Philippines that consists of over 7,000 islands is also a host of around 170 languages + dialects. Isn’t it amazing? At present, Filipino and English are the official language of the country. However, for many centuries and until the early half of the 20th century, Spanish was the official language of the country. Due to colonial influence, English made a way into the schools and curriculum of the country, but in 1937 steps were taken to develop national language based on the existing native languages.

The widely spoken Tagalog was made the base language, and in 1973, Filipino became the combined official language of the country along with English. Want to know more about the languages of Philippines? Here, we tell you about top widely spoken languages of the country.

Tagalog
Tagalog is the only Filipino language that can generally be spoken and understood around almost every part of the country. Mainly spoken in Manila area and neighboring provinces like Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Cavite, etc. this language is spoken by around 28 million people in the country.

Cebuano
Cebuano is the second most spoken native language of Philippines. Majorly articulated in Cebu City and other areas like Butuan, Mindanao, Davao, General Santos City and Cagayan de Oro, around 21 million people are presently using it for discourse.

Ilocano
Ilocano or Ilokano is a blend of several other languages from different countries like Indonesia, Hawaiian, Malay, Tahitian, Samoan and Chamorro of Guam. Mostly used in the Northern part of the country, Ilocano is crowned to be the third most spoken language here with 9.1 million native speakers.

Waray-Waray
Waray is the fifth most spoken regional language of the Philippines. The name waray-waray comes from ‘waray’ means ‘none’ or ‘nothing.’ It is broadly oral in provinces like Biliran, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Visayas. The language is also used in local government, television and, radio broadcast.

Hiligaynon
Also known as Ilonggo, Hiligaynon is articulated in Iloilo, Panay Islands, Antique, Bacolod, North & South Cotabato in Mindanao and Aklan. This language is marked by its sweet intonation, and around 9.1 million people speak in all over the country.

Kapampangan
Pampangan or Kapampangan is spoken in the province of Pampanga, Southern Tarlac, Bataan, Central Luzon. Kapampangan is one of the major languages of the Philippines that is taught formally in schools and universities. The name of the language has been derived from the root word pampang which means ‘river bank.’

Although Philippines is rich with hundreds of languages and dialects, at present, the main language used is Taglish that is a combination of English and Tagalog. We have many more such interesting facts about translation and language as our experts are adept in Filipino language translation. Need any help in translating a document? Please contact us at 888-670-3369.

Every language is a world. Without translation, we would inhabit parishes bordering on silence. – George Steiner

The best books of the entire human history are also the most translated copies across the world. No matter what country, community, race, or culture the reader belongs, good books have the power to touch the soul of any reader. However, in this route and relation of a book and a reader; language may come as a barrier. If books are to be enjoyed widely, they need to be translated in different languages. But with thousands of languages in the world, is it possible to translate a single book into so many copies?

Let us explore the answers of this question by collecting information about those books which have been translated in maximum languages.

The Little Prince (French)
Written by the French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince has been translated into around 253 languages. After publication in 1943, this book has sold more than 50 million copies across the world! The book is a poetic tale, and with watercolor illustrations by the author, it depicts the story of a pilot who meets a young prince fallen to the Earth from a tiny asteroid. The book is crowned to be one of the 50 best-selling books ever published.

The Adventures Of Pinocchio (Italian)
Renowned for being one of the most popular children’s storybook on the earth, Pinocchio has had around 240 translations. Written by Italian writer Carlo Collodi, the book is a story of a puppet boy Pinocchio who dreams of becoming a real human boy. Pinocchio is quite famous for his nose that grows longer every time he tells a lie. The popularity of this Italian novel was such that it has also been adapted into film and theaters.

Andersen’s Fairy Tales (Danish)
Andersen’s Fairy Tales is a collection of complete fairy tales written by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen from 1835-1852. The book has several interesting tales with pretty titles like “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “Snow Queen” and so on. The book has around 159 translations in the world.

The Adventures of Tintin (French)
The Adventures Of Tintin is a series of comic albums depicting the heroic adventures of a young Belgian reporter named Tintin. Written by Belgian writer Georges Rem in 1929, this story has been translated into approximately 112 languages.

The Alchemist (Portuguese)
Written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist has been translated into approx. 80 languages. Published in 1988, The Alchemist is a story of a shepherd boy named Santiago who is following his dreams travelling from his home Spain to Egypt.

Language used to be barrier once. However, since the time translation came into being, this barrier has been forever removed. We understand the significance of translation and so do our experts. From books translation service to legal translation services, we are adept in every genre of translation. Need any help in translating a document? Please contact us at 888-670-3369.

