November/December 2010 Volume XXXIX Number 11 The A Publication of the American Translators Association CHRONICLE In this issue: What the Doctor Ordered: Skilled Interpreters Translating for U.S. School Districts Blogging 101 LANGUAGE ANALYSIS AT THE N ATIONAL S ECURITY A GENCY
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U.S. citizenship is required. NSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants for employment are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or status as a parent. November/December 2010 Volume XXXIX American Translators Association 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 • Alexandria, VA 22314 USA Number 11 Tel: +1-703-683-6100 • Fax: +1-703-683-6122 Contents November/December 2010 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.atanet.org A Publication of the American Translators Association
10 What the Doctor Ordered: Skilled Interpreting for Better, Less Costly Healthcare Interview conducted and condensed by Lillian Clementi Dr. James Rohack, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, discusses the need for skilled 10 interpreters in healthcare settings. 13 What Elephant in the Room? Translating Education Documents for U.S. School Districts By Anne Rude The field of K-12 education can be a reliable source of income for publishers and translators who understand the nature and requirements of this unique market. 18 Exploring Career Options for Linguists and 13 Other Exotic Species: The Prequel – “Know Thyself” By Bobbi Daren Based on her own personal quest, the author has put together some simple guidelines, tips, and tools to help put you on the road to finding your own career “holy grail.” 23 Blogging 101 By Riccardo Schiaffino Blogs are a great way to boost your online visibility, but maintaining a blog and making it interesting for you and for others requires dedication.
18 Columns and Departments
6 Our Authors 33 GeekSpeak 7 From the President 34 Success By Association 8 From the Executive Director 35 Dictionary Review 29 The Entrepreneurial Linguist 38 The Translation Inquirer 30 Blog Trekker 40 Humor and Translation 32 Member News 42 Directory of Language Services
3 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 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The ATA Chronicle, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, We Want You! Alexandria, VA 22314 USA. The American Translators Association (ATA) was established in 1959 as a not-for-profit professional society to foster and support the professional The ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages development of translators and interpreters and to members and nonmembers to submit promote the translation and interpreting professions. The subscription rate for a member is $43 (included articles of interest. For Submission Guidelines, in the dues payment). The U.S. subscription rate for a nonmember is $65. Subscribers in Canada and visit www.atanet.org/chronicle. The ATA Chronicle Mexico add $25; all other non-U.S. subscribers add $45. Single copies are available for $7 per issue. is published 11 times per year, with a combined
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Advertising Walter Bacak 9 Administrative Office of the The University of Texas [email protected] Courts–Judicial Council 5 at Brownsville +1-703-683-6100, ext. 3006 of California www.utb.edu/translation Fax: +1-703-683-6122 www.courtinfo.ca.gov/interpreters Executive Director National Security Agency 9 Star Group America, LLC Walter Bacak 2 www.nsa.gov www.star-group.net [email protected]
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The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 5 Our Authors November/December 2010
Lillian Clementi is a member of ATA’s Anne Rude is the translation services specialist for Prince William Public Relations Committee and man- County Public Schools (PWCS) in northern Virginia. She has been aging principal of Lingua Legal, a trans- an educator for over 30 years, serving as a high school teacher and lation practice based in Arlington, on occasion as adjunct professor for Northern Virginia Community Virginia. She translates from French College. Currently, she is the primary Spanish-language translator and German into English, specializing and trainer of interpreters for PWCS. She also heads a multi-district in law and business. Contact: coalition of school division interpreters throughout Virginia. She has [email protected]. a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Virginia and attended the University of Virginia School of Law. She has been a Bobbi Daren, JD, holds a BA in member of ATA since 2006. Contact: [email protected]. Spanish education and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Riccardo Schiaffino has been working Management. She acquired additional in translation for over 25 years as a linguistic and cultural competency skills freelance translator, translation through studies in Spain, China, and manager, and now as a partner in Japan, where she was a Fellow of the Aliquantum,a small translation Japan Ministry of International Trade company. He teaches translation and and Industry. She has worked in a variety of fields, including inter- localization at Denver University. He national banking, advertising, and teaching English as a second lan- has published over a dozen articles and guage. She has been a staff interpreter at Providence Medical given several presentations on various aspects of translation. Since Center since 2005. She is an experienced trainer, consultant, and 2005, he has been writing About Translation, a blog on profes- conference presenter on medical interpreting, language access, and sional translation. Contact: [email protected]. careers for linguists. Contact: [email protected].
November/December 2010 Volume XXXIX Number 11 A Publication The of the American Translators Association CHRONICLE
Send a Complimentary Copy In this issue: Speaking with Dr. James Rohack Translating for U.S. School Districts If you enjoyed reading this issue of The ATA Blogging 101 Chronicle and think a colleague or organization would enjoy it too, we’ll send a free copy. Simply e-mail the recipient’s name and address to Maggie Rowe at ATA Headquarters— [email protected]—and she will send the magazine with a note indicating that the copy is being sent with your compliments. Help spread the word about ATA!
ATA’s Client Outreach Kit www.atanet.org/client_outreach The ATA Compass ONLINE Interested in expanding your portfolio of direct clients? www.atanet.org/compass ATA’s Client Outreach Kit will give you the tools you The ATA Compass is a periodic publication NOW need to attract direct clients by positioning yourself as a designed specifically to help buyers of translation resource for translation buyers and users. and interpreting get the most for their money.
6 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 From the President Nicholas Hartmann [email protected]
Real Voices
(The following is excerpted from a paper delivered, at the invitation of the Association for Machine Translation in Positive interaction with the MT community will create a the Americas (AMTA) Program much wider range of opportunities to interact with Committee, to the opening plenary ses- sion of the Ninth Conference of AMTA language and acquire new skills. in Denver on November 1, 2010. The complete text can be found at www.mt-archive.info/conferences-1.htm. We dispute the notion that when a applying our linguistic expertise to I am here to tell you, both source text exactly matches a previ- ensure that humans and technology in my own voice as an experienced trans- ously translated passage, it can always function most effectively together. lator and with the combined voices of the be translated correctly into exactly the Translators and MT developers must American Translators Association, about same target text the next time around, learn to work together, and must be some of the attitudes shared by this large and consider this a violation of the honest about our respective areas of and diverse group of language profes- basic principle that “past performance competence. We translators will con- sionals. I will express frankly our con- is no guarantee of future results.” tinue to assert that we are uniquely able cerns with regard to machine translation We assert, finally, that human per- to produce real and individual commu- (MT), demonstrate that translators pos- ception of context and nuance and nication, and we hope MT researchers sess unique skills that we must keep “rightness” is necessary not just for will continue to create ways for us to do exercising because our work is essential, poetry and literature and advertising, so more effectively. We must continue and suggest ways in which our two com- but in every aspect of communication. the process of education within and munities can continue to work for our We also have expectations and between our communities, and extend mutual benefit and in the service of desires with regard to MT. We are not that mission to translation buyers and to human communication. technophobes: we are eager adopters of society at large. Above all, we must We have strong beliefs and principles, any machine-assisted translation tech- keep talking to one another. especially with regard to translation nology that works for us. We want tools This is therefore not the beginning “quality” and linguistic integrity. that make our job easier, not harder, of the end for translators, but instead a Translators have a professional ethos that and do not want to spend time getting particularly exciting time to enter this requires us never to oversell ourselves or poorly paid to correct the mistakes of profession, because positive interaction our capabilities, or to accept work for an MT system. We want tools that are with the MT community will create a which we know we are not qualified. We made for us, not for people without much wider range of opportunities to are highly sensitive not only to outright training in language. Only in the trans- interact with language and acquire new mistakes, but to inappropriate intonation lation business is it assumed that new skills. We look forward to developing or style. We take seriously our ethical and technology can and should be used new ways to serve the cause of human professional obligation to be true to the largely by end users in order to bypass communication, since we are all in the human authors and human audiences that professionals. We also want to play a same business. are connected by any text, conveying role in the development of new tools, authentic voices that not only transmit information, but also engage the reader. We do not regard MT as a universal tool, despite the contention that such sys- tems can be used with equal effective- FOLLOW ATA ON ness by anyone. Like chainsaws and scalpels, MT systems and human transla- Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, tors can be optimally effective in the frequent answers to one simple question: What’s happening? Become part of ATA’s translation right context but inefficient or lethal in and interpreting community. Follow us on Twitter today! the wrong one. To learn how, visit http:// twitter.com/atanet.
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 7 From the Executive Director Walter Bacak, CAE [email protected]
Your ATA Membership
As we close out the year, it is time to renew your ATA membership. ATA membership provides you with information and ATA membership provides you with information and ideas to help you do ideas to help you do your job better and faster. your job better and faster. More impor- tantly, this content is generated by fellow members who have the expertise and are willing to share it. They know You are not going to get this kind of with both the chief executive officer what translators, interpreters, and com- in-depth information anywhere else. of Rosetta Stone and the past presi- pany owners need and value. Hundreds of ATA volunteers add to this dent of the American Medical A great example is ATA’s recent invaluable content throughout the year. Association. To learn more, go to webinar, “How to Get the Most Out of This year, in addition to the launch www.atanet.org/compass. Your ATA Membership,” given by ATA of ATA webinars, in 2010: Board Director Naomi Sutcliffe de ATA continues to offer members Moraes along with ATA Member • ATA established the Science & such benefits as The ATA Chronicle, Benefits and Project Development Technology Division (S&TD)— ATA Newsbriefs, the Annual Confer- Manager Mary David. Naomi shared placing greater emphasis on this ence, professional development semi- practical, easy-to-use tips to maximize area of specialization regardless of nars, and the Member-Provider the benefits of membership, from language combination. Membership Program. All provide different ways to keeping your online profile up to in S&TD and the 15 other ATA learn and network. date—of course, as she noted, you need divisions is free and exclusive to If you would like to focus on your to post your online profile first—to a Association members. For more return on investment, ATA offers you doable networking approach that even information on divisions, go to opportunities to market your services the most introverted translator can www.atanet.org/divisions. through a 24/7 online directory listing follow. Please check out the compli- in the Directory of Translation and mentary recording of this webinar at • ATA enhanced its client outreach Interpreting Services. One job will www.atanet.org/webinars/member efforts by debuting The ATA Compass more than cover the cost of your ATA ship/webinar_oct2010.wmv. enewsletter—featuring interviews membership. You can also look to ATA to help you work smarter—learn about new resources, a program shortcut, or a new software program—thereby allowing you to generate more busi- ness, which translates into more money in your pocket. Scam Finally, by renewing your ATA membership, you are also doing your Alert Websites part to support the organization and its efforts to promote the profession and provide affordable professional devel- Federal Bureau of opment opportunities. ATA is your Investigation/ organization. National White Collar National White Thank you for being a part of ATA Crime Center Collar Crime Center and for renewing your ATA membership. The Internet Crime www.nw3c.org Complaint Center www.ic3.gov
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The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 9 What the Doctor Ordered: Skilled Interpreting for Better, Less Costly Healthcare Interview conducted and condensed by Lillian Clementi Dr. James Rohack Immediate Past President of the American Medical Association
Dr. James Rohack served as President of the American Medical Association from June 2009 to June Good communication is the keystone to providing good 2010. He spoke with The ATA Compass, ATA’s new client outreach medical care; poor communication means more tests enewsletter, in early August 2010. and higher costs. There’s also a higher risk of lawsuits. The ATA Compass: What’s the biggest misunderstanding people have about LEP patients and interpreting? tant enough that communication skills tory helps narrow the preliminary James Rohack: It’s the failure to recog- are now part of the general competen- diagnosis and reduce the number of nize that good communication with the cies required of medical students. tests you need, so poor communica- patient is the keystone to providing tion means more tests and higher good medical care. By definition, a lim- Compass: How important is an ade- costs. The most efficient use of ited-English-proficient (LEP) patient quate patient history, and how does the resources comes when you can corre- falls into the category of low health lit- language barrier affect that? late the history and the exam with the eracy, and studies are clear that patients appropriate tests. with low health literacy have higher Rohack: The physical examination costs because they don’t understand and patient history define the tests that Compass: What role does the language medical instructions and treatment rec- are needed. If I can’t communicate barrier play in defensive medicine? ommendations. Cultural differences are with the patient well enough to get an also important: understanding the adequate history—if I have only the Rohack: Look at the common thread in beliefs and social order of patients from exam and no history—I’ll cast a wider lawsuits: it’s that the patient feels the other cultures can play a role in patient- net of tests to compensate, and every doctor didn’t adequately explain why physician communication as well. The test has its weaknesses, such as false he did what he did. For example, if the medical profession sees this as impor- positives and negatives. A good his- risks of a particular surgical procedure
10 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Related Articles and Links aren’t adequately explained, the patient is more likely to feel that the doctor is responsible, that the doctor didn’t tell him or her everything. Articles Flores, Glenn. “Language Barriers to Health Care in the United Compass: So it works both ways: the States.” New England Journal of Medicine (Massachusetts Medical doctor needs to understand the patient, Society, July 2006), 229-231. but the patient also needs to under- stand the doctor. Graham, E.A., T.A. Jacobs, T.S. Kwan-Gett, and J. Cover. “Health Rohack: That’s exactly right. Inadequate Services Utilization by Low-income Limited-English-Proficient Adults.” communication means more tests, but Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health (Center for Minority there’s also a higher risk of lawsuits. Public Health, June 2008), 1557-1912.
