Focus: Technical Translation 5 Y Aso Rni the 15Anniversary Edition! Years – of Transit Enter a New Dimension

The hronicle C A Publication of the American Translators Association VOLUME XXX • NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2001

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Chronicle Features A Publication of the American Translators Association Volume XXX, Number 11 International Certification Study: Czech Republic November/December 2001 By Jiri Stejskal ...... 10 The ABCs of Active and Corresponding Membership Focus: Technical By Harvie Jordan, ABC ...... 13 Translation An exploration of the alternate routes to active or corresponding membership status. Brazilian Connections: Corpora, Cognition, and Culture By Robin Orr Bodkin ...... 16 A report on The 2nd Brazilian International Translation Forum— Translating the New Millennium: Corpora, Cognition, and Culture. Translation and Technology: Bridging the Gap Between the University and the Marketplace By Edwin Gentzler ...... 17 Recently, the skills required of translators have changed dramati- cally. What once was primarily a linguistic activity has evolved into a complex practice requiring both advanced language and computer skills. While universities supply linguistic training, they often fall short on the technology part. Based on a new course at the Transla- tion Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, this article Pinecones bring visions of winter. covers a range of new technologies (including multilingual word processing, desktop publishing, Internet codes, e-mail, translation dictionaries, and Internet discussion groups) designed to help the Monthly Columns translators better transition to the new demands of the marketplace. About Our Authors ...... 6 Common Words in Technical Language: Hot From the Executive Director ...... 7 By Roberto Crivello (Translated by Jonathan Hine) ...... 22 From the President ...... 8 The technical translator must know the basics in those fields that Upcoming Conferences and might likely intersect with the one in which he or she is special- Educational Programs ...... 12 izing. This way, the translator can gradually develop the mental Accreditation Forum ...... 54 connections needed among meanings, expressions, and terms to Dictionary Reviews ...... 55 evaluate the suitability of any analogies uncovered. This article Dictionary of Foods and Cookery steps, if only partially, through a mental process for resolving Reviewed by Lilian Novas Van Vranken problems in technical translation, discussing technical termi- The Translation Inquirer ...... 56 Compiled by John Decker nology and linguistic issues. Humor and Translation ...... 58 Is Sports Translation Technical? An Italian Translator’s Perspective By Mark Herman By Floriana Bivona-Lockner (Edited by Michèle Hansen) ...... 24 Display Advertising Index ...... 59 Is sports translation worthwhile? For those who have the tools of ATA Chapters, Affiliated Groups, Other the trade at their disposals, the answer is yes, for two reasons: 1) Groups, and International Groups . . 60 it’s a growing field, and 2) it flexes your mental muscles. Your Accreditation Exam Sites ...... 62 brain needs exercising, and sports translation is one way to keep New Active and Corresponding Members . . 62 up the cross-training. Marketplace ...... 65 Challenges in Localization By Alessandra Muzzi (English text edited by Anne Milano Appel) . . . . 28 The software and Website localization market, in spite of the recent economic slow-down, is still active and able to offer interesting opportunities to those translators possessing, or willing to acquire and develop, the required technical knowledge. This Visit ATA online article will attempt to explain what is meant by localization and to give an idea of what challenges it presents to localizers, particu- at www.atanet.org larly Italian localizers. The AN EASY REFERENCE TO ATA MEMBER BENEFITS Your ATA membership has never been more valuable. Take advantage of the dis- Chronicle counted programs and services available to you as an ATA member. Be sure to tell A Publication of the American Translators Association 1999 FIT Best Periodical Award Winner these companies you are an ATA member and refer to any codes provided below. 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 Business Owners Insurance Alexandria VA 22314 National Professional Group Tel: (703) 683-6100; Fax (703) 683-6122 (888) 219-8122 E-mail: [email protected] www.ata-ins.com Website: www.atanet.org Editor Collection Services/Receivables Management Jeff Sanfacon Dun & Bradstreet [email protected] Mike Horoski Proofreader (800) 333-6497 ext. 7226 Margaret L. Hallin (484) 242-7226 Design/Layout [email protected] Ellen Banker/Amy Peloff Conference Travel Advertising Stellar Access Brian Wallace, McNeill Group Inc. 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4 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Features Continued Need a membership form for a colleague? Influences of English in Technical Translation into Italian By Roberto Crivello ...... 32 Want the latest list This article shows how, through overuse, semantic and syntactic of exam sites? loan translations and loanwords become fixed, “ready-to-use” forms. This leads to an impoverishment of terminological and styl- Call ATA’s Document on istic choices that tend to standardize and, in the end, erode the Request line, available quality of the translation. This problem, regardless of the country in 24-hours a day: which the translator lives, can be remedied only through the careful use of language. I will illustrate more accurate or less banal solutions to the problems discussed. Doing the “Write” Stuff: The Translator’s First Duty 1-888-990-3282 By María-Luisa Arias-Moreno ...... 36 Everybody agrees that a translator must be, above all, a good writer. The call is toll-free and user-friendly... They must identify different text types and be capable of repro- simply follow the voice prompts ducing them in the target language. Therefore, writing courses must and have the ATA documents be an integral part of a translator’s professional training. This you need faxed to you. article is about what should be taught—and how—in writing Here’s the current list of documents courses for translator training. Areas to be covered include both the that are available and students’ native and foreign language. their document numbers: Assessing the Spanish Translations of Marcel Proust’s First Volume By Herbert E. Craig ...... 40 Menu ...... 1 Membership Brochure ...... 20 The first, and often acclaimed, Spanish translation of Proust’s initial Membership Application ...... 21 volume, Por el camino de Swann (1920), has been challenged by Alternative Routes to Active or four recent versions. Using the principles of translation assessment Corresponding Membership . . . . .22 of Katharina Reiss (Translation Criticism—The Potentials and Lim- A Guide to ATA Accreditation . . . .30 itations, 2000), the author of this article compares the strengths and ATA Accreditation Practice Test weaknesses of this first translation by the Spanish poet Pedro Request Form ...... 31 Salinas with those by Julio Gómez de la Serna (1981), Carlos Man- ATA Accreditation Examination zano (1999), Mauro Armiño (2000), and Estela Canto (2000). Registration Form ...... 32 With(in) Translation: An Epistemology of the écriture of Hélène Cixous Request for Accreditation Review . .33 By Michael C. Walker ...... 45 List of Publications & Hélène Cixous defies categorization as both a writer and an individual. Order Form ...... 40 Her application of the conventions of French turns the language Editorial Guidelines ...... 50 upon its head, personifying the nonpersonal, making material the non- Chronicle Advertising Rates ...... 51 tangible, and playing on metaphors hidden within other metaphors. 1994 Chronicle Index ...... 52 1995 Chronicle Index ...... 53 1996 Chronicle Index ...... 54 2002 Chronicle Editorial Calendar 1997 Chronicle Index ...... 55 January May September 1998 Chronicle Index ...... 56 Focus: Medicine Focus: Literary Translation Focus: Interpreting 1999 Chronicle Index ...... 57 Submission Deadline: Submission Deadline: Submission Deadline: 2000 Chronicle Index ...... 58 November 1 March 1 July 1 ATA Code of February June October Professional Conduct ...... 59 Focus: Client Education Focus: Agencies, Bureaus, Focus: Legal ATAware Order Form ...... 60 Submission Deadline: and Companies Translating/Interpreting December 1 Submission Deadline: Submission Deadline: Chapters, Affiliated Groups & April 1 August 1 Other Groups ...... 70 March Focus: Marketing July November/December Proposal for Conference Submission Deadline: Focus: Science and Focus: Training and Presentation ...... 80 January 1 Technology Pedagogy Model Contract for Translators . . . .90 Submission Deadline: Submission Deadline: April May 1 September 1 Focus: Terminology Submission Deadline: August February 1 Focus: Independent Please see page 4 for Visit our Website at www.atanet.org Contractors detailed submission Submission Deadline: guidelines. June 1

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 5 About Our Authors...

Anne Milano Appel specializes in commercial and literary translations Michèle Hansen is a French>English translator in the Chicago from Italian to English. Formerly a director of public libraries, she has area. She is the current assistant administrator of ATA’s French Lan- also taught English, Italian, and English as a Second Language, and guage Division, the past treasurer of the Chicago Area Translators holds a Ph.D. in Romance languages and literature. Contact: and Interpreters Association, and a member of the American Med- [email protected]. ical Writers Association. Contact: [email protected].

María-Luisa Arias-Moreno is currently the coordinator of the Jonathan Hine has been a freelance translator for more than 40 Translation Section in the Department of Modern Languages of the years and is ATA-accredited (Italian>English). He is a regular pre- University of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico. She received her B.A. senter at ATA conferences. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, in translation from the Instituto Superior de Intérpretes y Traduc- his post-graduate work included project management (Master of tores in Mexico City and an M.A. in translation from the University Public Administration, University of Oklahoma) and translator edu- of Ottawa in Canada. She translates from English, French, and Por- cation (Ph.D., University of Virginia). His current research interest tuguese into Spanish. She is also a professor at the University of is the evaluation of translator education and the related areas of Guadalajara in the B.A. Program in Teaching English as a Foreign accreditation, certification, and assessment. Contact: Language. Contact: [email protected]. [email protected].

Floriana Bivona-Lockner, a graduate of the Scuola Superiore Harvie Jordan, ABC, was Chair of the Active Membership Interpreti e Traduttori of Naples, Italy, is a Chicago-based freelance Review Committee for 2000-2001,and was the first assistant medical and computer translator. In addition to ATA, she is also a administrator of the ATA Spanish Language Division. He is Presi- member of the Chicago Area Translators and Interpreters Associ- dent-elect of the Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Associa- ation and the Associazione Italiana Traduttori e Interpreti. Contact: tion (AATIA). A cofounder of AATIA, he later founded and coor- floriana@ compuserve.com. dinates its 80-member Spanish Special Interest Group (SpanSIG). He holds ATA accreditation from Spanish into English, and is one Robin Orr Bodkin, a translator living and working in the San Fran- of 750 communications professionals worldwide who is an Accred- cisco Bay Area, has been a contributor to the field since the late ited Business Communicator (ABC), a public relations credential 1980s. Among other projects, he is currently completing Lure of the conferred by the International Association of Business Communi- Street, a bilingual edition of select prose from Jules Vallès. Contact: cators. A freelance and staff Spanish<>English translator since [email protected]. 1972, his independent translation, voice talent, and public relations practice is based in Austin, Texas. Contact: [email protected]. Herbert E. Craig has examined, in numerous articles, papers, and an upcoming book, the literary rela- Alessandra Muzzi was born in Rome in 1964. She graduated with tion between the French novelist Marcel Proust and a degree in foreign languages and literature from the Università di Spanish American narrative. He has taught Spanish Roma La Sapienza in 1993, then completed a postgraduate course and French at Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kansas) in literary translation at the same university. Her passion for com- and Spanish, Spanish American literature, and trans- puters, stemming from previous work experience as a computer pro- lation at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. With the prospect grammer, led her towards technical translations in the IT field, and of teaching literary translation again, he studied translation criticism eventually towards the software and Website localization fields. and, in particular, the large number of Spanish versions of A la Contact: [email protected]. recherche du temps perdu. Contact: [email protected]. Michael C. Walker is a health sciences researcher, Roberto Crivello has been a freelance technical translator for 10 cultural theorist, and writer. Representative publica- years. Born and raised in Palermo, Italy, he lives in Salt Lake City, tions include research proceedings in Diagnostic Utah. He holds graduate degrees in engineering in both Italy and the Imaging, DI Europe, Translation Journal, AirMed, U.S., and has held engineering positions in both countries. He is CATScan, and Acta Medicina Slavica, and poetry in ATA-accredited (English>Italian). He is editor of Tradurre, the The Church Wellesley Review, Fetishes, and Meanie. newsletter of ATA’s Italian Language Division. Contact: roberto@ In addition, he has three previous publications in the ATA Chronicle. rcrivello.com. His primary research interests include medical jurisprudence, literature and medicine, the orthography of non-Latin writing systems, Edwin Gentzler, director of the Translation Center and associate transliteration, and interactions between gender and aesthetics. With professor of comparative literature at the University of Massachu- regard to literature, his primary scholarship has concerned Hélène setts Amherst, is author of Contemporary Translation Theories Cixous, Arthur Rimbaud, Emily Brontë, and Kate Chopin. He is (London: Routledge, 1993; 2nd rev. edition Clevedon: Multilingual affiliated with the Savannah College of Art and Design and with the Matters, 2001) and co-editor (with Maria Tymoczko) of Transla- K¿benhavns Universitet. For this article, he acknowledges the sup- tion and Power (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, port of those institutions as well as the personal influence of Adam forthcoming). He is also co-editor (with Susan Bassnett) of the Fair, Ryan Swanson, Megan Masana, Lynn Wright-Buckingham, Topics in Translation Series for Multilingual Matters (England) and Chris Tial. Contact: [email protected]. and serves on the editorial board of several journals, including Metamorphoses (U.S.), Cadernos de Tradução (Brazil), and Across (Hungary). Contact: [email protected] or www.umass.edu/transcen.

6 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Welcome New Board Members, Thanks to the Outgoing, and More

elcome. ATA’s success and growth 1994. This rate of retention is fantastic. I would directly reflects the efforts given by like to thank all of you for being a member of From the W so many ATA members who have the American Translators Association and for volunteered their time and energy. Please wel- helping to make the association the thriving Executive come the new officers and directors who were organization that it is today. elected at the ATA 42nd Annual Conference in Director Los Angeles. Thomas L. West III moved from This is the perfect segue to ask you to renew president-elect to president for a two-year term. your membership for 2002. The renewal notices Walter Bacak, CAE ATA Director Scott Brennan was elected presi- have been mailed. In addition, you may renew [email protected] dent-elect for a two-year term—following his online. If you have any questions about your term he becomes president. Courtney Searls- membership, please contact ATA Headquarters Ridge was re-elected secretary for another two- at [email protected] or (703) 683-6100. year term. Jiri Stejskal was elected treasurer for a two-year term. Conference. The ATA 42nd Annual Confer- As for new directors, Beatriz Bonnet was re- ence, which was held October 31-November 3 elected—this time to a three-year term. Rob in Los Angeles, was a great success all things Croese and Robert Sette were elected to three- considered. The conference will be covered in- year terms. In addition, Madeleine Velguth was depth in the January issue of the Chronicle. appointed to fill the final year remaining in Although at this point, I want to thank the 1,311 Scott’s term as director. Finally, I would like to attendees for making the extra effort to attend thank Virginia Benmaman and Clove Lynch for the conference this year. For those that could not agreeing to run for office. attend, I hope you can make it to ATA’s 43rd Annual Conference, November 6-9, 2002, in Farewell. I would like to thank the outgoing Atlanta, Georgia. members: President Ann G. Macfarlane, Secre- tary Eric N. McMillan, and Directors Allan New ATA publications. ATA has two new Adams and Gertrud Graubart Champe. It was a publications. Translating and Interpreting in the pleasure working with them. The association Federal Government was written and compiled greatly benefited from their insight, inspiration, by long-time ATA member Ted Crump. This and energy. In particular, I would like to thank comprehensive, 180-page book is available to Ann and Eric for all they did. Their guidance ATA members for $25 and nonmembers for $45. and support for Headquarters operations was Getting Started: A Newcomer’s Guide to Trans- greatly appreciated by all the staff. In addition, I lation and Interpretation is a compilation of truly valued them sharing their knowledge and articles from ATA publications. ATA member wisdom with me, which helped me grow both Sandra Burns Thomson combed the Chronicle, professionally and personally. conference Proceedings, and other ATA publications to compile this straightforward guide for Record membership. ATA closed 2001 with newcomers to the translation and interpretation a record 8,528 members. This is a 10-percent professions. The 78-page guide is available to increase over last year’s record membership. ATA members for $15 and to nonmembers for The association has doubled in membership in $25. Both publications are available from ATA. seven years. Another important statistic is our Please contact us for more information. rate of retention, which is at an all-time high of 85%. This figure reflects that 85% of the ATA Have a safe and happy holiday season. members in 2000 renewed for 2001. This figure has grown by 11% since we started tracking it in

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 7 Thoughts Inspired by the Millennium Biltmore

s President Tom West advised us this As translators and interpreters in an uncertain summer, the Millennium Biltmore has to world, we do not have an easy path. American From the Abe one of the most spectacular venues society still does not recognize us or our work as we’ve ever enjoyed for a conference. It was a plea- it ought to. Economic conditions in what seems to Past sure to stroll through its block-long Galleria (fea- be a recession are challenging for all, and espe- tured in the movie Dave) and to dine in its Crystal cially for freelancers who must compete in a President Ballroom (featured in more movies than one can market that is developing in ways we cannot count). I was able to work the movie Ghostbusters foresee. Our corporate and institutional members Ann G. Macfarlane into my opening remarks, the first time I’ve ever face their own difficulties. But I am confident that [email protected] drawn inspiration from the cinema, and the Board our association, and our members, will be able to meeting was held in the room used for Thirteen move forward. Here are a few—by no means Days, a movie about the Cuban missile crisis. all—of our current endeavors. Perhaps the most interesting connection with In Tom West we have a capable, thoughtful, and the Biltmore was not cinematic, however, but his- dedicated president. Tom has brought our confer- torical. When my husband Lew walked into the ences to a new standard of excellence, and will Biltmore Bowl, site of our opening reception, he continue that commitment as president of the ATA. realized that he had been there before. In 1960, he Our investment in strengthening our accredita- attended the press conference where Eleanor Roo- tion program will pay benefits for years to come sevelt pled with the delegates to the Democratic in the increased professionalization of translation, Convention to give Adlai Stevenson his third try at and in our association’s becoming better known as the presidency. upholding the highest standards for all. Lili Van Famously, the delegates went in a different Vranken and Celia Bohannon are doing a fine job direction, and John F. Kennedy became the leading this vital committee. Democratic choice. But to think of my husband ATA will continue to develop targeted mar- and Eleanor Roosevelt in the same ballroom gave keting opportunities for the association and for our me a frisson, a glimpse at the reach of history. Our members. This is a priority of our President-elect present day, however exotic it may seem, is Scott Brennan, and promises well for our future. inevitably connected with, intertwined with, and The New York Financial Translation Confer- organically linked to our past. Similarly, our ence set a benchmark for professional develop- future will grow from the decisions and the ment opportunities. Marian Greenfield, chair of choices we make today. the Professional Development Committee, will On the flight home, I encountered a comment continue to inspire new initiatives in this arena. by Paul O’Neill which articulated one of the goals The conference demonstrated that the men- I have had during my term as your president. The toring program, started by my dear friend and col- Treasury Secretary said, “Leadership is really league Courtney Searls-Ridge, is a vehicle of about creating the conditions where people are enormous promise for growth and vitality within comfortable with change, and they know that they the ATA. As secretary, Courtney will continue to have an opportunity to make a contribution.” I have provide continuity to the Executive Committee tried to welcome change, and to encourage all our and to develop this exciting new program. members to move in the direction that inspires Gertrud Champe, though she has left the Board them, while articulating a vision for our associa- as required after two terms, will continue to lead tion. I believe that our increase in members to over our Education and Training Committee. The 8,000 (a new record); our retention rate (higher Board’s decision to expand eligibility for student than at any time since we started tracking); our membership will be a significant part of our thriving chapters, affiliates, and divisions; our greater outreach to universities and colleges. superb professional development opportunities; Madeleine Velguth will be a superb representative the record-breaking number of interpretation ses- for the academic world on the Board. sions in Los Angeles; and the growth of our accred- Jo Anne Engelbert will continue to bring her itation program are all good omens for the future. organization, wit, and creativity to the job of

8 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 granting the best possible Honors and Awards. Our work in translation and computers and terminology continues to be key for the demands of the evolving marketplace. Alan Melby continues on the Board and as chair of the Translation and Computers Com- mittee, and Sue Ellen Wright carries on her indispensable work as chair of the Termi- nology Committee. We continue our outreach to potential active members. Harvie Jordan has stepped down as chair of the Active Membership Review Committee, but Lee Wright will take up the baton and continue to encourage interpreters, those in related professions, and all eligible associate members to apply for active or corresponding membership. New Board member Rob Croese has taken the position of chair of the Chapters Committee. Building on Kirk Anderson’s generous commitment of time and thought over the last years, Rob will continue to CLARITY, TRANSPARENCY, serve as a link to chapters, affiliates, and EXACTITUDE AND EXPEDIENCY other regional groups, and assist us to do our best to serve their needs. IN COMMUNICATING IDEAS A great team, Dorothee Racette and Rudy Heller, will lead the Divisions Com- WE PROVIDE A FULL-SERVICE SOLUTION mittee. I have been impressed with their FOR THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY: work from the moment they took office as • TELEPHONE INTERPRETING • FIELD INTERPRETING administrators of the German and Spanish • TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION Language Divisions, respectively. I know that they will follow the outstanding path WE WELCOME EXPERIENCED set by Tim Yuan, outgoing chair (who TELEPHONE AND FIELD INTERPRETERS, remains on the Board), and Anne Vincent. TRANSLATORS AND LINGUISTS, PROJECT Our new treasurer, Jiri Stejskal, is COORDINATORS AND TRAINING engaged in a fascinating outreach to other SPECIALISTS TO JOIN OUR TEAM international organizations. His study of their certification programs has great poten- COME VISIT OUR BOOTH AT tial as a bridge to our colleagues overseas. THE 2001 ATA CONFERENCE We continue to enjoy excellent relations with the Federation Internationale des Tra- IN LOS ANGELES ducteurs, thanks to the tireless work of Past President Peter Krawutschke, who serves PHONE 800.543.4244 WWW.NETWORKOMNI.COM as our representative to FIT and also as secretary general of that organization. The ® next FIT Congress will be held on our own NOTHING GETS LOST IN THE TRANSLATION Continued on p. 12

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 9 International Certification Study: Czech Republic

By Jiri Stejskal

ast time we ventured quite far preting is a source of livelihood for them, at least on a part- afield, if not linguistically, then time or freelance basis. JTP was also instrumental in setting L certainly geographically, and up the Czech Council for Translation and Interpretation reviewed the fairly complex Australian (âeská rada pro pﬁeklad a tlumoãení—hence the unwieldy National Accreditation Authority for acronym âERAPT above), which administers certification Translators and Interpreters Ltd. tests for translators and interpreters. The Council is a body (NAATI) certification system. This composed of JTP representatives, the Institute of Translation time we will look at the Czech Council Studies of Charles University in Prague, the Association of for Translation and Interpreting Conference Interpreters (ASKOT), and a major translation (âERAPT) certification system in the company based in Prague. It is chaired by Andrej Rády, who is also the chairman of JTP. The âERAPT certification is designed for both beginning …Given the specific market conditions and accomplished translators and interpreters. The examination tests the candidate for a professional level of translation in the Czech Republic, candidates and/or interpretation skills. The texts used in the translation must prove their capability in tests are authentic, and real conditions are simulated for the interpretation tests. Given the specific market conditions in the bidirectional translating and/or Czech Republic, candidates must prove their capability in bi- interpreting, i.e., both from and into directional translating and/or interpreting, i.e., both from and their native language… into their native language. Two types of qualification tests are offered: translation and translation/interpretation.

Qualification for Translators Czech Republic. While the two systems The first part of the test involves the translation of a general, are quite similar, there is one crucial but difficult, text from a foreign language into Czech and vice difference: the NAATI system has been versa. For the translation into Czech, the candidate may write officially recognized by the Australian a commentary. The length of each text is approximately 350 government, whereas the âERAPT words. The second part of the test involves specialized transla- system is, for all practical purposes, tion, again in both directions. The candidate can select one text still in the realm of wishful thinking. in the field of social sciences and one in the field of natural and For once I am treading familiar turf, as technical sciences. Each part of the test takes 3.5 hours, with a Prague is my native city and I am a one-hour break. Dictionaries and references provided by the member of the Union of Translators candidate are allowed. and Interpreters (Jednota tlumoãníkÛ a pﬁekladatelÛ, JTP). JTP, a member of Qualification for Translators/Interpreters FIT, with offices in the capital cities of This test also consists of two parts: translation and inter- the Czech and the Slovak Republics, preting. The translation part is identical with the one described serves the needs of both Czech and above. The interpretation part takes place the next day and Slovak professional linguists. I am includes a short conversation in a foreign language, bidirectional indebted to my distinguished friend and consecutive interpreting, and bidirectional sight interpreting. colleague, Kateﬁina Martonová, the The consecutive interpreting test is a sequence of two five- to Union’s officer for international rela- seven-minute sections in both language directions, one section tions, for providing me with detailed being of a general nature and the other specialized. The spe- information on the certification efforts cialization of the candidate will be considered for the interpre- in the Czech Republic. tation test. For the sight interpreting, approximately 30 lines of While JTP does not offer any certi- text are used, again in both language directions. No dictio- fication or comparable program, naries or reference materials may be used during the interpre- applicants for JTP membership must tation test. The test is open to the public and representatives of prove that translation and/or inter- translation companies or governmental bodies may be present.

