Translation and Postcolonialism a N I N T E R V I E W B Y T H O M a S J

2 . o n 33 • 2011 . may v o l translorial

Translation and Postcolonialism a n i n t e r v i e w b y t h o m a s j. c o r b e t t , p. 12

r e p o r t m e e t i n g s perspective Getting Started Facing Evolving Some Dinosaurs in Translation Industry Demands and Dragons... b y d o m e n i c a n i e d d u , p. 5 b y d e a n a s m a l l e y, p. 10 b y i n e s s w a n e y , p. 18 c o n t e n t s may 2011 contributors c a r l o s l. g a r c í a was born in Nicaragua n a o m i n o r b e r g , a native Californian, Contributors ...... 2. and received his training as a lawyer there. moved to Paris in 1988 and has been trans- Letter from the President ...... 3. He is a board-certified Spanish <> English lating French > English ever since. With a NCTA Board Reports ...... 3. medical interpreter, committed to the JD from UC Davis and an LLM and a PhD Member Benefits ...... 3. advancement of the medical interpreting from the University of Paris I, she special- The Editor’s Note ...... 4. field, and has been a freelance translator izes in legal, financial, technical, and social New Members ...... 4. for seven years. Carlos is the Community science texts. Now in Berkeley, Naomi Getting Started in Interpreting . . . . 5. Task Force Chairperson of the National also provides editing, proofreading, and Getting Started in Translation ...... 6. Medical Interpreter Forum and a member interpreting services. Her translation of Le Getting Up to Speed in Trados . . . . 7. of its Government Task Force. pluralisme ordonné (Ordering Pluralism) Upcoming ...... 8. r i t a m c g a u g h y grew up in Bavaria, received the reviewer’s compliments. A Thank You to Our Sponsors . . . . 8. Germany. In 1993 she graduated from the m e r a v r o z e n b l u m is a freelance The December General Meeting . . . 8. Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich English > Hebrew translator and inter- The February General Meeting . . . 10 with an MA in theater, modern German preter now based in San Francisco. She In With the New ...... 11 literature, and German history. She started is a Magna cum laude graduate of the Translation and Postcolonialism . . .12 her translation career at IABG, a leading Bar Ilan University School for Translators Language Specialists and Health Care . ..15 technology and science service provider, and Interpreters in Israel. Her interpreting The Translorial Tool Kit ...... 16 and then worked as the language depart- work for the US State Department recently The TransMUG Report ...... 17 ment coordinator for the Goethe Institute. took her to the White House. Merav also Some Dinosaurs and Dragons . . . . .18 She is now working as a freelance transla- teaches Hebrew as a second language, and tor focusing on translation of personal and a novel she translated from Spanish was General interest articles are available legal documents, fiction, tour guides, and published in Israel. online at www.translorial.com . documentary videos. d e a n a s m a l l e y is a Spanish translator translorial is a publication of NCTA, d o m e n i c a n i e d d u is a freelance English and editor who lives on the San Francisco a nonprofit organization for professional > Italian translator and interpreter, cur- peninsula. She specializes in K–12 social translators and interpreters . rently based in the Bay Area. Domenica is science textbooks and is developing a sec- Publisher a native Italian speaker and attended the ond specialization in medical translation. Elisa Rossi ...... [email protected] University of Rome (La Sapienza), where Several of her book-length translations Editor she studied literature. She has a BA in have been published, and she is the coau- Nina Bogdan ...... [email protected] psychology and an MA in social work and thor of two best-selling Spanish textbooks. Concept Yves Avérous ...... [email protected] has worked with refugees from all over the Deana holds a PhD in Hispanic literature Distribution world, organizing interpreting services and from Purdue University and has extensive Tatyana Neronova . [email protected] providing advocacy and mediation. teaching experience.a Ad Manager Sarah Llewellyn . . . . [email protected] Printing n o r t h e r n california Online Referral Service Sundance Press ...... (800). 528-4827 translators association www.ncta.org [email protected] Layout/Pre-Press P.O. Box 14015, Berkeley CA 94712-5015 Directors Flight 19 ...... www.flight19creative.co. m Continuing Education Images Yves Avérous, Thomas Corbett, Administration/Telephone Referral Sarah Llewellyn (415) 350-3924 Tuomas Kostiainen, Michael Schubert, Juliet Viola (510) 845-8712 [email protected] [email protected] fax: 845-8712 Wikimedia Commons Ethics & Publications Proofreaders Andrea Bindereif, Sharlee Officers Elisa Rossi (415) 430-8955 Merner Bradley, Donald Couch, Brigitte [email protected] Minault-Reich, Andre Moskowitz, Michael President, ATA Certification [email protected] Schubert, Deana Smalley, Gabriela Urricariet Paula Dieli (415) 258-8247 [email protected] fax: 457-5153 Events [email protected] Kristen Corridan (202) 441-7074 y o u r t u r n ! [email protected] Translorial is always looking for contributions . Vice President Marketing & Public Relations We publish our members’ stories, ideas and Sonia Wichmann (415) 285-9837 Afaf Steiert (510) 684-4586 thoughts . Submitting an article also helps [email protected] [email protected] maintain your ATA certification and grants Secretary Membership you a free “plug” in the Contributors section Alexandra Jaffe (917) 617-7847 Kåre Lindahl (415) 390-2630 of this page and on the Translorial archive [email protected] fax: 373-3719 [email protected] page of our website . Send your ideas and Treasurer Webmaster comments to the editor at [email protected] . Dagmar Dolatschko (650) 421-2500 Scott Saylor (831) 920-8399 Submit articles now for upcoming issues a. [email protected] fax: 421-2501 [email protected]

