| I am a blonde Viking. I would love to | | | | have thousands of dialects. The languages |
| decipher the documents my Norwegian ancestors | | | | with several dialects are difficult to |
| left for our family, but alas, the language | | | | translate accurately. You need an expert |
| was lost somewhere between great great and | | | | translator who is familiar with the dialects |
| great Grandma. Did you inherit documents in | | | | of the language. German is a language with |
| another language? Take advantage of the | | | | many dialects, and in fact, it is common that |
| modern day convenience of translation | | | | German people in Berlin do not understand |
| services and enjoy the treasure of family | | | | German people in Munich, so different are the |
| secrets in your inherited letters and | | | | dialects. |
| diaries. Whether you need a hebrew | | | | |
| translation or a norwegian translation, | | | | If I hire a professional to do my Norwegian |
| there are experts in all languages, ready to | | | | translation, will I find treasure? Perhaps I |
| help you. | | | | will literally find instructions in my great |
| | | | great Norwegian Grandmother's diary on where |
| Today you can translate in a do-it-yourself | | | | to find buried treasure. Okay, maybe that is |
| fashion, but only within limits. It is easy | | | | slightly wishful thinking. Actually, my goal |
| to translate word for word on the Internet, | | | | is to feel closer to my roots and more |
| using free translator tools, but translating | | | | connected to my distant cousins in Norway. |
| more than one word gets tricky. I speak | | | | |
| German fluently, but I often find a word that | | | | The penny pincher in me would like to just |
| I cannot remember. I just Google it and up | | | | find someone who speaks fluent Norwegian, and |
| pops several choices of German-English | | | | bypass the professional translator. However, |
| dictionaries. This meets my needs, most of | | | | a wee bit of research proved that a |
| the time, but only for defining one word in a | | | | staggering 1.62% of the five million |
| sentence that I otherwise understand. Try | | | | Norwegian Americans in the USA speak |
| translating an entire letter by yourself, | | | | Norwegian. In addition, if I were to track |
| word for word, and you end up with a gobbly | | | | down that 1.62% of people, how would I be |
| gook of a mess. | | | | sure of their level of Norwegian |
| | | | comprehension? I know a few Norwegian |
| You save time and you do it right by hiring a | | | | speakers in town, but all of them speak at a |
| professional translator. Although there are | | | | grade-school level, as they are second |
| online sources where you can enter an entire | | | | generation Norwegians who speak mostly |
| letter from another language and have it | | | | English. I am sure they would be guessing |
| immediately translated into English, just try | | | | half the time at my ancestor's old, scribbly |
| it and you will see many errors and strange | | | | Norwegian. |
| phrases that you know cannot be right. Part | | | | |
| of the reason for these errors is the | | | | I have decided I do not want to waste my time |
| flexible nature of linguistics. Languages | | | | in a painful, probably lengthy search for the |
| change constantly as people adopt new words | | | | 1.62% of Americans who speak Norwegian, and |
| and idioms. What was a language 100 years ago | | | | then take the risk of trusting them with |
| is a different language today. Just look at | | | | family heirlooms. Choosing a professional |
| old English! | | | | norwegian translation is an investment in my |
| | | | heritage, my family, and my life. |
| Then there are dialects. One language may | | | | |