Translations

English translations of the Koran (also spelled Quran), the sacred scriptures of Islam, vary greatly. Here are two samples from three available translations--"The Holy Qur'an" by A. Yusuf Ali, "The Message of the Qur'an" by Muhammad Asad and "The Koran" by N.J. Dawood: SURA (CHAPTER) 70:19-23: Truly man was created very impatient; fretful when evil touches him, and niggardly when good reaches him. Not so those devoted to prayer. --A.

As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility. " That applies to physicians when prescribing medications, but it also should apply to pharmacies when they're dispensing medications. In December, after seven years of exams, lectures and rounds, I received my medical license. Finally, I had the power to prescribe medications without the co-signature of my supervisor. "Be careful," she advised, "remember the story of 'once.'" The story of "once" is a cautionary tale that - best as I am able to tell from Google - was adapted from a Spanish soap opera.

When Jerusalem produced an English version of a sightseeing brochure, it lost itself in the translation from Hebrew. "Jerusalem. There is no such city!" the brochure said. What it meant was: "Jerusalem. There is no city like it!" Israel's Maariv newspaper said tens of thousands of the brochures had been distributed before the mistake was discovered.

This website eliminates foreign-language barriers so you can find travel inspiration even at the hyper-local level. Name: WebFlakes.com What it does: Translates into English fresh, quality content from locals blogging in their native languages. There are currently 60 bloggers in France, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Switzerland and Peru writing on topics such as travel, food and dining, wine, architecture and design. What's hot: I wouldn't have known the posts were translated (by volunteers)

With business picking up overseas, U.S. corporations are spending more money to have product brochures, technical documents and business letters translated into foreign languages. But with professional translators charging up to $70 per page, having a lengthy business document translated can be expensive, especially for a small firm trying to crack a foreign market. So some executives have looked for a high-tech solution.

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached agreement with San Diego County to ensure that voters receive translation assistance or materials in Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Justice officials said Wednesday the settlement was reached after it was determined that the county had not complied with sections of the federal Voting Rights Act requiring outreach to minority voters.

An Oxnard Elementary School Board member has proposed that Spanish translations of the board's agendas be made available to parents. In proposing the action, school board President Mary Barreto cited the predominantly Latino student population, many of whom come from primarily Spanish-speaking families. Opponents argued that translation services are costly and unnecessary because few Spanish-only speakers attend board meetings.

Saying he was troubled generally by "a lack of concern" for the rights of immigrants who face deportation, a federal district judge on Monday ruled that all portions of proceedings in U.S. immigration courts should be translated into the language of the defendants. Sandra Pettit, an attorney for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, called the decision significant.

Robert Fagles' new translation of "The Iliad" opens with rage-- the word he's certain is perfect, the English equivalent he believes Homer would have chosen to launch his epic poem. Fagles reads his line aloud, in a deliberate melodic meter: "Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles . . . . " Is rage correct? Why not anger, the choice of previous translators?

To loud applause, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday that would require city departments that deal with the public to provide translators and translated materials in languages other than English. "It's the right thing to do," said council President Ignacio De La Fuente. "We are fulfilling our responsibility to provide equal access." "For people like us in the lower income levels, this is happy news," said resident Dong Hua Chen, speaking through a translator.

"Celluloid condoms between the audience and the immediate gratification of understanding. " "More like watching Playboy TV than having sex. " Hyperbolic outbursts are not uncommon in opera, but rarely were they so concentrated or, um, vivid. FOR THE RECORD: Opera supertitles: A May 19 article about the history of opera supertitles misidentified director Graham Vick as Graham Vickers. - What riled opera so? Supertitles. Translations usually projected above the stage have driven directors to issue bomb threats.

Geza Vermes was a graduate student in Belgium in the late 1940s when he was captivated by news sweeping the globe about a remarkable discovery in the desert east of Jerusalem. He quickly switched gears, penning his doctoral thesis on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the ancient manuscript fragments that would become a focus of his life's work. FOR THE RECORD: The headline on an earlier version of this article said Vermes had died at the age of 89. He was 88. Also in the earlier version, the first name of Mark Goodacre, an associate professor of religion at Duke University, was incorrectly reported as Martin.

Microsoft Corp. is partnering with Paramount Pictures on a promotional effort for the studio's "Star Trek Into Darkness. " It represents the biggest such undertaking ever for the software giant. The Redmond, Wash., company's campaign isn't short on whimsy: Bing, Microsoft's Internet search engine, was updated Tuesday to include the "Star Trek" language Klingon in its online translation service. But there also is strategic significance to the marketing venture, because it leverages so many Microsoft services, devices and platforms in a way not previously attempted by the company for a movie promotion.

Trekkies looking to translate the famous Klingon battle cry Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam ! -- or any other phrase from the fictional alien race's language -- will soon have a new tool at their disposal.  Starting on Tuesday, Bing, Microsoft Corp. 's Internet search engine, will include Klingon in its web-based translation service. The move is part of a broad marketing partnership between the Redmond, Wash., software giant and Paramount Pictures, which will release the upcoming "Star Trek Into Darkness.

The 10 fiction finalists and six poetry finalists in the running for the 2013 Best Translated Book Award were announced Wednesday. The books were originally published in 11 languages, and were narrowed down from a longlist announced in March. The finalists include a Nobel Prize winner -- Herta Muller -- and a number of authors less well-known in the U.S. One of the goals of the prize is to bring more attention to works in translation, which are sometimes overlooked by American readers.

When Boyle Heights shop owner Arturo Macias hears fellow Latinos use the Spanish word for “wetback,” he doesn't necessarily take offense. Macias, who crossed illegally into the U.S. through Tijuana two decades ago, has heard the term mojado for much of his life and sees it less as an insult than a description of a common immigrant experience. “As a country of immigrants,” he says in Spanish, “in one way or another, we're all mojados .” Macias is very offended, however, when he hears a white person use it. That distinction befuddles his 20-year-old daughter Karina.

The Army plans to split the worldwide translation work now held by Titan Corp. into three contracts when the current $400-million award runs out in September to make more room for involvement by small businesses. The Army will issue its formal request for proposals for the five-year contracts in June and expects to select the winners before Titan's one-year award runs out Sept. 30.

Frances Martinez works in the field of education. But she is neither a teacher nor a principal. Instead, she is a soldier in the trenches, fighting the enemies of education: drugs, family violence, gangs--and yes, even student apathy. Martinez, a fireplug of a figure, is officially a translator for the Anaheim Union High School District. But what she really does defies abbreviation into a phrase short enough to fit on the door of her snug office.

Re "L.A.'s signs of madness," Column, March 22 I was embarrassed by the example Gale Holland used to show how confusing parking signs can be. Have we lost our ability to read and make simple deductions? Let me explain those signs in Hollywood. "Tow-Away No Parking Anytime" (arrow pointing left) means that you cannot park to the left of the sign at any time. "Tow-Away No Parking 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. " (arrow pointing right) means that you cannot park to the right of the sign during the hours posted.

His offices in Seoul are nearly 7,000 miles from New York - a 14-hour flight made several times a year - but that hasn't deterred Chun-soo Shin from his bid to become a major Broadway player. One of Korea's top theater producers, Shin has already made money off the growing popularity of American-style musicals in his native country. His hits include "Dreamgirls" and "Jekyll & Hyde," the latter of which has become one of the most popular musicals ever produced in Korea. The 45-year-old Shin is now looking to take his success to a global level.