Compass: What skills does a qualified “Fact Sheet: Low Health Literacy Skills Increase Annual Health Care interpreter need to have? Expenditures by $73 Billion” (National Academy on an Aging Society), Rohack: The U.S. is a melting pot of www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/publications/fact/fact_low.html. many cultures and languages. You need three key components in an interpreter: “Lost in Translation: Many Hospital Physicians Not Using linguistic competence, medical compe- Interpreters.” Yale Bulletin (December 23, 2008), tence, and cultural competence. http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=6301&f=28. Cultural competence can be very important, because different cultures have different sensitivities. In some cul- Links tures, for example, it’s taboo to question American Medical Association an authority figure like a doctor. How www.ama-assn.org do you get an informed consent under those circumstances? If you’re inadver- tently violating cultural taboos, you Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters may not get adequate communication. www.healthcareinterpretercertification.org Family members tend to do the interpreting, and while it’s important to National Board of Certification have them there with the patient, a for Medical Interpreters qualified interpreter is something dif- www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org ferent. In an emergency, you do what you have to do. But when you use family members as interpreters, you National Council on Interpreting in Health Care can put them in difficult situations, www.ncihc.org especially in sensitive areas like drug use, sexual history, and domestic abuse. Appropriately trained interpreters are the ideal situation. Trained inter- preters are part of the healthcare team, Compass: How does the language bar- extremely important, and using prop- and what they say affects the patient. rier affect the physician’s approach to erly trained interpreters is very, very They also have a code of ethics: they treatment? helpful. But right now the federal gov- aren’t just someone who knows the ernment requires doctors to provide language and might put their own spin Rohack: The AMA has recognized that interpreting services without any charge on what the patient has said. communicating with the patient is to the patient, and that’s problem- ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 11 What the Doctor Ordered: Skilled Interpreting for Better, Less Costly Healthcare Continued atic. If you have to hire an interpreter and pay them twice the reimbursement you’re getting from Medicare or the patient’s insurance company, you can’t Appropriately trained interpreters are the ideal afford to run your medical practice. So it becomes an access issue: the situation. They also have a code of ethics: they aren’t doctor wants to care for the patient but can’t afford to do it, because he has to just someone who knows the language. pay for the interpreter but can’t bill Medicare, the insurance company, or the patient to cover the cost. It’s a Catch-22. Interpreters need to be compensated appropriately: they maintain not just better compliance; and the overall munity healthier, it’s good to have a language skills, but also medical knowl- cost comes down. The interpreter’s certification program for medical inter- edge and cultural knowledge, and fee is an appropriate medical expense. preting. When you know that the they’ve often gone through a certifica- person you hire has met a standard, it tion process. They can take the doctor’s Compass: What’s your view on inter- gives you a confidence level. information and interpret it in ways that preter certification? One nidus for training could be are understandable to the patient. community colleges—they’re already The AMA argues that interpreting Rohack: It’s hard for doctors to deter- doing medical programs, their infra- should be paid for appropriately by mine interpreter qualifications. The structure costs are lower, and they insurers because competent inter- certification system is still very young, already have health profession preting reduces costs. Again, if you and most physicians are unaware of schools, with one- to two-year pro- can get a better history, you don’t any national system. But if you have grams for basic competencies. need to order so many tests; you get ongoing needs to make a large com-
Reaching Out to Your Clients
Our interview with Dr. Rohack was originally conducted for the September 2010 issue of The ATA Compass, a periodic publication designed to help buyers of translation and interpreting get the most for their money. Each issue of The Compass contains practical, hands-on information for language services consumers. It appears four to six times a year, and at only one page, clients can read it in just a few minutes. To get your name on a future issue of The ATA Compass, send us your ideas: hot topics, best practices, success stories, disasters and lessons learned are all welcome. Drop us a line at [email protected]. Visit the welcome page of The ATA Compass at www.atanet.org/compass, and be sure to check out the bonus materials, which include a link to this interview with Dr. Rohack (www.atanet.org/compass/Rohack.php).
12 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 What Elephant in the Room?
By Anne Rude
I arrived at my first ATA Conference in New Orleans in 2006 with a great sense of excitement and Focusing on the K-12 market can benefit suppliers of anticipation. I was going to mingle with the experts! Not only would I, a translated materials and services by providing a former foreign language teacher and predictable client base and source of revenue. now fledgling translator, learn and be intellectually stimulated by the intriguingly-titled seminars, but even more important, I would garner infor- mation and tangible support for those my dismay not one of them addressed my field was K-12 education would of us involved in translating docu- the particular needs of the K-12 respond with a vague nod and slightly ments for school districts throughout market. After much searching and confused look. I found myself won- the U.S. There would be a significant inquiry, I also discovered that not dering, “Do they even know that we variety of material and discussions even the book vendors had any refer- exist? Don’t publishers, translation and like-minded colleagues devoted ence material dedicated to the area of companies, and professional organi- to the K-12 market, and I planned to translating education documents. zations understand the scope and sig- take every advantage of the opportu- Perplexed and somewhat disillu- nificance of the K-12 market? Are we nity to network and acquire support sioned, I hoped that I had merely the elephant in the room that no one material to take back to my school overlooked something. The K-12 acknowledges?” division in Virginia. translation market had to be repre- Publishers and companies that seek Fast-forward several days. While sented here in some capacity some- to expand their client base in the com- most of the seminars were indeed where. But invariably, any participant petitive market of translation services informative and thought provoking, to or vendor to whom I explained that have traditionally focused on ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 13 What Elephant in the Room? Translating Education Documents for U.S. School Districts Continued medicine, science, finance, law, busi- to LEP parents. Section 3302, subsec- The landmark case of Lau v. Nichols ness, and technology as a source of tion (c) of the NCLB law states, “The (1974), in which the San Francisco revenue. There are conferences, work- information required to be provided Unified School District faced charges of shops, and even certification tests under subsections (a) and (b) to a discrimination against its non-English designed for translators in these areas parent shall be provided in an under- speaking Chinese students, ultimately of specialization. What they have standable and uniform format and, to reached the Supreme Court. The court largely overlooked until recently is the the extent practicable, in a language ruled in favor of the complainant, citing market of K-12 translation, that is, the that the parent can understand.” the prohibition of discrimination based translation of U.S. education docu- Further, subsection (e) requires that on national origin.5 Since that date, the ments relating to children from pre- “each eligible entity using funds pro- DOJ has conducted numerous investiga- kindergarten through high school. vided under this title to provide tions of school districts that have Focusing on the K-12 market can a language instruction educational resulted in mandates to provide transla- benefit suppliers of translated mate- program shall implement an effective tions and/or interpreting services for rials and services by providing a pre- means of outreach to parents of lim- LEP families. Recently, for example, the dictable client base and source of ited English proficient children.”3 Somerville School District in revenue. At the same time, it can help These laws make explicit the legal Massachusetts (2008), the Worcester meet the ongoing needs of the 13,908 obligation of each public school dis- Public School District in Massachusetts school districts in the U.S., all of trict in the U.S. to provide written key (2009), and the Adams 12 Five Star which are required by law to provide communications in translation for School District in Colorado (2010) each translations for limited-English-profi- cient (LEP) families when practi- cable.1 In my school division alone, Prince William County Public The broad and complex needs of the K-12 market Schools in Virginia, there are cur- rently over 15,000 LEP students provide employment opportunities for translators from enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. These students represent over a range of disciplines and fields of expertise. 90 different home languages.