10 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 The prerequisites for either qualification test include at least cial seal and is generally recognized as a one of the following: basic prerequisite for many entry-level positions, tests for language proficiency ¥ University diploma in the given field of philology; but not for issues specific to translation ¥ Certification of state language examination; and/or interpretation. The âERAPT ini- ¥ Other recognized language certification (e.g., TOEFL); tiative, on the other hand, is tailored to ¥ Proof that the candidate lived and worked in the foreign the needs of professional translators country for a considerable amount of time; and interpreters, is organized by the ¥ University diploma in the given foreign language, in a most prestigious entities in the field of field other than philology; or translating and interpreting, and ¥ Proof of long-term use of the given foreign language on promises to provide certification of a a daily basis in a job requiring a high-level language much higher and uniform standard. competency. Further information on certification and related procedures in the The evaluation of the qualification assesses the professional Czech Republic can be obtained competency and performance of the candidate. The basic cri- from the JTP main office in Prague teria of the evaluation are factual correctness, semantic, styl- at [email protected] and from istic, pragmatic, and functionally communicative adequacy of Zuzana Jettmarová (âERAPT) at the rendition of the message from one language to another, as [email protected]. In the well as cultural appropriateness. The optional commentary next issue we will look at the certifica- prepared by the candidate shows his or her ability to notice and tion process of the Canadian Ordre des solve translation problems. The certificate issued to the suc- traducteurs, terminologues et inter- cessful candidate is not a truly official document. Nevertheless, prètes agréés du Québec. holders of this certificate can use it to prove their skills to third As the editor of this series, I parties, for their personal promotion, and so forth. As encourage readers to submit any rele- âERAPT is a fairly young entity without independent legal vant information concerning non-U.S. standing and because its certification does not carry an official certification or similar programs, as seal, only a handful of candidates have passed the test to date. well as comments on the information Currently, most professional translators and interpreters in the published in this series, to my e-mail Czech Republic present the official state language examination address at [email protected]. as their credentials. The state examination, while it carries an offi-

Upcoming Conference & Educational Programs NAJIT Eastern Regional Conference

The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, along with the Society for the Study of Translation and Inter- pretation (SSTI) and the Department of Foreign Languages of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is pleased to announce the Eastern Regional Conference at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City, February 2, 2002, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. This one- day conference will feature presentations on issues in interpreting, translating, education, and law given by some of the top professionals, educators, and legal scholars in the field. On February 1, 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., NAJIT will be holding the written component of the examination leading to the credential of Nationally Certified Judiciary Interpreter and Translator: Spanish. The examination will be followed by a pre-conference seminar, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m., on court interpreter ethics and procedure, which will feature a panel composed of some of the leading authorities on court interpreting. For more information, please contact: National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3025, New York, New York 10176; Tel: (212) 692-9581, Fax: (212) 687-4016; E-mail: [email protected] or Website: http://www.najit.org.

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 11 From the Past President Continued from p. 9 continent, in August 2002 in Vancouver, years, and a welcome to Boris Silversteyn Language Interpreting Standards Project; Canada. who now takes up this charge; my special to Rosalie Wells for the ASTM Translation Finally, I know that we have the best thanks to Karen Brovey for her thoughtful project, and Christophe Rethore for repre- possible ground to move forward, in an work as chair of the Ethics Committee; my senting us on the Joint National Committee association of colleagues who value each gratitude to Manouche Ragsdale for her for Languages; thanks to all chapter and other, recognize each other’s contributions, public outreach and pro bono work on affiliate officers, and to Tony Roder, who and collaborate freely to share information, behalf of ATA as chair of the Public Rela- has done so much for regional groups and grow together, and celebrate our successes. tions Committee; a farewell to outgoing continues to surprise us with his elo- It has been a pleasure to serve an associa- division administrators, with special quence; thanks once again to Mooch Bacak tion such as ours. thanks to Diane Teichman, who got the and our fine staff; and thanks to all those Also in closing—let me give a fond Interpreters Division “up and running,” and many involved members whose contribu- farewell to colleagues Allan Adams and thanks to those division officers continuing tions and names I have not room to list here. Eric McMillan, who have left the Board; a to serve; my thanks to Christian Degueldre, It’s been a grand two years, and I look welcome to Robert Sette as a new director; who continues as chair of the Interpretation forward to the years to come. my thanks to Al Bork, who has chaired the Policy Advisory Committee; to Bruce Dictionary Review Committee for many Downing for representation on the ASTM

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12 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 The ABCs of Active and Corresponding Membership

By Harvie Jordan, ABC

assing an ATA accreditation exam elevates an associate criteria and process, the ATA Board member’s status in two ways. One, of course, is that the delegated the initial review of applica- P member is then an accredited member. And, second, by tions and supporting documentation being accredited, he or she also becomes an active or corre- to ATA Headquarters staff. If an sponding member. application package does not clearly The process of administrative review offers other routes to satisfy the criterion, Headquarters will active or corresponding member status. However, associate refer it to the Active Membership members who become active or corresponding members Review Committee for evaluation and through administrative review are not accredited. recommendation. Associate members have the right to attend ATA membership meetings and conferences at special membership rates, and to receive its regular publications free of charge (unless …most new active and corresponding extra fees are paid for international postage). members who followed alternate In addition to those rights, active members have the right to vote, hold association office, and serve on the ATA Board of routes to those membership categories Directors and all association committees. said they wanted to become active or Corresponding members meet all qualification for active corresponding members so that they membership except U.S. citizenship or permanent residence. They have all the rights and privileges of active members, could vote in ATA elections and except the right to hold association office and serve on the referenda… Board of Directors or standing committees. In a recent informal survey of some new active and corresponding members who followed alternate routes to those Although the alternate routes to membership categories, most said they wanted to become active and corresponding membership active or corresponding members so that they could vote in do not confer accreditation, they do ATA elections and referenda. offer credible options for associate For associate members who want to upgrade their member- members to look forward to fuller par- ship status, there are a number of reasons why they may ticipation in association affairs. choose an alternate route to reach that goal. In fact, the ATA Board invites all eli- Some decide to follow this course because accreditation is gible members to become active and not available in their language pair(s). There are those who corresponding members and encourages hold accreditation or certification from other recognized orga- them to take an active role in advancing nizations. Some have earned an academic degree or certificate the work of our profession through vol- in translation or interpretation, while others with substantial unteer service to the association. experience who are well established do not feel the need to These options have special signifi- seek accreditation as a marketing tool. cance for ATA chapters facing a limited The ATA Board of Directors revised the criteria for the admin- pool of active members from which to istrative review process in 1999. In the first two years after the recruit candidates for leadership posi- new criteria were implemented, of the 130 applications submitted tions. In addition to accreditation, the for active or corresponding membership, 129 were approved. alternate routes listed below offer a The criteria are consistent with the ATA Bylaws require- range of opportunities to expand the ment that voting members be “professionally engaged in trans- base of active and corresponding mem- lating, interpreting, or closely related work.” bership, and in turn increase participa- The active membership review process is simple. After tion in association affairs at both the choosing the appropriate criterion, an interested associate local and national levels. member completes an application form obtained from ATA Alternate routes to active or corre- Headquarters and submits it, along with supporting documenta- sponding membership include: tion according to the selected criterion, and the $50 fee to ATA Headquarters. In its 1999 revision of the administrative review Continued on p. 14

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 13 The ABCs of Active and Corresponding Membership Continued

1. Translators and interpreters cur- 4. Translators or interpreters are required to provide evidence rently accredited or certified by a of at least three years of work as a translator or interpreter, member association of the Fédéra- which may include either of the following: tion Internationale des Traducteurs are required to provide proof of a. Three letters of reference from clients or supervisors; or such accreditation or certification. b. Copies of records of business activity such as Schedule C, corporate tax returns, 1099s, invoices, or work orders. 2. Translators are required to provide proof of a degree or certificate in 5. Persons professionally engaged in work closely related to translation (acceptable programs to translation and/or interpretation are required to provide evi- be determined by the Training dence of at least three years of work in a closely related Committee) and one letter of refer- field, which may include either of the following: ence from a client or supervisor. a. Teaching appointment letters; or 3. Interpreters are required to provide b. Terminology/lexicography research studies. proof of a degree or certificate in interpretation (acceptable programs The Training Committee is authorized to establish a list of to be determined by the Training programs or examinations, the successful completion of which Committee) and one letter of refer- is sufficient to achieve active or corresponding membership. ence from a client or supervisor. Approved March 19, 1999

Choice Translating & Interpreting, Inc. We make languages less foreign. TM JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: TRANSLATION SERVICES COORDINATOR Choice Translating & Interpreting, Inc. is hiring a full time Translation Services Coordinator in Charlotte, North Carolina. Choice Translating & Interpreting (CTi) is a translating and interpreting agency founded in 1995 to serve the medical, legal, manufacturing, marketing and education industries, as well as government and social services. CTi provides Central and Eastern service in all languages. Europe Specialists Description: Coordinate multilingual projects with clients and LOMAC Group is a leading provider of multilingual software localization and technical translation un the subcontractors. Proofread and edit documents. languages of Central and Eastern Europe.

Minimum Qualifications: Fluency in English and at least one of the LOMAC’s top-level resources can successfully following: German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. One year tackle any size project in the localization of software, experience as professional translator and/or translation project multilingual Web site, HTML pages or technical coordinator. Proficiency in business productivity software such as documentation. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel). Proficiency in Trados and graphic design software a plus. Our ground-breaking project management and quality assurance techniques using Web-based technologies ensure the best results every time. Compensation: Competitive benefits. Salary depends on experience. Find out more at our Web site at www.lomac.net Interested candidates should contact [email protected], or fax: 704.717.0046. CTi is also recruiting freelance translators, linguists and LOMAC Group interpreters in all languages. Piekna 13, 85-303 • Bydgoszcz, Poland Tel. 48 52 5824406 • Fax. 48 53 3458342 [email protected] • www.lomac.net Renew your ATA membership for 2002.

14 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 15 Brazilian Connections: Corpora, Cognition, and Culture

By Robin Orr Bodkin

or this traveler, the gigante With Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English serving as the adormecido, or “sleeping giant” official languages, participants came from virtually every F as some have described Brazil, corner of the globe: from Chile to Canada, Scotland to Slo- has not only awakened but is also care- vakia, Finland to Australia, China to Denmark, and Japan to fully taking stock of its extraordinary South Africa. potential. I recently had the opportunity Though the format (workshops, mini-courses, lectures, to present a paper entitled “Historiog- paper presentations, and roundtables) was more or less what raphy of Literary Translation: Truths, we have come to anticipate at such large gatherings, it was Approximations, and Speculations” at intelligently arranged such that very few conflicts arose The 2nd Brazilian International Trans- within the various subdivisions (Interpretation in the Work- lation Forum—Translating the New place; Cognitive Approaches to Translation; Historiography; Millennium: Corpora, Cognition, and Post-Structural Approaches to Translation; Translation in the Media: TV, Cinema, and the Theater; Corpora Research; Ter- minology; and last but not least, Literary Translation). Some- …Regardless of where you are in your thing I particularly appreciated was that in contrast to the career…I would highly recommend “business paradigm” that inevitably takes over when this type of symposium is held in a large hotel or conference center, the attending this conference…if for no entire affair was conducted in the classrooms and lecture halls other reason than to experience the of a Federal University in an environment conducive to incredible diversity of the contributors learning. In brief, the surroundings encouraged a healthy and open exchange of ideas. I especially enjoyed hearing the and the perspectives they bring to formal presentations of such luminaries as Robert de Beau- bear… grande, Tony Berber, Annie Brisset, Brano Hochel, Guy de Hollanda, João Vicente de Paulo Júnior, Mário Laranjeira, John Milton, Adriana Pagano, Corinne Scheiner, Joy Sisley, Culture. Organized under the auspices Maria Tymoczko, and Else Vieira, to mention only a few. How- of ABRAPT (Associação Brasileira de ever, I relished even more the opportunity to share things with Pesquisadores em Tradução) and them “off the cuff” as we walked the corridors together to the FALE (Faculdade de Letras da Univer- next session or mesa-redonda. And if by chance any of us lost sidade Federal de Minas Gerais), this our way or our Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English were conference took place in the bustling not quite what they should have been, there was an army of city of Belo Horizonte (a city that bright, multilingual student volunteers ready, willing, and able extols its historical preservations of to put us back on the Yellow Brick Road. 18th-century colonial architecture as This conference is scheduled to take place every two years “some of the finest examples in all of (the first was held at the Universidade de São Paulo in 1999), Latin America”) about 400 kilometers with official city and venues to be determined on a rotating basis. northwest of Rio. What a pleasant and Regardless of where you are in your career—whether just inspiring experience! beginning, midway, or a distinguished veteran—I would As per the advisory commission’s highly recommend attending this conference when it rolls original design, corpora, cognition, around again, if for no other reason than to experience the and culture (all three conceived as inte- incredible diversity of the contributors and the perspectives gral components of translatory activity they bring to bear. The language combinations, as well as the in the new millennium) were explored direct cultural and historical connections, can serve as an eye- over a period of four days by an inter- opener for sure, and just might stimulate new and exciting national contingent of translators, ways of approaching the art of translation. scholars, professors, and students.

16 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Translation and Technology: Bridging the Gap Between the University and the Marketplace

By Edwin Gentzler

The Changing Nature of the Profession standable, but for young people trying he translation profession is changing quickly, and to enter the profession, literacy in the translators who do not keep up with the evolution in the new translation technology is a must. T field are going to be left behind. Seven years ago, when Translation agencies do not have the I assumed the directorship of the Translation Center (founded time or the cash margin to retype, in 1981) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I inher- format, proof, and print the translator’s ited a pool of approximately 200 translators officially affiliated work. Time is money. See Table 1 for a with the Center. None of them work for the Center now. I gave graph of some of the changes in the most of them an opportunity—in fact, coming from Europe, at translation profession. the time I had no other resources—but for one reason or another, they all eliminated themselves from our pool. Some had inadequate linguistic skills, but others were professors or …for young people trying to enter the language instructors at the university. Of these, many had other priorities. Translation was only a secondary interest, and they profession, literacy in the new would always negotiate for extended deadlines. Others turned translation technology is a must… in first drafts, either not proofreading their work or, if they did, only giving it a superficial read-through. Still others produced work that was inconsistent; they would turn in a perfect trans- It is important to keep up with the lation one time, but the next time turn in something they had changes in the profession. As the obviously done at the last minute. means of production change, so does However, the biggest problem was their lack of computer skills. For professors who are older, this is perhaps under- Continued on p. 18

Table 1

Skill Old New

Language Bilingual linguistic competence. Bilingual linguistic competence; awareness of cultural nuances and local variations.

Knowledge of subject General subject knowledge preferred. Specialized bicultural subject knowledge required; advanced degree in area preferred.

Training Some academic background; some Advanced degree in modern languages; general translation experience. training in translation desired; extensive experience in subject matter; awareness of targeted audience; certification if possible.

Editing Agency or press did copyediting, Translator delivers fully edited and proofed proofing, and formatting. document to agency or press; spell check and grammar check necessary.

Computer Typed copy (computer or typewriter) Computer word processing mandatory; required. advanced desktop publishing skills, including Internet skills, necessary; terminology databases increasingly valuable.

Delivery Hard copy via U.S. mail or personal Hard copy and disk via personal visit; mail; visit; fax. FedEx; fax; and, most importantly, sending and receiving e-mail attachments.

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 17 Translation and Technology: Bridging the Gap Continued

the final product. How we process many fonts are still incompatible with each other. Certain texts has an impact on what gets said. basics are important, including basic Word commands—for For example, communication is PC: CONT + ‘ + E = é; for Mac users: « OPT e = é; ASCII becoming increasingly visible, with codes (ALT 130 = é), the international character map (Start - charts, graphics, new and creative Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Character Map); and to fonts, and colors, all of which influ- change the keyboard (Start Ð Settings - Control Panel - Key- ence the message. The technology also board - Add). If one system won’t provide the accent or mark impacts the nature of the medium. For desired, try another one. What might work in a Word document example, for many years in Spanish, might not work in an e-mail message. For a good site to learn computers could not put accents on more about multilingual word processing, see www.umass.edu/ capital letters. Now, because the tech- langctr/keyboardhelp.html at the Language Center at the Uni- nology has changed, it is possible to do versity of Massachusetts Amherst. so, and most Spanish style sheets The newest advance in multilingual word processing is require accents on capitals. offered by Office 2000 (www.microsoft.com/office/), which In addition, what in the past might offers universal fonts to solve many of the international incom- have been communicated via a per- patibility issues involving word processing fonts. For example, sonal visit or business letter now might the font Ariel Unicode MS covers every character in the stan- be communicated in an e-mail. A trans- dard Unicode Version 2.1. It contains all European characters, lator whose business is cross-cultural including Russian, Greek, Turkish, plus fonts for Japanese, communication needs to be versed on Korean, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese. Most lan- the different means of communica- guage systems, including the Asian language programs, also tion that are available in any given cul- work in English systems, including earlier versions of Win- ture. If a translator hasn’t already, he dows. Finally, Office 2000 supports bidirectional languages or she will soon be asked to translate a such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Farsi. It also has a feature called Web page, a computer software pro- automatic encoding, which means it can detect the code of a gram, or do a video voice-over. The particular document. This is especially helpful, for example, if amount of business correspondence— you get a Chinese file or download a Chinese Internet site and letters, faxes, brochures, and business you do not know how the page was written. By purchasing a cards—the field translates is dimin- separate disk called Microsoft Office 2000 Proofing Tools, you ishing. The amount of Web pages, e- get spell and grammar checkers in 37 languages—well worth mail correspondence, and electronic the $79 investment. In sum, while there are still glitches (we attachments translation companies have had trouble with vowels in Hebrew, for example), translate is on the rise. Microsoft has finally entered the international word processing market, including translation, and has come up with a system Technology Tools that allows one program to cover nearly all possible needs. If While translators need not become you or your company are working in a multilingual environ- computer nerds, some of the funda- ment, especially with lesser-known languages, this tool will mentals needed include: connect you to the major clients.

Multilingual word processing. The Desktop publishing. Desktop publishing is not that hard and nature of word processing is changing is fun. Most of the programs are much the same and fairly easy as we speak. Translators need to be to learn. Word is good, Microsoft Publisher slightly better, and aware of the various ways to enter PageMaker one more notch up. Quark Express is still com- accents and diacritical marks, to switch monly used, especially on the Mac. The most important fea- from language to language, and to be tures to learn are, first, to avoid the space key. Instead, set tabs able to word process accurately in the or use columns, or better yet, learn how to use the table feature. most needed languages in the culture Tables allow you to arrange text on the page in a creative fashion into which they are translating. While (for example, you can hide the lines between the table sections the optimal solution is still not there, if you want, and can choose center, left, or right justification

18 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 within the columns and rows). Tables also translate well when multilingual texts to learn how to use moving to a Web page environment, where columns and tabs Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat no longer work. Underlining is now out, for it is generally Reader (www.adobe.com/products/ reserved for e-mail and Web addresses. Since many companies acrobat/main.html). If you want to now post ads, newsletters, rate sheets, and brochures on the send a file via an e-mail attachment Web as well as in hard copy, it is important to write using fea- and the client does not have the font or tures that will translate easily across platforms. As the word language you are translating into, count in translations from English to Spanish normally Adobe can pdf the file and embed the expands between 10% and 20%, it is important to know how to font so that the person on the other end keep facing-page features with a longer text, such as knowing can read the text. Adobe Acrobat your way around margins, fonts size, and spacing. Reader is free and can be downloaded from Adobe’s home page, so your Internet codes. Translators do not need to know everything client won’t have to spend any money about html codes, but they do need to know enough to be aware to receive your file. of what not to translate. Until the Web page editors get better, translators will still occasionally have to go into an html docu- Dictionaries. There are hundreds of ment and read the text, deciphering what is part of the format- computer tools for translators. The most ting language and what is the text to be translated. (To take a important tools are the dictionaries and look, open any Website, go to the “File” menu, and click on online databases, which are getting better “Edit with Netscape Composer.” When the document comes every day. Yahoo! has a good reference up, go to the “View” menu and click on “Page Source.”) I use page on dictionaries (http://dir.yahoo. a program called Claris Homepage (no longer available) to com/Reference/Dictionaries). Another author Web pages, but Netscape Composer is fine. New ver- good source is a company called Lan- sions of Word allow you to save Word documents as html files, guage Automation (www.rahul.net/lai/ but they often add a lot of garbage commands to a file, and I glossaries.html). I work in German and find many webmasters do not like it much. The Web page like the German site at the University editors will get better and easier in the near future. My stu- of Paderborn (www-math.uni-paderborn. dents seem to prefer Dreamweaver (www.macromedia.com/ de/dictionaries/Dictionaries.html), software/dreamweaver/) by Macromedia or FrontPage which also gives links to other dictio- (www.microsoft.com/frontpage/) by Microsoft. naries in other language combinations You will also need to learn how to download files from the other than straight English. If you want Internet, open them with editors, translate, and post them back to help author a dictionary, try helping to either the client’s site or your own site. I recommend using out the International Dictionary Project the same editor the client used, or going into the source html (www.june29.com/IDP). This site is code directly and translating the text from there. Finally, you updating its lexicons even as I write. More will also need to know the basic html codes for diacritical specialized dictionaries are also being marks (é = é). The advantage of these codes for “spe- generated. For computer buffs, try Ciber- cial” characters is that they are universal; all html programs Léxico Comparativo (www.telefonica. recognize them worldwide. es/fat/lexa.html).

Communication. The fastest and cheapest way to communi- Machine translation. We at the Trans- cate with a translation agency or a client is through e-mail, so lation Center at the University of open an account and learn how to send material as file attach- Massachusetts Amherst do not really ments. Be sure to join a server that can give you a large enough like machine translation. Even the best mailbox for large file attachments. While words themselves do ones are only 75% accurate, which not take up much space, graphics and pictures do, and clients means that there is a mistake every will want to send you the whole document so you can see the four words. Type in a sentence such as layout as well as text. I also encourage translators working in lesser-known languages and translation agencies working in Continued on p. 20

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 19 Translation and Technology: Bridging the Gap Continued

“Mary had a little lamb.” The computer everyone to join a discussion group. If you are looking for a word doesn’t know if Mary is eating, or phrase and cannot find it in a dictionary, you can send out a owning, giving birth, or having sex. query to the discussion group and get dozens of answers within a That is why we have people translating few short hours. For example, how do you say, “Her boyfriend who have read children’s stories and pushed the stroller down the sidewalk” in Spanish? You can also know the cultural context. Machine eavesdrop on other such language queries, many of which are translation is useful for what we call fascinating. Try FLEFO (Compuserve’s foreign language educa- “gisting,” or just trying to understand tion forum—you have to join Compuserve to receive it. Enter the basic facts of any document. If you FLEFO in the keyword box and you are on your way!) or want to know what a car looks like, its lantra-l (to subscribe, send the line SUB LANTRA-L (your name) dimensions, color, or the size of the in the body of an e-mail message to [email protected]). engine, you can go to a machine translator and find out some pretty good Online journals. It is also important and fun to keep up with information. If you want to buy the car changing technologies. The most useful one I have found is Multi- and need to sign a contract, then get a lingual Communications and Computing (www.multilingual.com). human. If you want to try machine John Benjamins has a new journal out called Language Inter- translation, go to Altavista (http:// national (www.language-international.com). Other journals babelfish.altavista.com/). For a list of include the ATA Chronicle, Language Today, Lisa Newsletter, URLs for companies providing Target, and The Translator. A newsletter called TRANSST has machine translations into different lan- a pretty good summary of upcoming conference activities guages, see Babel Fish (www. (http://spinoza.tau.ac.il/~toury/transst/). babelfish.com/Languages/English/ EnglishMachine.shtml). Conclusion: Get Networked Instead of machine translation, I While many translators resist the changes in the field, others can recommend programs that cata- have welcomed them. In the new global order translation is on logue all the translations of a particular the rise, with opportunities in the business, finance, computer, item in a variety of fields. I like the site information technology, music, television, film, medical, and EuroDicAutom (http://eurodic.ip.lu/ legal fields. Many of the texts involve vocabularies that trans- cgi-bin/edicbin/EuroDicWWW.pl), lators can now access easily because of the technologies avail- which is the location of the European able in their own fields. Prices are coming down for the com- Union’s database of all documents that puter tools for translators so that freelancers and independent have been translated. There you can translators can now afford them. Fonts and word processing type in a word in a context of a given programs are being written so that many of the world’s lan- field—law, business, finance, etc.—and guages, hitherto not available in computer form, are now see how the term has been translated by accessible. This process increasingly empowers minority the EU’s translators. You can also call groups, allowing them to enter the world’s communication up a number of examples, so you can channels and markets. see how different translators handled Just as Walter Benjamin said regarding “the work of art in the same term. You may search the data- the age of mechanical reproduction,” I would also argue, in base in any combination of the EU’s 11 regards to “the work of translation in the age of computer official languages. The program gives reproduction,” that as the means of production change, so does you the translation plus the cultural con- the nature of the object being reproduced. In many cases, the text, and has become a very valuable medium is the message. Translators are increasingly being resource for translators worldwide. called upon to advise clients on the cultural norms of a given field in a given country and/or on the media available to better Discussion groups. Translators need reach the intended market, and on how to adapt documents not feel so isolated anymore. It is true accordingly. that you will spend many hours in front To conclude, I urge translators to get connected and to of the terminal, but I encourage build their own network of both people and technology that

20 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 can support translators in their profession. Some tips for practicing translators include: Looking for a freelance job or a ¥ Build your repertoire of specialized knowledge and terminology. Subscribe to online newsletters and discussion full-time position? groups in your area of expertise. Develop a network of “experts” to consult regarding terminology: doctors, nurses, technicians, interpreters, and other translators. Need help finding a translator or interpreter ¥ Check out local or university libraries for reference books for a freelance job and resources. Bookmark Internet dictionaries and terminology lists for quick consultation. Compile your own word or a full-time position? lists for future reference and build your personal reference library.

¥ Keep updating your computer skills. Take courses in Check out desktop publishing and multilingual word processing. Find ATA’s online Job Bank a computer lab at a university or an Internet cafe where you in the Members Only section can word process or surf and ask questions of others at of the ATA Website at nearby stations. www.atanet.org/membersonly

¥ Find a “partner”: someone who will check your work if you check theirs, someone you can call up at midnight for help with a term, and someone who you can recommend to a translation agency if you are indisposed.

¥ Develop your network of human resources: cultural groups in both the target and source languages, information resources for computer questions, fellow translators, con- tacts at translation agencies for queries, linguistics consul- tants who can help with proofreading and editing, and specialists in your fields of expertise.

