In This Issue: Business Practices Survey Highlights When Your Client Goes Bankrupt RSS Feeds ATA Oct07-SF.Qxd 10/18/07 7:38 PM Page 2

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October 2007 Volume XXXVI Number 10 The A Publication of the American Translators Association CHRONICLE

In this issue: Business Practices Survey Highlights When Your Client Goes Bankrupt RSS Feeds ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:38 PM Page 2

Tips and Tricks for every

SDL TRADOS user… Jennifer Abdel-Hadi Training Co-ordinator SDL TRADOS Technologies “ We are committed to helping all our customers make the Email: [email protected] most of their SDL TRADOS Technologies solutions. To achieve this, we have organised monthly free live web seminars, where all users can learn new tips and tricks to make the most of their software. These sessions are hosted by our Support engineers, who will endeavour to let you know the inside workings of our software to enhance your productivity. Topics that will be covered during our Tips and Tricks sessions include: • How to make the most of SDL TRADOS technology working with other packages • Practical application of the Create, Cleanse, Maintain Methodology • Handling different file types • Where to find help and community websites • Best practices and workarounds.”

To register for one of our Tips and Tricks free seminars, please visit: www.sdl.com/events

If you have any comments on our level of customer service, please email me at: [email protected]

To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change many times. ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:38 PM Page 3

October 2007 American Translators Association Volume XXXVI 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 • Alexandria VA 22314 Number 10 Tel: (703) 683-6100 • Fax: (703) 683-6122 Contents October 2007 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.atanet.org A Publication of the American Translators Association 14 Exploring Freelance Business Practices By Dorothee Racette Thanks to the 1,077 individuals who participated in ATA’s Business Practices Survey this spring, four specific areas of business performance were identified as top priorities for a majority of ATA freelancers. 14 18 Insult to Injury: When Your Client Goes Bankrupt By Mike Collins Bankruptcy is a fact of life in the business world. Companies fail for all sorts of reasons, and the personal and commercial repercussions are often wide-ranging. For suppliers to those companies, the disruption can be difficult or even crippling. 26 across: A Translation Environment Tool with an Attractive Price By Naomi J. Sutcliffe de Moraes If you do not yet use a tool because of the cost or because you are not accustomed to using tools other than MS Word, e-mail, and an Internet browser, give across a try. 32 RSS Feeds: Your Information on Your Terms By Michael Wahlster If you have been surfing the web regularly for information that changes on an unpredictable schedule, you can sit back and let RSS feeds do the work for you! 38 Out of the Shadows: Unionizing in Rome By Anne Milano Appel In Rome this year, literary translators participated for the first time at the XX Congresso of the Sindacato Nazionale Scrittori, one of several writers’ unions in Italy, demonstrating their determination to come out of the shadows and make their professional voices heard. 18 61 2007 Pro Bono Project By Kirk Anderson The beneficiary of this year’s ATA pro bono project is the San Francisco-based Center for the Art of Translation (CAT).

Columns and Departments 32 6 Our Authors 46 Business Smarts 51 Members In the News 7 From the Executive Director 47 GeekSpeak 52 Upcoming Events 8 From the President 48 The Onionskin 53 Dictionary Review 10 Letter to the Editor 50 Success by Association 56 The Translation Inquirer 45 Certification Forum 51 New ATA-Certified Members and 58 Humor and Translation Active Membership Review 60 Directory of Language Services

Cover photograph by Jeff Sanfacon

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The ATA Chronicle (ISSN 1078-6457) is published monthly, except bi-monthly in November/December, by the American Translators Association, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and Look for coverage of ATA’s additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send th address changes to The ATA Chronicle, Stay 48 Annual Conference 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314. in San Francisco The American Translators Association (ATA) was Tuned in the January issue. established in 1959 as a not-for-profit professional society to foster and support the professional development of translators and interpreters and to promote the translation and interpreting professions. The subscription rate for a member is $43 (included in the dues payment). The U.S. subscription rate for a non-member is $50. Subscribers in Canada and Mexico add $25; all other non-U.S. subscribers add $45. Single copies are available for $5 per issue.

Reprint Permission: Requests for permission to reprint articles should be sent Advertising to the editor of The ATA Chronicle at [email protected]. Editor Directory Jeff Sanfacon [email protected]

Proofreader Sandra Burns Thomson across Systems GMBH Payment Practices Design 5 www.across.net 23 www.paymentpractices.net Ellen Banker Amy Peloff Beetext Productivity Systems Quantum Translations 55 www.quantumtranslations.com Advertising 64 www.beetext.com Matt Hicks McNeill Group Inc. CETRA, Inc. 2 SDL International [email protected] 23 www.cetra.com www.translationzone.com/ata (215) 321-9662 ext. 19 12 Fax: (215) 321-9636 Corporate Translations, Inc. 23 www.corptransinc.com Executive Director 17 Star Group America, LLC Walter Bacak Cybertec USA, Inc. www.star-group.net [email protected] 55 www.cybertecusa.com 24 Membership and HC Language Solutions, Inc. TechInput, Inc. General Information 31 37 Maggie Rowe www.hcls.com www.techinput.com [email protected] Translation Services, LLC website: www.atanet.org Japan Pacific Publications, Inc. 55 www.japanpacific.com 37 www.trb4.com Monterey Institute of 17 University of Denver Moving? 55 International Studies www.universitycollege.du.edu Find an error with www.miis.edu your address? 23 WordFinder Software Send updates to: 63 National Security Agency International The ATA Chronicle www.nsa.gov/careers www.wordfinder.com 225 Reinekers Lane Suite 590 Alexandria, VA 22314 Fax (703) 683-6122 [email protected]

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Our Authors October 2007

Anne Milano Appel, Ph.D., a former library Dorothee Racette works as a full-time director and language teacher, has been trans- freelance translator from her home in lating professionally for over 10 years. In addi- upstate New York. She is an ATA-certified tion to ATA, she is a member of the American (German↔English) translator specializing in Literary Translators Association and the PEN medical and biomedical texts. She served as American Center. Several of her book-length the administrator of ATA’s German Language translations have been published, and shorter Division from 2000 to 2004. She is an ATA works that she has authored or translated have director and co-chair of the Business Practices appeared in other professional and literary venues. Her translation of Stefano Education Committee. Contact: [email protected]. Bortolussi’s novel, Head Above Water, was the winner of the 2004 Northern California Book Award for Translation, and her translation of Giulio Leoni’s novel, Naomi J. Sutcliffe de Moraes is an ATA-certified Portuguese¡English free- Mosaic Crimes, was published simultaneously in the U.S. and U.K. in 2007. lance translator based in São Paulo, Brazil, where she recently completed a Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of São Paulo. Originally from the U.S., she Mike Collins is the president and co-founder of Global Translation Systems, earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an M.S. in physics from the Inc. He has over 20 years of technical translation experience. He currently serves University of California, Los Angeles. She specializes in engineering, legal, and as the president of the Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters. medical translations. Contact: [email protected]. Contact: [email protected]. Michael Wahlster is a technical English¡German translator with over 25 years of experience. He was co-founder and long-time manager of a photo type- setting and design company in Tokyo, Japan. He has been offering desktop publishing services for more than 15 years, and web development services since the introduction of the Mosaic browser. Contact: [email protected].

We Want You!

The ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages members and non-members to submit articles of interest. For Submission Guidelines, log onto www.atanet.org/chronicle. The ATA Chronicle is published 11 times per year, with a combined November/December issue. Submission deadlines are two months prior to publication date.

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From the Executive Director Walter Bacak, CAE [email protected] Changing of the Guard

Thanks Marian: With this Welcome Jiri: ATA has been fortu- on the Board as Directors Dorothee year’s elections, ATA will see a nate enough to have highly qualified Racette and Tony Roder have decided change in leadership. First, ATA members willing to serve as president. not to run again. Dorothee will stay on President Marian S. Greenfield fin- The run continues. On November 2, to serve as chair of the Business ishes her two-year term. It has been an President-elect Jiri Stejskal will begin Practices Education Committee (which honor to work with Marian. The his term as ATA president. Jiri brings a she co-founded with Director Nicholas amount of time and energy she has wide range of experience to the top Hartmann). Tony will continue to help devoted to the Association has been position—he is a company owner, a with the Language Technology amazing. Like the other presidents translator, and an adjunct professor. Division, which he helped establish. that I have served, I have gained much He has served ATA in several areas, Thanks to both of you for your service from Marian’s stewardship of the most notably as ATA treasurer for two to ATA and the Board. organization, such as a better under- terms (four years) before being elected standing of human resources manage- president-elect in 2005. As president- New Member Benefit: A very prom- ment and how to increase the elect, Jiri oversaw the conference ising ATA member benefit is being productivity of the people you work planning for the past two years, partic- unveiled this fall. The new ATA Job with (which she learned and honed ipated in various translation and inter- Bank goes online. We will have much through 19 years at Wall Street giant preting standards efforts, and served as more on this at the Annual Conference, JPMorgan). I also gained an apprecia- ATA’s representative to the Joint online, and in The ATA Chronicle. There tion for looking at conference educa- National Committee on Language, the is no more direct way to enhance the tional content from more than just lobbying organization for the lan- value of ATA membership than by get- how many, say, Spanish sessions guages professions. ting freelance projects and salaried posi- there are, but from various angles, tions for members. including balancing the distribution of Elections: The proxies and supporting into- and from-English sessions and election material were mailed early Scam Alert: The e-mail scammers striving for more advanced sessions. this month to all voting members. The have been keeping busy, so please be But, as Marian will tell you, she is material is also available online in the vigilant. If the offer seems too good to not going away. She will still chair the Members Only section of ATA’s web- be true, it probably is. Please see Professional Development Committee, site. Please be sure to submit your www.atanet.org//ata_activities/internet_ which oversees ATA’s Professional proxy if you are unable to attend the scams.php for more information. Development seminar series. Annual Conference in San Francisco. Thank you for all that you have Speaking of elections, this year we Thank you for being an ATA mem- done for ATA. are guaranteed to see some new faces ber, and see you in San Francisco!

American Translators Association 48th Annual Conference San Francisco, California October 31–November 3, 2007

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From the President Marian S. Greenfield [email protected]

Thanks!

This column has always been bership in general, rather than freelance business. This month’s very hard for me to write, as I strive to focusing on my comfortable terrain of column is certainly the hardest, as it is select topics of interest to the mem- financial translation or building one’s my last as ATA president. I have

A Look Back at What We Have Accomplished

As this is my farewell column, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review some of the progress ATA has made during my term, through the outstanding efforts of my colleagues on the Board, other key volunteers, and the staff at ATA Headquarters. I want to thank them all for the hard work, and also wish to thank all of you for your support of ATA.

• First and foremost, I am very pleased to announce that on September 14 we surpassed the 10,000-member mark. Our numbers make us a real force to reckon with, and certainly the largest translation and interpreting association in the U.S. and among the strongest national associations in the world. We will also certainly achieve record attendance at our Annual Conference in San Francisco, with over 1,700 attendees expected. What an incredible networking opportunity!

• Other recent achievements include the well-received, award-winning redesign of The ATA Chronicle, and the completion of the redesign and content revision of ATA’s website, which commenced on past President Scott Brennan’s watch.

• We also added a staff position to address member benefits and special projects, with Jamie Padula taking over Mary David’s chapter and division responsibil- ities and Mary moving into the newly created position of member benefits and project development manager. A valuable member benefit that has already resulted from Mary’s new focus is the new online ATA Job Bank. The Job Bank is much more user-friendly than the one that existed in the 1990s, and we certainly plan to promote it extensively.

• We have also successfully implemented the first reporting period for the Certification Continuing Education Program (and continue to revise and broaden the options for earning points), further burnishing our ever-more prestigious Certification Program, which has made great strides in recent years to enhance the value of the certification credential. We have also established the professional designation Certified Translator, or CT, which ATA-certified translators can put after their names, for instance, on business cards.

• The ATA Annual Conference continues to be ATA’s focal point each year. We recently signed the contract for ATA’s 2012 Annual Conference at the San Diego Hilton adjacent to the Convention Center. The Board heard all of you calling for free Internet access loud and clear, and at our urging Experient, our meeting management company, negotiated complimentary Internet service for all conference guest rooms in San Diego. Of course, the technology and Internet access that will be available in hotels five years from now is an unknown, but at least we are assured of free access for our conference.

• Speaking of signing conference contracts, one of my greatest pleasures while on the Board (prior to my presidency) was when we signed the contract for our 50th anniversary conference to be held in the fall of 2009 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. I had been advocating for New York City for years, so I was happy to be on the Board that made it happen. I was also proud that after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, ATA leadership did not waver. We were one of the first large meetings to recon- firm our contract, manifesting our commitment to support the rebuilding of the city. ATA and New Orleans were both better for it.

• Some efforts I have shepherded that are well underway and/or nearing completion are: the computerized certification exam; a major, long overdue revision of ATA’s Bylaws; a long overdue revision of ATA’s Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices; and ATA’s History Project, to be completed in time for our 50th Anniversary in 2009. I hope you all have found these efforts worthwhile, and I look forward to serving you and ATA in other capacities in the future.

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enjoyed my mandate immensely and me a platform for extensive discussions affiliate in San Juan. hope that you all have found my con- with ALC President Marla Schulman Shortly afterward, I traveled to Rio tributions worthwhile, hopefully out- on projects of mutual interest that ATA de Janeiro to attend the very inter- weighing any missteps I have made. and ALC could cooperate on. esting and successful Associação Many of my columns have dis- Hopefully ATA President-elect Jiri Brasileira de Tradutores conference, cussed my travels representing ATA, Stejskal will continue these efforts. where I again presented the ATA as I have focused on building relation- The following week, I was in Des Roadshow and spoke on a panel about ships with many translation and inter- Moines, Iowa, for the Iowa Inter- the benefits of translator/interpreter preting associations both inside and preters and Translators Association associations. Once again, there was a great deal of interest in ATA membership and the Annual Conference, and it was a great opportunity to chat with local ATA members. This month’s column is certainly the hardest, From Rio, I hopped over to Buenos as it is my last as ATA’s president. I have Aires. I met with local ATA members and other folks interested in joining enjoyed my mandate immensely and ATA, gave a financial translation workshop at the Colegio de Traduc- hope that you have found my tores Públicos de Buenos Aires, and promoted ATA’s Annual Conference. contributions worthwile. As for my last month in office, I will attend the Congreso Internacional de Traductores e Intérpretes del Colegio de Traductores del Perú, where I will outside the U.S. These travels have (IITA) Annual Conference, where I meet with local ATA members and often resulted in attracting interesting gave the keynote address and taught a those interested in ATA and with invited speakers for ATA Annual workshop. I took advantage of my leaders of local translation and inter- Conferences and Division Mid-year presence there to promote ATA not preting groups interested in working Conferences, and have generated only to the IITA attendees, but also in with ATA. I will also be presenting on some valuable connections for ATA a radio interview. financial translation at the Congreso. members who have been invited to As chair of ATA’s Professional Finally, at my last conference as ATA speak at other conferences. Development Committee, I organized President, also in October, I will be As my presidency comes to a close, the Court Interpreting Seminar, which speaking on a panel at the International I have received a flurry of invitations was held in early September in San Federation of Translators-Europe and have been on the road quite a bit. Juan, Puerto Rico. Presenters Janis Copyright, Intellectual Property and In June, ATA Public Relations Palma and Cecilia Mary received rave Translation Tools Seminar in Committee member Rina Ne’eman and reviews, and we hope to present this Barcelona. I hope to bring back some I presented the ATA Roadshow at the seminar again in the future. While in interesting food for thought on transla- Association of Language Companies Puerto Rico, I also taught a financial tion memory ownership to continue the (ALC) Conference in Providence, translation workshop at the University discussion at ATA. Rhode Island. The Roadshow is a mul- of Puerto Rico, which gave me the Thank you all for the opportunity timedia presentation promoting ATA’s chance to promote ATA and the to serve you and the American public relations activities and how other Annual Conference to a room full of Translators Association. associations can learn from them and freshly minted translators and inter- launch initiatives of their own to raise preters, many of whom were inter- the profile of the translation and interested in joining ATA and attending Learn about ATA’s Pro Bono Project! preting professions. Our presentation this year’s conference. There was also See page 61. was extremely well received and gave much interest in establishing an ATA

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Address your letters to Jeff Sanfacon at Letter to the Editor [email protected] or American Translators Association, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314.