It was the 15th century when Portuguese sailors and navigators started exploring the other parts of the world. Getting around from Africa, China, India, South America to the Middle East, they laid the foundation of a large Portuguese colony. Playing major role in world affairs, Portuguese came into contact of several cultures, traditions and languages. It was the reason that some Portuguese words found their way into English language and became part of its glossary.

Here are five interesting English words that have been derived from Portuguese. Let us go through them one by one.

Albino
While talking about the Portuguese originated English words, first comes Albino which comes from albo means ‘white.’ In English, it means – a person or animal having a congenial absence of pigment in the skin and hair. This word is also used to refer to any abnormally white animal or tiger.

Dodo
The word Dodo originated in the 17th-century from Portuguese ‘doudo’ means ‘simpleton.’ Dodo, as most people recognize was a long-extinct, flightless bird who once populated the island of Mauritius. As the bird had no fear of man, when Portuguese and Dutch sailors arrived there (in the starting of the 16th century), it got easily killed, and the population of the bird rapidly dropped off leaving it extinct. Hence the bird got its name. In contemporary English, Dodo is used to refer anything extinct. The word also appeared in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll as idioms – dead as dodo (referring to any obsolete thing.

Fetish
The word Fetish has been derived from Portuguese word ‘feitiço’ that means ‘charm,’ ‘sorcery.’ Originated in the 17th century, the word referred to an object used by the people of West Africa as an amulet or charm. Interestingly the word feitiço itself has been derived from the Latin factīcius that means artificial.

Joss
The word Joss originated during the early 18th century from Portuguese word deos means ‘God’. Today the word refers to a Chinese god or idol. The Portuguese word deos has itself been derived from Latin deus.

Tempura
“I’d like to make a tempura batter to deep fry fish at home.” – Marco Pierre White in Marco’s Clinic.

Tempura is a Japanese dish of vegetables, shrimp and other seafood deep fried after dipping in a batter. However, the word itself is not Japanese. Its history dates back to mid-16th century when the country came into contact with Chinese and Dutch traders. The concept of batter frying was lent to Japanese by Portuguese. The word tempura itself comes from Latin ‘Tempora’ that means the Ember Days when Catholics abstain from eating meat.

Conclusion – The journey of these words is quite interesting. We have many more such words in our kitty as we employ full time in translation services. Need any help in translation of any Portuguese document? Get it done with our professional Portuguese translation services. Call us at – 888-670-3369.

Every language holds an essence in itself which can never be translated. And when it comes for Chinese language, it is all the more truthful. Even if you don’t have any hint about Chinese language, you must be aware how different it is from English and other Western languages. A completely different grammar, a unique tone, and an inimitable writing system make this language poles apart from any other language in the world. Due to China’s outlandishly ancient culture, Mandarin (standard Chinese) preserves a number of untranslatable collection of beautiful words that cannot be deciphered even with the help of professional Chinese translation.

Let us learn a few of them.

Jiànwài
Literally, this word means regarding somebody as an outsider or to act like an outsider. However, in authentic Chinese, it denotes the act of treating someone as an outsider who is supposed to be your friend, especially by being too courteous. Have we any exact word for this act in English?

Xiǎo chī
If you will search the meaning of this Chinese term in dictionary, you will find results as ‘snacks’ or ‘refreshment.’ However, this word is something more than that. Xiǎo chī refers to small portions of meal, means something between a snack and a complete meal. For example a large bowl of noodles or a platter full of dumplings which is neither too small to be called snacks nor too large in portions to be called a meal. See how many words we need to describe the meaning of Xiǎo chī in English!

Xīnkǔ
The literal meaning of Xīnkǔ is ‘with much toil,’ ‘laborious.’ But when you delve deeper for the authentic meaning of this word, it is used to refer to somebody’s hard work for the purpose of thanking them.

Téng
Téng has been derived from téngtòng which is a fixed phrase that means both hurt and pain. If suffixed with certain Chinese terms, they produce different meanings like xīntòng which refers to something that makes you sad or take pity on something.

Sā jiāo
‘To act like a spoiled child’ or ‘to throw tantrums’ are the meanings you get while looking for the meaning of sā jiāo. But the word is encapsulated with something deeper and requires some more words to describe the exact connotation. It is especially used to delineate a grown up woman pouting in anger and tramping her feet in order to get her demands fulfilled. Next time you see such a woman, you have an exact Chinese word to describe her action.

Conclusion – Need to get any important Chinese document translated in your language or vice versa? Get it done with the professional Chinese translation service with Language Oasis. We offer accurate Chinese translation of any document. For any assistance in translation of any type of document, call us at 888-670-3369. Xie xie!

