases their risk of heart and liver disease, cancer, and stroke.
Anyone tracking their alcohol consumption for the purpose of maintaining their health may not be doing as well as they thought. While this finding does not affect the outcome of a clinical trial or important health study, it is an insight into patient behavior. The truth is patient compliance is affected by many aspects, some conscious, some not.
A recent experimental study through the Know Your Limit campaign in the United Kingdom indicates that a patient’s noncompliance may not always be a conscious decision.
When asking men and women in the U.K. to pour what they thought was a single serving equivalent of alcohol (25ml, about an ounce in the US), the average pour was 38ml (in reality one and half servings).
The experiment found men to be the most generous in measuring their spirits: 43ml was the average manly pour versus an average of 32ml poured by women. Wine is a different story altogether, in this case women are more generous, averaging a 186ml pour, which is 2.4 times the standard wine serving of 76.25ml (2.5 ounces in the US).
Studies show drinking more than the recommended limit for daily alcohol consumption; (2-3 units for women and 3-4 units for men in the U.K.) dramatically increases their risk of heart and liver disease, cancer, and stroke.
Anyone tracking their alcohol consumption for the purpose of maintaining their health may not be doing as well as they thought. While this finding does not affect the outcome of a clinical trial or important health study, it is an insight into patient behavior. The truth is patient compliance is affected by many aspects, some conscious, some not.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
What are you?
If you are not Caucasian, what are you? Hispanic or Latino? Black or African American? Japanese or Asian? Are you a person of color? Does it matter?
As a company that deals with communication across countries and cultures, this question comes up often and using “correct” terminology can be quite a struggle.
Recently we translated a brochure for a company into several languages, one of which was Japanese. The photo on the front contained a handsome Asian man. Upon final review our Japanese translator rejected the brochure based on the cover photo and suggested we instead picture a Caucasian American male. She said people from Japan do not consider themselves to be Asian.
I find this interesting.
How do Americans view themselves? If you are American but born of Costa Rican descent, how do you identify yourself? Do you distinguish yourself as Costa Rican or American? Do you consider yourself to be Latino? Which self-identity is stronger: that of your heritage or of the country you live in?
Clearly this is a personal preference which will keep communications professionals on their toes for a very long time. In one breath, a person can be Black, African-American, a person of color and American. That is the beauty of living in a Global Age. You can be whatever you want to be.
As a company that deals with communication across countries and cultures, this question comes up often and using “correct” terminology can be quite a struggle.
Recently we translated a brochure for a company into several languages, one of which was Japanese. The photo on the front contained a handsome Asian man. Upon final review our Japanese translator rejected the brochure based on the cover photo and suggested we instead picture a Caucasian American male. She said people from Japan do not consider themselves to be Asian.
I find this interesting.
How do Americans view themselves? If you are American but born of Costa Rican descent, how do you identify yourself? Do you distinguish yourself as Costa Rican or American? Do you consider yourself to be Latino? Which self-identity is stronger: that of your heritage or of the country you live in?
Clearly this is a personal preference which will keep communications professionals on their toes for a very long time. In one breath, a person can be Black, African-American, a person of color and American. That is the beauty of living in a Global Age. You can be whatever you want to be.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Adonde vas tu? Or Adonde tu vas?
Language is an organic, ever-changing phenomenon reflected by its speakers. Documenting the linguistic diversity found in 400 million Spanish speakers is no easy feat, but yesterday, the Spanish Royal Academy presented its 4,000 page best shot.
Titled, Nueva Gramática de la Lengua Española, it attempts to account for variances in Spanish throughout the world and is billed as a "map" of the Spanish language. The surprising revelation in the Academy's work is acknowledging the influence Latin America has had on the language. It looks at how vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar change between countries and within social classes. While the Academy makes recommendations for “proper” Spanish, it recognizes localization and the influence of new words, positioning its purpose as one to “observe and document.”
Thus continues the struggle communicators and marketers have in creating a single set of Spanish documents. Spanish is highly localized. The less technical a communication is, the more localized it becomes. In fact, the Academy acknowledges there are more than 20 acceptable ways to say "Ball Point Pen."
