AAA Translation - We'll Take You Global

     Good morning fellow St. Louisans and those around the world. My name is Whitney Morgan and I am the new Project Manager at AAATranslation! 

As an avid traveler, lover of language (I speak KiSwahili and Mandarin), as well as major supporter for cross-cultural education (I have a MA degree in International Education), I have seen and experienced first hand the necessity for not only cultural understanding, but translation and interpretation. Being a returned Peace Corps volunteer from China, I observed the implications of what trusting technology has done to the image of a culture. It is no lie that the Chinese culture has not only progressed as a society, but as a global competitor as well. The country is called a "Country of Skyscrapers" for a reason!!... They are constantly growing! 

The unfortunate part of this growth is the lack of trust in people being used as translators. For those of you that keep up with global language trends, I'm sure you've heard of "Chinglish". As a teacher in China, I became incredibly proficient in this language; and while it was okay to use with my students, for some reason it didn't look so great on a big billboard promoting a neighborhood development, a new IKEA, or directing traffic on a highway.   

Now if I am being completely honest, I will say that I was living in Western China. For those who have lived or are living in China I'm sure you all know there are major differences between Eastern and Western China... I fear however that incorrect translation of public signs is not one of them. 

While living there, I heard of stories where businesses in the country have not only translated documents with computers, but have also used native English speakers as well.  When the translations didn't match up, those businesses chose computer translations over people. And after reading the sign below, I can't help but wonder "what were they thinking"? 

Yes, I did get the image from Google, but it doesn't mean I didn't see it myself. I actually did see this sign numerous times, and while it is funny at first glance, one can't help but wonder how many of these signs are hanging in China?

I use China as a reference because I lived there. I've also lived in Tanzania and Kenya and have traveled to many other countries.  Trusting technology over people is not an isolated problem for only one country. This dependency on electronics is taking over the world. With that being said, next time you or some one you know is wanting to translate a paragraph, a book, or simply a sign, keep the above image in mind. And if that's not enough, imagine hundreds of native speakers laughing behind you as well.  

And also remember, AAATranslation is here to help!!

One last thing... GO CARDINALS!!!