August 2003 Volume XXXII Number 8 The

ChronicleChronicle A Publication of the American Translators Association

in this issue medical translating and interpreting American Translators Association th r 44 Annual Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors

Adler's Foreign Books Metrolanguage Technologies, Inc. Schreiber Translation/Printing Gold Sponsor www.afb-adlers.com www.metrolanguages.com www.schreibernet.com Trados ASET International Services Monterey Institute SDL International www.trados.com Corporation faculty.miis.edu/gstienrollment www.sdlproducts.com www.asetquality.com MultiLing Corporation Terminotix Silver Sponsor Beetext www.multiling.com www.terminotix.com www.beetext.com NetworkOmni MultiLingual Computing, Inc. Trados Dawn Sign Press www.multilingual.com www.trados.com www.networkomni.com www.dawnsign.com National Library of Medicine Translation Bureau - Termium John Benjamins Publishing www.nlm.nih.gov www.termium.com Bronze Sponsor www.benjamins.com Techno-Graphics & NetworkOmni Voice Productions International Kent State University www.networkomni.com www.voiceproductions.tv Translations, Inc. appling.kent.edu WordFinder Software www.wetrans4u.com New York University Language Line www.scps.nyu.edu International www.languageline.com www.wordfinder.com 1-Stop Translation Contributing Sponsor Language Technology Centre 1stoptr.com LetSpeak.com www.langtech.co.uk ProZ.com Interested in becoming an www.letspeak.com Martindale-Hubbell www.proz.com Experts & Services Exhibitor or Sponsor? Sandhills Software, Inc. www.martindale.com Contact Drew Macfadyen at www.ltrac.com [email protected]

Day of Friday, November 7, 2003 Medicine at ATA’s 44th Annual Conference Educational Sessions 10:15-11:45am Medical Interpreters as Advocates 3:30-5:00pm Holly Mikkelson, Cynthia Roat, Jane Kontrimas, Understanding the Power of a Karin Ruschke, Shiva Bidar-Sielaff Medical Interpreter 1:45-3:15pm Zarita Araújo-Lane and Vonessa A. Phillips End of Life and the Rise of Palliative Medicine: Issues and Terminology Rafael Rivera, MD, FACP National Forum: Language and Healthcare in Crisis 6:00pm-7:30pm Language and Healthcare in Crisis A panel of national experts in language, medicine, Federal Executive Order 13166 mandating legislation, and public policy will discuss the foreign language support, and efforts current legal struggles at state and federal levels towards certification and standards. over funding and support for language services in the healthcare sector. Coordinated by the ATA Public Relations Issues include an examination of the cost in Committee; Sponsored by the American lives due to lack of qualified interpreters, Translators Association and the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care.

Visit www.atanet.org/dayofmedicine.htm for more! August 2003 Volume XXXII in this issue Number 8

Features

A Publication of 11 ATA Officer & Director Nominations the American By Robert Sette Translators Much work goes into the process of recruiting capable persons to run for office. Association

14 Tribute to Kenneth Katzner Editor By Laura Esther Wolfson Jeff Sanfacon [email protected] 19 Professional Certification: What is it? Do I need it? How do I get it? By Ann C. Sherwin Proofreader “Certified” translators and interpreters are in great demand, but there is widespread Margaret L. Hallin uncertainty, even within our ranks, about what constitutes professional certification. This article posits a definition, clears up common misconceptions, and offers Design/Layout suggestions for newcomers to the field who wish to acquire such a credential. Ellen Banker/Amy Peloff Advertising 23 Blinding Me with Science: Volunteer Interpreters Split (Linguistic) Atoms Drew MacFadyen By Amanda Ennis How to increase your scientific IQ, showcase your skills as an interpreter, and network McNeill Group Inc. with potential clients, all while performing an invaluable community service. Not bad dmacfadyen@ for a day of pro bono work! mcneill-group.com (215) 321-9662 ext. 37 26 Evaluating Speech in a Mental Health Setting Fax: (215) 321-9636 By Jeff Morton Determining a person’s mental health needs and issues becomes ever more challenging Executive Director when the information concerning emotional and/or mental distress is being com- Walter Bacak municated across cultural and linguistic barriers and through a third party. [email protected]

Editorial Advisors R. Michael Conner, Leslie Willson, Mike Stacy Columns and Departments Membership and General Information 5 Display Advertising Index Maggie Rowe 7 From the President [email protected] 8 From the President-Elect website: www.atanet.org 9 From the Executive Director 10 From the Treasurer 12 Letter to the Editor 15 International Certification Study 47 Accreditation Forum 49 Onionskin 51 Dictionary Reviews 55 The Translation Inquirer 57 Humor and Translation 59 New ATA-accredited members and Active Member Review 60 Marketplace

American Translators Association 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 • Alexandria VA 22314 Tel: (703) 683-6100 • Fax (703) 683-6122 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.atanet.org 2003 Chronicle The Editorial Calendar A Publication of the American Translators Association Chronicle 1999 FIT Best Periodical Award Winner January Focus: Social Sciences The ATA Chronicle Submission Guidelines Submission Deadline: November 15 The ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages members to submit articles of interest to the fields of translation and interpretation. February 1. Articles (see length specifications below) are due the first of the month, two months prior to the Focus: Literary Translation Submission Deadline: December 1 month of publication (i.e., June 1 for August issue). 2. Articles should not exceed 3,500 words. Articles containing words or phrases in non-European March writing systems (e.g., Japanese, Arabic) should be submitted by mail and fax. Focus: Marketing 3. Include your fax, phone, e-mail, and mailing address on the first page. Submission Deadline: January 1 4. Include a brief abstract (two sentences maximum) emphasizing the most salient points of your article. The abstract will be included in the table of contents. April 5. Include a brief biography (three sentences maximum) along with a picture (color or B/W). Please Focus: Client Education Submission Deadline: February 1 be sure to specify if you would like your photo returned. Do not send irreplaceable photos. 6. In addition to a hard copy version of the article, please submit an electronic version either on May disk or via e-mail ([email protected]). Focus: Agencies, Bureaus, 7. Texts should be formatted for Word or Wordperfect 8.0. and Companies 8. All articles are subject to editing for grammar, style, punctuation, and space limitations. Submission Deadline: March 1 9. A proof will be sent to you for review prior to publication. June Focus: Public Relations/ Standard Length Professional Outreach Letters to the editor: 350 words; Opinion/Editorial: 300-600 words; Feature Articles: 750-3,500 Submission Deadline: April 1 words; Column: 400-1,000 words

July Focus: Translators, Interpreters, and Computers An Easy Reference To ATA Member Benefits Submission Deadline: May 1 Your ATA membership has never been more valuable. Take advantage of the discounted programs and August services available to you as an ATA member. Be sure to tell these companies you are an ATA member and Focus: Medical Translating refer to any codes provided below. and Interpreting Submission Deadline: June 1 Business Owners Insurance Life and Disability Insurance National Professional Group Mutual of Omaha September (888) 219-8122 (800) 223-6927 • (402) 342-7600 Focus: Interpreting Submission Deadline: July 1 www.ata-ins.com www.atanet.org/mutual.htm

October Collection Services/Receivables Overnight Delivery/Express Package Service Focus: Legal Management UPS Translating/Interpreting Dun & Bradstreet Reference Code: C0000700415 Submission Deadline: August 1 Mike Horoski (800) 325-7000 (800) 333-6497 ext. 7226 www.ups.com November/December (484) 242-7226 Focus: Training and Pedagogy [email protected] Professional Liability Insurance Submission Deadline: National Professional Group September 1 (888) 219-8122 Credit Card Acceptance www.ata-ins.com Moving? Find an Program/Professional Services Account NOVA Information Systems Retirement Programs error with your Reference Code: HCDA Washington Pension Center address? (888) 545-2207 • (770) 649-5700 (888) 817-7877 • (301) 941-9179 We’ve done everything possible to MasterCard Website Development ensure that your address is correct. But MBNA America Two Rad Technologies sometimes errors do occur. If you find Reference Code: IFKV [email protected] that the information on the mailing label (800) 847-7378 • (302) 457-2165 is inaccurate or out of date, please let us www.atanet.org/radtown know. Send updates to: The ATA Chronicle • 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 • Alexandria, VA 22314 ...And, of course, as an ATA member you receive discounts on the Annual Conference registration fees and ATA publi- Fax (703) 683-6122 • cations, and you are eligible to join ATA Divisions, participate in the online Translation Services Directory, and much [email protected] more. For more information, contact ATA (703) 683-6100; fax (703) 683-6122; and e-mail: [email protected].

4 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 30 Beware of the “Bilingual Expert” By Maria Cornelio In spite of their assumptions, most “bilingual experts” are not equal to the task of translating documents for medical research. The ATA Chronicle (ISSN 1078-6457) is published monthly, except bi-monthly 33 The Medical Interpreter and the Police in the Emergency Department: in November/December, Too Close for Comfort? by the American By Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and Gladys McCormick Translators Association. A discussion of the relationship between medical interpreters and law enforcement in a hospital’s emergency room. Reprint Permission: Requests for permission to 36 Medical Language and Medical Translation reprint articles should be sent to the Chronicle editor By Elena Sgarbossa at [email protected]. Translation and medicine are both inexact sciences. Medical semantic pitfalls lie in both The subscription rate for a the source language and the language interface, and are a frequent source of member is $43 (included in mistranslation. the dues payment). The U.S. subscription rate for a non- 41 Simultaneous Interpreting: (Rewarding) Stress and the Need for Recovery member is $50. Subscribers in Canada and Mexico add By Satu Höyhtyä, Translated from Finnish by Anja Miller $25; all other non-U.S. sub- Anyone who has ever attempted simultaneous interpretation or done it professionally scribers add $45. Single knows that the work is challenging and is certain to lead, at the minimum, to nervous copies are available for $5 tension and feelings of inadequacy, if not to full-blown stress. per issue. Second-class Postage rates paid at Alexandria, Virginia, and 44 Argentine Political Jargon additional mailing offices. By Rut Simcovich

How has language reflected the Argentine political rollercoaster and, more particularly, Postmaster: the way people vote? Changes of address should be sent to The ATA 46 A Linguistic Tragicomedy Chronicle, 225 Reinekers By Paulo Rónai, Translated from Portuguese by Tom Moore Lane, Suite 590, For the Brazilian who has not yet traveled outside his country, it will be difficult to Alexandria, VA 22314. The American Translators understand the obsessive energy with which the idea of an international language haunts Association (ATA) was and torments a European brain. established in 1959 as a not-for-profit professional society to advance the ATA’s Customized Website Program standards of translation and to promote the intel- ATA and Two Radical Technologies (2RAD) have teamed up to provide ATA members an opportunity to build lectual and material inter- their own customized websites. Through 2RAD’s online creation tools—RADTown—ATA members will be able to ests of translators and set up their own online presence. For more information, please contact 2RAD at [email protected] or log on to interpreters in the United States. The statements www.atanet.org/radtown. made in The ATA Chronicle do not neces- sarily reflect the opinion or judgment of the ATA, Display Advertising Index Be sure to check out the conference hotel its editor, or its officers or info on page 63! directors and are strictly those of the authors.

43 Maurice Cook [email protected]

64 Language Service Associates www.LSAweb.com

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 5 About Our Authors...

