Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Being Bilingual or Multilingual does pay

It is true that two heads are better than one. By the same token, speaking two languages (or more) is like having two heads in one. I am one of the luck ones who came to this country when I was young enough to know Spanish and then was forced to learn English in school. That is the best way to learn a 2nd language. When you are put in an environment where you have to learn the language to communicate, it is always the best way to learn. If you are not immersed in the language, you will struggle more to commit to learning the language - it is too much like work. In today's competitive workplace, having that edge of being bi-lingual (or multi-lingual) really puts you ahead of the competition. With so much work going overseas, speaking a 2nd language or 3rd language puts you at a competitive advantage over your peers. When you boss needs someone to travel to a foreign country and you know the language, guess what, you become the primary candidate to go. And when you return, you will be that much more coveted by other leaders. You will gain knowledge and culture by traveling - you will have a Global Mindset. Most employees who take on foreign travel assignments end up climbing the corporate ladder much quicker. Therefore, you should invest some time and money to learn a 2nd language if you don't already know one. There are many resources out there to help you get started. Below are some links to check out. Remember, the more you know, the more you're worth. Click Here! for a Program to Learn Spanish Fast! Jobs for Spanish speakers: Click Here! for Translator Jobs that Pay you.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Una Entrevista (An Interview)

Translated by a Member of the Honeywell Hispanic Network, Honeywell International. Disclaimer: Although Honeywell is mentioned here, it is NOT an actual Honeywell interview. Please feel free to replace Honeywell with any other company name.

Company: Honeywell , good morning! May I help you?
Honeywell, ¡buenos días! ¿Cómo le puedo ayudar?
Honeywell, ¡buh-eh-nohs dee-as! ¿kóh-moh leh poo-eh-doh ah-you-dahr?

Pablo: Good morning! I am calling regarding your ad in today's newspaper for a marketing manager.
¡Buenos días! Llamaba por el aviso en el diario de hoy por el puesto de gerente de mercadotecnia.
¡Buh-eh-nohs dee-as! Yah-mah-bah pohr il ah-vee-so ehn ehl dee-ah-ree-oh deh o-ee pohr ehl puh-ehs-toh the heh-rehn-teh the mehr-kah-doh-tek-knee-a.

Company: Sure! Fax us your resume. Do you have a pen to write the number down?
¡Cómo no! Mándenos su curriculum vitae por fax.¿Tiene lápiz y papel para anotar el número?
¡kóh-moh noh! Mán-the-nos suh cuh-ree-cuh-lum vee-tah-eh pohr fax.¿Tea-eh-neh láh-peace e pah-pell pah-rah ah-no-tahr ehl nú-meh-roh?

Pablo: Just a moment, please…I am ready now. What' s the number?
Un momentito, por favor…Ahora sí. ¿Cuál es el número?
Uhn moh-men-tea-toh, pohr fah-vohr…Ah-oh-rah see. ¿kuh-áhl is il nú-meh-roh?a

Company: 456-1000. Send it to Mrs. Marcela Peralta's attention in Human Resources.
456-1000. Mándela a la atención de la Sra. Marcela Peralta en Recursos Humanos.
kuatro seen-ko say-is mihl. Mán-the-lah ah lah ah-ten-see-ón the lah seen-yo-rah. Mahr-seh-lah Peh-rahl-tah ehn Reh-kur-sohs uh-mah-nos.

Pablo: Thank you very much.
Muchas gracias.
Moo-chas gras-see-as.

Girls - Who Understands Them?

(Translated by a Member of the Honeywell Hispanic Network, Honeywell International)
Paco: Excuse me miss. Is this your book?
Perdone señorita. ¿Este es su Libro?
Per-dough-neh say-~o- ree-tah. S-te “s” zoo lee-bro?

Josefina: Oh, yes. Thank you very much.
Ah, si. Gracias, muchas gracias.
Ah, “c” grah-c-as, moo-chah-s grah-c-as

Paco: You don’t know me. I am Paco… Paco Perez. Do you have a couple of minutes to chat?
Usted no me conoce. Soy Paco…Paco Perez. ¿Tiene usted unos minutos para conversar?
Oos-ted no may ko-no-say. Soy pah-ko…pah-ko peh-rehz. T-n-a oos-ted oo-nos me-nu-toes pa-rah kon-ver-sar?

