Europe in Unlikely Places: Localization for Lesser-Spoken Dialects

“Unique dialect, Texas German, taking last gasp.”  The headline for a May 13, 2007 article in the Louisville (Kentucky) Courier-Journal, it certainly grabbed my attention.  As a scholar of all things Southern and of most things linguistic, I wondered why I’d never heard of Texas German before.  In reading, I went on to find that Texas German is “a unique dialect that developed as German settlers came to central Texas in the 1840s.”  Further study lead to the discovery of the Texas German Dialect Project (www.tgdp.org), “an umbrella organization for carrying out research in representative Texas German speech communities in central Texas.”

Most of us have heard of Louisiana (or Cajun) French, the Acadian dialect that slowly developed as people were pushed from France to Canada then down the Mississippi.  Many are also familiar with Pennsylvania Dutch, the German dialect I was taught belonged to the Amish growing up, but which is in reality also spoken by Mennonites, Lutherans, German Reformed, and loads of other people who use electricity.  And then there’s Nebraska with all its Scandinavian language dialects providing splendid dialogue for anything written by Willa Cather.

But Texas German?  I mean, really. 

No offense to Texas, but if I were going to localize a non-English language for the folks who live there, it’d be Spanish these days.

And Spanish does seem to get all the attention.  A quick glance through back issues of Multilingual will uncover at least four articles in the last year which all address the need to make sure we localize for the “right” Spanish for our target market.  These articles are warranted, as the variants are indisputable and specifically requested by many clients in the know.  But how many clients have you had request Texas German?

Granted, Texas German is most likely not spoken in most LSP clients’ target markets.  According to Warren Hahn with that Texas German Dialect Project I brought up earlier, 100,000 people spoke the dialect in its heyday -- right before World War II.  To put that in perspective, according to the last US Census -- conducted in 2000 -- 5,195,182 Texans spoke Spanish as their primary language.  There’s no question where the bigger market is here, people.

But still, it begs the question: exactly how precise does localization need to be?

We’re all aware of the acute need for accuracy in our profession.  It doesn’t matter if Ohioans sit on a couch and Californians sit on a davenport.  If I live in Kentucky, when I go in the furniture store, I want the sign to direct me to sofas.  We all want to see, hear, and read the language we speak the way that we speak it.  Yes, we may all understand that a couch, a davenport, and a sofa are really the same thing, but if you’re wanting to sell me one, I’m going to buy it from the man who calls it what I do.  That’s the one rule of localization even the most difficult client can get: people don’t buy what they don’t understand.  But precisely how much understanding do we need?

In the case of Texas German, the Courier reports the language “is a hybrid, mostly German but altered by English…Spoken, Texas German sounds a lot like modern German…A German speaker could understand 95 percent of what’s said by a person speaking Texas German, and vice versa.”  Maybe it’s just me, but I certainly think that’s enough of an overlap that a separate ISO code really isn’t needed here.

With Louisiana French, the differences between the American dialect and its European, mother language are more evident, or at least get more PR as such.  Francophone culture and language scholars Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow write in their book The Story of French, “[t]he Cajun French dialect is very distinct from Parisian French or even Quebec French.  The influence of English is strong, not only in vocabulary, but in calques such as laisser les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll)…Cajuns preserved different archaisms than those found in Canadian French…They also developed lively expressions of their own, including lache pas la patate (literally don’t drop the potato, meaning don’t give up).”

The United States is full of local linguistic pockets, with 26 different dialects of English alone as defined by linguist Robert Delaney (not to be confused with the former relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins).  According to his map, I grew up in the middle of dialect number 17 -- nowhere near the border of any other US English dialects.  But my grandfather would have said Mr Delaney was wrong.  We lived in the county and Grandpa always swore that people in town  didn‘t talk like us.  When I started being bused into the county seat for the 6^th grade, I agreed with him.  Their accents and word choices were not the same.  At home, we still used linguistic patterns straight out of Chaucer (ex, I’m a-goin’ for I‘m going) and no one in town used the word polecat for skunk.  (Skunk in Texas German, in case you’re curious, is die Stinkkatze.  The word is part of the 5% distinguishing it from German as spoken in Germany, where they say das Stinktier.)  