An Independent Bookstore Catering the country displaying my books at sellers, of which there are, unfortu- to Independent Contractors translator/interpreter conferences and nately, very few left. Independent seminars. The conferences and my booksellers serve a more specialized Seeing a reference listing website are my outlets for what my community—by definition, smaller— for legal publications in the July issue customers need. I am passionate about and are dedicated to bringing their and dealing with a recent customer what I do and would not change it for customers personalized service and comment regarding publication prices the world, but there are a number of helping them find the best possible made me think of something that hap- threats that make it even harder to product. But the independent book- pens more often than I would like, and keep afloat. The same Internet where I seller works at a disadvantage that he so I decided to write about it in an peddle my books also poses a risk, and cannot overcome: the discount. I will attempt to create a better under- this brings me to my first comment try to illustrate with a few examples of standing of how things work for small (not a criticism), which I want to use how the discount has caused disarray independent booksellers like myself. to illustrate how difficult it can be for in the playing field. It is the same in Since this letter is directed to my small businesses. most industries, but here I am talking translator and interpreter friends, I In the July issue of The ATA only about the book industry. would like to think that I have a cap- Chronicle, the article “ATA’s Legal Many of you may well ask why tive audience. Translation and Interpreting Seminar” there is such a price discrepancy First, a little history for those contains an insert called “Legal between the big retailer and the inde- readers who do not know me. In 1986, Reference Guide” that lists four pendent bookseller. Well, the inde- I was the manager of W.S. Heinman, a important reference tools. As is cus- pendent bookseller generally purchases small mail order import bookstore tomary, all the necessary product data one to five copies of a given publication dealing with German, French, and is mentioned: title, author, publisher, for stock, depending on the popularity Dutch novels and an incredible publication date, price, language, and of the book. On a typical purchase, he amount of nonfiction. The store also ISBN. In addition, the reader is gets a discount between 20% to 30% carried a handful of foreign language informed of an outlet where the if he orders from the publisher, and dictionaries. One of my customers, a product is available. In this case, up to 40% if he orders from a whole- New York City translator, said I might Amazon.com and Barristerbooks.com. saler. For example, let’s look at the do well by displaying my wares at Let’s look at the prices listed in the discounts that InTrans Book Service ATA’s Annual Conference. So, in article’s reference guide: The gets on the above-mentioned diction- 1988, I attended my first conference in Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage aries. The discount for Dictionary of Seattle, Washington. I traveled all the ($19.77); American Jurisprudence Modern Legal Usage is 40%, leaving way to the West Coast with a couple Legal Forms ($99.99); Black’s Law me with a margin of $11.98, which boxes of books, put them on a table, Dictionary ($61.95); and Legal seems like a decent profit on a book, and they changed hands faster than I Language ($19.00). The publishers’ list but keep in mind that the bookseller could count the money. That first time, prices for these titles are: The has three to four copies on the shelf now 19 years ago, I sold a little less Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage that may take several weeks to sell. than $3,000. I felt I had hit the jackpot, ($29.95); American Jurisprudence The discount for Black’s Law but the owners of W.S. Heinman did Legal Forms (the second edition is out Dictionary is 20% ($13.40), and Legal not share my enthusiasm. Soon after, I of print and no longer available, except Language is 20% ($4.00). Because of started i.b.d., Ltd., where I limited for a solitary copy offered on the much higher volume, Amazon myself to finding books for the profes- Amazon.com); Black’s Law Dictionary and the other big stores can negotiate sional translator and interpreter; ($67.00); and Legal Language higher discounts with publishers— nothing but specialized, high-quality ($20.00). As you can see, all products, 55% and up for a bestselling book, publications for a growing profession. with the exception of American and less if the book is not a bestseller. In 2004, I started InTrans Book Jurisprudence Legal Forms, are offered This results in a lower discount to the Service, this time with a focus on at prices ranging from 35% to 5% consumer. In some cases, there is no Spanish books and English non-lan- lower than the publishers’ list prices. discount at all. Thus, the independent guage-specific publications. Twenty All of these publications are also bookseller has no leverage to nego- years later, I am still traveling all over available through independent book- tiate higher/better discounts.

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Don’t get me wrong. I understand the independent bookstores, or are not Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, that when buying small quantities, it stocked at all, or are subcontracted out. for example, to sell a book for $19.77 means more work and more overhead Not too long ago, a customer called when I have to pay $17.97 plus an for a smaller profit margin for the pub- to ask if I could match the price average of $2.50 for postage and han- lisher or distributor. My problem is Amazon had for Redes – Diccionario dling? That puts me 71 cents in the that if a store is able to negotiate a combinatorio del español contem- red, which I cannot afford. higher discount and turns around to poráneo. If you were to order the book We all want to pay less for what we give some of that money back to the from Spain, you would pay close to need or want. My business model is customer, it may appear that the inde- $90.00 (international postage and han- such that I have to go by the suggested pendent bookseller is overcharging or dling included). I sell the book for retail price in order to offer what I making an unfair profit. Nowadays, $95.00, but Amazon offers it for offer, and if what I offer is valuable to even the publishers are selling at dis- $48.93. My cost price is higher than you, call me for a book you are counts directly to end users. They are what Amazon sells it for, and that does looking for and I will try to find it. Ask now in direct competition with the big not include the shipping charges from me a specific question and I will try to stores, and the publishers would rather Spain to the U.S. My answer to the answer it. If you are having a hard give the customer 10% or 20% than customer was, “No, I cannot match time finding a specific term, I can 40% or 55% to the retailers. that price.” With such a price differen- occasionally look in the available dic- Call me old-fashioned, but the idea tial, I suggested that the customer go tionaries to help you out. This is part is that the publisher builds in a margin to Amazon and purchase the dic- of my service and the added value I that he can give away to the bookstore tionary there. Six or seven weeks later, provide to you. The choice is yours. as a bonus for the work the bookseller the customer called back and grudg- In conclusion, how often have you does on his behalf. I have no problem ingly purchased the book from me seen any of these discount stores dis- with the big stores getting a higher dis- because Amazon could not deliver. play their wares at a professional func- count, since they take larger risks, but Instead of feeling victorious that the tion you attended? It is your they should not be allowed to sell customer came back to me, I felt sad independent bookseller that gives you below the industry-wide agreed-to because I think she felt ripped off. personal service and attention, who retail list price. This is just one of many examples I makes the effort, and pays for the trip Amazon and the big bookstores could give when it comes to the to the conference or seminar in your depend on mass sales, the quick obscure, at least for the general public, region so that you can check out dic- turnover, followed by books for which books that I happen to sell. tionaries and books before buying there is a steady demand down to the Nevertheless, I cannot subsist on them sight-unseen. Do not let your more obscure publications. These stores selling obscure titles alone. I have to independent bookseller disappear! usually do not cater to specific groups. sell all of the above-mentioned books Freek Lankhof The specialized publications are as well, but at the list price. What good InTrans Book Service, Inc. stocked in small quantities, just like at would it do me, in the case of the

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SDL TRADOS Certification 2007 has arrived Significant uptake in certification user adoption fuels three new levels Industry uptake The SDL TRADOS Certification pro- ProZ.com has integrated since August the SDL TRADOS Certification gram has been constantly increasing in credential as part of their translator and resourcer profiles, to accom- popularity. There are now over 6,000 modate the growing response to the program. Proz.com is the web’s translators and project managers leading online translation community, with over 200,000 registered involved in the process. The program has translators interpreters and linguists. established itself as a comprehensive professional education program designed to develop expertise in the use of SDL translation technology tools. Inc., LinguaLinx, Inc., Canadian firms In addition, increasingly Universities Every day more corporate language ACCU Translations and All Languages, around the world have been looking to departments around the world are using and New Zealand LSP Blue South. SDL TRADOS Certification as a way SDL TRADOS Certification to help Many leading European companies are of building and testing their students’ them accelerate time to market. Over 90 also involved including Swiss-based knowledge on SDL TRADOS software. companies worldwide are endorsing or CLS Communication and USG, undergoing Certification including Denmark’s Translation House of Siemens A&D, Open Text, Nikken Scandinavia, PROMT of Russia, Benefits for Freelance translators Corporation, and Microsoft. Addition- Belgian B&K Projects, German Translators can benefit from the ally over 200 Language Service Eskenazy Translations, Italian Vertere, SDL TRADOS Certification program Providers around the globe have been ORCO S.A. in Greece, and Net- in many ways. embracing the program. These include: Translators in Israel. Learning: More translators than ever US-based Iverson Language Associates, are using translation technology, terminology management and automated quality assurance checks to their full potential after sitting on one of the SDL "By promoting SDL TRADOS Certification with our LLP vendors, we TRADOS Certification training courses. Credibility: Each SDL TRADOS believe that this will help us to deliver our product to market in the Certified translator receives industry shortest possible time and at the highest possible quality." recognition that helps them promote themselves when looking for new cus- Yaron Hezroni, tomers. They receive a personalized web page and link with their contact Local Language Program Manager, Microsoft details and areas of specialization as well as a Certification ownership card.

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48th Annual ATA Conference

We have something special prepared for those attending the ATA Conference in San Francisco. We’d be glad if you could join us for the SDL TRADOS Social Night on Thursday 1st November 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, San Francisco for: • Free drinks and nibbles • Jazz Trio • Casino night • Prize Draw and Awards Ceremony! Also, join the most Certifiably Fun competition of the year giving you the chance to win prizes worth in excess $8500!

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Exploring Freelance Business Practices By Dorothee Racette

Did you know that freelance Exactly 1,077 individuals participated assist in planning for future ATA busi- translators and interpreters account in ATA’s Business Practices Survey this ness skills workshops and publications. for more than 70% of ATA’s member- spring. The survey responses drew an ship? Yes, the entrepreneurial spirit is interesting portrait of the typical business 1. Marketing and Client Selection alive and well in our association…or conditions and practices of ATA mem- Focused marketing and client is it? Time and again, ATA’s Business bers working as independent contractors. selection go hand in hand and can Practices Education Committee hears There were some surprises—who would contribute much to the development from independent contractors who are have guessed that pencil and paper is still of small translation businesses. learning business management skills the most popular scheduling method, or Questions concerning these areas of through the school of hard knocks. In an increasingly open and competitive market, these mistakes are costing them dearly. Earlier this year, the Business The survey responses drew an interesting portrait of Practices Education Committee sur- veyed ATA freelancers to zero in on the typical business conditions and practices of ATA their management needs. Our short questionnaire was designed to look at members working as independent contractors. marketing, time management, job- related organization, accounting methods, tax and insurance issues, legal matters, and collections. With a that more than half of the survey-takers freelance business practices were an good understanding of where mem- had no collection problems in the past important part of our survey. bers stand on these basics, ATA will two years—and some anticipated results. Not unexpectedly, the responses be able to offer specific workshops, revealed that many ATA freelancers publications, and services that could Assessing Priorities would like to learn how to market truly have a positive impact on a free- After analyzing the responses, a themselves more effectively. Approx- lancer’s business performance. list of priorities was developed to imately 42% of the respondents indi-

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Survey Results Snapshot

Business Training cated that they have no long-term 66.3% of respondents indicated they had no formal business training. marketing strategies, and 38.4% said that their marketing skills are in need Workflow and Office Management of improvement. Pencil and paper is still the most popular organizing and scheduling method, used by 52.1% of respon- The survey results also demon- dents, followed by software programs (38.9%), and no method at all (18%). The majority (47.4%) strated that without successful mar- reported that they spent less than 10% of their work time on administrative and business tasks. keting, many freelancers cannot afford to be overly selective in their Working Hours choice of clients. What many do not 50.9% of respondents reported that they occasionally accept weekend assignments, while another realize, however, is that this scenario 46.7% work on weekends “regularly.” Only 2.4% indicated that they categorically decline such work can set them up for difficult customer and “never” work on weekends. For the majority, 7-8 hours of translation work a day is normal. relationships and payment problems down the road. In the long run, it Retirement Planning simply does not pay to accept work 71.2% of respondents have a retirement or investment account set up, but only about three quarters without looking at who is offering the are able to make regular contributions to the retirement account. 43.6% hope to retire in less than 20 job. This is a crucial lesson to learn. years from now. But there is more. In a comment echoed by many other survey-takers, Collection Efforts one freelancer noted, “It would be The vast majority (92.7%) of the respondents said they handle their own collection efforts for overdue useful for freelance translators to place accounts. Just over half of the respondents (56.8%) reported no overdue accounts in the past two more emphasis on building a clientele years, but almost the same number (50.9%) said they had to give up on a payment in the past. of direct clients.” This statement points to the critical role that client selection can play in keeping a business afloat. It

nature of our business is making collections even more difficult. It is essential for freelancers to learn effec- Our short questionnaire was designed to look at tive strategies for identifying “black marketing, time management, job-related sheep,” and to recognize this as their first step in client management. organization, accounting methods, tax and insurance Of course, there is more to client management than just vetting cus- issues, legal matters, and collections. tomers. Retaining the client and building a word-of-mouth referral network is every bit as important. After landing the assignment, it is all about is risky for any independent contractor eliminate all issues that come up during understanding and providing cus- to depend on just one income stream. the business relationship, it can certainly tomer service—from smart project Good marketing can bring in enough go a long way toward the most crucial management practices and communi- clients to allow the freelancer to diver- one—getting paid. cation to knowing how to make the sify revenue through careful selection. A little more than 10% of survey most efficient use of the time allotted respondents conceded that they never for the assignment. It is this last one 2. Client Management perform background checks on their that can undo all your best laid plans A good deal of client management can clients. Another 15.7% admitted that and make you rethink your inde- be accomplished through client selec- they were unsure how to go about per- pendent contractor status! This seems tion—more specifically, by checking out forming a check. to be a fact that many survey-takers a potential customer before accepting an Poor payers will certainly not go realize as they noted that learning assignment. While this practice cannot away, and the increasingly global good time management skills ➡

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Exploring Freelance Business Practices Top Priorities Continued for ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee was one of their most important goals.

3. Insurance Issues Marketing With the cost of insurance growing Respondents to the Business Practices Survey ranked marketing/advertising as their number one interest, substantially each year, it has never and ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee has put ongoing education in this area at the top of their been more important to understand planning list. what each type of insurance plan covers and what it contributes to a business. Client Management Our survey showed that health insur- Priority number two for 33.3% of survey respondents and for ATA’s Business Practices Education ance remains a major concern for ATA Committee is learning client management skills and the basics in “business self-defense” strategies. freelancers, and many of the free-text comments underscored the need for Insurance affordable and functional health insur- The third priority for the Business Practices Education Committee is to assist members with information on ance. Consistent with the statistics for the pros and cons of various insurance options and the avenues for getting health insurance coverage. middle class professionals quoted by the media, 12.1% of survey respondents Accounting in Foreign Currencies indicated that they do not have any Cash flow is crucial to any business. Therefore, the fourth priority on the Business Practices Education health insurance. Committee’s planning list is basic education in accounting and taxation for freelance business owners. ATA currently offers its members discounted professional liability, small business, life, and long-term care insurance plans. Health insurance plans are also available to members through an agreement with Mutual of Omaha’s broker network, but clearly this is not for their services. Online banking has Summary enough. There is a huge need for made it feasible for independent con- Thanks to all the individuals who assisting members with information on tractors to maintain bank accounts in participated in ATA’s Business the pros and cons of various insurance other countries, thus allowing their Practices Survey this spring, four spe- options and the avenues for getting clients the option of paying in their own cific areas of business performance health insurance coverage. currency. Still, ATA freelancers note were identified as top priorities for a majority of ATA freelancers. There is a lot ATA and its members can do to assist colleagues in acquiring these business management There is a lot ATA and its members can do to assist our skills—online discussions, publications, and workshops all have the colleagues in acquiring business management skills. potential to reach a broad audience. In the year to come, look for updates on the Business Practices Education Committee’s endeavors in these areas and for ways to contribute your 4. Accounting in Foreign problems in the process, not the least of knowledge to this effort. Currencies which are the fees associated with wire As a consequence of the increasing transfers and how to account for the internationalization of the industry, income earned abroad. The Business many of us are working for clients in Practices Education Committee will be multiple countries. In all, 49% of survey looking into basic education in respondents indicated that they received accounting and taxation for freelance at least some foreign currency payments business owners.