Translation, which once was a lonely job, underpaid and undervalued, is increasingly becoming a fast-moving, exciting, and empowering field. Specialists in a variety of fields, including cultural studies, information technology, communication, linguistics, project management, and business administration, are increasing asking for translation services. Transla- tors are also more involved in the final production of texts, rather than leaving the final decisions up to the in-house exec- utives. It is time to get networked and join the fun.

References A very useful handbook for practicing translators used at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown’s Practical Guide for Translators, 3rd rev. edition (Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 1998).

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 21 Common Words in Technical Language: Hot

By Roberto Crivello (Translated by Jonathan Hine)

(This article originally appeared in mechanical field might be innesto o cambio di marcia, but how Italian in the January 2001 issue of does one translate the common word hot? One could use the Tradurre, the newsletter of ATA’s first translation, caldo, as a starting point. Italian Language Division, with the In English, semantic redefinitions of common words (in this title “Parole comuni nel linguaggio case hot) occur often. However, one can never be sure if an tecnico: hot.”) analogous redefinition in Italian would be acceptable, since that language offers very different solutions, even in the same ot long ago, this short appeal scientific field. for help appeared in a trans- For example, take a field familiar to many technical transla- N lator’s listserve: “…I have tors: information technology. In some cases, the foreign words trouble with three terms. The context: are carried whole into Italian (mouse, drive, handle, scanner, The hot-shift PTO turns OFF when the etc.), while in others an English term is Italianized (typically System ON/OFF selector is OFF (WT with a suffix, as in masterizzatore for CD writer). This last transmissions). Units with a front or example leaps past the obvious scrittore per CD, whose rear live-drive PTO or an auxiliary analog, lettore per CD, is correct for CD reader. In other cases, the Italian language shows remarkable creativity, as when it describes the HTML writer who prepares Web documents as an accatiemmelista.1 …This is a good point at which to Now, let us return to hot and the first equivalent that comes to reflect on one of the skills required of mind, caldo. In general, hot is used to define a high-temperature the technical translator: finding balance process, for example, hot-stamping, hot-rolling (stampaggio, laminazione a caldo). There are other meanings that may not between exasperating specialization lead immediately to the idea of high temperature, but that and draining one’s intellectual energy nonetheless are understandably used to mean “working.” For example, the electrical term hot outlet is a presa sotto tensione. across several subjects… An acceptable use of caldo as a calque occurs in the expression hot swappable (sostituibile a caldo), which in electronics means to replace a component without turning off the system engine have a ‘shut off’ solenoid on the (e.g., the battery in a UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, the Binlifter pump to prevent oil flow when gruppo di continuità). the System ON/OFF selector is OFF.” Could we use an analogy from that and write innestabile I would like to focus on the term a caldo for our hot-shift PTO? A search of English-language hot-shift PTO. It would not be possible Web sites belonging to manufacturers of industrial machines or useful to give it an exact and and devices reveals that hot-shift PTO can have several unequivocal translation, given the meanings relating to innesto, depending on the manufacturer insufficient information in the e-mail. or the purchasers (looking at the category headings). Some Instead, I would like to use this term to of these meanings can be quite close. Among the analogous step, if only partially, through a mental Italian-language sites, however, one finds only cases in which process for resolving problems in tech- caldo is used to mean high temperature, as described above. nical translation. When a motor vehicle is operating, one speaks of caldo only There is at least enough context to when referring to the engine coolant, but not the transmission know that the subject is a power take- components such as the gears, clutches, drives, and so forth off (PTO). These devices, mounted on (the exception being when these components malfunction). the tractor’s driveline, transmit power The solution seems to lie in another meaning of hot, namely from the engine to outside loads diretto. We find this in modern terms like hot links (also from (attachments or other machines). The information technology). Hot links is often transferred from PTO does this through removable drive the English today, but may still be translated as collegamenti shafts with grooved couplings. The diretti based on its meaning. It also harks back to the days immediate translation of shift in the before computers, as does hot line (linea diretta). The common

22 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 adjective diretto, meaning “without intermediate steps,” Le Monnier., p. 1602 (condition of the becomes part of the precise technical meaning of presa diretta: transmission in which the motion passes “condizione del cambio di velocità in cui il moto passa diret- directly from the input drive shaft to the tamente dall’albero d’entrata a quello delle ruote.”2 output drive shaft for the wheels.) This is where we can finally hook up with our starting point—namely, with the take-off of power and the way it can be connected and disconnected from the power of the engine. Most often a power take-off will use a clutch with a manual gear shifter, but other, more sophisticated designs are possible The that allow for a smoother, or even an automatic, engagement. Art of At this point, we still need to read the whole document carefully to be sure of an acceptable translation. In fact, there are other possibilities for hot-shift, each depending on context: a Legal innesto diretto, as well as che non richiede frizione, a innesto progressivo, a inserimento automatico, to name a few. Interpretation This is a good point at which to reflect on one of the skills by Constance E. Crooker, Attorney required of the technical translator: finding balance between exasperating specialization and draining one’s intellectual A practical guide for court energy across several subjects. A translator who chooses to interpreters, attorneys, judges. specialize in medicine without some basic understanding of Codes of Conduct electronics and mechanics risks inadvertently missing those Bias & Confl icts of Interest aspects when translating medical equipment manuals (for Courtroom Dos & Don’ts example, the detection systems for electrical signals or the Certifi cation operating mechanisms of tomography equipment). Who Pays Interpreter Fees Translators who work mainly in information technology Language Profi ciency and know the glossaries and screens of operating systems in $35 depth, may not know how a modem or a router works, but they should recognize “training” as not being addestramento (to make proficient by instruction and practice). Their experience Portland State University would warn them that English uses common words in a tech- School of Extended Studies nical context; something Italian does not do so often. An accu- Continuing Education Press Call Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm PST rate amount of research should lead them to trasmissione della 1-800-547-8887 ext 4890 sequenza di sincronizzazione (the connection process that or 503-725-4890 occurs during the initial handshake). www.extended.pdx.edu/press/ Since knowing everything is impossible, the technical trans- (Quantity discounts available) lator must at least learn the basics in those fields that might likely intersect with the one in which he or she is specializing. This way, the translator can gradually develop the mental con- Like Attention? nections needed among meanings, expressions, and terms to evaluate the suitability of any analogies uncovered. Like the sound Notes of your phone ringing? 1. To my surprise, this neologism does not appear in many How about modern Italian dictionaries, including Grande dizionario ital- ringing off the hook? iano dell’uso (by Tullio de Mauro), Zingarelli 2000, Dizionario Italiano Sabatini Coletti, and Devoto-Oli 2000, Call Brian Wallace today for ATA though the word has been around since at least 1995. Marketplace rates and information: 1-800-394-5157 ext. 38 2. Devoto-Oli 2000. Il dizionario della lingua italiana. Florence:

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 23 Is Sports Translation Technical? An Italian Translator’s Perspective

By Floriana Bivona-Lockner (Edited by Michèle Hansen)

(Note: While this article was originally people forget that sports have a technical side, just as scientific written in Italian by an Italian, it will subjects have nontechnical sides. A translator can encounter be of interest to all those who are cur- fairly simple texts that contain technical elements, but might rently, or who are thinking of, trans- also have to face a baseball article containing a technical lating sports terminology.) description that has nothing whatsoever to do with the game of baseball per se. For example, the text on the packaging of “Can you do 12,058 words of transla- a pair of running shoes may extol the quality of the shoes’ tion for the day after tomorrow?” construction techniques and materials, but say nothing of the “Well, not really…But what’s it hundred-meter dash in which they will be used. Such a piece is about?” technical—in the construction physics and material science “Gee, it’s some technical stuff…I sense, not the sports sense. see here that they talk about ‘drag Then there are the technical issues that underlie sports. Yes, coefficient,’‘air compressibility,’ like all other subjects, sports have many levels. You can kick a ‘Reynolds number,’ things like that.” soccer ball around without knowing the rules or worrying “No, aerodynamics is not my field.” about them. You can also read the playbook, understand angles “But...here in your file it says and trajectories, study strategies and schemes, and figure out you’re a technical translator!” the timing and physics of hitting a header past the goalie. What qualifications are necessary to translate in this field? As in other specialized fields, direct experience is helpful. My …When I talk to a potential customer less-than-illustrious and long-gone sports career has covered many disciplines. I have been, among other things, an awful and mention that one of my fields of tennis player, a passable middle-distance runner, a foul-prone specialization is sports, I often hear soccer jock, and a mediocre backstroker. But physical prowess the surprise in their voice. “I thought or success is not the key. After all, a very bad heart specialist can make a very good medical translator. What matters is that you were a ‘technical’ translator!”… I was brought, at a young age, into full contact with the terminology and expressions of sports (not to mention the mindset of fans, athletes, and coaches). Like personal experience, a passion for sports is helpful, but ound familiar? Been there? Are even more important is the will and ability to appreciate both you also a technical translator the technical and nontechnical aspects of the topic at hand. S who does not know a thing about When I translate, I tap all the knowledge I have amassed from aerodynamics, nuclear physics, or con- endless hours spent listening to soccer commentaries, rooting struction science? According to my at diving contests, serving as a line judge on the tennis court, trustworthy Oxford English Dictionary, and, later on, asking my husband questions about baseball, “technical,” when referring to a person, football, and other sports I did not grow up with (living with means: “Skilled in or practically con- someone who loves sports is a great help). versant with some particular art or sub- Another skill a translator needs is sensitivity or attention to ject.” (Note how “art” comes before how language changes (this is something that becomes second “subject.”) What does it really mean, nature to most translators and tends to irritate everyone else then, to be a technical translator? I think around them!). If it is true that computer science leads the way as it means translating about the practical far as neologisms, sports don’t lag far behind: just think of side of a subject. Of ANY subject! “goose-eggs,”“immaculate reception,” or the “wave.” While When I talk to a potential customer watching the TV coverage of the last Olympics from the Sydney and mention that one of my fields of Aquatic Center, I heard a commentator referring to Italian champ specialization is sports, I often hear the Massimiliano Rosolino as “an outstanding iemmer.” At first I was surprise in their voice (or in their e- shocked, but than I recovered and spelled it out: “individual mail!). “I thought you were a ‘tech- medley => I.M. => I.M.er” (some of you will find the equivalent nical’ translator!” Well, I am. Many neologism I found on the Internet of interest: “mistista”).

24 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Like all technical translators, when I work on series published by Edizioni Mediterranee. If you sports documents I use a veritable arsenal of refer- decide to invest in a paper volume, be sure to ence materials, both on paper and in electronic choose a well-illustrated one. form. Here is a short list of essential tools. Specialized sports magazines, such as Tennis I believe a good visual dictionary is an absolute Match Magazine or Golf, allow sports translators to must. I prefer the Zanichelli (English-Italian). Its read and assimilate terminology and style just like sports section is alphabetized by discipline and trade magazines in other disciplines, and use the contains clear illustrations and exhaustive captions. “terms du jour” to help us keep up-to-date. It is now also published on CD-ROM (although I Obviously, in a fast-changing field like sports, have heard from reliable sources that the paper ver- the Internet is one of the most important research sion is still the best). The Oxford-Duden is not as tools. The following list is just a sample of the glos- good. Sports are organized in groups (winter saries and documents available in electronic form. sports, ball sports, etc.) and the illustrations are not as user-friendly. www.blugrafica.net/link/sport.htm To my knowledge, until recently there existed Italian page of links grouped by sport no comprehensive English-Italian sports dictionary. Zanichelli has recently filled this gap with its www.firstbasesports.com/glossaries/scrgl.htm Dizionario dello sport by Giuseppe Ragazzini. Soccer, ice hockey, football, and basketball glos- Though not perfect and far from exhaustive, the saries (English only) volume is a valuable tool, particularly for idioms and phrases. http://crete.argyro.net/lexique/liste.cfm Other books I believe will be useful to those Olympic sports terminology (English and French working between English and Italian are Rules of for the summer games; English, French, and the Game, with its Italian counterpart Enciclopedia Japanese for the winter games) illustrata di tutti gli sport, and The Rule Book, with its Italian counterpart Le regole di tutti gli sport. http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/Climbing/ The English originals are by the Diagram Group, Lex_En.html St. Martin’s Press. These tomes cover, in great Climbing glossary (English, French, and Italian) detail, rules, equipment, uniforms, fouls, and penalties for more than 400 sports, with intelligible http://home.tiscalinet.de/ockier/climbing_dict.html illustrations, indices, and even an appendix listing Climber’s terminology (English only) the addresses of the Italian, and in some cases international, federations. Of course, most federa- www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Loge/6183/glos.htm tions today have Websites that will further help Archery glossary (Italian and English) with research. These books, when they are not open on my http://users.iol.it/arco.scal/atrez.html desk, do not take up shelf space in my office. They Archery equipment (Italian only) “veg” on a shelf underneath the TV set, so I can easily reach them while watching matches and http://www.studionet.it/caccino tournaments. I refer to them to better understand Archery hunter’s quick guide—pages on equip- rules and plays, and sometimes I annotate them (in ment, arrows, etc. (Italian only) pencil, of course!) with terms and expressions I don’t find. http://space.tin.it/sport/loturi/glossario.html For those who need even more detailed infor- Archery terminology (Italian only) mation, many publishers offer sports series, where each volume is dedicated to a single discipline. I http://staff.nt2.it/michele/ own, among others, Corso di snowboard and Il tiro Technical dictionary of car racing (Italian only) con l’arco, part of a series published by De Vecchi, and Football americano, from the Sport Flash Continued on p. 26

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 25 Is Sports Translation Technical? An Italian Translator’s Perspective Continued

http://web2.belmont.edu/harpeth/glossary.htm www.microtec.net/bouletjc/ Bicycle terminology (English only) Horseback riding dictionary (French, English, German, and Spanish) www.sheldonbrown.com/glossary.html Bicycle glossary (English only) www.horseshoes.com/glossary/glossary.htm Farrier and hoofcare dictionary (English only) http://www.xs4all.nl/~pvroekel/bikevoca.htm Bicycle glossary (English only) www.gymnica.it/termini.htm Fitness glossary (Italian only) http://web.tiscalinet.it/archiwords/mtb/ glossario_al.htm www.canalesport.com/fitness/glossario/ Bicycle glossary (Italian only) glos_01.html Fitness glossary (Italian only) http://preparazionealciclismo.supereva.it/ indexit.html www.benvenutisport.it/pagine/ Bicycle glossary (Italian only) 15_manifestazioni/glossario_della_palestra.htm Fitness and gym terminology (Italian only) www.eskimo.com/~manuel/diz.htm Mountain bike dictionary (English-Italian) www.football.com/dictionary/index.shtml Football glossary (English only) http://world.std.com/~jimf/biking/slang.html Mountain bike slang dictionary (English only) www.sunrise.it/dnb/grifoni/vocabolario.htm Football dictionary (Italian explanation of the www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1551/ American terminology) glossary.htm Bowling glossary (still in preparation at this time) http://milanosiamonoi.interfree.it/varie/ glossario.htm www.icubed.com/users/allereb/dict.html Ice hockey glossary (Italian only) Bowling dictionary (English only) http://web.tiscalinet.it/mgironi/ www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/6297/ Karate glossary (Italian explanation of the Japanese vocab.html terminology) Canoe glossary (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, and Catalan) www.123point.net/001topzine/societa/ artsoc21.htm http://lpbc.net/glossery.html Karate glossary (Italian explanation of the Japanese Glossary of canoe and other oar sports glossary terminology) (English only) www.planetweb.it/karateweb/glossario/ http://rowingcanada.org/rowing/glossary/ index.html index.html Karate glossary (Italian explanation of the Japanese Rowing dictionary (English only) terminology)

www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/2652/ http://155.187.10.12/jrc/kayak/glossary.html cavallidiz1.html Kayaking glossary (English only) Horseback riding dictionary (Italian only) www.kendo.it/kendo_glossario.html www.mrhorse.it/Diction.htm Kendo glossary (Italian explanation of the Japanese Horseback riding dictionary (Italian only) terminology)

26 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 http://swimming.about.com/recreation/ www.sapskateboards.com/chuck/htms/ swimming/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3 skglosry.htm A%2F%2Fwww.olympics.com%2Feng%2Fspo Skateboarding glossary (English only) rts%2FSY%2Fglossary%2Findex.html Synchronized swimming glossary (English only) http://xtremeskate.freeweb.supereva.it/skate_gl ossario.htm?p www.nautica.it/pescaweb/barca/barca.htm Skateboarding glossary (Italian explanation of the Sport fishing page with very small glossary (Italian English terminology) only) www.snowboarding-online.com/instruction/ http://basketballo.freeweb.supereva.it/ 99/448.html glossar.htm?p Snowboarding dictionary (English only) Basketball glossary (English-Italian) http://users.iol.it/acnard/diving.html www.sistemigalleggianti.com/ Diving glossary (Italian and English) Waterpolo, beach waterpolo, and canoepolo equipment (Italian and English site) www.geocities.com/Pipeline/5303/diziosurf.htm Surfing dictionary (Italian explanation of English www.bcwaterpolo.com/pages/deep/HOW.htm and Hawaiian terminology) Waterpolo page—Rules and regulations (English) www.cnca.it/eduimp/lavori_mm/passerini/ www.multiwire.net/ass/pattinatori/glossario.html film.htm Skating dictionary (Italian with English translation) Surfing dictionary (Italian explanation of English and Hawaiian terminology) www.torino2006.it/ita/giochi/art_glossario.asp Ice skating glossary (Italian only) http://taekwondo.freeweb.supereva.it/ glossario.htm?p www.sit.ulaval.ca/pagespersonnelles/phf/FSDict Taekwondo glossary (Korean-Italian [with .html#intro pronunciation]) Ice skating glossary dictionary (English-French) www.monrosarafting.it/glossario.html http://space.tin.it/sport/stchiosi/ Rafting (Italian only) Online skating glossary (spiegazione in italiano e in inglese dei termini inglesi) www.pegacity.it/sport/vela/html/glossa.htm Sailing glossary (Italian only) www.masterweb.it/gstt/glossario.htm Table tennis dictionary (Italian only) http://village.flashnet.it/users/fn39148/Vela/ Teoria/glossario.html www.sspboxing.com/boxe/glossario.html Sailing glossary (Italian only) Boxing glossary (Italian only) www.dimi.uniud.it/curriculum/Caschi. www.scrum.com/dictionary/dictionaryA.asp Stefano/windsurf/dizionario.html Rugby dictionary (English only) Windsurf dictionary (Italian only) http://web.tiscalinet.it/archiwords/sci/ The Gazzetta dello Sport Website used to include glossci_al.htm some English-Italian sports glossaries. Thanks to our Skiing glossary (Italian only) colleague Jácopo Mádaro Moro, they are now avail-

Continued on p. 53

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 27 Challenges in Localization

By Alessandra Muzzi (English text edited by Anne Milano Appel)

he software and Website local- translation often makes little sense, and that concepts, formu- ization market, in spite of the lations, or slogans must be reworked so as to fit a different social, T recent economic slow-down, is cultural, and/or judicial setting. In the localization field, such still active and able to offer interesting interventions must often go beyond the purely linguistic level and opportunities to those translators pos- involve technical aspects, but the independent translator is not sessing, or willing to acquire and usually concerned with these. What we are talking about here are develop, the required technical knowl- issues such as date/time format, currencies, fonts, etc., which are edge. This article is not intended to either dealt with in-house or managed automatically by the latest offer an exhaustive description of versions of the most common operating systems. localization in all its phases and The attempt to define localization merely in terms of “cultural adaptation” is perhaps influenced by the word itself and by some official definitions, like the one provided by LISA …Translator-localizers do not just have (Localisation Industry Standards Association), which states: a responsibility to create a translation “Localization involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target locale that is clear and readily understandable (country/region and language) where it will be used and sold.” by the user-reader. They are also Two new ideas are introduced here: “product” and “sales.” The scope of localization is confined to commercial products, responsible for assuring the correct where text is part of the product itself and not merely an acces- operation of the localized product… sory. Thus, translating a technical document, such as a user manual for a household appliance, cannot be defined as localization. Although a publication such as a newspaper or maga- aspects. Such a task would require zine might conform to LISA’s definition, the term “localiza- more space and is best tackled by some tion” is currently used mainly to refer to software and Website of the resources listed at the end of this localization, which has unique characteristics that distinguish article. Instead, its objective is to it from other kinds of translation. This specialized field pre- explain what is meant by localization sents the translator with a set of technical issues which differ and to give an idea of what challenges from those arising when translating other types of technical it presents to localizers, particularly documents, such as automotive or construction texts. Italian localizers. What makes software translation unique is the fact that the texts to be translated do not just describe something external What is localization? to them, but are an integral part of what is described: they are When explaining the meaning of part of the product’s operation and integral components of it. localization to newcomers, the aspect of Translator-localizers do not just have a responsibility to create linguistic and cultural adaptation to a a translation that is clear and readily understandable by the local setting is often stressed. As a user-reader. They are also responsible for assuring the correct result, some colleagues conclude that “to operation of the localized product. Software programs manip- localize simply means to translate,” as ulate texts as byte strings, store them on magnetic media, dis- was stated some time ago in a mailing play them, and print them. Software users enter or select text, list for Italian translators (Langit, and text messages interactively explain how the software www.vernondata.it/langit/index.html). works or warn about possible errors. Text contained in Actually, a certain degree of adaptation graphics may also require translation. In a localization project characterizes almost every field of there will not be a continuous flow of text in a single file translation, and cannot therefore be format, but frequently several chunks of text presented in considered unique to software local- diverse, difficult to understand file formats. Localizers are ization. When translating a commer- often asked to work with specific translation and localization cial, legal, or advertising text, for tools and to learn to use new tools, which are sometimes pro- instance, a professional translator is prietary or even specific to a project or product. A localizer fully aware that a superficial, literal must have the flexibility, confidence, and computing skill

28 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 needed to comply quickly and easily with these requirements. String #2 is absolutely cryptic. You If mistakes are made when translating these texts or using the have four %S’s and only one known localization tools, the program might not compile or work word. The only thing a translator can properly. Since so many technical aspects have to be taken do is translate “%S %S Fase %S %S,” care of, specific technical skills are required of translators knowing almost for sure that this won’t working in the localization field. However, very few transla- work. The order of replaced text should tors will have the know-how needed to complete a localization most probably be changed in Italian, project from start to finish. Experts in the field of program- but there is no way to know how, and ming, DTP, and computer graphics must usually participate in even if there were, there is no way to the project as well. distinguish between the various %S’s. String #3 is more understandable, Internationalization: Making the Localizer’s Task Easier but there are still problems. The two A localization project begins the moment the software %S’s before “record” might well be product is created. Successful localization requires proper part of a noun chain that would need to internationalization; that is, designing the software product in be inverted in Italian, but again, there such a way as to facilitate and speed up its localization. All the is no way to know for sure, nor to text to be localized must be clearly separated from the software operate the inversion. Actually, the code and made independent from it. This also implies that the whole sentence might need to be code must not deconstruct semantic units within the text. The inverted like this: “È stata ripristinata minimal unit carrying a complete meaning roughly corre- la revisione %S per il record di %S di sponds, in any language, to what we call a “sentence.” These %S,” but variables would be replaced are the units that computer-aided translation/translation at runtime in the same order as the memory (CAT/TM) tools try to identify when splitting a text original English string, and the whole up into “segments.” message would make no sense. At times, though, a software code might operate on text below the sentence level: on single words or even morphemes. Issues Specific to Italian Localizers Programmers, not being linguists, are often victims of the The word order issue is particularly common illusion that differences between languages are simply relevant to the Italian language (and a matter of using different words, but that the meaning behind indeed to other languages as well), those words, and the way in which they are put together to make since the order in which information is up sentences, are basically the same. You may still find small presented often differs from English. In and medium-sized software companies using “creative” pro- Italian, we tend to convey more general gramming methods, which can cause considerable trouble for meaning first and more specific infor- whoever must localize their products. For instance, a pro- mation second. It is quite the opposite in grammer might decide to build GUI messages by putting English. See the following example: together chunks of text at runtime. You might have messages like these (this is from a real localization project—the %S stands for Assorted sample users are shipped an unknown variable portion of text replaced at runtime): with the software. The new information is provided first 1) File copy complete; %S %S records processed. %S. (assorted sample users), followed by 2) %S %S Phase %S %S the known context. The Italian transla- 3) The %S %S record has been reverted to revision %S. tion would look like this:

In string #1, the first %S might be a number and the second Il software è fornito con diversi utenti %S an adjective or qualifying noun. If so, translating “Copia di esempio. file completata; elaborati %S record %S. %S” might yield a Here, the known context is provided reasonably clear message. Unfortunately, the QA revealed that first, followed by the new information. the last %S is replaced at runtime by a whole English sentence, which was not localized because it was hard-coded. Continued on p. 30

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 29 Challenges in Localization Continued

This sentence can be correctly trans- ages to integrate English loanwords in its phonetic, lexical, lated without any problems, but some- and syntactical structures quite smoothly. The situation is times incorrect text layout and segmen- quite different for Italian. There is no set policy for trans- tation, or the presence of placeholders lating foreign words, and these words, being so different pho- (as in the example previously illus- netically and morphologically from Italian words, may have trated), can be a hindrance to a proper a serious impact on the very nature of the language. Because rendering in the target language. of the lack of a central authority on language, comparable to the Académie Française, engineers, technical journalists, Another linguistic issue that is actu- writers, and translators have no clear-cut indication about ally common to most European lan- how to translate a new foreign technical term. Often they will guages is that of text length. Trans- conclude that “no translation exists,” and use the foreign lating from English to Italian carries term. One Web search technique often used by translators with it the phenomenon of text expan- contributes to the adoption of the foreign term: translators sion, which can be a problem in soft- will search for the foreign term on Italian Web pages. If they ware interfaces due to the limited find any occurrences, they will conclude that the foreign term space available for strings. Internation- is used in Italian and use it themselves. All this in spite of the alization rules prescribe that adequate fact that a search for an Italian translation of the term might extra space be allowed by GUI also yield results—if they only knew what to search for. designers to accommodate for text A fourth minor linguistic issue, which is nonetheless rele- expansion, but these rules are not vant for the Italian language, is that of capitalization. In always adhered to, and even when they Italian schools we are taught that only proper names and are, the space provided might be insuf- words at the beginning of a sentence should be capitalized. In ficient in any case. Localizers must the English language, capitalization is more widespread than learn the skill of concision—omit arti- in Italian: there are the well-known examples of weekdays cles and prepositions, use short words, and months, which are capitalized in English but not in omit unnecessary words, and use Italian. This rule is usually taught at the very beginning of abbreviations only as a last resort. English courses in Italy, and therefore few translators would Actually, English sentences some- ever fall into such a trap. But there are other insidious traps: times present a certain degree of words in titles, for instance, which are all capitalized in Eng- redundancy that can be safely omitted lish, but which should not be in Italian. Then there are the in the Italian translation. Take this words for appliances, software components, names of inter- example from Microsoft: face items, and so forth. English usage acts as a magnetic force on the Italian language, and old certainties about capi- Do you want to save the changes you talization are being eroded. Even reference materials, which made to “Test document.doc”? are usually considered the localizers’ Bible, such as the Salvare le modifiche a “Documento di Microsoft glossaries, are not always consistent on this issue. prova.doc”? In the Italian glossaries, for instance, you will find “accesso remoto,”“Accesso remoto,” and “Accesso Remoto.” Still, in the linguistic field, there is Italian localizers also have to face issues relating to other the issue of loanwords. Among FIGS aspects of their profession, such as the localization market. (French, Italian, German, Spanish) Unfortunately, Italy seems to be among the European countries languages, this issue has particular with the lowest translation rates, and good Italian translators relevance for Italian. The French have and localizers find it hard to have their professionalism adopted a policy of translating foreign acknowledged by equitable remuneration. For Italian freelance words, and the Spanish are on much translators, the situation is worsened by the strong presence of the same wavelength. German adopts an intermediation layer. For all localizers, one urgent issue that many English words in the software needs clarifying, in my view, is that of CAT discounts, where field, but since the two languages complete anarchy reigns, mainly favoring large software share the same roots, German man- houses and large localization companies.