K-12 Translations and the Law Those who wish to investigate and those LEP families whose language agreed in out-of-court settlements with potentially capitalize on this market group is significantly represented in the DOJ to, among other things, provide should consider the origins of parent the overall student population.4 translation services for parents and outreach initiatives involving LEP (Note: While there is no specific legal guardians. In each case, the agreement families in the U.S. Since the passage definition of “significant,” our followed a review and finding by the of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, public English for Speakers of Other DOJ that the school district was not in entities, including school divisions, Languages (ESOL) Program currently full compliance with the Equal are legally prohibited from discrimi- translates parent communications into Education Opportunity Act of 1974, nation based on race, color, religion, not only Spanish, which represents which requires provision of appropriate or national origin. Title IV, Section approximately 80% of our LEP popu- instruction and services to English-lan- 402 of the Civil Rights Act cautions lation, but also the next seven most guage learners.6 Currently, the DOJ against “the lack of availability of represented languages: Arabic, audits each school division in the U.S. equal educational opportunities for Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Twi, Urdu, for compliance to applicable laws every individuals by reason of race, color, and Vietnamese.) Failure to comply three to five years. religion, or national origin in public with these laws can, and often does, educational institutions at all levels in result in investigation and resultant What Translators and Publishers the United States.”2 Similarly, the No legal action by the Department of Need to Know Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of Justice (DOJ). Understanding why there is a 2001 mandates meaningful outreach market for translations of key K-12
14 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Tips documents is the first step. For pub- lishers and translation companies to for be successful in establishing them- selves as reliable sources of services Success for educational institutions, they must understand and be prepared for the unique linguistic demands of the K-12 in the K-12 Field field. I can speak specifically to this need with examples from my own professional experience. After retiring from 22 years of teaching high school Spanish in 2002, I continued my service to the school division by assisting my superior in From a client’s perspective, here are some tips for translators her dual role as the supervisor of English for Speakers of Other wishing to break into this field: Languages and World Languages. I Know your audience. Many K-12 communications in translation will be read by knew my linguistic expertise would be useful, but I was surprised to discover parents who are unfamiliar with the linguistic eccentricities of American English and have how completely different the demands had little exposure to American culture and customs. They may also have limited educa- were from that of helping students tion and/or language skills in their native tongue. muddle through conjugations of verbs or learning how to order tapas. Ask questions. As clients, we prefer to work with translators who ask for clarification During the first year in my new about anything unfamiliar or confusing. Guessing leads to errors. Errors lead to a search role, I would receive an occasional for another translation source. request to translate a document or letter. One time a supervisor from Be accurate. Verify context; check and double check before submitting a document to another office approached me and your client. asked if I could “just translate” a brochure when I had a little time. Deliver on time. Time constraints are often an issue. We in K-12 must send certain K-12 documents to limited-English-proficient families within a time frame determined by “Is this something you do?” she law. Ensure that you can deliver the translation within the requested period before you asked. “Only under the threat of bodily accept the assignment. harm,” I answered half-jokingly. Be flexible. K-12 clients can be a great source of future contacts and recommenda- I understood full well that my expe- tions to other school divisions if your reputation is that of a qualified, reliable contractor rience as a veteran foreign language willing to accommodate often variable and unpredictable client needs. teacher, while valuable, was no match for the complexities and difficulties involved in translating education docu- ments. Only with time, lots of hands-on experience, and continued support of The primary challenge for any trans- Requests range from the relatively knowledgeable and dedicated bilingual lator of documents or publisher of sup- ordinary—general letters, bulletins, staff have I reached a point of relative port or reference material for the K-12 brochures, or announcements—to the comfort and, yes, satisfaction in trans- market comes from the significant most specific, convoluted, and complex lating or editing the hundreds of docu- number of disparate areas in which the documents that may contain legal, ments that now come across my desk translator is required to be at least financial, medical, or obscure academic each year. knowledgeable, if not an expert. terminology. ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 15 What Elephant in the Room? Translating Education Documents for U.S. School Districts Continued
For example, the company might be asked to translate an entire high school course catalog, with descrip- tions of individual courses and For publishers and translation companies to be requirements of anything from a road and range course to advanced com- successful in establishing themselves as reliable sources puter science. Here is an actual excerpt from this year’s catalog: of services for educational institutions, they must understand and be prepared for the unique linguistic IB Computer Science High Level (HL) continues with the topics demands of the K-12 field. developed in IB CS SL with the additional topics of computer math- ematics and logic, abstract data structures and algorithms, further system fundamentals, and file Privacy Act), LEA (Local Education ground as educators of young children organization...Topics in Java will Agency), and ELL (English Language or adolescents. Such individuals include lists and iterators, stacks Learner) are just a few examples. could provide an insider’s perspec- and queues, recursion, binary trees, While these could be deciphered from a tive, a valuable commodity for project lookup tables and hashing, priority search on the Internet, seemingly managers. It would also benefit the queues, and analysis of algorithms.7 straightforward terms like “scaf- industry if there were a certification folding,” “crosswalks,” or “bridging” test designed specifically for the field Hashing? Stacks and queues? Binary take on a whole new meaning in the of K-12 education to identify quali- trees? Iterators? Without knowledge context of educationese. fied education translators. or experience in advanced mathe- At times it might be necessary for matics or computer science, the trans- Bad News, Good News publishers and translation services lator might find these terms difficult, The above illustrate but a few companies to contract outside transla- if not impossible, to translate. types of documents and terminology tors in specific fields such as law, Other challenges facing the K-12 common to translation needs in the finance, and technology to assist with translator include terminology and K-12 market. There are myriad others. terminology. Even with their acronyms related to special education In short, requests from school divi- expertise, however, project managers or other special groups, for example, sions could involve communications should make sure to consult fre- ESOL, programs for the gifted and referencing anything and everything quently with the translation point of talented, or programs for disadvan- related to the education and well- contact in the school division during taged students served under Title I of being of children from preschool age any ongoing project. The project man- the Elementary and Secondary to the 12th grade—and sometimes ager should ask questions, clarify, Education Act, which focuses on even beyond. It is probably one of the verify context, and check and double improving the academic achievement most fluid and unpredictable markets check the document before submitting of children in high poverty schools.8 that exists. it for publication. Quality and relia- Each of these initiatives utilizes spe- The good news is that the broad bility are rewarded by repeat business. cialized vocabulary and lists of and complex needs of the K-12 Publishers interested in producing related acronyms. market provide employment opportu- material specifically tailored to K-12 In addition, there is language that I nities for translators from a range of education will find that it is currently have dubbed “educationese.” It is disciplines and fields of expertise. a vast, virtually untapped market. unique to those trained as educators and Ideally, translation companies and Quality bilingual reference materials contains both nationally identifiable publishers interested in the K-12 designed for classroom teachers and and locally recognizable terms, titles, market would do well to contract indi- administrators are extremely rare. phrases, and, again, acronyms. FERPA viduals who are not only linguistic Educators are hungry for translations (Family Educational Rights and experts, but who also have a back- of vocabulary pertinent to school dis-
16 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 tricts, such as bilingual dictionaries of 3. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, crt/edo/documents/casesummary.php terms for K-12 general education Public Law 107-110, 107th Congress #adams. classes, ESOL, and special education; (January 8, 2002), www2.ed.gov/ bilingual computer and Internet policy/elsec/leg/esea02/107-110.pdf. 7. High School Course Catalog vocabulary for school division web- (Prince William County Schools, masters; bilingual glossaries of termi- 4. “Local Education Agency Uni verse 2010), 11, 72. nology specific to such academic Survey.” areas as math, science, art, music, and 8. Title I of the Elementary and Secon- history; and translation guides for 5. Lau v. Nichols, 414 US 563 (1974), dary Education Act of 1965, U.S. producing documents most frequently http://supreme.justia.com/us/414/563. Code, vol. 20, sec. 6301 et seq. used in school settings, such as vacci- (1965), www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/ nation requirements, report card com- 6. “Educational Opportunities Section: leg/esea02/pg1.html. ments, or safety rules. Case Summaries” (U.S. Depart ment I predict that the K-12 market may of Justice, Civil Rights Division, soon be “discovered” to a greater July 13, 2010), www.justice.gov/ extent than ever before. Competition among translation companies and publishers will increase. Those that have the foresight and ability to do what is necessary to establish them- selves successfully in this market can be assured that their reputation as competent, respected producers of documents for LEP students and fam- ilies will create for them a satisfied and loyal client base among school divisions throughout the country. Even more important, resultant Live and On-Demand Training for increased competition and improved Professional Translators and Interpreters quantity and quality of K-12 transla- tion market resources will help ensure that no school division and no child ATA Webinars will be left behind. We will be glad we turned on the lights and discovered the elephant in the room. December 8, 2010 | 12 noon ET Tax Tips for Translators NOTES Presenter: John Matthews 1. “Local Education Agency Universe Survey” (U. S. Department of Edu - cation, National Center for Educa - January 18, 2011 | 12 noon ET tion Statistics, Common Core of The Zen of TEnTs Data, 2007-08), http://nces.ed.gov/ Presenter: Jost Zetzsche pubs2010/100largest/tables/table_ 03.asp?referrer=report. To register and for more information, please check out 2. Civil Rights Act 1964, 88th Con - www.atanet.org/webinars. gress, H.R. 7152, www.congress link.org/civilrights/1964.htm.
