In This Issue: Medical Linguists and H1N1 Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in Court Plagiarism

November/December 2009 Volume XXXVIII Number 11 The A Publication of the American Translators Association CHRONICLE

In this issue: Medical Linguists and H1N1 Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in Court Plagiarism

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10 American Translators Association Cautions White House on Future Language Policy ATA recently issued a response to the White House’s Strategy for Innovation policy paper, stating that both translation 12 software and qualified human translators are vital to language security. Role of Medical Linguists in an Influenza Pandemic 12 By Patricia Thickstun Medical linguists need to be prepared to meet the challenges they will face during the current influenza pandemic. 20 The Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in the Courtroom: Learning When to Use It By Janis Palma In certain cases, the long consecutive mode might not be the most appropriate choice for the judiciary interpreter. This article discusses aspects of discourse that interpreters must keep in mind when choosing among long, short, or semi- 20 consecutive renditions. 32 Plagiarism Facts for Translators and Other Freelancers By Sarah Alys Lindholm in consultation with Irina Greenman When it comes to issues of plagiarism, translation can become a pretty murky area.

Columns and Departments

6 Our Authors 44 GeekSpeak 32 7 From the President 48 Dictionary Review 8 From the Executive Director 51 The Translation Inquirer 41 The Entrepreneurial Linguist 53 Humor and Translation 42 Certification Exam Information 54 Directory of Language Services 43 Blog Trekker

3 The ATA Chronicle (ISSN 1078-6457) is published monthly, except bi-monthly in November/December, by the American Translators Association, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The ATA Chronicle, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA. The American Translators Association (ATA) was established in 1959 as a not-for-profit professional society to foster and support the professional We Want You! development of translators and interpreters and to promote the translation and interpreting professions. The subscription rate for a member is $43 (included in the dues payment). The U.S. subscription rate for a nonmember is $65. Subscribers in Canada and The ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages Mexico add $25; all other non-U.S. subscribers add $45. Single copies are available for $7 per issue. members and nonmembers to submit articles of ©2009 American Translators Association interest. For Submission Guidelines, log onto www.atanet.org/chronicle. The ATA Chronicle Reprint Permission: Requests for permission to reprint articles should be sent is published 11 times per year, with a combined to the editor of The ATA Chronicle at [email protected]. November/December issue. Submission deadlines are

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AZ_Across_ATA_Chronicle_Nov.indd 1 11.11.2229 8:09:87 Uhr Our Authors November/December 2009

Sarah Alys Lindholm is a professional Japanese¡English trans- Patricia Thickstun, an ATA-certified French¡English translator, lator specializing in television, film, video games, and other pop began translating while pursuing research at the Institut Pasteur- culture media. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a Paris and a doctorate in immunology at Université de Pierre et degree in linguistics, and has been providing Japanese language Marie Curie (Paris VI). At the Texas Department of Health, she services ever since. She currently is the quality assurance translator was a hospital epidemiologist and directed a tuberculosis molecular for FUNimation Entertainment in Dallas, Texas. Contact: epidemiology surveillance project and the Office of Language [email protected]. Services. A freelance medical and technical translator, she currently works at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She Janis Palma has been a federally certified English£Spanish judi- served as assistant administrator of ATA’s Medical Division (2007- ciary interpreter since 1981. She worked as an independent con- 2009), and was recently elected division administrator. She has tractor for over 20 years in different states. Her experience given presentations on pandemic influenza at ATA’s 2006 Annual includes conference work in the private sector and seminar inter- Conference and the 2009 Joint Mid-Year Conference of the preting for the U.S. Department of State. She joined the U.S. Interpreters and Medical Divisions. Contact: District Courts in Puerto Rico as a full-time staff interpreter in April [email protected]. 2002. She has been a consultant to various higher education institutions, professional associations, and government agencies on judiciary interpreting and translating issues. She is a past president of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators. Contact: [email protected].

November/December 2009 Volume XXXVIII Number 11 A Publication The of the American Translators Association CHRONICLE Send a Complimentary Copy

If you enjoyed reading this issue of The ATA Chronicle and think a colleague or organization would enjoy it too, we’ll send a free copy. Simply e-mail the recipient’s name and address to Maggie Rowe at ATA Headquarters— [email protected]—and she will send the mag- azine with a note indicating that the copy is being sent with your compliments. In this issue: Medical Linguists and H 5 Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive1N Mode in Court 0Years 1 1959 – 2009 Help spread the word about ATA! Plagiarism

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6 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 From the President Nicholas Hartmann [email protected]

Moving On

ATA’s 50th anniversary can mean being static. This ices. What we within the Association Annual Conference in New York City, Association needs to keep moving, know to be a good program would be at the Marriott Marquis hotel on and from our center we can now move made even better, however, by Times Square, turned out to be quite a in a number of interesting ways. external validation, which in turn party. More people attended this con- One relates to ATA’s internal gov- requires a thorough examination of ference than any previous one—the ernance and organization, and begins every aspect of certification. That has final registration total was an aston- with a thorough reconsideration of now begun, with broad input from the ishing 2,397—and another milestone how divisions function as specialized Certification Committee, Headquar- was reached when ATA’s 11,000th “homes” within this now very large ters staff, and others with much member signed up onsite. The hotel Association. Dorothee Racette, our expertise in these matters. and the city extended an extraordinary new president-elect and chair of the Another major direction in which welcome, we were given much valu- Governance and Communications we can move is outward. An assertive able support by the New York Circle Committee, has taken on this respon- and confident approach to publicizing of Translators (itself celebrating its sibility in collaboration with division all the advantages and achievements 30th anniversary), the educational administrators, the division liaison of ATA will not only enhance our rep- sessions were well-attended, our ple- staff at Headquarters, and many other utation among those who use transla- nary gatherings and celebrations were interested parties. Their task is to find tors’ and interpreters’ services, but joyous and collegial, participants an effective and sustainable balance will also even further enhance the came from all over the U.S. and from between the many and various aspira- Association’s standing within the more than 50 other countries, and a tions of our divisions and the need to national and global community of good time was had by all. strengthen ATA as a unique organiza- related organizations. ATA has much We found ourselves for a time at tion embracing many different aspects to give and a compelling story to the center of a lot of things: the center of the translating and interpreting pro- relate, and yet another group of dedi- of ATA’s first century, the center of fession and industry. cated volunteers is working very hard the great city where the Association Something else that ATA does for to tell the entire world about who we began, and the center of the interna- its members, but that also has an are and what we are doing. tional translation community. The impact beyond the Association, is the The party may be over, but the center is a good place to be: the view Certification program. It is now more work of the next 50 years has just in all directions is excellent, and one than 35 years old and has been very started. Thank you for your support of is surrounded by possibilities. It is successful: ATA certification is sought all the volunteers who will carry us not, however, necessarily a good after by translators and valued both by forward. place to dwell, because being central them and by those who use their serv-

American Translators Association Cautions White House on Future Language Policy

ATA issued a pointed response to a call for “automatic, highly accurate and real-time translation between the major languages of the world” in the White House’s recent Strategy for Innovation policy paper. In a letter dated October 2nd, ATA President Jiri Stejskal urged the Obama Administration to “take a long-term approach to language security by investing in human skills and promoting greater awareness of and expertise in foreign languages.” The complete letter appears on pages10 and 11.

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 7 From the Executive Director Walter Bacak, CAE [email protected]

Board Meeting Highlights

The ATA Board of Directors met October 31-November 1 in New York City. Here are some highlights. ATA membership topped 11,000 at the ATA 50th Annual

New Officers and Directors: Congratu- Conference in New York City. lations to the new officers and directors: President-elect Dorothee Racette; Secretary Virginia Perez-Santalla (she was re-elected); Treasurer Gabe Bokor; Active Membership Review: Public Relations: Corinne McKay Directors (for three-year terms): Timothy Yuan Cristina Helmerichs, Odile Legeay, Standards: Beatriz Bonnet Frieda Ruppaner-Lind; and Director Business Practices Education: (for a one-year term): David Rumsey. Dorothee Racette Terminology: Sue Ellen Wright They join President Nicholas Hartmann and Directors Lois Feuerle, Certification: Jutta Diel-Dominique Translation and Computers: Alan Melby, Boris Silversteyn, Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes, and Certification Maintenance: Caitilin Walsh. To be determined The appointment of these committee chairs marks the end of Alan New Affiliate Group: The Board Chapters: Caitilin Walsh Melby’s 16 years as the chair of the approved the El Paso Interpreters and Translation and Computers Com- Translators Association as an ATA Dictionary Review: Peter Gergay mittee and Kevin Hendzel’s eight Affiliate Group. Welcome to EPITA! years as the chair of the Public For more information, please see Divisions: Boris Silversteyn Relations Committee. Thank you www.metroplexepita.org. Alan and Kevin for your leadership Education and Pedagogy: and service. Components Update: Component is Claudia Angelelli the association management term for a The minutes of the meeting will be chapter or special interest group, such Ethics: To be determined. (In the posted online at www.atanet.org/mem as an ATA division. Two important meantime, please report any ethics bership/minutes.php. Past meeting min- steps related to ATA’s components violations or concerns to the ATA utes are also posted on the site. The next were taken at this meeting. First, the President.) Board meeting is not set, but it will be Board approved a Chapter Letter of early next year. As always, the meeting Understanding. This agreement Finance and Audit: Gabe Bokor is open to all members, and members between ATA and each chapter will are encouraged to attend. outline and reinforce the benefits and Governance and Communications: responsibilities of being an ATA Dorothee Racette ATA Welcomes Its chapter. The other measure was the 11,000th Member Board further discussed divisions and Honors and Awards: Lois Feuerle ATA membership topped 11,000 at their governance. The Board con- the ATA 50th Annual Conference in sensus was to not add a membership Interpretation Policy Advisory: New York City. Welcome and congratu- fee at this time and to develop a list of Christian Degueldre lations to Joshua Pennise. He is with activities that should be funded and Sorenson Communications in Norfolk, the procedures for allocating funds for Mentoring: Courtney Searls-Ridge Virginia. these activities. Nominating: Tuomas Kostiainen Committee Chairs: The Board approved the appointment of the Professional Development: following ATA Committee Chairs: Marian S. Greenfield

8 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 ATA 2009 Election Results

Election of Officers and Directors Note: Required to Elect is a Plurality1

Election of President-Elect Election of Treasurer Election of Director Two-Year Term Two-Year Term One-Year Term One to Elect One to Elect One to Elect Number of votes cast: 524 Number of votes cast: 537 Number of votes cast: 503

Dorothee Racette Gabe Bokor David Rumsey (Received: 508 * elected) (Received: 288 * elected) (Received: 501 * elected)

J. Henry Phillips (5) Boris Silversteyn (249) Rosalie Wells (1) Donna Sandin (4) Memuna Williams (1) Kirk Anderson (1) Illegal Ballots: 0 Enrica Ardemagni (1) Illegal Ballots: 0 Tony Beckwith (1) Cristina Helmerichs (1) Arnoldo Higuero (1) Election of Directors Corinne McKay (1) Three-Year Term Bylaw Amendment Results Lilian Van Vranken (1) Three to Elect (See www.atanet.org/membership/elec Illegal Ballots: 0 Number of votes cast: 537 tion2009_proposed_bylaws_changes. Odile Legeay pdf for complete information on the Election of Secretary (Received: 308 * Elected) proposed bylaw amendments.) Note: Required to be approved is a Two-Year Term Frieda Ruppaner-Lind two-thirds vote of the voting members (Received: 290 * Elected) One to Elect of the Association at any regular or Number of votes cast: 515 special meeting called for that Cristina Helmerichs purpose.2 (Received: 268 * Elected) Virginia Perez-Santalla (Received: 507 * elected) Memuna Williams (259) Article XII, Chapters and Divisions Izumi Suzuki (234) Number of votes cast: 497 Arlene Kelly (3) Giovanna Lester (153) For: (481 * Adopted) Donna Sandin (2) Clarissa Surek-Clark (3) Against: (16) Ted Wozniak (2) Alfredo Alvarenga (2) Illegal Ballots: (0) Albert Bork (1) Ted Wozniak (1) Two-thirds of the members voting: (332) Corinne McKay (1) The motion is adopted. Illegal Ballots: 0 Illegal Ballots: 0 Article VII, Other Committees Number of votes cast: 495 For: (483 * Adopted) Against: (12) Illegal Ballots: 0 Two-thirds of the members voting: (331) Certified by: The motion is adopted. Jim Lochrie Inspector of Elections October 30, 2009 1. In accordance with Bylaw Article XI, section 9. 2. In accordance with Bylaw Article XIV.

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 9 American Translators Association Cautions White House on Future Language Policy

American Translators Association

225 Reinekers Lane Suite 590 Alexandria VA 22314 USA Tel: +1-703-683-6100 Fax: +1-703-683-6122 October 2, 2009 www.atanet.org

President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Your recent Strategy for American Innovation policy paper recognizes that accurate translation is vital to our economy, our national security and our relationships with other nations. At the American Translators Association (ATA), we agree entirely — but we are also convinced that technology is only part of the answer. As the largest association of translators and interpreters in the United States, we urge you to take a long-term approach to language security by investing in human skills and promoting greater awareness of and expertise in foreign languages.

Are we against technology? Certainly not – in fact, most professional translators already use computer tools to speed up their work. But computational linguists have been working for over 50 years to achieve “fully automatic high-quality computer translation,” and despite all the changes wrought in our lives by technological advances, no computer can match the language skills of a five-year-old child.

The reason is simple: Computers cannot translate effectively – that is, they cannot entirely convey meaning from one language to another – because computers are logical and real human languages are not. Using a language well requires knowledge of how the world is understood in that language. And while computers can analyze, compile and compare, they cannot understand.

This is not to say that translation technology is not very useful within certain limits. Computers can process enormous volumes of text at incredible speeds, and provide the gist of a foreign-language document quickly and cheaply. Translation software is therefore the perfect tool for producing a “good enough” translation.

But in many human interactions – most critically in diplomacy, commerce, and national security, the very areas cited in your report – accuracy, nuance and cultural sensitivity are paramount, and “good enough” is… not good enough. Errors in 50 translation and interpreting can waste enormous amounts of time and money, and Years 1959 – 2009

10 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 they can generate literally incalculable costs in terms of misunderstanding and loss of prestige.

In short, both translation software and qualified human translators are vital to your goal of achieving language security. Today all the leading proponents of computer translation recognize that human beings will always be essential, no matter how sophisticated translation programs become.

ATA is the largest association of translators and interpreters in the United States, with almost 11,000 members and a growing reputation as an international leader in our field. Our members include thousands of individual practitioners working, with proven skill, in hundreds of language combinations, as well as representatives of large and small translation companies, government agencies, academic institutions, and the computer-translation community. We are already actively pursuing initiatives designed to raise awareness of translation and interpreting among language services consumers, students and teachers, and the broader public. We strongly support the focus on language issues in your innovation strategy, and have the resources and breadth to advance your cause. Please let us know how we can help.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jiri Stejskal ATA President

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 11 Medical linguists can expect to play a critical role in the influenza pandemic. Linguists may be called upon to translate and interpret risk and emergency communication, health education materials, and pandemic preparedness plans and associated policies and procedures, Role of including signage for medical facilities. Those working with clinicians will need to describe symptoms, dif- ferential diagnosis, and treatment Medical methods accurately. They will also need to become familiar with risk communication principles and mes- Linguists sage mapping strategies. Most impor- tantly, linguists will facilitate the communication of culturally and linguistically appropriate messages to in an help people make the best possible decisions about their health and well- being during a crisis. It is a job requiring constant research and glos- Influenza sary building. This article presents an overview of some of the major issues related to this topic, including a Pandemic briefing on the current state of the influenza virus, terminology tips, and By Patricia Thickstun risk communication techniques. Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza: Some Facts Let’s start off with a few facts. Seasonal influenza circulates each year during the fall and winter in the northern and southern hemispheres, and may occur during any season in the tropics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year in the U.S., between 5% and 20% of the population experiences seasonal influenza infection, with an average of 200,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths. During the 2009- 2010 influenza season, when both pandemic and seasonal influenza strains are expected to circulate con- currently, the number of influenza