30 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 These are complex issues which cannot be thor- Austraat Seminars and Consulting oughly examined here. I will just express my view (www.austraat.com/) that, despite the ever-increasing number of Italian From this Website you can download a free tutorial localizers, the market and the profession would still and purchase a manual on localization. benefit from the injection of quality-conscious professionals. For those colleagues who are interested Silicon Valley Localization Forum in delving further into the topic of localization, I (www.tgpconsulting.com/) suggest the following links: A wealth of information and resources on localization. Training events and directories of companies Transref (www.transref.org/) and translators. Links to the Websites of the main software tools used in the localization field and to Websites A Practical Guide to Localization offering training courses on localization. By Atril. (www.locguide.com/) Support site for one of the best books on localiza- Futura Informatica (www.localizzazione.it) tion available on paper. The site offers updates, Italian company organizing workshops on localiza- tutorials, and links. tion. Their Website offers scant information. More resources are promised to those attending their Lingualizer—Links courses. (www.lingualizer.net/tools.html) Links to translation and localization tools. International Consulting—Localization 101 (www.intlconsultg.com/localiza.html) MultiLingual Computing, Inc. Detailed overview of a localization project and (www.multilingual.com/) what it implies. Tailored mainly to localization Freely accessible localization e-zine. service clients. Language Localization for Enterprise Localisation Resources Centre Web Applications (http://lrc.csis.ul.ie/) (www.asptoday.com/articles/20000330.htm) Information about the localization industry. Back An article about Website localization. issues of their magazine can be downloaded in pdf format. Language Partners White Papers (www.languagepartners.com/reference-center/ Localisation Industry Standards Association— whitepapers/l10nwp/index.htm) LISA (www.lisa.org/) A rich collection of documents closely examining The point of reference for the localization industry. various facets of localization. Information and resources. Xerox Global Design Facets of Software Localization (www.xerox-emea.com/globaldesign/) (www.accurapid.com/journal/softloc.htm) Site where you can download pdf documents dealing By Per N. Dohler. Article representing a very good with text internationalization and globalization. introduction to the topic of localization from the freelance translator’s point of view. Language International (www.language-international.com) One Translator’s Thoughts on Magazine on translation, with a special focus on Software Localization localization and new technologies. Some articles in (www.accurapid.com/journal/17softloc.htm) back issues are available online. By Dag Forssell. Another enlightening article from the Translation Journal.

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 31 Influences of English in Technical Translation into Italian

By Roberto Crivello

(This article originally appeared in ibility occurs when one translates refer to with the verb con- Italian in the June 2001 issue of sultare, perhaps writing consultare la sezione when the section Tradurre, the newsletter of ATA’s consists of barely 10 lines of text, thus creating an unintended Italian Language Division, with the ironic effect that will not escape observant readers. title “Influssi dell’inglese nella When translating technical documents, one often encounters traduzione tecnica.” The notes have references to lists. In English, we speak of the numbered list been partially translated. For the com- (lista numerata) and the unnumbered list (lista non numerata). plete list of notes, please refer to the The latter term, which is often a bulleted list, is also rendered as original article.) lista puntata. Because marks preceding the items in the list could be bullets, dashes, boxes, etc., the extension of the ne of the pitfalls that technical meaning of puntare from “to mark with dots” to “to mark with translators must take care to symbols” is noteworthy with respect to conciseness. However, O avoid is the gradual absorption the problem arises the moment the term lista puntata becomes of the lexicon and syntagma of the orig- a fixed form to be used in all cases, as if it were the only accept- inal language. Through overuse, able translation for bulleted list. While it is correct to write lista semantic and syntactic loan translations puntata in a manual on designing Web pages in which various methods for highlighting the elements of a list are explained, the term would be redundant in a handbook for a product in …One of the pitfalls that technical which lista is a simple reference. For example, in translating the sentence For instructions, refer to the bulleted list on page 8, it translators must take care to avoid is would be quicker to write Seguire le istruzioni della lista a the gradual absorption of the lexicon pagina 8 (if on that page there is only one list and, therefore, no possibility for confusion). Within the appropriate context, one and syntagma of the original could also write Seguire la procedura a pagina 8. To summa- language… rize, in general it is correct to follow the English literally when the term and its context serve a didactic or illustrative purpose, whereas one could increase speed by using an alternative or a and loanwords become fixed, “ready- shorter term when the word serves only as a reference. to-use” forms. This leads to an impov- On and Off are two very simple words that illustrate nicely erishment of terminological and styl- the problems that can result from English words that have mul- istic choices that tend to standardize tiple meanings and whose brevity make them attractive, even and, in the end, erode the quality of the in cases where clear, appropriate Italian terms already exist. translation. This problem affects trans- On and Off mean, in the most general sense, “operating” and lators regardless of the country where “out of operation.” Their brevity and seemingly singular they are living, and can be remedied meaning make them ideal for use on keys, buttons, very short only through the careful use of lan- text fields, and wherever it is necessary to use the least amount guage. Let us look at a few examples. of space. On and Off also allow one to communicate to a In translations of references, often broader audience (often composed of nonexpert users of a the English form refer to is reproduced product) information such as turn the switch on/off through the with the loan translation fare riferimento translation portare l’interruttore in posizione on/off. Con- a (i.e., refer to Chapter 7, translated as versely, the phrase portare l’interruttore in posizione fare riferimento al capitolo 7 rather than “chiuso”/“aperto” (“turn the switch to closed/open position”), vedi capitolo 7 or, depending on the theoretically more formal, is quite obviously only for those case, vedere or si veda il capitolo 7). who have specific technical competence. Before moving on, Thus, translators tend to use fare riferi- we should note that it could be unnecessary to use these two mento a even when the context calls for English terms. In fact, often times turn the switch on/off, when consultare il manuale, vedere il disegno speaking of a piece of equipment, means simply accendere/ allegato, vedi figura, leggere la sezione, spegnere l’apparecchio. This information is more useful and so forth. An analogous lack of flex- when there are no labels on the buttons, except only the uni-

32 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 versal symbols | and O, or when there is only one button with, or as other words found in bilingual dic- for example, the label PWR. (Note that it would be a blunder tionaries under the entry “seamless”— to write accendere or spegnere l’interruttore, since the latter is translations that are theoretically correct an electromechanical device. Instead, it is correct to write—in but out of context, and that eventually the area of telecommunications, for example—accendere or become commonplace. Therefore, the spegnere lo switch, since here we are referring to an electronic fixation of the English form and its pas- switch for the transmission of data packets.). sive reproduction in translation lead to Along the same lines as the cases illustrated above, On and an analogous fixation of corresponding Off—or the corresponding terms so common in information Italian forms. This could be avoided technology translations, attivare and disattivare, whose true through alternative expressions that have meanings are actually mettere in funzione inizialmente (to place the merit of originality or, at the very on an active status) and rendere inutilizzabile (to render inoper- least, the lack of banality. ative)—can become fixed as two seemingly multifunctional Let us now consider the following technical terms that, when careful attention is not paid to the introductory paragraph from a users’ appropriate register, are used even in cases in which different guide to software for a digital audio translations exist. For example, avviare or arrestare (engines, processor: Welcome to the ABC System pumps, machines); inserire or disinserire (circuits); aprire or Processor software guide. The goal of chiudere (valves); portare in saturazione or in interdizione (tran- this document is to help you gain an sistors of a logic circuit); and innestare or disinnestare (mechan- understanding of how the ABC func- ical systems for transmitting motion, such as clutches or gears). tions as you learn to use the software It is interesting to observe that in the automotive field, besides interface. The hardware stands alone these last two very technical and monosemic words, Italian has, as both a front-end and back-end like English, two short common words for upshifting and down- system processor that can be externally shifting—namely salire di marcia and scalare di marcia. controlled by a simple end-user inter- The automatic use of certain English words, or of corre- face, and the software is the tool that sponding loan translations or loanwords, often results in acqui- configures the device’s internal signal escence with respect to the original text, especially because of routing and audio processing. faulty or incomplete analyses. In marketing texts, one often We will focus on two terms: front- comes across the expression seamless integration (of products end processor and back-end processor. or services). This expression is part of a series of clichés, like It is not difficult to find various defini- state-of-the-art, on the leading edge, and user-friendly—terms tions in English on the Web, although that have lost all meaning because of widespread and careless use without specific reference to audio by people in marketing. Among the various translations of seam- equipment. In English, one frequently less integration that I have encountered, I mention integrazione resorts to semantic redefinitions of senza soluzione di continuità and perfetta integrazione (not sur- words, terms, and expressions from prisingly, one also finds integrazione seamless). It takes very little everyday language, which in Italian thought to realize that the English expression—and, therefore, become loan translations and turn into the Italian equivalents modeled after it—suffers from a problem exotic technical terms that generally of redundancy. Both the English integration and the Italian inte- remain incomprehensible to the grazione already imply the concept of “harmonious fusion majority of readers. Hence, as one between several parts of a system” or “completion through the would expect, in Italian the terms joining of appropriate complementary elements.” Instead, in processore front-end and processore some cases it could be useful or necessary to specify that inte- back-end are widespread in information gration can be, for example, more or less rapid or more or less technology, but even in Italian we can difficult. But every integration is seamless; otherwise, it is not find differing definitions for these two integration, but rather an imperfect blend of the components orig- terms. Front-end literally means “on the inally separated. Translators often think, however, that because input side,”“on the side closest to the seamless appears in the English expression, the adjective should, at all costs, be translated as “perfetto,”“uniforme,”“ininterrotto,” Continued on p. 34

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 33 Influences of English in Technical Translation into Italian Continued

user of the application,” and, using a deadlines and inadequate technical expertise can lead one to use technical register, “providing an inter- fixed terms or forms, and a lack of familiarity with linguistic face” or “communicating through mechanisms can keep one from constructing neologisms that, in external devices.” Back-end, on the other the long run, could effectively render the English words. Even hand, literally means “on the output translators who are opposed to the snobby usage of English are side,”“on the side farthest from the user often forced to accept the most common foreignisms. of the application,” or even “reserved for According to one of the principles of glottotecnica—the specific or secondary tasks that do not study of linguistic matters from the point of view of the har- need to be shown to the user.” A back- mony of linguistic structures and their functionality, with the end processor, for example, is typically possibility of technical suggestions of a normative nature— used to perform database operations. By foreignisms whose structure is totally incompatible with that adopting the above loanwords, would of Italian words are translated or substituted with neologisms.2 you be helping readers—probably audio But in order to apply this logical criteria—very often disre- equipment experts who are not very garded today—certain conditions must exist, as Bruno experienced with data processing equip- Migliorini illustrates3: “Because most foreignisms have spread ment—to understand the description of through the special languages of technicians, the substitutes this particular piece of equipment, or have caught on every time they have made their way into gen- would you be leaving them to grope in eral usage by way of experts.” Migliorini cites, among others, the dark? the example of primato, which is prevailing over record thanks In light of the above considerations, to the manner in which the National Aviation Administration we can find many translations that avoid had used it (a quick search on the Web shows that record has the use of the fixed terms processore once again surpassed primato in frequency of usage). front-end and processore back-end, and Let us look at another, more contemporary, example: black- describe the equipment with clarity and out. This term has existed in Italian since at least 1983 in the terminological accuracy. I will propose sense of “a period of failure of all electrical power.” ENEL, the one possibility: La presente guida al Italian utility company, writes in its public statements “inter- software del processore audio digitale ruzioni dell’erogazione di energia elettrica” (“interruptions in ABC spiega l’uso dell’interfaccia utente the delivery of electric energy”). Perhaps because of the cum- e le funzioni dell’apparecchio. L’hard- bersomeness of this expression—in addition to the usual ware è un un’unità autonoma, preposta snobby reasons—journalists prefer the English word. Black-out sia all’elaborazione e memorizzazione has the obvious advantage of brevity, even if it lacks clarity for interne dei dati sia al trattamento dei those who do not know English well. Arrigo Castellani has segnali e dati di interfaccia con gli suggested an excellent substitute in his essay on the invasion of apparecchi esterni; può essere control- Anglo-American terms4: abbuio, a deverbative with zero-suffix lata esternamente mediante la semplice of abbuiare, “oscurare, mettere al buio” (“to obscure,”“to put in interfaccia utente. Il software è lo stru- the dark”). The Italian word has the same advantage of brevity mento per la configurazione dell’elabo- offered by black-out and adds further clarity and phonetic facility. razione e dell’instradamento dei segnali But only if ENEL, with its technical authority, had consistently audio all’interno del processore. used abbuio would this term have had a good chance at replacing Among the various factors that con- black-out at some point. In the above-mentioned essay, tribute to the use of loan translations and Migliorini writes, “Every substitution, whether well-suited or loanwords from English—appropriate authoritatively upheld, needs a certain incubation period.” or not—in technical language, the At this time in the evolution of Italian in which we witness the brevity of many English words stands “progressive affirmation and acceptance of a ‘middle level’ in the out.1 Specialists, technicians, and trans- use of language,”5 one also hopes that in the technical language lators, as well as journalists who deal with which translators are faced with today, both the indiscrimi- with technical and scientific fields, often nate use of foreignisms that are often incomprehensible to the do not recall enough Italian equivalents majority of readers, and the pompous style that is the enemy of or do not have them handy. Compelling clarity, will be abandoned. In the realm of professional writing, a

34 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 1996 initiative provides communicative techniques written for ¥ Cortelazzo, Michele A. Italiano the various types of professional texts: the Servizio d’Italiano d’oggi, Esedra. (See Chapter 1, La Scritto.6 In addition, the Accademia della Crusca7, one of the lingua italiana di fine millennio.) foremost Italian linguistic authorities, is establishing an important linguistic consulting service, the Centro di Consulenza sulla ¥ Dardano, Maurizio, L’influsso del- Lingua Italiana Contemporanea (Centro CLIC). The goal of the l’inglese sull’italiano d’oggi,Ter- Centro CLIC will be: “[…] to promote research and reflection on minologie et Traduction, 1.91, evolutionary tendencies of contemporary Italian, observed not 145/162. (This essay treats phonetic only in the lexicon (where attention must be given to the prob- adaptation, morphologic adapta- lems of foreign and technical words), but also in syntax, mor- tion, linguistic loanwords, termi- phology, pronunciation, and spelling. The fundamental principle nology, loan translations, and that should guide the activity of this center can certainly not be a semantic loanwords.) rigid purism, but rather a principle of developing the functionality of the language, which means to keep alive its productive mech- ¥ Nencioni, Giovanni. Plurilinguismo anisms and capacity to assimilate innovations. On a practical in Europa, in La Crusca per Voi, level, to guide the public, the center will circulate many explana- Foglio dell’Accademia della Crusca, tions of evolutionary phenomena in the current usage of Italian in n. 15, Ottobre 1997. order to make speakers more knowledgeable, increase their mas- tery of the language, and distance them from passive behaviors ¥ Nencioni, Giovanni. Il destino della and from the taste for pure display of originality. In particular, the lingua italiana, in Italiano e oltre, center will take care of relationships with schools, as well as with 1996, n. 4, p. 198-207. the principal public institutions (central and peripheral), the mass media, and the main national companies.”8 ¥ Rando, Gaetano. Dizionario degli If a fruitful collaboration develops between the Accademia anglicismi nell’italiano postunitario, della Crusca and state and regional institutions, the mass Leo S. Olschki, 1987 (presentation media, the companies, the professional associations, and the by Luca Serianni). organizations active in the field of translation, it will create the conditions to trigger a virtuous circle from which, as far as the ¥ Marri, Fabio. La lingua dell’infor- field of technical translation is concerned, all will benefit: both matica, in Storia della lingua ital- those who write, no longer prisoners of linguistic fashions, and iana, II, Scritto e parlato (edited by those who read, no longer forced to quiz themselves on cryptic Luca Serianni and Pietro Trifone), terms or expressions. Einaudi, 1994.

Acknowledgements ¥ Mengaldo, Pier Vincenzo. Il Nove- Thank you to Anna Taraboletti-Segre for her precious cento, Il Mulino, 1994. (See Section suggestions during the revision of this article. III, Lingue speciali.)

Notes 2. Devoto, Giacomo. Il linguaggio 1. For a treatment of foreignisms or related matters within a d’Italia, BUR Saggi, 1999. (See technical-scientific context, refer to: Chapter L.)

¥ Giovanni Adamo, La terminologia tecnico-scientifica in 3. Migliorini, Bruno. La lingua ital- lingua italiana—Alcune osservazioni sulla terminologia del- iana nel Novecento, Casa Editrice l’informatica. Le Lettere, 1990. (See Section I. 4, http://rmcisadu.let.uniroma1.it/crilet/library/ adamo.htm Purismo e neopurismo.)

¥ Bruni, Francesco. L’italiano—Elementi di storia della lingua e della cultura, UTET, 1984. (See Chapter III, 4, L’influsso dell’inglese.) Continued on p. 44

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 35 Doing the “Write” Stuff: The Translator’s First Duty

By María-Luisa Arias-Moreno

wo years ago at ATA’s 40th their native language. I see this all the time with my students Annual Conference in St. (although we are not training them to be translators, but Eng- T Louis, Missouri, I discussed lish teachers). I teach comparative English-Spanish grammar, the need to reflect on what should be and invariably my students know more about English grammar taught—and how—in translator training (and even vocabulary) than Spanish grammar. programs. Remarks were based on my Teaching is more efficient if it is done gradually, systemat- personal experience as a student, trans- ically, and with the proper methodology and techniques. Based lator, and teacher. Now, I would like to on this argument, I would like to suggest a number of possible discuss another aspect that is very ways to teach writing in the students’ native and foreign lan- important for translator training: guage in order to help them take full advantage of the expres- sive means of their own language, as well as to improve their writing skills in the foreign language. I am proposing that …I cannot be a good translator if I do teachers of native and foreign language courses work in con- junction. This is the ideal scenario, since subject areas in the not have the ability to express clearly, native and foreign language can be presented in a parallel efficiently, and coherently the fashion, which I consider much more efficient. concepts, ideas, or views of the To help achieve efficiency in the classroom, there are a number of writing techniques that can be used and many good source text… books containing helpful ideas that can be adapted for our classrooms (Refs. 3, 4, and 5).1 Effective language instruction involves many areas, including: vocabulary development; text writing. After all, Peter Newmark (Ref. organization; writing conventions (for example, punctuation, 1) once wrote: “All translation prob- the use of capital letters, acronyms, symbols, abbreviations, lems finally resolve themselves into typographic marks); learning the appropriate registers and problems of how to write well in the styles to use according to the purpose and intention of the text; target language.” Deliste (Ref. 2) also grammatical rules to avoid mistakes, especially interference argues that there are times when (such as defective syntactic structures, the abuse or misuse of learning to translate is the same as the passive voice, inappropriate collocations, ambiguity, the learning how to write well, since these insufficient or incorrect use of deictics, and unnecessary two activities cannot be dissociated. In redundancy); the ability to say the same thing in different ways other words, I cannot be a good trans- (paraphrase); the ability to synthesize; as well as coherence lator if I do not have the ability to and cohesion. These topics and more can be covered in language express clearly, efficiently, and coher- courses using the appropriate techniques and methods. ently the concepts, ideas, or views of the source text. Writing Courses—A Proposal This sounds very obvious, but As I mentioned above, it is important to incorporate as teachers in translation training pro- many facets of a language as possible in order for students to grams often take it for granted that stu- gain a thorough knowledge of how its structural elements work dents know how to write well, espe- together to create meaning. Whenever possible, I propose that cially in their native language, when in teachers of both the native and foreign language plan their reality this is not so. In fact, in most units to coincide with each other, so that the knowledge gained cases, students acquire their native lan- from one course can be put to use or reinforced in another. This guage spontaneously, unsystemati- will ensure continuity and allow students to build upon their cally, and without a conscious effort, knowledge base. To make learning easier, I recommend going while they usually learn their foreign from the easiest to the most difficult material (including a gra- language in a formal and methodical dation of content and a systematization of the language struc- way. Thus, students are usually more tures to be mastered). Learning the rules of two languages aware of the grammatical rules and simultaneously will also allow students to see the similarities syntax of the foreign language than of and differences that exist within the syntax of each language.

