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The Era of Shortened Language

by Nivale Sundaravel, Lionbridge Intern - September 24, 2014

The Era of Shortened Language
Authored by Nivale Sundaravel, Lionbridge Intern 

With instantaneous communication via text, IM, email, and Twitter, abbreviated idiomatic language and slang have become a common problem. Some of these common problems occur because of ambiguity, colloquialisms, and unique terminologies.

Below are a more in depth look at the problems and the solutions based on them.

Ambiguous abbreviations, colloquialisms, and niche business slang are all issues facing language and translation in contemporary times, and GeoFluent by Lionbridge is perfectly equipped to tackle them.

Example of a text message conversation gone poorly-


Problem #1: Ambiguity can be hindering

In translation ambiguity can be quite a hindrance, as a single error can completely alter the meaning of a sentence. Since Lionbridge is dedicated to providing flawless, actionable machine translation services, abbreviated phrases are accounted for in a multitude of languages. GeoFluent solutions take more than just the words themselves into account, instead taking potential inflections, idioms, and slang into account when creating a perfectly accurate translation.

Problem #2: Colloquialisms exist in every language

An even larger part of everyday interactions are colloquialisms. While some foreign slang is easy enough to understand, (such as “jaja” in Spanish) many others are not easily deciphered. An example is the German word “geil” which is used by German youth in a manner similar to “cool” or “sick” by American youth, however, just like the American “sick”, “geil” has a literal meaning much different, known as “lustful”. As you can imagine, this has the potential for many misunderstandings. Additionally, slang can become even more obscure when used by niche groups.

Problem #3: Many groups have their own unique terminology

Slang can be specific to even narrower groups, such as certain workspaces, groups of individuals, or specific industries. For example, whereas a term such as “chill” stretches across most American youth, the same meaning is often portrayed in completely different terms (such as “chips” and “slime” in various sports teams) depending on demographics and interests. GeoFluent is easily customizable to ensure that a company’s unique diction and terminology in addition to general idioms of the language are all included in every translation.

In Conclusion:

In today’s modern marketplace slang is not just an issue for parents of tweens, but also for young tech entrepreneurs. In their need to emerge around the globe, the use of abbreviated lingo is just as large a part of business transactions as office jargon. With lingual distinctions now present between demographics such as age group and lifestyle, fluent and contemporary translations are necessary now more than ever. With GeoFluent by Lionbridge, you can be assured that ambiguity, idioms, and even niche business slang will all be accounted for to provide customizable and actionable translation solutions.

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