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 cases and deaths attributable to pan- nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, by prescription as capsules or in liquid demic influenza may significantly add and conjunctivitis. Upon pathological form. It can be used prophylactically to the morbidity and mortality caused examination, areas of consolidation in in settings where widespread infection by seasonal influenza. the lung (pneumonia) are also found.1 could have dire consequences, such as However, direct transmission from pigs in nursing homes, assisted living facil- The Rise of H1N1 to humans is rare. People who work ities, and dormitories. According to In March 2009, an outbreak of an with pigs, especially those with exten- CDC, it should be taken within two influenza-like illness was reported in sive exposure, are at increased risk of days of the first symptoms, since it can Mexico City, and soon thousands were becoming infected with swine influ - prevent virus replication. hospitalized with pneumonia. In April, enza strains. There is, however, no need With the proper information, the a laboratory test identified a novel to stop eating pork products, as has general population can take steps to influenza strain that combined genes already happened in many parts of the protect themselves. The challenge will from human, pig, and bird flu in sam- ples collected from two California children that was identical to the virus isolated from hospitalized patients in Mexico. By the end of May, swine flu, Since people with limited English proficiency (LEP) are as it had come to be known in the less likely to have a regular source of primary care, media, had affected people in all 50 states and 62 countries. On June 11, they will be less likely to receive pandemic-associated 2009, when the World Health Organi- zation (WHO) declared a pandemic, services and medications. this new influenza virus, known as novel influenza A (H1N1) virus or pandemic A (H1N1), had been reported in 74 countries. According to CDC, as of world. Otherwise, the swine flu in be getting this information to the August 19, 2009, more than 177,000 humans feels much like regular sea- people who are most at risk. laboratory-confirmed cases had been sonal flu. It begins with the usual mild identified in 170 countries. upper and lower respiratory symptoms Pandemic Communication Because this is a new influenza (sneezing, nasal discharge, and cough), According to the U.S. Census virus, most people have no specific with or without fever or chills, pro- Bureau, nearly 20% of the people in immunity to it, and it is expected that gressing to moderate systemic symp- the U.S. speak a language other than any vaccine will be in short supply for toms, that is, general malaise, fatigue, English at home, and more than 12 some time to come. To complicate the muscle aches, and pains. This will be million live in linguistically isolated situation, it is impossible to distinguish the scenario with the vast majority of households (a household where no pandemic influenza from seasonal cases. In the minority, it can also be fol- member has a strong command of influenza infection without a labora- lowed by general debility, vomiting, English).3 It is well known that com- tory test. Once you recover from an ill- and severe diarrhea. Pneumonia can munication barriers can present chal- ness caused by a particular influenza occur if the lungs are clinically lenges to accessing health care. Since strain, it cannot make you sick again. involved. If the brain is affected, a viral people with limited English profi- But unless you develop immunity to encephalitis-like scenario follows, with ciency (LEP) are less likely to have a both swine flu and seasonal flu, either severe headache, visual disturbances, regular source of primary care, they by recovering from the illness or confusion, disorientation, and possibly will be less likely to receive pandemic- receiving a vaccine, you could still convulsions. Occasionally, death associated services and medications become ill with influenza. occurs, particularly in patients with that, according to most current federal “Swine flu” gives an incomplete underlying health conditions. and state pandemic influenza plans, are clinical impression. Pigs infected with Antiviral medication such as to be delivered by the private sector. flu viruses under experimental condi- oseltamivir, marketed by Roche under Communication barriers can also tions do get flu symptoms such as the trade name Tamiflu,2 is available impede compliance with treat- ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 13 Role of Medical Linguists in an Influenza Pandemic Continued Facts to Know ment plans and therapies for patients. For example, LEP patients can experience adverse effects related to the improper administration of medications. Similarly, LEP employees in Epidemic: The occurrence of cases of human illness in a community or region in excess of the number health care facilities may encounter of cases normally expected for that disease in that area at that time. challenges in understanding and com- plying with infection control and Outbreak: Sudden occurrence of an epidemic in a limited geographic area. human resources policies and procedures related to sick leave. Seasonal: The appearance of disease at a particular time of the year. In a crisis situation, there is a signif- Pandemic: An epidemic that affects a large area, usually hemisphere-wide or worldwide. icant risk that not only LEP individuals but also those with other challenges, Pandemic influenza: Novel influenza to which all or most of the population is susceptible. such as hearing or visual impairment, will not have access to crucial life- What is required for pandemic influenza infection to spread? saving information in a timely manner. • Infectious agent: pandemic influenza. Medical linguists will have an important role in reducing this risk. • Susceptible hosts: people who have never been exposed to this new pandemic influenza and So how can linguists working in a have no immunity. medical setting best prepare themselves for the current flu season? The • Means of transmission: infected people who are coughing and sneezing. following sections offer some tips The influenza virus can be transmitted either directly or indirectly. Direct transmission occurs when infec- detailing where to find the latest ter- tious respiratory droplets produced by coughs or sneezes are inhaled through the nose or mouth. Indirect minology associated with influenza, as transmission occurs when fingers and hands that have come in contact with a surface contaminated with well as some ideas for improving the infected respiratory secretions touch the eyes, nose, or mouth. chances that the information you are responsible for conveying will be understood by those you are assisting. involving immunosuppression, car- asthma. She had been taking no Research Terminology diac disease, diabetes, pregnancy, and medications other than prenatal The first step of being prepared is obesity. Common symptoms are fever, vitamins. Rapid influenza diag- to become familiar with the latest ter- myalgia (muscle pain), cough, and nostic testing performed in the minology. Get into the habit of reading shortness of breath. Emesis and diar- physician’s office was positive. medical journals and reports and visit rhea have also been reported, particu- On April 19, she was examined websites of the major health organiza- larly in children. To give an idea of the in a local emergency department, tions. Such reports are published regu- vast amount of terminology that can with worsening shortness of larly online in CDC’s Morbidity and be mined from this material, the fol- breath, fever, and productive Mortality Weekly Report.4 As the out- lowing extract (with key words in cough. She experienced severe break of the 2009 H1N1 influenza bold) is from a typical case report respiratory distress, with an virus continues, clinical details from compiled from actual cases. oxygen saturation of approximately hospitalized patients have emerged. 80% on room air and a respiratory Linguists can use this information to On April 15, a woman aged 33 rate of approximately 30 breaths identify terminology and develop years at 35 weeks’ gestation with a per minute. A chest radiograph glossaries. For example, CDC reports one-day history of myalgia, dry revealed bilateral nodular infil- that pneumonia and dehydration have cough, and low-grade fever was trates. The patient required intu- been the most common admission examined by her obstetrician-gyne- bation and was placed on diagnoses for H1N1 patients. Under - cologist. She had been in relatively mechanical ventilation. On April lying medical conditions include good health, although she had a 21, the patient developed acute chronic lung diseases, conditions history of psoriasis and mild respiratory distress syndrome

14 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 (ARDS). The patient began July issue of The ATA Chronicle.6 facility’s client and employee pop- receiving oseltamivir on April 28. ulations? She also received broad-spectrum Familiarize Yourself With antibiotics and remained on Emergency Preparedness Plans • Are LEP, visually impaired, or mechanical ventilation. The patient If you are employed in a clinical hearing impaired workers died on May 4 of multiple organ setting, you can reduce stress by employed in your facility? dysfunction syndrome (MODS). becoming familiar with your facility’s On April 19, the white blood pandemic influenza preparedness If these questions remain unan- cell count (WBC) was elevated as policy and response plan. This plan swered, consider stepping outside your was aspartate transaminase will tell you when to stay home from role as a linguist and stepping into your (AST) and creatine phosphokinase work and return to work if you are role as an involved community member. (CPK). On April 25, a nasopha- sick, which infection control precau- When the opportunity arises, determine ryngeal swab specimen indicated tions you should take while at work, if members of your ethnic/linguistic an unsubtypable influenza A strain and what types of new signage will be community who experience communi- by real-time reverse transcrip- posted in the facility. cation challenges are aware of and tase-polymerase chain reaction You can obtain clarification on cur- understand the facts about pandemic (rRT-PCR). Direct immunofluo- rent policies and procedures regarding influenza. Have the infection control rescent antibody (IFA) staining was negative for influenza A. On April 30, a repeat nasopharyngeal specimen was collected, which was positive by rRT-PCR for novel Understanding the target audience is essential to influenza A (H1N1) virus. 5 effective risk communication. Know What to Expect on the Job Crisis management will be just as important as language skills during an emergency situation, such as one pandemic influenza infection control, policies and procedures been translated caused by pandemic influenza. isolation precautions, and personal or made accessible? You can play an Linguists will not only perform their protective equipment (PPE) from the important role in facilitating pandemic routine duties, but they may also be facility’s infection control/risk man- influenza risk communication to help asked to provide additional services, agement department. The department the people around you stay healthy. which will escalate their stress level. should also have a plan for what will They may be asked to staff hotlines or be done if or when the recommended Why Risk Communication Matters to translate emergency communica- PPE is not available. Be aware that Medical linguists are talented and tions or press releases quickly. The PPE is the last line of defense against resourceful professionals. Spoken and sources of stress may be personal as transmission of airborne infection, and sign language interpreters routinely well as professional. For example, that other strategies (engineering con- facilitate client access to health care finding childcare may become chal- trols, administrative controls, and vac- services with on-site and over-the- lenging if schools and daycare facilities cine) are all part of a facility’s phone interpreting. Translators work are suddenly closed. Concerns about comprehensive strategy to protect on intake and consent forms, instruc- the health and well-being of sick family patients, employees, and visitors. Here tions for medical procedures, dis- members may become overwhelming are the questions you should be asking: charge and medication instructions, as pandemic morbidity and mortality advance directives (living wills and continue over an extended period. Dr. • Have pandemic influenza signs “do not resuscitate” orders), hospital Betsy Gard provided excellent sugges- been posted in your facility? policies, and medical records. They tions for recognizing and dealing with may also work with health education stress in her article, “The Role of • Have they been translated into the materials, fact sheets, brochures, Interpreters During a Disaster,” in the languages represented in your posters, and facility signage. ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 15 Role of Medical Linguists in an Influenza Pandemic Continued

This involves utilizing effective risk the U.S. Department of Health and within a message map framework.11 communication techniques. Human Services.9 Key elements Message maps are used to develop Risk communication is an approach address questions such as “What key risk communication messages that for communicating effectively with needs to be done?” “Who needs to respond to underlying concerns and diverse audiences in emotionally know?” and “Who needs to act?” specific questions. These messages are charged situations of high stress and The key here is to be prepared, not developed by distilling complex infor- high concern.7 Goals of risk communi- scared. Providing clear information is mation into easily understood mes- cation include: essential for calming fears and building sages, and are usually written at a trust. People need to be informed about reading level at least four grade levels • Tailoring communication that what is known as well as what is not yet below the average reading level of the addresses the emotional response known about a pandemic influenza out- target audience. to an event. break. This helps to slow the spread of A message map has several layers. the disease and gives people the facts The first identifies the target audience • Empowering the target audience to and peace of mind. and the specific question or concern to make informed decisions. be addressed. The second layer con- Message Maps tains three key messages that respond • Encouraging constructive responses One of the challenges of risk com- to the question or concern. The third to a crisis by influencing attitudes, munication is to overcome communi- layer provides groups of three sup- decisions, and behaviors. cation barriers caused by mental noise. porting facts for each key message. 10 According to mental noise theory, (See Figure 1.) • Providing guidance on appropriate when people are upset or under stress, The messages are presented in protective behaviors and actions. they have difficulty hearing, under- three short sentences that convey three standing, and remembering informa- key messages, ideally of nine words Written pandemic influenza risk tion, which significantly reduces their each or 27 words total. Each primary communication plans have been pre- ability to process it. Mental noise can message has three supporting mes- pared by international and national be overcome by developing messages sages that can be used to provide con- health agencies including WHO8 and that are brief and understandable text for the issue being mapped. Note

Figure 1: Message Map

Stakeholder/Target Audience: Media, General Public Question/Concern: What can be done to limit the spread of the influenza virus? Key Message 1 Key Message 2 Key Message 3 Washing your hands helps to prevent the spread of the Cover your coughs and sneezes. Stay home if you are sick. influenza virus. Supporting Fact 1-1 Supporting Fact 2-1 Supporting Fact 3-1 Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Use a disposable tissue to cover your coughs and sneezes. People who have the flu usually have a high fever and muscle aches. Supporting Fact 1-2 Supporting Fact 2-2 Supporting Fact 3-2 Rub all parts of the hands for at least 20 seconds. Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands. Rest, drink fluids, and take non-aspirin pain relievers. Supporting Fact 1-3 Supporting Fact 2-3 Supporting Fact 3-3 Wash your hands after coughing and sneezing and . Covering coughs and sneezes when you are sick helps Stay home when you are sick to prevent spreading before eating. prevent others from catching the flu. influenza to others.

16 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Related Links

British Columbia Pandemic Influ enza Preparedness Medica www.health.gov.bc.ca/pandemic/translations.html www.zonamedica.com.ar/categorias/marcodiccionarios.htm Information on pandemic influenza translated in Chinese, Punjabi, A large collection of medical and health related dictionaries and Spanish, French, and Vietnamese. glossaries in Spanish and English.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Medical Translation Blog H1N1 Swine Flu Information http://blog.fxtrans.com www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu Background, general information, and surveillance updates. Medscape www.medscape.com/viewarticle/703218 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health Topic A-Z Pandemic Treatment Planning www.cdc.gov/az/a.html www.bd.com/hypodermic/pandemic_preparedness/PatientTreatment Planning.asp Dictionary of Medical Abbreviations www.scribd.com/doc/9224337/-Dict-of-Medical-Abbreviations2- PubMed www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Flu.gov www.pandemicflu.gov World Health Organization Phase 5 Pandemic Alert One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian, and pandemic flu www.bd.com/hypodermic/pandemic_preparedness/PublicHealthMassVac information, and frequently-asked-questions in Spanish, Chinese, and cinationPlanning.asp Vietnamese. The World Health Organization issued a Phase 5 pandemic alert on April 29, 2009, which is characterized by human-to-human spread of H2P Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness at the the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. Community Level www.pandemicpreparedness.org/categories/details.aspx?section_id=2 World Health Organization Low-literacy multilingual communication tools in English, Spanish, Ten Things You Need to Know about Pandemic Influenza Portuguese, and French. www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic10things/en/index.html

that supporting messages are not listed members of the target audience, it is Guide_July09_DRAFT_6120.pdf. As in logical or chronological order. essential to know what and how the you read guidelines and recommenda- Because people in stressful situations target audience thinks. It is necessary to tions, be aware of the ways the fol- tend to remember only the first and identify and understand pre-existing lowing words are usually used. last messages, supporting messages beliefs before they can be explicitly are arranged so that the most impor- addressed. This is where linguists can • Must: an absolute requirement. tant messages occupy the first and last make significant contributions to positions. Thus, using message maps facilitating risk communication. For • Should: recommended and ought in risk communication optimizes the example, you may be asked to convey to be done if possible. likelihood that risk information will be information based on a message map heard, understood, and remembered. that relies on germ theory. If germ • May: allowed to. theory is not a common concept in the Message Maps in Action ethnic/linguistic groups represented in •Can:able to. Message maps can be used for the target audience, you can be instru- developing health information mate- mental in developing a different • Might: there is a possibility some- rials, a frequently-asked-questions sec- strategy appropriate for getting the thing could exist or happen. tion on a website, fact sheets, telephone information to this target audience. hotline scripts, and press releases. Examples of pandemic influenza Volunteer Understanding the target audience is message maps can be found at Linguists can use their risk commu- essential to effective risk communica- www.pandemicflu.gov/news/pre_event nication skills to serve as volunteers in tion. To convey successful messages _maps.pdf and www.pandemicprepared their communities. ATA has partnered that bridge the gap between experts and ness.org/uploads/AED_Message_ with the American Red Cross to

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 17 Role of Medical Linguists in an Influenza Pandemic Continued develop a nationwide volunteer Isolated Population in Census.” tion Agency. Policy Document network of professional interpreters. September 30, 2003, www.census. OPA-87-020, 1988). For more information, see www.atanet. gov/pred/www/rpts/A.5a.pdf org/red_cross. In addition, the Medical (Accessed October 13, 2009). 8. Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Reserve Corps has teams of local vol- and Response: A WHO Guidance unteer medical and public health pro- 4. “Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Document, www.who.int/csr/disease fessionals who contribute their skills to Infections in Three Pregnant /influenza/PIPGuidance09.pdf such efforts as immunization clinics Women: United States, April-May, (Accessed August 20, 2009). and staffing influenza hotlines. Visit 2009.” U.S. Centers for Disease their website at www.medicalreserve Control and Prevention Morbidity 9. U.S. Department of Health and corps.gov/HomePage. and Mortality Weekly Report 2009 Human Services Pandemic Influ- (Number 18, Volume 58), 497-500, enza Plan Supplement 10 Public Know the Facts, Ignore the Hype www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/ Health Communications, www.hhs. For the most complete information mmwrhtml/mm5818a3.htm gov/pandemicflu/plan/sup10.html on influenza, both general and (Accessed August 16, 2009). #apdx4 (Accessed August 20, specific, visit the Centers for Disease 2009). Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov 5. “Intensive Care Patients With (enter “flu” in the search slot [includes Severe Novel Influenza A (H1N1) 10. Covello, Vincent T. “Risk videos]), or use an online resource Virus Infection - Michigan, June Perception and Communication.” like Google Scholar or PubMed 2009.” U.S. Centers for Disease Proceedings of the North (www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed). Control and Prevention Morbidity American Conference on Drift and Mortality Weekly Report 2009 Spray Management (1998), Notes (Number 27, Volume 58), 749-52, http://pmo.umext.maine.edu/drift/ 1. Sreta, D, et. al. “Pathogenesis of www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/ drift%20proceedings.pdf (Accessed Swine Influenza Virus (Thai mmwrhtml/mm5827a4.htm August 20, 2009). Isolates) in Weanling Pigs: An (Accessed August 19, 2009). Experimental Trial.” Virology 11. Covello, Vincent T. “Risk Journal (Volume 6, 2009), 6-34, 6. Gard, Betsy. “The Role of Inter- Communi ca tion: Principles, Tools, www.virologyj.com/content/6/1/34 preters During a Disaster.” The and Tech niques.” Global Health (Accessed October 13, 2009). ATA Chronicle (American Trans- Technical Briefs, www.maqweb.org/ lators Association, July 2009), 19. techbriefs/tb49riskcomn.shtml 2. “Oseltamivi,” http://en.wikipedia. (Accessed August 20, 2009). org/wiki/Oseltamivi. 7. Covello, Vincent T., and F. Allen. “Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk 3. Census 2000 Evaluation A.5.a, Com munication” (Washington, “Analysis of the Linguistically DC: U.S. Environmental Protec-

Volunteer Opportunities ATA has partnered with the American Red Cross to develop a nationwide volunteer network of professional interpreters. For more information, see www.atanet.org/red_cross. In addition, the Medical Reserve Corps has teams of local volunteer medical and public health professionals who contribute their skills to such efforts as immunization clinics and staffing influenza hotlines. Visit their website at www.medicalreservecorps.gov/HomePage.

18 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 For more information about the courses or to sign up, visit our website or call us at 313-871-0080.

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 19 The Pitfalls In the judiciary interpreting world, the way in which we use the of the Long consecutive mode has changed con- siderably. Around the time federal certification was instituted, interpreters were forced to limit their ren- Consecutive ditions to just a few words, or perhaps a phrase or two, because there was some terrible fear that something Mode in the would be left out. We relied on our short-term memory, without notes, so only a few gifted interpreters could actually perform in the long consecu- Courtroom: tive mode. As our profession evolved, we learned how to develop a note-taking system, thus making the long consec- Learning utive mode a praiseworthy skill. Today, we seem to have reached the point at which the long consecutive When to Use It mode is the benchmark for true excellence. However, I have encountered By Janis Palma more than one very well-trained interpreter who cannot seem to do anything but long consecutive, even when it is not necessarily the best technique to apply. So, when is it most appropriate to use the long consecutive mode, and why?