Josefina: Thanks, no. I am headed to my algebra class.
Gracias, no. Voy ahora a mi clase de álgebra.
grah-c-as, no. voi ah-o-rah ah me klah-say day algebra

Paco: Then after class? Do you have some free time to have a Coca-Cola?
Entonces, ¿después de las clases? ¿Tiene usted tiempo libre para tomar una coca cola?
N-tone-ces, dehs-pu-s deh lahs clah-ces? Tee-n-a oos-ted tee-m-poh lee-brey pah-rah toe-mahr oo-nah coca cola?

Josefina: Thanks, but I have a lot of work to do this afternoon.
Gracias, pero tengo bastante trabajo esta tarde.
Grah-c-as, peh-ro tehn-go bass-tahn-tay trah-bah-ho s-tash tahr-day

Paco: Well this Saturday they are showing a great movie. I can pick you up in my car at seven o’clock if you want.
Bueno este sábado estan dando un buena película. Te puedo pasar a buscar a las siete si quieres?
Bu-n-o s-tay sah-bah-doh s-than dan-doh oo-nah bu-n-ah pay-lee-cu-lah. Tay pu-ay-doh pah-zar ah boos-car ah lahs c-ay-tay c key-erehs

Josefina: No thanks. I am going to study all weekend long. I have a lot of tests. Maybe next week. This is my class. Later!
NO gracias. Voy a estudiar todo este fin de semana. Tengo muchos exámenes. Quizás la proxima semana. Esta es mi clase. Hasta luego.
No, grah-c-as. Voi ah s-too-d-r toe-do s-tay fin day say-mah-nah. Tehn-go moo-cho x-ah-men-s. key-zahs lah pro-xima say-mah-nah. S-tah s me clah-say. As-tah lu-a-go.

An hour later, Alejandro Hombron, captain of the football team, saw Josefina in the cafeteria.

Una hora mas tarde, Alejandro Hombrón, capitán del equipo de fútbol, ve a Josefina en la cafeteria.


Alejandro: Hi Josefina! How are you? Are you busy tonight o do you want to watch a movie?
¡Hola, Josefina! ? ¿Qué tal? Oyes, ¿estás ocupada esta noche o quieres ir al cine?
O-lah, Josefina! K-tahl? O-yeh s-tahs o-ku-pah-da s-tah no-chay oh key-erehs eer ahl c-nay?


Josefina: Yes, of course Alejandro I will be delighted. You are so nice!
Si, por supuesto, Alejandro con mucho gusto. ¡Tu eres tan amable!
C, pore su-pu-s-toh, Alejandro con moo-cho goos-toe. Two er-rehs tahn ah-mah-blay

Vamos a un Pais Tropical (Lets go to a Tropical Country)

(Translated by a Member of the Honeywell Hispanic Network, Honeywell International)
Es el mes de mayo. Los esposos Marta y Miguel hacen planes para las vacaciones de verano.
It is May. Couple Michael and Marta make plans for summer vacations.

Marta: Hey Mike, this summer I want to relax on a beautiful beach, and look at the sea and the shinning sun.
Ay, Miguelito, este verano quiero descansar en una playa bonita, y mirar el mar y un sol brillante.
I Mike, sste vera no kiaro deskansar n oona ply ya boneeta, e merawr l mar e oon sal breeyonta.

Miguel: Honey, I prefer to take vacations in the Fall or Spring when it is not so hot. But if you want, we can go to a tropical country. We can swim there and get a tan.
Bueno, mi amor. Yo prefiero tomar las vacaciones en el otoño o en la primavera cuando no hace calor. Pero si tú quieres, vamos a un país tropical. Allí nadamos y tomamos el sol.
Booano, me imore. Jo prayfeearo tomeer los vekeseeonas n l otoyeo o n lo premovaro kuando no asay klor. Paro see too keearees, vomoase ah oon paees tropeekal. Agee noodahmos e toemomus l sal.