2 translorial n e w s

letter from the president board reports

At the December Board Meeting » Discussed the 2010-2011 budget and current NCTA financials. » Reviewed NCTA membership numbers. » Discussed past CE workshops. » Considered possibilities for 2011 CE Winds of change workshops. b y p a u l a d i e l i » Finalized plans for the December GM. » Reviewed details for the NCTA brunch at s I sit down to write my first President’s coming year. After yesterday’s retreat, we Skates on the Bay. Letter, I am reflecting on our recent have settled on two key areas of focus: find- A » Received an update on progress on the changing of the guard, having to say ing ways to better engage our membership January issue of Translorial. goodbye to three stellar and longstanding and develop new membership; and creat- » Reviewed the draft of an NCTA brochure board members: Tuomas Kostiainen, Yves ing resources and workshops to benefit targeted at translation clients. Avérous and Raffaella Buschiazzo. At the all of our members, whether freelancer or same time, I’m encouraged by the fresh agency. To that end we’ve decided to invest » Selected our honorees for the 2010 NCTA ideas and excitement that new board mem- in refreshing the look and functionality of volunteer Awards. bers always bring to the table. We held our the main page of ncta.org. The end result At the January Board Meeting annual board retreat yesterday on a windy will be easier access to some of the new » Reviewed NCTA membership numbers. and rainy day, but the encouragement I ways we communicate with our members » Discussed upcoming CE workshops. feel after a day of discussion is reflecting a and with the community at large such as » Reviewed plans for the February and May GMs. sunny outlook for our organization. translorial.com, our social networking sites » Considered the possibility of sending an We welcomed three newly elected direc- and better visibility for our sponsors and NCTA representative to the MIIS career fair. tors to our board: Kristen Corridan, Scott volunteers. It will take a bit of time and a » Viewed the templates for an update Saylor and Afaf Steiert. And I am thrilled lot of effort to make this happen, but we Newsflash design. that Kåre Lindahl has accepted my nomi- feel it is time and we are up for the task! » Reviewed the Nominating Committee Report. nation to fill the post I vacated when I We are also going to develop resources Reviewed plans for the 2011 NCTA election. ran for President. These new members and workshops focused on new technolo- » bring a wealth of experience and a vari- gies such as post-editing, and we are dis- » Made plans to hold a workshop at the 2011 ety of backgrounds to the NCTA board. cussing ideas for workshops such as the FIT Congress. I’m particularly pleased that we now have “Techniques for Successful Selling” work- » Reviewed the 2011 NCTA timeline. representation from more of our corporate shop we’re holding in April that is aimed at » Finalized and approved the 2010-2011 members, which brings more inclusiveness our corporate members as well as our free- budget.. to our board. lancers who are targeting direct clients. » Made plans to hand off tasks to the new At our first board meeting as a new team, I look forward to a productive and enjoy- members of the Board in February 2011. we reflected on our top priorities for the able year!a At the February Board Meeting » Received a report from NCTA’s administrator. member benefits » Reviewed the Treasurer’s report with an The NCTA is working hard to promote the association and its members . update on the NCTA financials. » Reviewed NCTA membership numbers. This year, the NCTA offered a free six-month membership to all 2009 graduates of the Discussed past and future CE workshops. Membership » Translation/Interpretation/Localization program at the Monterey Institute for International for MIIS grads » Finalized details for the February GM and the Studies. See our recent press release on www.ncta.org. NCTA elections. LinkedIn is an effective site for networking and increasing your professional contacts. Join Reviewed ad purchases for the next issue of NCTA » the group to display the NCTA logo on your LinkedIn profile and instantly connect to other LinkedIn group Translorial. NCTA members. » Planned for the NCTA table at the MIIS Career For sharing news and announcements of NCTA events and activities, including non- Facebook page Fair. members who are Facebook users. Spread the word! » Reviewed the Nominating Committee Report. Members Yahoo Don’t forget to join over 300 members on the NCTA listserv to quickly receive answers to » Discussed plans for the transition of tasks to Group list your questions, exchange information, or post jobs. the new NCTA board members. Enhance your professional image by displaying the NCTA logo on your website, business Reviewed the NCTA timeline.a NCTA logo » card, and email signature. Contact [email protected] to request use of the logo.

m a y 2011 3 n e w s Spring is Here so Let’s Get Started The Editor’s Note. b y n i n a b o g d a n

e have a great issue to welcome and Advanced Trados Training, Getting Paula Dieli, as new NCTA President, Wspring this year. In our feature arti- Started in Translation, and Getting Started shares with us all the exciting things that cle, Thomas Corbett interviews Professor in Interpreting, respectively. are happening in the organization. We Robert J.C. Young about the role of trans- Carlos García provides a brief over- have four new board members taking up lation and interpreting in the postcolo- view about certification efforts for medi- the reins as well—Afaf Steiert, Scott Saylor, nial world. They also discuss a myriad cal interpreters and Ines Swaney gives Kristen Corridan, and Kåre Lindahl. Sonia of other interesting issues related to lan- us her take on how the world of transla- Wichmann is our new Vice President. guage and culture. There were lots of tion has changed in the last 30 years. We would like to thank Tuomas great workshops in the last few months. We are including both the February and Kostiainen, Yves Avérous, and Raffaella Merav Rozenblum, Naomi Norberg, and December GM reports by Deana Smalley Buschiazzo for their long and fruitful years Domenica Nieddu thoroughly cover all the and Rita McGaughy, respectively, since we of service. They remain active in NCTA important tips they received in Beginning no longer have a February issue. affairs so it’s not like it’s goodbye.a welcome The following members joined NCTA between Nov. 1, 2010 and Feb. 28, 2011: individual [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] c o r p o r a t e [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] http://www.imiaweb.org/states/sf.asp u n i c o d e s [email protected] [email protected] - http://tinyurl. [email protected] [email protected]

4 translorial r e p o r t GETTING STARTED IN INTERPRETING An informative overview of how to succeed in the interpreting profession. b y d o m e n i c a n i e d d u

n Saturday, January 29, at the San preter applied to the situation. We were all OFrancisco State University Downtown divided into small groups and were asked Campus, Julie Burns presented a workshop to single out the main abilities used by the on how to get started as interpreters and linguist in the specific setting. Some of the discussed the tools and resources neces- abilities and skills noted in the video by sary to succeed in the profession. She also workshop participants included language provided the participants with a general proficiency, active listening, message con- survey of the status of the trade. version, ability to anticipate, and project- Julie is a well-known interpreter training information with confidence. er, California Worker’s Compensation Julie highlighted the importance of active Certified Spanish interpreter, and ATA- listening and short term memory for inter- certified translator. She provides profes- Presenter Julie Burns discusses tools of the preters, and suggested that we divide into sional trainings to prepare bilingual indi- trade and resources necessary to succeed. pairs to practice this skill. Two short pas- viduals to work as interpreters in hospital sages were read by the instructor about a and clinic settings, and offers continuing settings), Culture Broker, Clarifier (being funny ER home intervention and a village education workshops for linguists’ profes- transparent and adjusting register), and in Italy; then, we all took turns repeating sional development and stress manage- Conduit (speaking in the first person: “I to our partner what we remembered of the ment. have a headache” as opposed to “He is piece read. Some of the tools to improve There were 21 people at this four-hour saying that he has a headache). She also one’s own capacity to retain information workshop; among them were two repre- listed and clarified the different modes of are: visualizing (making a mental picture sentatives of Accent on Languages, a trans- interpretation (consecutive, simultaneous, of something specific that the speaker just lating/interpreting agency in Berkeley, and sight translation) and the various pro- said), and echoing (repeating silently a interested in recruiting new interpreters fessional settings (community, health care, phrase or number to oneself). for its roster of linguists. legal, and conference interpreting). Opportunities for interpreters to obtain The class then watched a very enter- an interpreting certification are available. Differences and similarities taining video with Catherine Tate on To obtain a list of links for training and cer- The first point that Julie covered was the “How to improvise multi-lingual inter- tifications, please e-mail Sarah Llewellyn at difference between interpreting and trans- preting skills” (www.youtube.com/ [email protected]. lating: how the nature of translations is watch?v=oUGoxHalMjE) This informative workshop provided great permanent while interpreters work out of tips for a stellar career in interpreting!a the fleeting moment (verba volant, scripta Skills and qualifications ... manent). She also explained that both Julie explained how an interpreter is Read the full version article online at translorial.com types of linguists require a certain level of required to possess and use a wide range proficiency, with additional listening skills of skills, qualifications, and decision-mak- that are a prerequisite for interpreters. ing abilities; basic bilingual proficiency Translators often work in teams and might is not sufficient to enter the profession. need to engage in substantial amounts of She showed a slide of the proficien- research, while the interpreter needs to cy assessment chart of “The Language obtain the information ahead of time in Testing International” (an organization order to prepare for the assignment. that arranges language assessments in 60+ The concept of “register” was introduced, languages for corporations, government which refers to the level of formal or com- agencies, academic institutions, and indi- plex language a person chooses to use viduals) with the four levels of exper- (for example, the high register of a well- tise: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and educated speaker vs. the lower register of Superior. Julie clarified that the Advanced everyday speech). Julie explained how the Level represents the minimum require- interpreter needs to adjust his/her wording ment for a professional interpreter. to reflect the register used by the speaker. The participants then watched a video Julie noted that interpreters have mul- of an interpreter working in a medical tiple roles in the community and can setting. The intent of the presenter was to act as Advocate (oftentimes in healthcare help us identify the skills that the inter-