The Power of Performance An interpreter for a witness on the stand1 is like an actor on stage. The interpreter in this setting is per- forming2 for two distinct audiences:

1. The English-speaking audience— which includes the judge, the jury, the defense and prosecution attorneys, the court reporter3 and other court personnel, and maybe an English-speaking defendant.

2. The non-English-speaking witness and maybe a non-English-speaking defendant.

The performance for the non- English-speaking audience generally

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 entails the conveyance of a question. As we all know, questions necessitate intonation and inflection, otherwise Beyond the differences between questions and they become statements or affirma- tions. But beyond the differences statements, we have differences in intent when an between questions and statements, we attorney is questioning a witness. have differences in intent when an attorney is questioning a witness. Intent is conveyed through nonverbal cues such as volume, speed, dramatic The emphasis in the different parts with accusatory overtones: But you pauses, emphasis through repetition, of the question suggests a different never called the police, DID YOU? and even such subtleties as addressing intent on the part of the examiner, and The attorney does not really want to the witness by his or her first name or may elicit a different answer from the know if the witness did or did not call obviating a professional title like witness. These questions cannot all be the police, or why. All he7 really wants “doctor” and simply calling the person interpreted in a monotone, nor can they to do is drive the point home for the “mister” or “madam.”4 Very little is be interpreted with the emphasis placed jury and the judge to hear, and all he unintentional when it comes to exam- on the wrong part of the question. wants from the witness is a “yes” or ining or cross-examining a witness. The first question (But YOU never “no” answer. It is a witness impeach- While it is true that interpreters called the police, did you?) implies ment question. It is hostile and the who are proficient in the long consec- that the witness took no action or was tone will most likely not be friendly, utive mode bring into their renditions negligent. The answer can be a simple soft-spoken, or gentle. Nor should the every word a question may contain, it “No” or maybe “I didn’t, but my sister interpreter’s rendition. Compare: is also true that many fail to include did!” thus explaining such inaction. the nonverbal elements, turning hos- The second question (But you (In a soft, polite, even-leveled tile and empathetic questions alike NEVER called the police, did you?) tone): “But you never called the into a robotic performance stripped of emphasizes the time element, “never,” police, did you?” the original speaker’s clear intent.5 implying that the witness had time to Interpreters in judiciary contexts, call the police but never did, leaving the (In a harsh, aggressive, loud- where language and law are inextri- fact-finders in the case to wonder why. pitched voice to illustrate con- cably joined, must be particularly Was the witness busy doing something trast): “But you never called the aware that “[o]ne type of signal that is else? Did the witness have something police, DID YOU?” important in forming impressions of to fear from the police or something to other people, and in judgments of hide? The answer could be “I did call, Such nuances become exponen- credibility, are the nonverbal signs but I kept getting a recording in English tially more important when the ques- indicating the emotional state of the that I could not understand.” tions are protracted and the interpreter person perceived.”6 The third question focuses on who chooses the long consecutive mode to To illustrate this point, let’s look was called: But you never called THE convey them. Many of the paralin- at one question with four different POLICE, did you? The witness may guistic elements can be lost, intonations: have called a friend or relative. So the impacting not only the way a witness issue is that no call was made to the perceives the intent of the examiner, 1. “But YOU never called the police, police specifically. Maybe the wit- but also the answer that ends up on the did you?” ness’s intelligence or good judgment record. Furthermore, there will be an 2. “But you NEVER called the is being questioned implicitly. One impact on the fact-finders in the case police, did you?” possible answer could be “I am here (namely, the judge and jury), who will 3. “But you never called THE illegally. I was afraid to call the have heard a question with a certain POLICE, did you?” police, so I called my cousin, Alex.” intonation signifying a specific 4. “But you never called the police, Finally, the fourth variant stresses intent—to discredit or encourage the DID YOU?” the tag question, which makes the witness, depending on who is asking whole question a veiled statement the question. Also, the question ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 21 The Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in the Courtroom: Learning When to Use It Continued they hear in English is going to be dif- But what can happen if the interpreter Say It With Feeling, ferent from what the witness hears in renders the same question in a mono- But Keep It Real the other language. In that case, the tone? Knowingly or unknowingly, the answer may be incongruent from the interpreter who fails to convey irony, judge and jury’s perspective. Question (Even tone, nonthreat- sarcasm, hostility, or—on the other Researchers in Norway found that ening, no pauses): “You said hand—compassion, empathy, or “Credibility judgments [are] strongly during the direct examination by encouragement, is: 1) altering the influenced by the emotions dis- Mr. Witherspoon that you had only course of an examination or cross- played.” (...) [P]erceived credibility been in this country for three examination; 2) having an impact on [is] reduced when the witness dis- months when you met the defen- the testimony that the fact-finders in play[s] neutral or incongruent emo- dant, Abel Fox, yet you also testi- the case hear; and 3) affecting the pos- tions.”8 For example, suppose an fied that just a few days after sible outcome of a case. One experi- attorney asks the following question: having met him you agreed to mental study reported that: “While drive a car for him from Arizona to testifying that they were the victims Question (Even tone, apparently Montana with no questions of an armed robbery, male and female nonthreatening): “You said during asked?” witnesses showed fear, anger, or no the direct examination by Mr. emotion. (...) It was found that (...) Witherspoon that you had only been Answer (Witness not feeling threat- female displays of anger and fear pro- in this country for three months ened): “Yes, that’s what happened.” duced a much greater difference in when you met the defendant, Abel guilt rating for defendants than male Fox, [rise in volume, taking on an Now, let’s go back to the defensive changes in emotion. Additionally, aggressive tone] yet you also testi- answer and deliver it with no inflection. over all experimental conditions, wit- fied that just a few days after having nesses were believed to be telling the met him [adding an inflection that Answer: “Well, he said he was truth most when they showed fear and suggests incredulousness] you going to pay me more money than least when they showed anger.”9 agreed to drive a car for him [dra- I make in six months working in Inattention to the paralinguistic ele- matic pause] from Arizona to construction, plus I didn’t have to ments of meaning worsens signifi- Montana [second dramatic pause] sweat, you know. It was just cantly when the interpreter performs with no questions asked? driving on a highway in an air-con- for the English-speaking audience, ditioned car, and then delivering it making all witnesses sound alike, A witness who hears and under- where he told me. He gave me a regardless of their degree of confi- stands the nonverbal cues may get map and everything.” dence on the witness stand—or lack defensive and give an answer that will thereof—and overlooks emotional dis- reflect that state of mind: What is the perception a jury will plays such as fear or enthusiasm. A have of this laid-back witness as study on communication styles con- Answer (Underlining shows where opposed to the defensive one we heard ducted in Amsterdam “showed two emphasis is placed with voice before? How are these different rendi- videotaped versions of a simulated inflections): “Well, he said he was tions going to affect the defense police interview to groups of subjects. going to pay me more money than I attorney’s subsequent line of ques- In one version the victim was very make in six months working in con- tioning, or the prosecution’s re-direct upset, in the second version she dis- struction, plus I didn’t have to sweat, examination, or the jury’s evaluation of played no clear emotions. The results you know. It was just driving [brief that witness’s credibility? We have no showed that observers judged the wit- pause] on a highway [brief pause] in way of knowing that right now because ness to be less credible in the latter an air-conditioned car, and then there are no studies that look at this phe- condition.”10 Another study found that delivering it where he told me. He nomenon specifically. But we do not “a witness who displays nervous gave me a map and everything!” have to be scientists to realize the impact behaviors is considered to be less cred- an interpreter can have on every partici- ible than a witness who does not dis- pant in a courtroom when a delivery is play such behaviors, independent of void of the proper inflections. whether the testimony is true or not.”11

22 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 This is an aspect of courtroom dis- It is Not About You those elements, being too preoccupied course that has been the subject of lin- Also, part of your responsibility as with taking notes of every word guistic studies for decades, and one an interpreter is to bring all that spoken and then putting on an impres- which interpreters in judiciary settings feeling across from the source lan- sive performance to showcase those cannot afford to ignore or dismiss. Even guage to the target language without long consecutive skills. The situation when all the words, periods and laying it on too thick. When you do, got even worse when the witness fin- commas, and phrases and sentences are the attention shifts from the witness ished his answer and the interpreter there, the wrong inflection or nonverbal and what the witness has to say, to took another 40 seconds to keep on cue is going to distort the meaning of you and how you are putting on a writing while everyone else in the those words. A mechanical and emo- show for the jury and everyone else in courtroom waited. tionally incongruent rendition is always the courtroom. An interpreter’s per- Had this been an English-speaking going to be inaccurate at best, and—at formance is never about the inter- monolingual audience, the witness worst—can have a detrimental effect on preter as an individual, it is about the would have been completely over- the final outcome of a case. source-language speakers and how shadowed by the interpreter. It adds Of course, the interpreter walks a fine line between conveyance of nonverbal elements and over-the-top histri- onics. A colleague back home tells the While it is true that interpreters proficient in the long story of a witness during cross-examination who flew into a rage and yelled consecutive mode bring into their renditions every word at the attorney—in Spanish—“That’s a lie!” (in a very loud and forceful tone). a question may contain, it is also true that many fail to The interpreter proceeded to convey that in English with the exact same include the nonverbal elements. forcefulness and loudness, which earned him a reprimand from the judge. What is the moral here? As an interpreter, you have to bring it down a notch best to bring across their message. insult to injury when an interpreter or two when the source-language mes- Whether that message is a question delivers a long string of words with sage includes an extreme display of intended to get a rise from the witness no inflection other than the natural emotions. You have to modulate your or an answer intended to disrespect hesitations of someone trying to read voice so it conveys sentiment, not the attorney, the interpreter has the his notes. Have you ever paid atten- drama. For example, when someone power to get that across, or to let it get tion to a court reporter’s read-back? cries or laughs, you are not expected to lost in the translation. There is no inflection or intonation. laugh or cry, but you should modulate I was in a courtroom once when a That is how some interpreters come your voice accordingly such that the task force agent was testifying across when they read back from their nonverbal elements of the source-lan- through an interpreter. Oftentimes notes: they are putting all the words guage message are not completely lost task force agents in Puerto Rico are together, but they are not really put- to the target-language listener. If police officers who do not speak ting the whole message together. someone is crying and you are using a English well enough, so they testify in When that happens, the long consecu- cheerful voice to interpret what that Spanish. It was evident from the task tive mode is counterproductive. person is saying, the target-language lis- agent’s tone of voice and inflection A judiciary interpreter could do a tener cannot possibly get the remorse a that he was very proud of the work he much better job by shortening the source-language speaker may be trying had done, and was more than happy to length of the speech rendered in order to convey, or the sense of loss and tell the jury all about it, in full detail. to preserve all the nonverbal tragedy, just from the words alone. Your But the interpreter’s rendition con- elements, rather than insist on a long performance has to carry the emotional veyed none of the agent’s pride and but absolutely flat consecutive per- aspect across languages as well. enthusiasm. This particular interpreter formance. Plus, these self-imposed was simply not paying attention to demands for inflexible and some- ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 23 The Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in the Courtroom: Learning When to Use It Continued times unreasonable performances add engaged in the source-language True competency in the consecu- a cognitive load that will accelerate speaker’s discourse is what will ulti- tive mode does not come from prodi- the inception of mental fatigue, thus mately lead you to make the right gious memorization or note-taking or reducing the interpreter’s retention target-language decisions, and prevent both. On the witness stand we have to capacity in the long run and increasing you from sounding like the voice know how to take the information the number of errors the longer the coming through the loudspeakers at the provided by the source-language interpreter remains on the stand. airport, or a very badly dubbed film. If speaker and combine it with the consecutive interpreting on the witness knowledge we have each acquired, Short, Long, or In-Between? stand is a mechanism by which listeners making wise choices in the target lan- What we call short consecutive can understand what someone else is guage so all parties can truly under- interpreting in judiciary settings nor- saying in another language, as if both stand each other at all levels. The mally covers between one and 25 speaker and listener shared a common ultimate challenge for an interpreter is words that we must retain, mentally language, then interpreters must use being able to establish relationships translate, and deliver right after the critical thinking to make interpreting between what is being said, what has source-language utterance, which can decisions, and not just mimic words. already been said, and what we can be a complete sentence, part of a more We have to move beyond the anticipate will be said.13 Having done complex sentence, or more than one acoustic stimulus-response cycle, that that, a judiciary interpreter can then short phrase or statement. It seldom is, hearing a string of sounds and for- choose the best consecutive mode for requires note-taking, except maybe mulating a mental image related to the that particular moment—whether it is for jotting down numbers or names. sense those particular sounds convey. short, long, or somewhere in-between. Like when you hear the sounds “we” Suppose you have a witness who is Short Consecutive Mode in English and picture yourself with a being asked to describe a car accident. The short consecutive mode of inter- group of people, yet you hear the Based on your overall experience as preting is not the same as having zero retention, so you end up interrupting the witness every three words just to be able to spit them out and move on. A mechanical and emotionally incongruent rendition is Consecutive interpreting focuses “on the comprehension phase of human dis- always going to be inaccurate at best, and—at course.”12 However, if we are interrupting the witness every three to five worst—can have a detrimental effect on the final words, we are not understanding what that witness is trying to convey. With so outcome of a case. little information, we cannot even begin to understand why he chose the words he did, why he placed them in a partic- same sounds in French and picture an interpreter, as well as on prior ular order, or the point he ultimately yourself agreeing to something. Or questions and the witness’s answers to wanted to make. The interpreter ends up when you hear the sounds “hi” in them, or maybe the testimony of other being just a poor substitute for one of English and think of someone witnesses, you can anticipate a certain those digital recorders that gives you greeting someone else, or maybe a tall type of response. For example, the instant playback, but only for 30 sec- building, but in Japanese you would witness begins by saying: onds at a time. envision an agreeable person. That is As an interpreter, you have to be the acoustic stimulus and response in Answer: “The car skidded like actively engaged in what the witness is our brains. That is the simplest rela- from here to there...” saying, to the extent that you not only tionship between sounds and understand but almost anticipate what meaning. We know that this most ele- You have fractions of a second, as the witness will say next—and therefore mentary of cognitive functions is not you hear those first eight words, to how you will compose your interpreta- enough for an interpreter to perform decide: do I let her finish with all the tion of the speaker’s words. Being competently. details she wants to give in her

24 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 answer, or do I break it down into like... from here to there, and... well, lessly, without necessitating longer smaller segments? This decision is it all happened so quickly that… retention on the part of the interpreter. particularly important if the witness is you know, I didn’t really get a For the semi-consecutive mode to also using body language to get her chance to... uh… I wasn’t... I wasn’t work, the interpreter and the source- message across. For example: counting... I just saw like a bunch of language speaker have to be attuned to people with guns and… I was each other, such that one begins to Answer: “The car skidded like scared, of course, you know, speak as soon as the other one stops, from here to there... and then it because... And then I heard some without interrupting each other or the spun around like this... so I stopped yelling, ‘Get down!’ ‘Get down!’ So flow of ideas. The utterances are brief my car because I wasn’t sure I went like... like this... with my enough to allow for this peculiar turn- which way it was going to go next, arms like this, trying to cover my taking, but not so brief as to sound and then I looked in my rear-view head, uh… And… I know I tried to inarticulate. This type of rendition mirror and saw this other car hide behind a… a truck or a car or comes about when the witness is intel- coming straight at me like at 60, 65 something… I don’t remember ligent and eloquent, so he knows not to miles an hour, so I tried to right now, but there was something break up his utterances into ungram- maneuver and get out of the way, there and... and... and... then I heard matical units or incomplete thoughts. but it still hit me, and that was the... Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! For example, the witness will say when I crashed against the Like that. I didn’t even know I had “When the evidence custodian deliv- guardrail and... Next thing I know I been shot… I didn’t feel it until… ered the shell casings to our lab for have glass shards all around me well, it felt really warm down here, analysis...” rather than “When the evi- and this part of my dress is covered down my arm… so I looked, and… dence custodian // delivered the shell in blood...” yeah, I was bleeding all right!” casings // to our lab // for analysis...” A well-performed semi-consecu- When a witness uses body language This type of answer almost tive interpretation has the added ben- to complete a verbal message, the con- demands a short consecutive rendi- efit of enabling the fact-finders to secutive interpretation has to be deliv- tion, because it is nearly impossible make undistorted credibility assess- ered within a timeframe that allows the for the interpreter to deliver all the ments of a non-English-speaking wit- target-language listeners to put the right pauses, inflections, hesitations, ness. One important criterion for the words and gestures together in a way incomplete sentences, false starts, and long consecutive mode to have that makes sense. We cannot emulate repetitions. I have heard interpreters become the preferred mode is that those gestures and incorporate them attempt it, plummeting into this witnesses who provide narrative into our verbal rendition. Interpreting mechanical read-back of copious answers are perceived as being more “He went like this and then I felt some- notes, with absolutely counterproduc- credible than the ones who give frag- thing here and as we were struggling I tive results because the listener is mented answers.15 felt him hit me over here, so I went like missing out on all the nuances, even I have also noticed that with the that and hit him back, but then he threw when he is getting all the words. semi-consecutive mode, interpreters a punch and I ended up on the ground” tend to preserve more of the source- after the witness is done gesturing, Semi-Consecutive Mode language nonverbal elements in their without matching those gestures to his One interpreting strategy that can target-language renditions, and I words, will be a senseless exercise that be helpful with these types of answers attribute that to the almost symbiotic will surely leave the target-language lis- is the semi-consecutive mode.14 This is relationship the interpreter comes to teners wondering what it all meant. actually a short consecutive rendition establish with the source-language Another type of answer can be a that establishes a certain rhythm speaker when using this mode, as fragmented account of events. For between the source-language speaker opposed to the professional detach- example: and the interpreter, allowing for longer ment that often prevails. Professional answers to be rendered with great ease. detachment is necessary so the inter- Answer: “Well... I think there were The benefit of this type of consecutive preter does not become personally three men... you know, maybe four, hybrid is that it allows for longer involved with any particular person or I’m not sure because I was standing answers to come across almost effort- set of circumstances, and there- ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 25 The Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in the Courtroom: Learning When to Use It Continued fore can avoid any bias or other convey the proper intonation so the was in a two-story building near improprieties. However, professional target-language listener understands— downtown Ft. Lauderdale, but I detachment does not mean that as a as source-language listeners do—that can’t remember the exact address judiciary interpreter you eliminate all certain portions of the question are right now. When I got there I rang the nonverbal indicators of emotion ungrammatical repetitions, false starts, a doorbell and got buzzed in. Mr. used by your source-language and the like, then he is not really doing Polanski was there alone; there speaker. his job. The interpreter may end up was no secretary. It was just the As a general rule, the source-lan- confusing the witness, causing the wit- two of us the whole time I was guage speaker’s own discursive style ness to be nonresponsive or to give an there. He didn’t even ask me to sit will determine which of the consecutive mode variations to use. A person who starts to say one thing and in mid-sentence goes off on a tangent repeatedly is best suited for short-con- An interpreter’s performance is never about the secutive renditions. When attorneys become disorganized in their exami- interpreter as an individual, it is about the source- nation, they can fall into this category as well. It is particularly disconcerting language speakers and how best to bring across to hear an interpreter on the witness their message. stand incorporate false starts and incomplete thoughts into her rendition of an attorney’s question without the proper pauses and intonation. For example: answer that makes her seem less down, and I didn’t really want to truthful, and therefore less credible, in be there. He just asked me if I had Question (with intonation and the eyes of the fact-finders. the envelope, I said I did. He put pauses): “When you were his hand out… and I gave him the approached by the Border Patrol Factual and Expert Witness envelope with the one hundred Officer... strike that. When you Testimony thousand dollars in it. That was it. stopped at the Falfurrias check At the other end of this spectrum I left and never saw Mr. Polanski point, what personal identification are speakers who are consistently log- again. Until today, that is.” documents... what … what docu- ical and coherent in their discourse, so ments, if any, did you provide the they are well suited for long consecu- Answer from Expert Witness: authorities?” tive renditions. In addition to attor- “Our cyber-crimes unit had Mr. neys, this last group can include Polanski’s bank account under sur- Question (without intonation or factual and expert witnesses. Factual veillance. We detected a movement pauses): “When you were witnesses will most likely provide nar- from his bank account in the U.S. approached by the Border Patrol rative accounts of events as they devel- to a bank in the Cayman Islands Officer, strike that, when you oped along a time/space continuum. known to be a hawala broker. The stopped at the Falfurrias check point, Expert witnesses, on the other hand, U.S. currency at that point was what personal identification docu- tend to provide testimony having to do exchanged for Rupees, and trans- ments, what, what documents, if any, with abstract concepts, making it ferred to a known hawaladar in Sri did you provide the authorities?” better suited for the semi-consecutive Lanka. In Colombo, the capital mode. Take these two examples: city, a local undercover agent was Making sure every single word is approached to buy five postal interpreted is not as important as Answer from Factual Witness: “I money orders which were to be making sure the question comes had an appointment to meet with moved by boat to the port of across as intended. If the interpreter Mr. Polanski in his office at 3:30 Karachi, in Pakistan. The plan was cannot make the proper pauses or p.m. on June 16, 2007. His office to use the money orders to buy