Shiva Bidar-Sielaff is a of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Emergency lished an article with Dr. Eric Topol entitled Spanish↔English medical Department’s on-call team. She is an evalu- “Semantic Ambiguity, the Non-Nosology and interpreter and the manager ator for area healthcare providers’ medical Myocardial Infarction” (Journal of Clinical of Interpreter Services and interpreter assessments. She received her Epidemiology, 1994:47, pp. 441-446). She Minority Community B.A. from Hampshire College in Amherst, has authored and coauthored over 50 scien- Relations at the University Massachusetts, and is a Ph.D. candidate at tific articles, reviews, and textbook chapters. of Wisconsin Hospital and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She serves as a medical reviewer for several Clinics. She received her B.A. from the École Contact: [email protected]. journal editors (as a referee for submitted d’Interprètes Internationaux, Université de papers), and is a freelance medical editor Mons-Hainaut (Belgium) and her M.A. from Anja Miller, a native of Finland, is a veteran and translator (English↔Spanish; the Monterey Institute of International translator and simultaneous interpreter. She Italian→English; Italian→Spanish) for several Studies. Through her work as a member of is accredited by ATA from and into Finnish. companies and for the National Institutes of the board of directors of the National Council Based in the San Francisco area, she was Health. Contact: [email protected]. on Interpreting in Health Care, she continues instrumental in establishing ATA collaboration to support the advancement of the field of with its counterpart organization in Finland in Ann C. Sherwin has been medical interpreting. Contact: 1993 as the initial step in the successful an ATA-accredited German- [email protected]. effort to include Finnish and other minority to-English translator since languages in ATA’s accreditation program. 1984. She is a past secre- Maria Cornelio is the director of the Hispanic Contact: [email protected]. tary of ATA (1987–1991), Research and Recruitment Center at has served on the Public Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Tom Moore has been fasci- Relations, Active New York City, where she oversees recruit- nated by the language and Membership Review, and Ethics Committees, ment and language support programs for culture of Brazil since 1994. and currently chairs the German-to-English Spanish-speaking participants in clinical In addition to Portuguese, work group in ATA’s accreditation program. studies. She also serves as Spanish-language he translates from Spanish, She is also a founder and past president of consultant to the New York State Psychiatric French, Italian, and German. the Carolina Association of Translators and Institute and teaches English→Spanish He is the music/media Interpreters and the former editor of the “Translation in Healthcare,” a course at New librarian at The College of New Jersey. CATI Quarterly (1996–2000). Contact: York University’s Center for Foreign Contact: [email protected]. [email protected]. Languages and Translation. She frequently conducts continuing education seminars for Jeff Morton (MEd, LMHC) is a clinician at the Rut Simcovich has been a freelance professional translators. She has a master’s Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Argentine English/Spanish translator and degree in international studies from the with experience providing case management interpreter since 1971. She is director of the University of Denver and a Diplôme d’Études services and eligibility screenings to a cultur- Language Department at Centro Internacional Françaises from the University of Poitiers, ally diverse population of seriously mentally ill de Conferencias, a company she founded in France. She studied at the University of persons. He also possesses several years of 1985. In 1996, she established the Rut Seville, Spain, and has a B.A. in Spanish and experience conducting crisis evaluations in an Simcovich Interpreters’ School, emphasizing French from Hunter College of the City emergency room setting. He has served on the role of interpreters and translators as University of New York. Contact: several committees that address the cultural facilitators of intercultural communication. In [email protected]. and linguistic needs of mental health con- addition to being a member of ATA, she is the sumers. He is a member of the former president of the Argentine Association Amanda Ennis serves on ATA’s Public Massachusetts Medical Interpreters of Translators and Interpreters and a former Relations Committee. She is also an Association and has presented on such topics member of the International Association of ATA-accredited (German→English) as evaluating speech in a mental health set- Conference Interpreters. She was the court technical/medical/marketing translator and ting and providing mental health treatment to appointed interpreter in the trial of the adjunct faculty member of Kent State newcomers from the former Soviet Union. Argentine military “Juntas,” and currently University’s Institute for Applied Linguistics, Contact: [email protected]. works for clients such as the World Bank, the where she teaches German translation and U.K. Embassy, and The Coca-Cola Company. project management courses to students in Robert Sette, a translator of Romance lan- Contact: [email protected]. KSU’s M.A. in Translation program. Contact: guages into English, resides in Pittsburgh, [email protected]. Pennsylvania. He specializes in commercial Laura Esther Wolfson is a and technical translations and teaches in the freelance interpreter for the Satu Höyhtyä graduated in March 2003 with Professional Translation Certificate Program United Nations and the U.S. a master’s degree from the Savonlinna at the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently Department of State. Her School of Translation Studies in Savonlinna, serving on ATA’s Board of Directors. Contact: working languages are Finland. Her major was German translation [email protected]. Russian, French, and and interpretation with a minor in Swedish English. Her recent book translation and interpretation. Contact: Elena Sgarbossa (MD) is a cardiologist who translation, Stalin’s Secret Pogrom, was [email protected]. has worked as a doctor in Argentina, Italy, published by Yale University Press and won and, for the past 13 years, in Cleveland, the 2002 National Jewish Book Prize in the Gladys McCormick is a freelance Chicago, and Weston (Florida). After passing Eastern Europe category. She is a member Spanish↔English medical interpreter for the the U.S. medical licensing examination, she of ATA’s Board of Directors. Contact: hospitals and clinics of Madison, Wisconsin. became interested in comparative linguistics [email protected]. She specializes in emergency and trauma and medical semantics and their effects on medical interpreting as part of the University physicians’ decisions. In 1994, she pub-

6 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Thomas L. West III From the President [email protected] Notes from a Peripatetic President

he past three months have kept me particularly want to draw your attention (www.librairiechamplain.com). Keep it on the road, and although the to the ones by Argentine attorney/trans- in mind. Ttravel can be tiring, it has been a lator Ricardo Chiesa, because he has Over Memorial Day weekend, I real pleasure getting to know translators graciously agreed to teach a seminar at attended the annual conference of in several different countries. In late our Annual Conference in Phoenix this the National Association of Judic- April, I attended the annual meeting of November. If you translate in the area iary Interpreters and Translators the Swedish Association of Professional of Spanish legal, you owe it to yourself (www.najit.org). It was great to see Translators (www.sfoe.se), which was to attend Ricardo’s courses, which are familiar faces there and learn more held on the west coast of Sweden in by far the most helpful sessions on legal about the issues facing our colleagues Gothenburg. It was gratifying to learn translation I have ever attended. who primarily work in a court setting. that our Swedish colleagues have Later in May, I traveled to Shortly thereafter, I went to Europe implemented a mentoring program Montreal to attend the annual twice—both times on business for my (for which they got tips from meeting of the Translation Company company—and was again impressed Courtney Searls-Ridge, who heads Division of ATA. Canada is always by the interest in continuing education ATA’s Mentoring Task Force). They an interesting place for translators to among translators there. Finally, in are also stepping up their efforts in pro- visit, since everything you pick up late June, I spent a weekend in Miami viding continuing education courses has been translated. By law, almost at the ATA Board Meeting, my 21st due to the heavy demand for training everything has to be in English and meeting since I went on the Board in among translators in Sweden. I believe French. One of the interesting things 1996 and my last meeting as a this trend at the international level con- for me as a translator was walking member of the Board. Although I will firms that ATA is on the right track into a Montreal bookshop and finding get to express my thanks in person at with the continuing education require- a whole shelf of books on translating our Annual Conference in Phoenix, I ments we have just implemented. and interpreting between English and want to take this opportunity to thank I spent the first weekend in May at French. Although most bookshops in all our colleagues who have served on the ATA Legal Translation Conference Toronto, where our 2004 conference the Board with me for their friendship in New Jersey, which was certainly one will be held, are not as likely to have and dedication to our association. As of the highlights of my eight years as an resources for translators, there is a we say in Atlanta, y’all are a great ATA member. Although all the presen- very large French bookshop there bunch. tations I attended were outstanding, I that does, the Librairie Champlain

Harvie Jordan Endowment Fund to Award First Scholarship

Throughout his multifaceted career, Harvie Jordan fostered the development of a great number of translators and interpreters, many times in ways some of us did not fully recognize until he was no longer with us. Harvie’s sudden death on November 8, 2002, was an immeasurable loss for all of us who knew him and for all the groups in which he participated. To honor Harvie for his lifelong contributions, carry forward his personal goals, and serve ATA’s Spanish Language Division, the Harvie Jordan Endowment Fund was created to provide financial assistance for continuing education for trans- lators and interpreters. If you would like to help carry forward Harvie’s legacy, please consider making a donation to the fund by writing a check to: American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation, Columbia Plaza, Suite 101, 350 E Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Include the annotation in the memo section, Harvie Jordan Endowment Fund. The first award will be a $195 scholarship toward the registration for ATA’s Annual Conference in Phoenix in November. The criteria for selection and application forms will be published in the next ATA Chronicle.

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 7 Scott Brennan From the President-elect [email protected] Conference Update: Looking Ahead to Phoenix

TA’s next Annual Conference strengths of each. Alan Melby, who Also on Thursday morning will be a will be held November 5-8, chairs ATA’s Translation and session on understanding the new eligi- A 2003, in Phoenix, Arizona. Computers Committee, will moderate. bility and continuing education require- Read on for a sneak preview. Continuing its “Grassroots Acti- ments for ATA’s accreditation program. vism” series, ATA’s Public Relations On Friday, ATA’s new Medical Educational Sessions Committee will present our new PR Division will host a Day of Medicine, ATA members and invited speakers campaign and discuss how we can all featuring a panel discussion on med- will share their expertise through a work locally with the media, raise the ical interpreters as advocates. The day strong lineup of educational sessions public profile of translators and inter- will culminate in “Language and and preconference seminars this year. preters, and enhance our image. Lillian Healthcare in Crisis,” a town hall In addition to solid offerings in the Clementi and Amanda Ennis will also meeting on the life-and-death issues of language pairs traditionally well repre- present materials and tips for giving medical translation and interpreting sented at the conference, I was pleased talks on T&I at schools. and the legal struggle over funding and to see proposals for sessions on Also of special interest to chapter, support for language services in Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Hebrew, and committee, and division officers and healthcare. Organized by ATA’s Public Indonesian. Financial, legal, medical volunteers is “Jurassic Parliament,” a Relations Committee and co-spon- and technical terminology, inter- preconference seminar on running sored with the National Council on preting, and literary translation are productive meetings, offered free of Interpreting in Health Care, this event also well represented across lan- charge again this year by ATA’s imme- will bring together a panel of national guages. A cluster of sessions on trans- diate past president, Ann Macfarlane. experts in language, medicine, legisla- lation and interpreting (T&I) for the For prospective T&I mentees and tion, and public policy. entertainment industry has also been mentors, Courtney Searls-Ridge, ATA added. See for yourself: the Pre- secretary and head of ATA’s Mentoring Extracurricular Activities liminary Program went out with the Task Force, will offer free preconfer- ATA’s division administrators are July issue of the ATA Chronicle (for ence seminars on making the most of already planning extracurricular activi- complete session abstracts and speaker your mentoring relationship. ties and outings. In addition to the bios, visit the 2003 conference website In addition to the annual meetings Literary Division’s Beacons reading at www.atanet.org/conf2003). of ATA’s 13 divisions, Jessica Cohen and After-Hours Café, the Chinese, Our keynote speaker, Everette and Haleh Vakhshori are hosting a ses- French, German, Japanese, Nordic, Jordan, is director of the new sion to explore the establishment of a Portuguese, Slavic, Spanish, Inter- National Virtual Translation Center. Middle Eastern Languages Division. preters, and Translation Company divi- A former National Security Agency For “Interpretation and Justice,” sions are all hosting social gatherings. linguist, he most recently worked on ATA Board member Laura Wolfson For the athletically inclined, ATA the Joint Congressional Inquiry into has put together a panel to discuss the Board member Rob Croese has put the intelligence failures that led up to pending case of Mohammed Yousry, together a round-robin tennis tourna- the events of September 11, 2001. At an interpreter charged with aiding ment, in which defending champion our conference, Mr. Jordan will and abetting terrorism. Beatriz Bonnet will try to keep her announce a major new initiative to trophy. Rob organized a similar marshal and coordinate this country’s Special Events event last year and five years ago in language resources to respond effec- Veteran conference-goers Anne Hilton Head. tively to future threats. Vincent and Leah Ruggiero will host an Again this year, the “Translation orientation session for first-time atten- Hotel Support Tools Forum” invites a spec- dees, offering strategies for making the Our conference space this year is trum of software vendors to present most of the ATA conference: session- a comfortable fit with an Old their products to conference attendees picking, making the scene of your Southwest feel. Many meeting rooms in a panel/question-and-answer format choice, working the halls…and what’s designed to spotlight the relative up with those colored dots? Continued on p.12