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Insult to Injury: When Your Client Goes Bankrupt By Mike Collins ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:40 PM Page 19

The following originally appeared as a two-part series in the Spring and Summer 2007 issues of the CATI The corporate world is fraught with traps and pitfalls, Quarterly, the newsletter of the Carolina Association of Translators and each business owner must decide on a course of and Interpreters (www.catiweb.org). The following is not intended to con- action based on the facts on the ground. stitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each individual or company should make its own independent business decisions and con- ally means the sale of a debtor’s existing business practices; that is, sult its own legal, financial, or other nonexempt property and the distribu- any payments owed for such work are advisors as appropriate. The views tion of the proceeds to creditors. written on a clean slate, theoretically expressed here are not necessarily Under Chapter 7, a court-appointed without fear of non-payment. Indeed, those of ATA or its Board of Directors. trustee oversees the liquidation and companies that refuse to do business distribution of the bankrupt party’s with a reorganizing company just assets to creditors. Chapter 13 is most because it has filed for Chapter 11 When a major client filed often filed by individuals earning reg- may be subject to penalties under the for Chapter 11 bankruptcy about two ular income, and involves arranging to law, although enforcement of this years ago, it came as quite a shock. make partial payment of debts to cred- stipulation might be difficult in less Not only were some $7,000 of out- itors. Chapter 11, which is what our obvious cases. standing invoices now protected client chose, is a form of bankruptcy When our client declared Chapter against collection and unlikely ever to that involves a reorganization of the 11 bankruptcy in November 2004, we be paid in full, but a stable, long-term, debtor’s business affairs and assets. were generally aware of these facts, and mutually profitable relationship Chapter 11 is commonly filed for by and learned about other issues in con- with a favorite client was suddenly in businesses in financial trouble who sultation with our attorney. We wrote doubt. All that was bad enough. Then need time to restructure their debts. off (literally and figuratively) the out- we got the letter…. standing invoices and continued to Bankruptcy is a fact of life in the Declaring Chapter 11 work with our client. business world. Companies fail for all A few well-known things happen sorts of reasons, and the personal and when Chapter 11 bankruptcy is The Paper Chase commercial repercussions are often declared. The bankruptcy filing date A steady stream of correspondence wide-ranging. For suppliers to those represents a sharp dividing line: any began arriving in regard to the filing, companies, the disruption can be dif- outstanding debts or invoices owed by including: notices for entry of claims, ficult or even crippling. Everyone is the declaring company before that date confirmation of claims, filing dead- familiar with the most common are frozen. It is illegal for creditors to lines, requests for lists of outstanding issues—unpaid invoices, (potential) try and collect debts protected under debts, ballots for accepting or loss of an important customer, and bankruptcy. A trustee is appointed by rejecting the liquidation plan, and uncertainty about the future—but not the court to handle the affairs of the court hearing notices. Forms were everyone is aware of one potential company. The trustee’s tasks include filled out and signed, information pro- nasty surprise. examining the records of assets and vided, and the fine print duly read. liabilities, determining how much can Then we got the letter…. General Bankruptcy Information be repaid to which creditors, and It appeared in the mail like the The law provides for several types of defining categories of debts (e.g., others on the letterhead of the legal bankruptcy. The most common of these secured versus unsecured). firm handling our client’s reorganiza- are Chapter 7 (liquidation), Chapter 11 Vendors can continue to work for tion/liquidation. At first, it seemed to (reorganization), and Chapter 13 (debt the reorganizing company. Any work be just one more formality to wade repayment plan). Chapter 7 provides for performed after the date of filing is through. Among the things the letter the liquidation of assets. This gener- handled and paid according to the mentioned were the “Preference ➡

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Insult to Injury: When Your Client Goes Bankrupt Continued

Claim,” the 90-day preference period, Company B were preferential, it can venience. Our anger dissipated a bit— and the monies received by our client assert preference and demand repay- obviously it had been a mistake, as during said preference period. By the ment of those monies on behalf of (the our attorney confirmed when he said time we were finished reading and estate of) Company A. It may now be that everything was in order with our digesting the letter’s contents, we were clear to you where all this is going…. payments, and that any case against us in utter disbelief, but let me explain a would be very weak. We sent a bill few things first before continuing. The Preference Defense with justification for the legal The letter we received was a claim expenses we had incurred to the Preference Claims on us to repay over $21,000 we had attorney who had sent us the original There are a couple of legal terms been paid for work done during the preference letter (though we did not associated with bankruptcy I did not 90-day period before our client filed really expect a response). mention above, namely “preference” for Chapter 11. The letter went on to That was in April 2005. Things and “voidable preference.” Basically, say that “applying credits for new remained quiet for over a year except these refer to a situation where one value” reduced the amount to around for the occasional item of bankruptcy- creditor is paid or compensated prefer- $20,000, and then made an offer to related correspondence. Then, in June entially at the expense of others during settle for roughly 80%, or $17,000, 2006, we received virtually the same the period before Chapter 11 is declared. Let me explain how this works. Say Company A is a buyer and There may be more at stake than losing outstanding Company B is one of Company A’s suppliers. Company B becomes aware that invoices when a client goes bankrupt. Company A may be in financial trouble, and begins to suspect it may declare bankruptcy. Company B knows that if that happens, it may not get paid for “…in order to avoid the time and letter again, listing what we had been work it has done, so it pressures, nego- expense of litigation….” paid during the preference period and tiates, or otherwise “encourages” The idea of our small company offering to settle for 80% of the total, Company A to pay its debts to somehow manipulating this huge “…to avoid unnecessary litigation….” Company B ahead of other creditors. If client seemed laughable. We had I contacted the firm and explained that Company B is successful, it may be able never heard of such a thing, but our we had already received this letter to minimize its losses after Company A lawyer had. He explained the prefer- once before, and that it had been with- files for bankruptcy. ence concept to us and the standard drawn as a mistake. The response to To prevent and mitigate such occur- defense against it, and asked for a me was that just because they had rences, the law provides for a “prefer- record of our invoicing and payments withdrawn it earlier did not mean that ence period,” which is defined as the 90 with this client for the past year. If it they had waived their right to press days prior to the declaration of bank- came to litigation, the burden would the claim again. ruptcy. “Preference” or “preferential be on us to show that: 1) there had payments” refer to payments made been no change in the way we had The Settlement Game during this 90-day period where the done business with this company over Once again, we turned to our payee was given preferential treatment the past year; and 2) that we had done attorney, who brought in a bankruptcy over other creditors. “Voidable prefer- business in a manner consistent with specialist from his firm to help out. We ence” means that where the our industry. quickly learned that the preference court/trustee deems such payments While our attorney was reviewing claim, designed to ensure fair distribu- were made preferentially, the prefer- the material, we received a letter tion of assets during Chapter 11, was ence can be voided, and the preferential recalling the first one. This second very often abused. “I make lots of pre- payments made earlier must be repaid. communication stated that the earlier sentations to business groups on bank- In our scenario above, if the trustee preference claim letter had been sent ruptcy law,” said our specialist. judges that the payments made to in error, and apologized for any incon- “Whenever I get to this topic, the anger

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Suggested links for more information:

U.S. Courts Information Pages on Bankruptcy www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts/bankruptcybasics.html Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Bankruptcy Brief summary of the 2005 changes to Bankruptcy law in regard to preferential payments www.kkrlaw.com/articles/seller499-1.html (see under “Preferential Transfers”)

in the audience is palpable.” client’s bankruptcy had been filed lions of dollars and stood to receive What frequently happens, he before the law was amended, and we (like the rest of us) only pennies on the explained, is that the trustee or the faced the prospect of being forced to dollar in repayment. Anything the cred- trustee’s law firm will cast a very wide defend any litigation in a court in itor could do to enrich the estate before net concerning preference claims. Tennessee, instead of our home state of distribution would increase its total Rather than diligently searching for North Carolina. This would add addi- recovery in the end. Once the wide net instances where payments were actually tional costs to our defense, including was cast, many businesses would likely made during the preference period, they hiring counsel out of state. settle to avoid the headache and expense simply list most or all of the payees Widespread abuse of the type we of litigation. during the 90-day preference period. experienced was one of the reasons for Our attorneys reasserted our position What follows is then a game of negotia- the 2005 amendment. Federal bank- that the payments we had received were tion and settlement designed to bring ruptcy judges were well aware of these not “voidable” (could not be claimed as enormous amounts of cash into the abuses, and that could be a point in our having been paid preferentially). We bankruptcy trust, with the law firm usu- favor in our case, which is still ongoing. included a detailed list of invoice dates, ally taking a percentage. As for punishing the abusers, the only check-received dates, and other infor- Preference claims are tried in federal option is to file post-trial motions to mation as justification. court before a bankruptcy judge. A typ- investigate whether the determination of The response from the trustee’s ical defense would consist of producing preferential payments was proper. If it attorney was an offer to settle for records showing that there had been no was not, the trustee and/or lawyers can $6,750, considerably less than the orig- deviation from the ordinary course of be sanctioned. inal proposal. This indicated to us that business during the 90-day period, and he had reviewed our documents and hiring an expert witness to testify that The Creditor’s Net was aware that his case was very weak. the terms of business between the client In the case of our client, there were a Our attorney confirmed our assump- and the vendor were normal for the few unusual circumstances that seemed tions, and added that this amount was industry in question. Up until 2005, any to support our supposition that this was roughly equal to what we would prob- litigation over preference claims had to not a simple preference claim, but rather ably have to pay to defend ourselves. In be done in the jurisdiction of the trustee. a gold-digging expedition. When the other words, the trustee’s attorney was The law has since been amended to company filed for Chapter 11, its largest gambling that we would do the numbers change this to the jurisdiction of the lit- creditor moved in to purchase the bank- and pay protection rather than risk a igee, and to bar preference claims for rupt company and began liquidating it. lawsuit. ➡ amounts under $5,000. However, our We knew this creditor was owed mil-

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Insult to Injury: When Your Client Goes Bankrupt Continued

High Stakes Stay Informed We had arrived at the moment of In the end, we decided to fight. I hope that presenting our case here decision: should we settle or fight? We From the cold perspective of the bal- will help inform and prepare my busi- consulted with our attorneys at length. ance sheet, this may not have been the ness colleagues should they ever face While we had the strongest defense they best decision. However, in our minds a similar eventuality. In no way do I had seen in such a case, one can never there was more at work here than dol- want to suggest, however, that our be sure what will happen in court. lars and cents. There was a principle final decision and course of action is Although it was clear that the trustee at stake—the principle of not giving the best or the right one for anyone knew his case was weak, if we failed to in to what, in our eyes, amounted to else. The corporate world is fraught settle and then somehow lost in court, extortion. There was also the principle with traps and pitfalls, and each busi- we would be liable for the entire of our belief in the system. We knew ness owner must decide what to do in $21,000 of the original preference we had not been paid preferentially, such a situation based on the facts on claim. “In addition, the trustee has and, therefore, there could be no evi- the ground. nothing to lose,” the bankruptcy spe- dence of it. Our attorneys had However, I do believe that there are cialist told us. “They can hand these informed us well on the possibilities many things in our business environ- cases off to be tried on a contingency and options. We had to believe that the ment that encourage us to settle too basis, so that they incur no expenses, court would look objectively at the easily in cases like these. The end and the litigating attorneys are paid only evidence and rule in our favor. Lastly, result has probably been wider abuse if they win.” we felt that if we were going to have of the law. It is my hope that the 2005 With these stakes in mind, and one to spend some $6,000 anyway, we amendment to the bankruptcy law will day to think about it, my two partners would prefer to give it to someone for reduce the number of such cases of and I considered what to do. We knew defending us against a wrong, rather abuse, but they will most certainly not that the easy thing to do was to settle than reward the trustee’s bad behavior. be going away. In any case, it is impor- (i.e., pay them to make them go away). Our attorney sent the trustee’s tant to be aware that there may be more After all, the settlement they were attorney a curt response rejecting their at stake than losing outstanding offering was considerably less than offer, and suggesting they prepare invoices when a client goes bankrupt. what they had originally demanded. themselves for our post-trial motions. What if we went to court and lost? We have heard nothing since, but that The hit to us would be substantial. does not mean we are out of the woods.

Is your ATA e-mail stuck in cyberspace?

To help make sure you receive important ATA announcements and special offers by e-mail: • Add the following address to your e-mail address book and, if available, your “safe list”: [email protected]. • Check your “junk mail” or “spam” folder often to make sure none of ATA’s e-mail messages have accidentally ended up there. • Use the Members Only area of ATA’s website to keep your contact information updated. ATA does not sell or rent the e-mail addresses of its members.

22 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 23

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GRIPS – Multidimensional Information Management Transit – Translation Memory Create, manage, archive, retrieve and distribute structured information. Automatically and profitably reuse existing translations. Productivity The unique GRIPS concept enables format neutral and product/user- and quality are increased, time and money are saved, and translation specific publication on demand while ensuring language and terminol- consistency is assured. Contact us for a free TM conversion to Transit! ogy control, transferability, re-usability and forward-compatibility. STAR James – Workflow Optimization TermStar – Terminology Management Automate, control and monitor the progress of information units and Manage, maintain and distribute multilingual, company-specific termi- documents from creation through editing, translation, proof-reading nology. Standardized and consistent terminology guarantees the use of and publication. correct terms and ensures clear and concise international communication. SPIDER – Multimedia Publication in any Language Produce multilingual publications from a single data source to any WebTerm – Web-based Terminology Management medium – CD-ROM, Internet/intranet, print, etc. And with comprehen- Create and manage a terminology resource that is available worldwide sive interactive and feedback facilities, SPIDER is the ideal publication over the Internet or via corporate intranets for research, consultation solution for structured data resources. and feedback. i-KNOW – The Interactive Information Platform FormatChecker – The Key to Perfect Data Quality Provide interactive and controlled information for pre-defined audi- Guarantee the highest possible formatting quality in all areas of word ences. The information modules and feedback processes in i-KNOW processing and allow the formatting of documents to be checked can be configured and optimized according to unique customer defini- directly in the source documents. High-quality source materials can tions and case scenarios (i.e. feedback of marketing and after-sales significantly reduce the cost and time associated with post-translation information / e-learning / e-training). The i-KNOW platform can be desktop publishing and text editing. integrated with nearly all CMS/DMS/IMS systems, including GRIPS. ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 26

across: A Translation Environment Tool with an Attractive Price By Naomi J. Sutcliffe de Moraes

Please note that the reviewer is not works both as a stand-alone tool or in run through the online tutorials to get affiliated in any way with the products connection with the across Language up-to-speed on the main features. The being discussed. This review does not Server version. The across Personal Step-by-Step Manual has 209 pages, represent an endorsement of the Edition is free for freelance transla- and is oriented toward the across product by ATA. All opinions are tors (registration is required), but Personal Edition. The Overview solely those of the author. must be purchased by companies for manual has 338 pages, but includes their in-house translators. The across information for both the Language Language Server contains project Server and Personal versions. The This review will introduce management features that are beyond software interface and manuals are readers to the across Personal version the scope of this article, but a free- available in English, German, and for freelance translators. This is a rel- lance translator would probably not French. atively new tool, and it is clear from need this version, so only the Personal When you start across, the first its features that the programmers Edition is being reviewed here. Since screen you will see is a control panel looked carefully into what worked across is similar to Déjà Vu X in many called crossBoard (see Figure 1 on page 27). This screen guides you through creating projects, importing and exporting files, and opening tasks It is clear from its features that the programmers you wish to return to. Like similar tools, you must first create a project looked carefully into what worked and what did not in and import the files to be translated, and then open the file you want to other tools when designing this product. work on (called a task). This interface provides all the information you will need to perform basic workflow tasks, but the manual provides further assis- and what did not in other tools when respects, this review will follow the tance. designing the product. same line of questioning used in the Like other environment tools, There are basically two versions of Déjà Vu X review published in the across tells you how many words you across: across Personal Edition and August and September issues. have translated (and the total number across Language Server. The across of words) for both the file and project. Personal Edition is designed for free- How easy is it to get started? This feature helps me keep track of lance translators. It is meant to be run I found the program easy to downtime and meet deadlines. on a PC by the translator or editor, and load and install. Afterward, you can

26 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 27

Figure 1: crossBoard

Is the translating/editing Figure 2: across Working Environment environment easy to use? The editing environment is basically button- and shortcut-oriented, with few options in the menus. Hovering the cursor over the button displays its name and its keyboard shortcut. (See Figure 2 for an overview of the across editing environment.) In this layout, the terminology window shows terminology matches on the right, the Search Center window shows translation memory (TM) matches below, and the crossView window provides quality assurance information on the left. The source and target texts are shown in two columns in the center, with the target paragraph editing window at the center of the screen. ➡

The ATA Chronicle October 2007 27 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 28

across: A Translation Environment Tool with an Attractive Price Continued

Figure 3: Editing Window thinks you have started a new sentence, there is a convenient button on the editing toolbar (circled in red in Figure 3) that allows you to register an abbreviation so across will recognize it in the future. There is a similar button for defining sentence breaks in the source text (also circled in red in Figure 3). As shown in Figure 3, the program underlines misspelled words as you type, just like in MS Word. Right- clicking provides spelling suggestions. This will probably be one of the most favorite features among users. There is also an AutoText feature. All formatting styles in the source sentence are available when translating via a drop-down menu (see Figure 4). Select the text to be formatted, and then select the formatting. In the two-column source/translation window and in the editing window, bold appears as bold, italic appears as italic, etc. Most of the Figure 4: Text Formatting examples in this review do not show this because my sample text has no formatting. I would prefer buttons for simple things like underline and bold, but the system is simple and clear enough. While you cannot insert formatting that is not present in the original sentence, you can apply any available formatting styles to any word in the translated sentence. Other interesting features are across’ two search tools. The “simple” search tool does not step through the Figure 3 shows a larger version of the paragraph translation and takes you file occurrence by occurrence. Instead, the central area of the working envi- to the next paragraph. (Unfortunately, it opens a separate window showing all ronment. Each cell contains an entire this shortcut requires two hands.) I just occurrences of the search text (target paragraph, but only one sentence is wish the tool would switch to the next language only). You can then shown in black characters in the paragraph automatically. mark/unmark the checkbox next to editing window at a time. (Despite the Having one paragraph per cell pro- each occurrence before applying a two-column format, which is similar to vides more layout context than tools replace function. Clicking on an occur- Déjà Vu X and SDLX, you must type that provide just one sentence per cell. rence skips to that line in the main the translation into a third window You can copy the source sentence or window. The window opened by the below.) The tool automatically the entire paragraph to the target “Find All” function in MS Excel is switches to the next sentence when you editing window with a button or key- similar. A second search tool can finish the previous sentence (I love board shortcut—a nice feature. If you search in source or target text, but does this!). Typing Ctrl+Alt+Enter confirms type an abbreviation and the program not allow replacement. It also shows a