26 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 gold and then deposit that gold in a safe belonging to a member of Lashkar-e-Omar, also known as Al Qanoon, a Pakistani Islamic funda- The source-language speaker’s own discursive style mentalist terrorist organization. will determine which of the consecutive mode The FBI, in a joint operation with the Federal Investigation Agency variations to use. in Pakistan, confiscated the money orders and arrested the defendant here, Mr. Polanski, and 27 co-con- spirators.” like cleaning up foul language that may distort the message of the The interpreter needs to make deci- because you never use it yourself. speaker for whom you are interpreting. sions constantly about whether to Those are not your words, and you allow what will evidently be a lengthy have no right to change them. Where Semantics and answer to be delivered in its entirety Likewise, you have no right to change Pragmatics Meet before interpreting it, or whether to anything else about the source-lan- The interpreter’s delivery has to render it in shorter utterances that will guage speaker’s message. So even if accommodate the source-language not affect the impact of the testimony you want to act as a buffer zone in a speaker’s style regardless of whether or the fact-finders’ perception of the verbal match between an attorney and the audience is the non-English- witness’s credibility and reliability. a witness, that is not your role. speaking defendant or the English- An interpreter may decide to use the Of course, verbal sparring can also speaking judge. The perception a long consecutive mode for some be taking place between a man and a witness has of the examining attorney answers and the short or semi-consec- woman, or two women; the interpreter is just as important as the perception utive for other answers by the same can be either male or female. None of jurors have of a witness. The opinion witness. There is no one-size-fits-all that should matter. Gender is one vari- we form about a person’s intelligence, that can be applied all the time able we have to erase from the equa- expertise, and so forth, is directly because discourse changes during tes- tion. If a witness is rude, your rendition related to the way in which that timony. Someone who was very con- has to convey that. If an attorney is person speaks. So when an interpreter fident may suddenly become nervous abrasive, you have to convey that to the is using the consecutive mode, he has and defensive, or someone who was witness. The message is in the “how,” to know whether or not he is pro- sympathetic may suddenly become not just in the “what.” In fact, “one viding the fact-finders in the case with angry. As emotions change during the observer at the first Nuremberg trial all the elements of the discourse they course of testimony, so can the style complained that ‘[y]oung women with need to be able to form an accurate of someone’s discourse, and the inter- chirpy little voices’ interpreting the opinion of a given speaker.17 preter has to make adjustments rough declamations of generals dimin- The absence of nonverbal or par- accordingly. ished the power of their words.”16 We alinguistic information is not always Granted, there are some difficult cannot change the pitch of our voice so due to any particular limitation or situations in which the interpreter can that a female sounds male or vice- defect in the interpreter’s retention feel like she is in the line of fire. versa. What we can do is to be aware of capacity. It is simple indifference... or Maybe the examining attorney is our own voice: Am I soft-spoken? Do I ignorance. These can be very dan- openly hostile and the witness is have a booming voice? Is my voice a gerous attitudes if they seep through a openly resentful. Suppose they are distraction in any way while I am inter- consecutive rendition from the wit- both men and the interpreter is a preting? Be aware of how your own ness stand, particularly when dis- female. The men are having a testos- voice and discursive style may inter- guised as formality. Judiciary terone party and she may want to dif- fere with your sworn duty as a judi- interpreters have been trained to fuse the situation by using a softer ciary interpreter. Be self-critical and remain neutral and impartial, to inter- tone of voice because she may feel make every effort to eliminate those pret everything that is said without uncomfortable herself. Well, that is peculiarities of your own discourse embellishments or omissions, ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 27 The Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in the Courtroom: Learning When to Use It Continued but not to emulate facial or body ges- particular significance. The inter- someone—I ask you—can he be tures. With such a tight straightjacket, preter must retain that word order. capable of constructing a it is little wonder that many are afraid The verb “to walk” is also significant detailed... uh... narrative... that to venture too far from the semantic because the witness could have driven reflects distortion of the truth but aspects of discourse into the prag- or ridden a bike. is—but is a consistent narrative matic aspect of meaning.18 An interpreter who knows how to over a long period of time?” As interpreters, we must know read all the verbal and nonverbal infor- how tight or how loose our straight- mation provided by the source-lan- Are repetitions in this context jackets are tied. Until now, we have guage speaker and recreate that in the meaningful? Are hedges meaningful? been operating on the assumption that the straightjacket is fully strapped, tight as can be, with absolutely no wiggle room. Of course, we all know that in real life no interpreter can per- Be self-critical and make every effort to eliminate form under such constraints. My con- tention is that those who try it are those peculiarities of your own discourse precisely the ones who end up sounding like robots. that may distort the message of the speaker

What is Meaningful? for whom you are interpreting. Can interpreters develop an intuitive knowledge of what is meaningful and what is not in the source-language utterance? What can we ignore when target language as if he were the speaker I would argue that they are not. The we reformulate the utterance in the will produce a rendition that is as close examining attorney is not trying to target language? Can we release some as possible to spontaneous or natural confuse the witness or to be evasive. “room” in our short-term memory that discourse. In that process, the intuitive The repetitions may be the result of we use to remember unimportant data knowledge about language use we all nerves or distractions. Does this non- so we can retain important nonverbal have can help us decide what informa- verbal information contribute any- information? tion is actually meaningful and what is thing to the meaning and intent of the If a witness says “I remember not. The following are some other question? This added nonverbal infor- seeing a hammer, a white plastic bag, verbal and nonverbal discourse cues mation is not going to have a signifi- and some rope on the floor in the that will help the interpreter. cant impact on the witness’s answer. living room...” the interpreter can say In this particular context, all the inter- “I remember a white plastic bag, some Repetitions: Repetitions can be mean- preter needs to convey is the core rope, and a hammer on the floor in the ingful because at a given point in time question, not the distracting repeti- living room...” The order in which the they can convey the speaker’s state of tions and hedges: objects are seen is not significant to mind: (e.g., she is unsure, nervous, or the overall meaning of this utterance, perhaps obsessive about details.) “Is someone with borderline person- nor is the verb “to see.” It is a fore- Other times repetitions simply mean ality disorder, and all other psycho- gone conclusion that the witness that the speaker is getting ahead of logical problems that the defendant remembers these things because she herself, or is simply a bad public has, capable of constructing a saw them, not because she smelled or speaker. detailed narrative that reflects dis- heard them. tortion of the truth, but is consistent If, however, a witness says “I Question: “Doctor, can someone over a long period of time?” walked by the grocery store, the hard- with borderline personality dis- ware store, and the park,” then the order... uh... disorder, and all the To expect the interpreter to do any- order is establishing a certain other psychological problems that thing else is burdensome and unrea- sequence in time and space, so it has a the defendant has... can that sonable, and contributes nothing to

28 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 the accuracy of the rendition, the con- that cannot be provided by using the • The action of representing a char- veyance of meaning, and the ultimate fragmented short consecutive mode. acter: the interpreter assumes the understanding by the target-language Conversely, an interpreter who is pro- “persona” of the source language listener of the source-language ficient in the long consecutive mode speaker. speaker’s message. but cannot carry the message across languages with the proper intonation • A public presentation: the inter- Ungrammatical Pauses: Such pauses and other nonverbal elements of dis- preter is in open court and has can be meaningful because they can course, should consider using the an audience when a consecutive convey a witness’s level of education or short or semi-consecutive modes. interpretation is rendered. degree of knowledge about a particular An interpreter’s performance in a subject. However, when ungrammatical legal setting is not just about the Furthermore, “performance” as it pauses are combined with frequent words and the sequence in which they refers to interpreters must also hedges, false starts, repetitions, or are put together. It is about meaning. cover the linguistic behavior (of an digressions, the discourse may become Meaning cannot be conveyed solely individual) and the ability to speak so fragmented that the interpreter can no by making accurate lexical choices in a certain language (= competence). longer provide an accurate rendition the proper grammatical sequence. unless it is equally fragmented. There Meaning comes about from the syn- 3. Bernstein, Morris D. “Judging are times when nonverbal behavior ergy between the source-language Witness Credibility: A Talmudic becomes as significant—or more so— speaker and the interpreter, from Perspective,” www.camlaw.rutgers. than the verbal behavior. “A common establishing the best cadence in the edu/publications/law-religion/ observation by legal scholars (e.g., turn-taking between the two, and from articles/RJLR_5_1_4.pdf. Gardner, 1933) has been that testimony placing the proper stress, volume, Arguably, the appellate court is given in an assertive and positive speed, and even silences exactly also part of this English-speaking manner is treated by the courts as accu- where they belong. These are the ele- audience. However, the inter- rate and truthful.”19 When such infer- ments an interpreter must keep in preter’s rendition is delivered to ences as honesty, or expertise, can be mind when choosing among long, that particular audience through the made on the basis of discursive style, short, or semi-consecutive renditions. court reporter’s transcript, com- interpreters have the power to distort pletely devoid of any paralinguistic them when they distort the nonverbal Notes elements, therefore constituting a contents of discourse. 1. For purposes of this article, the separate and distinct issue beyond focus will be exclusively on the the scope of this article. Further - It is Not Just About Words consecutive interpretation of court - more, appellate courts seldom There are advantages and disad- room witnesses. review a lower court’s or jury’s vantages to both the long and short finding as to the credibility of a wit- consecutive modes. The choice should 2. When referring to the interpreter’s ness. “A common rationale for def- be based on the source-language “performance,” the term is in- erence to the trial court’s findings speaker’s discursive style, and not the tended to include all the following of fact is that only the finder of fact interpreter’s ability to perform in one meanings: has had the opportunity to see and mode or the other. Interpreters have to hear the witness and to judge her be proficient in both techniques so • The execution of an action: the demeanor. An appellate court, they can provide complete and accu- interpreter conveys the mes- deprived of this opportunity, would rate renditions, not word-for-word sage of the source language only be ‘second-guessing’ the trier repetitions or read-backs lacking in speaker in the target language. of fact were it to review a credi- nonverbal content. If the interpreter is bility determination.” not proficient in the long consecutive • Something accomplished: people technique, he should at least be able to who do not speak the same lan- 4. Cf. Conley, John M., and William engage in the semi-consecutive mode guage can understand each other M. O’Barr. Just Words: Law, when the discourse interpreted upon the interpreter’s rendition. Language, and Power (Chicago: demands a certain flow and coherence University of Chicago Press, ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 29 The Pitfalls of the Long Consecutive Mode in the Courtroom: Learning When to Use It Continued

1979). Also: Atkinson; J. Max - Stereotypes Affect Witness Credi - logic Imagination: Four Essays well; and Paul Drew. Order in the bility (Cornell University: Honors (Austin: University of Texas Court: The Organization of Verbal Thesis, May 2007), ecommons. Press, 1981), 280. Interaction in Judicial Settings. library.cornell.edu/bitstream/ “The word in living conversa- (Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey: 1813/7820/1/Melville,%20Amy.pdf. tion is directly, blatantly, oriented Humanities Press, 1979). This paper raises the issue of toward a future answer-word: it gender-specific discourse and the provokes an answer, anticipates it, 5. See the following studies: Berk- possible impact of an interpreter’s and structures itself in the Seligson, Susan. The Bilingual gender and his or her discursive answer’s direction. Forming itself Courtroom. Court Interpreters in style on the fact-finders in a case. in an atmosphere of the already the Judicial Process (Chicago: However, this subject—addressed spoken, the word is at the same Chicago University Press, 1990); by Marianne Mason in her book, time determined by that which has Hale, Sandra. “The Interpreter on Courtroom Interpreting (See Note not yet been said, but which is Trial: Pragmatics in Court 5)—falls outside of the scope of needed and in fact anticipated by Interpreting.” In S. E. Carr; R. this article. the answering word. Such is the Roberts; A. Dufour; and D. Steyn situation in any living dialogue.” (eds.), The Critical Link: Inter - 10. Winkel, Frans Willem, and Leendert preters in the Community (Amster - Koppelaar. “Rape Victims’ Style of 14. Mason, Marianne. Courtroom dam and Philadelphia: John Self-Presentation and Secondary Interpreting (Lanham, Maryland: Benjamins, 1997); and Mason, Victimization by the Environment.” University Press of America, Marianne. Courtroom Interpreting Journal of Interpersonal Violence Rowman and Littlefield, 2008). (Lanham, Maryland: University (Volume. 6, Number 1, 1991), 29-40. Mason first encountered the con- Press of America, Rowman and Also: Baldry, Anna Costanza, and cept in De Groot, Annette M. B. “The Littlefield, 2008). Frans Willem Winkel. “Perceptions Cognitive Study of Trans lation and of the Credibility and Evidential Interpretation: Three Approaches.” In 6. Kaufmann, Geir; Guri C.B. Drevland; Value of Victim and Suspect Danks, J.H.; G.M. Shreve; S.B. Ellen Wessel; Geir Overskeid; and Statements in Interviews.” In Boros, Fountain; and M.K. McBeath (eds.), Svein Magnussen. “The Importance J; I. Munnich; and M. Szegedi (eds.), Cognitive Processes in Translation of Being Earnest: Displayed Psychology and Criminal Justice: and Interpreting (Thousand Oaks, Emotions and Witness Credibility.” International Review of Theory and California: Sage and Gerver, 1997), Applied Cog nitive Psychology Practice (De Gruyter: Berlin, 1998), 25-56. Also: “Empirical Studies of (Volume 17, 2003), 21-34. 74–82; and Bothwell, R.K., and M. Simultaneous Interpre tation: A Jalil. “The Credibility of Nervous Review and a Model.” In Briskin, 7. Male and female pronouns are used Witnesses.” Journal of Social R.W. (ed.), Translation: Applications indistinctly throughout this article, Behavior and Personality (Volume 7, and Research (New York: Gardner and every use of one gender implies Number 4, 1992), 581-586. Press, 1976), 165-207. (From an the inclusion of the other. e-mail exchange with the author.) 11. Ibid. 8. Kaufmann, et al. Op Cit. Also: 15. O’Barr, William M. Linguistic Wessel, Ellen; Guri C.B. Drevland; 12. Mackintosh, Jennifer. Review Evidence: Language, Power, and D. Eilertsen; and S. Magnussen. of Anne-Marie Widlund-Fantini’s Strategy in the Courtroom (New “Credibility of the Emotional Wit - Danica Seleskovitch, Interprète et York: Academic Press, 1982). ness: A Study of Ratings by Court témoin du XXe siecle L’Age Judges.” Law and Human Behavior d’Homme (Lausanne, 2007), 16. Persico, Joseph E. Nuremberg: (Volume 30, 2006), 221-230. www.aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/page Infamy On Trial 263 (1994). Cited 2652.htm. by Joshua Karton in “Lost in 9. Melville, Amy Lynn. The Crying Translation: International Crim- Game: An Examination of How 13. Cf. Bakhtin, Mikhail. The Dia - inal Tribunals and the Legal

30 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Points to Remember Implications of Interpreted Testi - mony,” www.thefreelibrary.com/ Lost+in+translation:+internation Beyond the differences between questions and statements, we have differ- al+criminal+tribunals+and+the+ legal...-a0181897961. ences in intent when an attorney is questioning a witness.