When Lewis Carroll first used the word ‘Slithy’ (lithe+slimy) in Through the Looking Glass, he wouldn’t have imagined that in future, it will give rise to an entirely new genre in English vocabulary i.e. portmanteau words. A portmanteau word is formed by amalgamating two different terms to create a new meaning, for instance, ‘Brunch’ which is combination of Breakfast + Lunch. Now, think about the number of words you would be using for the replacement of Brunch! Wouldn’t it had consumed a couple of minutes to explain? Portmanteaus can be boring or funny, but in both ways, they have become an indispensable part of our dictionary to convey certain messages and emotions.

The more interesting thing about portmanteaus is that new words keep bubbling up in urban dictionary and even you can make one by yourself!

In this post, let us start ‘unlightening’ and learn some funny portmanteau words.

Emoticons

What constitutes the word – EMOTION + ICON

In the era of smartphones and tablets, there are perhaps more emoticons than human moods. Feeling angry, blessed, happy, surprised or any other sentiment, just send the perfect emoticon, and the receiver will instantly understand your mood. However, did you even know that ‘Emoticons’ is made of emotion and icon!

Crunk

What constitutes the word – CRAZY/CHRONIC/CRACK + DRUNK

Next time, when you see a drunk person going nuts, you have perfect word to describe them i.e. crunk. Let’s go crunk over this!

Spork

What constitutes the word – SPOON + FORK

Thank god for inventing both – the useful product that combines spoon as well as a fork and the word itself. Now we don’t need spoons, forks, chopsticks and so many more tools to finish the meal. A single spork is enough.

Turducken

What constitutes the word – TURKEY + DUCK + CHICKEN

Have you ever heard of the challenging dish prepared by turkey stuffed with duck inside and at the same time duck stuffed with chicken inside! Yes, you heard it right. Hats off to the first person who even thought of cooking this exotic dish and thanks to the person who invented the work Turducken to explain this dish.

Badvertising

What constitutes the word – BAD + ADVERTISING

While watching the TV, every day we come by so many fugly advertisements which make us think..why the hell on this earth I am watching this? But many times, it is simply badvertising.

Jorts

What constitutes the word – JEANS + SHORTS

You are tired of wearing jeans. You are even more tired of shorts. It is time to slip-on jorts. Don’t think that jeans which are cut short are called jorts. They have been invented at the same time when denim was.

Conclusion – There are many more portmanteau words that are rapidly getting included in urban English dictionary, and we have a lot of them in our kitty as we spend full time in translation services. From notary translation services to legal translation, we cover every type. For any assistance in translation, call us at 888-670-3369.

In today’s world of internet, tablets, and smartphones; we can communicate to any person sitting overseas in no time. In this sharing of ideas & thoughts, neither the geographical distance nor the language comes as a barrier. Blooming transcription services has made this work all the more convenient. Be it transcript translation for academics or business transcription, one can get it done with the help of experts and professionals within a small duration. Now, we can get even audio/video data transcribed into text. Isn’t it amazing?

In this write-up, let’s know what an audio transcription is? How is it done? And what are its advantages?

What is an audio transcription?
The process of converting voice file to text is called audio transcription. The specialist who performs this task is known as a transcriptionist. Audio transcription not only just serves as a record but is very useful for persons with hearing disabilities. Audio transcription provides them a useful means to hear any speech or conversation in a movie.

How is it done?
There are several transcription companies who are quite expert in converting the provided audio file into the required documents in the set duration of time. Usually, these companies employ expert and experienced transcriptionists so that the transcribed text is free from any error. From transcripts translation to medical translation, the companies hold transcription skill in diverse fields.

What precautions should be taken by clients in audio transcription?

Before sending audio for transcription, client should be aware of a few things:

1. The place where the interview or speech will take place should be free from noise. A noisy recording takes longer time to get transcribed. Additionally, most of the transcription charges are applied at the rate of hours. In such cases, more the audio is noisy, larger the amount you will have to pay. A quiet place will save both the money and the transcription time.
2. Next comes the recording equipment which should be properly functional and of good quality. If possible go for digital recorders so that the audio produced has excellent sound quality. In today’s techno-savvy world, voice recorders of fine quality are also available which can be used for recording purposes. A clear recording helps a lot in making the transcribing process easier.
3. If you need the transcribed file in a specific file format, do inform the transcription company while assigning the work.

What are the advantages of audio transcription?

Audio transcription helps a number of people in following ways

• Visually impaired persons can access to audio files on the internet.
• Persons with hearing impairment can understand the information of an audio file if it has its text transcribed.
• Many times due to slow internet connection, a person doesn’t get the required information. Here, a transcribed text can save him/her.

Hope the information will be useful for all those who wanted to know about audio transcripts translation.