Of course, it would be ludicrous for a client to request localization into Christian County, Kentucky English.  It would simply never happen.  But my grandfather’s observation does a-bring us back to precision.  It speaks to that question I raised earlier, the one that comes to light when you realize European languages are long past being just for Europe--that here in the States, all joking aside, hundreds of languages are spoken and many of them used to belong to Europe.

None of this is new information.  You can’t get past kindergarten without learning about immigration and/or colonialism in some small way-- even if it is only making Pilgrim hats and hearing Miles Standish’s name for the first time.  As many a wise man has said, the difference between a language and a dialect is an army.  We all know whose armies came to the Americas and we all know whose armies won: the ones whose languages we speak today.

But when it comes to localization, the lesson our industry is still yet to learn is that when we say US English or US insert-other-European-language-here, maybe we can be a bit more precise -- not to the point of ludicrousy, but rather to the point of -- well -- precision.  Localizing for Texas German or Kentucky English might not be necessary or even possible, but what about localizing for Southern US English or, as the need grows, Southern US Spanish?  Whenever we have a client call in requesting Spanish for the US market, where I work, the first question is where.  As it’s been better said before, US Spanish is a misnomer, often doubling as Cuban Spanish or Mexican Spanish or the ambiguous Latin American Spanish, which is, in of itself, riddled with difficulty.  In our office, when a client requests US Spanish, we ask specifically which state, then look at Census data to see which countries the speakers there are truly more likely to be from, hoping to derive dialect from there.

But just as each European language has its respective American dialects, each language service provider has its capabilities and limitations.  You know your clients’ needs best and if you don’t, I can guarantee they won’t stay your clients for long.  Clients and LSPs must work together to decide how much precision is in fact needed for the sake of the document and for the business relationship we share.  Some clients very much want to watch every word -- others couldn’t give a rip.

In the end, no matter what your policies are on the obscurest of the obscure, there’s only so much any of us can do--no matter which dialect we do it in.  We all must determine for ourselves, on a case by case basis, exactly how precise is precise enough.  And whatever we decide, well, all those Texas German speakers will just have to live with it.

(Please note this blog was originally published in Multilingual.)

Translation Plus Two

From time to time, I've blogged on our social efforts as a company, how we're trying to change the world one translation at a time.  We call this Translation Plus Two, producing quality translations for our clients while creating economic opportunity for disadvantaged populations.  It's at the core of who we are and drives what we do.  This video shows our work in a different light and I'm sorry I haven't posted it on the blog before.  Do take a look and please let me know what you think!

Free Workshop on Domestic Violence Interpreting

On November 17^th, In Every Language and the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association (KDVA) will present a free workshop for interpreters on violence against women. The event will take place at the Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort, Ky from 9 AM to 5 PM.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. For refugee and immigrant women experiencing domestic violence, language barriers complicate getting assistance. And for interpreters working with these women, their professional roles and expectations are just beginning to be defined. The workshop will introduce interpreters to the domestic and sexual violence program system and examine how they can incorporate standards of practice when working in the domestic violence field. Continuing education credits will be awarded by the American Translators Association.

In Every Language currently provides language services to the Center for Women and Families in Louisville, but hopes to prepare interpreters working with domestic violence victims statewide by partnering with the KDVA for this workshop. In Every Language offers translation, localization, and interpreting services internationally in 175 different languages.

Multilingual Mayoral Forum

On October 20^th at 6:30 pm, the Americana Community Center presents “A Multicultural Evening with Candidates Greg Fischer and Jackie Green,” as part of their mayoral candidate forum. Interpreters from In Every Language will interpret the forum from English into Spanish, French and Swahili.