28 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 29

Figure 5: Main crossTerm Window

list of occurrences rather than stepping editor is careful to respect the codes corporations, is far more complete than through the text. and formatting). Aligning the edited many translators might need. However, file, deleting the original translation, the default setting only includes a few Can I use across even when I will and running pre-translation could be a of the possible fields. It even has a work with others who do not work-around, but I have not tried it. “quick term entry” option for when have it? You can export a partially translated you are in a hurry and only want to link The program is based on the file, which is a feature I wish Déjà Vu term A to term B. (See Figure 5 for the client/server concept, and a company X had. The program exports the trans- features available in crossTerm.) owning the across Language Server lated paragraphs and automatically There is just one terminology data- can take your translation and send it fills in the source where no translation base for each language pair, and it is to an editor in an across format. If you was provided. This is also how you can concept-based, allowing for more want to work with an editor outside back up your translation. than a one-to-one relationship this relationship, you can export the between terms. You can add an image, file to its native format, but it cannot Is the terminology database a definition, and synonyms for terms be imported back into across to well-integrated with the in both languages, in addition to other update the database (which both SDL translating environment? fields (not shown in Figure 5 because Trados and Déjà Vu X can do if the The terminology tool, designed for they are displayed on the Details ➡

The ATA Chronicle October 2007 29 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 30

References

across: A Translation Environment Tool References with an Attractive Price Continued across: Version reviewed: Personal Edition v. 3.50.16 SP2_EN www.across.net tab). You can search the database with Babylon wildcards or browse by the first letter www.babylon.com of the term. The crossTerm window even shows you TM matches as a reference for concordance information (see the bottom of Figure 5). One of my favorite features of as shown at the bottom of Figure 2. I includes an alignment tool, which I crossTerm is that you can look up have no complaints, compared to the did not try. It can import MS Office words in it from within the editing other tools I have used. Just click on the (including MS Office 2007), XML, environment without opening a sepa- translation in the Search Center to HTML, FrameMaker files, and some rate application. As shown in Figure 2 insert the segment in the edit window. software interfaces. The company on page 27, there is a search field at According to across, you will be able to says a future version will be compat- the bottom of the crossTerm window select among the different possible ible with Windows Vista. Please refer in the editing environment, and you translations with a key combination in to the company website for more can type any word (in either language) the next release. If the only difference details on compatible file formats. and search for it in crossTerm. To add between segments is a number, One interesting feature is across’ terms to crossTerm while translating, crossTank changes the number auto- ability to search specific websites select a term in the source cell and in matically to match the source text when from within the tool using the Search the editing window, then type the translation is inserted. It does not, Center. You can configure which sites Shift+Alt+1 (or click on a button) to however, have an assemble function it searches, and they are opened in an send the term and translation to similar to the one in Déjà Vu X. external browser, showing the result. crossTerm. You can add additional CrossTalk does a good job of showing The program can also be integrated information, such as gender, part of the differences between the original with Babylon, which provides elec- speech, and usage, or leave these text and the found segment, shading the tronic monolingual and bilingual dic- fields blank. text in both the source cell and the tionaries for a limited number of According to across, terminology Search Center window (see Figure 2). languages. lookup is language-specific for You can also search crossTank manu- English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, ally on the concordance tab in the Quality Assurance The across Personal Edition has many quality assurance features built into the editing environment, and dis- I was impressed by the responsiveness of across’ played in the crossView window on the left in Figure 2. It keeps track of technical support. spelling errors, missing formatting, and other possible errors as you work. When the translation is done, the program displays a window with a sum- German, Norwegian, Russian, Search Center. mary of possible problems to remind Swedish, French, Italian, Portuguese, There is one master TM database for you to check them. You can also con- and Spanish. The lookup function also each language pair, which many transla- figure it to complain about mis- considers the morphology of the tors prefer. There is also just one termi- matched numbers as you translate. source language when searching nology database for each language pair. Another nice time-saving feature is crossTerm, based on word stems. Information on client, project name, and the update function. This can be used area are added automatically. when a source document is changed Is the TM database well-integrated after all or part of it has been trans- with the translating environment? Compatible File Formats and Tools lated. The program compares the orig- The across Personal Edition finds The across Personal Edition can inal and updated document and erases segments in the TM (called crossTank) import TMs and terminology data- the translations for the changed para- that are similar to the source segment, bases from external formats. It also graphs. (These translations remain in

30 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 31

the TM.) You can then skip through files with many figures. In any case, know I was writing a review and that the document and update the transla- never try out a new environment tool I was contacting them regarding a free tion using TM matches where appro- on a project with a tight deadline, product, their response seems nothing priate. When I have tried translating because there is always a learning short of amazing. an updated document with Déjà Vu X curve. If anything goes wrong, you If you do not yet use a tool because of or SDL Trados, neither program has could miss your deadline. the cost or because you are not yet ever made the process as easy as this accustomed to using tools other than MS function does. Miscellaneous Word, e-mail, and an Internet browser, I was impressed by the responsive- this is your chance! If you use another Stability ness of across’ technical support. I tool, but are interested in the specific I have only used across to translate used the product for three months, and features described here, give across a try. five small jobs, so I cannot comment they always answered my questions I think I am hooked already! on its ability to import large files or quickly. Considering that they did not

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The ATA Chronicle October 2007 31 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:41 PM Page 32

RSS Feeds: Your Information on Your Terms By Michael Wahlster

If you are like most people, feed reader will capture this change and Figure 1 on page 33). When instructed, you visit several websites regularly. display the information from the feed in the feed reader checks the user’s sub- You might seek out professional a format that subscribers can easily scribed feeds and asks all the servers in organizations for industry news and read on their computers. An RSS sub- its feed list if they have new content. If events or visit software product sites scription lets subscribers keep up with so, the feed reader either makes a note for reviews and online help—or per- their favorite websites automatically, of the new content or downloads it to haps you simply want to check out the without having to go around to various the subscriber’s computer. Feed readers BBC for the latest cricket scores. Yet, websites checking for updates. can be scheduled to check for new con- the Internet is an information jungle, tent periodically. When websites pro- and navigating it on a daily basis (or How does it work? vide web feeds to notify users of even several times a day) is time-con- Typically, a content provider pub- content updates, they frequently only suming and tedious. How do you find lishes a feed link on its site, which end include summary information or web- what you are looking for quickly and users subscribe to using a news feed site links in the web feed rather than the easily, and, more important, how do you manage the information you receive? The answer is RSS.

What is RSS? RSS feeds are time savers and make it easy to scan a RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a data file format used for delivering large number of websites quickly for content that is regularly changing web content. new and potentially interesting. Content in an RSS document (called a web feed or channel) can be read using a software application called a news feed reader (also known as an aggre- gator). Many news-related sites, web reader program located on their com- full content itself. Web feeds are oper- logs, and other online publishers syndi- puter or online. Initiating the subscrip- ated by many news websites, web logs, cate their content as an RSS feed for tion process is usually as simple as schools, and podcasters. subscribers. Every time the site is mod- dragging the link from the web browser This form of information syndica- ified, the RSS feed is updated with a to the feed reader or by clicking on the tion was first adopted by web logs and summary of the new information. The RSS feed icon in the browser (see other social network sites. At the end

32 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:52 PM Page 33

Figure 1: Square RSS Feed Icon Until recently, there was no uniform icon to designate RSS feeds. Text links and of 2002, The New York Times started designations such as XML, RSS, and Atom to offer RSS feeds for different news are still found on many sites. This square topics, and this is generally consid- feed icon is emerging as the de facto standard icon for news feeds. It is mostly ered the breakthrough that lead to the colored orange, but there are also blue versions, notably in the Apple universe. widespread application of news feeds. Today, feed links are available on most sites that offer frequently updated information. content updates, so that news from different sources is not presented Since RSS is a news channel, there In-box for the Internet in a uniform fashion. is a sender and receiver: the website How does RSS help us manage the author, who syndicates the content; information we find online, and why • News updates show up among your and the visitor, who subscribes to the should we find out about news feeds? other e-mail and can get lost. content. The author maintains the RSS Google has a short video, available at feed on the website, and visitors who www.google.com/reader/view, for • Updates can be mistaken for spam are interested in receiving updated those who sign up for the Google feed and might be filtered out of the content can subscribe to the feed. reader. In the video, Chris Wetherell, mail stream. There is one caveat to this method: an engineer at Google Reader, RSS feeds are not individualized web explains the value of RSS feeds: • You have to make your e-mail searches. The content delivered by address known in order to receive feeds is what the website author puts “When you have an e-mail in-box, notifications. into the feed, not what the subscriber for instance, you don’t have to would like to get out of it. There are check with Larry, Cheryl, and RSS has none of these disadvantages. also no search words or filters, which Sergey to find out if they sent you Some advantages of RSS notification is why organizations like BBC News e-mail. It just comes in your in-box include: go to such lengths to divide their feeds and you get to read it whenever into ever smaller categories. This is you want. Google Reader is a little • Subscribers are not required to dis- because the narrower the category, the like that, but for the entire Internet. close their e-mail addresses, so more focused the content. You don’t have to go to this site, or there is no increased exposure to that site, or the other site to find out threats associated with e-mail, RSS Reader Software when something is updated. In such as spam, viruses, phishing, Think of the RSS reader as the Google Reader, it just all comes in and identity theft. “e-mail program” for the Internet. As to you, and you get to read it you visit sites you want to keep track whenever you want.” • If users want to stop receiving of, you subscribe to their RSS feeds. news, they do not have to send an The RSS reader, in turn, will keep an RSS is not the only way users can be “unsubscribe” request, but can eye on all your subscribed feeds. Any notified of changes to informational simply remove the feed from their changes to a website’s content are content on websites. E-mail notifica- feed reader. listed in the reader so that you have a tion is another common way users quick picture of what is new every choose to be alerted to updates. For • All feeds show up uniformly and are time you open your RSS reader. example, you can ask CNN to send you easily grouped, sorted, and com- As with most things Internet, RSS an e-mail notification whenever there is pared. The feed items are automati- readers are anything but standardized, a news item that fits your parameters, cally “sorted” because each feed and there are many choices of RSS and The New York Times will send you URL has its own set of entries readers available. Some are free and headlines. However, there is a down- (unlike an e-mail box, where all some incur a license fee. Some reside side to e-mail notification: messages are in one big pile and on your computer and some are online. e-mail programs have to resort to For example, Internet Explorer and • Each sender uses a different complicated rules and pattern Firefox both offer RSS subscription method to notifiy subscribers of matching). functions. Some RSS readers ➡

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RSS Feeds: Your Information on Your Terms Continued

work through your mail program. make the local files of a browser or Web: feeds.reddit Different programs offer different e-mail application very large. http://reddit.com ways of organizing feeds. So, to a I prefer to use online readers large extent, it is a question of per- because I can access them from any Bloglines sonal preference, and you should try a computer. Since I started using RSS www.bloglines.com few different programs to see which feeds early on, I use a program called you like best. Bloglines, but I think that, given the Mac OS X: NetNewsWire Since it is so easy to subscribe to ease of interface and functions such as www.newsgator.com/Individuals/ RSS feeds, your subscription list can tags and trends, Google Reader offers NetNewsWire grow very long, very quickly and your the most “bang for the buck” at this reader can end up storing a really moment. Here is a short list of readers Windows: SharpReader large amount of data. Because of this, and where to find them: www.sharpreader.net I would stay away from using browsers or software that integrates Google Reader Linux: Straw with an e-mail program. This will www.google.com/reader www.gnome.org/projects/straw

Figure 2: In Google Reader, copy the Cricket RSS feed URL into the Add Subscription field to subscribe to the feed.

34 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:52 PM Page 35

Figure 3: Cricket-related news items published by BBC News appear, from the most recent to the oldest, in the right panel; the subscribed feed shows in the left panel. Note that this is “List view.”

How to Subscribe to Feeds the feeds. You can display just the have taken place on the websites you If you would like to use an online headline of the feed, or the headline have subscribed to. At a glance, you feed reader, you need to register as a and the first couple of lines of the con- can decide which items you are inter- user. With Google (as with other large tent. If you are interested in one of the ested in, and with a click go directly services), your e-mail user account will items listed, click on it and it will take to the original website and source also work with the feed reader. When you to the full article on the website it material to read the full text. It is pos- you find a website you would like to came from. sible to create folders for feeds, tag monitor, identify the RSS link. Most The RSS reader gives you, in one news items using keywords, and often, the link shows up as the orange place and organized in a uniform structure the display in different ways square feed button that is shown in format, all new items and changes that to make the result more meaningful Figure 1 on page 33, or else a rectangular button with the letters “RSS” or “XML.” Sometimes it is a text link that says “Syndicate this” or a similar phrase. Copy the link into the “Add sub- If you are the author of a website that has frequently scription” field of the RSS reader. If you updated content, such as news, an events schedule, are using your browser as the reader, you simply click on the subscription membership lists, or “Top 10” lists, you can use RSS button (see Figure 2 on page 34). The reader software will now mon- feeds to generate more traffic for your site. itor that feed and all subscriptions. You can make groups and organize

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RSS Feeds: Your Information on Your Terms Continued

(see Figure 3 on page 35). Using an create feeds with the help of Conclusion RSS feed is much less time-con- Feedburner, a web-based application. RSS feeds are time savers and suming and more productive, since Please check out the following sites make it easy to scan a large number of you only access material you really for more information: websites quickly for content that is want to find out more about. new and potentially interesting. They Drupal require the initial investment of set- Syndicate Your Own Site http://drupal.org ting up the reader program, but the If you are the author of a website time required to do that is negligible that has frequently updated content, Expression Engine compared to the time saved once the such as news, an events schedule, http://expressionengine.com reader takes over the regular moni- membership lists, or “Top 10” lists, toring of the feeds. It is not you can use RSS feeds to generate Feedburner uncommon to monitor hundreds of more traffic for your site. www.feedburner.com feeds in a very small amount of time, RSS feeds are not only convenient which would be impossible to accom- tools for readers, they also provide Mambo plish if you had to visit each site sep- additional links that are indexed in www.mamboserver.com arately. If you are surfing the web search engines. Moreover, there are regularly for information that changes many feed lists out there that spe- Movable Type on an unpredictable schedule, you cialize in tagging and listing feeds. www.movabletype.org should seriously consider letting an Such lists can help make your site RSS reader do the work for you by more visible. Web logs alone come in WordPress bringing the information to your com- staggering numbers. http://wordpress.org puter automatically. So how can you give your website a feed to make it attractive to readers and indexable by RSS-specific listings? A number of publication applications, in particular content management software, automatically Need Help with Feeds? create RSS feeds. Well-known names in the open-source sector are Mambo, If you would like to use feeds as content on your own website and your programming Drupal, Movable Type, Expression skills are not up to speed, you can Google for ready-to-use widgets that let you insert Engine, and WordPress. Blog soft- RSS content into your web pages. Check out http://snurl.com/1qj1j to see a ware, such as LiveJournal and web page built exclusively from feeds I subscribed to in an account I created to illustrate MySpace, also creates RSS feeds. If this point. your website does not use any of those content systems, you may be able to

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36 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:52 PM Page 37

TechInput, Inc., translation and consulting company, is currently seeking experienced translators and editors for its office based in Moscow, Russia. Specialization in oil and gas industry is desirable. Join our Moscow team and enjoy competitive rates, challenging job with ample opportunities for professional growth, and a vibrant urban environment of the city of Moscow. TechInput also offers free-lance and part time translation/editing job assignments in oil and gas, engineering, geosciences, environmental sciences, economics, regulatory permitting, and the law. With us you will have an indisputable advantage of regulating your work load. Please send your resumes and preferred job schedules to [email protected] (Attn. Anna). For details please visit our websites: www.techinput.ru and www.techinput.com.

The ATA Chronicle October 2007 37 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:53 PM Page 38

In my former life as a library director, unions were a bane and an anathema, but this was probably Out of the Shadows: because I was “management” and the staff union was seen as “the adversary.” Now that I work as a freelancer, the distinction between the two is decid- Unionizing in Rome edly blurred. My recent trip to Italy provided me with the opportunity to rethink the utility of union membership By Anne Milano Appel for a freelance literary translator. In May, while in Rome, I attended the XX Congresso Sindacato Nazionale Scrittori (SNS) at the headquarters of the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL), the Italian labor federation. The SNS, one of several writers’ unions in Italy, had recently been bolstered—I am tempted to say enhanced—by the presence of a vocal activist group of literary translators who were ready and willing to push for better working conditions for both writers and translators in their profession. I had decided to attend the Congresso to see how things were done “all’Italiana,” wondering why we American translators did not have a similar union presence in the U.S., and whether there was indeed a material difference between a union and a professional association as we know it. What follows is a summary of some of the key issues discussed at the Congresso. The quotes come directly from the speakers and attendees, who generously agreed to be interviewed or were kind enough to provide me with written transcripts of their comments.

