I kid you not, I need some minor translation help or someone to read something for me to make sure I am not going to make a fool of myself. Okay, no guarantee on the fool part.

 

Here's the deal, I am off to Mexico next week to do a presentation on Building Security and Disaster Preparedness at a big security / facilities trade show. I am going to have a translator working with me, but I have a few PowerPoint slides that I want to create in Spanish. Because I am aware there are quite a few variations of Spanish, I want to make sure I am not losing anyone with some of the slides.

 

Muchas grassy-a**.

I kid you not, I need some minor translation help or someone to read something for me to make sure I am not going to make a fool of myself. Okay, no guarantee on the fool part.

 

Here's the deal, I am off to Mexico next week to do a presentation on Building Security and Disaster Preparedness at a big security / facilities trade show. I am going to have a translator working with me, but I have a few PowerPoint slides that I want to create in Spanish. Because I am aware there are quite a few variations of Spanish, I want to make sure I am not losing anyone with some of the slides.

 

Muchas grassy-a**.

 

That's true, South American spanish is different from Mexican spanish...

google has a translator....you can type what you want and hit the button...has all the different dialects...check it out

I wouldn't do that - any babelfish'ish type translator will mangle it.

I wouldn't do that - any babelfish'ish type translator will mangle it.

 

That's what I am concerned about....Spain versus Newark versus Mexico City versus Puerto Rico versus Costa Rica versus NYC Spang'lish. It never ends.

I'd offer to help with my high school spanish but I bet there are other better spanish-speakers here.

That's true for conversational language however you can keep the wording. Simple and possible check with a local is or college spansish teacher or prof

That's true for conversational language however you can keep the wording. Simple and possible check with a local is or college spansish teacher or prof

 

I was going to suggest what I put in boldface. If you go to a local community college, I'm sure the foreign language department would be more then willing to help out.

I might be able to help. Pm inbound.

Spain versus Newark versus Mexico City versus Puerto Rico versus Costa Rica versus NYC Spang'lish. It never ends.

 

If its done in Castilian Spanish (Spain Spanish) any Spanish speaker can understand it. Castilian is the standard used in broadcasting and literature. There are different ways people say things (as in English) and a lot of colloquialisms but any Spanish speaker can understand Castilian. I know this as my brother retired from INS and used to teach Spanish to probationary immigration officers. He had no degree but was the most fluent Spanish speaker they had. He was better tahn teh native speakers. He could talk to someone in Spanish and within a minute or so tell you where thay were from down to the state or region. He passed away a few years ago.

 

Going to a college would work and the professor could probably steer you to a competent student who could do it for a few bucks.

I know this as my brother retired from INS and used to teach Spanish to probationary immigration officers. He had no degree but was the most fluent Spanish speaker they had. He was better tahn teh native speakers. He could talk to someone in Spanish and within a minute or so tell you where thay were from down to the state or region. He passed away a few years ago.

 

Sorry to hear about your brother Griz.

Thanx djg.

I think you should get a Mexican. Forget about dictionary correct high Spanish. You could learn English from a Jamaican.

Find someone that is from the area that you will be going to, my wife is Dominican and has no problems talking with anyone from Spain to Mexico but there are a lot of words that are used differently. Probably nothing that would get you in a pickle for the way it translates, but to be able to get your intended point across you best with someone familiar with the language of the region.

 

I'd say send it to my wife being she owns a travel agency that also does immigration work and translations but she also does taxes so she is supper swamped for the next few weeks.

 

By the way the translators that are available via Office products that translate via a web link IS NOT the way to go, just FYI on that.

Wish I could help you but I only know enough to know what my daughter and wife are saying about me.

 

Harry

If you were making a presentation at some local fiesta Mexican Spanish would do. You're dealing with a high end audience though. I'd use Castilian.

My situation is somewhere between Griz and Wildbob. Thanks to those who have PM'd me. I am presenting to a mixed bunch, but it is in a professional setting. Doing some of my translation research last night incantation is everything and it is taking a lot of time to make sure I am using the correct form, especially with verbs.

 

Naturally yesterday afternoon I was asked to give two presentations instead of one. I was under the assumption I was doing an either or and it was my choice. And of course after making that request, the organization requested I have all my material ready today instead of Friday. I have to finish up a webinar today and then will be diving back into it again. Finished one presentation late last night but need to proof read it....At least the organizer offered an apology and wants to take me out for dinner after the event...and she is very, very easy on the eyes. What happens in Mexico City stays in Mexico City....unless it is crabs, Montezuma's revenge or a bad sombrero.

 

Here are some of the words I am using as flash points in my slides.

Predict

Plan

Perform

Flood

Fire

Earthquake

Disaster

Violence

Hurricane

Tornado (which is the same)

Impact

Certainty

Crisis

Donkey Show...j/k

 

and she is very, very easy on the eyes. What happens in Mexico City stays in Mexico City....unless it is crabs, Montezuma's revenge or a bad sombrero.

 

 

 

Hartz flee and tick powder and Pepto and your good dude.

 

Harry

Hartz flee and tick powder and Pepto and your good dude.