Non-English languages are playing a vital role in tight races, such as the one for Louisville mayor. A recent Huffington Post article (“In Tight Races for Congressional Seats, Language Could Make a Difference”) stresses the importance of candidates reaching limited-English-speaking audiences in the upcoming election. According to the article, 4.2 percent of Kentuckians speak a language other than English in the home.“[E]ven tiny margins can make or break a candidate. The ability to communicate to potential voters in their native languages is taking on new importance,” says Nataly Kelly, the article’s author.

In Every Language is providing free interpreters at the event so that Louisville’s international community members may access the same information as Louisville’s English-speaking community.  In Every Language offers translation, localization, and interpreting services nationally in 175 different languages.

Why "They Speak English" is a Crap Excuse

Of all the arguments I’ve heard against professional translation (and I’ve heard a few), “they speak English” has got to be the worst.

I am not a natural salesperson.  I feel funny inside when I think of cold calls.  So when I try to sell a client translation, it’s not because selling is what I do; it’s because I think translation will help them in what they do.  I love the idea of helping a growing business, of working with a company that is going into a country for the first time.  So much is new.  Everything’s exciting, brimming over with possibility as jobs are created and new markets born.

I get especially excited when I see another Kentucky business expand internationally.  I’m proud of my state, but you must admit we’re not known for being the most international people on the face of the planet.  We do wear shoes, but we’re not exactly seen taking them off at airport security as we fly to exotic destinations, either.

What we are known for, though, is hospitality.  As my grandfather put it, Kentucky is “south of the river.”  And while Kentucky’s being southern vs midwestern is cause for debate, when you’re south of the river, we put on that Southern hospitality shine.  Except when it comes to international business.  And there, we are some of the most inhospitable people in the nation.

I made a sales call this morning to what Louisville considers to be a large business.  They’re going international, preparing to open up locations in eight Middle Eastern countries.  It was easy to get the name of the person in charge of this international expansion.  This is a typically Southern company, after all, hospitable in the fact that the polite person (no push-button system here) who answers the phones will say, “Why, sure, sugar, I can put you through to her!”  This restaurant sells itself on Southern kitsch and making you feel comfortable.  But evidently, their highly-marketed hospitality stops at the Atlantic.

In no uncertain terms did the contact tell me that the company has no intent whatsoever to ever purchase translation.  When I asked her why (call me a glutton for punishment), she said, “They speak English over there.”

This has to be the worst argument against professional translation I have ever heard. 

For starters, it’s just lazy.  Instead of judiciously considering communications and how to improve them, let’s just make our foreign partners do the work.  Let’s not actually make any effort to make sure our message is perceived in the way we want it to be; let’s just assume they’re getting all of our highly colloquial, Kentucky-specific references and that nothing is lost in (lack-of-)translation.  It’s not like there’s a professional translation provider six minutes from the office or anything.  It’s not like a simple look at the American Translators Association website would give us access to 11,000 members ready to serve.

This argument also makes you look like a dumbass.  Now, forgive me for cursing in my blog, which I know is an unprofessional move on my part, but there’s no other word for this than “dumbass.”  You don’t have to watch “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” to know Arabic is the main language of choice in the Middle East, among others.  If anyone reading can think of a better word than “dumbass” for a college-educated adult who doesn’t know this, I’m happy to hear your suggestion.

But the reason that burns my biscuits most is that it’s completely lacking in Southern hospitality.  I don’t know about y’all, but my momma told me to always accommodate the other person above myself.  When you are a guest in someone’s home, you do as much as you can to put them out as little as you can.  You make your own bed, you help with the dishes, and you don’t eat the last piece of pie.  So why is it so hard for people to transfer this attitude to their companies?  Why is it so hard to realize that going into someone else’s country, asking them for their money, then making them speak your language is so highly rude?  Forget being ruder than eating the last piece of pie, it’s even ruder than I’ve been to this company in my blog entry.