17. Cf. Conley, John M.; William Very little is unintentional when it comes to examining or cross-examining a O’Barr; and Allan E. Lind. “The witness. Power of Language: Presenta - tional Style in the Courtroom.” While it is true that interpreters proficient in the long consecutive mode bring Duke Law Journal (Volume 6, 1978), 1375-1399. into their renditions every word a question may contain, it is also true that many fail to include the nonverbal elements. 18. “Pragmatics is that branch of linguistics concerned with language A mechanical and emotionally incongruent rendition is always going to be in use or the study of meaning as it inaccurate at best, and—at worst—can have a detrimental effect on the final arises from language occurring in outcome of a case. context. Pragmatics does not examine the relationship between the word and its definition or sense As an interpreter, you need to modulate your voice so it conveys sentiment, (the domain of semantics), but the not drama. relationships between words and the entities (real-world or otherwise) to An interpreter’s performance is never about the interpreter as an individual, it is which those words refer (referents or about the source-language speakers and how best to bring across their message. discourse entities). Furthermore, the linguist working in pragmatics is trying to account for utterances in As an interpreter, you must be actively engaged in what the witness is terms of the meaning intended by saying, so you not only understand but almost anticipate what the witness will the speaker and understood by the say next and, thus, how you will interpret the speaker’s words. hearer.” (http://en.citizendium.org/ wiki/Pragmatics) The source-language speaker’s discursive style will determine which of the 19. Deffenbacher, Kenneth A. “Eye- consecutive mode variations to use. witness Accuracy and Confidence: Can We Infer Anything from Their Be self-critical and make every effort to eliminate those peculiarities of your Relationship?” Law and Human own discourse that may distort the message of the speaker for whom you are Behavior (Volume. 4, Number 4, interpreting. 1980), 243-260. Also: Gardner, Dillard S. “The Perception and Memory of Witnesses.” Cornell When an interpreter is using the consecutive mode, he has to know whether Law Quarterly (Volume 18, 1932), or not he is providing the fact-finders in the case with all the elements of the 391-409. “Juries quite generally discourse they need to be able to form an accurate opinion of a given speaker. regard the assertiveness and posi- tiveness of the witness as the best The ultimate challenge for an interpreter is being able to establish relation- test of accuracy...” ships between what is being said, what has already been said, and what we can anticipate will be said.

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 31 Adapted from the paper “Preventing Plagiarism,” written for A.D. Vision by Sarah Alys Lindholm in April 2007.

In recent conversations both within and outside the anime and translation industries, I have come to the realization that many people have questions about how and why plagiarism matters in the context of their everyday jobs and lives. Those with a good understanding of the issue in general can become confused when more than one language is involved. Plagiarism is a very serious and real issue for translators (indeed for everyone!), and I would like to walk through the major issues here to help clarify what plagiarism is, why you should avoid it, and how you can make that happen. I will start with the general issues and then move on to those that apply to employees and independent Plagiarism contractors, and finally to those applicable to translators and other people working with multiple languages. Facts for What is Plagiarism? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, to plagiarize something Translators means “to use and pass off as one’s own (the ideas or writings of another),” or “to appropriate for use as one’s own passages or ideas from (another).” and Other Freelancers What this means is that when you use an idea, a story, a quote, or a piece By Sarah Alys Lindholm in consultation with Irina Greenman of written, video, audio, verbal, or intellectual content that someone else produced—be it a sentence, a paragraph, a photograph or art image, a special piece of terminology coined by someone else, etc.—without making it explicit that you are not the original author, this is considered plagiarism. This is true whether your original source is a book, a website, something you heard Alton Brown say while watching the Food Network at 2 a.m., something said in an interview, or any-

32 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 thing else. Additionally, it is true for information in any language. In other If you are unsure whether a source needs words, if you are asked to write a paragraph about French wine and find a to be cited, just cite it. nice French-language website on the subject, and you translate text from that website into English but pass off the English text as your own, you are ited to the people you actually plagia- have in effect been practicing without still plagiarizing. rized. If you are doing work for a a valid license.) Finally, sometimes people may client/employer and they discover that know that taking text directly from you have opened them up to possible Plagiarism may constitute copyright someone else is plagiarism, but think bad public relations or legal liability by infringement. Copyright infringement that if they paraphrase or reword it plagiarizing, they will also be upset. In is the unauthorized use of copyrighted slightly it becomes okay. In many a setting where you are providing material. Now, while plagiarism itself cases, if you do not cite a source, par- goods or services, if the consumers at may not be illegal, copyright infringe- aphrasing or slightly rewording large discover that something you ment is illegal. Many cases of plagia- someone else’s text is still plagiarism. write/produce is plagiarized, you may rism can also be considered copyright There are some guidelines for how to very well upset a large number of infringement, and therefore be legally tell if what you are doing is okay, people who are your core market. actionable. If you are unsure about which I will cover. Morally outraging the people who pay something related to copyright, either your salary, directly or indirectly, is consult your client’s legal counsel or Why is Plagiarism Bad? strategically very disadvantageous. another expert in the matter—or just There are several reasons, ranging avoid the questionable activity in the from ethical to practical to legal. Plagiarism harms your reputation first place. and makes you less trustworthy in Plagiarism is unethical. It is a form of the eyes of those who know. This does Plagiarism may be fraud. If plagia- lying, because you are presenting not really need much explanation. rized material is used to prove any someone else’s work as your own. It is kind of personal qualification, whether also a form of theft, because something Plagiarism can destroy your career it be for graduation, job licensure, or written by someone else is their intel- or have other negative conse- in representing a company’s charter, lectual property. If I write a paper about quences. Plagiarism may not be goals, or status, this can constitute the effects of caffeine on subtitle against the law in all cases (see my fraud. At the risk of sounding obvious, timers, it becomes my intellectual prop- comments on copyright infringement, fraud is illegal. erty—whether or not I publish it. If you etc.), but that does not mean it is then take a segment from that paper and without strong negative consequences. Plagiarism may constitute libel. For include it in something you write In some industries, such as journalism example, if an article says something without giving me proper credit, you and academics, successful accusations nasty about Person X or Company Y are in effect stealing my property. of plagiarism can cost you not only and passes this off as fact, and you (And telling everyone else it is your your job but your career. And not only quote or reproduce the information property!) can students be suspended or expelled without citing your source, you or your from most colleges for plagiarism, but client/employer can be sued for libel if Plagiarism makes people mad. Just as in some cases if it is discovered that the “fact” turns out to be untrue. Libel is properly crediting people can earn you you plagiarized a major work such as illegal. However, if you cite your friends and be great for networking, if your thesis, your degree can be taken source, the original source is the one you plagiarize and get caught, you are away, even after you graduate. (You responsible for libel, not you. going to upset someone. Making ene- may then be legally vulnerable if mies is not as strategically advanta- licensure for your profession was con- How Do I Write Something Which geous as making friends, and the tingent upon your degree, since not is Free of Plagiarism? people who are upset may not be lim- having earned that degree means you Obviously, the simplest way to ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 33 Plagiarism Facts for Translators and Other Freelancers Continued avoid plagiarism is to generate original Never quote any source directly • Tip #3: If the quote is long and you content on your own completely from without putting the quote in quota- do not need/want the middle part, as scratch whenever you can. In other tion marks and making it clear in the sentence “The Family Guy is words, the surest path is to write in your where the quote originated. For one of the stupidest shows ever cre- own words from your own knowledge. example, if I want to use this sentence ated and is not something I ever If you need to write an explanation of a from an Anime News Network article: want to see again,” you can abbre- physics concept that you already under- viate it like this: “‘The Family Guy stand, write it yourself and do not look If you were of gaming age between [...] is not something I ever want to up sites on Google trying to find better 1998 and today, you have no excuse see again,’ said a disgruntled viewer wording. Like wise, if you are a trans- for not knowing what Pokémon is. who asked not to be named.” This lator writing an explanatory note about example also shows how you can the Bon Festival and already know I have to put it in quotes and explain deal with situations where the enough about the festival to make a suf- where it came from: person you quote does not want to ficient note, write the summary using be cited by name. You describe their your own knowledge instead of According to Anime News position (“government official,” copying something from About.com or Network’s Adam Pawlus in his “Halliburton employee,” “profes- another site. This is the simple way to 4/24/07 issue of Super Plastic, “If sional clown,” “disgruntled avoid getting into trouble. you were of gaming age between viewer,” etc.) and then specifically However, there is no way to know 1998 and today, you have no excuse state that they requested anonymity. everything, so there are times when for not knowing what Pokémon is.” we need to gather information or con- Always cite the sources you have used firm facts before we can write. • Tip #1: If something is in quota- in any significant way, even if you par- Sometimes even if we do know things, tion marks, it is assumed to be a aphrased—and even if you used only we might not know the best way to direct quote. Never change any “structure” or “phrasing” rather than express this knowledge. It happens to part of the quote if you cite it as a ideas or facts themselves. A distinctive everyone! direct quote, even if it does not way of organizing, phrasing, or pre- So, how do you work with informa- “sound nice”—unless you are in an senting information can be just as open tion from other sources without pla- interview context and you and the to plagiarism as a direct quote. Also, just giarizing? Basically, you have to cite interviewee agree ahead of time rephrasing someone else’s work a little those sources—whether you use only that some editing is okay. Be does not mean you have avoided plagia- a few words or a whole paragraph. If careful, though, particularly rism—especially if you are paraphrasing you are going to use or refer to because you will be held account- an idea of theirs. Without citing the someone else’s work, you have to able for what you attribute to other source, you make it sound like the idea make it clear to the audience: 1) that people. Misattributing a quote in a was yours, and that is plagiarism. For the material is not original to you; and printed or published document can those who would like more detailed 2) where they can find your source if be a form of libel, which is illegal. information on paraphrasing and when they want to look for it. The latter is and when not to cite, there is an excellent important not only to give the source • Tip #2: If you need to clarify part of short explanation in the book Writing credit, but to prevent others from mis- a quote, like what a pronoun is refer- With Sources: A Guide for Students by using the source or quoting it out of ring to, you can edit the quote for Gordon Harvey.1 While Harvey’s writing context. It also allows the cited infor- clarity, but the edit has to go in is directed toward a student audience mation to be fact-checked. As Irina brackets. For example, if you want to about how to write papers, the principles Greenman, consultant on this article quote my opinion of The Family discussed should be applied everywhere. and a teacher by profession, points Guy, which is “I hate that show,” you I have referred to this book many times out: “It can be very dangerous to use can do this for clarity: “‘I hate [The to answer questions. someone else’s research if you haven’t Family Guy],’ said viewer Sarah first fact-checked it, particularly in an Alys Lindholm in a fit of rage.” Or Check the copyright and terms of academic setting.” “‘I hate [it],’ said viewer Sarah Alys use before photocopying or creating So how do you do this? Lindholm in a fit of rage.” a PDF for distribution. Say that you

34 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 want a few pages of a book or other Facts are not protected, but opin- greatest danger of something like this published work to be available for ref- ions, anecdotes, and conclusions are happening in the context of translation erence to your company/colleagues/ protected. Sometimes it is not imme- is probably if the translator reads a students, so you photocopy or make a diately obvious whether a statement is preexisting translation of the content. PDF of just those pages and distribute a fact, an opinion, or somebody’s con- them. This is okay if done appropri- clusion based on a set of facts or opin- How Do I Cite My Sources? ately. First, be aware that some books ions. You might have to sit and think Okay, sure, it is easy to say you specifically prohibit the distribution of about it for a minute. A person may have to cite sources, but how should photocopies in their copyright, so even state something to make it sound sources be cited? There are all kinds of check the copyright page for any legal like a fact when it is actually an rules for how to cite sources in an restrictions mentioned there.2 Second, opinion or conclusion. If in doubt, you article or an academic paper. Usually if photocopying for private/educa- should cite the person who made the you cite them within your writing, and tional use is okay for that book, you original statement. often you list a set of sources at the still need to specify to the people you end of a document. There are various distribute it to that it is for internal ref- Not-yet-published or unpublished ways to do it. The bottom line is that erence only and should not be other- works are usually protected. If you citing your sources in the first place is wise used or distributed, because you take something from an unpublished way more important than how you do and your group do not have the right to paper/source without citing or it, as long as you convey enough infor- publish it in any form. You need to obtaining written permission, the fact mation so somebody else can retrace make sure the citation information is that your source was not published does your steps and find your source. printed on each page of the photocopy. not mean that you did not plagiarize. For example, if you are distributing You need to include the basic infor- material from Gordon Harvey’s book, If you received permission from the mation about the source. Whether the write “Harvey, Gordon. Writing With rights owner of your source to use source is online or offline, the title of Sources: A Guide for Students. material without a citation, or col- the source, the name of the person or Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing laborated on something with a co- entity who created it, and, if possible, Company, 1998.” at the top of the author who gave you permission not the date of publication (for Internet page of a master photocopy, from to credit him or her as a co-author, sources, sometimes this is the date you which you photocopy all the other that permission needs to be in accessed the website) are key. If the copies so that they all have this infor- writing. If you have the permission in source is a website, give the website’s mation printed on them. writing, it is much easier to prove that URL. If it is a person, give the name of you received permission! the person and some context. (Is this a Facts are not protected by copy- speech they gave at the 2004 right, but the presentation of those Even if you plagiarize accidentally, Democratic Convention, or a conver- facts is protected. Facts that are not it is still plagiarism. This is a danger sation you had with them? If it is a common knowledge should be cited, to creative writers in particular. speech, were you present, or are you but general facts like “bananas are Perhaps you read something a long quoting a book quoting the speech?). yellow,” “Arnold Schwarzenegger time ago, but do not really remember played the lead character in the movie it clearly, and accidentally think that it What about writing out citations The Terminator,” and “the Japanese is your own idea instead of someone where there are space restrictions? word korosu means ‘kill’” do not else’s. Even though you did not omit If you are writing original text that require a citation because they are just the source deliberately, it is still pla- will be printed in some form, you usu- commonly known facts; nobody owns giarism and you are still responsible. ally have a lot more room and can them or has discovered them. When in doubt about whether an idea basically write the citation like you However, a factual statement can still is original to you, conduct research to would do in an academic paper. be plagiarized if you use the same find out if something has been written However, in many contexts, you are phrasing and pass it off as your own. about it before. You can also phrase not going to have room for the long, the line differently than how it origi- full-on citations and reference lists an nally came into your head. The academic paper would use. If you ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 35 Plagiarism Facts for Translators and Other Freelancers Continued are writing marketing copy or short claimed to be mine. In this case, I feel the project of writing both this article blurbs for a website, for example, I adequately protected myself against and the original 2007 paper from there is just not much space. In these the suspicion of plagiarism. which it is adapted. She is not a “co- cases, by far the best thing is to find writer,” but she certainly did more out about the topic, internalize a lot of What about crediting or citing than enough to merit her own named knowledge, and write a completely people who provided help and back- credit! Therefore, I came up with the original blurb from your own knowl- ground knowledge, but whose con- credit of “by Sarah Alys Lindholm in edge (or from the knowledge of tributions were more “overall” consultation with Irina Greenman,” someone whose intellectual property rather than specific to any para- and asked her if she felt that was you own). Or better yet, get someone graph? Crediting or acknowledging appropriate. We both agreed on it, so who already has the knowledge to people who helped you in general, that is how the credit line appears. write the text and get written permis- even if it is not the type of thing where sion to use it! When that is not pos- you have a quote or idea that you are What about citations in reference sible, even a succinct “According to specifically citing, is a good and material not intended for the public? Harvard Physicist Joe Blow, [Joe important practice. This also applies if When working on material that will Blow’s theory or explanation of you collaborated with someone on a serve as reference material for clients physics]” will do it. project, or if you are quoting a person or colleagues (e.g., a summary of a As another example, when working who has given you written permission product or a translator’s note in a trans- on my translator’s notes—actually to do so without providing a formal lation), you basically have an infinite paged DVD menus—for the DVD citation. After all, even if you have amount of space to cite your sources series This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, I obtained written permission to use and should do so fully. Someone can did not cite any sources within the text someone’s ideas or words without a always whittle down these references because I did not really use any quotes, citation, it is still a good idea to give later on if they need the material to fit paraphrasing, or other people’s direct credit where credit is due. it into another piece of writing (press ideas in the body of the text itself So how do you do it? I think the release, liner notes, etc.). Until that (other than definitions of words, which example I gave above regarding my point, the risks of under-citing, which are not protected). However, the infor- father’s assistance with the Greek con- can result in accidental plagiarism, far mation about the finer points of tent on the DVD series is a good one. outweigh any time or space benefit in a Christian interpretation of New Testa- There are also a few different types of document not intended for consump- ment Greek did not come from my examples given in the next section. tion by public audiences. own everyday knowledge, even if I did The classic example is the put it in my own words. In order to “Acknowledg ments” section you see What are the Special Concerns of gain the knowledge to write those in the beginning of many books, where People Writing on Behalf of a notes, I had to consult sources. As the author names the people who pro- Client or Employer Instead of such, I included a short list of “credits” vided the most help during the publica- Themselves? at the end of Volume 3 of the series tion process. The most important thing There are several things about describing the sources I used, and I about crediting people who help you writing for others that are different credited my father John Lindholm (a is not really how you do it; it is from writing solely on your own Presbyterian minister) with assisting making sure that you do it—and that behalf. me with the DVD content pertaining to you do it in a way with which the Greek and Christianity. Would I have person you are crediting feels com- Intellectual property rights are dif- done this much more formalistically fortable. In the case of collaborators ferent in a relationship with an and rigorously if these notes had been or people who consult with you on the employer or client. When you begin for an academic paper? Yes. For the work as a whole, crediting them by work for an employer or client, you will purposes of this DVD extra, I made a name at the beginning is pretty stan- most probably be asked to sign a con- good faith effort to cite my major dard, but what if listing those collabo- tract waiving the rights to any intellec- sources. I also made sure that none of rators as co-authors does not make tual property you produce at or for that my sources’ phrasing or other exclu- sense? Well, Irina Greenman provided institution. In other words, my transla- sive property was present in the text I consultation and guidance throughout tions of Yugo the Negotiator are not my