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 17 Exploring Career Options for Linguists and Other Exotic Species: The Prequel – “Know Thyself” By Bobbi Daren
I had been the traditional stay-at-home mom. For 10 years I Like life, searching for a career is a journey. changed endless diapers, pushed my daughter’s stroller through innumer- able parks, and held her hand the first time she toddled through the petting zoo. When the time came, we walked her father was already traveling for It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint to school every day, made orange iced his job and often unavailable when it First, get yourself in the right cupcakes on Halloween, and went came to spending time with her? frame of mind. Like life, searching for caroling with her Brownie troop. Clearly, I needed a plan, but did not a career is a journey. As Archibald Then I got divorced. Suddenly, I have any idea where to start. I made a Joseph Cronin, the Scottish physician had to figure out how to support lot of mistakes. But through trial and and novelist, wrote: “Life is no myself and my daughter, both finan- error I also picked up, adapted, and straight and easy corridor along which cially and emotionally, with no family developed a few tricks of my own we travel free and unhampered, but a nearby and few friends. I had to start along the way. maze of passages, through which we from zero and reinvent my life, and The purpose of this article is to offer must seek our way.”1 career, as I knew it. tools to help you structure your Contrary to popular opinion, it has It was scary. At that moment the journey of self-exploration. These ini- been my experience that you really obstacles seemed insurmountable. tial steps are not limited to linguists or cannot have it all, or do it all. At least Who would want someone who had other translator or interpreter types, but not all at once. Most likely you will be been out of the job market for so can be used by all beginning the search reassessing, changing jobs, or even long? How could I literally “be there” for their own personal “holy grail.” careers multiple times throughout for my daughter and work the hours your working life. Get used to it! expected of most professionals when
18 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Figure 1
My Personal Action Plan NAME: ______DATE: ______
This week I will concentrate on: ______
Steps to Achieving My Goal: (specific/measurable/achievable: #’s & dates)
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
5. ______
Obstacles: Overcoming Obstacles:
______
______
______
Rewards: Support:
Name: ______Phone/E-mail:______
Name: ______Phone/E-mail:______
Exploring Career Options for Linguists and Other Exotic Species Bobbi Daren 2010
Unless, due to urgent economic into place, and with a lot less angst in advantage of your linguistic abilities in need, you feel you have no choice, I the end. So, as my yoga instructor a field outside of direct translating or implore you to resist the urge to pore would say, “take a deep, slow, cleansing interpreting, the process of considering frantically through online postings and breath,” and let’s get started. your career options can be over- then applying willy-nilly to virtually whelming. If you attempt to consider all every position. This is a chaotic, often Keep It Simple your options simultaneously, especially fruitless process. Trust me. I know from Whether you are starting from in this computer age where, with the experience. If you take the time to scratch wondering what to do with your click of a mouse, you can literally surf assess yourself and your goals honestly, language skills or considering a mid- the Internet 24 hours a day, you can I promise the rest will eventually fall stream career change that will take become so inundated with infor- ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 19 Exploring Career Options for Linguists and Other Exotic Species Continued mation that you become immobilized. Again, you cannot do it all at once. The trick to getting started, and staying on track, is to break the Resist the urge to pore frantically through online process down into small, digestible bites. postings and then applying willy-nilly to virtually Putting your plan in writing and every position you come across. posting it on the wall next to your computer can help. Using a tool such as the personal weekly action plan shown in Figure 1 on page 19 might be helpful. Buy a three-ring binder it my “Panic List,” and it includes: I like to do?” (for me, it is being and put your plan in it at the end of call a friend; do 50 pushups and 50 around people); “What do I hate to each week. By dating and saving your sit-ups; take a walk; have a cup of tea do?” (e.g., sit in front of a computer all plans you are creating a journal of (or glass of wine!); go to the gym; do day); or “Everything About Me—The your progress for review purposes. a little yoga; read a trashy novel for Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!” The No matter what your process, set thirty minutes. In short, do whatever trick to brainstorming successfully is out specific steps that are measurable works for you. not to over think things! and attainable. Do not beat yourself up Once you have your support plan in Do not hold back. Put everything if you do not always accomplish goals place the remainder of this “Prequel” is you wrote down into a binder, because in the allotted time frame. Do the best really just composed of two steps: 1) when it comes time to delve more you can and keep plugging away. As assess yourself and 2) define your goals. deeply into the career search, you will with dieting, do not give up com- Once you have accomplished these two be returning to these points, refining pletely if you stray off the path. Get steps you will then be prepared to delve them, and using them to help guide back on the wagon and keep moving! more deeply into your career options. you through the next stage. At this point consider yourself as simply Don’t Panic! Assessing Yourself “priming the pump.” Each time you go through this Simple Self-Assessment Tools process you will inevitably experi- Reread your résumé, revisit your Ask Friends and Family ence moments of anxiety. Before get- college transcripts, look through those Sometimes you do not recognize ting started on your self-discovery, the old photo albums from your studies your own worth. Once, when the date first task should be to create a support abroad. Sometimes we need to refresh for an important job interview was system. If possible, find a buddy who our memories as to what we already approaching, I asked my friend Cathy is going through the same process. know and have accomplished. Do not to do a practice interview with me. Studies have shown that having a forget, in this day and age language What I remember most vividly is the workout buddy for an exercise pro- skills are becoming virtually essential in one comment she made to me at the gram can radically improve your every field. You are a hot commodity! end. “Bobbi!” she scolded, “You’re so chances of sticking with it. The same The translating and interpreting skills casual about your law degree! It’s like theory applies to a career search. If you already possess are transferable and a throwaway! Give yourself some you have someone to whom you are will open a lot of doors! credit!” What I learned from this exer- accountable, you are more likely to Next, move on to brainstorming cise is that you should never be shy follow through with your plan. techniques. Take out a piece of paper about going to the people who know It is important to reward yourself. and write at the top: “What am I good you best and asking for their input. Giving yourself specific incentives at?” Set a timer for five minutes, press for achieving short-term goals will the start button, and write down every- Community College Career Services provide the needed fuel for you to thing that comes to mind as fast as you The career services centers at com- keep chugging along. Also, keep a can before that timer beeps. You can munity colleges are an invaluable list of quick, doable stress reduction use this same brainstorming technique resource that can be found in virtually techniques on your refrigerator. I call with other headings such as, “What do any area (if you live in the US., see the
20 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 reference link in the box on this page Resources for Getting Started to find the one closest to you). Most offer career services to the community at large, not just enrolled students. For Assessing Skills and Knowledge These services include economical workshops, testing, counseling, and Brainstorming Tools other opportunities to help you assess www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/brainstorming.html and define your goals. (Other tech- (The information on this site is geared specifically to writers, niques on defining goals will be addressed in the next section.) but is adaptable to all career paths.) I need to offer a few words of warning regarding career matching List of Local Community Colleges by State testing tools. Do not take the results www.utexas.edu/world/comcol/state too literally. Look for common threads. (Look for links to career services.) For instance, when my sister was 18, she took a test that recommended she become a “teaching nun.” My folks got a good chuckle out of that one, being For Evaluating Your Values and Goals that we are Jewish. Well, she eventu- ally became a group therapist working Bronson, Po. What Should I Do With My Life? (Random House, 2002), at a Jewish nursing home, which, if www.amazon.com. you really think about it, is not that far off from being a teaching nun! Welch, Suzy. 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea (Scribner, 2009), Also, you may be tempted to Google free online career-matching tests (been www.amazon.com. there, done that). In my experience, the majority of these tests are just thinly disguised sales pitches for online degree programs. So let the “buyer beware,” especially when it is free!
Defining Your Goals Go Back to the Beginning After a recent flood in my base- our separate countries and this pro- Expect to Reassess Goals as You ment, I came across a box of items my gram will help to bring us closer Pass Through Different Life Stages mother had saved from my childhood. together.” When asked what I felt was When I divorced I was more con- While sorting through the damp box I the most important problem facing cerned about providing a stable home came across a document I did not rec- young people at the time, I responded, for my daughter than rapidly ognize entitled “Open Door Student “lack of communication between… advancing from my long dormant Exchange Application.” Apparently, I people of different cultures….” career. Because I was truly acting as a had filled the form out as a 17-year- Upon reading this I smiled, real- single mom in every sense of the old before my family hosted an izing I am not really all that different word, flexibility was a priority. exchange student from Chile. now from the person I was then. My Initially, I partnered with a col- When indicating my reasons for goals and careers have all followed league in order to start up an interna- wishing to participate in the program, that same common thread: using my tional adoption agency in an attempt besides indicating my desire “to learn language and cultural competency to maintain control over my own to speak conversational Spanish,” I skills in one way or another to improve hours and to have the ability to bring scrawled, “I feel that youth will need cross-cultural communications. my daughter to work with me if nec- to work together in the future to unite essary. It seemed to be a perfect ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 21 Exploring Career Options for Linguists and Other Exotic Species Continued fit for me in the sense that I had the international marketing and legal training necessary in addition to con- The translating and interpreting skills you already nections and my own experience as an adoptive mother. However, due to a possess are transferable and will open a lot of doors! confluence of events out of my con- trol I quickly had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from that ven- ture. But that was okay. You cannot traits she is looking for include “intelli- reflect on your needs and desires so hit them all out of the park. gent,” “creative,” and “passionate.” Your you resist the temptation to grab the When contemplating my next move task, if you choose to accept, is to create first option that crosses your path. I realized that the ability to work around the same type of list for your career. my daughter’s school hours was still a Think of it as an exercise that your Conclusion: priority, but that I also needed to find a writing teacher taught in journalism There is No Right Answer job with insurance. A friend had alerted class. Your list, like a good article, Fast-forward 10 years. I recently got me to a part-time position teaching should include the five “W’s” and then a frantic phone call from my daughter, English as a second language at a local the “H”: “Who,” “What,” “When,” Lisa—now a typical college senior—in church. From that experience I decided “Where,” “Why,” and “How.” the midst an acute anxiety attack over to pursue public school teaching. It was For me, the “Who” includes identi- what to do with her life. During our the perfect fit for me at the time. I was fying who the people are that I wish to lengthy conversation my usually able to work around my daughter’s serve and for whom I want to work. extremely independent “you-can’t-tell- hours, had insurance, and could bring As to the latter, I want to work for a me-anything-I-don’t-already-know” her with me to work on occasion. company and supervisor with certain child took on an unprecedentedly Now that my daughter is older and characteristics that fit with my per- serious tone. “Mom,” she implored, has moved out on her own, I am once sonality and work ethic. In my case, I “when did you know what you wanted again at a crossroads and reassessing my must keep in mind that I thrive in an to do?” goals. Changing careers or even relo- environment where creative, moti- Now it is not every day that my cating overseas are suddenly possibili- vated self-starters are encouraged and offspring seeks my words of wisdom, ties that were not on my personal “map” appreciated and not micro-managed. so I found myself pausing for a for many years. The question to you, The “Where” at this point in my life moment to consider my response. then, is, what is on your current map? is quite open, since I am not restricted to “Honey...” I paused, then, unable to a certain area or even country. But I still contain myself, I burst out laughing, Yes, Make Another List! need to keep in mind my likes and dis- “I still don’t know what I want to be I recently happened upon one of my likes. Am I a “city mouse” or “country when I grow up!” single friends intently scribbling what mouse?” Do I prefer to live somewhere So I am telling you, as I told her, appeared to be a grocery list. I asked with four distinct seasons or a more “And that’s okay. Enjoy the journey.” what she was doing and she showed me temperate climate year-round? what turned out to be a list of traits for the The “How” is often the trickiest NOTE perfect mate. Without going into detail part. If you are interested in going 1. Extracted from Spencer Johnson’s about her past love life, let’s just say that back to school, but have three children Who Moved My Cheese? An her “picker” is clearly off. And she under the age of five, you will have to Amazing Way to Deal with Change knows it. Even though she has been hap- be creative, perhaps exploring options in Your Work and Life (G. P. pily single for two years, she is consid- with “distance learning.” You might Putnam’s Sons, 1998). For more ering jumping back into “the fray.” also want to consider postponing the information on Archibald Cronin, Before doing so, however, she decided to “When” until your kids are older. check out Alan Davies’s A . J. take time to contemplate and create a list I encourage you to write down your Cronin—The Man who Created Dr. of characteristics she is looking for in a “W’s” and “H’s” and file them in your Finlay (ALMA Books, 2010) at man. She unselfishly gave me a copy of binder to help keep you on track. Refer www.almabooks.com. her list to share with you. Some of the back to them as opportunities arise and
22 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Blogging 101 By Riccardo Schiaffino
Having an interesting blog may be a good way to boost your presence online. How? Blogs that are Maintaining your blog and making it interesting for updated frequently and attract readers score high in search engine rankings. you and for others needs dedication. To help increase your visibility (and your sales) as a translator, however, you have to plan carefully what to write to attract not only other transla- tors but also clients and prospects. writing and posting. Maintaining your post on a regular basis. If you are What follows is a simple introduction blog and making it interesting for you bored by your blog—perhaps you to help you take your first steps into and for others, however, needs dedica- have chosen topics not because they the blogosphere. The information may tion. This can be quite a challenge, interest you, but only to attract more also prove useful to people who have which might explain why the typical readers—it will be even more boring already started blogs. new blog lasts about three posts, which for your public. go something like: Starting a Blog Domains Blogs are often considered personal 1. “Here is my new blog, I’m very You should get your own domain diaries, but they also have other uses. excited about it!” for your blog. There are various ways They can serve as professional online you can buy a domain, such as brochures, dynamic websites, or even 2. “Here is something more about through your Internet provider or Web as tools for other purposes. (As an what I plan to write about.” host, or even through some of the example of the latter, I know of a trans- blogging platforms, such as lator who uses his blog as a repository 3. “Sorry for not writing more often.” WordPress. Even if you do not start for glossaries.) Starting a blog is [Silence often follows.] hosting a blog on your own domain simple. You can just go to one of the immediately, you should at least buy various free blogging platforms, create Blog only if you like to write and the domain name. You can use it later, an account, select a template, and start are confident that you will be able to and this way you prevent others ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 23 Blogging 101 Continued from taking it. (For example, although my blog About Translation is still hosted on Blogger, I bought the Blog only if you like to write and are confident that www.aboutranslation.com domain.) you will be able to post on a regular basis. Redirects Another suggestion about domains and blog names: if you can, also get names and domains that are similar to your own, and then redirect traffic from TextPattern 1. Select “Design.” them to your main blog or website. For www.textpattern.com example, besides http://aboutransla 2. Select the “Template Designer” tion.blogspot.com, I have http://about Movable Type link and browse through the avail- translation.blogspot.com (with two t’s). www.movabletype.org able templates. I created that blog with the sole purpose of redirecting traffic to About Serendipity 3. Once you have selected a template, Translation. www.s9y.org you may customize it, for example, changing colors and fonts or Free Blogging Platforms Creating an Account adding various gadgets. (Warning: Blogger (owned by Google) and Using Blogger: if you plan to change the template WordPress are two of the better 1. Go to www.blogger.com/start. significantly, be ready to get your known blogging platforms. Both are 2. Sign in using your Google account hands dirty with with HyperText free, but you might have to pay for login. Markup Language [HTML], certain features in WordPress. There 3. Click on “Create a Blog.” eXtensible Markup Language are other blogging platforms avail- [XML], Cascading Style Sheets able, such as TypePad and TypePad Using WordPress: [CSS], and a graphics program.) Micro, but for some of them, you 1. Go to http://wordpress.com. might have to pay. 2. Click on “Sign up now.” Using WordPress: Just as in Blogger, once you have created your blog in Blogger Selecting a Template WordPress you have access to a dash- www.blogger.com/start Using Blogger: Once you have created board for all your WordPress blogs your blog, you have access to a dash- (see Figure 2 on page 25). WordPress board for all your blogs (see Figure 1). http://wordpress.com Figure 1: Blogger Dashboard TypePad Micro www.typepad.com/micro
If you already have a website, your host probably offers installable blog- ging software as part of the services included in your hosting package. Our company’s hosting service, for example, offers WordPress. If you plan to install blogging software on your website, the choice of free platforms is even wider, with WordPress, Movable Type, TextPattern, and Serendipity among the leading contenders.