Momma also taught me that honey killed more flies than vinegar and that no one listens when you’re yelling.  So I truly had a hard time deciding to write this blog.  We are good to our clients. We care about them and like to consider ourselves accommodating to all levels of professional language services purchasing experience.  We’ll work with new and first-time buyers when many providers of our caliber won’t.  Again, I love to help a growing company move into new markets, but I grow weary.  I grow tired of this attitude that goes against the grain of everything I’ve been taught, all I know to be logical.  If we cannot be professional, if we cannot be accommodating, then what can we be?

Thanking the Troutmans

Louisville is losing the Troutmans.

Yesterday, the announcement came that Dr Adewale Troutman had accepted a job at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health.  Today, the announcement followed that his wife, Denise, would be leaving, too.

Adewale is currently the director of Louisville's Department of Public Health and Wellness; Denise is the director of the Center for Women and Families, Louisville's domestic violence and rape crisis center.

Both LMDPHW and the Center are In Every Language clients, so we've been fortunate to see first-hand the impact these two leaders have made on our community.  While Adewale heads out in November and Denise next March, we already feel the difference.  Thank you, Adewale and Denise, for the work you've done.

Are Teachers Like Translators? (Underappreciated?)

First day of school today in Christian County, Ky, where my mother, as I write, is working with 27 kindergartners experiencing formal education for the first time. Teachers, as a whole, are under-appreciated; I’d argue they’re even more under-appreciated than translators and interpreters by some people. But there is an awareness that you have to have a degree to teach and, in the public system, at least, you have to be certified. There are still misconceptions, though, especially among those who claim teachers get summers off. If there are K-12 teachers out there who truly get their summers off, I would like to ask them who straightens their room after a year’s worth of havoc, purchases materials for the next year to come, and prepares lessons as well as the room for fall. These people obviously don’t teach kindergarten and they sure aren’t my mother, who goes into school for work almost every day all summer long. She is constantly looking for new and different ways of doing, feeling the weight of those 27 impressionable young minds upon her conscious when she lies down at night. Teaching is her calling as language is mine.

My mother has very little to do with translation, except the fact that she raised me and I now run a translation company. But, in some ways, teaching and translation share a great deal. Whether her job is understood by non-teaching America or not, she still does it. She knows that when she teaches her students to read, to recognize shapes and colors, and to play nicely with others, that she’s opening up a new world to them with the earliest building blocks required. Some of her students and families are easier to work with and appreciate her role. Others are and do not. Some care about the education she gives their child; some are so disconnected from their children that they can’t even name where they go to school. She has had first-day students who could already read and write; she has had students arrive the first day who weren’t even potty-trained. “Not every child is the same,” she once told me. “So I don’t treat them the same. I learn what they need and give them that. This one needs help reading, I help him with reading. This one needs help with math, I help him with math.” But Mother is wrong in part; in a way, she does give all of her students the same thing. She gives them all opportunity.

Sometimes we as translators can feel misunderstood and underappreciated. We have some clients who come to us begrudgingly, bitter about their budgets and looking to translate only what will bring them under compliance with the law. They do not see translation as important just as some parents do not value education. But we have also clients who are easier to deal with than others, clients who know the value of the services we offer and how difficult our work is to perform. As translation providers, though, we give them all opportunity.

There’s been a lot of talk in industry circles lately about client education and who will work with the uneducated. Through recent and upcoming NCIHC and ATA efforts, client outreach is prepared to peak. I personally have an article coming out on this topic in the October/November issue of Multilingual. You’ll have to wait until then to learn most of my opinions, but the crux of the matter is, people out there need us, whether they know how to ask for our help or not.

It’s easy for a translation provider to only take on new clients who are seasoned translation buyers. It’s actually in a provider’s economic self-interest, as rates can be higher with this group and less project management time is often required. But with the booming need for language services in our country today, there are lots of clients out there who simply need the opportunity to learn who translators are and what we do.

My mother doesn’t personally pick her students. She never knows until she walks in her room the first day what she’s going to get. But she loves them and she educates them just the same, regardless of what they know before they get there. She loves them. And today, on her first day back, for her 19th year of teaching, I just had to take the opportunity to say I appreciate it.