8 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Walter Bacak, CAE From the Executive Director [email protected] Board Meeting Highlights

he Board met June 28-29 at the the November 2003 elections. The Board Meetings. The Board Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel in candidates are: Beatriz Bonnet and approved a proposal to go to four T Miami Beach, Florida. The Marian Greenfield for president- board meetings a year from three. The Fontainebleau is a potential hotel to elect; Alan Melby for secretary; Jiri tentative schedule is roughly the host the 2007 Annual Conference. Stejskal for treasurer; and Claudia weekends closest to February 1, May 1, Angelelli, Debra Kramasz, Jean August 1, and the Annual Conference Here are some highlights from the Leblon, Virginia Perez-Santalla, (which is usually around November meeting: Ines Swaney, and Jost Zetzsche for 1). More information on this will be three directors’ positions. The can- publicized as it develops. Accreditation. The Board continued its didates’ statements will appear in discussion on the changes to the accredi- the September ATA Chronicle as Honorary Membership. Ted Crump, tation program and addressed issues that well as online. an Active/Life member, was made had arisen since the last meeting—many an ATA honorary member. Ted was from the membership. The Board also Divisions. The Medical Division is recognized for his years of service as urged that these changes continue to be fully established following the presen- an officer on both the national and publicized to the membership in both the tation of its bylaws and petition. In local levels. In 2001, he wrote and ATA Chronicle and online. Be sure to addition, the Board approved a compiled the book Translating and visit ATA’s website for complete infor- meeting for Division Committee Interpreting in the Federal Govern- mation on the new eligibility and contin- Chair Dorothee Racette, the division ment, which was published by ATA. uing education requirements. administrators, and ATA officers to discuss division programs, finances, Judicial Interpreter Case. The Board Nominations. The Board accepted and the important role that divisions the slate of candidates for office for play within ATA. Continued on p.25

ATA Election • 2003 ATA Annual Conference Candidates Announced Phoenix, Arizona

ATA will hold its regularly scheduled election at the upcoming 2003 ATA Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, to elect a president- elect, secretary, treasurer, and three directors. The candidates’ statements will be published in the September ATA Chronicle. Further nominations, supported by acceptance statements in writing by each additional nominee and a written petition signed by no less than 35 voting members, must be received by the Nominating Committee within 30 days of publication by the ATA Board of Directors of the names of nominees proposed by the Nominating Committee. Acceptance statements and petitions may be faxed to the chair of the Nominating Committee, Robert Sette, in care of ATA Headquarters at (703) 683-6122. Candidacy statements and photos of the candidates will appear in the September issue of the ATA Chronicle. Official ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters prior to the conference. Votes may be cast: 1) in person at the conference; 2) by proxy given to a voting member attending the conference; or 3) by proxy sent to ATA Headquarters by the date indicated in the instructions enclosed with the ballots. The candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee are:

President-elect Secretary Director (three positions, three-year terms) Beatriz Bonnet Alan K. Melby Claudia Angelelli Marian S. Greenfield Debra Kramasz Treasurer Jean Leblon Jiri Stejskal Virginia Perez-Santalla Ines Swaney Jost Zetzsche

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 9 Jiri Stejskal From the Treasurer [email protected] Financial Results for 2002

he annual audit has been com- membership growth and conference expenses, and it brought to the pleted for the fiscal year 2002. attendance in the May report. These Board’s attention the fact that the state T Our new auditing firm, Langan will provide a cushion in the budget of New York is preparing new legisla- & Associates, found our 2002 finan- should we need it. In addition, we were tion that could affect certain nonprofit cial statements in good order and in able to cut costs on the production of organizations, including ATA. Finally, conformity with accounting princi- the ATA Chronicle and have replaced the auditing firm made it clear that ples generally accepted in the U.S. As the Preliminary Conference Program any surpluses or losses from the activ- I indicated in the treasurer’s column with a smaller booklet, a move ities of the divisions do not accrue to in May, the association ended the resulting in considerable savings on each division, but are part of the 2002 fiscal year with a loss. The printing and postage. Finally, thanks to financial position and operations of audited statement of activities shows the six-month shift we made with the ATA as a whole. Therefore, the car- a final figure of negative $202,366. fiscal year, we should have sufficient rying over of division surpluses/losses There are three main reasons for the time to react in case the financial from one year to the next will be dis- negative result, namely lower than results of the Annual Conference, our continued in order for ATA to follow expected attendance at the Annual second largest variable in terms of cash proper accounting procedures. Conference in Atlanta, higher than inflow after membership, do not meet Our current financial situation budgeted ATA Chronicle expenses, our projections. appears to be back on track. We have and a realized loss on sales of invest- The auditing firm also made sev- already completed our interim fiscal ments. The one-time investment loss eral suggestions on how the associa- period, which ran from January was necessitated by the restructuring tion can improve its operations. The through June and served as a bridge of the investment account toward a suggestions, which are now being between the old fiscal year system much more conservative position, as implemented, include improvement in (coinciding with the calendar year) per our revised investment policy. bank reconciliation procedures, cen- and the new system (July 1 through In order to close the gap and miti- tralization of accounting policies and June 30, starting in July 2003). The gate the risk of future losses, the ATA procedures, further investment diver- results for this six-month period will Board, in close cooperation with sification, and functional allocation of be presented at the Phoenix confer- Executive Director Walter Bacak, expenses. The firm also supports our ence and subsequently published in approved and instituted a number of objective of raising the level of this column in an upcoming issue of cost-saving measures. I mentioned reserves to an amount equivalent to the ATA Chronicle. the conservative estimates for four-six months of operating

Attention Exhibitors American Translators Association 44th Annual Conference

Pointe South Mountain Resort • Phoenix, Arizona • November 5-8, 2003 Plan Now! Exhibiting at the ATA Annual Conference offers the best opportunity to market your products and services face-to-face to more than 1,200 translators in one location. Translators are consumers of computer hardware and software, technical publications and reference books, office products, and much more. Face-to-face selling, as you know, is the most effective and successful method of marketing. The ATA Annual Conference is the perfect venue, and you are assured of excellent visibility. Exhibit space is limited, so please reserve your space today. For additional information, please contact Drew MacFadyen, McNeill Group Inc.; [email protected]; (215) 321-9662, ext. 37; Fax: (215) 321-9636.

10 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 ATA Officer & Director Nominations

By Robert Sette, chair, 2003 Nominating Committee

he duties of the ATA Nomin- Committee continued to follow the among members of this year’s ating Committee appear to be same philosophy by focusing on two Nominating Committee that it is T fairly straightforward from a tasks: 1) seeking out candidates for important for each officer candidate review of the association’s bylaws. this year’s elections; and 2) identi- (president-elect, secretary, and treas- The committee must “propose candi- fying and approaching potential can- urer) to have had experience as a dates for each elective position of the didates for future elections. This is director on the Board before running association.” Despite this simplicity very important for the future of the for an officer position. Nevertheless, of language, much work goes into the association, as good leaders do not we did approach several ATA members process of recruiting capable persons just appear out of thin air, but rather who had not previously served on the to run for office. It is not as though are developed over time. Board to run as secretary of the associ- there is a mad rush of applicants when ation, but in the end they had some the call for nominations is issued each concerns about the additional volun- year. In fact, usually just a couple of “…Good leaders do not teer time commitment required as a volunteers trickle in. The Nominating just appear out of thin air, member of the Executive Committee. Committee must work diligently to With this in mind, the committee feels find members who have the mix of but rather are developed that Alan Melby, having served two skills needed by the Board at a given over time…” full terms on the ATA Board of time and who are in a position to vol- Directors, is highly qualified to serve unteer the time required to serve as a in the position of secretary. Jiri leader of the association. In preparing this year’s slate of Stejskal, in his current term as treas- Significant consideration is given candidates (see announcement on urer, has worked closely with each year to the composition of the page 9), we first evaluated the skills Headquarters to solidify the financial Nominating Committee. The com- and experience of current and out- position of the association, and the mittee should be diverse not only in going Board members to identify 2003 Nominating Committee feels that terms of the geography of its mem- areas of expertise that may be under- continuity in this area is important for bers, but also in terms of the members’ represented. For this year’s slate, we the association at this time. Thus, we working languages, their ages, and the drew on members actively involved are presenting a slate with secretary capacity in which they are active in the in ATA chapters and divisions who and treasurer running unopposed. profession (i.e., as freelancers, in aca- have demonstrated capable leader- I would like to express my sincere demia, etc.). These same considera- ship qualities in the areas we feel are gratitude to the other members of the tions, and more, come into play when needed on the Board. 2003 Nominating Committee—Rudy selecting the slate of candidates, not to One of the goals for the Heller, Odile Legeay, Courtney mention the bylaws requirement that Nominating Committee each year is Searls-Ridge, and Ben Tompkins— members of the Board be active mem- to propose two candidates for each for their dedicated work and commit- bers of the association. position. This year, we are presenting ment. I also invite any ATA members A previous article (“New six candidates for three vacant direc- who have feedback on the nomina- Directions for ATA’s Nominating torships and two candidates for the tions process, or who are interested in Committee,” by Kathy Foster, January position of president-elect. finding out more about how they can 2003) adroitly summarized the new We are, however, presenting only become involved, to contact me philosophy and approaches imple- one candidate for secretary and one ([email protected]) or any of mented by the 2002 Nominating candidate for treasurer for the fol- the committee members. Committee. The 2003 Nominating lowing reasons. There was a feeling

For complete conference information, visit www.atanet.org/conf2003 today!

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 11 Letter to the Editor

Continuing Education Requirements Our question is, How about transla- source of his or her income (say, consti- We have read Tom West’s article tion and interpreting? In other words, tuting no less than 50% of income, as on accreditation in the April issue and how about making a living? Like most evidenced by Form 1040 or Schedule C discussed it with some of our Russian committed professionals, we really are of the tax return for freelancers or Form translation colleagues. We have a few very busy, each translating an average W-2 for in-house translators). Any other questions to ask and a few comments of several thousand words daily, main- pertinent supporting documentation to make that we are sure will be of taining project glossaries, etc. Our could also be used for this purpose—for interest not only to ourselves, but also first, and rather emotional, response to example, a translator’s website adver- to many other ATA members. Mr. West’s article was, if this is really tising his or her services, and so on. In general, we agree that continuous the case, we will probably have to There are also other ways to prove that a education may indeed be required to leave ATA. From what we hear from translator or interpreter is in business. elevate the status of ATA members. The some other Russian translators like For example, a letter from the client con- devil seems to be in the numbers, ourselves, their response seems to be firming completion of a certain volume though. It appears that in order to retain pretty much the same. What will the of translation or interpreting work over a ATA accreditation, a translator will outcome be, then? year, or any other proof of professional have to spend a significant amount of The real professionals, those who work completed. This, of course, does time, effort, and money—the latter not spend all of their time on actual transla- not exclude the continuous education only from “additional work and tion and interpretation, will be forced option for those who choose to take expense,” as noted by Mr. Hamm, but either to leave ATA or, at the very least, advantage of it, voluntarily. also, and mostly so, in the form of lost lose their accreditation, while the propor- ATA should not manage its mem- earnings resulting from major distrac- tion of those who regard translation and bers’ affairs or prescribe how they tions from our routine work process. interpreting as a part-time occupation, a should improve their skills. It is the No doubt you realize that most ATA side job, or a hobby will begin to grow. market, and market alone, that must be members make their living as full-time Is membership reduction really what the ultimate judge of whether a trans- translators or interpreters. (If this is not you seek to achieve? We don’t think so! lator or an interpreter is qualified to do the case, then it should be, as follows We strongly disagree with the concept his or her job. We get our education so from the name of our professional of sacrificing our primary professional we will be able to work—not the other association.) Now, based on the pro- work to other associated activities in way around. If we work in our areas of posed continuous education require- order to maintain our accreditation in a specialization, and have worked suc- ments, in addition to paying their professional association. cessfully for decades, why should we membership dues, translators will need In addition, Mr. West’s article seek any further academic training? to: attend, annually, one or more semi- never mentions exactly how you envi- According to its bylaws, ATA may offer nars, workshops, or conferences or sion enforcing these requirements and an opportunity (“stimulation and sup- take/give educational classes (you are monitoring compliance. This, too, port”) for continuous education as a pro- certainly aware of associated costs); may prove to be an additional red- fessional improvement avenue—yet perhaps become members of some tape burden for ATA members. ATA should not be turning this opportu- other professional associations and, The best way to improve profes- nity into a precondition for retaining therefore, incur additional membership sional qualification or obtain continuous ATA accreditation. Please don’t allow expenses as such; write a book or an education is through actual translation this to happen! article (is the level of effort really the work. That is why we believe that, as an same for writing an article as for alternative to the proposed continuous Igor Bekman writing a book?!) to obtain an addi- education requirements, a translator or Michael Ishenko tional two hours of credit; and so on interpreter can provide proof that trans- Igor Vesler and so forth. lation or interpreting is indeed a primary

From the President-elect Continued from page 8 open onto terraces, and we plan to set The walkways are paved in Saltillo ATA has always been the generosity up our continental breakfasts and tile, so wearers of high heels please and sharing among colleagues, and coffee breaks al aire libre. The resort take care. Mornings can be chilly, but this group effort is the best example. complex offers a golf course, tennis the fires in outdoor hearths make cozy For me, the Annual Conference is courts, swimming pools, and a water- places to relax and talk into the night. what ATA is all about. See you in park with a three-story water slide. One of my favorite things about Phoenix!

