When learning a new language, you must also learn the punctuation of the language. No, punctuation is not the same across all languages. It is something you must learn to use correctly because how you use it in English, may not translate into French. Here are a few common punctuation marks used in French.

While the majority of French punctuation is used similarly to English, as a language learner it is important to note that each punctuation mark has a different name, and in some cases is used completely differently – if at all.

References

http://french.about.com/library/writing/bl-punctuation.htm

https://french.yabla.com/lessons.php?lesson_id=390

http://www.languedoc-france.info/060103_accent.htm

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ISO – International Organization for Standardization – is a quality management system awarded to organizations to seek certification and meet a variety of specified requirements. This standard is based on eight quality management principles, which are all fundamental to good business practices. This certification can be applied to a variety of organizations and businesses. An ISO 9001:2008 certified organization aims to:

• Demonstrate the ability to deliver consistent product that meets customer and regulatory requirements
• Enhance customer satisfaction through continual improvement efforts and the assurance of conformity to customer and industry requirements

At Pendleton Translations, our extensive quality management system guarantees customer service excellence and top-quality work done by a team of experienced professionals. An external auditor certifies us yearly to ensure we meet the management systems, standards and guidelines set out in this extensive ISO certification.

As a customer, it is important to look for organizations who have achieved ISO 9001:2008 for a variety of reasons including:

• Exceptional customer service standards
• Consistent quality and quality management
• Continual improvement internally to ensure you get the best

If you would like to know more about our certification, or would like a few more reasons to consider Pendleton Translations for your next translation or interpretation project, be sure to contact us at info@pendletontranslations.com, www.pendletontranslations.com or call us at 1-888-414-0677.

References

 http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=46486

http://www.pcmsindia.com/whatis.html

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            Our love for languages started at birth and roughly 25 years later our passion was put into our business. Since then we have become a world-class company with only the best translators and interpreters in the business. In honour of this great day, here are nine reasons you should choose Pendleton Translations to translate your next large document, or simultaneously interpret your company business meeting or conference, simultaneously or over the phone.

1. Professional
   As small business owners, we believe that doing business with our company is doing business with family­ – you will never be a number but rather an important part of our community. We work hard to personally understand each of our client’s unique needs and deliver services tailored to meet those needs. All of Pendleton Translations translation and interpretations meet the highest specifications as outlined by the National Standard Guide for Community Interpreting Services as listed by the Language Industry Associations (AILIA).       
            
2. Excellence
   We love what we do and are proud to put our name on it. We have a unique operations system that guarantees the identical level of excellence each time you book with us. We look to give outstanding customer service to all our clients and look forward to each project we work on with you. We are your complete language solution.
           
3. Non-stop
   We won’t stop until we’re 110% happy with the work we’ve given you. Our company often travels nationally throughout Canada, and even internationally to bring our clients the results they need.
            
4. Dependable
   Accuracy and accountability are two guiding principles for our company. You can count on us to get an accurate translation or interpretation every time. Providing your documents on time and being accountable for our actions are important facets to our company.  
             
5. Lots o’ languages
   We are proud to offer our translation and interpretation services in over 50 languages. For each language offered we guarantee complete native fluency and not only do we understand a language – we understand a culture. This ensures you are getting the best services and translations for your company. We also have an in-house English-French-Spanish translator and interpreter for any immediate needs.
            
6. Experts
   We ensure all our employees meet strict hiring regulations before they join our team. Our strict quality control ensures all employees are part of an accredited translation and interpretation association. We ensure they have a minimum number of years experience with reputable work-related samples and references before they get the Pendleton Translations stamp of approval. Pendleton Translations is proud to say we are experts in our field and are happy to bring our expertise to any and all assignments.  
             
7. Teamwork
   Here at Pendleton Translations we are very proud of the group of employees we have working for us. Teamwork is an important aspect to our business culture and the best customer service is always our number one goal. We are continually looking to improve our business and our employees through professional development programs. Rest assured you will be treated with the utmost regard when speaking with any team member of Pendleton Translations.
            