36 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 property; they are the property of A.D. Vision, even though I produced them. The same is true for any programming, Translating something without citing its marketing copy, press releases, articles, translations, liner notes, box text, DVD source is plagiarism. extras, standards and guidelines—pretty much anything anyone employed by or contracted to a company produces while working for the company. cial credit scroll.) Sometimes even establish when you obtain this type Likewise, teaching or academic mate- if ethics and legality are not factors, of permission—whether, where, rial created when employed by a school etiquette can be a factor. and how the client/company wishes or university typically becomes the to be credited. property of that institution. This carries 2. It is possible to plagiarize your- several implications. self. This is actually true in general, 3. In some cases, your client/ but in the practical sense you prob- employer is not the owner of the 1. You do not have to cite certain ably only need to worry about it intellectual rights. The owner of types of in-company sources. For within the scope of your own pro- the rights might be your client’s example, if you are writing box text fession. Because of that clause client, or someone who licensed for Company X, but you incorpo- where you waived intellectual to/contracted with your employer. rate a paragraph that I previously rights to your work, your employer In this case, it does not matter wrote for the company in some or client owns content you produce whether you have your employer’s other file or e-mail, you probably for them. This generally includes all permission—you still cannot use do not need to cite me (though you content produced on the employer’s the content without avoiding plagia- should check my original file to computers, regardless of the pur- rism, because your client/employer make sure I was not citing someone pose for which you created it. If you cannot grant consent on behalf of else at the time). We both work for reuse that content for purposes the the actual rights owner. the company and both my original client has not approved, you are pla- text and your box text are owned by giarizing the employer/client, even When you are writing a document the company, not by either of us. though you originally wrote it in the for a client or company, you do not For example, when I worked as a first place. For example, since the know where that text will end up. media coordinator at A.D. Vision overall structure and a good deal of You cannot assume to know how far and needed an A.D. Vid-Note on a the content of this article are the content in a file you create will be technique in an old-school video reworked from a document I origi- distributed inside the company. If the game, I went and got my colleague nally wrote for A.D. Vision, in order content is used outside the company Brendan Frayne to write up some- to make sure this article was not for which you create it, that content thing for me about the technique. itself plagiarized, I had to contact could end up anywhere. Several years But I did not have to preface the the company and receive written ago, a paragraph from a file I thought Vid-Note with “Brendan Frayne permission to rework and reuse the I was writing for a certain client’s from A.D. Vision’s translation content. If they had said no, I would internal reference turned out to be department says.” This is because not have been able to use the struc- something they were planning to both Brendan’s content and my ture or content. You will notice that excerpt and publish on a third-party content were A.D. Vision’s content, right below my name in the credit website. I only found this out because since it was produced for the com- line to this article I inserted Adapted I accidentally stumbled across the pany. But since I specifically was from the paper “Preventing Pla- website after the fact and saw my credited by name with writing the giar ism,” written for A.D. Vision by writing there. But clients are perfectly Vid-Notes, common courtesy dic- Sarah Alys Lindholm in April, 2007. within their rights using content in tated that I credit Brendan for his This is the credit agreed upon unexpected ways like this, because contribution in some form in the between me and the company, they own the material. This means you text. (Which I did by creating a spe- which is another important thing to need to be very careful to avoid ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 37 Plagiarism Facts for Translators and Other Freelancers Continued plagiarism in all files you write for work, you specifically write out the would cite sources in English. You anyone in any capacity, even if you dictionary definition of a word directly will notice that when you translate think they are “internal files.” In my from a dictionary, like I did at the something such as a television show, example, if I had used content from beginning of this article, you should video game, or book, the source is somewhere else instead of writing that cite which dictionary’s definition you actually cited in the translated release. file myself, plagiarized content could are using. The definition of the word is It includes the copyright of the orig- have been passed on to the third-party not protected, but its presentation is. inal language version along with the website and who knows where else. translation’s own copyright. This could have exposed the client to What do I need to know about Please note that in some cases if a bad public relations and potential lia- translator’s notes? As I said earlier, translation of a source is found by the bility. (And landed me in hot water!) the safest way to deal with translator’s rights holders of the original to be notes is to write them in your own demonstrably inaccurate in a way that Sometimes you might be asked to words, or the words of someone who is damaging to them, they may have create a document or other content has ceded intellectual rights to you or grounds to take legal action, depending only to discover that almost all of it the client/company. If you do need to on the situation. So be careful! is quoting or paraphrasing outside paraphrase, quote, or otherwise use a sources. In this situation, something is source, it needs to be properly cited. If I do the right thing in terms of not probably wrong. Yes, there are cases Remember that you do not know and taking credit for someone else’s where this is appropriate, but it should cannot control what might be done work, does that mean I automati- not be happening all the time and may with your translator’s notes for the cally have the legal right to publish be a sign that you are not doing projects on which you work. They the translation of a large portion of enough original work. (Perhaps in this could end up being published in some that work? No. This is a tangential case you are being asked to do some- form. Again, if at any point you are point that is not applicable to most thing for which you are not really pre- creating a document or other content translators, but it still confuses people. pared or that is inappropriate for you. and discover that almost all of it is There are instances where not just a You may need to talk to your client or quoting or paraphrasing outside quote/excerpt, but the bulk or entirety supervisor about the situation.) sources, something is probably wrong. of something may be translated from one language to another and properly What Are the Special Concerns for What about non-English-language cited to avoid plagiarism, but the pub- Translators? sources? Even if you are translating lication of that translation still results Translation can become a pretty from these sources into English, you in copyright infringement. It all murky area for this kind of stuff. Here still need to cite them as you would an depends on the situation. It is a com- are a few frequently asked questions: English-language source. So, for plex issue that many of us never face example, let’s say I am doing research because we do our work on behalf of Can a dictionary be plagiarized? on some esoteric topic and I find a corporate clients who would be the Actual meanings of words are not pro- great explanation in Japanese on a ones liable if such a copyright viola- tected, so if you look up shiranu ga website. Maybe I do not think I could tion occurred. I merely wish to clarify hotoke in a dictionary and see that it is phrase it better, so I want to just trans- that just as plagiarism is not always “Ignorance is bliss,” you can translate late that explanation into English and copyright infringement, copyright it as “Ignorance is bliss” with no wor- use that translation in the text. I still infringement is not always plagiarism. ries and no citations. I would only need to cite the Japanese website as If you have questions or concerns, worry about that kind of thing if you my source. Translating something consult a copyright expert. find the definition in someone’s highly without citing its source is plagiarism. idiosyncratic and personal online dic- It is the same as quoting something Is it possible to plagiarize other tionary, and even then it is probably without citing. The same goes for eso- translators? It is possible and it is a enough of a gray area that you would teric facts that you learn from sources danger. It is somewhat of a gray area, want to think it through on a case-by- in other languages, or paraphrasing though. If you have always translated case basis. However, if instead of just you do from sources in other lan- Uso! as “You lie!” but you see me using the translation of a word in your guages—you cite them just like you translating it as “No way!” and decide

38 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 you like that better, is translating it as “No way!” in the future plagiarism? No, not really; “No way!” is a pretty Wikipedia is great for some kinds of research and common equivalent of Uso! But if you are reading a translation that has a terrible for others, so use it with caution. much longer and more specific idiosyncratic sentence, copying its translation into one of your own may be plagiarism. When in doubt, check with where you found it. Cite enough infor- aged to find a full-text version of the an expert or use a different translation. mation for someone to understand story in Japanese and Jack read Finally, if you are translating a work how to find that translated source later through it, he decided that the version that was previously translated by on. If the quotation is not from a large- he wrote without context was a mis- someone else, and you incorporate scale religious text and it is a very long representation of the story and dis- portions of their translation into your quote of a copyrighted work, you may carded it. He then helped me create a own without permission from the run into a permissions issue with new translation that was a better repre- rights holder, that is plagiarism (and whether you can use the translation. sentation of the story than my original. probably copyright infringement). So far this has never happened to me, If I had not consulted an expert on the but if you think it may be an issue, it is subject, my translation would not have What if the work I am translating probably best to consult a copyright been up to snuff, but without context, quotes something else? That hap- expert or your client/company’s legal neither of us would have been able to pens, and it does not automatically department. come up with the right thing. So, no make you a plagiarist. You do need to matter how much of an expert you are be careful how you handle it, though. What if no official English transla- on the language itself, context is of First of all, always put quotes in quo- tion of the quoted material exists or paramount importance to make sure tation marks and write a translator’s you do not have access to one? If you you do not misrepresent your source. note explaining exactly what is being have to translate the quote yourself Misrepresenting a source is in effect quoted. (Among other things, this will because no official or common-knowl- lying about that source. alert those who work with your trans- edge English translation is available, lation that the words within the quota- you should still cite the foreign-lan- What About “Free Sources” Like tion marks cannot be changed without guage source of the quote. It is also Wikipedia? consulting the source.) Exactly how important not to misuse the source. If First of all, Wikipedia is not always you want to handle the situation will necessary, find a larger chunk of the a good source. Since it is not a profes- vary depending upon whether there is source to obtain context before trans- sional encyclopedia and anyone can an official English translation of what lating so that your translation does not edit it, mistakes are common. is being quoted already in existence. mislead the audience as to the content Wikipedia is great for some kinds of of the source. research and terrible for others, so use What if an official English transla- For This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, it with caution. Second, some people tion of the quoted material exists? I had to translate some passages of the think that information from a “free When an official translation exists, I story Ugetsu Monogatari from source” can be used by anyone for any feel it is always best to try to use it, Japanese. I did this in consultation purpose, but this is not true. The rules since quotes are meant to evoke mem- with Jack Wiedrick, my go-to man governing how information from ories, and the English-speaking when it comes to translations of older sources like Wikipedia can be used are readers can (probably) only have text. His first draft and my first draft complex, but there are a couple of very memories of things they have read in were 100% different. I had spent half important things you need to know. English. Obviously, though, this is a an hour Googling background on the matter of personal choice. If you use story, and he had only had a chance to Wikipedia uses the GNU Free an official translation, you must cite see the lines that were on the screen Documentation License, which spec- not only what is being quoted, but when I cruelly dragged him over to my ifies how its content can be used.3 which translation you are using and cubicle without warning. When I man- Among other things, the implica- ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 39 Plagiarism Facts for Translators and Other Freelancers Continued tions are that text taken directly from Wikipedia cannot have a more restric- Related Links tive copyright than Wikipedia’s copyright. But chances are your client or employer claims copyright over all of Chicago Manual of Plagiarism Today its published content, putting you and Style Online www.plagiarismtoday.com your client/employer in direct viola- www.chicagomanualof tion of Wikipedia’s copyright. You style.org United States Patent have no way of knowing what content and Trademark Plagiarism.org Office you produce for them will eventually www.plagiarism.org www.uspto.gov be published. This puts your client in a very delicate position in terms of exactly when and how it can use anything from Wikipedia. There may be some situations where content from Wikipedia can be used, and many you are unsure whether something is • If you have any questions, find more situations where it cannot. okay for use, consult your client or someone who has the answers. Again, consult your employer’s legal employer’s legal department. department or a copyright expert if • If you are not sure whether your you have any questions. The surest Points to Remember source needs to be cited, check. way to avoid problems, of course, is In a conversation with Irina just to stay away from Wikipedia. Greenman about plagiarism, she told Bottom line: it is better to be safe than me about a phrase she uses with her sorry! Any source you use must be cited, high school students when discussing even if it is a “free source” like the subject: “When in doubt, check it Notes Wiki pedia. If you are unsure how to out.” It is a great catchphrase, and 1. Harvey, Gordon. Writing with cite a certain Wikipedia article, on the some brief Google searching tells me Sources: A Guide for Students left-hand side of the screen there is a people have used it as a rule of thumb (Hackett Publishing Company, “toolbox” section that should have a for everything from plagiarism to 1998). link saying “Cite this article.” medical emergencies. Here are some Clicking on that link will take you to a basic tips to help you out: 2. For example: “Copyright © 2009 by page containing all the information Sarah Lindholm. All rights reserved. you need to cite the article. That page • If you do not know whether some- No part of this work may be repub- will also have a link to a more detailed thing is original to you, investigate lished or distributed in any form page outlining more than you ever to see if you could have gotten the without permission. Requests for wanted to know about citing material from somewhere else, or republishing or distribution may be Wikipedia in general. rewrite it in a different way. addressed to [email protected].”

Are There Times When Citing My • If you do not know if what you are 3. You can read the full text here of Sources is Not Enough? doing is plagiarism, ask an expert Wikipedia’s GNU Free Documen - Yes. Copyrighted images, video, or or use original content instead. tation License agreement at: audio material in particular often http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip cannot be used without permission • If you do not know whether you can edia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Doc from the copyright holder. Sometimes use content, ask your client/ umentation_License. in the case of copyrighted text, long company’s legal department or passages or certain types of material check the usage policy/copyright of cannot be used without the permission the content itself. of the copyright holder, regardless of whether or not you cite the source. If

40 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Judy Jenner is a Spanish and German translator in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she runs Twin Translations with her twin sister. She is also the The Entrepreneurial Linguist Judy Jenner vice-president of the Nevada Interpreters and judy.jenner@ Translators Association. She hosts the popular entrepreneurial translation blog, Translation Times (www.transla Time-Saving E-Mail Techniques linguist.com tiontimes.blogspot.com). You can also find her at www.entrepreneuriallinguist.com. Photo by Ulf Buchholz

Welcome to the first installment of “The you catch yourself saying “That took document. For our rates and more infor- Entrepreneurial Linguist,” a column a long time,” or “That was very time- mation about us, please see XYZ.” presenting tips and tricks on how we can consuming!” When this happens, be entrepreneurs and run our small busi- think about ways to do that particular Time-consuming problem: Stopping nesses more efficiently and effectively. task more efficiently. Is it a repetitive what you are doing every 10 seconds This space will focus mainly on topics task? Is it something that could be to answer e-mail. related to marketing to direct clients, done using a document template? Is it accounting and bookkeeping, organiza- something that could be cost-effective Solution: Answer e-mail at preset tion, new software, basics of economics, when outsourced? times during the day, unless the mes- advertising strategies, time- and money- During the past few months, I have sage is both urgent and important. saving ideas, and negotiation advice. kept track of several time-consuming Most of us check our new e-mail every Ideas and questions should be directed to tasks related to e-mail and have devel- few minutes and oftentimes reply judy.jenner@entrepreneuriallinguist. oped some effective solutions. I have immediately, thus interrupting what we com. detailed a few of these below, which I are doing. You do not have to be a time hope you will find useful. management expert to know that this Time-Saving E-Mail Techniques will most likely cut into your produc- Time-consuming problem: Writing tivity and detract from your focus. This month, I would like to customized e-mail to clients inquiring While it might be too difficult to restrict address an important issue: saving time about your rates, services, turnaround yourself to checking your when sending and reviewing e-mail. time, etc. e-mail as little as twice a day, try to at Most of us receive dozens of least close your e-mail program when e-mails each day. As self-employed Solution: Develop templates to you are working on an important business owners who run many, if not handle repetitive e-mail inquiries. project and take a few minutes every all, parts of the business, time is our Create standardized responses, save hour to check new messages. Respond most precious resource and one that them in your favorite word processing immediately only if it is both urgent should be used wisely. Spending a program, and then paste the text into and important, and save the rest of the few minutes here or there on some- your outgoing e-mail message. You can messages for a predetermined time. thing surely does not seem like a sig- save these templates under different This solution might be a bit painful to nificant chunk of time, but it adds up. names, for instance, “standard_ implement in the beginning, but give it Whenever you have the chance, spend response_inquiry” or “response_rate_ a try. Limiting the amount of imme- some—yes, time—analyzing how you question,” so you can easily select the diate responses to e-mail will help you use your time and whether there is most appropriate one for the e-mail mes- stay focused, save time, and streamline room for improvement in your daily sage to which you are responding. This the work process. Consider answering routine of handling certain tasks. will be a tremendous time saver, as e-mail when you are taking a break Surely there are many instances when many messages really require standard from a difficult translation. responses (which you can always tweak and adapt). An example of one standard Time-consuming problem: Answer - response could be: “Thank you for con- ing potential clients’ e-mail in quiries Yahoo! Business tacting The Spanish Wizards. We appre- about your qualifications and experience. Discussion Group ciate your interest in our services. In order to send you a formal, free, no-obli- gation quote, please send us the source ATA members can discuss business issues online ¬ at the following Yahoo! group: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/ group/ata_business_practices. You will This column is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each need to register with Yahoo! (at no charge) if individual or company should make its own independent business decisions and consult you have not already done so, and provide your its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The views expressed here are full name and ATA member number in order to not necessarily those of ATA or its Board of Directors. Ideas and questions should be join the group. directed to [email protected].

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 41 The Entrepreneurial Linguist Continued

Solution: Have specialty-specific pre- lists, which are great forums to number of filters, which will help you sentations handy as PDF files that exchange information among col- gain control over the amount of mes- you can e-mail clients easily. This is leagues. All the lists I belong to are sages in your inbox. more targeted than just sending poten- quite active, so there can be dozens of tial customers to your website, as the e-mails on any given day. I answer fre- Time-consuming problem: Looking presentations can be customized for quently and enjoy learning from for e-mail you received or sent. several types of clients (for instance, others. However, I used to read every banking clients, marketing clients, e-mail immediately after it arrived, Solution: Set up e-mail folders. etc.). Then all you have to say is which was quite time-consuming. I Simply add folders to your e-mail “Thank you so much for your interest then set up e-mail filters on my inbox. directory structure and label them in a in my services. I am attaching a short Depending on your e-mail client, go to way that is easy and intuitive for you. company presentation with more infor- the tools or options menu and select If the message contains an attachment mation about my services. Please also the “message filter” option. Here you you would like to keep, save the see my website at XYZ. I would be can specify which messages are to go attachment to your directory structure happy to answer any other questions into an e-mail folder other than your on your computer and delete the e- you might have.” You could even use a inbox. I set up my filter so that any mail. I have dozens of e-mail folders, template for that short portion of text message with the word “GLD” (for including one for each client. I also (see the first solution on page 41). “German Language Division”) in have a “potential client” folder where either the address or the subject line I save correspondence so I always Time-consuming problem: Spend ing will go to a “GLD” folder automati- remember with whom I have been in too much time reading e-mail from cally, thus bypassing the inbox. As a contact. Do not forget to blind-copy electronic mailing lists. result, I go into that folder several yourself on important e-mail. times a day to check what is new Solution: Set up a mail filter. Most of instead of opening every single e-mail us belong to several electronic mailing as it comes in. You can set up any

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42 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Internet blogs are rich sources of information for translators and interpreters. They allow users to post questions, exchange ideas, network, and to read news and commen- Blog Trekker How to Maintain Your tary on a specific subject. The topics featured in this column are actual blog postings concerning issues pertinent to your Language Skills colleagues in the field today. Readers are encouraged to explore the many links provided at the end for additional material on the subjects being discussed. For more blog list- ings, visit www.atanet.org/careers/blog_trekker.php.