12 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Omni Austin Hotel Localization Translation Seminar Austin, Texas September 6-7, 2003

As the international community grows increasingly intertwined, localization is becoming crucially Sponsored by the important and so is the need for translators who specialize in localization. Whether you are trans- American Translators Association lating website content, training materials, or computer software, this seminar will provide the and the Austin Area Translators and insight and training to enhance your skills for translating in the global marketplace. Interpreters Association.

Saturday, September 6 ATA will provide a full day of in-depth sessions, including a continental breakfast in the morning and a Networking Session following the final presentation. Presenters are Carla DiFranco, Software Localization Engineer for Microsoft Corporation Windows International, and Kieran Dunne, Assistant Professor at Kent State University. Hotel Information Make your hotel reservations at the Sunday, September 7 Omni Austin Hotel, 700 San Jacinto, Austin, TX 78701. Contact AATIA will provide a half-day of sessions on localization translation, including a continental the Omni at 1-800-THE-OMNI breakfast. Presenters are Dr. Tim Altanero, Associate Professor of Technical Communications at (843-6664) for reservations. Be Austin Community College, Tatyana Amoriko and Ronnie Oldham from Adams Globalization, sure to tell them you are attending and Dr. Frank Dietz, who specializes in technical translation and has translated over 30 computer the Localization Seminar spon- games. sored by ATA and AATIA.

Registration Form Join ATA and Save! Individuals who join ATA when registering for this seminar qualify First Name Middle Initial Last Name ATA Member# for the ATA member registration fee. Contact ATA or visit Employer/School (only list employer or school if you want it to appear on your badge) AATIA Member# www.atanet.org/membapp.htm for an application. Street Address

Cancellation Policy City State/Province Zip/Postal Code Country Cancellations received in writing by August 29, 2003 are eligible Telephone Fax Email for a refund. Refunds will not be Both Days, September 6-7 ATA/AATIA Member Nonmember Payment honored after August 29. A $25 administrative fee will be applied Early-Bird (before August 29): $180 - Save $15 $310 - Save $25 $______to all refunds. After August 29 and Onsite: $265 - Save $20$395 - Save $30$______

Saturday, September 6-7 ATA/AATIA Member Nonmember 2 Ways to Register: Early-Bird (before August 29): $145 $260 $______After August 29 and Onsite: $215 $330 $______Fax registration form to 703.683.6122 Sunday, September 6-7 ATA/AATIA Member Nonmember Mail registration Early-Bird (before August 29): $50 $75 $______form to ATA, 225 Reinekers After August 29 and Onsite: $70 $95 $______Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Check/Money Order: Make payable, through a US bank in US funds, to American Translators Association. Credit Card: Charge my ___American Express ___VISA ___MasterCard ___Discover Don’t Forget: Card No.___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/ Expiration Date:______- include payment with your form Name on Card:______Signature:______- make your hotel reservations ___Please check here if you require special accessibility or assistance. (Attach sheet with your requirements.) - tell a friend about this event

For more information about the Localization Seminar or ATA membership, please An ATA Professional visit www.atanet.org or contact ATA at (703) 683-6100 or [email protected]. Development Seminar Tribute to Kenneth Katzner

By Laura Esther Wolfson

ith the passing on May 25th of Gödel, Escher, Bach, Douglas Grolier Encyclopedia and later for of this year of Kenneth Hofstadter wrote, “[Kenneth Katzner] Encyclopedia Britannica and The W Katzner, author of the essen- was the man whose wonderful dic- American Heritage Dictionary of the tial English-Russian Russian-English tionary had been my staunchest com- English Language. In 1964, he took Dictionary as well as Languages of panion…as I translated [Alexander on the assignment to compile the the World and A Russian Review Text, Pushkin’s classic Russian verse English-Russian Russian-English Dic- the association has lost a valued col- novel] Eugene Onegin into English. tionary, expecting it would take about league and friend. Mr. Katzner died at So taken had I been with Katzner’s a year. In fact, it took him 18 years. the age of 72 after a long struggle dictionary, and so dependent upon it, When he died, he was in the process of with lung cancer. that I purchased four different copies making additions and improvements In 1999, Mr. Katzner was the guest so as to have it on hand wherever I for a third edition. Until his retirement speaker for the Annual Susana Greiss might find myself—my bedroom, my from his job as a Russia specialist for Lecture Series hosted by ATA’s Slavic study, my office, or my kitchen.” the Department of Defense, he worked Languages Division at the ATA con- on the dictionary in his spare time. ference in St. Louis, an event he Mr. Katzner also penned op-ed recalled with intense pleasure for “…He took great pains to pieces, articles in scholarly journals, years afterward. Speaking to a packed and articles based on his travels. In room, he described his work on parse out the numerous 1999, he launched the online company the English-Russian Russian-English meanings of each word, Wordfind with his wife, Betty Katzner. Dictionary, a project which took him which, as he noted, are Wordfind produced and sold the 18 years to complete. In his lexico- CD-ROM version of his dictionary. graphic work, he took great pains to not always discrete, but Of his work on the dictionary, he parse out the numerous meanings of sometimes blend into each said: “Even in the computer age, each word, which, as he noted, are not when some say everything can be always discrete, but sometimes blend other along a recorded with mathematical preci- into each other along a continuum. He continuum…” sion, with a dictionary there is simply was particularly concerned with no substitute for slowly and methodi- demonstrating how to use specific cally adding to it and improving it— words idiomatically in sentences. In Hofstadter ended his review by one entry at a time, a little bit each his work, he consulted intensively noting, “…a remarkable event that day—as you read the language, listen with native speakers of Russian. His occurred at the end of his talk, which to others as they speak it, and make dictionary, while intended for native was perhaps a first in world history: a note of each new usage as it comes speakers of English, became popular long, warm, standing ovation for the along. I’ll keep working on it for as with native Russian speakers, and, in compiler of a dictionary.” long as I am able, but neither I nor a backhanded tribute, thousands of A 1952 graduate of Cornell anyone else will ever really complete copies were sold across the former University, Mr. Katzner later served in the task. Language is infinite, and just Soviet Union in a pirated edition with the U.S. Air Force and received inten- as certain evanescent things cannot be his name misspelled on the title page. sive Russian language training at the captured on film, so the words that In a review of Mr. Katzner’s pres- Syracuse University U.S. Air Force make up a language cannot be fully entation in the Slavfile (winter/spring Institute of Technology. After com- captured by a dictionary. We do the 2000), distinguished cognitive scien- pleting his military service, Mr. best we can but sometimes, I think, tist, translator, polymath, and author Katzner worked as an editor for we only scratch the surface.”

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14 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 International Certification Study: Lessons Learned

By Jiri Stejskal

ver the course of the past two observes that, “According to…a overview presents the basic creden- years, we have examined the survey conducted by the American tialing methods used.3 Oways in which translators and Society of Association Executives, two interpreters earn their credentials in top reasons that associations develop Certification: A voluntary process more than 30 countries on six conti- certification programs are to ensure by which an organization grants nents. The following geographical professional competence and to recognition to an individual who has regions have been covered in this series: enhance the prestige of the profes- met certain predetermined qualifica- sion.”1 On a level specific to our tion standards. ¥ Brazil (July 2001) inquiry into the field of translating and ¥ South Africa (August 2001) interpreting, the credentialing process Accreditation: A process by which an ¥ Egypt (September 2001) occurs under three possible scenarios: entity grants public recognition to an ¥ Australia (October 2001) organization such as a school, institute, ¥ Czech Republic college, program, facility, or company (November/December 2001) “…The purpose of that has met predetermined standards. ¥ Canada (January and March 2002) credentialing is uniform ¥ Finland and Sweden (February 2002) Registration: A process by which the ¥ Austria (April 2002) across the board: to possession of specific credentials rele- ¥ U.K. and Ireland (May 2002) establish standards of vant to performing tasks and responsi- ¥ Argentina (June 2002) bilities within a given field is verified. ¥ Norway (July 2002) professional practice; to ¥ Denmark (August 2002) elevate the status of the Licensure: A mandatory creden- ¥ Japan (September 2002) profession; to satisfy tialing process by which a government ¥ Spain and Portugal (October 2002) agency grants permission to persons to ¥ Ukraine (November/December 2002) public demand for engage in a given occupation or pro- ¥ Germany (January 2003) standards; and to extend fession by attesting that those licensed ¥ Mexico (February 2003) have attained the minimum degree of ¥ Colombia, Uruguay, and the ‘shelf life’ of academic knowledge and skills required. Venezuela (March 2003) degrees…” ¥ Belgium and the Netherlands The confusion between “certifica- (April 2003) tion” and “accreditation” was ¥ Arab countries (May 2003) certification by a professional associa- addressed in the last issue of the ATA ¥ U.S. (June and July 2003) tion; certification by a government; Chronicle. Even though the creden- and certification by an academic insti- tialing process for translators and/or The procedures employed in different tution. Let us first review various interpreters is called “accreditation” in countries vary widely, but there are forms credentialing can take and then some countries (most notably in the certain discernible patterns common to examine the three scenarios. U.S. and Australia), for the purposes all areas; some apply to credentialing of this study these programs fall under in general, some are specific to the pro- Credentialing Methods the category of “certification.” fessions of translation and interpreta- Organizations throughout the Certification can be further divided tion (T&I). On the general level, the world in all conceivable fields into the following subcategories4: purpose of credentialing is uniform employ various credentialing proce- across the board: to establish standards dures to establish a level of qualifica- ¥ Full-scale professional certification; of professional practice; to elevate the tion for individuals or groups active ¥ Knowledge-based certification; status of the profession; to satisfy in the particular area. In the U.S. ¥ Curriculum-based certification; and public demand for standards; and to alone, there are about 1,600 certifica- ¥ Certification of attendance or extend the “shelf life” of academic tion programs for individuals and participation. degrees through continuous profes- over 200 accreditation programs for sional development. This does not schools, institutions, businesses, and All four subcategories are used in come as a surprise. Michael Hamm service providers.2 The following the field of T&I. A credential ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 15 International Certification Study: Lessons Learned Continued awarded to individuals who meet and/or interpreters. These credentials testing. In most cases, other require- specific eligibility requirements and may or may not involve an assess- ments apply in addition to member- successfully complete rigorous assess- ment of the candidate’s knowledge ship and the successful completion of ments of their knowledge and skills is and skill, but they always include a certification examination. usually referred to as “professional stringent eligibility requirements, certification.” This is the credential especially regarding a candidate’s cit- Eligibility and Continuing Education used by most T&I organizations izenship status, permanent residence, Requirements throughout the world, including and age. Government certification is The new set of requirements for ATA. “Knowledge-based certification” described in greater detail below. ATA’s credential, namely the contin- emphasizes a relatively narrow scope uing education and eligibility of specialized knowledge and fre- Credentialing Bodies requirements, was described in the quently focuses on specialty areas As previously mentioned, transla- July issue. In general, continuing within a profession in which a profes- tors and interpreters can earn their education requirements are not as sional certification already exists. credentials through professional asso- common in T&I credentialing as they Certificates for legal translators and ciations, government-sponsored pro- are in other professions, so ATA is interpreters, such as those offered by grams, and academic institutions. leading the effort in this area. the National Association of Judiciary Certification by a professional associ- Eligibility requirements are far more Interpreters and Translators (see June ation is strongest in common law common and include the following 2003 ATA Chronicle), or certificates in countries, whereas certification by a (in various combinations): particular areas (for example, patents government body is usually employed or literary texts), such as those offered in civil law countries.6 Academic pro- ¥ Membership, either in the organi- by the Japanese Babel Co., Ltd., are grams exist in both civil and common zation offering the certification or examples of knowledge-based certifi- law countries, and are particularly in another T&I organization; cation. Curriculum-based certificates strong in countries where certification ¥ Education; are common in the academic environ- is not offered by the government or ¥ Experience; ment. Candidates receive this creden- professional associations (for ¥ References or referrals from peers, tial when they complete a course or example, in China and Israel). clients, or employers; series of courses and an assessment Frequently, an academic credential ¥ Mandatory mentoring program; process. These programs range from serves as a prerequisite for member- ¥ Mandatory seminar on ethics or short-term programs with an exit ship in a professional association. In best practices; and examination, such as the program some countries, all three forms of cre- ¥ Screening test in the language of offered by Berlitz in Mexico, to Ph.D. dentialing coexist, such as in the U.S. the given country. programs.5 Finally, a certificate of As a general rule, however, in attendance/participation does not common law countries, credentials The first three are the most common qualify as an official credential, since granted by professional associations eligibility requirements enforced no assessment of knowledge and skill carry more weight than those granted throughout the T&I industry world- is required and recipients do not need by the government, while the opposite wide. Education and experience are to meet any professional standards. As is true in civil law countries. usually coupled on a sliding scale, an example, ATA issues such certifi- Certification by professional asso- where more education requires less cates to attendees of the association’s ciations, such as ATA, the Canadian experience and vice versa. References annual conference and its professional Translators and Interpreters Council are required by some professional development seminars. (through its 12 provincial and territo- associations, for example, in Ireland, Registration and licensure are cre- rial bodies), or the Australian Ukraine, and Argentina. Mandatory dentialing forms favored in civil law National Accreditation Authority for programs and seminars are currently countries (i.e., in most of Europe and Translators and Interpreters, is usu- used in Canada. in Latin America). Such a credential ally tied to membership in the given The screening test is a criterion is invariably granted by the govern- organization. The main qualification least used by professional associa- ment, and candidates become assessment of the candidates is then tions. In the programs described in “sworn” or “authorized” translators usually performed via stringent this series, only the Arabic and