m a y 2011 5 r e p o r t Getting Started in Translation Acquiring the language skills necessary to be a good translator requires a huge time investment so don’t make the mistake of selling yourself short. b y n a o m i n o r b e r g

the chaff). Join e-mail discussion groups and create your own website. Since translators tend to be isolated working at home, we should join virtual communities. While waiting for work, read the ATA, NCTA, and translation portal websites, professional journals, blogs, and books. Attend ATA/NCTA events and workshops, volunteer, and learn to use your software proficiently to save time when you have work. As for payment/pricing: never work for an agency without checking payment practices; and be honest and transparent in your pricing policies. Be willing to learn Melissa Wheeler provides tips on growing your translation business to workshop attendees. Melissa was encouraging on this point, saying it’s important to have standard fees n Saturday, March 5, about 20 transla- The main thing is to be willing to learn. Try and not negotiate every job, and that she Otors gathered for the Getting Started the free versions available on the Web and/ expects translators to have minimum rates in Translation workshop at the SFSU or subscribe to Jost Zetzsche’s Translator’s (that will increase gently but steadily). Downtown Campus. The presenters were Tool Kit & Tool Box. Invest in technol- She’s happy to pay them to have some- Michael Schubert, a successful freelancer, ogy early and stay up-to-date: it’s easier to one available when she just needs three and Melissa Wheeler, a Senior Project build your translation memory before you words translated—but that doesn’t mean Manager at Medialocate. Both emphasized have several years’ worth of glossaries to you shouldn’t occasionally grant her a free- the professionalism and common sense convert, and you can advertise yourself as bie if she’s giving you 10,000 words/week. necessary to grow any business, adding tech savvy and willing to invest in state-of- With respect to marketing, Melissa said refreshing, encouraging specifics with the-art tools. if you have a rare language combination, respect to our profession. it’s acceptable to send resumes outside your area of expertise. Consider offering Raise your expectations other services, such as editing, proofread- Michael’s main message, backed up by ...it’s important to have ing, project management, DTP, or quality Melissa, was that translators should raise standard fees and not assurance. And in addition to CAT tools, their expectations! Acquiring the language you should have Acrobat to annotate PDF skills necessary to be a good translator— negotiate every job... files and be willing to learn how to transfer perfect comprehension of the source lan- files through an online server. guage and excellent writing skills in the Beyond that, basic business and com- target language—requires an investment Some of Michael’s other tips include munication skills are necessary: don’t start on a par with becoming a doctor or lawyer, finding agencies through ATA/NCTA cor- work without a P.O. and follow instruc- and the industry is thriving. So don’t be porate-member lists, trade journals and tions when invoicing. Emails must have afraid to set a minimum rate—we don’t translation portals; for direct clients, tar- helpful subject lines and project numbers. dicker with the dentist, do we? Michael geting companies in your specialty and You should answer everything even if to also stressed that a translator’s computer attending industry conventions. Better yet, decline a job, always confirm receipt and skills are as important as language skills, help them find you. Colleagues often pro- delivery dates, and negotiate deadlines and include internet research skills and vide referrals, so become active in the ATA, immediately. Use the provided reference mastery of at least one translation memory NCTA, and any translators associations in materials and send queries promptly (but (or Computer Assisted Translation) tool. the country of your foreign language. Keep no questions before at least googling). Be In fact, Melissa says her agency requires up-to-date profiles (including a picture) prepared to explain/defend your transla- translators to use CAT tools, though not in their databases and on translation por- tion, but accept client review changes. necessarily own them—you can often work tals (such as ProZ.com, the largest, where In short, value your skills, invest in them, in the environment through the agency. Michael says there’s wheat to be had amidst and expect to be duly compensated.a

6 translorial c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n Getting up to Speed in Trados Face your technophobia: test drive CAT tools and try out cool new features in a stress-free environment. b y m e r a v r o z e n b l u m

’ll start with a confession: I’ve never Iconsidered myself a techie. But over the last couple of years, I found myself working for major Silicon Valley corporations with a team of localizers who were similar to Jost Zetzsche’s “Jeromobot”: “as passionate about languages as St. Jerome, with the added power of modern technology” (Niels Nielsen, Cat Tools Workshop, Translorial Vol. 33, No. 1, January 2011). What I learned from them was not only mastery of certain CAT tools and software, but also to face my own technophobia. This (still) conscious effort to keep up with the world of translation memory (TM) technology, as well as the realization Tuoomas Kostiainen lectures on translation memory management. that the new SDL Trados Studio 2009 is a standalone program that looks pretty different from the older version that I have at the same time. The user can set some of shortcuts to easily copy placeables and tags been using in the MS Windows environ- the TMs for Lookup (“read-only”) and/or into our target-translation column. In the ment, brought me, along with 15 other for Update (“write-only”), making sure, of advanced workshop, we got an overview of participants, to the beginner Trados work- course, that the client receives that project- the quality assurance tools Trados Studio shop offered on Saturday, November 13, specific updated TM upon submission of has for ensuring translation accuracy. 2010 with master teacher and then NCTA the translation. Tuomas dedicated some Term Recognition is a feature that allows president Tuomas Kostiainen, a Finnish time during the first workshop and more the translator to use glossaries (s)he may translator (given the choice, wouldn’t you, during the second advanced workshop on have previously created or collected, and too, prefer the examples in a Trados work- December 4th, to managing these multiple consult them during translation. These shop to be in Finnish?). TMs, and to importing those that each of glossaries are converted, through a lengthy us may have already created in our previ- process that Tuomas laid out for us, from TM tools basics ous versions of Trados into our recently Excel into MultiTerm format, using another After fueling up on coffee and munchies installed Trados Studio. software component of the Trados Studio sponsored by SDL and laid out by Rafaella suite. The term recognition is automatic, Buschiazzo and setting up our laptops with Directionality issues allowing the translator to insert the sug- the help of Tuomas and his dedicated assis- As we were test-driving Trados Studio, gested term into the translation. The trans- tants, Paula Dieli and Michael Shubert, we had a chance to try out other cool lator may also add terms to his/her ter- we started with a brief overview of CAT features such as concordance searches on mbase during the translation. AutoSuggest tools, with terms such as translation units, both source and target language, and auto- and AutoText are yet other ways to make and exact vs. fuzzy matches that I am sure propagation: Trados automatically propa- translation more efficient, once the user sounded confusing at the time for many of gates a confirmed translation to other defines them and masters their use. us who have had only limited experience segments with identical source content. As the workshop concluded, we reflected in TM tools. The savvier among us were My own favorite new feature is Preview, on our future relationships with our clients: quick to understand the many advantages which allows you to see the formatted we were now fans of Trados Studio and felt of the new Trados Studio, such as how translation, rather than the usual bilin- ready to upgrade. Are our clients ready for it handles a host of different formats by gual table, in a dedicated window (for Trados Studio? Tuomas’ parting sugges- converting them to the SDLXLIFF format which a second monitor comes in handy). tion was that even if the client requests a for translation. This translation can then This helps me foresee some directionality bilingual file that only previous versions be saved directly as an MS Word file, for issues characteristic of my right-to-left lan- of Trados can produce, we may work in instance, preserving the same format as the guage (Hebrew), for instance. We were also Studio, import the file-specific TM into original document. walked through the process of translating the older Trados, and quickly reproduce it Another major advantage of Trados files as a project, recommended for multi- there. A small investment of time that the Studio is the ability to use multiple TMs file assignments. Tuomas also shared some advantages of Studio seem to justify.a