24 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Figure 2: WordPress Dashboard
allow them or not, moderate them or not, or moderate only those that are older than a certain number of days. Beware of blog spam, comprised of comments left on blog posts with the sole purpose of attracting visitors to some other website or landing page.
Tabs and information about your blog: If your blogging platform features them, use tabs or separate pages. This Use a hit counter on your blog and activate it will allow you to have one page for as soon as possible. posts and other pages for more perma- nent information (about you, your blog, links to your best articles, and so on).
Statistics: Use a hit counter on your 1. Select a blog. blog and activate it as soon as possible. How to Customize Your Blog Not only will it tell you how many hits 2. Select “Change Theme.” All blogging platforms offer many (or visits) the blog received on a given templates from which to choose. At day, but also which pages attracted the 3. Once you get to the “Manage first you might want to select a tem- most visitors, where your readers came Themes” page, you can browse and plate and use it “as is.” You can from, and technical information such select from the available themes always decide to customize it later. as the operating system and browser (the equivalent of the Blogger tem- Customizing an existing template used by visitors. Some blogging plat- plates). may vary from easy to difficult. forms (WordPress, and now also Blogger, for example) include tools to 4. After you have selected a theme, Blog feed: You can (and should) add track statistics. In other blogging plat- you may customize it, changing an RSS/Atom feed to your blog, so forms, you have to add them yourself. colors and fonts, adding widgets, people can subscribe and follow your I use the free version of Site Meter, but and so on. In WordPress some of posts with newsreaders such as you can also use Google Analytics or the customizations are available Google Reader. other services: only to paying customers, but there · is plenty of scope just using the Handling comments: Decide how to free features. handle comments from your readers—
Figure 3: Sample Title Banner
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 25 Blogging 101 Continued
Site Meter http://sitemeter.com Google Analytics You should decide on a target audience www.google.com/analytics as early as possible. Bravenet Hit Counter www.bravenet.com/webtools/ counter
Other ways you can customize your I keep a folder with ideas for posts, my native language, but I find it easier blog: There are many other ways to articles in various stages of develop- to write in English than to translate into customize your blog. For example, ment, and even pieces already written, it. This is because translations have you can create your own title banner to be published at the most suitable more constraints, since you have to using a graphics program, which will moment, or when I do not have other follow an already fixed path. English help your blog stand out from those topics to write about. lets me speak to a wider audience. If that use a standard template (see you can have the posts edited or at least Figure 3 on page 25). Also, to make Audience: You should decide on a read in advance, this could help you your blog more attractive, you can: target audience as early as possible catch errors or unclear passages. For (e.g., other translators, prospects, a some of my posts, I show an early ver- • Offer a search box to allow readers to specialization, etc.). Once you have sion of them to my partner, then, if nec- find specific topics within your blog. decided, write with this audience in essary, I change the posts to incorporate • Use categories or tags to help users mind. If you do not pick an audience, any suggestions. find your posts on a specific subject. you might end up addressing readers • Link to your archive (a list of your different from those you wanted, for Tools: I usually write short blog posts older posts). example, attracting novice translators in Blogger’s built-in editor. For longer • Add a blogroll (a list of links to instead of the prospects you were articles I use a dedicated blogging text other blogs). hoping to reach. editor (Windows Live Writer) that dis- • Feature polls to sample your plays them as they will appear in the readers’ opinions. Style: Try to write in a simple and blog. Often, however, I start writing • Show buttons with your blog ratings. interesting manner. If it bores you, it is more important articles in longhand, • Display slideshows. going to bore your readers even more. then edit and change them until I am satisfied. Only then do I paste them in How to Write your Blog Posts: How long should a blog post Windows Live Writer for the final Topics: Finding topics for your arti- run? Decide on the typical length for layout touches. To edit my posts and cles may be daunting at times, but you your posts. Not all of them have to be other writing I do in English, I often can get ideas for subjects to write the same length, but bear in mind use Style Writer, a program that helps about from: that for blog posts a good length is me find sentences that are too long, usually about one screen (people do correct excessive use of the passive • The tools you are using; not want to scroll down too much voice, and remove clichés and jargon. • The work you are doing; when reading online). • The books you are reading; Windows Live Writer • The problems you are facing; Language: Another important decision http://explore.live.com/ • Interesting news and information you is in what language to write your blog— windows-live-writer found on other blogs or websites. your native language, your source lan- guage, or a combination of both. If, like Style Writer You can even set up Google to receive me, you are going to write in a foreign www.editorsoftware.com news about a particular subject and language, how do you ensure that it is then mine these news items for ideas. well written? I blog in English. It is not
26 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 How to Make Your Blog Known Make sure your blog is public and many other excellent translation blogs. There are several ways to help make freely accessible by search engines. In A good place to start to find good lan- sure your blog is noticed, including: this, I suspect that using Blogger guage blogs (including translation • Comment on other people’s blogs. might be advantageous, as it belongs blogs) is LexioPhiles Top 100 • Offer to exchange links. to Google. Language Blogs 2010. ATA also main- • Offer to write a guest blog post. tains a list of blogs on its website and • Invite other people to write a guest Short List of Interesting Blogs profiles one each month in this maga- blog post. In closing, the box below contains a zine in the “Blog Trekker” column. • Most important: write interesting brief list of some translation and ter- articles. minology blogs. There are, of course,
Interesting Blogs Localization Industry 411 http://renatobeninatto.blogspot.com Renato Beninatto: globalization, localization, translation, About Translation internationalization. http://aboutranslation.blogspot.com My own blog: information, news, advice and opinions about Musings from an Overworked Translator professional translation. http://translationmusings.com Jill Sommer: interesting thoughts on the translation industry and more. Alex Eames’ blog http://alexeames.com/blog Thoughts On Translation Alex Eames: a translation blog by the editor of Transfree and author http://thoughtsontranslation.com of “How to Earn $80,000+ Per Year as a Freelance Translator.” Corinne McKay: an always interesting and useful blog by the author of How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator. ATA Blog Trekker www.atanet.org/careers/blog_trekker.php Translation Times A comprehensive listing of blogs related to translation, interpreting, http://translationtimes.blogspot.com and language in general. Judy and Dagmar Jenner: a translation business blog by the authors of The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance. BIK Terminology Judy also writes the monthly “Entrepreneurial Linguist” column for http://bikterminology.com The ATA Chronicle. Barbara Inge Karsch: an excellent new blog on terminology. Translation Tribulations LexioPhiles Top 100 Language Blogs 2010 www.translationtribulations.com www.lexiophiles.com/featured-articles/the-top-100-language-blogs- Kevin Lossner: an exploration of translation technologies, marketing 2010-the-results-are-in strategies, workflow optimization, resource reviews, controversies, Listing of the results of The Top 100 Language Blogs 2010 survey. and more.
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 27 ATA-Sponsored Business Service Organization of American States Staff Federal Credit Union
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The ATA Compass Your guide to translation in the global market
New and now online! Take a look at the latest issue of The ATA Compass, a new periodic enewsletter designed to help buyers of translation and interpreting get the most for their money. Each issue of The Compass contains practical, hands-on information for language services consumers. It appears four to six times a year, and at only one page, clients can read it in just a few minutes.
Consider sending a PDF copy of The Compass to current and prospective clients, political representatives, academics, your chamber of com- merce, nearby business organizations, and even to your local media. Not only will the enewsletter help make our profession more visible, but your business will also benefit from a better educated clientele. To get your name on a future issue of The Compass, send us your ideas: hot topics, best practices, success stories, disasters and lessons learned are all welcome. Drop us a line at [email protected]. Visit the welcome page of The ATA Compass at www.atanet.org/compass, and be sure to check out the bonus material. We hope you’ll enjoy The ATA Compass, and we welcome your feedback!
28 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Judy Jenner is a Spanish and German translator in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she runs Twin Translations with her twin sister. She is also the The Entrepreneurial Linguist Judy Jenner vice-president of the Nevada Interpreters and judy.jenner@ Translators Association. She hosts the popular entrepreneurial translation blog, Translation Times (www.trans linguist.com lationtimes.blogspot.com). You can also find her at www.entrepreneuriallinguist.com.