The Attraction of a Union The issues facing literary translators in Italy are the same as those we face here in the U.S., including visibility, due attribution, decent compensation, and copyright protection.

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Professional associations in Italy do From a Virtual Community to an faith on our part and at the same time not seem to be any more effective at Act of Faith a declaration of intent. We are here to resolving these issues than associa- In looking at the situation of lit- act for dignified working conditions tions in the U.S. As a means of com- erary translators in Italy, it is probably and fair compensation.” parison, I looked through the mission no accident that most of the transla- Though conscious of their respon- statements of several U.S. organiza- tors who are now part of SNS are sibility as the vanguard of a poten- tions, and the National Writers Union loosely associated through Biblit, a tially much greater number of is the only one I found that specifi- virtual community and discussion translators who might decide to join cally states that it is working to forum established in 1999 made up of Biblit should there be strong, concrete defend the rights and improve the eco- translators working from and into signs of activity and change and nomic and working conditions of Italian. In her comments to the greater professional visibility, Rullo writers, though this statement does assembly at the Congresso, Marina explained that no one appears to be not explicitly include translators.1 Rullo, founder of Biblit, explained looking at the situation through rose- Perhaps the underlying issue here that literary translators were partici- colored glasses: “We are aware that lies in the fact that unions and profes- pating at the Congresso for the first the road is long and the available sional associations serve a different time, calling it, “a sign of our deter- resources limited…all the more purpose, although there are some mination to come out of the shadows reason to have an organization like the unions that call themselves profes- and make our voices heard.” union behind us.”

The Role of Culture Perhaps the note that struck me most at the Congresso was the The endorsement of culture is an important element in repeated emphasis on the word cul- tura (culture in the broadest sense of Italy that is indicative of a way of life that values the term). Indeed, the opening civilization, education, and tradition. remarks by SNS President Mario Lunetta set the tone, when he stated that the objectives of the union were to encourage creativity, safeguard sional associations and vice versa. As As an online community with no authors’ rights, and promote culture. I see it, unions are concerned with legal ties, Biblit serves as a network of The endorsement of culture is an defending the rights of translators, solidarity that occasionally undertakes important element in Italy that is improving their economic and initiatives to promote the cause of indicative of a way of life that values working conditions, and safeguarding translators, but efforts at raising aware- civilization, education, and tradition. legal interests regarding their work ness can only go so far: “At a certain In fact, one speaker began his remarks (e.g., copyright). Professional associ- point, we realized that these initiatives by quoting from Dante Alighieri’s ations tend to be concerned with pro- were not enough, and that a more inci- Divina Commedia: “fatti non foste a moting the profession as a category, sive action was needed at the political viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute focusing on professional training and and institutional level that only a union e canoscenza”; that is, “you were not disseminating information about the could guarantee,” says Rullo. created to live like insensitive brutes, profession. Both naturally have an Still, she conceded that the deci- but to pursue virtue and knowledge” interest in promoting and supporting sion to join SNS was not an easy one (Inferno, XXVI: 119-120). Brutishness legislative initiatives benefiting the to make. In a profession marked by resides in ignorance and is always profession and its practitioners. isolation and individualism, there is a lying in wait. The book is a shield Perhaps these differences might natural mistrust of associations of any against living brutishly and is consid- explain why literary translators would kind, and unions are perceived as ered a bene culturale (part of the cul- look to membership in a union to pro- being particularly bureaucratic and tural heritage). mote the visibility of their profession. political. Rullo went on to say: At the same time, there was a “Joining SNS represents an act of strong current running ➡

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Out of the Shadows: Unionizing Rome Continued

through the comments of the various all, the importance of good transla- America, held in New York City, speakers that suggested an ongoing tions, adequate translations.” Beatriz Casoy Ashfield, who directed decline in culture, not just in Italy, but the last two London Book Fairs before in other countries as well. The media He went on to cite José Saramago, the event was sold to Reed are less and less interested in culture, the Portuguese novelist and 1998 Exhibitions, was quoted as saying that said a speaker, while another noted Nobel Prize winner for literature, who “…in America, ‘commerce’ isn’t a that there has never been a great once stated that writers create national dirty word…no one is afraid to sell.” interest in reading in Italy: “The book literatures with their language, but In both cases, political and economic, has always been a bit at the margins.” world literature is written by transla- the autonomy of culture as a creative Along this line, Trond Andreassen, tors.2 These statements were reinforced activity is at risk. president of the European Writers’ by Rullo, who stressed the decisive There was strong sentiment Congress (EWC), stated that he was role of translation in the cultural trans- expressed by speakers and attendees “both surprised and saddened” by the mission, appreciation, and awareness at the Congresso that literary content fact that the role of authors was barely of European cultural diversity. should not be determined either by the mentioned in a recent European If it is true that a disregard for cul- State or by the publishers; nor should Union (EU) paper on how to ture in Italy is currently “at an elevated it be determined by profit. How to rec- strengthen the publishing sector level,” as one speaker expressed it, oncile the need for a profitable, viable within the EU, rightly noting that why is this so? The consensus seemed publishing industry with the goal of “without authors…the book industry to be that culture is threatened both in creativity? One suggestion put forth has nothing to trade.” the political and economic arenas. was to recognize that the writer’s work is not only creative, but also representative of a skill. The writer is not just an artist, but also a tecnico (technician), in the sense of being an expert Writers create national literatures with their language, in his or her craft. In a word, culture, but world literature is written by translators. creativity, and technique must go hand in hand, just as in the union the promotion of creativity and the diffu- sion of culture are two goals that share Andreassen went on to stress the Political currents pressure culture the spotlight with the safeguarding of role of translators as well as authors, through attempts to transform it into authors’ rights. citing the “invaluable importance of ideology. Just as economic interests Rullo, speaking for the translators, translations and translators” in a con- view the book as a revenue-producing made the defense of rights a priority text of intercultural dialogue. As he article, so political interests see it as a while not excluding the other two put it: product to persuade and even manipu- goals: “Our commitment to action late the reader. When political tides does not mean that cultural promotion “Each writer can sit in his own exert pressure to determine content, to is excluded a priori from our inten- country and play a more or less use the book to further a political plan, tions. Nevertheless, we feel that the important role at home, but when his promote specific policies, or endorse a energies of our section and of the stories and thoughts are to move specific agenda, the writer and the union must be applied principally to across borders and make their way in book become a tool in the service of the legal, economic, and professional a different linguistic landscape, a ideology, and the idea of culture as a protection of the sector.” She went to writer needs another writer—l’au- self-sufficient act of creation is com- say that she considers the entry of tore invisibile, the translator. As the promised. The economic field, in turn, translators into SNS as a “first step world grows tighter, distances are views culture as a commodity to be toward change.” shortened; as our eyes are opened to transformed into an industry: the book new realities, new cultures, and liter- is seen as a product to generate profit. Resistance to Change atures, we gradually discover the This is certainly true in the U.S., One of the most sobering things I importance of translation, and above where at the recent BEA, BookExpo heard at the Congresso was a state-

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ment by Marcella Dallatorre, who ernment. The view expressed in the make dignified working conditions said: “I have been a translator for 40 “Admonition” is that: “Any sort of and fair compensation for writers pos- years, and in 40 years nothing has political pressure to achieve open sible are systematically disregarded, changed.” In her remarks, Rullo access to copyright protected works is not only because the law fails to be regretfully noted that, “not even the a gravely misguided decision.”3 applied, but because the Italian copy- great commitment and dedication to the union on the part of colleagues such as Marcella Dallatorre” has been able to effect change. Yet, Dallatorre was far from resigned, and her com- The writer’s work is not only creative, but ments were challenging and provoking representative of a skill. The writer is not just an artist, rather than defeatist. Italy is so far behind other nations, it risks looking but also a tecnico (technician), in the sense of being an ridiculous, she said, yet there is no reason for it to remain so: “We’re not expert in his or her craft. isolated, we’re part of the European context. All we have to do is look around and see what other countries have done to resolve the problems.” More than 10 years ago, in a paper right law (diritto d’autore) has Examples of the kinds of solutions presented at the International remained more or less unchanged Dallatorre was referring to can be Conference on Legislation for the since it went into effect in 1941. easily found. Consider the recent for- Book World, held in Warsaw in Unlike in many European countries, mation of HALMA, the European net- November 1996, Dallatorre had out- where copyright laws underwent a work of literary centers intended to lined three “essential conditions for a profound revision in the 1990s, the serve as a platform for literary fair translator-publisher relationship”: commission to revise the Italian law, exchange. The main idea behind the after a hopeful start during the years network is to create a European struc- 1. The existence of a written contract, of Silvio Berlusconi’s government, ture across national borders, enabling rather than an informal oral ultimately ran aground on the shoals authors, translators, editors, and lit- agreement. of politics. erary facilitators to be active across different cultural regions, organizing 2. The enforcement of the provisions Principal Goals joint projects and other endeavors. of the copyright law that are often In view of the situation, the transla- Still at the development stage, the ignored without any legal conse- tors of SNS have set the following goals: program, which is expected to begin quence. in 2008, calls for 16 literary centers to • Revise the copyright law to: be set up in 11 participating countries 3. The existence of a copyright law (Italy is not one of the founding that is clearly written, unequivocal, — Eliminate the “unless otherwise member nations). and detailed, without any ambi- stipulated” clauses (clausole del Another type of example, aimed at guity or vagueness. patto contrario). a more activist defense of translators’ rights rather than cross-cultural Today, these conditions still remain — Require that percentages regar- exchange, is the so-called “Frankfurt out of reach, as do other conditions of ding secondary uses of the Admonition” regarding a planned new equity. As Rullo pointed out: “Though work, including electronic for- version of the copyright law. In this the law confers on us the qualification mats, be specified. case, German authors, publishers, and of ‘writer,’ many things, such as roy- booksellers spoke out jointly for the alties, that are considered a given for — Reduce the maximum duration protection of intellectual and cultural writers, for translators remain a of the contract from 20 to 10 property, formulating their demands mirage.” The consensus seemed to be years. in an open letter to the German gov- that, in Italy, the prerequisites that ➡

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Out of the Shadows: Unionizing Rome Continued

— Make explicit the provision of “I cannot fail to mention the so- press and in the publishing busi- the need to pay the translator a called translators strike in Norway ness as funny and high-spirited, but fixed fee plus royalties propor- last year. After many years of it was also a strong political state- tional to the success of the work. drawn-out negotiations with the ment. In many ways, the publishers’ association to renew Norwegian translators have paved • Negotiate a standard contract with the standard contract, the united the way for other groups of cre- publishers. This has already occurred translators from different organiza- ative professions, such as writers in various European nations, where tions unanimously said: ‘Enough is and freelance journalists.” translators and publishers’ associa- enough! The contract is outdated!’ tions have agreed to a sensible con- And to make this point clear, the Andreassen concluded his remarks tract that represents a compromise translators sat down in the square by stating that SNS had every reason between the economic interests of the between the major publishing to give its Translators Section a very two categories and serves as a model houses in Oslo with old-style type- warm welcome. for individual contracts. writers. The contract stated that The members of the Translators translations were to be consigned Section of SNS have already begun • Work toward effective implemen- as ‘typewritten manuscripts’— working toward the achievement of tation of the European directives which just shows how old-fash- their objectives, in the belief that the on reprography and library loans, ioned the contract used to be—and time may now be ripe. Never before with distribution for the entire cat- our translators said: ‘Well, fine, has it been more essential to join forces egory of any non-apportionable here you are: typewritten pages’! in order to convince the government to funds, in the form of grants, The newspapers and television adopt a serious cultural policy that will courses, and programs for profes- reported this as a funny stunt, and afford authors the same respect sional formation and development. in this manner, the translators man- accorded to the other professional cat- aged to show that they were the egories, and allow them to keep pace • Create an autonomous social creative element, while the pub- with the rest of Europe. Are their security fund. lishers were conservative bores. objectives attainable? Are their expectations realistic? A few of the translators who attended the Congresso shared their views with me.

Never before has it been more essential to join forces Finding a Place at the Table Claudia Valeria Letizia admitted to in order to convince the government to adopt a serious a certain skepticism that tempers opti- cultural policy that will afford authors the same respect mism. Her cynicism derives from the prevalently “industrial-political” accorded to the other professional categories, and allow nature of Italian publishing, in which “cultural” aspirations necessarily take them to keep pace with the rest of Europe. second place because of the ultimate need to sell and make a profit. “The SNS is the only pre-existing structure that can offer us a shred of help to Are these goals attainable? What The strike went on for several change the status quo. Assuming that can translators realistically hope to months, but a lot was obtained in we are able to find a seat at the achieve through membership in SNS? the end, including a totally new famous table,” she explained. Perhaps a note of optimism can be standard contract with annual regu- Her enthusiasm, if any, is stirred by found in Andreassen’s words to the lations of the fee, copyright for the group of translator colleagues who assembled group as he recounted a electronic publication, and better are demonstrating their willingness to recent translators’ strike in Norway: remuneration for re-publishing. act in order to change things, and she The strike was perceived in the praised them for their human quali-

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Additional Information:

American Literary European Writers’ Congress Translators Association www.european-writers www.literarytranslators.org congress.org

Associazione Italiana HALMA Traduttori e Interpreti www.halma-network.eu www.aiti.org International Association of Associazione Nazionale Italiana Translation and Intercultural Traduttori e Interpreti Studies www.aniti.it www.iatis.org

Biblit National Writers Union www.biblit.it www.nwu.org/nwu

Confederazione Generale PEN American Center Italiana del Lavoro www.pen.org www.cgil.it Sindacato Nazionale Scrittori www.sindacatoscrittori.net

ties, their commitment, and their tiate,” she said. Zani believes it will make a contribution in whatever way ability to organize and publicize their take an intervention “from the top,” she can. cause. Still, their number is relatively that is, from the legislature, in order to small, both with respect to the SNS revise the copyright law. “Only then Guarded Optimism and a membership and, especially, with can we think about sitting down with Wait-and-See Approach respect to the overall number of trans- the publishers to discuss how to make Luisa Piussi also arrived at the lators in the Italian publishing arena. the contracts conform to the new Congresso with a good deal of skepti- “Sometimes I wonder: will it really be norms.” Since this means involving cism and low expectations, but was worth it?” Letizia told me. the Italian parliament (even if only at pleased by the significant representa- Isabella Zani agrees with Letizia the commission level), and since the tion of translators and the fact that that the most crucial point is for trans- nation is currently struggling with so their approach (at their first appear- lators to find a seat at the table. It is many other urgent issues, Zani con- ance at an SNS conference) appeared not clear to her how SNS plans to con- cedes that the endeavor “seems to gratify long-time members of SNS. vince publishers to sit down and dis- nothing short of utopian.” While As for finding a seat at the table, cuss contracts. “The publishers have admitting that she may perhaps be Piussi asked: “What choice do we no interest in changing things, and we more pessimistic than Letizia, she have?” She pointed out that with SNS have no clout to force them to nego- says she will wait and see, and try to about to join CGIL, which is ➡

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Out of the Shadows: Unionizing Rome Continued