m a y 2011 7 c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n upcoming NCTA General Meeting s a t u r d a y , 7 m a y 2011 s f s u d o w n t o w n c a m p u s Shifting Trends in Translator and Interpreter Training As retirement looms for the baby-boomer generation of professional translators and interpreters, who will replace them? How will the role of these professionals evolve in the years to come? Do students of translation have the same profile today as 25 years ago? Are schools adapting their T&I curriculum to meet these challenges? This talk will address the quiet revolution transforming the world of language service providers and creating opportunities and challenges for T&I education. Clockwise from left to right: Deana Smalley talks about the ATA conference; Juliet Viola; post-meeting discussions; Presented by MIIS Professor Jacolyn Hammer. Translation for Court California Indigenous Languages: Documentation and Revitalization Interpreters s a t u r d a y , j u n e 18, 2011, t b a Keeping the last native languages in California alive. b y r i t a m c g a u g h y Presented by Holly Mikkelson his year’s final NCTA general meet- master since 2002, was a member of the Technical Writing Ting was held on December 11 at the nominating committee, and provides tech- for Translators modern and bright San Francisco State nical help during TRADOS workshops. s a t u r d a y , j u l y 30, 2011, t b a University downtown campus. An inter- Both of them do significant other work for Presented by Karen Tkaczyk esting agenda, awards, door prizes, and the NCTA. Congratulations and thank you great refreshments sponsored by the com- to both of you! ATA Exam Certification pany Ceditora attracted a large number of Tuomas Kostiainen then introduced Workshop attendees. the following NCTA members, who are a u g u s t 2011, t b a Tuomas Kostiainen, the current NCTA running for office: Paula Dieli, candidate Presented by Tuomas Kostiainen President, opened the meeting by intro- for president; Sonia Wichmann, candi- ducing Thomas Brandon, co-founder of date for vice president; Afaf Steiert, Scott Voiceover Training Ceditora. Mr. Brandon explained that Saylor, and Kristen Corridan, candidates s e p t e m b e r 2011, t b a Ceditora is a literary contract publisher for director. The election will be held at the Presented by Maya Leon-Meisa that focuses on four languages: English, end of January. German, Portuguese and Spanish. Writers, translators, editors, and illustrators can ATA Conference Report Thanks! register with the company, which selects Tuomas Kostiainen invited several ATA NCTA would like to thank the the most promising works and turns them conference attendees to share their expe- following event sponsors: into high quality literary end products. To riences from this year’s conference in learn more, please visit their website at Denver. Sharlee Merner Bradley, who is a www.Ceditora.com. long time conference participant, said that it was the best yet. With zero down time, Awards and Candidates she enjoyed all the interesting and enter- Next on the agenda was the presenta- taining sessions. tion of the volunteers’ awards by Tuomas Connie Archea, a first time attendee, Kostiainen. This year’s recipients were felt welcomed by the friendly atmosphere Scott Saylor and Michael Schubert. Scott, during the new member orientation. She the Volunteer of the Year, created and con- appreciated the abundance of knowledge events@ tinues to maintain the NCTA’s Facebook and opportunities for networking that the page. Michael has been the Yahoo list conference had to offer. Michael Metzger, a m e e t i n g s

Professor Andrew Garrett; Board and VP candidates; Scott Saylor is granted his Volunteer of the Year award by Tuomas Kostiainen; and Connie Archea shares her impressions.

California Indigenous Languages: Documentation and Revitalization Keeping the last native languages in California alive. b y r i t a m c g a u g h y

regular at the annual conference, followed Sometimes these native languages coex- languages are preserved on wax cylinders mainly the machine translation seminars. isted in close proximity, yet could be com- that are kept at the Hearst Museum. The Due to the trend toward machine trans- pletely unrelated. Compared to the lan- Bancroft Library is also home to several lation, the ATA will definitely continue guage density and diversity of Europe, famous notebook collections, manuscripts, these seminars. Deana Smalley, a first time California had a 10 times denser language linguistic field notes, and groundbreaking participant, concluded that the conference distribution than Europe. Numerous lan- papers. In the last part of his presentation, improved her understanding of the indus- guages that were spoken by very small Professor Garrett explained several meth- try significantly. groups of people were especially vulner- ods of language revitalization and revival. The overwhelmingly positive feedback able in the aftermath of the white invasion. Tribes are trying to preserve their lan- will certainly help promote next year’s ATA Today, fewer than 50 of these native languages through documentation, language conference, which will be held in Boston, guages still have at least one speaker. Most classes in local schools, and language Oct. 26-29, 2011. are no longer actively spoken. camps. Linguistic researchers at universities also give workshops and create language Linguistic diversity Language documentation materials and online resources. Professor At 2:15 pm, the main presentation, In the second part, Professor Garrett Garrett, for example, has published a basic titled, “California Indigenous Languages: showed the historical development of lan- Yurok grammar and a preliminary Yurok Documentation and Revitalization,” began. guage documentation that was started in dictionary which demonstrate the com- Andrew Garrett, a Harvard graduate and the Mission-era by Spanish priests. In the plexity and richness of the Yurok language. Professor of Linguistics and Director of late 1800’s, geologists and biologists began Additionally, an extensive digitization the Survey of California and other Indian government sponsored documentation. process is under way that involves both Languages at the University of California, 1901 marked the birth of academic lan- paper and audio materials. Now it is pos- Berkeley, addressed the audience. First, he guage work, when the Berkeley Department sible to listen to some of the languages at gave an overview of California’s indigenous of Anthropology started its documenta- blc.berkeley.edu and a survey of California languages that by 1800 numbered between tion process. Around 1950, the Berkeley and other Indian languages is available at 80 and 90, and belonged to 21 different Department of Linguistics took over and linguistics.berkeley.edu/-survey. The goal is language families. Thus, of the 61 language has been involved in many language proj- to digitize all field books, notes, and other families of North America, more than one ects ever since. Berkeley also houses the materials and make them accessible to the third belonged to California. Linguistically, largest university archive of indigenous public. these languages are more diverse than in language documentation in the US. Some The NCTA thanks Professor Garrett for any comparable area of the New World. of the oldest audio recordings of native his captivating presentation.a

m a y 2011 9 New and departing NCTA officials smile for the camera. From left to right: Raffaella Buschiazzo, Afaf Steiert, Kristen Corridan (also pictured at right below), Paula Dieli, Sonia Wichmann, Scott Saylor, Tuomas Kostiainen, and Yves Avérous Facing Evolving Industry Demands Customized service leads to success for language service providers. b y d e a n a s m a l l e y

