The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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14 The Linguist Vol/60 No/3 2021 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES Di integratori alimentari ce ne sono un'infinità. Di naturali molti di meno. Se poi li cerchiamo sotto forma di chewing gum senza zucchero, allora il numero cala ulteriormente. E se volessimo un alimento funzionale, da masticare, al 100% naturale? Non esiste. Anzi sì, da oggi c'è. Si chiama Natur Gum ed è stato sviluppato a Bolzano, per la precisione all'interno del NOI Techpark di via Volta, dalla startup Functional Gums. There is an infinite number of food supplements. Natural ones are much less common. If we want to find them in the form of a sugar-free chewing gum, the number goes down even further. And if we wanted a functional, chewable, and 100% natural food? It doesn't exist. Actually, as of today, it does. It is called Natur Gum and it has been developed in Bolzano, at the NOI Techpark in Via Volta to be precise, by start-up Functional Gums. Das Südtiroler Start-up Functional Gums bringt mit seinem jüngsten Produkt Natur Gum eine Weltneuheit auf den Markt. Das innovative Unternehmen entwickelte im Bozner NOI Techpark ein Nahrungsergänzungsmittel zum Kauen, das zu 100% aus natürlichen Zutaten besteht, zuckerfrei und biologisch abbaubar ist. With its latest product, Natur Gum, the South-Tyrolean start- up Functional Gums brings a global first to the market. At the NOI Techpark in Bolzano, the innovative company developed a chewable food supplement made of 100% natural ingredients that is sugar-free and biodegradable. Original Italian release Literal translation (Eng) German translation Literal translation (Eng) The media in different countries have different expectations, making translating press releases a specialised art, says Katherina Polig W hen it comes to publishing press releases, timing is everything. Whether a company wants to introduce a novel product at an upcoming trade fair, present their latest business figures to the media or needs to issue crisis communication, editors and public relations (PR) teams often work under considerable time pressure and the stakes are high. As the last link in the chain when targeting international audiences, translators working in PR need to combine a range of skills that go beyond accuracy and completeness of information. So what skills does a translator need to deliver a high-value translation in this area? Press releases can have different structures and styles in different countries. Every press release has a headline and a lead paragraph on top, followed by the main body and a boilerplate (i.e. template text). However, the way in which information is assembled into those blocks of text can vary widely. In Italian, for example, press releases are traditionally very similar to newspaper articles, in terms of both structure and style. Since they are written mainly with journalists in mind, the idea seems to be to "impress the journalist. This means, to think like a journalist," 1 and therefore to write like a journalist. In German the approach is entirely different. A well-written German press release is strictly factual, written in clear and concise language, and void of stylistic devices such as rhetorical questions and ellipses, which are legitimate in an Italian press release. The table below shows the opening of an Italian press release, which I had to completely restructure in German. When the structure and style are completely different from those expected by the target audience, the translator must be able to change the text – sometimes quite radically. While many clients will be aware of the need for such changes, newcomers to the field may need to be advised. Translators are best placed to provide this small but important consultation work, and shouldn't shy away from putting on the consultant hat. The style may also have to change when it comes to persuasion. While a US press release may typically use strong language to persuade its readers (e.g. 'revolutionise', 'transform', 'leader'), in German we may emphasise other qualities to convey the value and relevance of a company, product or event. In one release, several references to the pharmaceutical giant Bayer as "the leader in agriculture", "transforming sustainability" with its "industry- leading innovations", were rephrased in a more conservative and passive way. "Bayer transforms agricultural sustainability with its industry-leading innovations" became "Bayer unterstützt den Wandel des Nahrungsmittelsystems durch Innovationen in Fast and curious