Marta: Very good. Tomorrow we can go to the travel agency. We will then spend 4 weeks of vacation on a beautiful beach.
Muy bien. Entonces mañana vamos a la agencia de viajes. Así, en junio pasamos cuatro semanas de vacaciones en una playa bonita.
Moy be n. N ton says mo ya nah vomus ah lo ohensee a do via hess. Ohh see, n hoo neo paasomus kuatroo saymon nas do vekeseeonas n oonah play ya boneeta.

The next day, at nine in the morning, Miguel and his wife are at the travel agency. They speak to the clerk.
Al día siguiente, a las nueve de la mañana, Miguel y su esposa están en la agencia de viajes. Hablan con el empleado.

Empleado: Well. When and where do you want to go?
Bueno. ¿Cuándo y a dónde desean ustedes ir?
Booano, koo andow e ah donday the say an oostaydays eer?

Miguel: To South America in June. We want to spend a month in Chile, swimming and taking a tan at the beautiful Viña del Mar beach. What is the weather like there? The weather is good, right?
A Sudamérica en junio. Deseamos pasar un mes en Chile, en la famosa playa Viña del Mar, para nadar y tomar el sol. ¿ Qué tiempo hace allí ? Hace un buen tiempo. ¿ Verdad ?
Ah Sued america n hoo neo. The say ah mos powsar oon mas aen Chile n lo fo mousaw play ya dow Veeyaa del Mar, pow ra nodar e tomar l sal. K tee mpow ahsay agee? Ahsay oon boo n tee mpow. Var dah?

Empleado: But…Chile is not the Caribbean. A shinning sun and warm weather in Chile? Folks, it is winter in June there. Don’t you know that the seasons in several countries in South America are different? When it is hot here is cold over there. But if you guys want to go skiing in Chile then it is possible in June.
Pero… señores…Chile no es el Caribe. ¿ Mucho sol y calor en junio en Chile ? Señores, en junio es el invierno allí. ¿ No saben ustedes que en muchos países de Sudaméerica las estaciones son diferentes ? Cuando hace calor aquí, hace frío allá. Pero, si ustedes desean esquiar en Chile en junio es posible.
Perro say yo rees, Chile no s l Caribe. Moochow kalorr n hoo neo n Chile? Say yo rees n hoo neo s l een viar no agee. No saw ben oos stay days k n moochows paee says da Sued america loss sto see o naes son dee fae ren tes? Koo andow a say moo chow kalorr ahh key, a say free o a ya. Paro see oo stay days, the say on es kee r n Chile, n hoo neo s po see bla.

La Entrevista (The Job Interview)

(Tranlated by Angela Canals, Honeywell International, Honeywell Hispanic Network)

SR. POSADA: Pase, señorita. Siéntese, por favor.
Pa-say, say-nior-ee-ta. See-en-te-say, pohr-fa-vohr.
Come on in, Miss. Please, sit down.

ISABEL: Muchas Gracias.
Moo-chas gra-see-as
Thank you very much.

SR. POSADA: He examinado su expediente. Sus recomendaciones son excelentes.
Eh ex-amin-ah-dough sue ex-ped-ee-ente. Sue’s rey-commend-ah-see- own-es sown excel-entays.
I have examined your file. Your recommendations are excellent.

ISABEL: Gracias.
Gra-see-as.
Thank you.

SR. POSADA: Dígame, ¿por qué le gustaría trabajar en nuestra empresa?
Dee-gum-eh. Pohr-kay ley gusta-ree-ahh tra-bahar en noo-es-trah em- prey-sah?
Tell me, why would you like to work for our firm?

ISABEL: Porque me han dicho que es una gran empresa y que ustedes realmente se interesan por el bienestar de sus empleados. Pore-kay may ahn dee-ch- owe kay es oo-nah gran em-pray-sah ee kay oos-tey-des rey-all-men-tay say inter-ray-sahn pore ‘L’ bee-en-‘S’-tar dey Sue’s em-play-ah-dose.
Because I’ve been told that it is a great firm and that you really consider your employees’ well being.