(Posted by Serena Dorey on April 29, tage of these is that you can listen to or vidual who started a French-speaking 2009, on Marketing Translation, watch them on the go using an MP3 club to help maintain her source lan- www.marketingtranslationblog.com/ player or other compatible devices. guage skills. I have come across sim- 2009/04) ilar clubs before, sometimes known as Network with Other Translators: “conversation groups.” Why not start a As translators, making sure Getting to know other people who group in your area and arrange to meet that our language skills are top-notch speak your languages, particularly on a regular basis with others who is essential. We not only have to make your source language, is very worth- speak or are learning your languages? sure that our source language skills while. Not only will you get the remain up to date, but we also need to opportunity to practice your skills, but Plan Yearly Visits to the Country keep tabs on the language(s) we trans- your social life will get a boost, too! Where the Source or Target late into. The pressures and time con- You will meet like-minded people, and Language is Spoken: While this straints we face in our daily lives might even get some new business in option can be very costly, it is an mean that this can be challenging, the bargain. You can meet people face- important long-term investment in particularly when you do not live in a to-face at social and business events, your career. You might be able to country where your source language clubs and professional groups, or deduct part of the cost as a business or target language is spoken. through online forums such as Twitter. expense on your taxes if the trip I decided to use Twitter to ask trans- To meet other translators working in includes visiting a client or attending a lators how they maintain their lan- your languages, your local translators’ conference. Be sure to check the rules guage skills, and have compiled a organization is a great place to start. on tax-deductible business trips in the selection of ideas based on the replies I country in which your business is reg- received. Here are a few things to try: Start a Language Club: This fan- istered as they vary widely. tastic idea was sent to me by an indi- Read Often and Widely: Translators are bookworms through and through, it seems. By far the most popular method of maintaining language skills is reading: books, newspapers, maga- Related zines, and quality websites. Reading is a great way to keep up with the latest Blogs and Links terminology and language trends, but can also help to improve your writing style and to familiarize yourself with a Marketing Your Translation Services—With Old-fashioned Touches range of language registers. http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2009/04/30/going-low-tech

Watch/Listen to Television, Films, Seth Godin’s Marketing Blog TranslationDigest Radio, and Podcasts: Many transla- http://sethgodin.typepad.com http://translationblogsdigest.blogspot.com tors watch television and films or listen to the radio in their source and/or target Speaking of Translation Podcast languages. Thanks to the Internet, http://speakingoftranslation.com many radio stations and television programs can be accessed online. Podcasts (Note: This is intended for in for mational purposes only, not as an are also a great way to keep up your endorsement of an individual or company.) language skills, and the fantastic advan-

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The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 43 The GeekSpeak column has two goals: to inform the community GeekSpeak Jost Zetzsche about technological advances and at the same time encourage [email protected] the use and appreciation of technology among translation professionals. Jost also publishes a free technical newsletter for translators (www.internationalwriters.com/toolkit). About Missed Opportunities

Crowdsourcing… a term so TEnTs that was available, it was cer- crowdsourced translation of Harry terrible it makes the professional trans- tainly true for the market-leading tools, Potter novels (for German, see lator do one of two things: her knees go some of which we still see today. www.had-community.de/HaD). All of weak and her heart shudders, or he Imagine for a moment what would these and many other past and ongoing cries out (in a slightly hysterical tone), have happened if we had embraced projects have felt nonthreatening to us, “Terrible translation quality! Terrible!” some or all of the technology offered so why are we now so up in arms Our industry has been talking about by TEnTs (translation memory, termi- about a concept that only seems new? this phenomenon for about two years nology management, advanced text I think it is because we are scared to now. Common Sense Advisory has extraction, quality assurance, etc.) lose something we think is ours. We even come up with a new acronym for from the get-go. I will stick my neck feel our industry has some kind of it: CT3, or “community, crowdsourced, out here and say that we would have a inherent right to the translation of and collaborative translation”; I am so different technology landscape today. applications and websites of multi-bil- glad they did not propose C11g Terminology management and inte- lion-dollar companies like Facebook. (remember L10n for Localization?)! gration into workflows would be After all, we are set up for it; we have In my opinion, it is high time to stop easier (or would be used much more the tools, the expertise, and the going in circles in our deliberations. because it would have been easier at a processes in place that could success- Let me start this discussion with an much earlier point); morphological fully accomplish these projects. example with which we are all familiar and syntactical features for a wide The only problem is that Facebook and which I hope will illustrate my variety of languages would have been apparently did not think so. The point. When translation environment implemented long ago in both termi- Facebook management team thought tools (TEnTs) first hit the market in the nology and translation memory it could create the “perfect” transla- early 1990s, they were adopted rela- searches; and relatively recent devel- tion if its volunteer users translated tively quickly by technologically savvy opments like subsegment searches site content. Users could make end-clients and language services would already be a natural part of our Facebook just the way they wanted it, providers, but the majority of transla- processes. And who knows what else thereby building the already strong tors fell into a kind of shock mode. we would have at this point? relationship with Facebook into an Many saw it as a real threat to the To me, the moral of this story is even stronger one by giving users a translation business as we knew it (and that we always have a choice not to sense of ownership—after all, they they were right) and, as such, highly become part of new developments in “created” their Spanish or German undesirable (here they were wrong). technology or processes, but our deci- Facebooks through translation—and Essentially, this new technology made sions carry consequences that might making them the best ambassadors the professional translator do one of influence the way this technology or imaginable for the site. While we all two things: his knees went weak and this process develops in the future— know there is no “perfect” translation, his heart shuddered, or she cried out (in almost independently of whether we Facebook might have just come pretty a slightly hysterical tone), “Terrible embrace it at some later point. close to it, despite the many “mis- translation quality! Terrible!” Let’s switch back to crowd- takes” our critical eyes might find in The next step was that these tools sourcing. While there has been a lot of the translated versions of Facebook. were increasingly modified for their attention recently on the crowd- Facebook created a value-added paying user group. Terminology man- sourcing attempts by Facebook or the translation. By the way, Facebook did agement was not implemented from a botched attempt by LinkedIn, some not do this on the cheap. Facebook translator’s perspective but from that form of crowdsourcing has been invested a lot of money and research of the corporate or academic terminol- around for a long time. Think of the into creating an application that ogist; new features were focused on translation of open-source software or allows for the translation and voting things like project management rather the volunteer translation of many system that is now in place for its own than linguistic features such as mor- shareware or freeware programs. site, which has just been released for phology or improved translation Think of Microsoft’s attempts to dis- free for any partner site of Facebook. memory searches; and the price of cuss terminology with its user base, Is Facebook’s example transfer- these tools was forbiddingly high. dotSUB’s translation of subtitles in able? I think in some cases it is—for While this was not true for each of the videos, or even projects like the community-oriented products, for

44 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Google Translator instance—but for most other projects it is not. At least not in the way that Toolkit Update Facebook does it. To harness the energy and knowledge of an enthusiastic After the October issue went to press with my article, crowd, which in turn makes it even more enthusiastic, you will obviously “Let’s Talk: Trados and the Google Translator Toolkit” need to be able to start out with a cer- (page 18), Google released a new version of its tain kind of enthusiasm that most Translator Toolkit on October 15. And since Google is not products and services cannot claim known for “thinking small,” the number of languages for themselves. (Even if that is poten- tially the case, as it was with that are now covered is rather large: 37 source lan- LinkedIn, its undiplomatic and heavy- guages and more than 300 target languages (even handed attempt at crowdsourcing and Latin!), though most language pairs do not feature the the subsequent formation of the automatic translation. LinkedIn group Translators Against Crowdsourcing for Commercial Busi- ness shows that there needs to be more than just an enthusiastic crowd.) tion, website, or product without tions like Facebook offers; and it is a So, it seems that two questions engaging in a professional relation- more strictly controlled system—it remain: Are projects like Facebook ship with them. uses elements of crowdsourcing and completely closed to professional In what other areas is crowdsourcing “translates” it into a strictly profes- translators? Is crowdsourcing appli- applicable? The sudden emergence (or sional environment. Companies like cable to other kinds of projects (and re-branding) of tools like Lingotek, Facebook might still decide to use as an extension of that, would that Welocalize’s CrowdSight (an add-on their own methods and tools, but it be desirable)? to GlobalSight), or Google Trans- might also be attractive to go with I think the answer in both (or even lation Center shows that there is an translation providers like McElroy all three) cases is yes. obvious need that goes beyond the who can offer large-volume transla- Community-based Facebook-like niche market of social networking. tions with extremely quick turnaround projects will stay closed to us only if Companies like McElroy Translation times. (After all, Facebook’s highly we allow that to happen. Again, show us that some elements of crowd- publicized 24-hour turnaround time Facebook did not attempt this project sourcing can be used in a professional for the translation into French was the as a money-saver, but because it saw setting. This Austin company works starting point for this current wave of the added value. Would projects like on large, ongoing projects with almost crowdsourcing.) this benefit from professional experi- immediate turnaround times. Rather There is much more that can be said ence in areas like translation tech- than scheduling and organizing trans- about crowdsourcing, but hopefully niques, terminology management, lators in a traditional one-translator- this illustrates that we do not do well translation memory maintenance, and for-one-project way, they publish by flat-out rejecting “new” ideas and the various other skills that are part of their projects on an internal site for concepts within our industry. We need our trade? Are you kidding? Of course large pools of translators, many of to take on leadership roles, and we can they would! And it is up to us to offer whom are guaranteed a certain learn from new ideas and implement that in a palatable way (and “palat- amount of work and income every them into our own workflow. able” is not a synonym for “free” or month provided that they check in on We must not forget the many “cheap”). What we have is unmatched a regular basis. While this approach is opportunities we missed in playing an expertise, a good track record, and a not the same as the crowdsourcing important role in the early develop- right to be treated in a professional that companies like Facebook offer— ment of TEnTs. Let’s not make the manner (something that LinkedIn did only prequalified professional transla- same mistake twice. not do). But what we do not have is tors are used (and paid for their work); the right to translate anyone’s applica- there is no voting system for transla-

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 45 memory, the faster you can translate • Real-time Preview—quickly and SDL is the leader in Global subsequent translations, saving time easily allows you to check the final Information Management (GIM) and money. look of your document within the solutions that empower organizations translation studio and updates in to accelerate the delivery of high- SDL Trados Studio 2009. real-time as you translate quality multilingual content to global Innovation Delivered • PDF—you asked, we listened, the markets. Its enterprise software and Since the acquisition of Trados in new filter for PDF means you can services integrate with existing busi- 2005 by SDL, there has been anticipa- work with PDF files when source ness systems to manage the delivery tion in the market about a unified trans- files aren’t available of global information from authoring lation memory software product. SDL For more information on SDL to publication and throughout the dis- Trados Studio is the culmination of 4 Trados Studio 2009 please go to tributed translation supply chain. years of research, development and sig- www.sdltrados.com/future. SDL has developed a pioneering nificant financial investment and not open and unified environment for the only combines the best of both SDLX What is Terminology? visionary GIM Platform™ based on and SDL Trados, it will be the next gen- Terminology is the study of terms the scalable and open architecture of eration translation memory software and their use. Terms are words and SDL Common Enterprise Application when it launches soon. phrases which describe products, Framework™ (CEAF). The GIM SDL Trados Studio combines services or industry jargon. They fre- Platform will hold all future SDL decades of translation technology expe- quently drive competitive differentia- technology products. rience with new and innovative fea- tion. Most companies use an In addition to this, SDL has tures, meaning it will be the most increasing number of industry- or released three revolutionary new revolutionary software on the market organization-specific words which desktop technology products: today. With one integrated environment need to be accurately stored, shared for all translation, review and project and translated. Terms could be any- New in Translation Memory management needs, it offers radical thing from a product name to a mar- • SDL Trados™ Studio 2009. new features on an open, standards- keting tagline. Innovation Delivered based platform. SDL Trados Studio will Terminology management is growing significantly enhance productivity and in importance as organizations are New in Terminology Management maximize performance throughout the growing globally and looking to convey • SDL MultiTerm® 2009. Because translation supply chain. a unified brand message across the Brand Matters Key new features will include: globe, but in local languages. The incor- • RevleX™ - powerful new trans- rect usage of terminology can lead to New in Software Localization lation memory engine at the inconsistent company branding and ulti- • SDL Passolo™ 2009. Designed heart of groundbreaking fea- mately leads to poor customer satisfac- with Software in Mind tures such as Context Match, tion. It is vital that both content creators AutoPropagation and multiple and translators manage and share termi- What is Translation Memory? TM lookup nology to achieve this consistency and A translation memory is a lin- • AutoSuggest™ - exciting fea- accuracy in customer communications. guistic database that continually cap- ture that maximizes the leverage tures your translations as your work from your translation memory SDL MultiTerm 2009. for future use. by intelligently suggesting pos- Because Brand Matters All previous translations are accu- sible translations of shorter Soon to be released, SDL mulated within the translation phrases or words as you type MultiTerm 2009 is the new termi- memory (in source and target lan- • QuickPlace™ - innovative new nology management software from guage pairs called translation units) way to quickly apply text for- SDL. Built on SDL CEAF, it provides and reused so that you never have to matting, tags, placeables and one central location to store and translate the same sentence twice. The variable elements such as num- manage terminology and integrates more you build up your translation bers, dates and times with both the authoring environment and SDL Trados Studio. By providing access to all those involved with applying terminology, including engi- neers and marketing, translators and terminologists, it ensures consistent and quality content and branding from source through to translation.

What is Software Localization? panies to accelerate the delivery of Certification, the translation industry Software localization is the their products to global markets and premier technology based certifica- process of adapting a software helps them achieve a simultaneous tion, which provides a recognized product to the linguistic, cultural and global release. standard of excellence in SDL Trados technical requirements of a target The real power of SDL Passolo is software knowledge. market. This process is labour-inten- its tight integration with the SDL SDL TRADOS Certification is a sive and often requires a significant Trados translation environment. This comprehensive professional training amount of time from the development ensures maximum leverage of previ- program designed to develop and val- teams. Traditional translation is typi- ously translated content through idate expertise in the use of SDL cally an activity performed after the translation memory, centralized ter- Trados translation technology tools. source document has been finalized. minology use for brand consistency As part of our commitment to the Software localization projects, on the and the ability to plug-in to enter- translation community we have an ideas other hand, often run in parallel with prise-wide solutions such as SDL portal website, ideas.sdltrados.com, the development of the source product Translation Management System®. which allows you to work with our to enable simultaneous shipment of product managers and vote on ideas to all language versions. SDL Trados. help us enhance our products further. More than just a Product Please visit http://ideas.sdltrados.com to SDL Passolo 2009. SDL TRADOS is the division of submit your ideas! Designed with Software in Mind SDL that provides innovative and To find out more about our new SDL Passolo 2009 is specifically market-leading translation software to products or to see the value of transla- designed with the software localizer the translation supply chain, SDL tion memory and how much it could in mind. Providing one visual envi- TRADOS is committed to supporting be worth to you, we have created an ronment for software localization, it the translation community. Our exten- exclusive page for The ATA Chronicle enhances the speed, quality and effi- sive and varied range of free educa- readers, www.sdl.com/atachronichle, ciency of the localization process. tional webinars include presentations where you can find a link to the ‘ROI This latest version is easy-to-use, on how to use our tools and presenta- Calculator’ and any product informa- requires no programming experience, tions hosted by industry experts on a tion. You will also find information on and is the fastest version of SDL variety of translation topics. training courses, Certification and Passolo ever thanks to QuickIndex™ To get the most from SDL Trados much more including a special offer technology. It enables software com- software we offer SDL TRADOS for the The ATA Chronicle readers. Compiled by Dictionary Review Peter A. Gergay [email protected]