Italy’s oldest labor union organiza- already existing structures, such as the content providers, and poets. With tion, “it is the only realistic possibility various regional centers of SNS, and the combined strength of nearly we have to be heard ‘from the top,’ establish contacts with regional and 2,000 members in 16 chapters and it is only from above that an local authorities, as well as with other nationwide, and with the support of authoritative invitation to sit down at European organizations, to find out the United Automobile Workers, the the discussion table can come.” She what is being done in other countries Union works to defend the rights and noted that although SNS and CGIL do (for example, Germany, Norway, and improve the economic and working not necessarily have the knowledge to Spain), and try to avoid the errors that conditions of all writers.” negotiate the conditions of the have already been made in other Translators Section of SNS, they have countries.” 2. José Saramago, winner of the 1998 the formal structure, know the polit- Still, Prandino admits that the dis- Nobel Prize for literature, came out ical procedures, and command the heartenment that she sees in some in favor of inquisitive translators in necessary channels to request meet- who have joined the union is a little May 2003 during a speech to atten- ings that an individual translator, worrisome. Being part of SNS, or any dees at the Fourth Latin American working in isolation, does not have. translators’ union, necessarily means Conference on Translation and Rosaria Contestabile more or less coming to terms with long periods of Interpretation in Buenos Aires. shares these views: “Let’s just say that time and considerable effort, she says, union membership and, above all, a even just to reach the first results. To 3. The admonition letter was signed growing awareness as a profession is expect anything else at this time, she by the Börsenverein des Deutschen something that has to be done, but the cautions, will only mean coming up Buchhandels (German Publishers results will only be seen in the long against inevitable disappointment. & Booksellers Association), the term, if at all.” Though she does not Verband deutscher Schriftsteller see any inclination on the part of the Further Thoughts (VS - Association of German Italian government to do anything to On the whole, most attendees I Writers), and the PEN-Zentrum represent translators’ interests, she felt spoke with saw the participation of Deutschland. Calling on the gov- that “the exchange of information translators at the Congresso as a first ernment to think through a consid- among us and a certain group spirit step toward unified class action on the ered concept for “meaningful are the positive side of the coin.” part of the profession toward greater reinforcement of protection for Laura Prandino, regional manager visibility, agreeing that in the mean- creative production in the 21st cen- for the Tuscany Section of SNS, saw a time, they must wait and see, while tury,” they expressed a concern that “bit more concreteness and a little less continuing to persevere and do what goes beyond that of material inter- self-referentiality” on the part of the they can. ests. “This is about fantasy and union’s “historic” component, chalking All things considered, are the creative powers, both on the part of it up in part to “an injection of enthu- translators right in considering their authors and of publishing compa- siasm and pragmatism from the entry into SNS as a first step toward nies,” said Börsenverein President Translators Section.” Fundamentally, change? Only time will tell. Gottfried Honnefelder. He went on however, there remains the problem of Meanwhile, Rullo remains guardedly to state that, “an unfiltered surplus identifying issues on which writers optimistic: “The four years until the of sources that have not been sub- and translators in SNS might find next Congresso will hopefully con- ject to the quality control of pub- common ground. firm that we made the right choice.” lishing companies will inevitably For Prandino, the immediate lead to the absence of creativity.” objective is to earn visibility and cred- Notes (See http://nl.buchmesse.de/ref.php ibility as a union, explaining that this 1. The mission statement of the ?id=32f8a2e17093ms455.) is the only way to be able to “count” National Writers Union (www.nwu. for something during negotiations, but org/nwu) states that it is: “The trade that visibility must be earned through union for freelance and contract participation. She explained, “We writers: journalists, book authors, must take advantage of the few business and technical writers, web

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Certification Forum Diane Howard Deputy Chair, ATA Certification Committee What You Don’t Know About Being a Grader

As ATA President Marian S. ensure that all work groups are Sunday morning after the close of the Greenfield announced in her August applying program rules in the same conference at a workshop on guide- column, one important reason for the way. Also, graders with a particular lines, policies, and improving the pro- increase in ATA’s certification exam expertise or an idea for a new gram, which is an additional burden fee—which will go up to $300 for the approach to any facet of the program on their time and finances. In many 2008 examination year—is to provide give workshops to refine the exam cases, graders must focus entirely on better compensation for graders. This process further. After the meeting, the certification training and activities recognition of the work graders do work group chairs write summaries during the conference, leaving them has been needed for a long time, and that are distributed to their group very little time for anything else. is a major component in making members so that all graders are kept Winter brings a flurry of grading as ATA’s Certification Program even informed of current program policies. the exams from the conference are dis- more professional. Staying abreast of program develop- tributed. Grading, however, is not a So what do graders do, you may ments is a responsibility of all graders, seasonal activity. Throughout the ask? Let me walk you through an and one that requires a fair investment year—and while coping with the exam year. of time. processes mentioned above—the The graders’ year begins in the Moving into the summer, the pas- graders are marking tests under dead- spring, when language work groups sage selection process continues. The lines that often interfere with their per- start looking for passages for the next work groups have chosen their sets of sonal and professional lives. Tests to calendar year. Passage selection is one passages and written the translation be graded arrive on an erratic schedule of the most difficult and time-con- instructions that provide the context because there are more sittings at cer- suming things that graders do. The for both the exam candidate and the tain times of the year than others, and Passage Selection Task Force, graders. At this point, the passages are there is no way to predict the language working under the guidance of ATA’s sent to the Passage Selection Task combinations that will show up at Certification Committee, has set stan- Force for review. The review process most sittings. Only the Spanish dards to ensure consistency in passage is not just a handoff of the selected graders in both directions can count on difficulty, both across all 26 language passages, but often requires extensive exams from every sitting that occurs. pairs and from year to year. Choosing communication between work group In addition to regular exams, passages that meet these standards is members and the reviewer. In the graders also score practice tests and an essential element in the fairness of process, any translation challenges are participate in review and appeal the exam, and requires a great deal of identified and refined, and every panels. Graders devote a great deal of time and attention. Graders spend effort is made to ensure that the pas- time to marking each practice test, hours discussing whether a given passages are appropriate for translation because that is a major opportunity to sage is appropriate and identifying the under exam conditions. It sometimes communicate the format and expecta- challenges in each text. Passages are happens during this step that one or tions of the exam system to potential often taken for a trial run when more passages are rejected, and the candidates. During reviews and graders translate them under exam work group has to start from scratch appeals, graders literally agonize over circumstances (that is, with only the and find entirely new texts. Once the each mark. Our standard is that resources and time available during passages have been approved, all graders must be able to justify objec- the actual test) to see if there are any graders prepare sample translations. tively each mark they give. unexpected difficulties that might In the fall, people start preparing Grading and all the other activities eliminate the passage. for ATA’s Annual Conference, which required to create and maintain a profes- At some point during the spring, is the yearly opportunity for all sional, fair, and consistent examination the chairs of each language work graders to meet and discuss how the are extraordinarily time-consuming. The group and the Certification Committee program is working and to receive hours that graders donate to the program meet for workshops and updates on updates from the Certification constitute a form of subsidy—in terms exam procedures. This meeting allows Committee. During the conference, both of work performed and paying graders to make suggestions for pro- graders participate in special grader work given up to perform grader gram improvements and to discuss workshops in addition to the regular procedures with their colleagues to conference sessions. They also spend Continued on page 52

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Business Smarts Training for New Subject Specialities

Dear Business Smarts, your workload, you are wise to think izing yourself with a new branch of I have been working as a freelance about branching out right now. If an knowledge, you will find it useful as a translator (French) for about five agency customer with whom you long-term specialty only if it really years. I earned my ATA certification a already have a good relationship is interests you. Think carefully about all while ago, and I get regular work giving you an opportunity to put your life experiences and how they from several translation companies. newly acquired knowledge to work may have prepared you to learn about Since I was an information tech- immediately, it is definitely worth something new. Did you take some nology specialist in a former life, I your while to invest some time in university courses in a field that mostly translate software manuals and learning about something new. caught your interest at the time, but documentation. This line of work has Once you decide to add another you never pursued? Do you have hob- been steadily decreasing over the past subject specialty, you need to do some bies that might lead you into new sub- year and no longer keeps me as busy work. If the new area you are ject areas? Do you manage your as I would like. Just recently, one of exploring is plumbing, you can start family’s financial affairs and under- my regular agency customers got a in your own bathroom. You should stand all the statements and disclo- new client who makes plumbing fix- already have a basic understanding of sures? The vital distinction you must tures, and now they are asking if I can how everything in there works, and make is between a challenge and a translate test reports, catalog pages, you can expand your expertise by chore: acquiring a new translation spe- and maybe even some older patents. I spending an afternoon in the relevant cialty is an intellectual adventure, and would love to add some additional aisles of your local hardware store or it is a journey you must want to make. specialties so that I can work to home center. Work your way through capacity, but I do not know how to go all those mysterious connectors and about it. What should I do? components, and read the labels; you K.H. may also be able to find catalogs of Virginia plumbing supplies at the store. As always, the Internet is a tremendous Comments? Dear K.H., resource: try writing down a page or Training yourself for a new subject two of terms that you find in the ATA members can discuss business issues specialty is never easy, and it is not plumbing-connector section, and do a online at the following Yahoo! group: even easy to decide whether you simple search. You will probably find http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/ should branch out from the topics you lots of well-illustrated sites that not group/ata_business_practices. You already handle. The two most impor- only tell you what things are called, will need to register with Yahoo! (at no tant factors are, of course, time spent but how they function. charge) if you have not already done so, and money earned, and they need to The last factor to consider—and the and provide your full name and ATA be considered in both the present and most important—is interest. No matter member number in order to join the group. the future. Given the recent decline in how much effort you put into familiar-

The information in this column was compiled by members of ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee for the benefit of ATA members. This column is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each individual or company should make its own independent business decisions and consult its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of ATA or its Board of Directors. Send your questions about the business of translatio n and interpretation to The ATA Chronicle—BPEC Q&A; 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314; Fax: (703) 683-6122; E-mail: [email protected]. Questions must be accompanied by a complete name and address, but will be published anonymously or pseudonymously upon request.

Mark your calendar now! ATA’s 49th Annual Conference November 5-8, 2008 Orlando, Florida

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GeekSpeak Jost Zetzsche [email protected] Online Translation Memories

In my last few newsletters, I no one was really responsible for of duplicate and differently translated have discussed the pros and cons of keeping the TM clean. entries, sophisticated user access online translation memories (TMs); Still, some of my readers had very models, and terminology control that is, server-based TMs that can be strong opinions that came out against through links to well-maintained ter- simultaneously accessed by various the use of these TMs. Here is a sam- minology databases, among others. translators). This is a relevant and pling of their complaints: very current question because many Online access: Most of the products products now offer this feature. In • There is no control over the state of mentioned earlier give you the choice fact, for some products, server-based the TM. of either downloading the relevant TMs are at the very core of their func- • TMs are misaligned or otherwise data to work offline and then tionality. For instance, there is of poor quality. uploading the data to the main TM Lionbridge’s Logoport; commercially • There is less freedom to choose a (“synchronization”), or working on a available tools like Idiom, across, the work environment because of the live database. The benefit of real-time server-based editions of Trados, as requirement of constant online communication among the different well as SDLX, MemoQ, Fusion, access. translators/editors/proofreaders is cer- Lingotek, Wordfast, and Alchemy • There are always potential access tainly lost when using the first route. I Language Exchange; and various problems to TMs outside of normal think that in this question we find our- other tools. Each of these tools has working hours with no one there to selves in a twilight zone between eras. recognized and responded to the need fix it. With the exception of some remote for real-time sharing of TMs. locations, ubiquitous online access And at first glance it is hard to find Let’s look at each of these valid will be a reality in just a few years, and anything wrong with this. True to the points in more detail. until then we may just have to plan very concept of translation reuse with around hotspots if we like to work TMs, it simply does not seem to make Lack of control and quality of the while being mobile. sense to duplicate translation and ter- TMs: Yes, there is a loss of control minology research efforts across dif- when dealing with TMs that you have Database uptime: Whether we like it ferent project participants. Why not not created yourself and for which you or not, it has become a reality that large access the data that my colleague has cannot guarantee the quality. And if companies, both on the language already worked on in real-time? In the the TM is not well managed—which service provider side and on the client pre-online-TM days, large projects many are not—the quality issues do in side, have become multinational and that required the cooperation of var- fact come up. TMs are only as good as are often available around the clock ious translators (and editors and the content that is entered, and prob- with business centers worldwide. Still, proofreaders) were often frustrating. lematic TMs not only do not help, they when working with smaller compa- The nightly or weekly TM data actually hinder the progress of a nies, downtime after business hours exchange among the different partici- project by multiplying the problems. might occur, and there simply have to pants in the project was (and, in many However, the poor TM maintenance be strategies in place to deal with this, cases, still is) a very manual and that we sometimes see is because we such as an emergency contact or pay- tedious process that often resulted in a are still dealing with relatively new ment to the translator during the lost good amount of rework (fixing trans- technology. There is a learning curve, time. (That does not sound so bad, lations or stylistic issues that were and I am certain that the job title of does it?) And beyond that, we certainly done inconsistently) and quite a bit of TM Maintenance Specialist will be need to see robust products where overhead work with downloading, very common in the not-too-distant downtimes are the rare exception. importing, and merging TMs. Some future. (How does that sound for a of us were able to negotiate payment second, third, or fourth career?). Also, Nobody would question that com- for that kind of work; others were not. aside from the human factor, there is munication is an important facet of Plus, the quality of those TMs often still plenty that can be done to carry work in a work group, whether it is declined rapidly as well. Not every out quality control checks automati- virtual or not. At its lowest possible team member was up to par on main- cally with the respective programs. taining his part of the TM, and often This will have to include the flagging Continued on page 49

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The Onionskin Chris Durban [email protected] Sounding the Silly Season

August is a slow month for 300 DVDs, including Shrek 2, Ice Press reports in both German and news, which may be one reason why Age, and There’s Something About French cited labels marked “Non- translation shows up more readily on Mary, also weighs in on this topic. Modular Cemented” that had been the media radar screen. Industry She notes that a squeeze on prices can mistranslated as zementfrei or “not activists point out that this can work tempt agencies to use cash-strapped, requiring cement.” As a result, wrote to translators’ advantage, if enter- unqualified students. Among her own journalists, 47 prostheses were taining and informative profiles of examples of added value: locating implanted without cement, with a con- translators and accounts of their work specialized ship and sailing termi- siderable number of patients reporting replace silly-season filler. nology for the Czech subtitles of troubles. The hospital has now con- Master and Commander, a task she tacted those affected and is offering to The Spice of Life describes as “not easy in a land- make up for the mistake. But, as usual, An example of this would be an locked country.” someone will have to pick up the bill— insightful article in Variety, the U.S. The genesis of this particular remedial surgery to fix a botched knee entertainment industry daily, article bears mention. Helena Koutna job costs €6,500, and a legal adviser reviewing conditions in the subtitling works as an interpreter every year at representing two patients deems market. “Little time and low pay have the highly regarded Karlovy Vary €14,000 reasonable compensation for negative impact” is one conclusion Film Festival in the Czech Republic. the pain and suffering. The insurance drawn by journalist Archie Thomas, In July, she interpreted at the festival companies smell blood. but he also examines how some subti- for Peter Bart, editor-in-chief of A flawed translation at this level is tlers do such a remarkable job. Variety, who headed this year’s jury. a smoking gun for lawyers—and a Experts cited include Jerome Henry During breaks, she discussed with silver bullet for anyone seeking to Rudes, founder of the Avignon Film him the difficulties of producing top- promote awareness of the risks of for- Festival and a consultant to LVT Laser notch subtitles. A few weeks later, eign-language texts. So the Onionskin Subtitling. Mr. Rudes criticizes last- Variety’s London correspondent was was naturally keen to see who was minute subtitling done without the on the phone, and the rest is history, behind the “mistranslated labels” proper resources and care. Problems which you can read about at mentioned in the press reports. surface later, “at the screening of your www.variety.com/article/VR1117970 For implant manufacturer Smith & film in Lima or Lisbon, when the audi- 060.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Nephew, products have not been ence is not laughing at the funny lines,” labeled incorrectly at any time. In he says. Rudes advises moviemakers to Putting the Knee In— fact, “this is not a language issue,” a give “your girlfriend from Pennsylvania Where It Hurts company spokesman told us, pointing who did a semester abroad in Milan” a The glitz and glamour of the film instead to “internal quality controls at miss in favor of real professionals. industry make subtitling and dubbing St. Hedwig’s”—processes including As in other fields, subtitles suffer an excellent hook for readers in the storage, logistics, and general quality from being at the end of the produc- general public, but loss of life and control that were beyond the manu- tion chain: when delivery of a final limb through a translation error is even facturer’s responsibility. cut is delayed, killer deadlines strike. better, with needless pain and discom- The same source confirmed that Dan Olliff, vice-president of interna- fort running a close second. This prob- whereas the outer packaging is indeed tional film operations at Paramount, ably explains why reports of 47 knee only in English, a detailed instruction divides the process into dialogue endoprostheses incorrectly implanted manual in German is included inside translation and the physical process of due to a translation error at a Berlin the package along with each device. subtitling. Phase two is complicated hospital spread quickly through the This is in full compliance with by security concerns, he says; reels German press in mid-August. German law, he insisted. A press may be fed to companies producing These stories were relayed to other release on the company’s website physical prints in split shipments to European countries, and within hours, states that the company believes the limit the risk of piracy. medical experts were on the record English labeling is sufficient: “The Helena Koutna, a member of deploring the sale of medical equip- English labeling of packages is Britain’s Institute of Translation and ment labeled only in English and common use and understood by sur- Interpreting who has subtitled over judging the errors inadmissible. geons worldwide.” “We have been