36 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 For example, Spanish allows for long, complicated, and com- students will need. Once students have plex sentences (provided the punctuation and connectors are the finished writing, they should give their right ones), whereas it is preferable to have shorter sentences in descriptions to a classmate, who will English. Such knowledge will be especially useful when stu- then be asked to draw a picture of the dents are asked to translate between the two languages. place based on what they read. Most of the time, students will come to realize Introducing Text Genres that their descriptions were not clear or One of the most effective methods of showing the important accurate enough, making it impossible link between proper structure and meaning is to introduce stu- for the classmate drawing the picture to dents to as many different kinds of writing styles as possible. really know where certain things are If we want our students to know how to differentiate one style located, their dimensions, form, and so of writing from another, we have to use a variety of text genres forth. From this, students will learn that to ensure that they learn to recognize, among other things, a they must follow a certain organiza- text’s purpose (to inform, give advice, instruct, notify, and so tional pattern when writing a descrip- on); style and register (which depends on the style of the tion. They will also learn to take into author, the typical discourse characteristics that make up var- account several elements of informa- ious genres, the target audience, etc.); and function (expres- tion that can be divided in three areas: sive, descriptive, vocative, phatic, metalingual, or aesthetic). Learning to recognize the characteristics of a specific text 1) The general situation of the place genre is an essential step in learning how to write well. In the that is being described (Where is it? process, students will learn how important organization is in Is it associated with other places?); achieving the writer’s goal. Teaching text development is also a useful tool for successful translation. 2) Its qualities (dimensions, form, and In order to do this we need to make students aware of the characteristics); diverse patterns of organization and style that differentiates one genre from another, so that they can recognize and repro- 3) The different elements (i.e., location) duce these patterns when translating. To illustrate how students that make up a place. can improve their knowledge of the mechanics of a language, such as vocabulary, punctuation, and syntax, as they learn Through reading each others’ about different types of writing styles, let me discuss a possible written descriptions, students will have way to teach students about the characteristics of, for example, a better understanding of how a text in descriptive texts.2 a specific genre is constructed to In this exercise, the teacher chooses a descriptive passage of achieve its purpose. With this new per- similar content from several different texts, taking care that each spective, students can then go back to passage reflects the typical discourse to be found within a par- the original passages they were given ticular genre (for example, a place description found in a tourism to analyze and attempt to pinpoint all brochure, novel, or scientific article).3 Students should then be the elements that make each passage asked to discuss the unique characteristics of each passage, such unique to a particular genre. For as how the various descriptions were written and how the par- instance, how was the text in the ticular writing style emphasizes what the author was trying to tourism brochure organized and what accomplish, as well as what genre each description belongs to. language was chosen to make the des- Having students classify a text under one genre is useful for ped- tination sound attractive? What literary agogical purposes, although we know this is very artificial since devices did the author of the novel use a single text usually has characteristics of several genres. to arouse certain feelings or impres- To further illustrate how writing style will affect how a sions in the reader? How was the person interprets what is written, the teacher can ask the stu- material in the scientific article orga- dents to create a written description of a place that is familiar nized, and how did the use of concise to them. (For example, I like to ask them to describe their bed- rooms.) If necessary, the teacher must provide all the vocabulary Continued on p. 38

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 37 Doing the “Write” Stuff: The Translator’s First Duty Continued

vocabulary help achieve its objective? capital letters, or whatever grammatical elements students have After answering these questions, stu- been introduced to in class. dents can then rework their own descriptions using the organizational Expository texts. An expository text (which consists of the techniques they observed in other texts.4 logical presentation of information related to a theme) avoids This exercise can be applied each explanation and gives only facts. Expository texts are more time students learn the elements of a difficult to write and understand, since they involve following different genre. Learning text develop- a certain structure and stating different logical relationships ment along with basic language funda- (such as cause, consequence, finality, purpose, etc.) in their mentals (such as grammar) will allow development. Students should be asked to analyze several students to gain a better understanding texts, from a tourism brochure to scientific abstracts. Ana- of how the two work side-by-side to lyzing this type of text will make students aware of these achieve a text’s purpose. So as not to cause and effect relationships and, later on, will help them to overwhelm students with grammatical distinguish them in a source text when they translate.6 Once rules, the teacher can introduce one students understand the techniques used in this type of topic per class session (for instance, the writing, they can practice writing their own expository texts. use of one punctuation mark or deic- They should also be asked to orient their writing toward dif- tics). After each lesson, students can go ferent audiences to get the feel for designing with the target back to the descriptions they wrote at reader in mind. The teacher can also provide students with a the beginning of the class and rewrite list of data and ask them to organize them into a paragraph in them using what they have learned. a logical pattern. Thus, they will be practicing what they have learned repeatedly until they Procedural texts. Procedural texts are used to prescribe and master the topics covered. It will be the give instructions. The discourse of this type of text consists of teacher’s responsibility to creatively a sequentially related series of steps or actions that must be design the exercises in a way that is completed to reach a goal. The agent is not usually specified challenging as well as productive. and, ideally, the instructions must be as clear as possible to The following text categories are avoid possible mistakes or misunderstandings. Here we can useful in teaching various areas of lan- include manuals, but also scientific articles and even contracts. guage, such as grammar. However, due to the particular nature of legal texts, I would recommend that teachers treat them in a separate course unit Narrative texts. A narrative text estab- on legal writing. lishes a sequential order for the occur- rence of events in a specific timeframe. Argumentative texts. I always leave argumentative texts for This type of text is a very good model, the end of the course, because I consider them the most com- allowing students to see the different plex of all. Argument requires one to have a full command of parts of a text (structure and organiza- the language, since you want to provide grounds to support tion), the diverse stages and elements your point of view or hypothesis, which will cause your of a narration, and how the different hearers or readers to take a position either of acceptance or verb tenses work in each language. rejection. Therefore, you want to sound convincing and use all Following a teacher’s instructions, stu- the arguments you can think of to persuade others (Ref. 6).7 dents can analyze different types of Again, have students analyze a series of texts with argumenta- narrative texts, identify the narrator tion on different topics and ask them to identify the different (usually the first or third person), the argumentative stages of a text. Then have them try to write full stages (preliminary incident, problem, articles where they defend an opinion, either supporting or events, resolution), and elements (such opposing the argument. To leave this type of text for the end of as time, space, characters, and so on).5 the course is extremely helpful. First, because almost any text Again, all this can be combined with of a certain length will be a mixture of genres (a narrative text the use of connectors, punctuation, may have a description of the characters or places, an argu-

38 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 mentative text will need to first explain the facts, and so on). 7. All this must be taught while taking Second, the students will be able to apply all that they have into account that persuasive strate- learned in the course to deal with this text type. gies may differ between languages, and even within the same language. Conclusion If one follows this proposal, students will not only improve References their writing skills and vocabulary in both languages, they will 1. Newmark, Peter. Approaches to develop the abilities necessary to recognize and use the tech- Translation. New York: Prentice niques they have learned when translating. Most importantly, Hall, 1988, p. 17. they will develop the cognitive abilities involved in the identi- fication of text types (for example, comprehension of general 2. Delisle, Jean. La Traduction concepts, the evaluation of relations between and among con- Raisonnée. Ottawa: Les Presses de cepts, and the ability to anticipate the subsequent development l’Université d’Ottawa, 1993, p. 328. of a text) which is so essential for a translator (Ref. 7). Learning how various writing strategies can be applied in the 3. Vigner, G. La Machine à Ecriture. creation of effective and efficient communication is a vital skill 2. Les types de texte. 3082Paris: Cle which will ensure that students become true professionals. International, 1985.

Notes 4. Maqueo, Ana María. Redacción. 1. In the bibliography I just mention a few resources that can Mexico: Limusa, 1988. be useful, but there are many more. 5. Reinking, James, A., and Andrew 2. For lack of space, I have only explained some of the activi- W. Hart. Strategies for Successful ties used to present this genre. In my recent conference pre- Writing. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, sentation, however, a series of activities and exercises for 1991. the different genres was presented. 6. Hatim, Basil, and Ian Mason. The 3. I begin with the description of places, then objects, and Translator as Communicator. London: finally people. Routledge, 1997.

4. Self-correction here is also important. To make sure stu- 7. Hatim, Basil, and Ian Mason. Dis- dents pay attention to the corrections they receive on their course and The Translator. London: revised papers, I use a number of symbols to correct the stu- Routledge, 1990. dents’ first draft. Thus, instead of correcting the mistake myself, they have to find out the right way to do it and correct the mistake themselves. Then they give me their second Open Invitation draft, so that I only go over the mistakes they made the first to all ATA Members— time to see if they corrected them. If they do not correct Spanish Division them properly, I correct them and explain why it is wrong. Peer correction is also useful. Conference

5. I usually give them the instructions to create a fairytale, Aboard the SS Fascination of giving them different characters and step-by-step suggestions Carnival Cruises • January of the way the fairytale can be developed. 25–28, 2002 • Sailing Miami- Nassau-Miami 6. This seems very easy; however, every year I see my stu- For further details, visit our dents striving to separate one from the other. For example, Website & click on Cruise! they frequently mistake finality for consequence, or cause www.americantranslators.org/ for purpose. divisions/SPD/

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 39 Assessing the Spanish Translations of Marcel Proust’s First Volume

By Herbert E. Craig

pain was one of the first coun- two volumes, along with the third, which the poet began but tries to demonstrate an interest left to be completed by José María Quiroga Pla, have been S in translating the seven-volume reprinted numerous times in Spain, as well as in Argentina and novel by the French author Marcel in several other Spanish American countries. For nearly 60 Proust, A la recherche du temps perdu. years Salinas’ work was considered unsurpassable, and even The Spanish poet Pedro Salinas, who though the last four volumes of En busca del tiempo perdido had taught his native language at the have three distinct versions, no one dared to retranslate what Sorbonne in Paris during World War I, Salinas had done before. was the first to begin translating its ini- This began to change in 1981 when Julio Gómez de la Serna tial volume, Du côté de chez Swann. (a brother of the creator of “las greguerías”) published Hacia el Thus, shortly after Proust received the lado de la quinta de Swann and A la sombra de las muchachas Prix Goncourt in December 1919 for en flor. Indubitably this new Aguilar version had certain flaws his second volume, A l’ombre de which did not allow it to compete well, but its appearance evi- dently led one scholar in Spain to examine Salinas’ translation with greater scrutiny. Luis Maristany concluded that, because …critics tended to discuss the quality of their early dates, Por el camino de Swann and A la sombra of the work as it appeared to them de las muchachas en flor contained mistakes due to printing errors found in the original French edition. Maristany also said through the translation, and evaluated that some errors resulted because Salinas did not know the ulte- the actual work of the translator only rior development of Proust’s major themes and key terms, and in terms of its perceived fluency. The because, at times, the Spanish poet followed his own sense of art instead of Proust’s (Ref. 4). very important matter of equivalency In an attempt to rectify some of these mistakes, Elena Car- was totally ignored… bajo revised Salinas’ translation of the second part of Proust’s first volume and published it in 1988 as Un amor de Swann (Cátedra). Later, the Spanish author Carlos Pujol published jeunes filles en fleurs, the Spanish pub- another translation of the same part in 1992 (Planeta). Although lisher Calpe was able to present neither of these has been incorporated into the subsequent edi- Salinas’ version of Proust’s first tions of En busca del tiempo perdido, three new translators fur- volume to Gaston Gallimard for his ther challenged Salinas at the turn of the 21st century. In 1999, approval. References to these negotia- Carlos Manzano of Spain published his version of the first tions appear in the correspondence volume, which he renamed Por la parte de Swann (Editorial between Proust and his principal Lumen). The following year another Spaniard, Mauro Armiño, French publisher (February 1921, Ref. made available the first two volumes of his translation, Por la 1, p. 326). The novelist actually saw parte de Swann and A la sombra de las muchachas en flor and commented on the printing of the (Valdemar). Similarly, in 2000, another version of the first Spanish text (November 1921, Ref. 2). volume came out in Argentina. In this case, the translator was Discussions concerning the translation the novelist and lady friend of Jorge Luis Borges, Estela Canto, of the second volume began in Feb- and she chose Del lado de Swann (Losada) as her title. ruary of 1922 (Ref. 1, p. 481). Given that there now exists in Spanish five translations of Salinas’ version of Proust’s first two Du côté de chez Swann, two other versions of the second part volumes, Por el camino de Swann of this volume, Un amour de Swann, and three translations of (1920) and A la sombra de las A l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs (as well as three of the last muchachas en flor (1922), were well four volumes), it seems imperative that an objective assess- received in Spain. Although the one ment of at least some of these versions be made. Here I will critic who reviewed both volumes, C. concentrate upon the first volume, even though I discussed Rivas Cherif, did not like Proust’s most of the others at the ATA conference in Los Angeles. style, he found the translation by I must concede that this is not the first time that I have Salinas to be excellent (Ref. 3). These approached this subject. In an article of 1995, “Proust in

40 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Spanish: The Old and New Translations of Du côté de chez “Durante mucho tiempo me acosté tem- Swann” (Ref. 5), I compared the versions by Salinas, Gómez de prano” (Canto, Ref. 12, p. 11). Given la Serna, and Carbajo. However, at that time I did not have that Proust was describing a former access to the one by Pujol, and those by Manzano, Armiño, and habit that was no longer practiced (going Canto had not yet appeared. Furthermore, even though I tried to to bed early), the versions by Manzano examine objectively several passages which illustrated Proust’s and Canto are clearly superior because diverse modes of dialogue, psychological analysis, and poetic the Spanish preterit refers to a com- description, I followed my own sense of what is a good transla- pleted past action, while (unlike the tion rather than the ideas on assessment of any theoretician. French passé composé, which has come Indeed, the whole question of translation criticism is a dif- to be a substitute in conversation for the ficult one. In the past, translations were, for the most part, passé simple) the Spanish present per- judged in a very subjective manner. Frequently, some critics fect (pretérito perfecto) implies that the would, without knowing the original text or even under- action began in the past and may be con- standing the language of the author, try to review translations tinuing in the present. on their own literary merits. For this reason, such persons On the other hand, the comments by tended to discuss the quality of the work as it appeared to them Reiss on over-explicitness and the through the translation, and evaluated the actual work of the attempts of a translator to ameliorate the translator only in terms of its perceived fluency. The very original are very pertinent. Citing Güt- important matter of equivalency was totally ignored. tinger, she wrote, “the translator must be Attempting to rectify this situation, a German scholar of trans- able to resist the temptation to clarify or lation, Katharina Reiss, wrote an excellent study years ago, which improve the original” (Ref. 6, p. 65). It is has now become available in English: Translation Criticism—The in this regard that Salinas most often Potentials and Limitations: Categories and Criteria for Trans- strayed from Proust’s text. In the lation Quality Assessment (2000, Ref. 6). Here, Reiss defined description of the magic lantern, for three basic types of texts: the ones that are content-focused, example, we find that, unlike the other form-focused, and appeal-focused. She explained that each type translators, the Spanish poet frequently had a different language function (representation, expression, tried to clarify the text. For him “le point and persuasion) and language dimension (logic, esthetics, and fixe et douloureux…” (Ref. 7, p. 9) dialogue). She systematically examined the linguistic compo- became “el punto céntrico fijo y nents (semantic, lexical, grammatical, and stylistic elements) doloroso…” (Ref. 8, p. 19 [my and extra-linguistic determinants (the immediate situation, the emphasis]). The impersonal phrase “on subject matter, the time, place, audience, and speaker factors, avait bien inventé…” was made more plus affective implications) for each text type. Although all of explicit: “A mi familia se le había ocu- her remarks are very interesting, I found her comments on rrido…” (my emphasis). Although the form-focused texts to be the most helpful because Proust’s context of the original (and the other novel and most other literary works are of this type. Perhaps in versions) made sufficiently clear the the future other theoreticians of translation criticism can further statement “Maintenant je ne la recon- refine the principles of Katharina Reiss, but these have allowed naissais plus…,” Salinas felt the need to me to assess more objectively and completely the Spanish add a supplemental phrase: “A la luz de translations of Proust’s vast novel. la linterna no reconocía mi alcoba…” Indubitably, some differences between the versions can be (my emphasis). Obviously, each trans- analyzed without the aid of a theoretician like Reiss. Proust’s lator had to take into account the differ- very first sentence, “Longtemps, je me suis couché de bonne ences between French and Spanish, and heure” (Ref. 7, p. 3) has been rendered to Spanish in the fol- they also tried to eliminate any possible lowing ways: “Mucho tiempo he estado acostándome temprano” confusion. Perhaps it is for this reason (Salinas, Ref. 8, p. 11), “Mucho tiempo me he acostado tem- that Manzano rendered the first phrase prano” (Gómez de la Serna, Ref. 9, p. 7), “Me he acostado tem- cited above as “el centro fijo y doloroso” prano, hace mucho” (Armiño, Ref. 10, p. 7), “Durante mucho tiempo, me acosté temprano” (Manzano, Ref. 11, p. 9), and Continued on p. 42

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 41 Assessing the Spanish Translations of Marcel Proust’s First Volume Continued

(Ref. 11, p. 15)—“centro” is perhaps esta Françoise!” respondía mi tía, al tiempo que se encogía de better in Spanish than “punto”—and for hombros. “¡De la casa del señor cura!” (Ref. 11, p. 64). the second, Canto wrote “A alguien se le Because of the subtlety of Proust’s thought and the intricacy había ocurrido…” (Ref. 12, p. 17 [my of his style, he often wrote lengthy sentences which are very emphasis]). But none of them made the difficult to translate. As Reiss suggests, the style of the original number of additions or clarifications that form-focused text should be maintained, as well as its various Salinas did. linguistic elements, all of which a scholar of translation criti- Almost paradoxically, either because cism has to consider: “The critic must examine the translation of choice or carelessness, Salinas some- with regard to each of these linguistic elements: the semantic times failed to translate certain words, elements for equivalence, the lexical elements for adequacy, phrases, or even sentences. This ten- the grammatical elements for correctness, and the stylistic ele- dency is especially evident in the pas- ments for correspondence” (Ref. 6, p. 66). Similar attention sage where Tante Léonie and Françoise must be paid to extra-linguistic elements. are discussing asparagus and other For the most part, like the other Spanish translators, Salinas things that the old woman notices out- has followed these principles. However, in one case at the end side her window. Here, Proust carefully of a long sentence close to the beginning of Part II, the Spanish depicted in a comic manner their words poet not only simplified the syntax and meaning, but even and gestures. At Françoise’s suggestion implied something which, according to social custom and per- that the thick stems of asparagus might sonal habit, was highly unlikely. Proust, after suggesting that have come from the priest’s garden, we Mme Verdurin had been able to convince her naive female find the aunt’s response: “Ah! je vous guests that the Princesse de Sagan and the Duchesse de Guer- crois bien, ma pauvre Françoise, mantes needed to bribe people to have guests at their dinners, répondait ma tante en haussant les ended his sentence by saying, “si on leur avait offert de les faire épaules, chez M. le Curé!” (Ref. 7, p. inviter chez ces deux grandes dames, l’ancienne concierge et 54). Salinas reduced this to: “No, Fran- la cocotte eussent dédaigneusement refusé” (Ref. 7, p. 186 cisca, no pueden ser de casa del señor [emphasis mine]). This is obviously very different from what cura” (Ref. 8, p. 73). He offered no Salinas wrote: “si aquellas dos grandes señoras hubieran invi- equivalent for the ironic expression of tado a la ex portera y a la demimondaine, habrían recibido una belief “je vous crois bien,” for the typ- desdeñosa negativa” (Ref. 8, p. 228). The extra-linguistic ical way in which Tante Léonie dimension of “who would have chosen to invite whom” was not addressed Françoise, “ma pauvre…,” fully taken into account. nor for the gesture “en haussant les In the version by Elena Carbajo, where she tried to eliminate épaules.” I concede that Armiño also left Salinas’flaws, we find that the improbable direct invitation by the out this movement but vaguely sug- two great ladies has disappeared, but the social protocol implied gested the other elements when he in the original is still overly simplified. Carbajo merely says, “si wrote, “-Pero Áqué me dice de casa del se les hubiera ofrecido una invitación para ir a casa de estas dos señor cura, mi pobre Françoise!” (Ref. grandes señoras…” (Ref. 13, p. 107). In this case, Canto’s ver- 10, p. 53). Curiously, not only were sion is essentially identical, while both Manzano and Armiño Gómez de la Serna and Canto quite lit- resemble each other at least in the following phrase: “si se les eral, but they nearly coincided in their hubiese (si les hubiesen) ofrecido la posibilidad de ser invitadas translation: “-Ah, ya lo creo, mi pobre a las casas de esas dos grandes damas…” (Ref. 11, p. 206; Ref. Francisca (Françoise)! contestaba mi 10, p. 172). Only Gómez de la Serna and the other translator of tía alzándose (encogiéndose) de hom- Part II, Carlos Pujol, actually sought a direct equivalent of the bros-ÁDe casa del señor cura!” (Ref. 9, French construction “les faire inviter.” The former was very lit- p. 68; Ref. 12, p. 65). Manzano was less eral: “si les hubieran ofrecido hacer que las invitasen…” (Ref. 9, literal, but made certain that he gave an p. 222), but the second is more fluent: “si alguien les hubiese equivalent of each element (as Reiss and ofrecido conseguir que las invitasen…” (Ref. 14, p. 4). most scholars of translation criticism Of course, I do not wish to give the impression that Proust’s would expect): “¡Ay, qué cosas tiene very first translator did a poor job. The examples I have cited

42 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 were intended to demonstrate that his version was not as flaw- tion of his translation in Madrid, he did less as some critics have pretended. On the other hand, Salinas not attempt to reduce it in Spanish. On avoided the errors in Spanish syntax and style which Gómez de the other hand, Carlos Manzano regu- la Serna sometimes made because of his more literal approach larly used dashes to avoid subordinate to translation. Following Proust and French word order clauses so that he could adapt the closely, he occasionally separated a form of the auxiliary verb French author’s style to Spanish syntax “haber” from its past participle, which is generally considered (Ref. 15). I would also add that Man- incorrect in modern Spanish. Furthermore, after translating the zano modified Proust’s word order text phrase by phrase, it appears that in a few instances Gómez more regularly than Armiño. Other- de la Serna did not review his work carefully enough to elimi- wise, both new translators follow the nate the unsightly repetition of words. Such was the case when principles of quality translation out- he translated the following juxtaposed remarks by Françoise lined by Katharina Reiss. At times, and the narrator concerning their departure from the kitchen Armiño’s version seems more literal patio: “‘il faut que je me sauve chez Mme Octave,’ je me than Manzano’s, but it is not exces- décidais à rentrer et montais directement lire chez moi” (Ref. sively so. 7, p. 79). Despite the fact that the French text does not actually As I suggested in my presentation use the word “maison,” Gómez de la Serna repeated “casa”: in Los Angeles, a more important “‘tengo que correr a casa de su tía Leoncia’, me decidía volver factor for determining which recent a casa y subía directamente a leer a mi alcoba” (Ref. 9, p. 97 translation has the greatest possibility [emphasis mine]). All of the other translators avoided this of supplanting the version by Salinas needless repetition. Even though they variously translated and his successors may be the actual “renter” as “entrar” or “volver a casa,” each one chose not to completion of a Spanish translation of use “casa” to render “chez Mme Octave” (which in reality is A la recherche du temps perdu, in a not precise because she always stayed in the same rooms). single style by a sole translator. The Both Salinas and Armiño spoke of her “cuarto” (Ref. 8, p. 102; prestige of the Spanish poet remains Ref. 10, 74). Manzano wrote, “tengo que ir a ver a la Sra. strong in spite of the weaknesses of his Octave…” (Ref. 11, p. 90), and Canto said, “yo tengo que ocu- translation, but the variable manner parme de madame Octave…” (Ref. 12, p. 90). and skill of each of his successors— In spite of the fact that some Spaniards have summarily dis- José María Quiroga Pla and Consuelo missed the new translations of Du côté de chez Swann, I find all Berges (Fernando Gutiérrez or three to be quite good. I would even dare to say that Manzano, Marcelo Menasché)—make his text Armiño, and Canto reflect the professionalism of the translators vulnerable. Mauro Armiño, who actu- of today, who have been trained in their field and did not simply ally spoke of such a uniform version in learn their skill while becoming poets or writers. Indeed, the his prologue to A la busca del tiempo Argentine translator Canto does not fit into this pattern as well perdido I, has now published two of as the two Spaniards. However, like the others, she knew that it the seven volumes and has promised to was necessary to focus upon translation techniques because few finish the others. Also in Los Angeles, persons could compete with Salinas as a writer. I compared his version of A la sombra At this point, it is impossible to determine if the translations de las muchachas en flor with those by of any of these three can prevail against, or even reach the level Salinas and Gómez de la Serna and of acceptance of, the well-known version by Salinas. Perhaps discovered that it was often better. in Argentina or in Spanish America Del lado de Swann can Thus, it appears that Armiño has the make some inroads, but I have not yet discovered any evidence greatest chance of becoming the prin- of this in the Argentine press. In contrast, the two new penin- cipal Spanish translator of Proust. sular versions have received some attention in Spain. Robert However, such an assessment, like this Saladrigas reviewed both in Revista de Libros (March 2001) on-going translation process itself, is and was quite favorable towards them. As for differences far from being definitive. between the two, he noted that even though Mauro Armiño had emphasized the difficulty of Proust’s style during the presenta- Continued on p. 44

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 43 Assessing the Spanish Translations of Marcel Proust’s First Volume Continued

References 7. Proust, Marcel. A la recherche du temps perdu. Vol. 1. Ed. 1. Fouché, Pascal, ed. Marcel Proust- Jean-Yves Tadié et al., Paris: Editions Gallimard, 1987. Gaston Gallimard Correspondance 1912-1922. Paris: Gallimard, 1989. 8. Proust, Marcel. Por el camino de Swann. Trans. Pedro Salinas. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, S. A., 1972. 2. Kolb, Philip, ed. Correspondance de Marcel Proust. Vol. 20. Paris: 9. Proust, Marcel. En busca del tiempo perdido. Vol. 1. Trans. Plon, 1993, p. 548. Julio Gómez de la Serna. Madrid: Aguilar, 1981.

3. Rivas Cherif, C. “Marcel Proust. 10. Proust, Marcel. A la busca del tiempo perdido I: Por la Por el camino de Swann.” La parte de Swann. A la sombra de las muchachas en flor. Pluma. Vol. 2, No. 16, 1921, p. 187. Trans. Mauro Armiño. Madrid: Valdemar, 2000.

4. Maristany, Luis. “Informe crítico: 11. Proust, Marcel. En busca del tiempo perdido I: Por la Proust en España.” Voces. No. 3, parte de Swann. Trans. Carlos Manzano. Barcelona: Edi- 1982(?) pp. 61-71. torial Lumen, 1999.

5. Craig, Herbert E. “Proust in 12. Proust, Marcel. Del lado de Swann. Trans. Estela Canto. Spanish: The Old and New Trans- Buenos Aires, Losada, 2000. lations of Du côté de chez Swann.” Platte Valley Review. Vol. 23, No. 13. Proust, Marcel. Un amor de Swann. Trans. Elena Carbajo. 2, 1995, pp. 34-50. Madrid: Ediciones Cátedra, S. A., 1988.

6. Reiss, Katharina. Translation Criti- 14. Proust, Marcel. Un amor de Swann. Trans. Carlos Pujol. cism—The Potentials & Limitations: Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, S. A., 1992. Categories and Criteria for Transla- tion Quality Assessment. Trans. 15. Saladrigas, Robert. “Los riesgos de traducir a Proust.” Erroll F. Rhodes. Manchester: St. Revista de Libros. No. 51, March 2001, 8-10. Jerome Publishing, 2000.