Dictionary of Medicine: I love reference works, but cross-referencing in the dictionary.) French-English With like many translators, I suspect, my Although I found pictures on the English-French Glossary reliance on bilingual dictionaries has Web of nice-looking hardcover ver- Third Revised Edition declined since I began translating some sions of the earlier editions (including 25 years ago. This is a reflection of from third-party sellers on Amazon), both the accumulation of my own the third edition is available on CD- experience and the growth of the ROM only. I did not attempt to esti- Author: Internet, which places crucial “par- mate the total number of pages, but Svetolik P. Djordjevic allel” documents at our fingertips that there are a stunning 354 entries for the once had to be panned for like gold letter “S” alone. This impressive Publisher: from the murky depths of specialized length, along with authorial claims Jordana Publishing publications in specialized libraries, if such as “by far the most extensive of you were lucky enough to live near its kind” and “meticulous compilation, Publication date: one. Moreover, in my years as a trans- classification, and elucidation of January 2009 lator and project manager for a medical actual medical documents, rather than device manufacturer, during which I theoretical research,” made me eager Number of pages/entries: translated and reviewed medical litera- to put this dictionary to the test. Over 113,000 French terms (21,000 main entries) ture of nearly every type—from laboratory reports and clinical studies of Structure ISBN: both devices and drugs to product The dictionary was easy to install 1-887563-84-9 (hardcover) inserts and promotional literature— from the CD-ROM drive on my iMac (Only available on CD-ROM) truly useful bilingual medical diction- (OS X), and to run from Adobe aries in the French-English language Acrobat Reader, version 9. The Available from: combination were hard to come by. instruction guide explains that it will Jordana Publishing Over the years I have relied almost also open with Acrobat versions 6, 7, PO Box 694 exclusively on monolingual refer- and 8, but that in this case, “only the Banning, CA 92220 ences, the Internet, and my own now basic documents are presented.” www.jordanapublishing.com copious glossaries compiled from Instructions are given for navigating research on actual medical documents. the dictionary as single PDF files if Reviewed by: This no doubt explains how I missed version 9 is not available. Pamela Gilbert-Snyder previous editions of the Dictionary Search instructions are adequate. of Medicine: French-English With Each letter of the alphabet is assigned English-French Glossary, by Svetolik a separate PDF file. Users may click P. Djordjeviç, which was originally on the desired file and scroll through published in 2000 and is now in its its contents to search for terms, or third revised edition. The new work type the desired term into the search contains over 113,000 French terms, box in the upper right corner and 5,000 of which are new, along with search the file or the “entire portfolio” 600 additional eponyms and 200 (option under the Edit menu or drop- abbreviations. These break down into down menu from the search box). It is “21,000 main entries, with 63,000 not complicated. subentries, over 10,500 acronyms and The author warns of possible diffi- abbreviations, 13,419 eponyms, 2,235 culties typing in French symbols, such adverbial phrases, and more than as à,â,é,è, etc., depending on the key- 1,500 proprietary drugs.” In addition, board setup. However, I was able to 400 acronyms and abbreviations type in the symbols with no problem, “appear both as acronyms and in their and words containing them can also be expanded form.” (According to the pasted into the box if necessary. author, these are the only instances of Users may sort search results ¬

48 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 by relevance, date modified, or file cours de perfectionnement (refresher tionary somewhat spotty. name. In relevance sorts, I was sur- course); formule sanguine (complete For example, in the area of mater- prised by how often the main entry blood count); prélèvement (sample, nity, taux de fécondité (fertility rate), appearance of the term was not listed with many useful subentries); pro- taux de mortinatalité (fetal death rate), first, and how often the English- nostic vital (life expectancy) and vécu and taux de natalité (birth rate) are French glossary entry appeared at the (prior life experience); inhibiteur included, but the subentries under top of the results list. Among results d’enzyme de conversion de l’angioten- visite (and there are many useful ones) for the term atteinte, for example, the sine (ACE inhibitor); NRBC (nucle- omit prénatale and antenatale. Calen - main entry is listed sixth among those ated red blood cells); and recoupment drier des vaccinations (vaccination for the “A” file, which I found curious. (cross-checking). schedule) is included, but not calen- It seems as if the fastest way to find a A couple of general terms I might drier de la fécondité (fertility timing). main entry is by using the compara- have expected to find in so large a work Public health areas such as malaria tively more cumbersome, but still fea- but did not include mesures anthro- and AIDS are also less comprehen- sible method (because it is fast pométriques (height and weight meas- sively represented. Subentries under enough) of clicking on the appropriate urements) and mutuelle (a type of health gîte include gîtes ganglionnaires and alphabetical file and scrolling through. insurance), the latter missing even gités microbiens, but not gîtes des Scrolling is sped up by clicking on though the author lists health insurance moustiques. Hematozoaires is given as alphabetical tabs (aa, ab, ac, etc.). as a “sub” subject area. “hematozoan” but not “malaria para- Searches yield every appearance of A great strength of the dictionary site.” Moustique is found, but not mous- the term in the dictionary, even such is its inclusion of terms that are not tiquaire. Séropositivité is provided (as unhelpful ones as cristaux in a search strictly medical but that often appear “positive serology” only), but not séro- for taux. In addition, search results in medical contexts. One example is prévalence. Under conseillers, suben- show terms in boldface embedded in prise en charge, for which Djordjeviç tries conjugaux (marriage counselors) their surrounding text. I did not find gives such helpful comprehensive and d’embauche (vocational counselors) this particularly useful, especially suggestions as activity, empow erment, appear, but there is nothing relating to when seeking a main entry. Main enablement handling/management (of AIDS. entries are not indicated as such and a case), taking charge, and under- This is also doubtless a reflection of are sometimes embedded in the tail taking. the author’s country/language focus, end of the entries preceding them. The Entries for broader terms, such as stated as American English, with “cer- overabundance of results and diffi- suivi, suites, and système, are useful tain terms from the field of social serv- culty of distinguishing relevancy was and comprehensive, although the ices (especially health insurance and a negative. I was also unable to dis- subentries can go on for pages. I also social security) identified according to cover how to make search words case- found the alphabetization of suben- the country in which they are used.” In sensitive (a problem for acronyms). tries by preposition frustrating to wade my search of well over 100 terms, However, the speed and ease with through at times. France and Canada were the only coun- which the user can click on a search tries I ran across. However, much public result to view the page on which it Subject Areas health work takes place in French- appears is a great mitigating factor. The author claims clinical and lab- speaking Africa and Haiti, and these The drop-down search results window oratory medicine as his primary countries did not turn up in any of my can be moved anywhere on the screen, focus, with other areas being social searches. Thus, we find Fonds canadien which is another handy feature. services (social security and health pour l’enseignement dentaire (Canadian insurance), biochemistry, biotech- Fund for Dental Education), but not Content nology (genetics, enzymology, cell Fonds mondial (Global Fund to fight I searched for over 40 general engineering, AIDS research), and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria...). And for terms and found virtually all of them, psychiatry and psychology. My own infirmier and infirmière, there are many ranging from the common and pedes- translations deal with public health, useful subentries, but not the ones I was trian to the very technical and slightly which encompasses many of these looking for: infirmier breveté, infirmier obscure. Examples include cahier areas. However, when approached chef de poste, infirmier d’état... d’observation (case report form); from this standpoint, I found the dic- A subject area more satisfac- ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 49 Dictionary Review Continued torily represented is cardiology. I clap, and gonorrhea, with no notations to be a very useful work, and one I am found terms that would be considered for slang. Colibacille is found only as happy to add to my resources as an fairly specialized, such as périodicité colibacillurie, for which extremely valuable addition to refer- as a main entry, with the useful “coli(bacill)uria” is given, with no ref- ences in this language combination. subentry circadienne (circadian erence to the common “E. coli” (which (And one that has me wondering what rhythm). The entry for stimulateur Termium gives, along with a handy def- else I might be missing!) provides many satisfactory subentries, inition). Prestataire and prestation although for stimulation, the author appear with plenty of useful subentries, reverts to his main laboratory focus. but English equivalents do not include Pamela Gilbert-Snyder is an ATA-certified And pont includes the subentry any notion of “delivery” except in French¡English freelance translator in the myocardique (myocardial bridging). a subentry. fields of medicine, the environment, business (equity research), and legal texts Definitions Overall Evaluation (including patents). She has an MA in The definition content is inconsis- In what I hope was a rigorous French and an MA in translation and tent. Streptocoque gives much informa- review, my public health focus was interpreting from the Monterey Institute of tion (in French). Hémorragie perhaps a little unfair to the author. International Studies, where she abondante is given helpfully as “hema - Nevertheless, despite some disap- occasionally teaches advanced French- torrhea, a free or copious hemorrhage.” pointment at not finding some of the English translation. Contact: However, other terms leave us wanting. terms that have constituted my bread [email protected]. Chaudepisse is given as blennorrhagia, and butter in recent years, I found this

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50 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 The Translation Inquirer John Decker

In the June issue of this column, report from Keith Goeringer that this I mentioned Professor Simon Karlinsky distinguished man, once Keith’s pro- Abbreviations and how he found out that English fessor in a literature class taken in the used with this column sounds piercing and birdlike to native 1990s, died on July 5, 2009 at the age Russian speakers. Now comes the sad of 84. Requiescat in pace! C-Chinese I-Italian D-Dutch Po-Polish E-English Pt-Portuguese (E-Pt 11-09.6) “Corporate accounts New Queries [E]-English R-Russian (D-E 11-09.1) The architectural query receivable system” proved difficult in acceptable; the Sp-Spanish word here is geleding, and it appears a financial management text. Who can in the following context from Nota van help with the Portuguese for this term: original query did Sw-Swedish Randvoorwaarden & Uitgangspunten: “Our users must be able to see the not involve English U-Urdu Aangezien de plint een behoorlijke [….] side by side with our corporate F-French V-Vietnamese breedte heeft zou een verticale accounts receivable system.” G-German geleding gezocht moeten worden en op de hoek xxx en hoogteaccent. And: Te (E-Sp 11-09.7) What is an “exempt denken valt bijvoorbeeld aan bak- salary,” and what might be good la sua completezza di guida e la sua steenarchitectuur met fijne details een Spanish for it? From the context sen- composizione di auto. goede geleding, maar wel met enige tence we know that the term came terughoudendheid. What is it? from a company’s human resources (Sp-E 11-09.10) Wildly different department, that it will be paid semi- answers on the Internet resulted when (E-C 11-09.2) What is needed here is monthly, and the recipient will be eli- the query about frenado was tossed a Chinese equivalent of “full immer- gible for a merit review and potential out. It appears in this sentence frag- sion,” as in foreign language study. prorated increase based on her hiring ment: Situación de máquina en el date. That’s all! momento de uso del sistema de acceso (E-F 11-09.3) A French equivalent of a la superficie de pala: YAW frenado. the term “workhorse” is needed. At (F-E 11-09.8) The problem term, What is it? first, the context appeared to be med- L’Europe du copeau, is the title of an ical equipment, but closer reflection article in the trade press about a (Sw-E 11-09.11) In music, what does revealed that this term generally can machining company and its partner- i takt 8 mean? The context sentence is be used for any device or procedure ships in Eastern Europe. Here is exten- short and sweet: Först i takt 8 landar that is rugged and reliable enough to sive context to help: Le fait que des man på tonikan. be the most frequently used device or pays émergents deviennent industriels procedure of choice. What is a good profite aussi à l’industrie française. Replies to Old Queries French term for this? Ce sont des nouveaux marches à con- (E-R 6-09.2) (TdP): The answer to this quérir, tant pour les constructeurs de was extensively covered on page 44 of (E-I 11-09.4) Is “desk knowledge” machines que pour ceux de l’automo- the August issue, but Sonia Melnikova- theoretical knowledge? The context bile. Quant elle se passé en Europe, Raich offers more equivalents in here is saggio sull’ambiente and the cette croissance est profitable à tous Russian: ldeyfghfdktyyfz dthtntyj- text speaks of “an official with reason- les européens. j,hfpyfz ;tkeljxrjdfz nf[brfhlbz> able ‘desk’ knowledge of the charac- ≤gbhe'nyfz≥ ;tkeljxrjdfz nf[brfh- teristics.” The Translation Inquirer (I-E 11-09.9.a) Incrociare le ruote is lbz> fhbnvbz> [fhfrnthbpe/ofzcz admits he has never heard this term puzzling in a survey of how satisfied gjkbvjhayjq ;tkeljxrjdjq nf[brf- used in speech or writing in English. the customer is with the car. The full hlbtq hfpkbxyjq ghjljk;bntkm- phrase is uno sbilanciamento nella yjcnb> rjnjhfz vj;tn gtht[jlbnm d (F-Po [E] 11-09.5) In a civil engi- bilanciatura. Da poco ho provato ad ;tkeljxrjde/ ab,hbkkzwb/. neering text dealing with a BIOZ plan, incrociare le ruote. What is taking fond de poutre was one of the points place here? (9.b): In the same survey, (E-Sp 8-09.4) (not cast in concrete): mentioned. What is it? the phrase completezza di guida in per Gerardo García Ramis suggests ¬

The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 51 The Translation Inquirer Continued that this is an allusion to the Ten English (to distinguish it from a runway English for this: “experience in claim- Commandments, and is properly or taxiway used only by aircraft). related work” or “experience in work translated as no está escrita en piedra, with claims and lawsuits,” respectively. considering how it refers back to a (G-E 6-09.5) (Butterkipferl-Teigling): feminine noun, guía (guide). Gonzalo This is “butter crescent cookie dough,” (Sp-E 9-09.10) (actualmente en Ordóñez suggests grabada en piedra, says Claudio Cambon. A Kipferl is a vigor): Richard McCown says this and offers this for the entire sentence: horn-shaped or crescent-shaped cookie refers to the power of attorney docu- El facilitador debe recordar, y ello es in Austro-Bavarian dialects of German. ment, not to the attorney. Reference to de suma importancia, que esta guía de Teigling is simply an industrially pro- the attorney would strain the meaning facilitación sea utilizada solo como duced piece of dough. No way seems of “vigor” as presented in Real guía, ya que no está grabada en to exist to incorporate this aspect of the Academia, quite a bit. piedra. Facilitador sounds ugly in product in English without running on Spanish, but it started to be used in at the mouth, he says. (Sp-E 9-09.11) (masticarlo y apo- that language during the final decades yarse): The verb masticarlo, says of the 20th century. Some translate (I-E 6-09.7) (con ogni consequenziale Richard McCown, is “chew it over (= facilitator from English as promotor, pronuncia): Claudio Cambon says this consider it carefully),” and the entire instructor, orientador. means “to rule out any future legal phrase, found on pages 45-46 of the judgments that may result from this September issue, is, in his opinion, (E-U 8-08.5) (biodiversity): Peter claim.” So the entire phrase, from page properly rendered as “Consider it care- Christensen says that a link about this 42 of the June issue, is best translated fully and rely on the previous work does exist at ProZ.com with several as “…on the merits to dismiss the time used to achieve it.” suggestions. He doubts that there are claim as unsubstantiated in fact and many English-Urdu members of ATA, law, as well as any ensuing judgment.” This was a good session to bring but perhaps this entry may prod some yet another calendar year of this of them to reply. (I-E 8-09.7) (Civiltà Veneta): column to an end. Thanks to the con- According to Claudio Cambon, the tributors, and whatever you celebrate (E-V 9-09.5) (anti-siphon holes): In best English for this is “culture of the in the final weeks of the year, it is the ~ Vietnamese, it is lô phan si phông, Veneto,” that is, the region of which Translation Inquirer’s hope that you with a diacritical mark over the “a” in Venice is the capital. Civiltà entails all enjoy it! “phan” that I cannot reproduce. the things that make a society civi- Thanks to Bruce Hyman for replying lized, which English speakers call cul- This column is solely intended as a means of facilitating a to this. He consulted a bidirectional ture. Claudio found reference on the general discussion regarding terminology choices. For feed- Glossary of Automotive and Vehicle Internet to a foundation that awards back regarding pressing terminology questions, please try Maintenance Terms from 1967 and a prizes to individuals who promote and one of these online forums: Lantra-L (www.geocities.com/ 1998 Vietnamese-English dictionary value the cultural heritage and athens/7110/lantra.htm), ProZ.com (www.proz.com), or Translators Café (http://translatorscafe.com). published in Hanoi. Note that si phông capacity for innovation in the Veneto is a transliteration. region. Lorraine Axelson points out Address your queries and responses to The Translation that the Masi Prize mentioned in the Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania (F-G [E] 8-09.6) (voies de service): context sentence is awarded in various 17821, or fax them to (570) 275-1477. E-mail address: Sheryl Mellor from far-off New categories, just like the Nobel Prize. [email protected]. Please make your submissions by the Caledonia understands these to be “ser- One such category is, as she renders it, first of each month to be included in the next issue. vice roads,” dedicated to the use of Venetian Civilization. Generous assistance from Per Dohler, proofreader, is grate- service vehicles rather than general fully acknowledged. traffic. Claudio Cambon calls it a (R-E 9-09.9) (ghtntypbjyyj-bcrjdfz Nebenfahrbahn in German and “ser- hf,jnf): Vadim Khazin makes a short- vice road” or “frontage road” in form and a long-form suggestion for the

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52 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Humor and Translation Mark Herman hermanapter@ cmsinter.net English: No Turkish Delight, Especially For Rhymers!

A Hollywood scriptwriter trying to create a character A Song the Piper Piped About a Featherless who speaks ridiculous English might want to take as a English Biped model the “English” phrases in a 1949 English-Turkish Conversation Book, written by one M. Vasif Okcugíl. Have you already gone? Several choice pages from this book were submitted by Let’s set the right tone! Costa Kanellos. Start counting from one. Each entry in this book is a phrase, given first in English, It’s almost the hour. then in English transliterated into Turkish orthography, then The clock will strike four. in Turkish. The book is riddled with obvious typographical It won’t be too long. errors, which would certainly befuddle anyone trying to use Just wait for the gong. it. But, even ignoring typographical errors, the Turkish speaker unlucky enough to be consulting this book might We’ll go to a place where say the following to English speakers: Once we all were— Somewhere else, but not here, Put your napkin to your front. Where the food Take your book together with you. Is so good. What o’clock is it? Did they not wait your friend? Let’s not try to climb I did not commence to my duty? Way out on a limb. Did you conserve his respect? (Indeed a good climber This paper is blotting. Should be very limber— Pleat your thumb and the second finger. Just like a good plumber Did you divine the enigma? Should never use lumber.) You did not administrate the establishment. He did not take care to my advices. Come on, drink a draught, If I am not get up when I awake, I am deadly sleeping again. But do not get caught. I am afraid that the hail is caused injury the fruits? Please get me a pint Is it killed anybody? With the brown-whiskey tint. You did not dried the body-linens. Then while on your tour, You did not puff the fire. When you’re free you can pour They did not agitate the question. Me a sweet whiskey sour. After all, we all thought, Of course, one reason English is so difficult for non- There’s a terrible drought! natives is the spelling, remarked upon many times before in this column, which is highly irregular and allows the same group of letters to be pronounced in more than one way. Here are some stanzas of a poem satirizing English orthog- Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit items for future columns via e-mail to her- raphy and the resultant non-rhymes, written and submitted [email protected] or via snail mail to Mark Herman, 1409 E Gaylord Street, by Joseph Ciparick: Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858-3626. Discussions of the translation of humor and examples thereof are preferred, but humorous anecdotes about translators, translations, and mistranslations are also welcome. Include copyright information and permission if relevant.

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54 The ATA Chronicle I November/December 2009 Pushing the boundaries. Expanding productivity.

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