he first General Meeting of 2011 took readers, 368 Yahoo group members, 131 panies.” Established in 1994, LUZ is an ISO Tplace on Saturday, February 12 from LinkedIn members, and 125 lifetime “likes” 9001:2008-certified, woman and minority- 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the San Francisco State on Facebook. NCTA had income of about owned business that offers translation and University Downtown Campus. Outgoing $49,500 and expenses of roughly $48,000, localization services into all European and President Tuomas Kostiainen presided. leaving a surplus of about $1,500. Asian languages, and some Middle Eastern Thirty-four people were in attendance. The bulk of NCTA’s income last year and African languages. LUZ’s client list came from workshops on such topics as includes industry leaders such as Johnson Association business preparing for the court interpreters’ writ- & Johnson, Medtronic, Siemens Medical Incoming president Paula Dieli thanked ten exam, working with PDF files, trans- Solutions, and Stryker Corporation. Barbara Guggemos for serving as guest lating literary works, learning how to run Most of LUZ’s clients are medical device editor for the January issue of Translorial a T&I business, improvising as a way to manufacturers that must comply with and recognized outgoing Board mem- learn to think on your feet (for interpret- diverse and evolving international stan- bers. Tuomas Kostiainen served as Vice ers), preparing for the ATA Certification dards and regulatory and patient-safety President from 2003 to 2005 and as presi- Exam, and using computer-assisted trans- measures. The challenges clients face drive dent from 2005 to 2011. Vice President lation tools. them to impose demands on language ser- Yves Avérous began his tenure on the NCTA also organized many other events vice providers (LSPs), shaping their trans- Board in 1999 with the Ethics portfolio, including happy hours and social events. lation environment and service delivery. went on to Publications, and was elected Among the association’s other achieve- In terms of service delivery, clients want Vice President three times. Events Director ments were, to quote Tuomas, “four incred- LUZ to understand the pressures they Raffaella Buschiazzo was elected to the ibly beautiful issues of Translorial.” face, accommodate their specific require- Board in 2005, and Membership Director Paula Dieli, who has served as NCTA’s ments, meet the needs of diverse groups J. Mónica Pérez was elected in 2009. Webmaster, became the new President. and departments, provide custom solu- As of February 7, NCTA had 487 indi- Sonia Wichmann, serving on the Board tions, and offer scalability at a competitive vidual members (up from 484 at the same as PR/ Marketing Director, became Vice price. In terms of quality, they want the time last year) and 51 corporate members President. Kristen Corridan, Scott Saylor company to develop a quality framework, for a total of 538. The and Afaf Steiert were elected Directors. comply with the standards and regulatory association had requirements imposed on them, and then 319 Translorial Evolving demands measure and report on performance. Newly elected NCTA Board mem- LUZ’s response to these demands is to ber Kristen Corridan, Manager of implement a comprehensive quality assur- Procurement and Quality at LUZ, ance (QA) model, provide technology and Inc., gave the presentation, enti- process solutions, and accommodate the tled “Facing Evolving Industry specific challenges of life science compa- Demands.” The company’s tag nies. Its quality-driven process approach line is “Delivering peace of provides peace of mind for clients by shar- mind to global life science coming responsibility for patient safety. m e e t i n g s

Attendees socialized at a post-meeting dinner. All smiles at the annual New Year’s Brunch.

In With the New b y n i n a b o g d a n

Adapting to challenges he annual NCTA New Year’s Brunch, held at Skate’s on the Bay on January 23 was, as Translators have direct impact on the suc- Talways, a great success. A group of 37 translators and interpreters gathered to talk shop cess of a project and the success of a client and socialize at the waterfront restaurant in Berkeley. Even the weather was cooperating. relationship. LUZ encourages translators After weeks of rain, it was a wonderful sunny Sunday and the San Francisco city skyline to adapt to evolving challenges and trends was showcased in the huge picture windows of the restaurant. and to understand what drives LSPs and This was the last NCTA social event prior to the February General Meeting, when board their clients. The company provides a cus- election results were announced. There will be a new contingent on the NCTA board this tomized service—a whole process—and year including a new President and Vice President. Luckily, the transfer of power at NCTA continuously receives client input dur- is always peaceful. This year, outgoing and incoming board members met to usher in both ing the production of that service. The the New Year and a new era in NCTA. demands made on LUZ are passed on to As always, the group consisted of a nice mix of long-time and newer members, making translators, whose help the company needs for interesting and enlightening conversation, including thoughts on the translator and his in order to meet these demands. or her “identity”—and what that means for those who live and work in a place that is not To work for LUZ Inc., translators must be their “native” country. People shared recollections and reminiscences about the “old days,” proficient native speakers of the target lan- how it all began for some, and how it is all beginning for others. guage with a minimum of 3 years’ profes- As usual, NCTA provided tea, coffee, and dessert. The brunch concluded with the tradi- sional translation experience. They must tional walk on the nearby pier and a group photo. This event is a great low-key way to meet be subject specialists in the life sciences; your fellow NCTA members and re-connect with old acquaintances. If you missed it, mark an advanced degree in the sciences is pre- it on your calendar for next year—it’s always mid-month or so on a Sunday in ferred. They must be detail- January and well-worth the effort.a oriented and technically savvy. Experience with translation memory tools is required. Prospective translators undergo a qualification process. Once approved, they are provided with feedback on their first two projects and undergo ongoing evalua- tions. NCTA thanks Kristen for an i n t e r e s t i n g presentation.a f e a t u r e Translation and Postcolonialism Translation and interpreting have a fascinating historical role in the development of empire and the postcolonial world. a n interview b y t h o m a s j. c o r b e t t

he work of Robert experientially and institutionally. We could ticularly with Paul de Man, there was TJ. C. Young, Julius say that in some sense there is no local much talk about the impossibility of trans- Silver Professor of any more, in the way that you could once lation in general. Today we have reori- English & Comparative have local experiences which were almost ented such discussions to more specific Literature at New entirely unmediated by anything beyond instances, even particular terms, such as York University, con- their own boundaries. So if people are now in Barbara Cassin’s wonderful Vocabulaire cerns marginalized talking about “localization” it is probably européen des philosophies: Dictionnaire des Robert J. C. Young peoples and cultures. precisely because it is now impossible, intraduisibles. Postcolonialism: A other than in the superficial way I have First of all I would say that very few texts Very Short Introduction devotes its final described. are untranslatable as such—they are sim- chapter to translation. Translation is seen ply less translatable or harder to translate. not only as a colonial activity but also They are, in other words, at the extreme as a metaphor: transplanting England to Identity is a fluid of the scale. We might say that a text New England, for example, is itself a form is untranslatable not because it can’t be of translation. The interview began with concept, much over- translated but because there is too much an oblique question, a question that pro- to translate, a surfeit of meaning, effects, voked a typically original and enlightening used in our own time. rhythms, techniques. The untranslatable response from Professor Young. text is the text in which there are simply Its only serious meaning, too many things going on. The problem TC: What is “localization?” with translation is not that these different in my view, is its legal aspects of the poem can’t be individually RY: As I understand it, localization is reference. translated but that they can’t all be trans- a word that globalization professionals lated at the same time. You have to choose, use—it means localizing a product, either and because you have to choose you have with respect to some material aspect that In my own field, that of Postcolonial to fail with respect to all the other elements accommodates it to local practices (ham- Studies broadly conceived, there is much that you didn’t choose. So are we saying burgers made with halal meat in Muslim talk of location, as in the title of Homi K. that the totality of the poem is untrans- countries, beer in French McDonald’s, cars Bhabha’s book The Location of Culture, latable or that the individual element is with heaters in their seats in Scandinavia) which emphasizes the particular place and untranslatable? Particular terms, words, or, more interestingly from a translational time of any cultural production, relative however, can be untranslatable, and one point of view, taking into account the to all others. The meanings of culture are response to that is simply to appropriate particular language situation of a specific determined by their locational parameters. the word into the other language, as has market. This would mean the translation In this sense, localization could be seen been done in vast quantities in English, of any text element into a local language, as antithetical to the idea of translation, starting with some very simple examples adaptation to local orthography, but also which will always attempt to cross borders, such as “pajama.” to other practices such as whether that to convey meanings beyond the local con- What interests me more is what one market uses pounds or kilos, the local cur- texts in which they have been developed. might call the traffic across untranslatable rency, etc. I don’t see this as having a sig- Of course that does not prevent a transla- terms, in the sense that a word like “geist” nificant relation to translation, though you tor attempting to preserve localized ele- will be translated across various European could argue for its importance with respect ments in a text, however paradoxical that languages with the assumption that the to certain practices of cultural translation. may be given that a translation will always different translations will have an equiva- As marketing strategies, these forms of deprive the local of its local specificity. We lence, when in fact what develops is a adaptation are essentially superficial char- could say that Schleiermacher’s idea of kind of stereoscopic or three-dimensional acteristics with respect to the core prod- foreignizing translation is in some sense a volume in which philosophy or transla- uct, and this, I think, shows the falsity of version of this. tion theory work, where there is a con- the local-global antithesis which has been stant process of misprision. The paradox given much mileage of late. In fact, I don’t TC: What is one dealing with when one of translation theory, in my view, is that think that it constitutes a distinction as acknowledges that a text is “untranslat- theorists move in their discussions about such, in the sense that the point about able”? translation between texts written in differ- globalization is that the local has become ent languages with the implicit assumption globalized in any number of ways, both RY: In the heyday of deconstruction, par- that there can be perfect translations.

