Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World - Softcover

Kelly, Nataly; Zetzsche, Jost

Softcover

ISBN 10: 039953797X ISBN 13: 9780399537974

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2012

Synopsis

Translation affects every aspect of your life - and we're not just talking about the obvious things, like world politics and global business.

Translation affects you personally, too. The books you read. The movies you watch. The food you eat. Your favorite sports team. The opinions you hold dear. The religion you practice. Even your looks and, yes, your love life. Right this very minute, translation is saving lives, perhaps even yours.

Translation influences everything from holy books to hurricane warnings, poetry to Pap smears. It's needed by both the masses and the millionaires. Translation converts the words of dictators and diplomats, princes and pop stars, bus drivers and baseball players. Translation fuels the global economy, prevents wars, and stops the outbreak of disease. From tummy tucks to terrorist threats, it's everywhere.

This book will help you see how the products you use, the freedoms you enjoy, and the pleasures in which you partake are made possible by translation.

About this title

About the Author:

Nataly Kelly is an advisor in the areas of language services and international business. She is the Chief Research Officer at Common Sense Advisory, an independent market research firm dedicated to language services and technology, located in the Boston area. A former Fulbright scholar in Ecuador, she is a certified court interpreter for Spanish.

Nataly first began working in the language services industry as a telephone interpreter in 1996. As a blogger for the Huffington Post, she writes about all things multilingual. A native of Mason City, Illinois, she has formally studied seven languages, has traveled to 36 countries, and has obtained higher education on three continents. She currently resides in New Hampshire.
 
She is the author of Telephone Interpreting: A Comprehensive Guide to the Profession, a book about over-the-phone interpretation. Subscribe to her free newsletter for interpreters at interprenaut.com. Find her on Twitter as @natalykelly.
 
Jost Zetzsche is an accredited English-to-German translator, a consultant in the field of localization and translation, and a writer on technical solutions for the translation and localization industry. A native of Hamburg, Germany, Jost earned a Ph.D. in the field of Chinese history and linguistics from the University of Hamburg in 1996.

Jost joined the translation industry in 1997, supervising company operations for a staff of 60 at a localization and technical documentation provider. He has led or participated in localization projects in many major software, web, and documentation environments. In 1999, Jost co-founded International Writers' Group in Oregon, where he lives today.  

He is the author of A Translator's Tool Box--A Computer Primer for Translators, now in its ninth edition. Subscribe to his free computer-related Tool Box newsletter for translators at  internationalwriters.com/toolkit/. Find him on Twitter as @jeromobot.

Review:

“Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche have assembled a treasure trove of interesting and entertaining stories to show how translation and interpreting affect all aspects of life. Anyone with an interest in languages – both spoken and signed – will enjoy this book.”

—Marlee Matlin, Academy Award-winning actress

“A fascinating book about language and the importance of translation. Kelly and Zetzsche demonstrate how technology and translation help build communities and expand the quest for knowledge on virtually every subject.” 

—Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Education, Microsoft 

“Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche have done essential work in capturing the stories behind translation, and how we all experience its value every day. As they observe, ‘Right this very minute, translation is saving lives, perhaps even yours.’”

—Laura I. Gomez, Localization Manager, Twitter

“Found in Translation is a meditation, an exposé, and practical guidebook to humanity's continued, painstaking ascent of our monumental tower of Babel. Without language diversity, we would be intellectually impoverished, and with it we are enriched. But without translators to interpret and bridge that diversity, we would remain ignorant and isolated, locked each of us in our own native tongue's limited worldview.” 

—K. David Harrison, PhD, Swarthmore College and National Geographic Society

“This is by far the most meaningful book on the subject of translation that I have ever seen. The authors have managed to entertain, inform, and show how translation impacts all aspects of our life, from health to business to entertainment and technology, all supported with real-life examples.”

—Ghassan Haddad, Director of Internationalization, Facebook

“During times of war, weapons make the difference. During times of peace, battles are won in conference rooms -- and those who can most clearly communicate their messages win. Found in Translation demonstrates to us all that translation and interpretation are the most intelligent weapons for triumphing in commercial, financial, or diplomatic settings.”

—Olga Cosmidou, Director General for Interpretation and Conferences, European Parliament

“Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche focus in on what is the core issue for diplomats, entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations and everyday working people alike: language. With information now flowing both globally and instantaneously, translators and interpreters have already ascended into the ranks of the indispensable.”

—Sunder Ramaswamy, President and Frederick C. Dirks Professor of International Economics, Monterey Institute of International Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 039953797X
• ISBN 13: 9780399537974
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288