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producing these devices for 15 years, Color Blind taken the definition from a Chinese- and have never had a mix-up before,” From tainted pet food and tooth- English dictionary they have been said the spokesman. paste to formaldehyde in children’s using for 10 years. “Maybe the dic- Another company representative pajamas, Chinese products have been tionary was updated, but we probably agreed, insisting that surgeons should in the hot seat this summer. Those didn’t follow suit,” he told the be familiar enough with the various who saw reports of a “Racist Sofa Associated Press, and apologized for types of devices to recognize which Outrage” that broke in Toronto last what he termed “a regrettable error.” one they were installing, and to know April might have seen it coming. Other observers pointed out that the whether cement was needed or not: It all began when Doris Moore pur- flawed label might reflect a mis- “Would you really want your surgeon chased a dark brown sofa from Vanaik spelling of “niger brown,” a term to be consulting a step-by-step ‘how to Furniture, a local retailer. According (rarely used nowadays) for a dark insert this implant’ instruction sheet as to the Associated Press, it was her chocolate color. you lay on the operating table?” seven-year-old daughter who first For Ms. Moore the apology was Linguists comment that many self- noticed the tag on the upholstery: not enough. The incident had “taken a proclaimed bilinguals are not as fluent “Nigger Brown.” The Moore family is toll on her family,” she told as they think, which, along with faulty black, which made the incident partic- Associated Press, and said she was process controls, might be the real ularly offensive. planning to seek compensation. point where the language factor enters Whodunit? Not me, said store Lessons for translation buyers? Get this story. owner Romesh Vanaik, who blamed it right the first time: use a profes- To date, none of our sources has the wholesaler, Cosmos Furniture. sional translator, proofread texts been able to show us a physical “mis- Not me, said Cosmos’s Paul Kumar. before display, and beware raw output translated label”; if the term refers to Not me, said the manufacturer. At the from translation software (and the box itself, Smith & Nephew say that end of the day, Kingsoft Corporation, spellchecking software). And if you the packaging they deliver complies a Beijing-based software company are working with foreign suppliers, with German law and is in English was left holding the bag. put a quality control system in place to only. Who indeed coined zementfrei, At Kingsoft, Huang Luoyi, a make sure they do not take shortcuts. and where? Were the devices stored on product manager for translation soft- a shelf or in a bin marked zementfrei ware, blamed an outdated version of With thanks to Bob Blake, Robert (by hospital staff?)? Pure speculation, its translation engine. Mr. Huang said Bononno, and Neil Inglis. and the hospital, St. Hedwig- that he was aware that “nigger” was Krankenhaus, has no comment. “a very bad word.” His company had

GeekSpeak Continued from page 47

denominator, a shared TM is nothing not to get used to working with online The Onionskin is a client edu- but a subtle and powerful communica- TMs, it is certainly your choice to con- cation column launched by tion tool. While there are limitations tinue working with smaller clients who the ITI Bulletin (a publication that have not yet been completely are less likely to use that technology. of the U.K.’s Institute of overcome, most of us will get used to Translation and Interpreting) this next stage of the TM evolution. in 1996. Comments and And if you cannot or simply prefer leads for future columns are very welcome; please include full contact details. Contact: The GeekSpeak column has two goals: to inform the community about technological advances and at the same time [email protected]. encourage the use and appreciation of technology among translation professionals. Jost also publishes a free technical newsletter for translators (www.internationalwriters.com/toolkit).

The ATA Chronicle October 2007 49 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:54 PM Page 50

Success by Association Arizona Court Interpreters Association

• Established: 1980 • Contact: The Arizona Court Inter- Arizona Court Interpreters Quick • Website: preters Association (ACIA), founded in www.aciaonline.org Association 1980, is the only statewide court inter- 162 W Myrna Lane preter association in Arizona. The Facts Tempe, AZ 85284 majority of current members are prac- ticing interpreters and translators who provide language services to the state’s various court systems in 14 spoken languages and American Sign Language. • Providing a standard of profes- Online Member List sional conduct and a professional ACIA’s online member list provides Mission code of ethics. contact information and details about ACIA endeavors to maintain high stan- each member’s services (i.e., lan- dards for interpreters and translators Please visit www.aciaonline.org for guages, specializations). who provide professional and cultur- complete membership details. ally-sensitive language services in a Website variety of environments. ACIA accom- Newsletter In addition to membership information, plishes this by: InterPress, published quarterly, con- ACIA’s website (www.aciaonline.org) tains information on meetings, inter- contains: association news and event • Offering workshops and seminars preter resources, and terminology listings; the member list; the associa- on ethics and other timely issues issues. Members have the option of tion’s bylaws and code of ethics; given by professionals in their receiving the newsletter through the resource links; the InterPress archives fields. These events are free for mail or e-mail, and can download in PDF format; and a frequently-asked- ACIA members. copies as PDF files from the associa- questions page. tion’s website. • Providing a forum for members to network and to share ideas, experiences, and employment opportunities. ATA chapters, affiliates, and local groups serve translators and interpreters in specific geo- graphic areas. They provide industry information, networking opportunities, and support • Working toward the establishment services to members at the local level and act as liaisons with the national association. This of state certification and testing column is designed to serve as a quick resource highlighting the valuable contributions programs. these organizations are making to the Association and the profession as a whole.

Translationgetting it right Translation: Getting it Right “By applying even half the tips in this guide, you will improve A guide to buying translations your chances of getting a translation that works.” Translation: Getting it Right is an ATA client education booklet available in print and online. ATA members can order up to 100

american translators association copies at no cost. To download a PDF copy of this booklet, visit www.atanet.org.

50 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-Final.qxd 10/22/07 3:02 PM Page 51

Send your news to Jeff Sanfacon at [email protected] or American Translators Association, 225 Member News Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314.

• Eriksen Translations was named Wüster Prize in recognition of his Melby is a professor at Brigham one of the 100 women-owned busi- dedication and contributions to the Young University in Provo, Utah. ness enterprises having an impact on field of terminology. The award, supplier diversity in the summer 2007 sponsored by the International • SDL International was among the issue of Women’s Enterprise USA. Information Centre for Termin- recipients of the 2007 International ology, was presented to Alan at the Stevie Award in the “Most Innovative • Everett Jordan has left his posi- ISO Technical Committee 37 Company in Europe” category. tion as director of the National meeting in Provo, Utah. The Eugen Virtual Translation Center.Jeff Wüster Prize, named after the • Syntes Language Group has been Robinson will be stepping in. “father of terminology science,” is ranked as the 17th fastest growing pri- awarded every three years to indi- vate company in Denver, Colorado, • ATA Secretary Alan K. Melby has viduals with an outstanding life by the Denver Business Journal. been awarded the 2007 Eugen record in the field of terminology.

New Certified Members Congratulations! The following people have successfully passed ATA’s certification exam:

English into Croatian English into Spanish Dutch into English Seka S. Plemenitas Daniel G. Grau Lydia K. Heilmann Ringoes, NJ Buenos Aires, Argentina Fairfield, CT

Tomas Russ English into Portuguese Carlisle, MA German into English Marcelo N. Almeida Marlene E. Heinemann Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Seattle, WA Arabic into English Paulo Mendes Christine A. Kwilinski Angela R. Woodworth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Grandville, MI Eichstaett, Germany

Richard L. Marrash Fairfield, CT

Active Member Review Congratulations! The Active Membership Review Committee is pleased to grant active status to:

Dierk Seeburg Michele L. Bantz Paula Dieli Carlos J. Wesley Mesa, AZ Hoboken, NJ San Francisco, CA Leesburg, VA

The ATA Chronicle October 2007 51 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:54 PM Page 52

Certification Forum Continued from page 45

duties—that has gone largely unrecog- However, as noted in the first para- ongoing education requirements in nized up to now. The demands placed on graph, the purpose of the increased addition to those currently needed to graders by the program and its develop- compensation is not only to reward retain certification. The Board and the ment have continued to grow, thus graders properly for the work they do, Certification Committee agree that requiring graders to dedicate more of but also to contribute to the further these changes will further strengthen their professional and personal time. By professionalization of the program by our already strong certification increasing grader compensation, the putting graders and ATA Headquarters program. Board has acknowledged the work that in a relationship resembling the And to all the graders out there: graders put into the certification system, translator-agency model that will thanks for a really great job. You brought compensation for the paid tasks include a strong quality control deserve all the support we can give you. closer to the industry standard, and made element in addition to the checks on recruiting and retaining professional grader performance already in place. graders much easier. Also, graders will be required to meet

Upcoming Events

October 31–November 3, 2007 November 24–26, 2007 March 7-8, 2008 American Translators Association Organización Mexicana de Traductores Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies 48th Annual Conference Capítulo Occidente Nordic Translation Conference San Francisco, California 11th International Translation London, England www.atanet.org & Interpretation Congress www.awaywithwords.se/nordic.htm “San Jerónimo 2007” November 7–11, 2007 Guadalajara, Mexico May 13-17, 2008 American Literary Translators Association www.omt.org.mx/general.htm Association of Language Companies 30th Anniversary Conference 2008 Annual Conference “Celebrating the Past, Imagining the Future” November 24–26, 2007 San Francisco, California Richardson, Texas FIT Regional Centre Latin America www.alcus.org www.literarytranslators.org 2nd Meeting of the FIT Regional Centre Latin America August 4–7, 2008 November 15-18, 2007 Guadalajara, Mexico International Federation of Translators American Council on the www.omt.org.mx/general.htm 18th FIT World Congress Teaching of Foreign Languages Shanghai, China 41st Annual Convention & Exposition December 27–30, 2007 www.fit-ift.org “Bridging Cultures Through Languages” Modern Language Association San Antonio, Texas 123rd Annual Convention www.actfl.org Chicago, Illinois www.mla.org/convention

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Compiled by Dictionary Review Boris Silversteyn [email protected]

Elsevier’s Dictionary of Art The title page of Elsevier’s Because there is no guide on how to History Terms Dictionary of Art History Terms indi- use the dictionary, the best way to French↔English cates that it was compiled by Jean- explain its organization is to give some Pierre Michaux, a “professeur Agrégé examples. Let us suppose that we want Author: de l’Université de Lille.” The agréga- to find the English translation of the Jean-Pierre Michaux tion is a competitive examination that phrase dentelle à l’aiguille. There is no confers on the successful candidate the need to wonder where to find the trans- Publisher: right to teach in public high schools lation, since we can go to either den- Elsevier (lycées) and in some of the post-sec- telle or aiguille. If we choose to look at www.elsevier.com ondary schools. Instead of a teaching aiguille, which appears below aiguille career, Michaux chose to join his and its various translations, first gen- Publication date: father’s management company, eventu- eral then according to field, we will 2005 ally becoming its president. Throughout find listed alphabetically as headwords his career as a financier, Michaux has “broderie à l’aiguille s.f. [text.] - Number of pages: pursued what he calls his passion for needle-embroidering, needle-work, 560 contemporary art. He has been the crewel-work”; then “dentelle à l’aigu- director of an art institute, and he owns ille s.f. [text.] - needle lace, needle ISBN: a gallery in Le Louvre des Antiquaires. point lace, point lace.” But we can also 0-444-50340-4 look at dentelle instead of aiguille, Organization where we will find dentelle à l’aiguille Price: Michaux’s dictionary is comprised with exactly the same translations. $136.00 of the standard two general sections: Conversely, working from 229 pages of French¡English; 316 English¡French, if we wanted to find Available from: pages of English¡French. Actually, a translation for “needle point lace,” www.elsevier.com the entry words and phrases are listed we could find our answer at either one www.dicoland.com individually and cross-referenced of the three entries (needle, point, or within each half of the dictionary in lace). By the way, if we wanted to Reviewed by: such a way that a user, with few excep- translate “needle-work” and “went to Jean Leblon tions, does not need to guess where to work,” we would find under the trans- look for a phrase that includes a cer- lation of the single term “work,” a list tain term. While it takes a moment to of some 94 entries of phrases and understand the principle, a few exam- compound words, from “appliqué ples will show how it is quite helpful. work” and “bad work” to “wood- work” and “youthful work.” Content In the French section, the list of 54 Omissions abbreviations used to identify the sub- Such complete and precise cross- fields includes many that the reader references are not without a few sur- would expect and recognize (archit., prising cases of interesting grav., mob., sculpt.), and quite a few alphabetization or other glitches. For that he may be surprised to find, such instance, I did not figure out why as equ. (équitation), jur. (juridique), bureau à un caisson comes before mil. (militaire), and nau. (termes nau- bureau à cylindre, while bureau à tiques). The English section lists only rideau comes last in a list of eight 47 such identifications. I did not find entries, until I realized that the entries any entry marked jur., but a large are alphabetized according to the next number marked nau. (for instance, noun in the phrase. Other seemingly under mât: mât d’artimon, mât de inconsistent entries are those that are Beaupré, mât de hune). not cross-referenced in more ➡

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Dictionary Review Continued

than one entry of a compound or Typographical Errors Overall Evaluation phrase. For instance, “box-bed” (furni- Typographical errors are rather few, The cross-references within ture)—lit-armoire—can be found but disappointing: couteau dechassee; each section definitely make this dic- under “bed” and under “box” in the film en coleurs; gravure en colours; tionary very easy to use. It means, of English section, and in the French sec- blank window; maz (for maze); course, that the claim of “approxi- tion, it appears only under armoire,but Mouvais œil; and Virgin of the Seven mately 40,000 terms” should really be not under lit (which is not there at all). Soirows. Note that the English spelling changed to “40,000 entries,” given the It is not easy to say what can be is British (aluminium, colour, labour, fact that all terms consisting of more found and what cannot in this dictionary. travelling, porphyr, etc.). As for mis- than one word are repeated at least Again, there is no indication given by translations, I found only a confusion once, and often twice or more. the author or editor. A comparison with in the case of “eyeshade” translated as Nonetheless, the dictionary remains a other French¡English art dictionaries abat-jour, which is “lampshade,” while wealth of information on art history would help, but I was not able to consult “eyeshade” is visière, but that may be a terms from the commonplace to the any of the few that came up from a British usage. specialized and the esoteric. The iden- search, especially Claude Ferment’s tification of the subfield is also very Dictionnaire des termes de l’art. There Proper Names helpful, especially in the case of mul- are many monolingual French and A few last words about proper tiple translations of one term. English glossaries and dictionaries, names. There are no names of artists My major complaint is the some of which I used to check on omis- listed as single entries, and only a few lack of consideration given to the user sions in this work. In a dictionary that are identified in parentheses: who wishes that he had not had to dis- unexpectedly gives the translation of Enterrement du Comte d’Orgaz (du cover on his own how the terms were “soup ladle” and “tendency” as a general Gréco); Enseigne de Gersaint (L’) (de organized, which is something that term without any reference to a subfield, Watteau); and Ronde de nuit (La) (de should be included in an introduction, it is surprising not to find terms such as Rembrandt). Why, one might ask, is along with an explanation of the “bearing wall,” “darkroom,” depth of Déjeuner sur l’herbe (Le) not simi- choice of terms. Why can one find the field,” “fin de siècle,” “horology,” larly identified? There are many Birth of the Virgin, but not the Birth of “shellac,” and “tracer.” There are many entries of works of art, particularly Venus? I do not miss it, but I would other terms that the author decided not to paintings, but they are, I assume, given appreciate knowing that the entry is include for one reason or another: as generic themes rather than specific not included before I waste time “beader,” “deltiology,” “megaron,” works: “Déposition de croix s.f. [peint. looking for it. As for the relatively few “sprue,” “tamping,” “tanka,” & relig.]—Descent from the cross”; typos and inconsistencies noted, the “tchotchke,” and “xerography.” “Rois Mages (Les), s.m.p. (relig.).” examples given here will show that There are other omissions, if If we go to the entries that include they should be easy to correct in a indeed they are omissions: broyage the term Vierge and “Virgin,” we find no future edition. (de couleurs) does not appear under less than 55 entries, from “Birth of the couleur, but broyer les couleurs does, Virgin (The)” to “Virgin of which should suffice. Since the dic- Tenderness (The),” all of which are tionary does not have a guide detailing listed under other terms (“birth” and Jean M. Leblon taught at several colleges and how terms are organized, I must nativité, “tenderness” and tendresse). served as chairman of the Department of assume that such apparent absences Only four of the entries are attributed to French at Vanderbilt University. After may be explained by the use of the an artist in the English section, and three retirement, he worked at Microsoft as a parentheses. Here is another example: in the French section (for example, translator and senior French terminologist. Since condamner (une porte) in the French Onze Mille Vierges (les) (de Carpaccio) then, he has been an independent translator, section is reflected in the English sec- is found only under the letter O. There narrator, and interpreter. He has served on the tion by “block up (a door),” but it is are also some names of places, build- boards of ATA, the Northwest Translators and not to be found under porte in French ings, mythological, historical and bib- Interpreters Society, the Alliance française, and nor under “door” in English, as would lical personages, religious feast days, the Seattle-Nantes Sister Cities Association. be expected. Still, I did not understand and biblical chapters, but the rationale Contact: [email protected]. the reason for the parentheses. for their inclusion is not evident.