16 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Translation Studies Division of the public deeds, documents that are linguistic competency. Most govern- Center for Adult and Continuing involved in legal actions, expert wit- ment certification programs, however, Education at the American University ness reports, and commercial docu- require a college degree and include a in Cairo requires candidates to show ments such as contracts, financial stringent examination of the candidate’s proficiency in Arabic of at least statements, corporate documents, etc. competence in the given language com- Advanced+, as defined by the A government-certified translation bination(s). On the other hand, in some American Council of Teachers of will also be required in circumstances countries (Belgium, for example), Foreign Languages. While the Center involving other types of documents, becoming a “sworn translator” or is really in the category of academic such as medical reports or expert opin- “sworn interpreter” simply means that institutions (described below), the ions that are part of a legal procedure, the translator or interpreter takes an oath screening test is of interest to us here or an audit or a claim in an insurance before the court, but no attempt is made because ATA’s Board, Eligibility company. Similar procedures are to assess the candidate’s linguistic com- Requirements (ER) Committee, and employed in other Latin American petency. Continuing education require- Accreditation Committee recently countries and most of Europe, particu- ments are not common in government gave a lot of thought to the possibility larly in the member states of the EU. certification, but there are exceptions, of introducing screening tests as one In some countries (for example, the most notable of these being of the eligibility requirements for Norway, which is not a member of the California, where such requirements are ATA’s credential. However, technical EU), the title “government-authorized strictly enforced. and logistical difficulties tipped the translator” uses similar wording that Credentialing by academic institu- scale toward using the mainstream carries the same weight as the title tions has been described in this series requirements, but the ER Committee “certified public accountant.” on a somewhat random basis, but par- will continue exploring this area. The procedures employed in gov- ticularly when discussing countries Certification by the government ernment certification are quite uni- that are either lacking any other form falls into the registration/licensure form across the board in terms of of certification or those in which other category, which means that certain eligibility requirements. The fol- forms of certification have not tasks can be performed only by lowing set of criteria is used consis- achieved the desired level of credi- “authorized,” “sworn,” or “public” tently in nearly all countries offering bility. An important aspect of this type translators or interpreters. This type such a credential: of credential is that it is geared toward of certification process is typically candidates who are just beginning governed by legal statutes, which ¥ Minimum age (18, 21, or 25); their translation or interpretation date back to the 19th century in ¥ Citizenship; careers. Certification by professional some countries. This means that ¥ Place of residence; or governmental organizations, on the government-sponsored certification ¥ Legal competence of the candidate; other hand, serves the needs of has been around for much longer than and accomplished translators and inter- certification by professional organiza- ¥ Clean criminal record. preters. It should also be noted that tions, the latter being introduced only certification by academic institutions quite recently. In the U.S., govern- Eligibility requirements imposed by is often a prerequisite for certification ment certification applies to court the government are very different from by professional or government organ- interpreters, but many countries apply those of professional associations. This izations. Just like nonacademic certi- this concept to translators as well. For is because the purpose of a govern- fication programs, not all academic example, in Argentina, “certified ment-sponsored credential is quite dif- programs for translators and inter- public translators” are considered to ferent from that of a credential preters are created equal. Descriptions be assistants to justice, and are the bestowed by a professional association. and, in some instances, evaluations of only ones authorized to act in an offi- Whereas a government-sponsored cre- selected programs have been offered cial capacity as court assistants, dential focuses on the moral integrity in this series for a number of coun- experts, and/or interpreters. Certified of the candidate and his or her capa- tries, including the Arab-speaking translations are required in a number bility to serve as an “assistant to countries, the Low Countries, of official contexts: personal docu- justice,” the professional association’s Scandinavia, Mexico, Latin America, ments, certificates and diplomas, credential focuses on the candidate’s the U.K., Ireland, and Japan. ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 17 International Certification Study: Lessons Learned Continued

ATA’s Education and Training international credential developed [email protected]. The entire series is Committee is currently compiling a and administered by an international scheduled for publication in book list of T&I academic programs world- body, such as the International form for the November 2003 confer- wide, and further research and assess- Federation of Translators (FIT), ence in Phoenix. ment of such programs is underway. would be a more feasible and effec- tive way of moving one’s credential Notes Where do we go from here? across the border. 1. Hamm, Michael. 1997. “Certifi- The International Certification This study has been exploratory in cation and Accreditation Pro- Study series is the first of its kind, nature and much work still lies ahead. grams.” Professional Practices in and has filled a large gap in the Our series of articles will serve as Association Management. Ed. John industry’s pool of knowledge. At its groundwork for a more detailed and B. Cox. Washington, DC: ASAE, inception in June 2001, the purpose serious inquiry into the credentialing pp. 335-43. of the study was to “learn more procedures used in the translation and about certification and similar pro- interpretation industry worldwide. Its 2. Pare, Michael A., ed. 1998. grams of non-U.S. professional author was recently appointed by Betty Certification and Accreditation organizations for translators and Cohen, president of FIT, as chair of the Programs Directory: A Descriptive interpreters.” Emphasis was placed FIT Status Committee, an international Guide to National Voluntary on the admission requirements to body whose mission is to examine the Certification and Accreditation these organizations’ examination/ status of the translation and interpreta- Programs for Professionals and certification programs, and to tion profession throughout the world. Institutions. Detroit, MI: The Gale “explore whether reciprocal arrange- The committee members are: Marion Group. This 620-page volume, ments among organizations with sim- Boers, of the South African which describes voluntary creden- ilar areas of interest are possible.”7 In Translators’ Institute; Mary Höcker, of tialing in the U.S., is comple- the course of two years, we learned a the German BDÜ; Sveinung L¿kke, of mented by the Professional and lot about credentialing procedures the Norwegian Association of Occupational Licensing Directory, employed by professional organiza- Government Authorized Translators; which lists credentials required to tions outside of the U.S., and ATA Ann Macfarlane, executive director of practice a profession or occupation. was able to apply this knowledge to the National Association of Judiciary its own credentialing program. We Interpreters and Translators and imme- 3. Knapp, Lenora G., and Joan E. also learned about credentialing pro- diate past president of ATA; Roberto Knapp. 2002. The Business of Certi- cedures used by various govern- Puig, of Colegio de Traductores fication: A Comprehensive Guide to ments, an area which initially was not Públicos del Uruguay; David Developing a Successful Program. on our radar screen, but which Wilmsen, of the American University Washington, DC: ASAE, p. 2. seemed a natural complement to the in Cairo; and Huang Youyi, of the investigation of credentials bestowed Translators Association of China. The 4. Ibid., pp. 4-5. by professional bodies. When it FIT Status Committee intends to con- comes to possible reciprocal arrange- tinue and further expand this study in 5. Academic credentials were des- ments, the study shows that while order to map the situation of translators cribed in several articles in this there is some interest, mutual recog- and interpreters worldwide and to series, particularly in the countries nition of credentials by professional work toward improvement in the status lacking professional certification. organizations in different countries is of our profession. As was mentioned in the June not going to happen any time soon. This article concludes the issue, T&I programs in the U.S. An attempt is currently underway to International Certification Study are described in Programs in establish criteria for mutual recogni- series. Past articles in this series are Translation Studies: An ATA tion of credentials within North available online in pdf format to ATA Handbook, edited by Gertrud America under the auspices of the members at www.atanet.org in the Champe, recently published by recently re-established Regional Members Only section. Nonmembers ATA. Another ATA publication, Network of North America8, but the can request individual articles author of this series believes that an directly from the author at Continued on p.25

18 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Professional Certification: What is it? Do I need it? How do I get it?