8. On time
   We know how important it is that your documents and conferences arrive and happen on time. We are completely committed to reaching your deadlines in a timely fashion that will impress you and your customers.
                
9. Notable
   The CEO, Brian Bickford, is a proud member of a variety of language, translation and interpretation associations. These associations include the Association of Translators and Interpreters in Ontario (ATIO), the American Translators Association (ATA), The Language Industry Association (AILIA) as well as Meeting Professionals International (MPI).
         
   Brian has also been nominated for a variety of awards such as Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2009, the Ontario Business Achievement Award in 2010 and the Business Achievement Awards in 2013. Brian has proudly accepted the Mississauga Board of Trade Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 and most recently was honoured with the Hamilton/ Halton Top 40 Under 40 in 2013.

 To learn more about Pendleton Translations and what we do, visit our website, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. www.pendletontranslations.com

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[h2]Canada, United States, Australia & New Zealand [/h2]These countries celebrate Mothers on the second Sunday during the month of May. It is celebrated mostly the same across these countries, where gifts, flowers and cards are given in thanks. In Australia, carnation flowers are worn by individuals in recognition of their mothers – a coloured flower signifies their mother is living, while a white one signifies their memory.

[h2]South Africa [/h2]In South Africa, this day is celebrated on the first Sunday in May, with gifts, flowers, and quality time – very similar to the day celebrated in North America. Like Australia, carnations are also worn in recognition.

[h2]Mexico  [/h2]In Mexico, Mother’s Day is celebrated with enthusiasm and it is taken very seriously. Flowers, gifts, and dinner are often on the agenda for the day, which is celebrated each year on May 10. In the morning, Mother’s are serenaded with the song “Las Mananitas” by their children or a mariachi band.

[h2]India  [/h2]In India, Mother’s Day is a rather new phenomenon, and has been adapted from North America’s celebrations. It too, is also celebrated on the second Sunday in May through gift giving and quality time.

[h2]United Kingdom & Ireland [/h2]Here, these countries celebrate Mother’s Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is known as “Mothering Sunday”. A traditional dessert on this day is a “Mothering Cake” which is a rich almond cake.

No matter how you celebrate Mother’s Day, it is apparent that a variety of cultures recognize the importance of Mother’s in their lives, and celebrate it in one form or another. Go ahead…give your mom a big hug this Sunday.

References

http://time.com/94286/mothers-day-2014-world/

http://www.whsv.com/seasonal/misc/42915822.html

http://www.mothersdaycelebration.com/mothers-day-around-world.html

https://www.care.com/a/10-mothers-day-traditions-around-the-world-1304300127

http://www.allianceabroad.com/mothers-day/

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The Greek alphabet is one of the longest standing alphabets in the world. It has been used since approximately 1200BC – although in a different form of the alphabet than what is currently known today. The Modern Greek alphabet, what is used today, is a developed version of the Phoenician alphabet. Many writing systems, including Latin, Arabic and Hebrew date back to the Phoenician alphabet which was widely used across the Mediterranean for trading as early as 1000BC. 

When the Greeks adopted this alphabet, they used some Phoenician letters to represent their vowels, and then developed some new letters to represent their consonant sounds. This became the first phonetic alphabet.

 The Greek alphabet has been changed and modified over centuries, but it is still used today to write Greek. In the past, it also aided in the writing of Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish and others. It is also used frequently today in mathematical and scientific equations, and of course, by sororities and fraternities (!)

For your enjoyment, take a look at this list of Greek letters, and how they correlate to English letters.

References

http://www.ibiblio.org/koine/greek/lessons/alphabet.html

http://omniglot.com/writing/greek.htm

http://www.physlink.com/Reference/GreekAlphabet.cfm

http://omniglot.com/writing/phoenician.htm

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Eastern Orthodox Slavic people first developed the Cyrillic writing system in the 10th Century. The original Cyrillic alphabet was comprised of 43 letters. These 43 letters included of the Greek alphabet, alongside new letters that were created to represent a sound specific to the Slavic language. Today, the Cyrillic alphabet ranges in the amount of letters that are part of it. This is because some languages that use it have dropped some letters, or have amalgamated others, however these alphabets range between 30-33 letters.