12 translorial f e a t u r e

TC: In what sense might one assert that an or a “postcolonial” text) but these are not values, assumptions and hierarchies that original text has an identity? fixed, they change all the time. Texts per- were developed in the colonial period, and form different roles on different occasions adjusting their own cultures to accommo- RY: Identity is a fluid concept, much over- in different contexts. The question of iden- date the migrants who have now brought used in our own time. Its only serious tity becomes more interesting with respect the empire home, so to speak, and come to meaning, in my view, is its legal reference. to translation. Once we translate a text, the live in the formerly imperial centre. One There is much talk, for example, of all question becomes whether the text still has effect of that is that the monolingualism identities being constructed, but the sim- the same identity in some way—so that, that was developed so remorselessly dur- ple fact is that my own identity, starting for example, we can discuss the translated ing the state formations that took place with my birth certificate, passport and the text as if it is identical to the original. It is during the period of European nationalism like, are official documents constructed translation that poses the problem of the has now had to give way to new kinds of for me by the state. Beyond that, identity identity of texts, the relation of that to the multilingual societies. means something more like sense of self, concept of a “version,” and from that point and of course we all feel different at differ- of view your question demands a philo- ent times—between being a professor and sophical enquiry that is too vast to begin ... ideas about the being a parent, for example, but I am not here but which by the same token offers a sure these are different identities. To say very promising potential. All questions of postcolonial have that the fact that we play different roles at translation in some sense pose the ques- different moments in our lives means that tion of identity. now spread both to we have different identities is somewhat facile and betrays a lack of understanding TC: What might one understand by ‘post- the medieval and about what identity involves. colonialism’? classical worlds of Texts also have legal identities, relating to copyright, in a similar way, and we can RY: I have been writing about postcolo- academic scholarship, say that beyond that their identities are nialism for over twenty years now, written constructed, in the sense that they are read two “Introductions” and countless essays, and the analogy can in a certain way and put in certain catego- which makes this a very big question for ries (for example, a novel, me. Postcolonialism means what be developed quite it says, which is ‘after the colonial’. There are many different fruitfully. ways in which we can take this. For countries that were colo- TC: Was there any such notion in the nized, it means dealing with ancient world? the aftermath and the debris of colonial rule, institutional, RY: Of the postcolonial? I know that ideas economic, material, cultural about the postcolonial have now spread and psychic. For countries both to the medieval and classical worlds of that were formerly (or indeed academic scholarship, and the analogy can remain) colonial powers— be developed quite fruitfully. Having said all Western European coun- that, the formation of the Roman Empire, tries with the exception of and the world of Christendom that devel- Norway (though even there oped in its wake, took place under very the Norwegian Lutherans different conditions than those of modern were involved in forms European empires. Nevertheless, we can of colonialism), as well as see that the postcolonial perspective can Russia, China and Japan, be helpful in thinking through certain together with countries that aspects of earlier historical periods. All of arguably continue colonial- Anglo-Saxon poetry, for example, could be ism in different modalities, said to be marked by its own sense of being above all the United States postcolonial with respect to the departed (the United States is both Romans (though that was not, of course, a an imperial and formerly word that they used!). colonized power), it means TC: What is the relationship between post- deconstructing and revis- colonialism and translation? ing their own cultures and historical narratives RY: Many scholars have now investigated with respect to their own this question, and emphasized the role that

m a y 2011 13 f e a t u r e translation played in the development of of political and epistemological control. between cultures has become more urgent- empire—from the role of interpreters for The major theoretical impact, we could ly important. Translators are the people early explorers and conquerors, to the role say, of the work that has been done on the who are most able to facilitate and enable of translations of local texts, particularly relationship between postcolonialism and understanding between people of different legal and religious texts—as a way to facili- translation is to highlight the ways in which cultures. tate the institution of colonial rule, as in translation is always involved in a relation British India. Moreover the imposition of of power, both in terms of the institutional TC: Who might be in a position to judge the colonizer’s language, and the devalua- practice of translation and in the general the quality of a translation? tion of local languages so that they had no relationship between languages, which are official status, meant that for local people, never neutral but always involved in larger RY: I don’t think fundamental thinking translation, together with bilingualism for formations of power. I think that has been about this has changed at all in recent some, became the mark of their colonial postcolonialism’s most original and signifi- years. You can judge a translation from a condition. At the same time, in this context cant effect on translation studies. linguistic point of view, with respect to its some of the problems of translation, the accuracy, the success of its rendition from impossibility for example of producing a source to target language. On the other perfect translation, became manipulated From a social and hand you can judge a translation from the in certain power games. On the one hand, point of view of the reader. It may be a it was utilized for the colonizer’s benefit, human perspective, the good translation technically, but unread- as in the Treaty of Waitangi, where the able, or it may be a poor translation, tech- English version is very different from the most important people nically, but a powerful rendition, or simply Māori where the language is simplified useful from a practical point of view. and vaguer. On the other hand, transla- are interpreters... tion offered a mode of resistance for local TC: What might one mean by “de-trans- people, a practice that is explored in Brian TC: What is the role of translators in the lation”? Friel’s wonderful play about British rule in postcolonial world? Ireland, Translations. Friel’s play concerns RY: This is Jean Laplanche’s term, in his the translation process with respect to maps RY: From a social and human perspective, interpretation of Freud on translation. as a form of domination. In this respect we the most important people are interpreters, Initially Freud discusses the dream work should add the work of José Rabasa on in particular the people who are interpret- as a kind of translation that converts unac- mapping. The map gives one of the clearest ing in legal situations such as applications ceptable material into a form that the instances of the ways in which knowledge, for asylum, refugee status, the right to dreamer can assimilate. Laplanche devel- and the mediation of knowledge through remain, etc. These people have tremendous ops this further, by pointing out that since a particularly powerful language and set power in such processes, and an awareness the dream itself is, from a Freudian point of representations, can be a significant as of the social and cultural issues faced by of view, the problem to be decoded, then well as highly symbolic part of the exercise migrants, by people dispossessed through what the analyst has to do in the analysis is war, famine and poverty, is extremely in effect to detranslate it back to the origi- important for them if they are to fulfill nal, unacceptable dream thoughts. These their roles effectively and humanely. I then need to be retranslated into a form think interpreting in legal contexts that will enable the analysand to cope with is so important and greatly his or her life more effectively in the future. under-examined. I would I’ve used the concept quite extensively like to know much more to discuss the ways in which we need to about its processes. detranslate many of our concepts about For the most part other cultures—previous translations, as the courts assume that it were—in order to redevelop them into interpretation, and indeed forms that are more appropriate to our translation, are straight- modalities of understanding and cultural forward processes, whereas awareness in the twenty-first century.a in fact they are often exerted as forms of control and reduction. Thomas J. Corbett has a background in In more general terms, the role of information technology, including translators is not essentially dif- enterprise web testing. He attended an ferent in the postcolonial world NCTA presentation on localization and than in any other, except with became a member. This interview, includ- respect to the general social ing bibliographical notes, can be found at consensus today that inter- translorial.com. action and understanding