Photo by Ulf Buchholz Ulf by Photo The Judge and the Chicken
A few weeks ago, an honor- leg, so I merely smiled politely while might sound intriguing, you should able judge in the District Court of Clark the bailiff reached for the tissues usu- resist the temptation to translate a dis- County, Nevada, called me a chicken, ally reserved for relatives of defen- sertation about photosynthesis of epi- and the court reporter dutifully recorded dants in criminal cases (yes, he was phytes in the Costa Rican cloud rain his comment. I respectfully dissent. laughing that hard). I was relieved to forest if biology is not one of your I was neither a defendant nor a see that judges and their staff have a specializations. Instead of accepting a plaintiff in a trial or any other court sense of humor. project for which you are unskilled, procedure. Until that week, my contact Next, just after the certified inter- consider recommending a qualified with the Clark County court system preter stepped out of the courtroom, a colleague. This also gets us back to had been limited to paying a lone new defendant was called. The judge basic customer service: no client likes parking ticket online and my swearing- looked in my direction and asked, to hear “Sorry, I can’t help you.” in ceremony as an American citizen at “Want to take a stab at it?” At this without being offered any solutions. the federal courthouse. I was doing my point, after a mere 10 minutes in the The better answer is, “This area is not court observation hours in preparation courtroom, I was not even sure if the within my expertise, but let me rec- for the oral exam that is part of the judge was hearing exclusively civil or ommend my friend, Vera Almanza, court interpreter certification process criminal matters, or both—it is not who holds a Ph.D. in biology, has of the Supreme Court of Nevada. I had like you receive courtroom sum- worked as a biologist in the passed the written exam, and in spite of maries when you arrive. Thus, I Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, my limited simultaneous interpreting thought it would be prudent and and is a well-known English-Spanish experience and a 5% first-time pass responsible to decline, thinking it was translator.” This way, everyone wins: rate (lower than the Nevada Bar exam), not in anyone’s interest to use an the client, because she will get a qual- I was about to attempt the notoriously interpreter who was neither certified, ified linguist; your colleague, because difficult Spanish-language exam. nor prepared, nor familiar with the she will get a project referred by you; Let me elaborate on how the case before her. That is when, from the industry, because resources have affable judge came to call me a the bench, the judge, with a smile on been allocated in the most efficient chicken. I had formally introduced his face, called me a chicken. Luckily, and beneficial way; and you, because myself and explained my reason for he also called the certified interpreter your colleague will most likely be being in his courtroom, to which he, back into the courtroom. grateful and will try to reciprocate. with a smirk, said: “Actually, we I am a chicken, but I think that is a So, call it what you will: being a don’t believe in interpreters here.” good thing. As linguists, we have a chicken is a good thing. Instead of And then he burst out laughing, which moral and professional obligation to chicken, I would like to propose using proved infectious to his bailiffs, the accept only projects for which we are “healthy respect for what we can and court recorder, and three clerks. I was fully qualified. Everything else would cannot do.” I will make sure I get a not quite sure if he was pulling my be unprofessional and a disservice not copy of this column to the judge. only to the client, but also to the entire Hopefully, he will see me in his court- translation and interpreting commu- room as a certified court interpreter in nity. We have to be ethical enough to the near future. Yahoo! Business represent our skills correctly, which most of our clients have no way of Discussion Group assessing. Even though a project ATA members can discuss business issues online at the following Yahoo! group: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/ group/ata_business_practices. You will This column is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each need to register with Yahoo! (at no charge) if you have not already done so, and provide individual or company should make its own independent business decisions and consult your full name and ATA member number in its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The views expressed here are not order to join the group. necessarily those of ATA or its Board of Directors. Ideas and questions should be directed to [email protected].
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 29 Internet blogs are rich sources of information for translators Is There a and interpreters. They allow users to post questions, exchange ideas, network, and read news and commentary Blog Trekker Translator in the on a specific subject. The topics featured in this column are actual blog postings concerning issues pertinent to your col- leagues in the field today. For more blog listings, visit House? www.atanet.org/careers/blog_trekker.php.
(Posted on June 2, 2010, by Martin an obvious example, but translators ticular illness, even after various diag- Cross on Translating Patents, the official of poetry or advertising copy may nostic tests. Or, just as a translator may blog of Patent Translations Inc., http:// spend even more time struggling with understand a phrase but be unsure of the patenttranslations.wordpress.com.) these decisions. best way to render it in the target lan- Most of the time, the answers are guage, a doctor may know exactly what Translators are required obvious or can be determined with a is wrong with a patient but hesitate to make hundreds of judgments every bit of research, but there also exist when it comes to the best treatment. day. Some of these are analytical cases of genuine ambiguity in the In such situations the doctor will judgments, which call on the trans- source language or lack of consensus seek a second opinion, and the trans- lator to come to conclusions based on in the target language. In such cases it lator’s best course of action is to do limited evidence. That means may almost seem that there is nothing exactly the same. At Patent Translations answering questions: to do but flip a coin, but a professional Inc., we are fortunate enough to work in translator is obviously obliged to teams, so there is always a native • What is the author trying to get come to a reasoned decision. speaker, or a technical specialist, or a across? This situation is, in fact, analogous to legal expert to consult. It is not that faced by doctors on a regular basis. uncommon for us to have three or four • What does this term mean in this Just as a translator may encounter a sen- people discussing one particular term or particular context? tence that he or she cannot understand, phrase. But many freelance translators even after consulting all of the diction- do not have this support. Fortunately, it • Does this adjective modify the aries and Google, a doctor may is possible for freelancers to build their whole noun phrase or just the noun encounter a patient with symptoms that own support network. in that phrase that is closest to it? are not clearly indicative of any one par-
• What is the implied agent in this passive construction?
Other judgments are prescriptive, which is to say that they concern the conventions of the target language, Related Links and include questions like:
• What is the best term to express this concept in this context? Honyaku English<>Japanese Translation List http://groups.google.com/group/honyaku?pli=1 • In what tense should this be written? (When there are tenses Patent Translators List that exist in the source language http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Patent_translators but not the target language or vice- versa.) ProZ • Should I use plural markers, sin- www.proz.com gular markers, or no number markers at all? (Again, not all lan- Japanese Patent Translation List guages have the same options.) http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/patent_translation/ These sorts of questions are of par- ticular importance in cases where the wording of the translation is likely to be scrutinized. Legal translations are
30 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 There are many places where It is also possible to go to non-trans- One last source of counsel, which translators routinely support each lators for an opinion, but just as the should not be overlooked, is the other in this way, such as the Honyaku doctor will be reluctant to ask the advice person or company ordering the trans- list for Japanese-English translations, of a non-doctor, there is good reason to lation, particularly if this is a transla- the Japanese Patent Translation List, seek the advice of another translator tion agency. and the Patent Translators list, which first. The trouble with muggles is that Wherever you turn for your second is for all languages, but tends to deal they are likely to tell you that it does not opinion, remember that asking is a with a lot of German. ProZ is also a matter which word you choose (engi- sign of strength, not weakness, and good place to ask questions and get neers are particularly guilty of linguistic that small-group consensus is the answers. Keep in mind that, indifference) or to suggest a radically mainstay of almost every profession whichever forum you use, your ques- different phrasing, or even a different that relies on judgment. tion is likely to get the most attention technical solution to the one described. if you have a reputation for answering In short, they rarely “get” what the job other people’s questions. of a translator is.
CALL FOR The XIX World Congress of the International Federation of PRESENTATION PROPOSALS Translators (FIT), to be held in San Francisco, California, on August 1-4, 2011, will bring together translators, interpreters, terminologists, and other professionals from all over the world to discuss topical issues. Over 75 educational sessions will be offered in a variety of categories.
Presentation proposals are now being accepted in the fol- lowing categories: Audiovisual Translation; Community Interpreting; Copyright; Human Rights; Language Standards; Legal Translation and Interpreting; Literary Translation; New Trends; Terminology; Training and Education; Translation and Culture; Translation Technology; Varia. Bridging Cultures Proposals will be selected through a competitive peer-review process. Presentations may be offered in English and French XIX World Congress of the only. International Federation of Translators Deadline: December 10, 2010 Hilton San Francisco Union Square San Francisco, California The FIT XIX World Congress will be hosted by ATA in coop- August 1-4, 2011 eration with FIT. For more information, including the pro- www.fit2011.org posal form, visit www.fit2011.org/proposals.htm.
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 31 Send your news to Jeff Sanfacon at [email protected] or American Translators Association, Member News 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314.
• Nataly Kelly is now the chief lators (FIT). Based in Denmark, she ATA members to submit articles and research officer at Common Sense is a professional translator who has reviews. See www.portvitoria.com. Advisory. worked in the field for many years. She served two terms on the FIT • Bruce D. Popp is now a registered • Sharon Neeman released her music Council and also served as chair of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office CD “5000 Words” in October. The FIT Europe for six years. She is a Patent Agent. title song is about the translator/client member of The Union of Com - experience and has been featured on muni cation and Language Profes - • Vicky Santibez is the new Spanish many translation blogs worldwide. Of sionals, Denmark. editor at Syntes Language Group. the 13 songs on the CD, 11 are origi- nals with words and music by Sharon. • Joaquina Pires-O’Brien launched • U.S. Translation Company has been PortVitoria, an online culture and named to MountainWest Capital • Jeannette Ørsted has been appointed general affairs magazine aimed at Network’s list of 100 Fastest the new executive director of the Spanish, Portuguese, and English Growing companies in Utah. International Federation of Trans - speakers worldwide. She invites
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32 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 The GeekSpeak column has two goals: to inform the community about technological advances and at the same time encourage the use and appreciation of tech- nology among translation professionals. Jost also pub- GeekSpeak Jost Zetzsche lishes a free technical newsletter for translators [email protected] (www.internationalwriters.com/toolkit). Better a Bottle in Front of Me Than a Frontal Lobotomy?