SR. POSADA: Si le ofrecemos el puesto, ¿podría empezar a trabajar inmediatamente?
See lay o-fray-say-mohs el puay-stow, poe-dree-ah em-pay-czar ah trah- ba-har een-may-dee-ata-men-tay?
If we offer you the job, could you start to work immediately?

ISABEL: Sí, señor, pero quería saber cual es el sueldo.
See, say-nior, pay-row kay-ree-ah saw-bear qual ‘S’ el swell-dough.
Yes, sir, but I would like to know what the salary is.

SR. POSADA: El sueldo es de trescientos mil pesos al mes. ¿Que le parece?
El swell-dough ‘S’ day tres-see-en-toes meel pay-sos all mess. Kay lay paw-ray-say?
The salary is three hundred thousand pesos a month. What do you think?

ISABEL: Me parece bien.
May paw-ray-say bee-en.
It seems good to me.

SR. POSADA: ¡Enhorabuena! ¡El puesto es suyo!
En-aura-buey-nah! ‘L’ pu-es-toe es sue-yo.
Congratulations! The job is yours!

Saturday, July 7, 2007

A friend of mine asked me to translate several pieces for a friend of hers. I am attaching some of that. I think this was an assignment for a college class.
---------ENGLISH - Memorable Childhood Experience
It is very important that everyone has special events in their lives that they have learned from or that have affected them. I have had many! I will share three of them that started during the last four years of elementary school but still affect me. These events include the adoption of my little brother Daniel, meeting my best friend of seven years, and my first experience on a swim team.
Although there have been many special events, one stands out as being the most important: my little brother’s adoption. I was in 3rd grade and baby crazy. I loved babysitting my little cousin who was 5 months old. I was the caretaker. So, when we got a call in February saying there would be a woman coming straight from the hospital to our house I was thrilled! I would have a little brother! He was two days old and adorable! His name is Daniel. That night, he stayed with us. I was in shock! Two days ago, I had no idea that I would ever have another sibling, and now there was a little baby for me to play with. I thought he was my child. I would wake up when he cried with my mom and give him a bottle. I would wake up early in the morning so I could get him dressed and fed before my mom. I think this experience really gave me a sense of compassion and tenderness. Even now, I still love little kids and caring for other people. Hopefully someday I will be in a career where I can continue to help others.
A couple years later, I met my best friend. Before 5th grade, I never had a very close friend. I would play with everyone on the playground and had many friends, but never an exclusive friend. I didn’t mind; it was what I was used to. That was until I met Tee. Tee had just moved up from Sitka, Alaska, a small fishing town in Southeastern Alaska. After just a couple weeks of playing on the playground and sitting together in class, we became inseparable. This was very new to me. Each day after school we would go to each others’ houses. Soon even our moms became best friends. We both enjoyed the same things: school, little kids, swimming, and each other. Although there have been periods where we don’t see each other often, we will always be best friends. Tee knows me better than anyone. In the past seven years we have been through many new things together: puberty, boys, middle school, high school, college applications, new friends, and new hobbies. I look forward to future years with her.
Tee introduced me to something new: swimming. Although I had taken swim lessons since I was about two years old, I never took it seriously. Starting in fifth grade, Tee introduced me to the Northern Lights Swim Club (NLSC). There are several levels: novice, bronze, silver, and gold. I started out in novice and quickly worked my way up. I learned a new sense of accomplishment and team spirit. I was never a big participant in team sports so this was a great experience. My family would come to all the Saturday morning meets to cheer me on. Although I was never very good until high school, I felt very proud that I could race and compete. Now in high school, it has provided me with a way to make friends and relieve stress. My high school experience would have been very different without it. The coaches have become good friends. I know that in my future I will always have a place in my heart for swimming.
My brother’s adoption, my best friends, and my favorite sport have all been huge influences in my childhood and continue to affect me and my decisions. I know there will be many more new experiences in my life and I look forward to seeing how they affect my life.
----------SPANISH (translation of Memorable Childhood Experience)
Es muy importante que cada uno tenga acontecimientos especiales en sus vidas de las cuales han aprendido o les ha afectado. ¡Yo he tenido muchos! Compartiré tres de ellos que comenzaron durante los cuatro años de la escuela primaria pero que todavía me afectan. Estos acontecimientos incluyen la adopción de mi pequeño hermano Daniel, el conocer a mi mejor amigo de siete años, y mi primera experiencia en un equipo de natacion.