In market research, patient education and patient recruitment, the possibility of alienating the reader is not resolved by the issuance of the Academy's work. While the work is interesting and important, the daily work of the Spanish translator goes on. Who is my audience? Where do they live and what is their social class? How can I reach them best?
Titled, Nueva Gramática de la Lengua Española, it attempts to account for variances in Spanish throughout the world and is billed as a "map" of the Spanish language. The surprising revelation in the Academy's work is acknowledging the influence Latin America has had on the language. It looks at how vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar change between countries and within social classes. While the Academy makes recommendations for “proper” Spanish, it recognizes localization and the influence of new words, positioning its purpose as one to “observe and document.”
Thus continues the struggle communicators and marketers have in creating a single set of Spanish documents. Spanish is highly localized. The less technical a communication is, the more localized it becomes. In fact, the Academy acknowledges there are more than 20 acceptable ways to say "Ball Point Pen."
In market research, patient education and patient recruitment, the possibility of alienating the reader is not resolved by the issuance of the Academy's work. While the work is interesting and important, the daily work of the Spanish translator goes on. Who is my audience? Where do they live and what is their social class? How can I reach them best?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Should Crowdsourcing Be In Your Mix?
Crowdsourcing: Jeff Howe coined the term and wrote the book; many companies are buying into the idea. Wikipedia defines it as "the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people, in the form of an open call.”
To use the collective intelligence of many to do the work of a specialized few is good in theory. When it saves companies money, all the better, right? If you have a large, diverse group of qualified people, the knowledge of the crowd is a useful resource.
Is crowdsourcing the answer to the growing need for translations?
Crowdsourcing translation work for free has gotten a lot of press lately. No longer are non-profit companies requesting help on the cheap, companies are using free labor for profit. Internet sites like Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn all crowdsource translations and the industry seems to embrace it.
According to Howe, “[i]f there is one industry where crowdsourcing can turn things upside down, it is the translation industry.” Based solely on supply and demand, Howe claims the few hundred thousand translators existing worldwide are not enough to meet the growing need.
What about quality? In general, good professional translators will not work for free. If they do, it is for passion or prestige. Translating is laborious and intensive work. A good translation is not something the majority of native speakers of any language can produce. It is kind of like saying all English speakers are great English writers.
Ultimately, there is a place for crowdsourcing in the mix of human and machine translation but it is not the solution for everyone. It is not a good option for companies concerned about their brand, or in the highly-technical medical or legal fields where precision is unyieldingly required and confidentiality would preclude dumping out content to the masses.
Companies need to consider which solution will yield the best and most cost effective results and plan accordingly. Where quality is less important than cost, and where deadlines are unimportant, crowdsourcing translation projects is effective, but the reality is, you get what you pay for.
To use the collective intelligence of many to do the work of a specialized few is good in theory. When it saves companies money, all the better, right? If you have a large, diverse group of qualified people, the knowledge of the crowd is a useful resource.
Is crowdsourcing the answer to the growing need for translations?
Crowdsourcing translation work for free has gotten a lot of press lately. No longer are non-profit companies requesting help on the cheap, companies are using free labor for profit. Internet sites like Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn all crowdsource translations and the industry seems to embrace it.
According to Howe, “[i]f there is one industry where crowdsourcing can turn things upside down, it is the translation industry.” Based solely on supply and demand, Howe claims the few hundred thousand translators existing worldwide are not enough to meet the growing need.
What about quality? In general, good professional translators will not work for free. If they do, it is for passion or prestige. Translating is laborious and intensive work. A good translation is not something the majority of native speakers of any language can produce. It is kind of like saying all English speakers are great English writers.
Ultimately, there is a place for crowdsourcing in the mix of human and machine translation but it is not the solution for everyone. It is not a good option for companies concerned about their brand, or in the highly-technical medical or legal fields where precision is unyieldingly required and confidentiality would preclude dumping out content to the masses.
Companies need to consider which solution will yield the best and most cost effective results and plan accordingly. Where quality is less important than cost, and where deadlines are unimportant, crowdsourcing translation projects is effective, but the reality is, you get what you pay for.
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