The Cyrillic alphabet is used by more than 50 languages worldwide, but most notably Russian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian. It is recognized at the third most used script in the European Union.

 Below is an example of the Cyrillic alphabet, along with an example of how to say each letter. It’s not easy feat! Not many of the letters are similar to the common Latin alphabet used by English speakers.

References

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cyrillic.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/148713/Cyrillic-alphabet

http://learnrussian.rt.com/alphabet/the-history-of-the-cyrillic-alphabet/

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Dating back to the 6^th century, the Latin alphabet has roots that were adapted by the Etruscan alphabet (an alphabet that was a variety of the Greek alphabet.) It is also commonly known as the Roman alphabet and is used by many Romance, Slavic, Germanic and Baltic languages. Despite all these languages use of the Latin alphabet, many supplement the basic letters with accented Latin letters.

The Latin alphabet system is the most widely used alphabet in the world.

[h2]Fun Fact! [/h2]

In the original Latin alphabet, the letters J, U, W weren’t part of the alphabet. They were added later on to help write different languages.  

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabet

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/latin.htm 

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/etruscan.htm

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/latin2.htm

 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/331677/Latin-alphabet

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Alphabet

An alphabet is a system of writing where symbols or letters represent all the sounds of a language. An example of this would be the alphabet that we use to write English. Each letter has a specific sound that helps to pronounce a word. 

Some of the most commonly used alphabets across the world include:

• Latin
• Greek
• Cyrillic
• Armenian
• Georgian
• Korean

Writing System

As you can guess, a writing system is a little bit different than an alphabet. A writing system will often consist of the use of numbers, symbols or characters to help a reader or writer express a word or an idea.

Chinese is one of the most commonly used writing systems today.

Over the next couple weeks we will be exploring more about writing systems and alphabets, along with the most commonly used systems and alphabets.

References

http://www.ancientscripts.com/ws_types.html

http://www.sixtyvocab.com/blog/many-alphabets-world/

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In honour of St. Patrick’s day which happened on Tuesday, we thought we’d share some fun facts about the Irish language.

Across the world, there are approximately only 350,000 Irish speakers, the majority residing in Ireland and surrounding areas. Of these 350,000 speakers, only about 10,000 people consider it their dominant language. Irish may also be known as Irish Gaelic. Irish is the official language of Northern Ireland. It is also considered to be a Celtic language.

Irish is part of the Indo-European language group, which includes languages such as French, Spanish and derives from Latin. There are three major dialects which include Munster-Leinster, Connacht and Donnegal. Between these three there can be considerable variation in which it can be difficult to understand one another based on which dialect they speak.

Irish is written with a form of the Latin alphabet, and though some letter may look the same, they do not sound the same.

The structure of an Irish sentence is verb, subject, object, so while we would say “I saw a cat” the Irish would say “Saw I a cat”.

For those looking to learn this language, it can be difficult to know how difficult it is to learn as it is often not taught in formal classroom settings.

References

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/irish.htm

http://mentalfloss.com/article/49480/8-fun-facts-about-irish-language

http://aboutworldlanguages.com/irish-gaelic

http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gle/feedback

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Milton District Hospital Foundation (MDHF) was founded in 1980 and works to raise funds for the Milton District Hospital (MDH). One of the great things Pendleton Translations loves about MDHF is that all profits made by this non-profit are kept within Milton – an area we love and are based out of. The vision for the MDHF is to share a dream, inspire a community and create reality; Pendleton Translations has been inspired and is happy to help them create a reality for thousands of people in the Milton region. Funds raised by MDHF help MDH fulfill their need for innovative facilities and technologies, which benefit each and every patient that comes through the doors at MDH.

Throughout the year, MDHF holds a variety of events to raise funds. These events include their Gift of Health Gala, a Golf tournament, Breakfast with Santa and many others.

If you’re looking to help MDHF, please visit their website for more information on how to donate to this wonderful cause.

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