According to some sources language translators are some of the zaniest people around, making them particularly difficult people to buy presents for. Here then is a list of things that are sure to please them on Christmas morning, or so I’m told.

So here we go. What follows are seven last-minute Christmas gift suggestions for a hard to please language translator you may know, brought to you by the friendly folks at Food for Translators.  OK, so it's actually after Christmas... and it's still not too late--and there are all those after-Christmas sales.  Maybe it's time to exchange that gift that you really didn't want and get one of these:

A tablet – of some sort

iPads, Kindles, Nooks and now even Windows tablets. Yes, it really seems like everyone’s got one today. Matter-of-fact, a hundred years from now 2012 will probably be known as the ‘Year of the Tablet.’ So it’s safe to assume if your language translator doesn’t have one by now, he or she should.

Windows 8

Yikes, I haven’t even mastered Windows 7 yet! So leave it to Microsoft to introduce another development that’ll mess up the workflow. Most who have tried it say that Windows 8 takes some getting used to. Still that’s the cost of progress…and it’s always nice to have the latest version of just about anything, right?

Mox II

Yes, Mox is back. But who or what is Mox? Well, I learned that he’s a young but well-educated cartoon-translator, with two PhDs, six languages...and he hardly earns the minimum wage! And he even has a new book out, Mox II: What they don’t tell you about translation. Check it out.

A year’s subscription to Adobe

Like other 21^st century professionals, language translators are expected to keep up to date in terms of evolving computer technologies. And while some may balk at the idea of spending more time in front of the computer, others revel in it. Should you happen to be looking for a gift for one of the latter, sign them up for a year’s subscription to Adobe’s new Creative Cloud – that should keep them busy for a while!

Their very own domain name

There’s nothing quite like getting your own domain name for Christmas! They’re very inexpensive and talk about a personalized gift. That’s pretty hard to beat. And you never know, it might be just the push they need to get on and actually create that blog/website they’re always talking about…

Angry Birds

Few language translators would readily admit they could even be interested in smartphone games. After all, language translation is a serious business and that leaves little time for childish games. But chances are after you pay one dollar for them to download Angry Birds for Christmas, they’ll enjoy themselves so much that language translation will be the last thing on their minds – at least for a short while.

Found in Translation

Now here’s an excellent book we’ve reported on earlier this year. It’s perfect for language translators because it illustrates how translation touches nearly every aspect of life. Found in Translation, by Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche, is a fascinating read – and it’s also about the most sensible thing on this list!

If you can think of any other perfect Christmas gift for a language translator, we’d like to hear from you. Please tell us about it by posting a comment on our blog.

By Alex Dupont
Marketing Communications Specialist
Language Translation Inc.

See Also

• Language translators believe in Christmas too. Ho, ho, ho!
  A successful document translation should read as if it were originally written in the target language.
• Seven Last-Minute Christmas Gifts for Translators (2012)
  It?s that time of year again ? the time of year when overpaid translators take long vacations and underpaid translators receive a sudden influx of work.