I had a number of interesting These past few days I have been The fuzzy matches you receive from a on- and off-line conversations about talking with various colleagues about traditional TM are terminologically machine translation (MT) post-editing what, if anything, needs to be done to and syntactically “correct” (if not, it is this past week. For the uninitiated, MT train MT post-editors. And those con- time to clean your or the client’s TM), post-editing refers to the editing of MT versations have made me understand but they are just not quite the right output (and possibly helping the MT a great deal more. matches for the current source seg- engine do a better job next time There is a lot of hype. Yes, commer- ment. You do not have any problem around). This can be done on your own cial, productive use of MT is happening understanding the fuzzy match on its volition (because you might feel that it in some very specific areas: companies own merit (after all, you or a col- increases your productivity if you do— with a need for VERY large amounts of league authored it) and can decide rel- and according to a good number of translated data that would likely not be atively quickly whether it makes responses that I received, many are translated otherwise, such as Microsoft sense to correct the match or start doing this) or at the wish of a client. The or Symantec; companies that try to from scratch. MT engine can be a generic program make a point (like the non-English, It is also different from the assembly (such as Google Translate or Microsoft machine-translated help for Google process that some translation environ- Translator) or one that your client has Translator Toolkit); the military, which ment tools (TEnTs) provide, in which customized. The nature of the under- probably acts more as a financier than your translation is pieced together from lying engine can also differ. It could be an actual power user (but if it is true, subsegments in the terminology data- a statistically based MT engine (such as you and I will never know about it…); base or TM. Assembled segments Asia Online or an engine based on the and a good number of companies and follow the syntax of the source segment open-source Moses project) or it could organizations that are gearing up for a and are very helpful as reliable sources be a rules-based MT engine (such as greater use of MT. (The member list of for terminology, but relatively rarely as ProMT or Systran). the TAUS Data Association (TDA) likely sources for a finished translation. But despite the fact that there are so might give you a good starting point to What is also very different—and many variables, we tend to be very cat- see who is interested, at least in statisti- maybe this is the most important egorical. Whenever we encounter cally based MT.) Eventually, there will point—is the goal of the translation, something that has the potential of rele- also be a greater number of language the usability factor. Often, if there is vance to us, we seem to feel the need to services providers (LSPs) offering cus- MT involved, especially when dic- place it into categories of good or bad. tomized MT services (many of those tated by the client, the famous triangle Crowdsourcing? Terrible. Machine already doing so are also on TDA’s of quality versus cost versus turn- translation? Pathetic. Riding lawn- member list), especially those that work around time is shifted toward cost and mowers? Evil. for large clients with a lot of existing turnaround time, making a selective Now, how many of you have been data. And all this will grow. edit the primary goal for the post- directly and negatively affected by Now, I might have written almost editor. either MT or crowdsourcing? And I the same statement four or five years In a talk with Mike Dillinger of the do not mean as a consumer—most of ago. Clearly things are moving a lot Association for Machine Translation us have been affected on that level— slower than many anticipated, despite in the Americas (AMTA), who has but as a professional translator. I the huge amount of coverage devoted been involved with training post-edi- would be surprised if we are talking to MT in the news media and the very tors, he stressed the prioritization about more than a couple percent, if widespread private use of services factor he tries to teach his students. that. Still, we feel very strongly about like Google Translate, etc. Still, for The critical question is “How much it. Case in point: Last week I talked to some of us, post-editing might editing is enough?” What is the a friend, a very experienced and suc- become a field in which we could acceptable level of usability for this to cessful translator, who told me that he choose to work if it matches our be a “successful” translation? is thinking about opening a com- interest and expertise. Now, is it a translator who needs to pletely different business just to make It is sometimes said that post- do this or are we talking about a com- sure that once MT takes over he still editing MT is like editing fuzzy pletely new profession here? I think has a leg to stand on. And he was not matches from translation memory there will be a new profession at some even kidding! (TM). I do not think that is quite true. point, but that point depends on ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 33 Success by Association Argentine Association of Translators and Interpreters
Activities Founded in 1982, the • Organizes continuing education • Established: Argentine Association of Translators courses and seminars. 1982 and Interpreters (AATI) is a nonprofit Quick • Website: organization. With a base of over 200 • Actively engages in forums and www.aati.org.ar members active in a broad range of events advocating for the profession. • E-mail: translation and interpreting fields and Facts [email protected] language combinations, AATI repre- • Offers an online translator and inter- sents language professionals residing preter search tool and directory. in Argentina and abroad. • Provides members with a job Mission posting service, professional Additional Information • To protect and represent the inter- advice, and a monthly newsletter. For more information, please visit ests of literary, scientific, and tech- www.aati.org.ar. nical translators and interpreters. • Hosts an active Sign Language Division. • To promote the professional devel- opment of its members. Memberships and Affiliations AATI is a member of the Inter- ATA’s chapters and its affiliates, along with other groups, serve translators and inter- • To encourage cooperation and the national Federation of Translators, the preters, providing them with industry infor- sharing of knowledge with other Regional Centre Latin America, and the mation, networking opportunities, and professional and educational asso- Argentine Federation of Translators. support services. This column is designed to ciations. AATI also actively collaborates with serve as a quick resource highlighting the other international associations, such as valuable contributions these organizations • To disseminate translation and inter- the Spanish Language Professionals are making to the profession. preting news and related activities. Association. Many of its members are also members of ATA and of other inter- national professional associations.
GeekSpeak Continued from p. 33 the quality of the MT output. The translators’ skills further is in If you are just not interested in an more unreliable the output, the greater enhancing the quality of the existing opportunity like that then you are the need for translation skills. But again, MT. This is especially relevant with firmly aligned with the vast majority of those skills differ from what we are rules-based MT engines or, for that professional translators. Some might be used to in our TEnT-driven lives, and matter, any MT system that can more swayed at some point, many will not, we will need to acquire those skills. or less directly handle input. (For but do you know what? There will be I think it is intriguing to see who example, with Asia Online, a statisti- plenty of work for both groups. And my will jump into this future opening of cally based MT engine, the changes friend who thought about starting a providing MT post-editing training. It will not be visible immediately, but new business? Nothing against opening will be up to conferences like the they will be visible after a weekly a new business, but MT will not make AMTA this year in Denver or LSPs scheduled update.) The goal for MT it a necessity. I am confident that he and that work on MT projects to train their developers in this case must be to most of us with the necessary transla- translators. But there is no doubt that gratify the post-editor with immediate tion skills will be around doing what at some point there will be more for- or very quick learning by the MT we are trained to do for a long time malized training. engine so that errors have to be cor- to come. One area in which training will rected only once. play an important role in honing
34 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Compiled by Dictionary Review Peter A. Gergay [email protected]
The BBI Combinatory The BBI Combinatory the first time. It is exceedingly com- Dictionary of English Dictionary of English is the third plex. The authors describe eight major revised and expanded edition of this types of grammatical collocations, the Authors: dictionary. BBI in the title refers to last one of which consists of 19 (!) Third edition revised by Robert Ilson the last names of the three original verb patterns, which are designated by Compiled by Morton Benson, Evelyn Benson, authors, Morton Benson, Evelyn the letters A through S. The authors Robert Ilson Benson, and Robert Ilson. The title also distinguish six categories of lex- was changed slightly for this edition, ical collocations. A handy “Quick Publisher: and its subtitle, “Your guide to collo- Reference” to abbreviations and verb John Benjamins Publishing Company cations and grammar,” indicates one patterns is printed on the inside of the of the book’s goals. The editor states dictionary’s front cover, which makes Publication date: that the present edition is more than the dictionary entries and the structure 2009 20% larger than the previous one; the of the entries easier to understand. number of pages has been increased A quick look at the section entitled Number of pages/entries: from 386 to 462. The quality of the “How Entries are Structured in the 462 pages; over 22,500 entries paper still seems excellent, and the BBI: A Visual Guide” would suffice spacing between lines and words has for any translator using the dictionary. ISBN: been reduced slightly but noticeably. Besides, using this dictionary is easy: 978-90-272-3261 8 A workbook, Using the BBI: A simply look up the dominant word in Workbook with Exercises, is now question. For example, if you want to Price: available online instead of in paper- check which preposition could be $27.95 (paperback) back (see www.benjamins.com). used with “answerable,” you would $90 (hardcover) I have used the 1997 paperback find the following entry that also has edition of this dictionary for close to a helpful phrase showing its use: Available from: 10 years and have found it extremely www.benjamins.com useful. The book has held up very well answerable adj. ~ for; to (politicians and I hope that the new paperback edi- are ~ to the voters for their actions) Reviewed by: tion will be equally sturdy, although Jeannette K. Ringold there has been a slight change in the The BBI distinguishes between binding (probably to accommodate the American English (AE) and British dictionary’s larger size). After using it English (BE), and not just in spelling, for a month, however, I fear that the as in the following (partial) entry: binding may not hold up as well as that of the previous edition. tyre (BE) see tire I n. to deflate; inflate, pump up a… Content USAGE NOTE: AE has “change a Collocations (frequent word com- tire”; BE, “change a wheel” binations) are defined as follows in the introduction: “In English, as in The dictionary is very useful in other languages, there are many fixed, offering alternatives. For example, the identifiable, non-idiomatic phrases entry for the noun “hospitality” sug- and constructions. Such groups of gests a variety of verbs and adjectives: words are called recurrent combina- tions, fixed combinations, or colloca- hospitality n. 1. To extend, offer, tions. Collocations fall into two major show; 2. To enjoy; repay smb.’s; groups: grammatical collocations and 3. To abuse smb.’s; 4. Cordial, lexical collocations.” For this review, warm; lavish. I read the entire introduction (unchanged in the third edition) for ·
The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 35 Dictionary Review Continued