Influences of English in Technical Translation into Italian Continued from p. 35 4. Castellani, Arrigo. Morbus Anglicus, Golini, edited by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello in Studi Linguistici Italiani, Salerno Stato—Editalia, in vol. 5, Rome 1997.) Editrice, 1988. 6. www.mestierediscrivere.com/testi/raso.htm. 5. Sabatini, Francesco. L’italiano: dalla letteratura alla nazione— 7. http://ovisun199.csovi.fi.cnr.it/crusca/. (The site of the Linee di storia linguistica d’Italia, Academy is under construction. The new site will be avail- attachment to La Crusca per Voi, able soon at a URL to be determined. The new address will Foglio dell’Accademia della be posted at the old site.) Crusca. (This text by Sabatini is an overview of the history of the 8. From the minutes of the Centro CLIC’s foundational Italian language, originally written meeting, held in Florence on Thursday, January 18, 2001— for the work L’Europa dei Popoli, cited courtesy of the Accademia della Crusca. by Sabatini himself and Antonio

44 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 With(in) Translation: An Epistemology of the écriture of Hélène Cixous

By Michael C. Walker

“From one day to another, from one page to the other, writing Cixous’s broad oeuvre would, unfortu- changes languages” nately, be read and judged all too fre- —Hélène Cixous, in Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing quently as feminist writing alone, without consideration of its other lit- élène Cixous defies categorization as both a writer and erary and sociopolitical significance. an individual. Born in French-controlled Algeria to par- Given the complexity of Cixous as a H ents who were German Jews by heritage but French by writer and the intensely personal and nationality, Cixous studied at the Sorbonne, becoming the poetic approach she brings to wide- youngest person in French history to earn the doctorate d’état in ranging issues and themes, it is no literature. Prior to earning that degree, Cixous was appointed as wonder that her writing has poised an a professor at the Université de Nanterre, where she played a pivotal role in the student demonstrations and French movement for educational reform in the late 1960s. Following the award of her …A primary theme of the Cixousian doctorate and the publication of her first novel, Dedans—which world is that one writes the body, and won the Prix Médicis—in 1969, Cixous was appointed head of a committee to create a new and experimental university: thus, the that the very act of writing is itself a Université de Paris, VIII was born. Cixous appointed notable natural, essential function… scholars of the time, including Michel Foucault and Tzvetan Tor- dorov, to the faculty and created the first doctoral program in women’s studies in France. She herself was conferred a chair in enormous—albeit rewarding—challenge English—a position she has maintained ever since. to those who wish to translate it from While these accomplishments may seem like a life’s work, French to English and other languages. they all took place at the beginning of Cixous’s academic Fortunately, at a pragmatic level, career. Over the next three decades, Cixous would write over Cixous has been proactively involved 30 works of fiction, drama, and criticism while remaining con- in most major translations of her sistently involved in teaching at the Université de Paris, VIII novels, plays, and articles, working and as a visiting professor elsewhere. Though fluent in English with her translators to produce versions and German as well as French, nearly all of her literary output that reflect her vision and command of has been in French, although several of her lectures in the U.S. French in the recipient language. were given, and subsequently published, in English. This article examines the translation In many ways, Cixous’s writing is as difficult as her accom- of Hélène Cixous’s writing by relating plishments are impressive. Her application of the conventions her own explanations of her episte- of French turns the language upon its head, personifying the mology and the commentary of her nonpersonal, making material the nontangible, and playing on translators to the substance of the metaphors hidden within other metaphors. Cixous’s doctoral writing itself. A primary theme of the dissertation concerned James Joyce and can be seen as prog- Cixousian world is that one writes the nostic of the trajectory both her fiction and nonfiction took: a body, and that the very act of writing is weaving flow of ideas replete with sensory detail and emotive itself a natural, essential function. For overtones reminiscent of Joyce’s own meandering prose. Cixous, this was indeed the case. The Cixous delved deep into the gender hierarchy of the Romance novel Jours de l’an (First Days of the languages and, from a synthesis of engendered language and Year) is in fact a celebration of writing her beliefs on the differences between masculinity and femi- established as fiction, yet a fiction that ninity, produced the concept of écriture féminine, or women’s is both critical and communicative of its writing. It would be for this philosophy that Cixous would literary and personal precedents. (In become best known to English-speaking audiences, primarily comparison, Cixous’s critical essays through La Jeune Née (The Newly Born Woman, co-authored and lectures tend to impart a poetic tone with Catherine Clément). rarely found in academic writing.) In Though an influential contribution to feminist theory, écri- ture féminine would come to be poorly understood and Continued on p. 46

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 45 With(in) Translation: An Epistemology of the écriture of Hélène Cixous Continued

regard to critical theory and philosophy, foreigner in Algeria, moreover, as a Jew amongst French Cixous is closely linked (both in terms expatriates, and as someone who left that alien existence to of beliefs and in personal collaborations) become an alien again in France, her previously un/known to the works of Jacques Derrida, Luce homeland. In her essay “Mon Algériance,” Cixous explains Irigaray, and Julia Kristeva. Other the profound effect her expatriate situation in Algeria had on writers, both historical and contempo- her psychoemotional outlook on the world, noting that even rary, play a crucial role in Cixous’s écri- her surname was not recognizably French, nor German, nor ture, notably Joyce, Franz Kafka, Paul Jewish, and was perhaps even native—the name of a Berber Celan, Marina Tsvetaeva, Jean Genet, tribe, she had been told by Algerian friends. An intrinsic con- and, most importantly, the Brazilian nov- ceptualization of otherness was alive in Cixous from an early elist and journalist Clarice Lispector. age—a concept that was made all the more poignant by the Cixous has learned these writers’stylistic untimely death of her father. Likewise, language became a approaches and attitudes towards gender locus of otherness for Cixous, as she was both externally and and its place in writing. For Cixous, style internally defined by the predominant languages of Algeria itself is a reflection of broader attitudes (the languages of the native and of the colonial other). With and personal philosophies. each language she knew of, there was a corresponding set of It is useful to note, however, that ethnosocial constructs. It is essential to realize that Cixous while her views on gender and femi- was immersed in literary pedagogy at several levels as a doc- nism are categorically close to those of toral student studying modern English literature while simul- Irigaray and Kristeva, Cixous propa- taneously teaching French students as a full professor in gates these views as much in literary French. The duality of languages she knew as a child was fiction as in critical discourse. Irigaray thereby repeated in her education, and would continue to be has primarily written as a critical theo- repeated in her later scholarship. rist while Kristeva, both a psychoana- The linguistic perplexity and multiplicity Cixous found at lyst and linguist by training, is more several times in her life and on several different levels had a concerned with connections between lasting impact on her writing, as did the breadth of literary emotions, psyche, and language. Nei- endeavors she attempted. It should be noted that Cixous wrote ther Kristeva nor Irigaray has produced her first novel at the same time she was writing her doctoral the type of continuous output of fic- dissertation. For Cixous, language became a most fluid prop- tional writing as Cixous, although erty, capable of reflecting the intricate amazement of every Kristeva has authored a novel. experience in life. However, Cixous has always seen language as a reflective medium, acknowledging that whatever writing Cixous’s écriture or speech may tell, its telling is filtered through human inter- Central to Cixous’s discursive pretation. Unlike Joyce, whose later writing often emphasized approach are the concepts of the the interpretation of experience and utilized language to high- other/otherness (altérité) and removal light the construction of psychological interpretation, Cixous common to French deconstructivist placed more emphasis on how language and external experi- theory, although her usage of these con- ence (i.e., experiencing the other) both provide a filtering of structs is usually quite different from that ourselves. The Joycean character rarely seems to cognate that of Derrida and other leading proponents he or she is producing a discourse—even in the case of Molly of deconstructivism. Cixous draws as Bloom’s musings in “Penelope” (the final chapter in Ulysses), much from her own past, her upbringing the discussion is an internal circle. By contrast, the Cixousian and familial history, for sources of inspi- character is acutely aware of its production of a text of some ration and reflection as she does from sort. “Writing,” as a term, may often be substituted for exterior sources. Thus, the concept of the “speech” in the Cixousian universe. Thoughts are even consid- other takes on an intimate definition: it is ered in terms of their linguistic composition, as can be seen in what she is not and what she knows not. a passage from Jours de l’an, where Cixous states the frustra- Cixous traces her experiences with tion found in the differences between her feelings and the removal back to her childhood as a words meant to represent them:

46 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 no, my love is not this love. This very much is not a very linguistic convention to her narrative much. I look up ‘scale’ and do not find my scale, the one advantage, her syntax is not discordant that grows according to my spring, for each spring a new with the standard usage of Portuguese. branch. Cixous’s adoption of the device from (Jours de l’an, p. 251) Lispector, however, introduces a foreign syntax into French. Furthermore, In both the English translation above and the French source, Cixous has invented her own nouns and the dualities of meaning extant in many words is apparent with verbs—neologisms to fill in the gaps in the ambiguity of some words and phrases (can one “very much” her écriture unmet by the canonical be greater than or less than another “very much”?). This contrasts French lexicon. Among the most mean- with the multiple ways other words (such as “spring” and ingful of these is her verb transer, “branch”) can be interpreted. The “this love” referred to is a dic- which means to cross or to move across tionary definition of love and, by extension, a societal definition; boundaries. This verb itself contra- neither definition apparently properly qualifies the narrator’s venes: its function as a textural device love. Aside from the writer’s frustration over the ability of lan- is as much a noun at times as it is a guage to represent emotive ideas and to personify beliefs, the verb. Part of the beauty of an invented above passage underscores that language is proprietary even in its word is that it comes with no reputation most uncomplicated and innocent of incarnations. Language of its role in writing, and can perhaps becomes a property of the speaker/ writer once it is applied to the be accepted more openly for what it task of conveying an individual’s ideas and intentions. Thus, lan- says instead of what it does. In using guage is never truly neutral, and the particular language and lin- such invented words, Cixous calls her guistic strata one employs—whether French or English, belles- readers to question how we view lan- lettres style or slang—says a great deal about both the speaker guage and how we assign meaning to and his/her intentions. the words we use to label our world. On The prominence of meaning Cixous places on the body is a very visceral level—if we remember essential to understanding her methodology of writing. Le that the text is also le corps—Cixous is corps—the body—is the term she repeatedly uses to denote reminding us of the danger in indis- both the physical body, the more generalized body (either as criminately applying simple labels to the person in question or as a larger, mythical body), and the complex situations, including gender. text itself (which is, of course, a corps of sorts, too). Since a Another example of this technique primary goal in Cixous’s work is to write of the body and, may be found in Cixous’s creation of more specifically, to empower women to write of the feminine the word “estine” out of “Palestine”— body from outside of male-dominated conventions, the a term employed in her book Neutre— ambiguous le corps can often be considered as both a corpse by pairing the word “pâle/pale” with and a corps: a body and an assembled whole. Usually, any “estine” to both formulate and separate mention of le corps made in Cixous’s prose is translated to the proper noun. Cixous dissects the English as “the body,” though the resultant translation does not word while creating an adjective for it carry the same metaphorical weight as the French source. out of its own contents: there is no Beyond the body as a noun, Cixous employs numerous pro- such word as “estine” in French and nouns to denote it in all of its varied stations in her writing. without the preceding “pâle/pale,” the While Cixous has always toyed with gender-based meanings latter “estine” is meaningless. Despite in her writing, the stylisms of Clarice Lispector in regard to this, the truncated word works in the usage of gendered verb tenses without corresponding nouns passage where it appears: (thus, a verb without a subject) have influenced Cixous’s construction of isolated, engendered verbs that function indepen- de quelle pâle estine? dently of nouns. As Catherine A. F. MacGillivray, the translator (from which pale estine?) of several of Cixous’s novels, explains in her preface to the (Neutre, p. 20) English translation of Jours de l’an, Portuguese allows for such syntax naturally and, while Lispector appears to manipulate this Continued on p. 48

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 47 With(in) Translation: An Epistemology of the écriture of Hélène Cixous Continued

This application demands a recon- […] the disappointing conclusion as in the quest of the Gold- sideration of the word Palestine; a Bug released from the top of the seventh east branch of a Liri- reconsideration that is as much socio- odendron Tulipiferum through the left eye of a skull fixed to historical as it is linguistic. If we as the branch, in the rays of the setting sun, following the cryp- readers recognize that “pâle estine” is togrammatical indications given on [or by] a piece of parch- actually “Palestine,” we have to ques- ment covered in signs penned by the renowned [or acclaimed] tion whether this is a tautological rela- Kidd with the help of a regulus of cobalt solution dissolved in tionship between two words or a spirit of nitre while warm, which fades on cooling— homographical error or pun involving a single word. Cognitively at least, we Taken out of context, this paragraph makes little sense may read “estine” as a proxy for except via the sheer beauty of its writing, yet when read within “Palestine” and accept its suddenly the scope of Neutre, it still declares its fresh, resilient sensi- pale complexion without directly real- bility and—like the remainder of that text—escapes any ready izing the homoformal relationship discernment of a plot or direction. To an extent, the literary that allows this tautology to exist in allusion to Poe relies on his story of the Gold Bug, but also the first place. The fact that, to the works on the level of simply being a literary reference wrought non-French reader, the neologism with an air of mystery which just happens to portend an entry “estine” sounds plausibly French may of elegance. The patterns in language that Cixous has heighten the power of the phrase in employed are mellifluent, but at the same instant discordant: translation, since we can presume (as “rayons du soleil couchant” is easily exquisite in this usage, with all translations) that something but what of “les indications cryptogrammatiques”? The latter may be missing in the recipient lan- requests that the translator appreciate it for its own localized guage that was present and active in merits and not search for less unwieldy words to take its place. the source. While Neutre is more poetic in terms of structure than much Neutre provides another exceptional of Cixous’s writing, it serves as a perfect example of how her example of both how Cixousian prose applications of words require their own close readings, some- is constructed and how the individual times devoid of a desire for the entire text to be immediately words of one of her sentences can congruent. Sometimes, it is enough to allow the text to be function both as representative icons in suddenly beautiful. their own right and as the composition of a capacious discourse. In this c’est transer—Cixous in Translation example, a reference to Edgar Allan Hélène Cixous writes in a manner that renders novel mean- Poe as well as structural impressions of ings into standing linguistic conventions, but how exclusive is Joyce are apparent: her approach to the French language, and how best can this approach—as well as the words that make it manifest—be […] l’issue décevante comme de la translated into another language? Cixous’s work has been quête du Scarabée d’Or lâche du translated by numerous literary and academic translators, haut de la 7e branche est d’un Liri- although several scholars have repeatedly involved themselves odendron Tulipiferum à travers in producing her translations, most notably the aforementioned l’œil gauche d’une tête de mort MacGillivray, Susan Sellers, Betsy Wing, and Eric Prenowitz. fixée à la branche, rayons du soleil All four translators have taken different approaches to pro- couchant, suivant les indications ducing their book-length translations, and it is in the complete cryptogrammatiques données par translated books rather than shorter excerpts or essays that un morceau de parachemin couvert such differences are expectedly most apparent. MacGillivray, de signes tracés par le fameux Kidd the translator of Cixous’s novels Jours de l’an and Manna aux à l’aide d’une solution de régule de Mandelstams aux Mandelas as well as several works of criti- cobalt dissous dans l’esprit de nitre cism and drama, attempts to remain faithful to Cixous’s syn- encore chaud, laquelle s’ efface en taxial structure while in one way or another explaining the con- refroidissant—(Neutre, p. 21) fusing or difficult passages and neologisms. Sellers takes a

48 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 more “hands off” approach, rarely explaining anything beyond tion to play an epistemological as well the literal translation. Despite this method, Sellers—who as structural role in fiction is somewhat edited The Hélène Cixous Reader—remains very observant of odd. With Cixous, despite the chal- Cixous’s unique prose, and is attentive to deciphering them via lenges inherent to translating her work, her introductions and prefaces. Here, she is more concerned it seems that the translator’s promi- with Cixousian language as an independent construct than with nence in establishing narrative parame- the French text being compared to the English translation. In ters is welcome. After all, Cixous is a her introduction to the Hélène Cixous Reader, Sellers writer of drama as well as fiction and acknowledges that translators other than herself have taken up any playwright must acknowledge that Cixous via very disparate mechanisms. She does not expound a performance of her play is an inter- at length on the fact that some of Cixous’s literary devices may pretation—a variant of the textural not be commonplace in French literature, but are nonetheless original. Translingual translation serves plausible due to the linguistic constructs of the language. a similar performative function, albeit Betsy Wing, who translated Cixous’s novel Le livre de via different mechanisms and for a Promethea (as well as La Jeune Née), appears most focused on different purpose. producing a readable, albeit veracious, rendition of Cixousian In her 1990 Wellek Library Lec- prose—a daunting task given the complexity of this novel. Le tures at the University of California, livre de Promethea is something of a turning point in Cixous’s Irvine, (published as Three Steps on fiction. It is not so concerned with personal expression (as was the Ladder of Writing), Cixous con- the case with her previous fiction), but with how perception (of templated the difficulties and opportu- ourselves and others) is expressed in writing. In many ways, nities present in both English and Promethea serves as a precedent to the themes of writing French as languages and in translation explored in Jours de l’an and Manna aux Mandelstams aux between these two languages. She Mandelas. Cixous openly acknowledges the presence of the notes instances in the writings of Jean author as separate from that of the narrator of the book; that of Genet and other French authors where Promethea (as a character and as a mythological icon), and that English translation proves highly prob- of the book itself. Thus, her use of pronouns and verb tenses lematic. She also addresses the works are central to the formation of identity in this novel. Pronouns of Clarice Lispector at length—writing are employed in their most literal of applications: to serve as foreign to both French and English, surrogates for consummate subjects. and thus only represented by Cixous The process of surrogacy is reiterated at every level of the here as an English translation. Cixous narrative in Promethea as is the process of sectioning, of indi- is very aware of the proprietary nature cating selfness and otherness. Because Cixous achieves these lit- of languages, yet notes their ability to erary objectives primarily through structural means (i.e., use of cross-pollinate each other. Here, her syntax, grammar, and morphology), her text resists even modest verb transer seems quite appropriate. attempts at reconfiguration for translatory purposes. Betsy Wing It appears requisite to note the power stays very close to the layout and flow of Cixous’s French in her of language to assist in discursive English translation, only deviating from the original structure operations—to aid in the crossing of when not doing so would render the translation especially cum- boundaries and the acknowledgment bersome. The English translation of Le livre de Promethea (The that such boundaries serve as opportu- Book of Promethea) stands as something of a communiqué nities as well as obstacles. derived from a pre-extant communiqué. Much of the book “Writing has returned,” begins the revolves around the author’s struggle to form a relationship with English translation of Cixous’s mas- Promethea that translates into writing. The translation of the terful Jours de l’an. Writing, it seems, author’s words (which, the book would argue are not only the had taken an absence from the author, author’s own but those borrowed from Promethea) into another the narrator, and perhaps even from the language also adds an additional degree of separation. reader. With this line opening the book, The concept of a translation modifying an original text is nothing new nor unexpected, but the possibility for the transla- Continued on p. 50

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 49 With(in) Translation: An Epistemology of the écriture of Hélène Cixous Continued

the news of the return of writing comes compliment given its source, but this brings us to consider how simultaneously to the beginning of a unique her writing is to French. In some ways, Cixous seems to new book, and thus truly heralds the seek the expatriate experience to be metamorphosed into a per- return of the written word. The first sonal yet definitive example of a given nation’s literary life. few pages of Jours de l’an perform a In Cixous’s relationship of artistic reference to Clarice function common to much of Cixous’s Lispector, it is important to remember that Lispector is now writing in that the reader is forced to considered a leading 20th-century Brazilian writer, although think critically before he or she is even Lispector was actually born in the Ukraine and immigrated to sure what he or she is thinking about. Brazil as a young child. Thus, like Cixous, Lispector experi- These pages invite deep consideration enced being both a foreigner and native in the land she came to before the reader can even discern who claim as her own. The psychological and epistemological value the narrator is and where the plot may of this situation should not be underestimated. While Lispector lead. The essence of writing is assured appears to have manifested her sense of likeness/difference via to be enough: writing is the predomi- narrative in her literature, Cixous seems more interested in var- nant force within this novel and it con- ious constructs of language and how these can influence plot. stantly proclaims its presence in Part of the difference is certainly a personal one, but the pro- Cixous’s other books as well. fessional backgrounds of Cixous and Lispector deserve com- No one who has ever read any of parison. Cixous was trained as an academic and has functioned Cixous’s fiction would doubt that as one while Lispector was by profession a journalist. Perhaps writing for writing’s sake is valid to her this helps explain why even Cixous’s stories that she claims to purpose as an author, but few might be greatly influenced by Lispector’s work are lacking of realize that she explores the history of almost any of the tactile detail Lispector relies on so often. The rhetoric, as well as literature, at every role of language is pivotal in these differences. Lispector turn of the page. Cixous deals in the sub- employs a no-nonsense, journalistic Brazilian Portuguese that lime in such a way that we are often not conveys experience via sequential details and emotion via the even aware of such as her locus. Cixous interactions of characters. Lispector makes the pathos of her will often introduce a literary or histor- characters visible in the most literal sense by demonstrating ical reference and for the remainder of and chronicling the trajectory of their lives. Cixous provides the book utilize it as a leitmotif. In Jours the same emotive effects, but through a close and constant de l’an, her points of historical reference extrapolation—via cultivated, plaintive, French—of the are often writers as writers and at the thoughts and feelings of her characters. The presences of these same time, writers as surrogates for the languages in the writing of both women feels natural and fluid works they have written or even for the yet somewhat self-conscious. constructs associated with these works. With the exception of Cixous’s plays, dialogue in the con- Unlike writers such as Umberto Eco, ventional sense is scarce in her writing. The reflective self is who rely heavily on semiotic symbolism more often expressed than the interactive self, and words in their work, Cixous never entertains forming that self’s narrative usually appear to be both those of the language of semiotics so directly, but the fictional narrator and those of the author. The reader is applies many of the concepts thereof often left with an impression that Cixous demands that we trust nonetheless. Thus, the meaning of what her narrator, but that we conversely do not expect the narrator a word represents and the meaning of to trust himself or herself very much. The concept of uncer- the word as a discursive entity in its own tainty as truth and certainty as a falsehood (i.e., that what is right coexist in Cixous’s writing as one, known may be less reliable than admitting that not much is but still as a plurality. known) is recurrent in her narrative, and is plaintively In his introduction to Cixous’s expressed through dialogue. Translating such dialogue is per- Wellek Library Lectures, Jacques Der- haps one of the greatest challenges in translating Cixous’s rida hailed Cixous as the “greatest words out of French. writer in what I will call my language, For example, in her play L’Histoire terrible mais the French language”—a most laudable inachevée de Norodom Shianouk, roi du Cambodge, much of

50 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 the dialogue revolves around the duplicity of truth as seen by where it is to inform him or her of the various characters. It is only via their conversations that such emotive disposition at that precise truths and untruths are realized as they actually occur. moment of the character speaking in Lacking as broad a base for narrative self-exposition—with the wake of the greater narrative. the exception of monologues—in drama as she has available in prose fiction, Cixous allows her characters to narrate more Conclusions for each other than simply for themselves and of themselves. Hélène Cixous is no stranger to The problem in translating this work is finding the best words translation, having had over 10 of her to mimic how, in French, Cixous has constructed conversa- novel-length works of fiction plus sev- tions and arguments between characters. Norodom Shianouk, eral plays and numerous articles, lec- roi du Cambodge has been translated into Danish and in that tures, and books of criticism translated translation the discursive differences between French and into English and other languages, Danish are readily apparent. In the Danish version, Den including Swedish, Dutch, Italian, and Frygtelige men Ufuldendte Historie om Norodom Sihanouk Slovak. In addition, Cixous herself has Konge af Cambodia, the words of interaction appear to be been consistently involved in translin- taken a bit too literally and are less empathic than the French gual literary scholarship in some original, leaving some passages of this otherwise faithful manner, whether via her studies of translation to appear at odds with the gracefulness and sense Joyce and other English authors or of humanity commonplace in Cixous’s writing. Of course, through her critical writings on the part of the impetus for translating a play is not only to have translation of writers into French and it read in the recipient language, but to have it performed in other languages. In addition, Cixous that language. Thus, the aforementioned role of performative also has translated works of fiction and interpretation effects a role in the realization of the work, as drama, most notably her translation well as the part of translation. and adaptation of Aeschylus’s Les The concept of dialogue replacing actions via semiotic rep- Euménides for a performance (and resentation is latent in Cixous’s drama. It is especially visible publication) by the Théâtre du Soleil. in L’Indiade, ou l’Inde de leurs rêves, where a conversation That the translation of her works is between Gandhi and the Muslim League’s leader, Jinnah, uti- integral to the dissemination of her lizes variants of Cixous’s own voice to realize the differences writing seems not only obvious, but between the two men as leaders and as men, as well as the dif- indispensable to her purpose and ferences they argue over in regard to a separated or united approach as a writer deeply concerned India. Little physical action takes place during most of the dia- with humanitarian topics. The concept logue between Gandhi and Jinnah, yet proactive traits of each of the book being not a finite carrier of man are introduced through their metaphors and the reasoning the written word as much as it is a tran- they imply through—we are led to assume—their so carefully sient locus of the word is reiterated chosen words. In this play, as with Norodom Shianouk, roi du throughout much of Cixous’s fiction. Cambodge, Cixous makes little effort to provide a realistic This was made definitive in her portrait of the historical characters as one would find in a doc- opening Wellek Library Lecture, umentary or biographical work of fiction. Instead, she realis- where she asked “how can we finish a tically portrays the political and emotional status of their cul- book?”. The short answer appears to tures at the time periods represented. Despite Cixous’s be that we cannot. The book remains a acumen as a scholar, conveying the type of language in terms passage we transverse, but not one we of specific words and syntax used by even as notable a figure totally walk out of at a certain point. as Gandhi is not central to the discourse of the play. Gandhi is Translation is a necessary segment of instead presented here as a simulacrum of himself, a creation that passage for both the reader and the half of the actual man and half of the popular connotative book. Translation is a matter of access, model of Gandhi as a martyr as well as a leader. The trans- as is language itself on a broader level. lator, then, is left with the task of discerning where the dia- In a sense, translating Cixous’s logue is meant to inform the reader/viewer of the plot and writing is a matter of translating

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 51 With(in) Translation: An Epistemology of the écriture of Hélène Cixous Continued

Hélène Cixous herself—moving her References locus of thought from one sphere of Cixous, H. (1969) Dedans. Paris: Grasset. language into another, to see what she can say in that venue. Beyond the Cixous, H. (1972) Neutre. Paris: Grasset. application of the premises explored in this article to Cixous’s work, there Cixous, H., and C. Clément. (1975) La Jeune Née. Paris: should be a ready application of these U.G.E. constructs to other writers that defy conventions in their use of language, Cixous, H., and C. Clément. (1986) The Newly Born Woman. their daring, and their ingenuity. One Wing, B., trns. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. would hope that Cixous’s scholarship on writers such as Jean Genet and Cixous, H. (1983) Le livre de Promethea. Paris: Gallimard. Clarice Lispector can be brought to bear on the work of other writers Cixous, H. (1991) The Book of Promethea. Wing, B., trns. whose prose prove enchantingly diffi- Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. cult, such as Marcel Proust and Arthur Rimbaud. Furthermore, the Cixous, H. (1985) L’Histoire terrible mais inachevée de stance Cixous has taken in writing, Norodom Shianouk, roi du Cambodge. Paris: Théâtre du and that her translators have reaf- Soleil. (revised ed. published 1987) firmed in their renditions of her work, is that writing is both a necessity and Cixous, H. (1986) Den Frygtelige men Ufuldendte Historie om an obligation for those who practice Norodom Sihanouk Konge af Cambodia. Christensen, I., it. We need a spaciousness furnished trns. Copenhagen: Wilhem Hansen. (trns. Danish) through écriture—and an intimacy forged through the same—to better Cixous, H. (1987) L’Indiade, ou l’Inde de leurs rêves. Paris: realize both ourselves and others in Théâtre du Soleil the world. Cixous, H. (1988) Manna aux Mandelstams aux Mandelas. Note: Paris: Les Éditions des femmes. The exact works mentioned in this article are listed below. If a translation Cixous, H. (1994) Manna for the Mandelstams, for the Man- as well as the French original is men- delas. MacGillivray, C.A.F., trns. Minneapolis: University tioned, the translation is provided its of Minnesota Press. own entry. Some of Cixous’s works have not been translated into English Cixous, H. (1990) Jours de l’an. Paris: Les Éditions des femmes. (or other languages) and hence do not have corresponding translations listed Cixous, H. (1998) First Days of the Year. MacGillivray, C.A.F., here. For quotations in the text, the trns. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. page numbers cited refers to the French original, not the translation. For Cixous, H. (1997) “Mon Algériance.” Les Inrockuptibles; 115. the reader interested in learning more about Cixous’s life and theories in a Cixous, H. (1998) “My Algeriance, in other words: to depart single volume, Susan Seller’s The not to arrive from Algeria,” in: Cixous, H. Stigmata: Hélène Cixous Reader and Cixous’s Escaping Texts. Prenowitz, E., trns. London: Routledge. Photos de Racine (translated as Hélène Cixous, Rootprints: Memory and Life Cixous, H., S. Sellers, and S. Cornell. (1993) Three Steps on Writing) both offer a good starting the Ladder of Writing. (The Wellek Library Lectures, Uni- point to understanding the vast versity of California at Irvine; given, May 1990) New York: Cixousian world. Columbia University Press.