 

Harry

 

I'm an Ammonium AD guy. I usually start taking it when I am in country after about 24 hours after the bacteria is starting to get a foot hold on my intestines. Flea and tick powder...never heard that one during my excursions into Tijuana, Nogales, Panama, Costa Rica, Chicago...

 

Powder is much better than having to sport a flea collar on Mr. Johnson. Then again the reflective ones might look cool at night. The question would be where and how to mount it. Velcro or duct tape, around the sak or the stem...must remember not to have it contact skin directly. I used to keep a pair of flea collars in my Search and Rescue bag to wear over my pant legs to at the top of my boots to keep ticks off my legs and out of my boots when I had to do searches in thick vegetation.

 

Of course a fellow FXD owner posted this.

I'm an Ammonium AD guy. I usually start taking it when I am in country after about 24 hours after the bacteria is starting to get a foot hold on my intestines. Flea and tick powder...never heard that one during my excursions into Tijuana, Nogales, Panama, Costa Rica, Chicago...

 

Powder is much better than having to sport a flea collar on Mr. Johnson. Then again the reflective ones might look cool at night. The question would be where and how to mount it. Velcro or duct tape, around the sak or the stem...must remember not to have it contact skin directly. I used to keep a pair of flea collars in my Search and Rescue bag to wear over my pant legs to at the top of my boots to keep ticks off my legs and out of my boots when I had to do searches in thick vegetation.

 

Of course a fellow FXD owner posted this.

 

Just the powder dude, no collar. lol

 

Well I don't have the FXD anymore, went to a weekend party south of Denver CO a few years ago and went down in Ohio on the way back in a rain storm at about 70 MPH. I did ok, just a skinned my elbows and I did a split in one the rolls and tumbles, Never remembered being able to do a split and I did know why I never kept trying after that. Still riding an 83 Shovel FXSB and an 08 Ultra FLHTCU real nice bark-a-glide.

 

Harry

I'm an Ammonium AD guy.

 

Immodium AD, unless that's the Chinese generic from the dollar store...

Immodium AD, unless that's the Chinese generic from the dollar store...

 

Damn spell check....Ammonium Nitrate is one heck of a AD medication.

Wojo,

 

I think I've told you about a similar experience I had where I had to have coursework for over 30 training courses translated into Spanish for our Spanish speaking client once. I had someone working with me who was born and raised in Puerto Rico who did all the translations. Luckily for me I had the translations completed in time to have them sent to the client to verify that my grammar was correct on all of the slides and course manuals.

 

Unfortunately, we had many last minute corrections to make because despite my working with a native Puerto Rican he hadn't used his Spanish in years and made some gramatical errors. I would definitely heed the suggestions to contact your local community college and see if someone there can help you.

 

Not sure what your time restrictions are on the project(Sorry been too busy and haven't checked into the forums lately). I think the best bet if you are under a time crunch is go to the local community college Spanish department and ask for their assistance. Perhaps you can even work with them to give one of their students some extra credit for translating your materials for you. (Incentive for them to help you out)

 

Depending on what your time frame for needing this done is, I might be able to find a contact of mine who can lend a hand. Let me know if you need more help and I can reach out to some of my contacts and see if they're available to lend a hand.

Thanks again for all the offers of assistance. The show organizers have connected me with the convention center's translator so it will be in their hands. I only popped in a few words on the first few power point slides and have called it a day. I spent a lot of time having to research about their issues and vulnerabilities.

 

I am more excited about having an all access pass to the Mexican Security Trade Show. From my understanding it is full on military gear and toys that only the armed forces get to buy. I will be looking for the ATF's scratch and dent bid for some of those toys that were allowed to walk across the border. I attached a couple of pdf's of the presentation in case you want to take a look.

 

Creating an Emergency Plan for Your Facility v4-8-11.pdf

 

Evaluating a Bldg for a Disaster v4-9-11.pdf

At my job, I've been reviewing translations into about 26 languages. It is one big headache. Those Cyrillic alphabets are very difficult. At least we don't have any Chinese or Arabic, Hindu type alphabets.

 

Use the formal Spanish. The formal kind we learned in high school in NJ. My first year in college I had two roommates. One from Columbia and the other was Cuban but lived in Elizabeth and learned Spanish from the streets. They had a lot of trouble communicating with each other but they both understood my high school Spanish.

Immodium AD, unless that's the Chinese generic from the dollar store...

 

When I was doing regular trips to Honduras a few years back, we had consultants from equipment vendors come with us on occasion.

 

One guy came with us and broke some of the cardinal rules of travel in 3rd world countries. You don't eat cut fruit, you don't drink fountain sodas or anything that isn't unsealed in front of you and you don't eat un or under cooked meats. Anyway, he was rewarded with a week of explosive diarrhea.

 

A month or so after that trip, we asked him to return and reluctantly he agreed. On the third day, he started complaining of cramps. He had learned all the rules and was eating the right stuff and avoiding the wrong stuff.

 

Come to find out, he started taking Immodium 6 days prior to leaving. By day 9, he had an impacted colon. Fortunately, the hospital in San Pedro Sula had seen this before. They gave him something which brought the whole thing full circle. It gave him explosive diarrhea...just after the sandpaper coated rock(That's what he said it felt like anyway) was expelled.

 

That was his last trip to Honduras as far as I know.