In an excerpt from the long entry to ~ with (“to make known; to pub- help to motivate language learners— for the verb “get,” the meanings of the lish”) (to ~ with a new book; to ~ as they would most certainly motivate collocations (shown in quotation with the truth); 5. (L) it came out me!” I am not so sure of this. These marks) again offer alternatives: that he had cheated; 6. (P; intr.) quotes contribute to the increased size (“to end up, result”) to ~ on top of the dictionary without adding much (“to deliver”) I have to ~ a message (“to be victorious”); 7. (s) the pic- value. For example, to the entry to her; tures came out fine; 8. (misc.) to ~ “begin” the author has added: “To ~ at (“to obtain”) she got a newspaper in spots (“to be covered with spots the beginning—Dylan Thomas, for me; as a result of illness”); they came Under Milk Wood, 1954.” Then, four (“to cross”) to ~ across; out from behind the bushes; she lines down, under the entry for (“to evade”) we cannot ~ around meant it as a compliment, but it “beginning,” the same quote from the regulations; came out as an insult; she finally Dylan Thomas is repeated and the (esp. AE) (“to support”) to ~ came out openly as a liberal. quote “In the ~ God created the behind (we must get behind her heaven(s) and the earth—The Bible: campaign); The entry for “come out” seems quite Genesis 1:1” has also been added. (“to overcome”) to ~ over (you’ll complete until we notice that one of have to get over your fear of the most used contemporary meanings Overall Evaluation speaking in public). of this verb is missing: to declare The dictionary’s back cover sug- openly that one is homosexual. gests that it will help you to “Speak Despite the complexity of the It is not always clear why some and write perfect English!” A lofty entries, it is easy to find the various expressions are included or excluded, aim indeed! I have reviewed the book meanings of the compound verb and many choices of collocations seem from the point of view of a translator “come out.” A quick glance at the ref- idiosyncratic. There are many other whose target language is English. As erence page shows that the shaded let- omissions, but the dictionary does not translators, we are constantly in a ters indicate various verb patterns, but aim for completeness. For instance, the zone between two languages, and this the user can easily ignore them. entry for “flag” gives only the meaning often creates uncertainty and doubts. I for “white flag” (“symbol of sur- agree with the reviewer who wrote come out v. 1. (d: intr.) to ~ out render”), but omits the meanings of that the dictionary “helps you find against (“to oppose”) (to ~ against “red” and “black flag.” The BBI is that elusive word that goes with a proposal); 2. (d: intr.) to ~ for, in incomplete in giving definitions, and another and answers questions about favor of (“to support”); 3. (d: intr.) perhaps we should not really expect which preposition to use.” The BBI that since it is a specialized dictionary. Combinatory Dictionary of English is At times it is incomplete and not really very useful in resolving many of these December 4, 2010 up to date, as in the following: doubts and in suggesting a variety of Northern California Translators Association “blowout n. [“flat tire”] 1. To have a ~; expressions. I highly recommend this Trados Studio 2009 2. To fix a ~.” Other meanings of this dictionary despite some negatives. Workshop for Intermediate Users term are omitted, such as “feast” (they Since it does not aim to be completely www.ncta.org had a real blowout), “easy victory” (the up to date, I feel that the 1997 revised game was a blowout), and “oil well edition would be equally adequate blowout.” In addition, “Fish fry n. to with a better binding and slightly have a ~” is included, and the expres- larger print. sion “deep water n, [“trouble”] (colloq.) in ~” is not as colloquial as Transit NXT – just what the authors think it is! That being said, you need, when you the dictionary does include very good Jeannette K. Ringold is a literary translator need it! usage notes throughout, ranging from a whose English translations of Dutch fiction and succinct explanation about using “dif- literary nonfiction have been published in the ferent from” to a quick note indicating U.S., the U.K., and Australia. She is an ATA- that “conducive” cannot stand alone. certified French English translator and has a → The editor seems very pleased that Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures. he has included many original quotes Contact: [email protected]. as illustrations in the new edition: STAR Webshop Group STAR shop.star-group.net “Such authentic attributed examples
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The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 37 The Translation Inquirer John Decker [email protected]
The Translation Inquirer pur- the quality of the software’s English- chased the Microsoft Office 2010 Korean machine translation proved to Abbreviations home and student version for his new be negative, confirming my suspi- used with this column Netbook computer. For the first time, cions. Microsoft clearly states on its he is being exposed to opportunities site that it is not responsible for the D-Dutch G-German for machine translation over a very content. But, as the late humorist Jean E-English Gr-Greek wide range of language pair options. Shepherd always said, unintentional [E] – English I-Italian A quick check with a friend regarding humor is the best kind! acceptable as an N-Norwegian answer, the Po-Polish original query did Pt-Portuguese périmamelonnaires not involve R-Russian New Queries sont normales is English Sp-Spanish (E-D 11-10.1) “Reach a flag” is the mentioned in a mammography report. F-French problematical idea in the operating What does the phrase in bold mean? instructions for an IVR system in a clinical trial. Here is the context: “The (G-E 11-10.5) In power plant design, engineering: Engenharia de Refrigeração. system returns to the main menu at the and specifically residual pollutants, Again, if you can solve this one you end of each function and when a resttropfengehalt proved to be a deserve extra kudos, especially since project or site flag has been reached problem term. Be advised, the translator no other information is available. unless otherwise specified.” did her due diligence and found nothing on the Internet under “drop content.” (R-E 11-10.10) The word (E-Gr 11-10.2) In the world of geo- is an obvious neologism made from topology, when discussing a network (I-E 11-10.6) In a text about education, and , soвольпинизм therefore this of Data Net reporting stations, a dis- tenuto al rendiconto is the head- is a rare case of no wrong answer. What tinction is made between the one scratcher here: Il docente è tenuto, kindволя of mountainальпинизм climbing is it, and master station and outlying slave sta- anche in corso d’opera, al rendiconto what would work in English? tions having no ability to initiate mes- dei risultati conseguiti in relazione a sages on their own. The exception is quelli prefissati nella “program- (Sp-F [E] 11-10.11) What is juices de data transmission protocols that allow mazione didattica ed è inoltre tenuto a adscripción territorial? It is remotely the slave station to originate a message rispettare il calendario di avvicenda- possible that this legal query can be using a “report by exception (RBE) mento delle lezioni predisposto dalla solved by somebody even without mode.” What is a good rendering into Direzione. What is it? context for assistance? English is Greek for the problem phrase in acceptable as an answer. quotes? (N-E 11-10.7) In the world of trans- portation, what are kryssleie? Har Replies to Old Queries (E-Po 11-10.3) “Over-hung moments” iverksatt kontroll av transport og (E-I 8-10.3) (upstream and down- obviously occur in mechanical engi- kryssleie is mentioned in the text. stream ports): In the world of drug neering, and so it is that this became a Shipping in particular is the context. infusion pumps, a monte and a valle query for a Polish equivalent. I will appear safe to use in Italian for this, not quote all of the context material, (Po-Sp [E] 11-10.8) We never seem to says Peter Christensen. He found reli- but the following should do: “Split be able to get through a month without able-looking Italian medical websites series couplings are used when applica- problems with abbreviations. In this that used these terms. tion requirements cannot be met with a case, it is “p.o. i p.b.” in a text about single series coupling (i.e., envelope railways. Here is the context sentence: (Sp-E 8-10.10) (tueste torrefacto): In limitations, over-hung moment require- modernizacja układów torowych... the process used to make this, the ments, etc.).” p.o. i p.b. Zajączkowo Lub. km roasted coffee bean looks as if it is 189.504. What are these? sugar-glazed. This type of roasting (F-E 11-10.4) Okay, we might be get- helps reduce the coffee’s acidity and ting pretty intimate here. Les régions (Pt-E 11-10.9) This is a degree name in the bitter taste. English-language web-
38 The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 Address your queries and responses to The Translation Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania 17821. E-mail address: [email protected]. Please make your submissions by the first of each month to be included in the next issue. Generous assistance from Per Dohler, proofreader, is gratefully acknowledged.
sites call it “torrefacto roasting.” Héctor As for using torrefaction in English, he Sharon Neeman likes “palm oil cake.” Beltrán learned from various websites cautions that this term is also applied to Palm oil is the only vegetable oil to that this roasting process is common in a different process to cook biomass in have a low fatty-acid content. Fatty Spain, France, Portugal, Costa Rica, an anoxic environment to make it more acids have a toxic effect on cow and Argentina. He also notes that tor- energy-efficient. Peter Christensen rumens, and therefore palm oil is a refacto-roasted beans are mixed with found that his Oxford Spanish dic- beneficial food. normally roasted beans at the end of the tionary calls it “dark roast.” process. Alan Clarke offers a transla- (Sp-G [E] 7-10.10) (brindis especial): tion of the entire context paragraph as (Sp-E 8-10.11) (torta de palmiste): In Argentina, says Graciela Daichman, found on page 43 of the August issue: Mercedes Guhl laments that a query it simply means “a special toast.” She “For the preparation of this product, we this easy came into the column, since believes there is no other connotation have utilized coffees submitted to dif- the answer was found quickly on the to it than that. ferent roasting processes. Fifty percent Internet. The term refers to a coffees with natural roasting and fifty byproduct of the process of extracting The Translation Inquirer looks out the percent coffees with dark roasting. This oil from palm kernels. It is a “palm window as he writes this at a scene of mixture endows the cup of coffee with kernel cake,” used to feed cattle, and baking pseudo-summer heat and cannot a stronger and more bitter taste, giving results from milling palm kernels to get into the Thanksgiving/Christmas it body and character.” Gerardo García extract the oil. Gerardo García Ramis mood, but realizes that it will be the hol- Ramis says that beans are more brittle agrees with the English version above iday season for many readers when this when roasted at controlled high tem- by Mercedes. Carlos Gancedo’s trans- issue reaches them. Enjoy and see you peratures, and this facilitates grinding. lation of it is “palm seed cake.” in 2011! Thank you for the
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The ATA Chronicle n November/December 2010 39 Humor and Translation Mark Herman [email protected] Bridegrooms and Bobe-Mayses
This is the second of two in Sir Bevys of Hampton, a medieval replaced by “bobe,” a word of Slavic columns based on material in Born to legendary knight along the lines of Sir origin that had barely entered the Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Lancelot and Robin Hood. One of his Yiddish language when Levita wrote Culture in All of Its Moods, by claims to fame is his killing of 32,000 his adaptation. As Wex puts it: Michael Wex (New York: St. Martin’s citizens of London at a time when the Press, 2005; paperback reprint entire population of London was To go from a hero on horseback to HarperCollins, 2006). about 5,000, aided only by his twin a toothless old lady, to make Errol In the January 2008 column I sons and his horse. Flynn into Granny from The explained the possible ways in which In 1507-08, Elijah Levita trans- Beverly Hillbillies, requires a trip “brydegome” was turned into “bride- lated (or rather adapted) Bevys’s from Venice to Vilna. groom” when “gome” (meaning adventures from Italian into Yiddish, “man”) disappeared from the English and in 1541 the translation became language. “Bridegroom” is accepted the first nonreligious Yiddish book to Martin Jacobs sent the following as a perfectly natural word today, be printed. According to Michael comment about Max Weinreich though “brydegome” simply meant Wex, the story runs, in Yiddish, like a (1894-1969), whom I identified as a the bride’s male counterpart, while version of Hamlet gone amok: Yiddish “humorist” and whose name “bridegroom” can mean an inferior was unfortunately misspelled in male servant who tends the bride as Bove’s mother arranges to murder “Going, Going, Gone!” in the October he would a horse. his father, the king of Antona, and 2009 column: English is not the only language then marries the killer. Fearing that where things like this happen. Bove will grow up to avenge his Max Weinreich was not a Yiddish Consider the Yiddish word “bobe- father, mom and her new husband “humorist,” but a Yiddish lin- mayse,” transliterated with the “ay” try to kill him, too [by poisoning a guistic scholar, probably the most pronounced the same way as in piece of chicken]…Bove escapes, important student of the Yiddish “papaya,” except the “e” is not silent. gets sold into slavery in Flanders, language ever, and author of the “Bobe” means “grandmother” and saves Flanders from invasion monumental History of the Yiddish “mayse” means story, and the com- by…the Babylonians, jumps onto a Language. In one of his papers he pound word means “cock-and-bull magic horse…and goes off to free mentions that a student who fre- story,” similar to the English “old the Flemish king from cap- quented his lectures once wives’ tale.” Everything seems so tivity…[B]efore it all works out in remarked, A shprakh iz a dialekt neat. But it isn’t. the end[,] Bove kills mom’s mit an armey un flot [“A language The word was originally “bove- boyfriend, shuts his mother up in a is a dialect with an army and a mayse,” from the Italian “Buovo,” convent, and lives happily ever navy”], but he could not recall who from the Anglo-Norman “Bevys,” as after with [the girl he loves, the the student was. Flemish Princess] Druziana and their twins.
The story was a smash hit among Yiddish speakers, and modernized Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit Transit NXT – just what versions began to be published under items for future columns via e-mail to you need, when you the title Bove Mayse toward the end [email protected] or via snail mail need it! of the 18th century. The last edition to Mark Herman, 1409 E Gaylord Street, was published in 1909-10. Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858-3626. Discussions Nonetheless, despite editions still of the translation of humor and examples in print, the story and its hero gradu- thereof are preferred, but humorous anec- ally faded from the Yiddish imagina- dotes about translators, translations, and mis- translations are also welcome. Include tion over the centuries. But the phrase copyright information and permission “Bove mayse” was entrenched in the if relevant.
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