52 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Cixous, H., and S. Seller, ed. (1994) The Hélène Cixous Aeschylus. (1992) Les Euménides. Reader. London: Routledge. Cixous, H., trns. Paris: Théâtre du Soleil. Cixous, H., and M. Calle-Gruber. (1994) Photos de Racine. Les Éditions des femmes. Joyce, J. (1922) Ulysses. Paris: Shakespeare and Company. Cixous, H., and M. Calle-Gruber. (1997) Hélène Cixous, Root- prints: Memory and Life Writing. Prenowitz, E., trns. London: Routledge.

Is Sports Translation Technical? An Italian Translator’s Perspective Continued from p. 27 able on ATA’s Italian Language Division site at: http://groups. reasons: 1) it’s a growing field, and 2) it yahoo.com/group/ILD_ATA/ files/glossari/sport.txt. flexes your mental muscles. Translators Last but not least, there’s langit (“the most beautiful mailing risk losing their flexibility by always list in the world,” as it’s been called) at www.vernondata.it/ using the same terminology and langit/index.html. This is a mailing list for Italian translators, phraseology and always researching where you can post your most obscure questions and feel confi- the same subjects. Your brain needs dent that at least one of the many, many members will give an exercising, and sports translation is one expert answer. I found this tool particularly useful, because way to keep up the cross-training. nobody understands a translator’s needs like another translator. So, sports translation requires the And no one can possibly know everything, especially now that same gear as other technical subjects, every day a new more-or-less extreme sport crops up. For but, like other technical subjects, it’s not example, some of the sports that debuted at the Sydney for everybody. If you hear “Wolverines Olympics were trampoline and synchronized diving. In 2006, Destroy Gophers” and think Discovery the Turin winter games will feature the return of chess, and I’m Channel rather than ESPN, maybe it’s sure BASE jumping will also be considered a sport sooner or not for you. Because, in the major later. So, we need all the help we can get. leagues of translation, you have to bat Is sports translation worthwhile? For those who have the one thousand all season long. tools of the trade at their disposals, the answer is yes, for two

Table 1

Title ISBN Dizionario visuale Zanichelli italiano-inglese 88-08-14032-6 The Oxford-Duden Pictorial Italian and English Dictionary 0-19-864516-3 or 0-19-864517-1 Dizionario dello sport inglese-italiano/italiano-inglese 88-08-09987-3 Rules of the Game 0-312-11940-2 Le regole di tutti gli sport 88-7082-021-1 The Rule Book 0-312-69576-4 or 0-312-00677-2 (pbk.) Enciclopedia illustrata di tutti gli sport 88-384-1774-1 Corso di snowboard 88-412-2014-7 Il tiro con l’arco 88-412-1330-2 Football americano 88-27204075

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 53 ACCREDITATION FORUM A Call for Graders by Terry Hanlen, Deputy Executive Director and Accreditation Program Manager

he 2000-01 exam year was a very and the translation community in a new depending on the number of candidates challenging one. 1,095 exams way, read on. and the number of graders in the work- T were taken and almost 60% of All of our graders, except in new lan- group. Some graders may see only one them were either into or out of Spanish. guage combinations, are ATA members exam in a year, others a hundred or more. Unfortunately, the English into Spanish accredited in their grading language com- When needed, potential new graders workgroup was also hit hard by illness bination. Grader candidates should have are contacted by the accreditation pro- and personal crises that kept several of passed the accreditation exam with supe- gram manager. Interested candidates are our most prolific graders from partici- rior performance, and must demonstrate asked to grade an exam from our archives pating for months at a time. This caused the ability to evaluate exams according to according to grader guidelines and grading to fall behind in spite of the accreditation program standards and instructions. All grader candidates also heroic efforts of their colleagues, and grading guidelines. Individual work- sign a confidentiality agreement and reminded us of how vital each grader is to groups make efforts to enlist graders with submit a current résumé. After reviewing the process. It also reminded us of the background and experience in each of our the graded exam, the language chair importance of increasing and replen- passage categories and, where needed, decides whether to invite the candidate to ishing our grading pool. with expertise in the various regional spe- join the grading pool. On the recommen- Our program now has over 100 graders cialties in a given language. Every effort dation of the language chair, graders are working in 24 language combinations. is made to be inclusive. appointed by the Accreditation Com- Some languages have only a few exams Graders are expected to participate in mittee chair. During their tenure as per year and may only have two or three grader training sessions at the annual graders, they must perform all of the available graders. Other combinations, ATA conference and to have ready access appropriate grading duties under guid- including the two Spanish workgroups, to e-mail for communication with the ance from, and review by, the language have seven members each, but that is not program manager, the language chair, chair. They may resign or be retired at nearly enough for their volume. and other graders. Graders are also any time. For this reason, we are again reaching expected to participate in the annual We are looking for a few good transla- out for more accredited members who selection of exam passages, prepare tors to join our grading workgroups, and I wish to take on an additional responsi- sample translations of these, and collabo- would invite you to submit your résumé bility in ATA. All graders need to be rate with other graders in the workgroup and a letter of intent to me if you wish to excellent translators, but not all excel- to identify acceptable renditions, evaluate become a grader for ATA. This invitation is lent translators make good graders. anticipated errors, and establish consis- open to anyone who is currently accredited Graders need to understand and agree tent grading practices by ATA. The job requires a commitment of with the basic philosophy of the pro- Each exam is graded independently by time and dedication to your chosen profes- gram and work well with their col- two graders (and, in some cases, by a sion. We pay a stipend, but it does not leagues, but they also need to possess a third). A new process begins with the cur- begin to match your salary as a translator. unique flexibility. They must be able to rent exam year: graders are expected to For more information or to apply, please apply the basic and language-specific communicate, negotiate, and defend their contact me at [email protected] or fax or grading guidelines and be able to adapt initial grading when the first two graders mail your résumé and a letter of intent to: them to unanticipated translation chal- disagree about whether or not a candidate ATA, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, lenges. Grading consistency is a plus, passes two passages. The number of Alexandria, VA, 22314 or 703-683-6122. but rigidity is a negative. If you possess exams and practice tests a grader may these qualities and want to serve ATA evaluate varies by language combination,

Call for Papers Canadian Association for Translation Studies 15th Annual Conference

May 25-27, 2002 (Exact dates to be confirmed) • Toronto, Canada

Conference Theme: Translation and (Im)migration Information: Dr. Anne Malena, Modern Language and Cultural Studies, 200 Arts Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E6 Canada. Tel: (780) 492-1187; Fax: (780) 492-9106; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.uottawa.ca/associations/ act-cats/index.htm.

54 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 DICTIONARY REVIEWS Compiled by Albert Bork

It is a very thorough compilation of a food industry in this work. I only stum- large variety of fruits, vegetables, beef bled upon “nightclub,” but, after all, it is Bork is past chair cuts, fish, pork, poultry, side dishes, related to food and drink. of the ATA international cuisine, pastas, cooking The appendices include very useful Dictionary aids, spices, beverages (wines, hard information such as conversion tables, Review liquor, beer, cocktails), food industry weight and measures, oven temperatures, Committee. acronyms, and cooking techniques, contents of cans in the U.S., and cooking among other exciting subjects. temperatures. Eta Trabing worked as an interpreter It also contains a Spanish into English Dictionary of Foods and Cookery for the beef industry for several years, section, which is not a comparable dic- Author: and the entries on beef, veal, lamb, and tionary, as Ms. Trabing explains, but a M. Eta Trabing pork cuts are the result of her tireless quick reference to the main entry in the Publisher: efforts to gather terms from native English portion. M. Eta Trabing speakers and industry specialists during Even if I do not translate menus and Publication date: her trips. A large part of her investigation recipe books full-time, food-related terms 2001 was conducted when Internet resources seem to crop up quite often in my daily ISBNs: were not readily available, so she spent work. Translators are very curious people 08-843-15606 (Book) countless hours double-checking and by nature, and this dictionary fuels my 0-88431-561-4 (CD-ROM) researching entries. desire to know interesting terms such as Price: I was very fortunate to have Ms. Tra- konjak, chirashi sushi, bladderwrack, pai $60 (Book) bing’s first draft of the Dictionary of chiu, garbure, greenling, and pipérade. $40 (CD-ROM) Foods and Cookery, so when I got the If you ever wanted to know everything Available from: new printed edition in the mail, I quickly about squash and potatoes, or if you ever ibd Ltd. or from Eta Trabing looked up the terms that had been missing woke up in the middle of the night won- Reviewed by: in the first draft and was very glad to see dering about the different types of grapes Lilian Novas Van Vranken they had been incorporated (e.g., “baked or wines from around the world, you will beans” and “black-eyed peas”). be satisfied with this dictionary. In most Specialty or field: After the translation for each entry, cases, the listing of food and drink vari- Foods (fruits, vegetables, herbs, fish, there is a listing of the different varieties. eties takes up a whole page! The Dictio- seafood, meats, etc.), international For example, “green bean/string bean/snap nary of Foods and Cookery is an exhaus- cooking, and nutrition terminology bean: n. judía verde, habichuela verde, tive and trustworthy volume that is worth Language(s): alubia tierna, frijol verde, (Mex.) ejote, the not-so-pricey investment. English into Spanish dictionary with (Arg.) chaucha; es la vaina comestible But the perfect conclusion to my enthu- Spanish to English reference section with verde; algunas variedades son: Kentucky siastic search through this dictionary came Latin binomials Wonder, Blue Lake, Derby, Empress, when I found a term that once made my No. of pages and/or entries: Romano, Italian Roma \\ véase también life miserable while translating a restau- 290 pages, plus 77 pages (Spanish to winged bean y wax bean.” rant procedure manual: rarebit. When I English reference section); 367 pages Even though not all the entries have found it in the Dictionary of Foods and Type and quality of binding: country-specific references, most have their Cookery, my joy was indescribable! Soft cover, spiral binding Latin binomials in parentheses. This is To cite Ms. Trabing’s own words in Quality of paper and print: especially useful because many species do the foreword: “The dictionary writer is Regular white paper with legible print not have an equivalent in Spanish, and it is not the ultimate authority nor a Typeface and legibility: another source to cite when there is no prophet, but only a recorder of words Garamond; entries are in bold and suben- “official” translation. For example, and of present usage, thus a dictionary tries are indented in bold. “gafftopsail catfish/sea catfish: bagre should be used only as a guide and not as Overall evaluation: marino (bagre marinus or Felichthys felis).” an authoritative statement of inflexible Excellent In some cases, entries are cross-refer- fact. […] More than anything, the author enced. For example, “lima bean,” is also hopes this work is useful to all who read The Dictionary of Foods and Cookery listed under “beans.” I like this feature and use it and to those who just browse is not only for the translator specializing since dictionaries never seem to agree on through it—enjoy!” in the food industry, but also for the trans- how to list terms. I’m certainly having a good time with lator who loves to have all kinds of refer- I did not see any filler words since it, and I enjoy it daily. Well done! ence materials at hand—don’t we all? there are so many entries specific to the

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 55 THE TRANSLATION INQUIRER Compiled by John Decker

force to something that then responds in baroque guitarist Gaspar Sanz. The ProZ Decker, an active an out-of-control, unpredictable manner, correspondent who posed this query thinks member, thus rendering the whole action useless. that “mu.” could easily be “musicus” or is a freelance There must be a good colloquial Spanish “monument.” The art work done by Blavet technical equivalent, as in the sentence This view is a full page drawing, not an illumination. translator holds that lower interest rates will not (R-E 11-03/7) A ProZ correspondent in Danville, stimulate increased consumer demand, was at a loss with ik/p in the following Pennsylvania. and that the Federal Reserve is essen- engineering text: D hfphf,jnrt exfcnd- tially “pushing on a string.” jdfkb 2 cnjhjys% VVD<> rjnjhfz (G-E 11-01/3) Meg Pedrick finds it ltkfkf ghjuhfvvyj-nt[ybxtcrbq ≤ik/p≥ Address your queries and responses to easy to translate “Schwarz-Wei§- d cdj/ njhujde/ cbcntve> f nt[yfhb The Translation Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Anlage,” as found in a listing of ≤Fkjhf≥> rjnjhst r 'njve ik/pe Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania 17821, or “notwendige Baustelleneinrichtungen ... ltkfkb ≤c yekz≥ cj,cndtyyj cbcntve fax them to (570) 275-1477. E-mail für die Durchführung von Sanierungs- bynthytn-nhtqlbyuf. address: [email protected]. Please ma§nahmen,” but has no idea of what it (Sp-E 11-01/8) A schedule of instruc- make your submissions by the 25th of is. Among the other facilities are tions to bidders in a call for tenders was each month to be included in the next “Umzäunung, Containerabstellflächen, found by a transatlantic correspondent to issue. Generous assistance from proof- Bereitstellungslager für sonstigen alt- have this sentence, with the troublesome reader Per Dohler acknowledged. lastverdächtigen Bodenaushub, Reifen- part of it in bold print: “Un Oferente wäsche ...” One other sentence quoted as puede ser una persona natural, una entidad f you go to the Winter Olympics context by Meg provides another hint privada (firma), una entidad guberna- coming very soon to Salt Lake City, or about “Schwarz-Wei§-Anlage,” perhaps: mental, sujeta a lo dispuesto en la Sub- I have anything to do with them, then “Die Bereitstellung sonstiger Materialen Claúsula 4.6 de las IAO, o cualquier com- you ought to know the linguistic oddity erfolgt auf der Containerabstellfläche und binación de ellas que tengan la intención that is connected with Mormonism: the im übrigen eingezäunten Bereich der formal de establecer un acuerdo o sujeto a Deseret Alphabet. If the Translation benötigten Flächen zur Sanierungsma§- cualquier acuerdo existente, en forma de Inquirer were to show you a page of text nahme (Schwarzbereich).” asociación en participación, consorcio o written in this 38-letter phonetic alphabet, (G-I 11-03/4) Described appropriately asociación.” What are we to make of the invented for English by a group of men by the ProZ correspondent as a “frase con- “asociación en participación?” under the promotional leadership of torta,” this sentence is from the law and Brigham Young, you might imagine it to patents field. Good English, as an interme- Replies to Old Queries be one of the languages from the ex-Soviet diate step to what the Italian ultimately (E-F 9-01/5) (collaborate): Mary Trans-Caucasus. However, it is standard wanted, would also be useful: “Aufrech- Briaud says that in some contexts, “colla- 19th-century English, with frequent diph- nungs- und Zurückbehaltungsrechte borer” fits the bill as no other word does, thong-emphasizing spellings. Never a ter- stehen XXX nur insoweit zu, als seine and seems to be used in those situations ribly popular reform, the alphabet died out Gegenansprüche rechtskräftig festgestellt, without any overtones of World War II. after Brigham Young passed away in unbestritten oder von YYY anerkannt Most of France’s active population is 1877. It seems there is never any end of sind.” Good luck! much younger than age 56, so the word surprises when you study our nation’s lan- (G-E 11-01/5) In a query relating to has been renewed and revived. This said, it guage heritage... Austrian and German workers’ housing is not the most modern or conversational [Abbreviations used with this column: companies, “sozialverträglich” might of words. She proposes a phrase she has E-English; F-French; G-German; I- mean compatible with social welfare,or often heard that is more upbeat: “travailler Italian; L-Latin; R-Russian; Sp-Spanish; maybe alternatively modelled on a social en synergie” (working together as one). Sw-Swedish.] contract. Which is right, or is a third ren- (E-G 7-01/2) (floater): In its meaning dering possible? of substitute employee, floater is indeed New Queries (L-E 11-01/6) In Latin we also find best translated in the field of nursing by (E-F 11-01/1) A ProZ correspondent problems regarding abbreviations. In this “Springer,” says Julia DeWid, but it is wanted French for the concepts paging case the troublesome letters are “mu.” as in not confined just to that profession. It can out, which relates to swapping or paging “Ioannes Blauet mu. exculp. et exc. 1675.” be used in the retail industry or any other out memory, and its opposite, paging in. A bit of background: the individual industry that has departments that require (E-Sp 11-01/2) Pushing on a string,as referred to is Juan Blavet, who did the art general knowledge on a subject that can queried by a transatlantic correspondent, work and engraving for tablature editions be transferred from one department to obviously has the meaning of applying of pieces written for guitar by the Spanish the next.

56 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 (E-G 9-01/3) (celebrity chef): Indeed, (G-E 6-01/4) (“präsidial-magistral”): donación” could be mutual rescission of states Julia DeWid, nothing other than As found in Duden by Julia DeWid, along a donation. “Starkoch” is an appropriate equivalent with a context check on the Internet, these This column will reach you when the for this. appear not to relate to Switzerland. There- holiday season is just beginning. I thank (E-Sp 8-01/5) (Let’s move on): Mer- fore, she suggests that “präsidial” pertains all who contributed, and wish them all a cedes Kirchberg suggests “Pasemos a to the president or chairmanship; “magis- jolly season. Please continue to help to otra cosa” for this, or, to be very tral” is a word from the medical field, make this column a helpful one in 2002! informal: “A otra cosa, mariposa!” indicating a medicine that is prepared (E-Sp 8-01/7) (SUV): Graciela according to a prescription. Sokulski gets to the head of the matter by (G-E 9-01/7) (“Leistungsschutzber- wondering what Americans mean by echtigte”): This, says Julia DeWid, is a sport utility vehicle. If that could be word pertaining to the protection one has TWO LINES solved, then perhaps “vehículo utilitario for his creation in regards to artistic and *2001 Issue: Crossings* deportivo,” which she finds very literal, economic investment. It goes hand in could be replaced by something clearer. hand with “Urheberrecht” (copyright), “Camioneta” in numerous Latin American which indicates and protects the intellec- “Cells,” the 2001 issue of TWO LINES, a countries covers a wide variety of vehicles tual property of a creator. She suggests journal of translation, is now available. To other than standard passenger cars, such as person fully entitled to performance pro- order our latest issue of world literature or station wagons, pickups, and minivans, so tection or entitlement to protection of any of our previous issues, send a check or money order for the total cost of the the advertisement by Ford Motor Com- performance right. issues you wish to receive plus postage pany is not misleading, she believes. (G-I 8-01/9) (“EO”): Taking the query (see www.twolines.com for prices). (E-Sp 9-01/5) (college, university): perhaps partway to its destination, Sigrid Susana Greiss notes that in her native Junkermann found that an Altavista Uruguay, “preparatorio” is more or less search revealed it might possibly be “Ent- equivalent to junior college. Moving up the geltsordnung.” ladder, she suggests “Universidad de nivel (G-Sw 8-01/11) (“....Scheinselbst- preparatorio” (for a two-year college) and ständigkeit mit einhergehendem Unter- “establecimiento de estudios superiores laufen der Beschränkungen der Arbeit- de 4 años” (for a four-year college). szeit....”): According to Sigrid Junker- South America has the “Universidad,” mann, many companies in Germany hire and then the “Facultad,” where one does people who are genuine employees as specialized studies, including law and “Scheinselbstständige,” pseudo-indepen- medicine. Susana is quite perceptive in dent contractors, in order to save on costs pointing out how, at this presumable apex related to regular employment and to cir- of the educational ladder in America, cumvent (“unterlaufen”) restrictions on English speakers then revert back to work hours. Apparently millions of school: law school, medical school, and people work in this way. so forth. Per Dohler believes that cause and (F-E 9-01/6) (“entreprise citoyenne”): effect have been reversed in the sentence Steven Sachs says the correct translation in Swedish suggested last time by Dan of this is corporate citizen. He has usu- Lufkin. Per proposes “att lösa problemet ally heard it rendered as “une bonne med skensjälvständigheten och dess entreprise citoyenne,” a good corporate biverkan, nämligen att arbetstidslagens citizen. bestämmelserna kringgås” best preserves (G-E 6-01/3) (“Tischkultur”): Julia the original German. For the entire DeWid disagrees with Sybille about this phrase in question, see the ATA Chronicle having to do with tablesetting as art or for August, page 62. The Cultured Table. Not an art term at all, (Sp-E 8-01/12) (“distracto de la it instead relates to the culture in a donación”): According to Sharlee country as regards to food culture and Merner Bradley, West’s Spanish-English food preparation. Synonymous with Dictionary of Law and Business defines “Esskultur,” it is best rendered into Eng- the first word as mutual rescission of a lish as gastronomic culture. contract. Therefore, “el distracto de la

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 57 HUMOR AND TRANSLATION By Mark Herman

Durch die Wälder, durch die Auen zog ich leichten Sinns dahin! Alles, was ich konnt’ erschauen, Herman is a war des sichern Rohrs Gewinn. librettist and translator. A literal translation is:

Through the forests, through the meadows I trod light-heartedly! Unintentionally Funny Everything I could see ow does a translator deal with a text whose sensibility was a prize for my reliable gun. is so different from the contemporary one that a H straightforward translation can sound like an inten- That “everything,” unfortunately, allows a translation very rem- tional parody? The answer is the same as the one to the riddle, iniscent of Tom Lehrer’s “You just stand there looking cute, and “How do porcupines make love?” when something moves, you shoot!” One way to avoid such a The problem arises again and again in the genre in which translation is to translate using archaic (or pseudo-archaic) dic- Ronnie Apter and I specialize: opera librettos, particularly those tion, letting the audience know that the sensibility is not con- written in the early and mid-19th century when Romanticism temporary. Here is the Edwardian translation by Natalia Mac- held sway. Surprisingly, although many earlier librettos also Farren and Theodore Baker: present this problem, a few earlier ones, including some set by Mozart, do not. Through the forests, through the meadows, The problem is especially acute for the libretto of the first joy was wont with me to stray: Romantic opera to achieve a lasting place in the repertory, Carl every bird that roamed in azure Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (first performed 1821) with was my rifle’s easy prey. a libretto by Johann Friedrich Kind. This opera includes the following elements which are risible and/or peculiar to the modern Unfortunately, such a translation, especially when sung, is sensibility: a matter-of-fact acceptance of guns and hunting likely to be almost incomprehensible to a contemporary audi- exceeding that of most contemporary pro-gun groups; the ence. Here is our version: shooting of an eagle, which, when it falls at the characters’ feet, never looks like anything but a rubber chicken to a contempo- I was carefree as I hunted rary audience; female characters so passive that, except for the through the forest in search of game. variety provided by the sound of their voices, they might as well Not a creature I sighted be eliminated from the story; characters who take themselves could escape my rifle’s aim. absolutely seriously, with no ironic detachment whatsoever; and spooky special effects which almost invariably look hokey to an Our version, while not intentionally Lehreresque, could in fact audience used to Hollywood spectacles. be heard that way, and therefore must rely to a large extent on For example, in the climactic scene of Act II, when the two the performers and stage director to convey that Max’s words principal male characters are casting magic bullets, “There is are not a parody. the sound of barking and neighing in the air. Misty forms of hunters, both on foot and on horseback, with stags and hounds, Submit items for future columns via e-mail to hermanapter@ fly through the air. An invisible male chorus sings.” And among earthlink.net or via snail mail to Mark Herman, 5748 W the words it sings are “jo ho, wau wau,” which we left as “yo Brooks Rd, Shepherd MI 48883-9202. Discussions of the ho, wow wow,” hoping that in context it would not get a horse- translation of humor and examples thereof are preferred, but laugh (it didn’t). humorous anecdotes about translators, translations, and mis- More difficult are the words of the hero Max. In his first big translations are also welcome. Include copyright information aria (the music of which is unfortunately reminiscent of “Tiptoe and permission if relevant. Through the Tulips”), he sings:

Log on to ATA’s Website at www.atanet.org/membersonly for special features for members!