14 translorial perspective Language Specialists and Health Care Medical interpreters are a critical link between patients and providers. b y c a r l o s l. g a r c í a , c m i

edical interpreters are those language 1974 as also including language discrimi- medical interpreting since state certifica- Mspecialists that help patients and pro- nation, and has been addressed thereafter tion for medical interpreters is no longer viders communicate when they do not on several occasions by the federal govern- issued. speak the same language. ment. This critical link that needs to be estab- Regarding health, the Office of Minority Measuring competence lished between health care providers and Health of the U.S. Department of Health The National Board of Certification for patients has gone widely unchecked since and Human Services published their Medical Interpreters and the Certification 1964, with the passing of the Civil Rights Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, Act, which goes on to say in its Title VI, Services (CLAS) Standards in 2001 for both non-profits, began testing interpret- Section 602 that “no person in the United health care organizations that received ers in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Both States shall, on the ground of race, color, funds from the Federal Government. organizations offer a written English exam or national origin, be excluded from par- For health care organizations in gen- regarding regulations and ethics, which ticipation in, be denied the benefits of, eral, the Joint Commission—an organi- must be successfully completed in order to or be subjected to discrimination under zation that accredits and certifies more take the oral language-specific exam. any program or activity receiving Federal than 18,000 health care institutions and The International Medical Interpreters financial assistance.” programs—recently issued their new stan- Association (IMIA), the only national dards for patient-centered communica- trade association in the U.S., meets annu- Issue of discrimination tion, which address the issue of language ally. Its Task Forces advocate to providers, The issue of discrimination on the grounds access. health insurance, and government,a of nationality was later interpreted by the California’s State Personnel Board is in ... U.S. Supreme Court in Lau v Nichols in the process of revising its policy regarding Read the full version article online at translorial.com

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Just Now Updated to Office 2010? you could just search for two spaces and Kulongowski, Vladimir If you own an English, German, Chinese, replace them with one space. That’s easy. Now your client wants you to change that or Japanese version of Microsoft Office, But let’s imagine that this is a long and for the translated version, and you need to that’s the language that you’ll get for all convoluted document where some of the sort this into family name following the the menus—oh, sorry, “ribbons”—dialogs, double spaces that don’t follow a period given name. Here is how you can do this error messages, and other user interface actually need to remain. So you could do really easily. controls. You do have more than one a manual search and decide for each one. Copy the table into a standalone Word spelling and grammar checker installed But did I mention it’s a long document? document, press Ctrl+H, select Use with your particular language version Wildcards, and enter (<*>), (<*>) of Microsoft Office (go to http://tinyurl. (< = beginning of a word, * = 0 or more com/28bjpne to see what kind of spelling characters, > = end of a word, followed by checkers are included with various lan- a comma and a white space, followed by guage versions of Office), but if you are another beginning of a word, 0 or more intent on using an editing language that characters, end of a word). Replace it with is not covered by your language version, \2 \1 The result will be this: you’ll have to look into purchasing an Roland Smith additional language pack. That is, unless Jane Doe you are a user of one of approximately 60 Vladimir Kulongowski “minor” languages (I just recently learned If you still don’t see any usefulness in that the politically correct term here is this, file this topic under “fancy search and “languages of limited diffusion”), in which replace tricks that will come in handy one case you might find a link to a free down- day at which time I will express my heart- load of an LIP (Language Interface Pack). So here is a (relatively) easy way to con- felt gratitude to Jost for this great tip” and This will enable you to run Office in that duct a find-and-replace action for every don’t trouble your poor mind anymore. language and use the spelling checker and instance where a period is followed by two sometimes even a help system and tem- spaces and a capital letter. Fun with New Search Engine plates in that language. Press Ctrl+H to open the Find and I just stumbled on a new search engine If you’re not one of those blessed “lesser Replace dialog in Word, select the More called DuckDuckGo.com (dukgo.com will diffused” people, you can purchase an button to open up the extended options, also get you there). DuckDuckGo is a nice additional language pack (which includes and select Use Wildcards. Enter (.) addition to Google or Bing. the ability to run Office in an additional ([A-Z]) in the Find what field. This DuckDuckGo specializes in quick language plus proofing for three or four expression stands for “one period, fol- answers. It calls those answers “zero-click languages) and you can even choose to buy lowed by two spaces, followed by any capi- info,” data that is presented to you on the and install it right from within any Office tal letter.” There are parentheses around top of the page without the need to fur- program by selecting File > Options > the period and the [A-Z] expression to ther click on something. For example, try Language where you can find the respec- make them referable in the Replace with entering “age of yo-yo ma” and you’ll get tive link. field. Because if we enter \1 \2 into the his exact age to the day, or you could enter Replace with field (first referable field, fol- “weight of egg” and get the average weight Tricky Word lowed by one white space, followed by the of an egg. I have always found it annoying that it was second referable field), the second spaces DuckDuckGo derives these kinds of func- not possible to search and replace some- will be removed but the periods and first tions from WolframAlpha.com, the search thing but leave the original text untouched. letters of the following sentences will not. engine that likes to make you feel stupid. Doesn’t make any sense? Well, here is Still doesn’t make sense? But there are also other things that are spe- a good example: imagine someone who Imagine this: you are working on a table cific to DuckDuckGo. Say you can’t think of grew up using a typewriter and still adds where names are listed with the family a new password. Type in “pw”. Forgot your those dreaded two spaces after periods in name first, followed by a comma, followed IP address? Type in “ip”. an English document. Before you process by the given name: Some of these actions are actually useful. this with a translation environment tool, Smith, Roland A list of all the magic is right here: http:// you need to take all those spaces out. So Doe, Jane duckduckgo.com/goodies.html.a