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The Translation Inquirer John Decker [email protected]

As I write this in the evening, Caribbean? Indigenous Hispanic I now know of a language dialect that America? Where?” But Joual is none was unknown to me as recently as of those. It is a working class dialect Abbreviations early this morning. If someone had of Quebecois French, and since used with this column come up to me and told me that, as tourists from that area often drive close as 350 miles from where I am through this state on their way to E–English Po–Polish now, there are speakers in very signif- warmer climates, I have probably Fa–Farsi Pt–Portuguese icant numbers of a dialect called heard Joual in restaurants and stores F–French Sl–Slovak Joual, I would have first paused, without having the slightest clue as to G–German Sp–Spanish blinked, and then my mind would what it was or where it came from. I Gr-Greek Uk–Ukrainian have started racing with thoughts such will be alert for the sound of it, if I can I–Italian as, “This must be an émigré group detect it, from now on, though. And that brought their dialect with them the moral of the story is, Learning from….where? The West Indies? The Never Stops. Never.

New Queries and we are in an excellent position at verità di carne della pittura dei terri- (E-Fa 10-07/1) Farsi comes to this the outset due to a virtual dictionary tori da Giotto è la Madonna page at last! Quoting from definition: A bradytroph is a strain of dell’Umiltà del fabranese Allegretto Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, an organism or cell tissue that exhibits Nuzi, protagonista della scena artis- we need a good dynamic translation of slow metabolism. This may be due to tica fiorentina allo svoltare della metà shooting the messenger. Perhaps the an enzyme defect or absence in a del XIV secolo. What is the English? play already exists in Farsi, but metabolic pathway that is essential for assuming it does not, some creative growth…a bradytroph may more often (Pt-E 10-07/8) Here is something work here is needed to express fully be referred to as a “leaky auxotroph.” from viticulture: a ProZ member the notion of lashing out at the bearer Any ideas? wants to know what good English of bad news. Who would have guessed would be for agua-pe. It comes from this expression goes back to 1598? (E-Uk 10-07/5) An automotive term, this sentence: O Dia de S Martinho windshield suction pedestal, needs a comemora-se 11 de Novembro. Neste (E-G 10-07/2) The English somewhat- good Ukrainian equivalent, says a dia, em Portugal, assam-se castanhas slangy term bragging rights, taken from ProZer. Ugh, do I have one of those in e prova-se o vinho novo. A tradição an online game, requires a German my vehicle? manda que se festeje com castanhas, equivalent. I am bracing myself: there agua-pe uma fogueira para salta, could be a ton of responses to this one, (G-E 10-07/6) In an expert report on a musica e muito convivo. depending on how creative you are with pipeline, Cappie found (x.a) the German language. Blasenzugstutzen and (x.b) (Sl-E 10-07/9) A hearty welcome to Schiebertasse. For the former, here is Slovak in this column. In an insurance (E-Gr 10-07/3) This bit of text, some context: An dem underirdisch contract, A ProZ user found, “Poistitel’ regarding medical instruments, eingebauten Blasenzugstutzen können je povinn˘: a. zasielat’ poistníkovi naj- including the troublesome Lucite man- zerstörungsfreie Prüfungen ohne neskôr do 18. dna kalendárneho ifold, needs to make its way into Freilegung dieses Bereiches nicht mesiaca nasledujúceho po uplynutí Greek: Once the cells were seeded in durchgeführt werden. As for (x.b), it is poistného obdobia, v˘kaz poistného the appropriate compartments, the Zwischen der Pumpstation und der udalosti za mesiac…ktorého vzor je v chip was assembled in a Lucite mani- Schiebertasse des MOV ist die Leitung polohe c. 3 k tejto zmluve….” How do fold. Is there anyone capable of oberirdisch verlegt. What are they? we render the words in bold print in dealing with this? English? (I-E 10-07/7) Let’s get architectural, (E-Po 10-07/4) A ProZer requested a with the first 11 difficult words of this (Sp-E 10-07/10) Replies had begun to Polish equivalent for the following, text: Caposaldo delle umanissime come in on this by the time the

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Translation Inquirer encountered it, translate this as: The already sprouted (Sp-E 7-07/8) (penular): Gonzalo but they looked less than convincing. gramineous, dicotyledons, and cyper- Ordòñez thinks this might be a typo The abbreviation UE appears in an aceae weeds…” for pendular, which has a mechan- informed consent form. First comes ical meaning in the line of estàtico the protocol number, then the name of (G-E 6-07/7) (OwiG): This, says and rotatorio. the sponsor, then, in a list, Iniciales del Marian Comenetz, is the Gesetz über paciente (UE) Nº del paciente (UE) Ordnungswidrigkeiten, and a Google (Sp-E 7-07/9) (endite): Since it looks Fecha de nacimiento del paciente search for it reveals that all the hits so strange in the context given on page (UE). What on earth could they be? involve capitalization of the “W” as 56 of the July issue, Gonzalo Ordòñez well: OWiG. suspects it may not to be a Spanish (Sp-E 10-07/11) Here is some biome- word at all, and finds it very hard to chanics, if that turns you on. Under an (G-E 7-07/5) (Preis um Preis): accept it as meaning exploratory sur- overall heading of Principios mecánicos Without having too much context to gery. According to Merriam Webster’s aplicados al aparato locomotor, the first go on, Marian Comenetz nonetheless Dictionary, endite in English is a principle is Sistema biomecánico. assumes that there is a verb in the sen- variant of indite, which means to make Cadenas biocinemáticas – grados de tence, and therefore it might be ren- up, compose, put down in writing. libertad y condiciones de ligaduras de dered as carried away many prizes or Formerly, it also meant to dictate. los movimientos. Even the Translation won one prize after another or gar- More information is needed to ascer- Inquirer knows what grados de libertad nered many awards. tain the role of endite in a list of sur- is, but what is the meaning, in English, gery-related terms. of the bold-print words that follow? (I-E 7-07/6) (Paesi transfrontaliero Adriatici): Amy Lamborn has no pre- The Translation Inquirer does not mind Replies to Old Queries cise knowledge of the context in that there are fewer of the old work- (E-G 6-07/1) (clear working days): which this phrase appears. She sur- horse languages in the 11 queries above Unrelated to weather, this term, says mises that what is being referred to are than normal. Is that okay with you? Marian Comenetz, has to do with a the Adriatic countries that are partici- series of full days, with the exception for pating, with the regions of Italy that This column is solely intended as a means of facili- the first and last, that is, Sundays and border on the Adriatic Sea, in cross- tating a general discussion regarding terminology choices. holidays. The term is legal, and Marian border programs involving concerns For feedback regarding pressing terminology questions, found it in the 2005 edition of the like the environment, culture, or infra- please try one of these online forums: Lantra-L Diccionario de Términos Juridicos by structure, which would benefit both (www.geocities.com/athens/7110/lantra.htm), Enrique Alcarez Varó and Brian Hughes. countries, one example being the ProZ.com (www.proz.com), or Translators Café Adriatic New Neighborhood (http://translatorscafe.com). (E-Sp 6-07/5) (construction of reli- Programme. Lindsay Sabadosa calls it Address your queries and responses to The gious identity, fear of the other, main- the Adriatic Crossborder Operational Translation Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, taining boundaries): Marian Programme, and says that it embraces Pennsylvania 17821, or fax them to (570) 275- Comenetz feels that construction in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia- 1477. E-mail address: [email protected]. Please this three-part phrase refers only to Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, make your submissions by the first of each month to religious identity, and not to the two Albania, and Macedonia. be included in the next issue. Generous assistance from items that follow. Again, Spanish Per Dohler, proofreader, is gratefully acknowledged. appears to have slavishly followed (Sp-E 6-07/12) (c.s.p.): It means club English academic-speak: a Google social privado, says Marian search revealed 228,000 hits for Comenetz, and her reply echoes that Construcción de la identidad. Even of Mercedes Guhl two months ago. desarrollo de la identidad (develop- The club in question appears to have ment of identity) has 56,000 hits. celebrated its 25th anniversary, as she Visit found out from using the Internet to www.atanet.org (F-E 7-07/4) (Les mauvaises herbes track down the Mundo Salser- today! graminées): Gonzalo Ordòñez would Asociación de Melómanos de Bogotá.

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Humor and Translation Mark Herman [email protected] From Captain Macheath to Mack the Knife

The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay was first per- him). Lotte Lenya had been the original Polly in 1928. formed in London in 1728 and ran for 62 nights. A revival In March 1954, the production opened in New York and opened in 1920 and ran for three and a half years. ran, with one intermission, until December 1961, for a total But it is not The Beggar’s Opera, and its protagonist of 2,707 performances. Jo Sullivan and Lotte Lenya were Captain Macheath, that most Americans have heard about. still in the cast, joined by Beatrice Arthur playing Lucy Rather it is Die Dreigroschenoper, and its protagonist Brown, Macheath’s other “wife.” Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife). This is due in large part In 1956, a production opened in London that was not not only to Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, the librettist and hated by the critics. composer of Die Dreigroschenoper, but to two translators: And so The Threepenny Opera became established Elisabeth Hauptmann, who translated The Beggar’s Opera throughout the world, including among English speakers. into German so that Brecht could adapt it into Die There have been several English translations since Dreigroschenoper (and who, some say, actually wrote parts Blitzstein’s, though none as good in my opinion. There have of Die Dreigroschenoper herself); and Marc Blitzstein, who also been several popular recordings of the Moritat (i.e., the translated Die Dreigroschenoper into what English Ballad of Mack the Knife). There have also been three speakers know as The Threepenny Opera. movie versions: one made in 1930 in German and French; Much of the information that follows can be found at one made in 1963 in German and English, in which Sammy www.threepennyopera.org/histOffBway.php. Davis, Jr. plays the street singer who sings the Ballad of The first performance of Die Dreigroschenoper occurred Mack the Knife; and one made in 1989 in English, with on August 31, 1928. According to the website, “After a slow Raul Julia as Mack the Knife. Unfortunately, none of the start…[and] somewhat mixed reviews, the show takes off, movie versions succeeds as a production of the work. and several new productions in Germany are arranged One reason why productions fail is that some directors within days.” By 1929, there were over 40 new productions (and translators) refuse to believe that the work is truly as in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, savagely biting as Brecht, and indeed also Gay, wrote it. But Finland, and the Soviet Union. consider Brecht’s Kanonen (Cannon, or Army) Song, the But the reception among English speakers was harsh. In refrain of which ends: 1933, the musical opened on Broadway in an English translation by Jerrold Krimsky and Gifford Cochran. The critics Wenn es mal regnete und es begegnete hated it and the run lasted only 12 performances. In ihnen 'ne neue Rasse, 'ne braune oder blasse, February 1935, a complete performance (I do not know dann machen sie vielleicht daraus ihr Beefsteak Tartar. whether in English or German) was broadcast by the BBC to unanimous criticism, including by Kurt Weill himself. In [Should it rain and should they [the soldiers] meet 1937, an edition of The Beggar’s Opera was published by a new race [of people], brown or pale, Heritage Press in New York, in which an Introduction by A. then perhaps they will make from them their Beefsteak P. Herbert referred to Die Dreigroschenoper only as a Tartar.] “queer twisted version” of Gay’s work. And so, while the work continued to enjoy popularity in or, in Blitzstein’s singing translation: Germany and elsewhere—in 1938, the Nazis had to stop playing songs from it as examples of “degenerate art” If we get feeling down, we wander into town, because the audience enjoyed them too much—among and if the population should greet us with indignation, Anglophones the work was represented by just one ballet, we chop ’em to bits because we like our hamburgers raw! Antony Tudor’s 1938 Judgment of Paris, which Tudor cho- reographed to Weill’s music. And then, shortly after Weill died in 1950, American playwright Marc Blitzstein began writing his English trans- Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit items for future columns via e-mail lation. In 1952, Blitzstein’s version was tried out at Brandeis to [email protected] or via snail mail to Mark Herman, 1409 E. Gaylord University. In the cast were Jo Sullivan, wife of Broadway St., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858-3626. Discussions of the translation of humor and librettist and composer Frank Loesser, playing Polly examples thereof are preferred, but humorous anecdotes about translators, transla- Peachum (who “marries” Macheath), and Lotte Lenya, Kurt tions, and mistranslations are also welcome. Include copyright information and per- Weill’s widow, playing the prostitute Jenny (who betrays mission if relevant.

58 The ATA Chronicle October 2007 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:54 PM Page 59

Call for Papers Attention National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Advertisers: 29th Annual Conference May 16-18, 2008 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Reserve your Conference organizers are seeking presentations on Spot all aspects of judiciary interpreting and translation, including: skills-building; ethics; tape transcription; Today research skills; reference works; special legal projects; court interpreting in other countries; specialized terminology; lexicography; legislation; advocacy; Increase your company’s technology; and interpreting in other settings (e.g., visibility by placing an medical visits, international tribunals). ad in The ATA Chronicle.

For more information, please go to http://najit.org Contact: and click on “Seeking Presentations for Pittsburgh!” Matt Hicks at McNeill Group Inc. You can also e-mail Lois Feuerle, conference chair, at [email protected] [email protected]. 215.321.9662 ext. 19.

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation Location and Office of Publication: American Translators Association Date of filing: October 3, 2007 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314 Title of Publication: The ATA Chronicle Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters: Same as above Frequency of Issues: Monthly, except for a combined November/December issue Names and Address of Editor and Publisher: No. of Issues Published Annually: 11 issues Editor—Jeff Sanfacon, address same as above Annual Subscription Price: $50 Publisher—Walter Bacak, address same as above Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: n/a.

Publication Name: The ATA Chronicle Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 2007 Extent and Nature of Circulation Average No. of Copies Each Issue No. of Copies of Single Issue During Preceeding 12 months Published Nearest to Filing Date A. Total No. of Copies (Net press run) 9,909 10,400 B. Paid and/or Requested Circulation 1. Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541 8,074 8,509 (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies) 2. Paid In-County Subscriptions stated on Form 3541 (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies) —0— —0— 3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and 1,445 1,517 Other non-USPS Paid Distribution 4. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS —0— —0— C. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of B1, 2, 3, and 4) 9,518 10,026 D. Free distribution by mail (samples, complimentary, and other free) 1. Outside County as Stated on Form 3541 —0— —0— 2. In-County as Stated on Form 3541 —0— —0— 3. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS 114 62 E. Free Distribution Outside the Mail (carriers or other means) 133 74 F. Total Free Distribution (Sum of D and E) 247 136 G. Total Distribution (Sum of C and F) 9,765 10,162 H. Copies Not Distributed 144 238 I. Total (Sum of G and H) 9,909 10,400 J. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (C ÷ G x 100) 97.5% 98.7%

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. (Signed) Walter Bacak, Publisher and Executive Director

The ATA Chronicle October 2007 59 ATA Oct07-SF.qxd 10/18/07 7:54 PM Page 60

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2007 ATA Pro Bono/School Outreach Project Center for the Art of Translation By Kirk Anderson, 2007 Pro Bono Project Coordinator

The beneficiary of this year’s ATA pro bono project is the San Francisco- based Center for the Art of Translation (CAT), whose groundbreaking program, Poetry Inside Out (PIO), brings translators into Bay Area classrooms. CAT will be presented with ATA’s first award for outstanding achievement in translation in public education. In addition to a monetary prize, ATA will place as many as 20 volunteer translators and interpreters in PIO classrooms to discuss our professions with the students. Those attending ATA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco can see students participate in a reading on November 1 at Chronicle Books, 680 Second Street, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Founded by ATA member Olivia Sears, CAT receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. Among its many activities, CAT publishes the respected literary annual Two Lines: A Journal of Translation (now in its 14th year), which features English translations (always published with at least an excerpt of the original) from dozens of languages in genres extending far beyond traditional literature.

Among CAT’s most innovative activities is its PIO program, which brings literary translators into elementary and middle school classrooms in the San Francisco Bay Area’s public schools to talk about the art of translation. Among other things, the PIO program, which works predominantly with bilingual Latino children, but is also developing a pilot program in Chinese, seeks to demonstrate the benefits of bilingualism, encourage language learning, and promote reading and translation skills through a series of activities, culminating in anthologies of student work and public poetry recitals.

As is clear from the published anthologies and the awards won by students, the program is a remarkable success. In talking with CAT’s administrators about ATA’s upcoming conference, they expressed an enormous interest in bringing ATA members into their classrooms to provide their students with a broader perspective on the power of translation. After the initial volunteer visit on November 1, 2007, volunteers from the Northern California Translators Association, an ATA chapter, will continue to visit classrooms during the remainder of the 2007–2008 school year.

The PIO program, the only one of its kind, echoes ATA’s primary purpose: to promote the recognition of the translation and interpreting professions. By recognizing and supporting such a program, ATA not only encourages the expansion and replication of their efforts and similar local grassroots efforts to raise awareness of translation and interpreting, but also plays an active role in the cascading impact such efforts will have on future generations of language professionals and their clients.

On behalf of ATA, I would like to thank CAT and its PIO program for the great work they are doing; the Northern California Translators Association in general, and Tuomas Kostiainen,Yves Avérous, Naomi Baer, Alison Dent, Jacki Noh, and Ines Swaney in particular for their support of this project; ATA’s Board and Headquarters staff for their assistance in making this project a reality, and particularly ATA Public Relations Committee members Lillian Clementi and Tony Beckwith; and the many volunteers who have yet to be selected as of this writing. For more information Center for the Art of Translation www.catranslation.org

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