Mon 3 Mar 2008
Posted by Jianjun under News
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Updating two blogs with the same contents wastes lots of time. But what makes me stop here is .cn domains don’t seem to be liked by sites like Technorati. I go back to http://yeasir.com/blog, with the possibility of integrating it into a completely revamped yeasir.com in the future.
I’m sorry for the inconveniences… 
Sun 2 Mar 2008
Posted by Jianjun under Translation, work
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Well, this must be a crazy idea. But if you know how to lose your client, probably you already knew how to win and retain them 
The following list may not be exhaustive. If you think there are more, please let me know. I’d be glad to add them to the list.
If you follow the above ten points, I’m sure you will lose your client. By the way, these things do happen in real life!
Sat 1 Mar 2008
Posted by Jianjun under Localization, Translation, i18n, work
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Today, there seems to be a trend, especially on the web, that more and more translators are adopting a ‘time-saving’ but improper layout style for documents involving Chinese and English. I believe it’s necessary to write a note about this and clarify what ‘correct’ layout style is.
During translation from English to Chinese, it’s sometimes inevitable that certain English words are used along with the Chinese translation. This is not something new. Even before the Internet era, in the 1950s or even earlier, printed materials in China already adopted a style for it and the same style lasts until today in the print media. For translators using digital word processors, the style guide is as follows:
1. There is no space between two Chinese characters（中文字间无空格）;
2. There is a space between a Chinese character and an English word（中文字和 English 单词间空一格）;
3. There is a space between a Chinese character and a number（中文字和 18 数字间空一格） ;
4. Use Chinese parentheses if there is Chinese character inside（中文和 Enlgish）;
5. Use Western parentheses if there is only English/number inside (English and 12 numbers);
6. There is no space between a Chinese punctuation mark and Chinese character/English/numbers - a Chinese punctuation mark itself takes up two spaces（“No Space”，“没有空格”）。
This is a general style used by Microsoft, DELL and a number of other international companies in their localization. By adding a space between English, number and Chinese characters, the document is clearer to read and won’t cause discomfort to Chinese readers who are used to this format in the print media.
To illustrate, I wrote a sentence involving all these cases. Let’s place the proper style (1) and the improper style (2) side by side to see the differences:
1. 2008 年将在北京召开奥运会。北京（中国的首都）旧称“北平”(Peking) 是中国三大直辖市之一。
2. 2008年将在北京召开奥运会。北京(中国的首都)旧称“北平”(Peking)是中国三大直辖市之一。
By eliminating these spaces, the sentence looks too casual and informal and not as neat as the first one.
Most clients, who are not Chinese or can’t read Chinese, have no option but to depend on the Chinese translator to use whichever style they deem most correct. Instead of saving all those keystrokes, the translator has a responsibility to tell the client which style is correct and use the right style.
Thu 28 Feb 2008
Posted by Jianjun under Translation, work
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I conceptualized this idea after I’d seen many translators from China faced so many difficulties getting started in the business. The mentoring program （翻译新人帮带计划）was aimed at the Chinese translators who had several years of translating experience within China, and would like to expand their business into the international market. My original idea was to introduce them the differences between the domestic and overseas market, including quality requirements, payment practices, marketing issues, etc.
Maybe I didn’t explain myself clear enough, however, things turned sideways and they seemed to be more interested in how to make quick money and hoped I could recommend clients to them right away! One guy went so far as to copy some of my web site text and my keywords and set up an ‘international translation company’ site promising to offer translation services for over ten languages.
Yes. I have been preaching that translators should have their own web sites. And I have been helping translators to set up their own shared servers (Most servers in China are Windows-based; CPanel is something new to them). But I have never told them to exaggerate who they are and what they can offer. They probably don’t know being honest is one of the professional virtues of a translator.
Wed 27 Feb 2008
Posted by Jianjun under Culture
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The legend has it that the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals once had a quarrel about who should be the first one to start the cycle of 12 years.
In the end, they decided to hold a competition, the winner of which would be the one to lead the cycle. Ox was actually the first animal running ahead. However, how could it know that the cunning rat had jumped onto its back and hid there, waiting for opportunities. When ox was just about to reach the finishing line, rat jumped over its head and won the race. Ox therefore was only able to take the second place.
Other animals came one by one. Pig came the last, because it’s too lazy!
This video is fun. I found it on Viddler. Enjoy!
