The ATA CHRONICLE
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April 2015 Volume XLIV Number 4 A Publication of the American The Voice of Interpreters and Translators Translators Association The ATA CHRONICLE The Copyright Thicket Translations for Legal Evidence Finding Balance Medical Marketing Translation American Translators From the President Association 225 Reinekers Lane Caitilin Walsh Suite 590 [email protected] Alexandria, VA 22314 USA Tel: +1-703-683-6100 Fax: +1-703-683-6122 E-mail: [email protected] Better Together Website: www.atanet.org Editor As my husband and I just marked a Jeff Sanfaçon milestone wedding anniversary, I feel a certain [email protected] degree of wisdom when I meet newlyweds (tempered by a certain amount of humility Proofreader when I meet those who have celebrated a more Sandra Burns Thomson noble metal anniversary). Likewise, my role as Art Directors your president has taught me a few things, and Ellen Banker I actively seek the counsel of people who have done this more extensively and bring a longer- Amy Peloff term perspective. Advertising I recently had an exchange with a member Lauren Mendell about the role of machine translation (MT) [email protected] researchers and developers in our Association. In +1-703-683-6100, ext. 3001 it, I characterized the debate about the inclusive Fax: +1-703-683-6122 nature of our membership policies as a perennial debate, as the subject has popped up repeatedly Membership and over the course of our Association’s history—and indeed, even as it was being born. General Information In all long-term relationships, there are what marriage researcher John Gottmann Lauren Mendell terms perpetual problems. These are areas where a couple may never reach a [email protected] conclusion, so they may always be sources of contention. However, these differ- ences of opinion are considered healthy since they encourage ongoing conversa- Executive Director tions that lead to learning to manage conflict. They also serve as catalysts for Walter Bacak, CAE mature acceptance of the fact that being together offers more advantages than [email protected] being apart. Ask any golden anniversary club member about the “irreconcilable differences” oft-cited in divorce proceedings, and you may hear a mention of The ATA Chronicle (ISSN 1078-6457) is babies and bathwater. published monthly, except bi-monthly in MT developers and researchers are the latest in a cavalcade of new cadres who November/December, by the American Translators Association, 225 Reinekers have found a home in ATA. The very first round of debate was about part-time Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314 translators (who now represent a very significant portion of our membership). USA. Periodicals postage paid at Agency owners, interpreters, academics, terminologists, students, software devel- Alexandria, Virginia, and additional opers and vendors—think computer-assisted translation/translation memory/term mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send base, and project management software—have all faced similar deliberations. address changes to The ATA Chronicle, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, In each of these instances, the argument for exclusivity was essentially the Alexandria, VA 22314 USA. same. There was a divide between those who were doing things “right” (providing The American Translators Association high-quality work, using fair business practices, using technology correctly), and (ATA) was established in 1959 as a not- those who were doing it “wrong” (slipshod work, usurious business practices, mis- for-profit professional society to foster and representation of technology’s abilities). The argument was that by excluding support the professional development of translators and interpreters and to wrongdoers, we could preserve the goodness. In fact, the opposite is true: by promote the translation and interpreting accepting all, we can exert our influence to encourage best practice. professions. The subscription rate for a Like a “good” marriage, we are best when we pull together. A good partner member is $49 (included in the dues will reflect us back at ourselves, both warts and wonders, and complement us. payment). The U.S. subscription rate for a Not perfect, but certainly better than we would be on our own. nonmember is $65. Subscribers in Canada and Mexico add $25; all other non-U.S. subscribers add $45. Single copies are available for $7 per issue. ©2015 American Translators Association Reprint Permission: Requests for permission to reprint articles should be sent to the editor of The ATA Chronicle at [email protected]. April 2015 CONTENTS Volume XLIV Number 4 A Publication of the American Translators Association 8 Best Practices in Translations for Legal Evidence: How to Protect Yourself and Your Clients By Martin J. Cross Legal settings require special translation practices. Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself and your clients, manage issues such as certification and conflict of interest, and deal with challenges. Never-Ending Imbalance? 12 By Andrew Bell, Eve Bodeux, Corinne McKay, Marianne Reiner, and Karen Tkaczyk Juggling your professional and personal life in a way that allows you to succeed at both is not easy, especially if you’re counting on that paycheck. Learn what some of your colleagues are doing to avoid being on call 24/7. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The Strange 16 Case of Medical Marketing Translation April By Erin M. Lyons Medical marketing translation is a billion-dollar industry rife with budding 2015 opportunities, drivers, and “pharmerging” markets; however, it is also a specialization that requires linguists to marry technical expertise with inspired messaging. COLUMNS 2 From the President 7 From the Executive Director Skirting the Juniper Brambles: 20 A Translator Narrowly Misses Getting Trapped DEPARTMENTS in the Copyright Thicket 26 Certification Forum 28 The Entrepreneurial Linguist By Anne Milano Appel with legal commentary by Erach F. Screwvala, Esq. 29 Interpreters Forum What are the benefits of holding a copyright? An awareness of our rights and a willingness 30 GeekSpeak to stand up for them are critical when negotiating with publishers. 31 New Certified Members 32 Blog Trekker 33 Upcoming Events 34 Dictionary Review 35 Certification Exams 36 The Translation Inquirer 38 Humor and Translation American Translators Association The Voice of Interpreters and Translators Our Authors April 2015 Anne Milano Appel is an award-winning translator employing crowdsourcing and machine translation to whose latest translations from the Italian include Vito facilitate medical services in the developing world. She Bruschini’s The Prince, Paolo Giordano’s The Human Body, has a BA in Romance languages and literature from the Andrea Canobbio’s Three Light-Years, Goliarda Sapienza’s University of Chicago and an MA in Italian and French The Art of Joy, Claudio Magris’ Blindly, and Giovanni translation from the Monterey Institute of International Arpino’s Scent of a Woman. Most recently, her work was Studies. Contact: [email protected]. awarded the John Florio Prize for Italian Translation (2013) and the 33rd and 32nd Northern California Book Corinne McKay is an ATA director and an ATA-certified Awards Translation Prize for Fiction (2014 and 2013). French>English translator. She specializes in international She has been translating professionally since 1996, and is development, corporate communication, and books. She is a former library director and language teacher. She has a the author of How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator, BA in art and English literature (University of California, for beginning and experienced translators, and Thoughts Los Angeles), an MLS in library services (Rutgers), and an on Translation, a compilation of entries from her blog MA and a PhD in Romance languages (Rutgers). Thoughts on Translation. She co-hosts the podcast Contact: [email protected]. Speaking of Translation with Eve Bodeux, which received the 2013 ProZ Community Choice award for best podcast Andrew Bell has been a freelance translator/ about translation. Contact: [email protected]. copyeditor/localizer (U.S. English into U.K. or Australian English) since 2000. He translates from Norwegian, Marianne Reiner is a freelance English>French trans- Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, German, and Dutch into lator specializing in legal and literary translation. She is English. In addition to ATA, he is a member of the Institute the co-owner of TransConnect Translation. She is a pub- of Translation and Interpreting, and the Australian Institute lished translator of two literary books in French. Contact: of Interpreters and Translators. Contact: [email protected]. [email protected]. Erach F. Screwvala, Esq., is the founder and owner of Martin Cross began his career as an in-house editor of Screwvala LLC. He has nearly 15 years of experience in Japanese patent translations in Tokyo. Later, he lived for theater, film, and book publishing. He is counsel to many many years in Italy and France, where he translated from award-winning translators and can be frequently found on those languages into English. He is currently the president the telephone doing battle with publishers on their behalf. of Patent Translations Inc., where he continues to translate He is currently production counsel to the Broadway play and to serve as an expert witness on translation in patent The Elephant Man, starring Bradley Cooper, and has repre- litigation. He spends much of his time editing translations sented many other Broadway and Off-Broadway