16 translorial t o o l s o f t h e t r a d e

t h e t r a n s m u g r e p o r t Holding the Option key gives you access to accents (in orange) and a slew of so-called special characters. The Native Mac CAT Tool It has been over a year since my Challenge a l l o w s processor with automatic spellchecking. Add for a New Decade post, calling for a native you to all of Lion’s enhancements like full screen Mac® CAT tool—in other words, a Cocoa®- type an amazing number of “special” characters display and multitouch gestures and you have based program, developed with the technolo- with simple key combinations—no Alt-164 or a winner. gy shared by Apple® to create powerful, simple, US Extended Keyboard required. The Swiss—a The icing on the cake would be the Mac App and elegant applications. The only advance multilingual population if any—have given Mac Store: guaranteed exposure to all Mac users, in the past year was the return of Wordfast OS X its highest market share in the world: 17.61% instant access, and purchase in a few clicks. (Classic) on a brand new version of Word. and counting! This formula has already worked wonders for Nothing very native in that—a sort of “Back But the main reason for a native Mac tool should many developers and should make developing to the Future” experience. After all, a corrected be Lion, Mac OS X’s next iteration coming this an application for translators a viable venture. wrong doesn’t really make a right. summer. Current Mac OS technology should be The future lies in applications that emulate the Why, when all the heavy-duty professional incentive enough to develop a cool app. Just iPad experience, not in a power plant control tools are working on the Windows platform, check Pixelmator in the Mac App Stores m to see center. I want to open a file in my application should we expect developers to come up with what smart developers can do using mostly and start translating in a matter of seconds. a tool just for the Mac? First, because there has ready-made building blocks. Mac developer tools Strength is in numbers. TransMUG, a bona fide to be a market. Macs have been selling faster come with advanced and refined technologies Mac User Group with corresponding benefits, than PCs and the Mac OS® market share is con- such as Core Animation, Core Image, and Quartz® is already 100+ members strong. Join us via stantly gaining ground. Second, because this Composer that allow developers to tap into the www.transmug.com and meet the team at is a multilingual-friendly platform. You don’t resources of the system to power their applica- our next TransMUG meeting, prior to the NCTA need to purchase the Ultimate Edition to have tions without having to reinvent the wheel. For May General Meeting—11:30 am at Out the 18 languages included from the get-go, and the CAT tool developer, that would mean starting Door, on the Concourse Level of the Westfield the diminutive ultra comfortable Mac keyboard modestly with a ready-made multilingual word Center. y a

Translorial is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, Cocoa, Mac, Mac OS, and Quartz are trademarks of Apple Inc.

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hen NCTA was founded in 1978, from other locations, because they were Performance is everything Wany mention of e-mail would have able to accept short-notice interpreting I’m amazed at how interconnected every- been understood as Express Mail, known assignments before I even found out that thing is now. My smartphone contains in the United States as Special Delivery. there was a need for my services. Naturally functions that were previously performed This was the common way of sending I had to “upgrade” to one of these answer- by various separate devices. And yet, it urgent information, all printed on paper, ing machines. can’t help me with nuances in interpreting, of course. Fax machines were a luxury Some people had car phones, which such as when I’m talking about drug deal- that some major companies had. I still were about the size of a brick. You could ers (traficantes) one day and auto dealers recall my first encounter with one of these easily tell which vehicles had such a device (concesionarios) the next. devices. Someone explained to me that installed because of the prominent antenna Even speech recognition systems such as it worked just like a photocopier, except on the car. In order to minimize the risk of Dragon Dictate can never be one-hundred that you started with an original and then loss due to theft, owners started discon- percent accurate. An administrative law the copy would come out somewhere else, necting their phones and bringing them judge recently shared her frustration about even on another continent, as long as along in special carrying cases when they the fact that whenever she tried to dictate everyone’s telephones lines were working left their cars. The phone was safe, but a decision involving the word school, the properly and you got to keep the original! totally useless unless connected to the car. system invariably accepted it as squirrel. My cousin in Houston, who was involved Dictionaries were all on paper, because Years ago, I was auditioning as voiceover in the energy industry, bragged that he had there was nothing to compare with today’s talent for a “Grandma” voice but had to received a fax all the way from Qatar. online glossaries and web searches. If leave the studio to feed the parking meter. you needed to carry out some specialized On the way, I tried various ranges of pos- Typos and pay phones research to do a good job on a translation, sible “Grandma” voices. As I walked and Translators worked on manual typewrit- a trip to one or several libraries became talked using different pitches and accents, I ers, later becoming proud owners of elec- necessary, because there was no other way noticed that people were giving me strange tric ones, such as the ultramodern IBM to find out which location would have the looks, as if they felt sorry for me. Poor Selectric, which made it possible to easily specific book, journal, or other printed woman, look at her, talking to herself. Of change fonts just by lifting a lever, and then resource you needed. If a colleague had course, nowadays people who seem to removing and replacing a spherical device, some printed information that could be be talking to themselves are rarely pitied, smaller than a golf ball, known as an ele- helpful, perhaps some cooperation could because they are likely sporting a Bluetooth ment. Fixing a typo was simple. Pressing be achieved as long as both sides had a so they can talk hands-free.a a special key would activate a white eras- fax machine available to allow for sending ... ing ribbon to remove the error, and the information back and forth on paper. Read the full version article online at translorial.com correct characters could then be inserted. This was a huge advance over what had existed, when pages had to be retyped so that they would look nice and presentable. Help change lives in the Most people still relied on tiny bottles of developing world with what was generically known as white-out, to touch up errors already on paper. Kiva.org is an innovative micro-lending website. It lets individuals lend to specific borrowers in the developing world – Before voicemail existed as a built-in empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. invisible feature provided by the phone Through the Kiva Volunteer Translation Program, volunteers company, those of us working as transla- support the Kiva mission by translating loan requests and stories. Use your translation skills to contribute to Kiva.org, to network, and to tors and interpreters had to purchase a build your resume. separate answering machine device and We encourage professional translators to join the Kiva Peer Review Program. You’ll contribute to the attach it to the phone so that callers could Kiva Volunteer Translation Program by mentoring Kiva translators on your own schedule. leave messages when no one was around Kiva Volunteer Translation Program Apply online at www.kiva.org/volunteer to answer the ringing phone. But you only Join today: found out about upcoming assignments Kiva Peer Review Program Send resume to [email protected] after returning to your home or office and listening to your messages. I became envi- Kiva believes in the power of connecting people through micro-lending ous of certain colleagues who could go to and we support the translation communities that bring these connections pay phones and retrieve their messages to life. Kiva is a proud supporter of NCTA!

18 translorial THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF WORKING CHOOSE THE EASY WAY

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Translate faster Speed up your translations by reusing previously translated content with our pioneering translation memory technology Translate more easily Make life more simple by working in a user-friendly, customizable and fully integrated translation environment Translate more content Turn-around projects faster than ever before with the numerous productivity-enhancing and innovative new features www.translationzone.com/ncta PRSRT FIRST CLASS MAIL Attn: Juliet Viola, Administrator U S. . POSTAGE P.O. Box 14015 Paid Berkeley, CA 94712-5015 TUCSON, AZ

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NCTA CALENDAR

May 7 General Meeting June TBA Picnic

May 13-15 NAJIT Conference June 18 Translation for Court Interpreters

May 22 ATA Certification Exam July 30 Technical Writing for Translators

May 30 Happy Hour in San Francisco August TBA ATA Exam Certification Workshop

See http://ncta .org/calendar .cfm for up-to-date information.