By Ann C. Sherwin

Note: The following was originally ship. In the executive summary he interpreters. While the number of published in two parts in the Spring submitted to ATA, Hamm offers this responses (nine) was not statistically and Summer 2003 issues of the CATI explanation: significant, the respondents represent Quarterly, the newsletter of the a good cross-section of buyers of T&I Carolina Association of Translators Programs that evaluate the knowl- services with varying degrees of and Interpreters (an ATA chapter). edge, skills, and abilities of indi- insider knowledge, some of whom viduals are typically referred to as are also practitioners. I was primarily f you provide language services as certification bodies in the creden- looking for insights that would vali- a freelance, one question is tialing world. Accreditation bodies date, clarify, or modify impressions I I inevitable: “Are you certified?” usually evaluate organizations, had formed over 20 years of reading the caller wants to know. Most of us, and working in the field. I was grati- after a spoken or tacit “No, but ___,” fied to find that my impressions were must fill in the blank with something “…If your career could use validated, and I gathered a wealth of like “I can certify my translations,” or a boost, review your commentary from which to draw for “translators in this country are the article. My thanks to all who took accredited, not certified,” or “inter- qualifications and consider time to respond. preter certification is not available in doing what it takes to earn my language.” Often the caller is professional certification…” What is professional certification? simply looking for assurance that The most concise, on-target defi- we’ll do a good job. Or maybe a nition of a “certified” translator or supervisor has mandated the use of systems, or entities other than interpreter came from Pat Newman, a “certified translators,” with only a people. Unfortunately, referring to past president of ATA and long-time vague concept of what that means. Or this process as accreditation is translation manager for a science and an immigrant has unwittingly trans- sending a mixed message.... engineering laboratory. Let’s take it formed the need to obtain certified Clarification of this terminology as our working definition: “One translations of his documents into a will benefit ATA as well as its cer- whose interpretation or translation search for the elusive “certified trans- tificants and other stakeholders.1 competence has been tested and lator.” Since it is unethical to say one approved by a professional associa- is certified if one is not, we take a I urge active ATA members to vote for tion or governmental body.” Though deep breath and launch into the script the proposed amendment. ATA’s credential is currently called that fits the occasion. But the real issue underlying the “accreditation,” it falls within this If you’re ATA-accredited in all the questions in the subtitle is, How can definition. Therefore, for purposes of language pairs in which you offer we present ourselves in the best pos- this discussion, please understand service, you may soon be able to drop sible light (with due attention to “certification” to include ATA this script from your repertoire. In the ethics) so that potential clients will accreditation. next ATA election, the ballot will have confidence in our ability to per- A key element of any professional include a proposal to amend the asso- form the needed tasks and be willing certification is testing. Most respon- ciation’s bylaws, replacing the term to pay our price? And of course, for dents to my survey, if they did not “accreditation” with “certification.” buyers of our services, the other side mention it explicitly, cited credentials This is one of several changes that of the coin is, How can I be reason- here and abroad that are known to be ATA’s Board of Directors resolved to ably assured of contracting with based on testing. Some also named pursue on the recommendation of someone capable of meeting my or training as part of the equation, but Michael S. Hamm, an expert in the my client’s needs? two respondents mentioned only field of voluntary certification who In preparation for this article, I training in their definition of “certifi- was commissioned to evaluate ATA’s invited members of ATA’s Translation cation.” Training can take the form of accreditation program. But unlike the Company Division and others to community education courses or one- many changes already in place or respond to an informal survey about day conferences and seminars, scheduled to take effect in 2004, this professional certification and its role which, though useful, come only with one requires a vote of the member- in their selection of translators and a certificate of attendance or ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 19 Professional Certification: What is it? Do I need it? How do I get it? Continued completion. Training may also be Our programs are academic; that Furthermore, and more importantly, offered by an employer as prepara- means academic graduate credit is the State Department does not certify tion for work in a particular company awarded upon successful comple- any translators or interpreters, or agency. But even if we rule out tion of either program. Our exit according to Shuckran Kamal, senior these kinds of training, we are left examination in the M.A. program Arabic language translator in the with the question, Does a degree or offers two options. The first is a Department’s Office of Language certificate in translating or inter- passing grade on an official court Services. After describing the testing preting from a recognized institution certification test, that is, the con- levels for various positions in the of higher learning constitute profes- sortium or the federal interpreting Department, Kamal emphasized once sional certification? examination, or one that is spe- again that “passing the test does not I asked Dr. Michael S. Doyle, of the cific to a court jurisdiction. The (repeat not) mean certification.” Department of Languages and Culture second option is taking the exit I should point out that govern- Studies at the University of North examination at our institution. ments in the U.S. are not generally in Carolina at Charlotte, whether graduates This examination includes a the business of certifying people. of his department’s long-established written part that tests much of They may test candidates for Certificate in Translating program or its what has been taught in our employment or contract work in a new M.A. program in Spanish courses and an oral part, similar to particular department or agency, as Translating and Translation Studies the format of the court certifica- in the case of the State Department, could be considered “professionally cer- tion exams. This second option but certification is normally awarded tified.” This was his response: only allows the student to graduate by independent professional organi- with an M.A. degree. It is not a zations. A notable exception in the When I think of a “certified trans- court certification examination. area of language services is court lator,” it is definitely along the We do not offer a certification interpreter certification. But even the lines of “ATA-accredited.” For me, exam as part of the program. If the government-sponsored court inter- earning an academic or workshop student opts for the first choice, preter certification programs pro- certificate simply means that the that student can graduate with an filed in the sidebar on page 22 are institution’s requirements (course academic degree and official court administered with the help of inde- work, grade-point average, etc.) certification. pendent bodies under contract. have been met for that particular While some translation companies certificate. We say that our certifi- So while it is possible to exit the test and “qualify” or even “certify” cates in translating serve as prepa- College of Charleston program as a their subcontractors, these credentials ration for taking (no guarantee of “certified” court interpreter, it is not are of limited value in the general passing, of course) the ATA by virtue of one’s having completed marketplace. That is not to deny their accreditation exams. But to be cer- the training, but by virtue of one’s value as means for a translation com- tified or accredited as a profes- having passed a test given by an inde- pany to determine whether a potential sional translator goes beyond the pendent certifying body. subcontractor meets its standards. coursework and institutional Some buyers of language services Michael Collins, of Global requirements completed. It entails regard passing the U.S. Department Translation Systems, Inc., in Chapel such recognition by a professional of State examination as a valuable Hill, North Carolina, says his com- certifying or accrediting agency or professional credential. The test for pany uses a short test of its own to association, just as occurs with translators is at least as hard to pass screen applicants. “We do not really accountants, lawyers, doctors, and as ATA’s accreditation test. The State use the term ‘certified’ with transla- other professionals.2 Department also has tests for escort tors or interpreters who work for us, (consecutive) and conference (simul- unless they are court-certified inter- Dr. Virginia Benmaman, director taneous) interpreters, the latter preters,” says Collins. “In some of the M.A. Program in Bilingual requiring a higher level of skill. cases, when asked by a client to Legal Interpreting at the College of However, these tests are given only to supply the credentials of a given Charleston (South Carolina), has a candidates for actual employment or translator, we may indicate whether similar perspective: contract work in the Department. that person was certified/licensed in

20 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 another country or possesses accredi- can be decisive. “For languages sit for ATA’s accreditation test will tation of some kind.” where ATA accreditation is offered, have to meet eligibility requirements One more aspect of our working we do not consider any translator that combine education and training definition of a certified translator or who is not ATA accredited,” writes with experience. The higher the interpreter merits attention: “One Richard Paegelow, managing director level of education, the less experi- whose interpretation or translation of Inline Translation Services, Inc., in ence is required. competence has been tested....” Glendale, California. Sounds like a Catch-22, doesn’t it? Certificates of language proficiency Dr. Jiri Stejskal, ATA treasurer and You need experience to get certified, or credentials for foreign-language president of CETRA, Inc., also and you need certification to get expe- correspondents or teachers, for prefers ATA-accredited translators, if rience. But there is hope. Translator example, are not translating and accreditation is available for the and interpreter training is a relatively interpreting credentials, even if trans- given language; if it is not, active new development in the U.S. Many of lating or interpreting was included in ATA members are preferred over us got our start in the field just by the test. associate members. “For others, diving in and doing it, thanks to a including translators living abroad,” mentor, encouraging employer, or Do I need it? says Stejskal, “certification by CTIC trusting client. Nevertheless, certifica- If you already have all the work [Canadian Translators and Inter- tion is a worthy goal for anyone you need and want, a wealth of satis- preters Council] or NAATI [National serious about advancing in the profes- fied clients who keep coming back Accreditation Authority for Trans- sion, and especially the newcomer. and sending you referrals, you prob- lators and Interpreters, Australia] is ably don’t need professional certifi- preferred; otherwise, the decision is How do I get it? cation. Collins offers this view: based on their résumé rather than a Back to our working definition: A certificate.” certified translator or interpreter is If a translator lists ATA accredita- Newman looks for references from one whose interpretation or transla- tion, it is a plus because it indi- clients in the same general business as tion competence has been tested and cates a personal investment by that hers, ATA accreditation, college approved by a professional associa- person in his or her profession. degrees in translation or inter- tion or governmental body. There are However, the decisive factors are a pretation, State Department creden- very few certification programs for person’s experience and how well tials, a résumé showing long translators or interpreters available in he or she does on a short test given experience in the subject areas she is the U.S. on the national level. The by us. After that, the translator’s interested in, and sample translations ATA, with its 30-year-old accredita- work is subject to review by our with both source- and target-language tion program, is clearly the leading, if editors, and that work must main- versions given. not the only body, in the U.S. that tain a consistent quality standard Most respondents mentioned accredits or certifies translators. for us to continue employing him formal education and training as a Interpreter certification is largely or her. factor in deciding whether to try a limited to the field of court inter- new translator or interpreter, though preting between English and Spanish. In fact, most survey respondents men- some placed less emphasis on it. We The U.S. Federal Court Certification tioned experience, especially in the rel- have already established that training also has exams for Navajo and evant subject area, as a critical factor in alone does not lead to certification, Haitian-Creole, but there are no plans their decision to try a given translator even if it results in a certificate. But to administer them in the near future; or interpreter for the first time. training may be a prerequisite for rather, efforts are now being chan- For beginning translators and taking a certification test—e.g., the neled toward the development of interpreters, this is not welcome two-day training required by the exams in additional languages. Some news. Suffice it to say that certifica- Consortium of the National Center for states certify court interpreters in tion helps establish your credibility State Courts Interpreter Certification other languages through the as a professional. The less experience Program—and it is likely to help in Consortium of the National Center you have, the more important creden- any testing situation. Beginning in for State Courts. The National tials become, and in some cases they January 2004, candidates wishing to Association of Judiciary ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 21 Professional Certification: What is it? Do I need it? How do I get it? Continued

Interpreters and Translators recently consecutive or simultaneous mode) established a certification program and to language pair and direction. Where can I get that tests a candidate’s competence in Any claim of certification by a trans- both translating and interpreting. For lator or interpreter is meaningless more information? more information on these programs, unless accompanied by this informa- see the sidebar on this page. tion as well as the name of a verifi- American Translators Association Formal certification for medical able certifying body. An uninitiated (ATA) Accreditation Information on one of the most widely interpreters is available in the State of client might be impressed with recognized professional credentials for Washington, and programs are in the someone whose letterhead or busi- translators in the U.S., available in 24 development stage in other states. In ness card bears the blanket claim of language pairs, is available from ATA the Carolinas, medical interpreter “certified translator/interpreter,” thereby (www.atanet.org; (703) 683-6100; [email protected]). certification still appears to be a long implying that it applies to all the lan- way off, though the need is widely guage pairs in which service is offered. Consortium for State Court recognized. But this breach of professional ethics is Interpreter Certification Professional certification for likely to draw censure from the certi- A program of the National Center for translators and interpreters is also fying body if it becomes known, and State Courts (NCSC), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the available in other countries. Jiri will diminish your credibility in the improvement of justice. Certification for Stejskal has been researching the cer- eyes of knowledgeable clients and col- Spanish is available in 29 states, some of tification available in other countries leagues in any case. which also certify in other languages. For for the past two years and publishing Now then, if your career could use details and links to websites of the indi- vidual state programs, see the results in the ATA Chronicle. a boost, review your qualifications www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/ Each article features a particular and consider doing what it takes to CourtInterp.html. Note: If your state is country or region. ATA members can earn professional certification, either not a member of the Consortium, you download past issues of the ATA through one of the programs listed in may be able to take the examination in Chronicle from the Members Only the sidebar or through other avenues another state for a higher (nonsubsi- dized) fee. However, member states may section of the association’s website at mentioned in this article. You might restrict their programs to state residents www.atanet.org. But first, you may even check into opportunities in your because of the high demand. want to click on the ATA Chronicle state for helping to develop a certifi- link, which lists the articles in each cation program—especially if you Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (FCICE) issue, to determine which issue you specialize in medical interpreting, A program of the Administrative Office of need. If you are not an ATA member where the need is great. the United States Courts, administered by or have difficulty downloading the the NCSC (see above). Currently, only the file, Stejskal has graciously offered Notes Spanish examination is being adminis- to help. He can be reached at 1. The entire document is available tered, though Navajo and Haitian-Creole certification exists. Contact: [email protected]. Also see Stejskal’s www.atanet.org/bin/view.pl/24113. www.uscourts.gov/interpretprog/ articles about certification in North html. interp_prog.html; (916) 263-3494; America in the June and July issues [email protected] or of the ATA Chronicle. 2. Except where otherwise noted, all [email protected]. direct quotations in this article National Judiciary Interpreter and No Blanket Claims come from e-mail correspondence Translator Certification (NJITC) Remember that certification is spe- with the author in April or May of A new credential (2002) offered by the cific to the skill(s) tested (e.g., trans- this year. National Association of Judiciary lating or interpreting, the latter in Interpreters and Translators to members and nonmembers. Currently available only for Spanish→English. Candidates must pass both a written and an oral ATA Members Check out Life and Disability Insurance through examination to earn the credential. Mutual of Omaha Contact: www.najit.org; (206) 367-8704; 800.223.6927 • 402.342.7600 [email protected]. www.atanet.org/mutual.htm

22 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Blinding Me with Science: Volunteer Interpreters Split (Linguistic) Atoms