58 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 HIGHLY EXPERIENCED* ENGLISH-SPANISH

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ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 59 CHAPTERS,AFFILIATED GROUPS,OTHER GROUPS, AND INTERNATIONAL GROUPS

ATA Chapters ¥ NCTA Directory of Translators and Interpreters available on CD-ROM or diskette for $15. Accept MasterCard/Visa. Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT) Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS) P.O. Box 12172 P.O. Box 25301 Atlanta, GA 30355 Seattle, WA 98125-2201 Tel: (770) 587-4884 Tel: (206) 382-5642 [email protected] ¥ www.aait.org E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.notisnet.org Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters (CATI) Southern California Area Translators and Interpreters Association 318 Bandock Drive (SCATIA) Durham, NC 27703 P.O. Box 34310 Tel: (919) 577-0840 ¥ Fax: (919) 557-1202 Los Angeles, CA 90034 [email protected] ¥ www.catiweb.org Tel: (818) 725-3899 ¥ Fax: (818) 340-9177 ¥ Local group meetings held in Asheville, Charlotte, and Research Triangle Park, E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.scatia.org NC; and Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg, SC. ¥ Membership directory, $12; CATI Quarterly subscription, $12. Affiliated Groups Florida Chapter of ATA (FLATA) P.O. Box 14-1057 Michigan Translators/Interpreters Network (MiTiN) Coral Gables, FL 33114-1057 P.O. Box 852 Tel/Voice: (305) 274-3434 ¥ Fax: (305) 387-6712 Novi, MI 48376 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.atafl.com Tel: (248)344-0909 ¥ Fax: (248)344-0092 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.mitinweb.org Mid-America Chapter of ATA (MICATA) 6600 NW Sweetbriar Lane Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association (UMTIA) Kansas City, MO 64151 Coordinator, Minnesota Translation Laboratory Attn.: Meeri Yule 218 Nolte Center Tel: (816) 741-9441 ¥ Fax: (816) 741-9482 315 Pillsbury Drive SE E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.ata-micata.org Minneapolis, MN 55455 Tel: (612)625-3096 ¥ Fax: (612)624-4579 National Capital Area Chapter of ATA (NCATA) E-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 65200 Washington, DC 20035-5200 Utah Translators and Interpreters Association (UTIA) Tel: (703) 255-9290 ¥ Fax (703)393-0387 3617 S. 1400 W. E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.ncata.org Salt Lake City, UT 84119 Tel: (801)973-0912 ¥ Fax: (208)441-5390 ¥ The Professional Services Directory of the National Capital Area Chapter of E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.utia.org the American Translators Association (NCATA) has gone online. It lists NCATA members and the services they offer, together with additional information that enables translation and interpretation users to find just the right Other Groups This list gives contact information for translation and interpretation language specialist for their projects. Bookmark www.ncata.org and check out groups as a service to ATA members. Inclusion does not imply affiliation the NCATA directory. If you maintain language-related Web pages, you may with or endorsement by the ATA. want to include a link to the directory. NCATA is always interested in comments and suggestions. American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) Box 830688 New York Circle of Translators (NYCT) Richardson, TX 75083-0688 P.O. Box 4051, Grand Central Station Tel: (214) 883-2093 ¥ Fax: (214) 833-6303 New York, NY 10163-4051 Tel: (212) 334-3060 Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Association (AATIA) www.nyctranslators.org P.O. Box 1474 San Marcos, TX 78667 Northeast Ohio Translators Association (NOTA) Tel: (512) 396-8887 ¥ Fax: (512) 396-4835 1963 E. Sprague Road www.aatia.org Seven Hills, OH 44131 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: (440) 526-2365 ¥ Fax: (440) 717-3333 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.ohiotranslators.org The California Court Interpreters Association (CCIA) 345 S. HWY 101, Suite D Northern California Translators Association (NCTA) Encinitas, CA 92024 P.O. Box 14015 Tel: (760) 635-0273 ¥ Fax: (760) 635-0276 Berkeley, CA 94712-5015 www.ccia.org Tel: (510) 845-8712 ¥ Fax: (510) 883-1355 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.ncta.org ¥ Telephone/online referral service. See searchable translator database on Website.

60 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 Chicago Area Translators and Interpreters Association (CHICATA) The Translators and Interpreters Guild (TTIG) P.O. Box 804595 2007 N. 15th Street, Suite 4 Chicago, IL 60680-4107 Arlington, VA 22201-2621 Tel: (312) 836-0961 Tel: (703) 522-0881, (800) 992-0367 ¥ Fax: (703) 522-0882 www.chicata.org/ E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.ttig.org E-mail: [email protected] Washington State Court Interpreters and Translators Society (WITS) Colorado Translators Association (CTA) P.O. Box 1012 P.O. Box 295 Seattle, WA 98111-1012 Eldorado Springs, CO 80025 Tel: (206) 382-5690 Tel: (303) 554-0280 ¥ Fax: (303) 543-9037 www.witsnet.org E-mail: [email protected] ¥ For more information about the online directory, newsletter, accreditation International Groups exams, and professional seminars, please visit www.cta-web.org. FIT Delaware Valley Translators Association (DVTA) Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs/International Federation 606 John Anthony Drive of Translators (FIT) West Chester, PA 19382-7191 2021 Union Avenue, Suite 1108, [email protected] Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2S9 www.fortunecity.de/lindenpark/kuenstler\59\dvta.htm Tel: (514) 845-0413 ¥ Fax: (514) 845-9903 El Paso Interpreters and Translators Association (EPITA) E-mail: [email protected] 1003 Alethea Place El Paso, TX 79902 AUSTRALIA Tel: (915) 532-8566 ¥ Fax: (915) 544-8354 Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc. (AUSIT) E-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box A202 Sydney South, NSW 1235 Australia Houston Interpreters and Translators Association (HITA) Tel: +61-2-9745-1382 ¥ Fax: +61-2-9745-5528 P.O. Box 61285 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.ausit.org Houston, TX 77208-1285 Tel: (713) 935-2123 CANADA www.hitahouston.com Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA) P.O. Box 2635 Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) Station M 4646 40th Street, N.W., Suite 310 Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3C1 Washington, DC 20016 Tel: (403) 243-3477(Alberta office) or (403) 434-8384 (Edmonton office) Tel: (202) 966-8477 ¥ Fax: (202) 966-8310 www.atia.ab.ca E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.languagepolicy.org Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) Metroplex Interpreters and Translators Association (MITA) 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1202 4319 Durango Lane Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 7B7 McKinney, TX 75070 Tel: (613) 241-2846, Toll-free: 1-800-234-5030 ¥ Fax: (613) 241-4098 Tel: (972) 540-6891 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.atio.on.ca www.users.ticnet.com/mita/ Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (OTTIAQ) (NAJIT) 2021 Union, Suite 1108 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3025 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2S9 New York, NY 10176 Tel: (514) 845-4411, Toll-free: (800) 265-4815 ¥ Fax: (514) 845-9903 Tel: (212) 692-9581 ¥ Fax: (212) 687-4016 www.otiaq.org E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.najit.org Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Colombia (STIBC) New England Translators Association (NETA) Suite 514, 850 W. Hastings Street, Box 34 217 Washington Street Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 1E1 Brookline, MA 02146 Tel: (604) 684-2940 ¥ Fax: (604) 684-2947 Tel: (617) 734-8418 ¥ Fax: (617) 232-6865 E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.stibc.org E-mail: [email protected] New Mexico Translators and Interpreters Association (NMTIA) ENGLAND P.O. Box 36263 Institute of Translation & Interpreting (ITI) Albuquerque, NM 87176 Exchange House Tel: (505) 352-9258 ¥ Fax: (505) 352-9372 494 Midsummer Boulevard E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.cybermesa.com/~nmtia Milton Keynes Bucks, MK9 2EA England ¥ Membership Directory available for $5. Please make check payable to E-mail: [email protected] ¥ www.iti.org.uk NMTIA and mail your request to the address listed here, or contact us by e-mail. Society for Technical Communication (STC) 901 N. Stuart Street, Suite 904 Note: All announcements must be received by the Arlington, VA 22203-1822 first of the month prior to the month of publication Tel: (703) 522-4114 ¥ Fax: (703) 522-2075 (For example, September 1 for October issue). www.stc-va.org For more information on chapters or to start a chapter, please contact ATA Headquarters. Send updates to Walter Bacak, ATA Chronicle, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314; Tel: (703) 683-6100; Fax: (703) 683-6122; e-mail: [email protected]

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 61 National Security Agency FOCUS Upcoming Accreditation YOUR Exam Information District of Columbia Washington INTELLIGENCE January 12, 2002 April 27, 2002 Washington, DC Seattle Registration Deadline: Registration Deadline: December 29, 2001 April 12, 2002

New York Canada We want you to know. March 23, 2002 May 11, 2002 By its very nature, what we do as a key member of the Intelligence New York City Toronto Community requires a high degree of confidentiality. We gather Registration Deadline: Registration Deadline: intelligence from foreign electronic signals for U.S. Government March 9, 2002 April 27, 2002 decisionmakers at the highest levels; at the same time, we try to prevent our adversaries from gaining access to our own vital U.S. communications. As a part of accomplishing these two objectives—and Oregon to meet our increasingly complex role in today’s changing world—we February 2, 2002 regularly invite select individuals to peer into our world…to capture a Portland glimpse of the dedication, the environments, the challenges, and the Registration Deadline: special people that define the NSA as a unique career destination. January 18, 2002 What you’ll see will raise your eyebrows. Imagine working with over-the-horizon technologies, including those that won’t come into commercial mainstream use for many years. Couple this with the importance of the work we do at the NSA (work that enhances the nation’s security and the safety of every citizen) and you have a career that is both challenging and compelling… Please direct all inquiries regarding general accreditation information and ultimately, so much more rewarding. to ATA Headquarters at (703) 683-6100.

Language Paths Registration for all accreditation exams should be made through ATA Few careers put language skills to a more steady and compelling Headquarters. All sittings have a maximum capacity and admission is use than a position with us. As an NSA linguist, you will be involved in activities that focus on the expert translation, transcription, based on the order in which registrations are received. Forms are reporting, and analysis of materials of national concern. You may available from the ATA Website or from Headquarters. even be involved in projects that have global ramifications. We are particularly interested in those individuals who are proficient in Asian, Middle Eastern, or Slavic languages. A linguistic career with the NSA also develops your ability to evaluate communications and to decide what is important and what is not, taking into account cultural and political factors of current and historical value. You may also be called upon to further your understanding of a culture in which a certain language is spoken, expanding your horizons more than a comparable career in business, commerce, or academia normally would. In short, your language skills will make a world of difference here. Like Attention? You may qualify if you are a U.S. citizen. You must also successfully complete a background investigation and security clearance. (We Like the sound suggest applying at least six months before you would like to begin your NSA career.) Send your resume to: National Security Agency, Suite 6779, of your phone ringing? (CJG), 9800 Savage Road, Ft. George G. Meade, MD 20755-6779. Equal Opportunity Employer. NSA is committed to cultural diversity How about in its workplace. Positions open to U.S. citizens only. ringing off the hook? ...AND YOUR IMAGINATION, YOUR CREATIVITY, Call Brian Wallace today for ATA YOUR AMBITIONS, Marketplace rates and information: YOUR FUTURE. 1-800-394-5157 ext. 38 BROWSE: www.nsa.gov

National Security Agency. The Science of Intelligence. Explore it.

62 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 ✁

MARKETPLACE

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Haitian Creole<>English - Experienced translator/ Michael Borek, translator/conference interpreter, Interpreter seeks freelance work. Accurate technical/business background, US State ASIAN DTP /Dependable. Voice: 718-527-1674; Fax: 718-527- Department contractor. Voice: (202) 338-7483; 1732; E-mail: [email protected]. Fax: (202) 338-7901; E-mail: [email protected]

Help Wanted Let us do your Asian desktop publishing, Mac or PC. Technical Translator sought by company in Harvard Translations, a technical translation compa- ¥ FrameMaker ¥ CorelDraw Denver, CO specializing in business software ny with Fortune 500 clientele, has openings for staff ¥ PageMaker ¥ Illustrator solutions to work in Denver & other unantici- linguists to provide technical translation, editing, ¥ Quark XPress ¥ InDesign pated job sites in the US. Translate technical proofreading, and QA support for computer soft- ¥ Word ¥ FreeHand documentation, particularly software products, ware localization and financial, scientific, medical, ¥ PowerPoint ¥ Acrobat including on-screen computer documentation, and legal documentation projects in major Confidentiality guaranteed user documentation, technical manuals, & European and Asian languages. Requirements 10 years of experience hard-copy documentation, from English into include: a bachelor's degree in linguistics, translation, or a relevant technical subject, two years of Portuguese. Manage translation files using 816-767-1117 professional experience in technical translation and translation manager software products. Create www.sh3.com fluency in relevant languages, including idiomatic [email protected] styles formats & st.ard & coordinate imple- fluency and cultural knowledge. Send cover letter, mentation in translated products. Make sure résumé, and salary req. to Harvard Translations, 815 that translations comply with customary lin- Somerville Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140; Fax: Czech, Slovak <> English guistic & cultural norms. Use computerized (617)868-6815; www.htrans.com. No calls. translation tools. Requires Bachelor’s or foreign Highly experienced, reliable, fast translator / con- equivalent in any field, incl. elec. eng. w/conc. ference interpreter. Any work volume. Quality in comp. sci.; fluency in English & Portuguese; Japanese Technical Translation Specialist for control. (303) 530-9781; Fax: (303) 530-5600, working knowledge of translation of technical software development company: Responsible [email protected]. documentation. Must be able to pass standard for technical translation, editing, proofreading technical translator test administered by com- and linguistic quality assurance support of tech- English <> Italian pany. 8am-5pm, M-F; $47,187/yr. (2 open- nical documentation and in-house training ings.) Respond by resume to James Shimada, materials relating to company’s software prod- Experienced professional, ATA-accredited. Fast, Colorado Department of Labor & ucts from English to Japanese. Collaborate with accurate, dependable, all technical fields. Latest Employment, Employment & Training software engineers to perform software localiza- equipment. (954)781-8971; Fax: (954) 781-9002; Division, Tower II,#400,1515 Arapahoe, tion for the company’s suite of products for the E-mail: [email protected]. Denver, CO 80202, & refer to Job Order Japanese market. Coordinate and manage all Number JL1118102. outsourced Japanese/English translation and English <> Vietnamese localization projects, including quality review. Work directly with company’s Japanese organi- Top quality and high volume translation services. Job Opportunities zation in scheduling/managing technical review DTP and Lino output. PC and Mac. We support most Vietnamese fonts. Call us today at (954)570- cycle for translated documentation. Req’ts: B.S. 9061; Fax: (954)570-9108. in linguistics, English or relevant translation subject; 2 years experience in technical translation for computer software related documenta- Freelance DTP Source tion; fluency in Japanese language including Freelance DTP for Romans, non-Romans & computer software related technical terminolo- C/J/K. 1200 dpi, EPS, PDF output; via e-mail, gy. 40 hours/week; sal. $77,220/year. Send two FTP, zip, CD. Call Ana Migens @ 916-353- resumes to Case #20014747, Labor exchange 1003, e-mail [email protected] Office, 19 Staniford St 1st flr., Boston, MA. 02114. German > English Successful, growing German translation company with offices in Munich & California seeks Korean<>English highly qualified & experienced German-into- English translators for all business, financial, & Experienced translator. Technical, software and com- legal fields. Please note specific areas of expertise puter, business, and medical documents. Ph.D. in and respond to [email protected] or by fax to engineering. Voice: (909) 860-9155; Fax: (909)860- +1-707-829-0306 5643; E-mail: [email protected].

ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 65 Professional Services Recruitment

Griffith Laboratories Worldwide, Inc. is look- NEPALI TRANSLATOR/INTERPRETER, Multilingual Desktop Publishing ing for a Technical Writer/Translator. Denver, CO. Ability to speak and read in Coordinates linguistically barrier-free flow of Nepali and English and write with native fluen- Legeay Graphics is a leading provider of technical, business and legal information cy in Nepali. Provide oral interpretation for International Publishing Services between the company’s English and French- client at office, courts and governments agen- for the Translation Industry. speaking offices and customers. Translates the cies. Translation, editing, and proofing of client company’s cereal, flavor/spice, protein technol- legal documents from Nepali into English. Services include: Scripts supported: ogy, and permentation technology and opera- Required to read materials in Nepali and • Desktop Publishing • All Latin scripts tion manuals and technical research reports in rewrite materials in English following estab- • Graphic Design • Cyrillic French for our offices in France and Belgium; • Web Site Design • Chinese, Japanese, lished rules of grammar, word meaning, sen- • Pre-press high-res. Korean assists in preparing brochures, promotional tence structure, punctuation as well as writing output • Thai, Vietnamese materials, charts, video and audio clips and style. One and a half year experience; salary advertisements in French targeted to specific $16,875/year. 40hrs/wk. Candidate will be test- Call Legeay Graphics today for a free quote! age and social groups; together with the Legal ed for Nepali/English ability. Application by

5207 East Davies Drive Dept. prepares sales and distribution, resume to Colorado Department of labor and Littleton, CO 80122 USA patent/technology transfer, corporate and other Employment, Attn. Jim Shimada, Tower 2, Phone: 1-(303) 221-8130 legal instrument in French and Belgian sub- Suite 400, 1515 Arapahoe St., Denver, CO Fax: 1-(303) 221-8131 e-mail: [email protected] sidiaries in translation and understanding spe- 80202-2117, referring to J.O. # CO 5007939 www.legeaygraphics.com cific English/American technical business, and legal terminology. At least a Bachelor’s degree in business/marketing, linguistics or law and one year of experience in the French/Belgian mar- McDonald’s Corporation, seeking translation ket, and native knowledge of French language is project managers. Responsibilities: maintain a must. Please reply to Human Resources, terminology databases, manage projects in Griffith Laboratories Worldwide, Inc., One multiple languages with use of translation Griffith Center, Alsip, IL 60803. no phone memory software, develop project management calls, please. processes, act as a liaison between company headquarters and company international offices by acting as a cross-cultural consultant. Interpreters Wanted Requirements: native fluency in English and 1 other language (German or Mandarin Iinterpret seeks freelance interpreters in preferred); strong teamwork ethic; 2-3 years CALIFORNIA for ALL languages. Requires experience in project management; proficiency experience or interpretation degree. Fax in Microsoft Office; solid experience in or email resume to (650) 614-4710 or translation memory software. University [email protected] Degree preferred. Submit resume referencing job code “505”, Web Recruitment via e-mail (no attachments) to [email protected] No phone calls or faxes will be accepted. McDonalds is an Equal ProZ.com Web workplace Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. Voted the “best source of translation jobs on the Italian Language Services Internet”, ProZ.com is actually much more. Over 25,000 member agencies and freelancers also use the GMT - Via Cavour, 15 50129 Firenze (FI), Italy KudoZ™ collaboration network and other unique tools. Tel: +39 055 2679164/2679277 Registration is free, platinum membership is just $120/yr. There are no commissions on jobs, and ATA Russian > English Fax: +39 055 2654102 www.gmt-ils.it credentials are honored. Join now! E-mail 1: [email protected] E-mail 2: [email protected] http://www.ProZ.com Expert business and financial translations. Italian translations made in Italy by Italians for Certified accountant, MBA, ATA-certified. Italians. Technical/Non-Technical. Quality, Speed, Satisfaction guaranteed. 202-863-1417 (phone/fax). [email protected] Accuracy. By translators. For translators. If your ad was here, someoneCalling would already be You! Don’t let another issue pass you by! Call today for Advertising Rates & Information about ATA’s New Marketplace! 1-800-394-5157 ext. 38

66 ATA Chronicle ¥ November/December 2001 american translators association Officers

President President-elect Secretary Treasurer Mr. Thomas L. West III Mr. Scott Brennan Ms. Courtney Searls-Ridge Dr. Jiri Stejskal Intermark Language Services Corp. 10005 Cairn Mountain Way German Language Services 7312 Oak Avenue 2555 Cumberland Pkwy, Ste. 295 Bristow, VA 20136-3009 2658 48th Avenue SW Melrose Park, PA 19027 Atlanta, GA 30339 Tel: (703) 393-0365 Seattle, WA 98116 Tel: (215) 635-7090 Tel: (770) 444-3055 Fax: (703) 393-0387 Tel: (206) 938-3600 Fax: (215) 635-9239 Fax: (770) 444-3002 [email protected] Fax: (206) 938-8308 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Directors Committee Chairs Division Administrators

Mr. Kirk Anderson Accreditation Interpretation Policy Chinese Language Literary 2455 Flamingo Drive, #401 Lilian Novas Van Vranken Advisory Frank Mou Clifford E. Landers Miami Beach, FL 33140 Spring, TX Christian Degueldre Pittsburgh, PA Naples, FL Tel: (305) 532-7252 Tel: (281) 374-6813 San Diego, CA Tel: (412) 767-4788 Tel: (941) 513-6972 Fax: (305) 532-0885 [email protected] Tel: (619) 462-6739 Fax: (412) 767-9744 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Active Membership Review Nordic Ms. Beatriz Bonnet Leland D. Wright Mentoring Task Force French Language Edith M. Matteson 7465 E Peakview Avenue Kent, OH Courtney Searls-Ridge Monique-Paule Tubb Ballwin, MO Englewood, CO 80111 Tel: (330) 673-0043 Seattle, WA Chevy Chase, MD Tel/Fax: (636) 207-7256 Tel: (303) 779-1288 Fax: (330) 673-0738 Tel: (206) 938-3600 Tel: (301) 654-2890 [email protected] Fax: (303) 779-1232 [email protected] Fax: (206) 938-8308 Fax: (301) 654-2891 [email protected] courtney@ [email protected] Portuguese Language Budget germanlanguageservices.com Tereza d’Ávila Braga Mr. Robert A. Croese Jiri Stejskal German Language Dallas, TX 204 Neely Crossing Lane Melrose Park, PA Professional Development Dorothee Racette Tel: (972) 690-7730 Simpsonville, SC 29680 Tel: (215) 635-7090 (ATA Programs) Saranac, NY Fax: (972) 690-5088 Tel: (864) 967-3955 Fax: (215) 635-9239 Marian S. Greenfield Tel: (518) 293-7494 [email protected] Fax: (864) 967-4808 [email protected] South Plainfield, NJ Fax: (518) 293-7659 [email protected] Tel: (908) 561-7590 [email protected] Slavic Languages Chapters Fax: (908) 561-3671 Nora Seligman Favorov Ms. Marian S. Greenfield Robert A. Croese msgreenfield@ Interpreters Orlando, FL 2619 Holly Avenue Simpsonville, SC msgreenfieldtranslations.com Helen D. Cole Tel: (407) 679-8151 South Plainfield, NJ 07080 Tel: (864) 967-3955 Silver Spring, MD Fax: (646) 356-1521 Tel: (908) 561-7590 Fax: (864) 967-4808 Public Relations Tel: (301) 572-2855 [email protected] Fax: (908) 561-3671 [email protected] Vacant Fax: (301) 572-5708 msgreenfield@ [email protected] Spanish Language msgreenfieldtranslations.com Dictionary Review Science and Technology Rudolf Heller Boris M. Silversteyn Information Italian Language Brookfield, MA Prof. Alan K. Melby Venice, FL Vacant Marcello J. Napolitano Tel: (508) 867-8494 1223 Aspen Avenue Tel/Fax: (941) 408-9643 Milpitas, CA Fax: (508) 867-8064 Provo, UT 84604 [email protected] Special Projects Tel: (408) 422-7008 [email protected] Tel: (801) 378-2144 Vacant Fax: (425) 977-8511 Fax: (801) 377-3704 Divisions [email protected] Translation Company [email protected] Dorothee Racette Terminology Steven P. Iverson Saranac, NY Sue Ellen Wright Japanese Language Milwaukee, WI Mr. Robert E. Sette Tel: (518) 293-7494 Kent, OH Izumi Suzuki Tel: (414) 271-1144 109 Biddle Avenue Fax: (518) 293-7659 Tel: (330) 673-0043 Novi, MI Fax: (414) 271-0144 Pittsburgh, PA 15221 [email protected] Fax: (330) 673-0738 Tel: (248) 344-0909 [email protected] Tel: (412) 731-8198 [email protected] Fax: (248) 344-0092 Fax: (412) 242-1241 Education and Training [email protected] [email protected] (Non-ATA Programs) Translation and Computers Gertrud Graubart Champe Alan K. Melby Ms. Ines Swaney Surry, ME Provo, UT 6161 Harwood Avenue Tel: (319) 335-2002 Tel: (801) 378-2144 ATA Representatives Oakland, CA 94618 Fax: (319) 335-3417 Fax: (801) 377-3704 Tel: (510) 658-7744 [email protected] [email protected] To International Federation of To Joint National Fax: (510) 658-7743 Translators (FIT) Committee for [email protected] Ethics Peter W. Krawutschke Languages (JNCL) Vacant Kalamazoo, MI Vacant Dr. Madeleine C. Velguth Tel: (616) 387-3212 2608 E Newport Avenue Honors and Awards Fax: (616) 387-3103 To ASTM Translation User Milwaukee, WI 53211 Jo Anne Engelbert [email protected] Standards Project Tel: (414) 229-5968 St. Augustine, FL FIT: www.fit-ift.org Vacant Fax: (414) 229-2939 Tel: (904) 460-1190 [email protected] Fax: (904) 460-0913 [email protected] Mr. Timothy Yuan 89-33 Pontiac Street Queens Village, NY 11427 Tel: (718) 776-8139 Fax: (718) 776-3589 [email protected]