Have You Been Using Those English Words in the Right Context?

English is well known is being a very rich language with a vocabulary that is full of nuances. It can be a hard job translating an exact meaning from English into other languages, or vice versa, even if these languages seem to share a lot in common. But how many of us have been using some of our very own words wrongly over the years without realising? Here are some examples of some words in English that routinely get used in the wrong context – by native English language speakers, so spare a thought for NAATI translators whose job it is to translate from and into English regularly!

Mistake #1 Ironic

The word “ironic” is one of the most abused words and to be honest it’s a hard job using the word off the cuff with the right meaning. It actually means: “something that is not what you might expect”. However, many English speakers use it to mean things like “a coincidence” or even “something funny that happened.” It is rather ironic that so many English speakers get confused about their own language.

Mistake#2 Peruse

When the word “peruse” is used correctly it means that someone is very carefully looking at something, looking at something in detail. Yet time and time again, the word is wrongly used in the very opposite context. To be honest, it is not a very commonly used word at all these days, which is probably unfortunate for translators who work for translation services who probably wonder how they are going to translate a word that they know has been used wrongly. Hopefully, if the translator is a professional and is good at his or her job, they will peruse the document they are going to translate quite thoroughly rather than merely glance at it!

Mistake #3 Compelled

The typical error in the use of this word is to confuse a strong desire to do something and being forced to do it. If you have been compelled to carry out an act, then you have been made to do it. What has made you do it may be some external force (e.g. the slaves were compelled to work all day and night) or an internal force (I felt compelled to get up early every morning). The words “compelled” and “impelled” here are easily confused.

Mistake #4 Nauseous

If you complain that you are feeling “nauseous” while on a boat in choppy seas, then you are wrongly using the word. In fact, it is the sea state that is nauseous, i.e. causing you to feel sick. You are, more correctly, feeling “nauseated.”

Mistake #5 Travesty

If you say that a “travesty of justice” has been carried out, describing a trial that you think has been badly carried out, then you are, surprise, surprise, using the word correctly. It is often used instead of “tragedy,” perhaps because the words sound almost the same, but in fact they are not synonymous.

The Chinese Language and 5 Smart Facts

China is quickly becoming a world superpower. Every country wants to be China’s partner and many people, are trying to learn the Chinese language so they can keep abreast of China’s capabilities. Some of the more fluent and adaptable Chinese language speakers go on to work for professional translation services.

Fact #1

The Chinese language is not one single entity but is made up of several languages such as Mandarin, Minnan, Putonghua and Cantonese. The most widely spoken is Mandarin. This is China’s official language. It is one of 4 official languages in Singapore and it makes up 1 of 6 official languages of the UN. It is spoken across Malaysia and Taiwan and in many countries and cities throughout the world that have Chinatowns such as New York.  In fact more than a billion people globally speak Mandarin.

Fact #2

Mandarin does not have an alphabet but uses Chinese symbols which are made up of both simple and traditional characters. Macau and Taiwan use traditional characters while China uses simple characters.  These characters may be written in several directions which are right to left, left to right, and top to bottom, making for a very versatile script.

Fact #3

There does not seem to be any certainty on how many characters there are but the estimate is at least 10,000. Surprisingly new characters are being added all the time.

Fact #4

Pinyin is when Mandarin characters are expressed in the Roman alphabet. Pinyin commonly used in Chinese educational institutes worldwide. Signboards and street names often are found in Pinyin in both China and Taiwan.

Fact #5

Mandarin possesses four tones which basically mean every word can have four different meanings. This earmarks Mandarin as being one of the most complex languages in the world. Once tone had been learned the language is relatively easy to master because of its straightforward grammar. The language does not conjugate any verbs; there are no verb tenses and it has no number concepts. Translation services in Australia have many bilingual translators who have successfully mastered Mandarin and can provide exceptional translations from English to Mandarin and visa versa.