By Amanda Ennis

Note: Portions of the following origi- incidentals. After going to another “Sorry, but we don’t have any Turkish nally appeared in the June 2003 issue room and getting name badges and students here, and the German stu- of NOTA BENE, newsletter of the spiffy black “Interpreter” ribbons that dents say they don’t need an inter- Northeast Ohio Translators Associ- give us full access to all parts of the preter.” The NASA guy looks crushed ation (an ATA chapter). building, we go to the lounge where and wanders off to look at the projects we are supposed to be matched with before he leaves. We three German n May 11, over 1,200 high the finalists we will be helping. I interpreters try to cheer ourselves up. school students from nearly quickly find two other German “Well, sure, they think they can get O every state in the U.S. and 39 speakers who heard about the event through these interviews without us,” countries, from Russia to Argentina and just decided to show up and two we nod knowingly, “but we’ll see and everywhere in between, con- Turkish interpreters, one of whom what happens when the judges are verged on the Cleveland Convention works at NASA and decided to take standing there and they get tongue- Center to celebrate great scientific the day off to help out. The group is tied.” We meander down to the cav- experimentation and research at the excited to be here and eager to ernous, hangar-sized exhibit floor to Intel International Science and get started. familiarize ourselves with the German Engineering Fair (ISEF). Over projects, just in case, and to look $3,000,000 in prizes and scholarships around while the floor is relatively were awarded to students with the best “…Thanks to the hard empty. Did you know that chocolate projects in 14 different categories. work of more than 125 bars contain traces of lead? Or that Many of the students coming from consuming French fries increases the abroad spoke English well, but others interpreters, ideas took level of a carcinogen (whose name I needed help during the all-important center stage, regardless of no longer remember) in your body? Or interviews with the judges, where the language or country in that caffeine improves short-term judges came around the exhibit areas memory? I pick up all this and much to ask the finalists probing, in-depth which they were originally more while browsing through aisle questions about their projects before conceived…” after aisle of student projects. making the final decisions about who After a delightful lunch, paid for would receive special prizes and by ISEF, the first judging period awards. The ISEF organizing com- Unfortunately, the interpreter begins. I hurry down to Physics mittee swung into action in January coordinator soon bursts our bubble: Project 307 (a.k.a. “Bionics—A ➡ 2003 to recruit a whopping 151 vol- unteer interpreters to assist with these interviews. One German interpreter was requested, so I thought, “Why not?” and signed up. Fast forward to the morning of May 14, Judging Day. I maneuver my way through the throngs of students and parents in the main atrium to an out-of-the-way second floor room where the interpreters have been instructed to gather. The large room is nearly full. We don neon-green ISEF T-shirts that scream “I am a vol- unteer! Outta my way!” and receive black ISEF tote bags and envelopes containing an ISEF lapel pin, a cer- Marat Suleymanov (R), a Russian interpreter with 12 years of experience, assists Vanya Kouzel of tificate of appreciation and thank- Minsk, Belarus, in explaining Kouzel’s method for tracking underground biogas flows to ISEF you letter (nice touch!), and $10 for judges. (Photo: Amanda Ennis)

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 23 Blinding Me with Science: Volunteer Interpreters Split (Linguistic) Atoms Continued

Technical Realization of Crawling”), where Daniel Illhardt and Tanja Zimmermann, two 18 year-olds from eastern Germany, are fidgeting nerv- ously as they wait for the first judge to arrive. I show them my ribbon. “I’m an interpreter!” I yell above the din and offer to jump in and help if they get stuck. Moments later, a judge appears and begins asking about their project, which has to do with replicating the movements of a snail using mechanical means. Daniel is doing reasonably well, while Tanja flounders around a bit. I wait for her to make eye contact with me and let Laska Gilberti (M) helps finalist Pablo de Silva of Brazil (L) explain how his patterned concrete side- me help, but she presses on and the walk and crosswalk designs can help visually impaired people navigate streets safely without a cane pair manages to complete the inter- or guide dog. (Photo: Amanda Ennis) view to the judge’s satisfaction without assistance. After two more ¥ Seven heard about the event and would interpret again if asked to judges come and go, asking similar were recruited because they or a do so. questions, Daniel and Tanja indicate family member worked for one of they are fine, and I reluctantly move the companies sponsoring the fair. Did the students feel their inter- on. The other German student, 19 Four Brazilian Portuguese inter- preters were doing a good job? “I year-old Matthäus Kloc, is presenting preters were recruited through the knew in advance that interpreters a chemistry project entitled “A Brazilian Charitable Foundation would be available,” student Andres Carbon Nanocontainer for Atoms and of Cleveland. Espejo Cozzi said (through his inter- Molecules.” I stand to one side and ¥ Most creatively recruited inter- preter). “It improved my confidence. listen as he tells a judge how his preters: one saw a flyer at the The interpreters are doing a good job research could be applied to deliver Solon Public Library and another helping me communicate, but they drugs to the exact point in a patient’s visited a booth ISEF set up at a don’t always say things just the way I body where they are needed. I roll my John Carroll University job fair! said it. And the noise levels in here eyes in frustration as I hear the young ¥ Eight said they needed to interpret are a problem.” Some interpreters man’s excellent English and realize “90-100%” of what the judges and admitted to giving their charges a my presence is utterly superfluous. It finalists said, while four indicated little extra attention: “I ‘prepped’ my turns out Matthäus’s father works in they were only needed “for the student in advance and reminded him Princeton, New Jersey. Ah, well, that rough spots.” Others fell some- not to forget certain things,” said explains it. where between the extremes. Tatyana Ulcherko, a Russian doing Rather than calling it a day, I ¥ Eighteen said they engaged in graduate work at Cleveland State decide to observe and interview other some form of advance preparation University. A Brazilian Portuguese interpreters working the event. I before starting to interpret, for interpreter sitting nearby admitted, speak with a total of 21 interpreters example, reading through the stu- “Sometimes I added a little extra to and learn the following: dent’s English-language materials, the student’s answer to impress the having the student explain his or judge.” Another Russian interpreter, ¥ Twelve were interpreting for the her project in detail, etc. Sergio Lebid, also said he added to first time in a formal environment. ¥ Only two worked professionally his student’s answers, noting ¥ All interpreters I observed inter- as full-time interpreters. thoughtfully, “It’s hard to present the preted consecutively. None per- ¥ All interpreters said they were student in the best possible light formed simultaneous interpreting. enjoying the experience and under these circumstances. The

24 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 seven-minute limit [on interviews] is asked the English-speaking students, think it’s wonderful that the interna- unfair.” On the other hand, some but I did pause for a second to tional students are here. Cutting them interpreters felt the need to shorten rephrase my questions for clarity. I off because they don’t speak English their students’ answers: “The stu- was satisfied with the answers I would be incredibly small-minded.” dents can get a little preachy about received, but sometimes I thought the Hear, hear, Mr. Ezolt. Thanks to the their projects,” reported Dr. Rosario interpreters gave extra information hard work of more than 125 inter- Cambric, a Spanish interpreter. beyond what the students said.” His preters present that day, ideas took “Sometimes they provide more infor- only suggestion for improvement center stage, regardless of the lan- mation than necessary to answer the would be “extra time to work with guage or country in which they were judge’s questions.” interpreter-assisted projects. Another originally conceived. Furthermore, How did the judges feel about the 10 minutes or so [per slot] would beginning interpreters got a chance to interpreters’ work? I asked Dr. Brian have been really nice.” ISEF judge showcase their skills and network with Bagatto, a University of Akron phys- Russell Ezolt, an immigration lawyer potential clients while performing an iology professor and ISEF judge, if it from North Olmstead, concurred invaluable community service. was more difficult to judge projects with Bagatto: “Language was not a where he had to use interpreters to barrier. The interview is a little more conduct the interview. “It’s not more cumbersome, but you don’t lose any- With special thanks to Alexandra difficult,” he replied, “just slower. I thing in the process. Do you make a Russell-Bitting, Neil Inglis, and didn’t water down my questions or few changes? Yes. Do you adapt a Chris Durban. ask different types of questions than I little? Yes. Is it a problem? No. I

From the Executive Director International Certification Study: Lessons Learned Continued from page 18 Continued from page 9

Translating and Interpreting Zimbabwe, Scotland, and The approved a motion to issue a statement Programs in North America: A Philippines. (Source: Tom West, regarding the case of Mohamed Survey, compiled and edited by “Common Law and Equity,” pres- Yousry, a judicial interpreter of Arabic William Park, is scheduled for a entation at the ATA Legal who has been indicted for allegedly new edition under a new name, Conference in Jersey City, May 2- aiding and abetting terrorism. The offi- Park’s Guide to Translating and 4, 2003.) cial statement, to be published in the Interpreting Programs in North September issue, lays out the case, America. 7. See the opening article in this states that ATA is following the case series in the June 2001 ATA closely, and describes the functions of 6. Civil law countries are those in Chronicle, page 9. the judicial interpreter, on which the Continental Europe and in Latin case may hinge. More information will America. The common law coun- 8. See “Regional Network for North be posted online. tries are England, the U.S., America” by Esteban Cadena in Canada, Australia, and New the April 2003 ATA Chronicle, pp. The minutes of the meeting will be Zealand. There are also mixed 17, 22. posted in the Members Only section jurisdictions: Quebec, Louisiana, of ATA’s website (www.atanet.org/ Puerto Rico, South Africa, membersonly). Past meeting minutes are also posted on the site. The next Board meeting is tentatively set for November 8-9 at the Annual Conference For detailed information on ATA’s Accreditation Procedures or to read past in Phoenix, Arizona. As always, the articles in this series, visit ATA’s website at www.atanet.org. meeting is open to the membership.

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 25 Evaluating Speech in a Mental Health Setting

By Jeff Morton

ven when clinicians and clients relies upon the interpreter to be an are working on a certification process speak the same language, it is expert in the linguistics of the client’s for interpreters. Although to some this E often quite challenging for language. The most effective inter- might seem to add an extra layer of clients to express their issues or prob- preter will not only be able to convey red tape to the process of becoming an lems. Clients may not be familiar what is said, but will also give the cli- interpreter, I believe it is essential for with clinical terminology, have a lim- nician an idea of the mindset of the people to understand that interpreting ited vocabulary, be unable to articu- client by conveying how the person is a trained skill and not just some- late emotions, or may lack the insight expressed the information (intonation thing they can do if they happen to be needed to self-identify issues. and emphasis). Because trained inter- multilingual. For specialty areas such Understanding this, the clinician does preters have a native proficiency of as mental health, it would be most not limit his assessment to the con- the client’s language, they will be helpful if there were an interpreter tent of what the client says, but also able to pinpoint any significant varia- certification or licensure that required attempts to gather information from tion in speech patterns, which could a curriculum of training in such topics how the person expresses himself. as speech analysis, speech pathology, One can imagine that determining a mental health disorders, and linguis- person’s mental health needs and “…The clinician does not tics. And, in keeping with the times, I issues becomes ever more chal- limit his assessment to the would also suggest that interpreters lenging when the information con- be trained in Health Insurance cerning emotional and/or mental content of what the client Portability and Accountability Act distress is being communicated says, but attempts to (HIPAA) regulations. across cultural and linguistic barriers gather information from During an interview, how clients and through a third party. express themselves is as important as The first time I worked with an how the person expresses the content of what is being said. interpreter, I was fortunate to have himself…” Consider the following example of someone who possessed many years how intonation can make a difference: of experience interpreting in mental health settings. At the time, I must provide valuable information to the Parent: “Do you want to go out for confess, I did not recognize what the clinician (for example, stuttering or ice cream?” interpreter’s skills brought to my slight hesitations in speech could Child: “Yes!” (excitedly) clinical interview. And then it hap- indicate that the client is scared or Parent: “Will you clean your room pened. An inexperienced interpreter holding something back). The inter- first?” was sent to assist me with a client’s preter will also be able to educate the Child: “Yes” (in a more reluctant evaluation, and the difference in clinician regarding any cultural or manner) quality was quite remarkable. This religious influences that may affect **After 30 minutes…** new interpreter did not provide the the client’s responses (for example, a Parent: “Did you understand it when cultural and linguistic information I client’s distrust of the clinician I said we will not go for ice cream needed to properly frame my assess- because of his belief that only God unless that room is cleaned?” ment, and even seemed a bit fright- can heal him). For these reasons, it Child: “Yes!” (angrily) ened of the client. I think what was would seem important that there be most frustrating about this interpreter some professional standard in place Parent: “Did you break my favorite was that I knew she was paraphrasing to help physicians and clinicians hire vase!?” the client’s responses. the best possible interpreter for the Child: “Yes.” (sheepishly) After working with an unskilled job. The clinician-client relationship and inexperienced interpreter, I real- should not be jeopardized due to an Similarly, in an interview clinicians ized that interpreting was about much untrained interpreter. are constantly looking for any subtle more than just finding the most Some organizations, such as the clues that will help them identify their appropriate words or phrases to com- Massachusetts Medical Interpreters clients’ symptoms, understand their municate the client’s responses to the Association (www.mmia.org), have clinical needs, and formulate the most clinician. Essentially, the clinician developed standards of practice and accurate diagnosis. Understanding the