Aunque ha habido muchos eventos especiales, uno se destaca como el más importante: la adopción de mi pequeño hermano. Yo estaba en el tercer grado y loco por bebés. Me encantaba cuidar a mi pequeño primo que tenia 5 meses de edad. Yo era el vigilante. ¡Así que cuando recibimos una llamada en febrero diciendonos que habría una mujer que viene derecho del hospital a nuestra casa me emocione! ¡Tendría un pequeño hermano! ¡Él tenia dos días de haber nacido y era adorable! Su nombre es Daniel. Esa noche, se quedo con nosotros. ¡Yo estaba en asombro! Hace dos días, no tenía ni idea de que tendría otro hermano, y ahora había un pequeño bebé con quien jugar. Pensé que él era mi niño. Me despertaba con mi mama cuando él gritaba y le daba un biberon. Me Despertaba temprano por la mañana, antes que mi mama, para vestirlo y alimentarlo. Pienso que esta experiencia realmente me dio un sentido de compasión y de ternura. Aun ahora, amo a los pequeños y cuido a las demas personas. Espero que algún día tenga una carrera donde pueda continuar ayudando a otros.

Un par de años despues, conoci a mi mejor amiga. Antes del quinto grado, nunca tuve un amigo muy cercano. Jugaba con todos en el patio y tenía muchos amigos, pero nunca un amigo exclusivo. No me importaba; estaba acostumbrado. Eso era hasta que conoci a Tee. Tee se acababa de mudar de Sitka, Alaska, una ciudad pequeña de pesca al sudeste de Alaska. Después de un par de semanas de jugar en el patio y de sentarnos juntos en clase, nos hicimos inseparables. Esto era muy nuevo para mí. Cada día después de la escuela ibamos a la casa del otro. Pronto despues hasta nuestras madres se hicieron mejores amigas. Ambos gozabamos de las mismas cosas: la escuela, los ninos pequenos, la natación, y la compania de cada quien. Aunque ha habido períodos donde no nos vemos a menudo, seremos siempre los mejores amigos. Tee me conoce mejor que cualquier otra persona. En los últimos siete años hemos pasado por muchas nuevas cosas juntos: pubertad, muchachos, escuela secundaria, escuela superior, matriculas de universidad, nuevos amigos, y nuevos pasa-tiempos. Espero pasar los años futuros con ella.

Tee me introdujo a algo nuevo: la natación. Aunque había tomado lecciones de natacion desde que tenia dos años, nunca la tomé seriamente. Comenzando en el quinto grado, Tee me introdujo al club Northern Lights Swim (NLSC). Hay varios niveles: novato, bronce, plata, y oro. Comencé como novato y acendi rápidamente. Aprendí un nuevo sentido de realización y de espirito de equipo. Nunca fui un gran participante en los deportes de equipo asi que esto fue una gran experiencia. Mi familia asistia a todas las competencies los Sabados por la mañana para levantarme los animos. Aunque no fui muy bueno hasta que llegue a la escuela superior, me sentía muy orgulloso de poder competir. Ahora en la escuela superior, me ha brindado una manera de hacer amigos y de relevar la tensión. Mi experiencia de la escuela superior habría sido muy diferente sin ella. Los entrenadores son mis buenos amigos. Sé que en mi futuro tendré siempre un lugar en mi corazón para la natación.

La adopción de mi hermano, mis mejores amigos, y mi deporte favorito han sido influencias enormes en mi niñez y continúan afectandome a mi y a mis decisiones. Sé que habrá muchas más experiencias nuevas en mi vida y espero ver cómo afectaran a mi vida.