26 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 illness and the issues involved is interpreter may omit the embarrassing “domicile” instead of “apartment,” essential if clinicians are going to be flirtations, condense some of the ver- or “the day that precedes today” able to provide and/or recommend bose wording (i.e., change “the day instead of “yesterday”)? the most effective treatment. that precedes today” to “yesterday”), Any information that may help the and focus on communicating the In addition to being mindful about clinician form a reasonable hypothesis client’s portrayal of the strange vision conveying all the information the of what may be causing a client’s and his recollection of how his mother client provides (no matter how non- symptoms is important. The clinician punished him as a child. sensical it might seem at times), it is is like a sleuth who observes and lis- Although the content of the poten- also helpful if the interpreter can tens to everything the client is saying tial hallucination and what the client inform the clinician of any notably in an effort to gather as much informa- may see as a past abusive home envi- odd or unusual elements of the tion as possible to determine the cause ronment are both important pieces of person’s speech. Consider the general of distress. For example, is the illness information for the clinician, equally categories described below: the result of mental illness or a med- important is how the client conveyed ical condition, is it being complicated this information. The tangential Prosody by a developmental disability or exac- nature of their speech, the fragmenta- With the exception of organic erbated by some stressful event in the tion of their stream of thought, their issues that might affect the emotional person’s life, or a blend of many co- flirtations, the creation of words, and tone of a person’s speech, there occurring issues? These are just a few their use of jargon and unusual or should be some consistency between questions the clinician seeks to answer unconventional words are all very the person’s self-defined mood and through the interview process. important in assessing the mental the prosody of his speech. The effec- Consider the following example: health issues and needs of clients. tual quality of the person’s speech The following are just a few of the may be diminished in intensity, Clinician: “Why did your family questions the clinician may be con- restricted, constricted, or blunted. In bring you to the emergency room?” sidering while listening to the person: extreme cases, the tone of the person’s speech may even be entirely Client: “I don’t really know. ¥ What was the emotional tone flat and absent of any emotional [Loudly] I think people are plot- (prosody) of the person’s response? quality. ting against me! [Whispering] ¥ Was the emotional quality of the At the other end of the spectrum, Listen! I was silently sitting in my speech consistent with the however, the person’s emotional domesticity, the day that preceded person’s self-reported mood? expressiveness may possess an exag- today, when I saw these bright ¥ What level of comprehension does gerated or increased level of intensity white orbs ghouling at me through the client possess? in the context of what is being dis- the… [To the interpreter] Not like ¥ Was the person’s speech unusually cussed, as with someone whose emo- your eyes—they are beautiful! They rapid or slow, or did it have an tional tone is vituperative and invective, are brown like my mother’s…she arrhythmic cadence? (This can be excessively dogmatic, or histrionic. was a wonderful wife…well some- especially difficult for the clinician times she wasn’t so nice, ‘cause she to determine in light of cultural Cadence would lock me in my room…but and linguistic speech variations.) Typically, the clinician is also lis- you seem very nice…and so beau- ¥ Were there any significant delays in tening to determine whether the tiful... [screaming] STOP IT!” the response that might indicate a client’s speech has a natural rhythm disruption in the thought process? or melodic flow, or whether the How would you have interpreted the ¥ Was there continuity between person is using modulations of tone, person’s response to the clinician? what the clinician asked and how pitch, and syllabic stress in an appro- The interpreter’s tendency might be the client responded, or did the priate manner to provide emphasis. to repair some of the nonsense client become distracted and stray You can imagine how challenging it words, assuming the client simply mis- from the question? can be for a clinician who is not spoke (such as saying “wife” instead ¥ Did the person use contextually familiar with the client’s native lan- of “mother”). The inexperienced appropriate words (such as using guage to identify what may be ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 27 Evaluating Speech in a Mental Health Setting Continued an irregularity or what might be Though I will try not to digress, I others will not be so agreeable. Some attributed to a cultural and/or lin- believe our associations with other clients will become quite irritable and guistic variation. For example, I once languages have been greatly influ- angry when interrupted or redirected, had a Russian-speaking client who enced by our own culture and the and some will completely ignore the often spoke very slowly. How slow media. I cannot count the number of clinician and continue expressing was not apparent to me until I began movies I have seen in which the their thoughts undeterred and learning the language myself. Once I Russian-speaking character is por- unabashed by the interruption. better understood the client and his trayed as someone devious, sly, native language, I began to realize untrustworthy, cold, heartless, and Speech Content that he spoke more slowly when he corrupt—who speaks in a cold, harsh, Although the clinician is inter- was feeling paranoid and afraid. and unfeeling manner. ested in the contextual information Although he was responding to my the client provides, he or she is also questions (out of fear I might do Stream of Thought hoping to gain information that may something to him), he was speaking When he asks a question, the clini- shed light on the person’s issues in a slowly because he was trying to come cian is listening to the inter-relatedness more indirect manner. For example: up with a response that would satisfy of the client’s response as a reflection my question without divulging too of the continuity of the client’s ¥ Does the person appear to be much information. thought processes. Some responses obsessing about or repeating any Although there are a multitude of will have nothing to do with the ques- specific information? reasons why a person’s speech may tion (possibly indicating evasiveness ¥ Does the person express ideas that be unusually fast, slow, sluggish, or a preoccupation with a certain seem exaggerated or overvalued? pressured, excited, casual, relaxed, theme). The client may begin with a ¥ Does the person seem preoccupied monotone, or even flat, it is important response that is relevant and related with making himself or herself for the clinician to be aware of any and then stray entirely away from the appear more important in a narcis- inconsistencies that might provide essence of the question (as with sistic or grandiose manner? him with another piece to the diag- someone trying to conceal a preoccu- ¥ Does the person appear evasive or nostic puzzle. For example, a person pation or obsessive concern, or con- guarded in a manner that might with significant halts or delays in the tain his flight of ideas). At times the indicate the presence of irrational middle of sentences or words might clinician may be able to detect weak concerns or fears? indicate the person is being distracted and/or loose associations in a client’s ¥ Does the person relate to the sur- by internal stimuli, by auditory or commentary, allowing him to follow rounding environment, or does he visual hallucinations, that the the stream of thought as it slowly or she appear to be withdrawn into person’s thoughts are moving faster digresses from the question. In some an internal world (such as someone than he or she can verbalize, or that situations, the tangential response who is autistic or consumed by there is an organic disorder impairing can indicate the presence of racing magical beliefs or fixed delusions)? the client’s speech, just to name a few thoughts or a manic episode, or a not- possibilities. so-subtle attempt to evade the ques- Informative For someone who is monolingual, tion that was asked. The clinician also tries to gauge other languages have a distinctive When a person is speaking tangen- whether the information the client has and unusual sound in terms of rhythm tially, the clinician may test a provided is sufficiently informative. If and intonation. One will often hear person’s willingness to accept inter- the response lacks substance, was this people say that Spanish sounds fast, ruption and redirection in order to intentional or does the client lack the German sounds harsh and gruff, or gauge irritability and insight (or to insight and/or ability to provide more that Scandinavian languages have a simply get through the interview detailed information? Responses that certain melody. There is even the jest when a client is speaking inces- appear to be “impoverished in con- that if you want to say something santly). Whereas some clients will tent” may indicate paranoia, an inten- unkind to someone, you should say it permit their stream of thought to be tional effort to be deceptive or in French because it always sounds interrupted and accept the redirection misleading, memory impairment, or elegant, kind, and sophisticated. apologetically and with insight, difficulty articulating detail.

28 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Abstractions repeat a certain word or phrase ¥ Will there be a dialect or variation of In an interview, you may hear the without reference to any subject pre- speech that should be considered? clinician ask the client to interpret a sented in the interview. ¥ How long has the person been in the metaphor, such as “those who live in country (i.e., how acculturated is the glass houses should not throw Aphasias person to the dominant culture)? stones.” This question is a common Finally, it is important to note that ¥ What were the circumstances that method for evaluating a person’s beyond mental health issues, aberra- brought the person to this ability to understand and interpret tions of speech may also indicate the country? abstract ideas. A client who lacks the presence of a medical and/or neurolog- ¥ If clients are refugees or seeking ability to understand the abstract ical disorder. One such example is an asylum, what was the nature of the meaning of this proverbial saying is aphasic disorder, which impairs a persecution they faced in their said to have “concrete” thinking, and person’s ability to articulate expression native country? may respond to the question by due to a brain lesion or neurological ¥ If not a naturalized citizen, what saying “well…they shouldn’t throw impairment. The mental health clini- concerns might the client have in stones because they might break a cian must also consider this possibility terms of immigration and natural- window.” Although the question may when trying to determine whether a ization status? Might the client be appear simple or even silly, it is neurological review is needed. concerned about deportation if important for the interpreter not to treatment is accepted? help the client understand the With the many elements of speech ¥ Are there cultural customs and meaning behind what was said. The to be considered, one can see how considerations that the clinician client’s response can provide valuable important and challenging the inter- should be made aware of (such as information as to how the clinical preter’s job really is. Interpreters are machismo, shame and saving face, team will work with the client toward charged with the task of conveying or family dynamics)? meeting treatment plans and goals. information to and from the clinician It also goes without saying that in the most precise manner that best 2. The goal and direction of the many proverbial sayings have a cul- reflects the content of the information interview should be planned out tural bias. I am always appreciative if and the aforementioned elements of before the client arrives: my interpreter can provide me with a the client’s speech. In addition to any ¥ What problem is the client pre- proverbial saying that is in the proper medical and/or mental health influ- senting? (This is often available cultural context for the client. Of ences that may impair a person’s from the records and may be course, he might have to explain it to ability to express him or herself, lin- helpful in understanding the clini- me first! guistic and cultural influences may cian’s planned approach). also play a role in how the client con- ¥ What is the goal and purpose of Idiosyncratic Speech Patterns veys information to a person who is the interview? Sometimes a person’s speech is frequently a stranger. ¥ How should information be trans- impaired in a manner that makes To provide the client with the ferred back and forth (simulta- comprehension completely impos- most effective treatment, I strongly neous or question by question)? sible. For instance, clients may only suggest that the clinician and inter- ¥ How will a situation where the repeat the clinician’s or interpreter’s preter discuss their strategy and client tries to convey “secrets” to words back to them (echolalia); they expectations prior to the interview in the interpreter be addressed? may speak in a tongue that does not a pre-session meeting covering the ¥ It should be understood by both exist (glossolalia); they may connect following topics. the clinician and the interpreter a stream of words that have no con- that everything said in the context nection to one another other than a 1. Any pertinent cultural and/or lin- of the interview, whether by the similarity in sound (clang associa- guistic information can be shared, client or the clinician, will need to tions); they may blend together a such as: be shared with everyone present to group of words that have no associa- ¥ Where is the client from (nation- reinforce trust and build rapport tion or meaning with one another ality and region of the native (word salad); or they may simply country)? Continued on p.40

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 29 Beware of the “Bilingual Expert”

By Maria Cornelio

t is generally recognized that the they lack education emphasizing lin- statements would have made sense translation of medical documents guistic skills and translating experi- only to someone familiar enough with I is a very specialized activity. But it ence.”2 Unfortunately, many don’t the English language to decipher the has been my experience that people seem to realize this and attempt to meaning behind what was said. For in the medical field who are not translate documents, all too often with example, the phrase “did you attend translators believe the difficulty in disastrous results. support groups” was translated as translating such documents is due After reading Vitek’s account of his “atendió grupos de soporte.” Many only to the medical and scientific ter- frustrating experiences with such bilinguals often use “false cognates,” minology and the rigorous standards “experts” while translating patents, I words that look alike but have dif- demanded of scientific research. As a thought of the many medical transla- ferent meanings in the two languages. result, a large number of physicians, tions I’ve had to rescue after they were Atendió is one such word. The Spanish healthcare workers, and scientists meaning is “to be attentive, to heed, to assume that any bilingual person pay attention.” It does not have the among them (usually called a “bilin- “…Even when they are English meaning “to go to” or “to be gual expert”) can do a better job than present at.” Soporte is another false a professional translator who does native speakers and have cognate. It comes from soportar, not have an advanced health-science received their technical which means “to carry a load, suffer, or technical degree. training in the language of or tolerate.” Support in the positive An article in the April 2003 issue of sense in which it was being used in the the ATA Chronicle brought the point the proposed translation, questionnaire should have been trans- home in a humorous and compelling these people may be ‘field lated as apoyo. Success was translated way. As I read Steve Vitek’s “Is as succeso4, a word that does not exist Technical Translation Really a experts,’ but they are not in Spanish. The respondent was Collaborative Activity?”1 I couldn’t necessarily ‘language sometimes addressed with the formal help applying his observations to my experts’…” usted and other times with the own professional situation. Although informal tú. Frequently, there was no we labor in different areas of special- agreement between adjective and ization, Vitek and I seem to have come botched by physicians, microbiolo- noun, or between verb and subject. to the same conclusions about the dan- gists, nurses, and other “bilingual Often, the questions were simply gers of relying on so-called “bilingual experts.” In fact, for several years now, mistranslated. For example, “how experts” to produce quality special- I’ve kept a (constantly growing) file many other pregnancies have you ized translations. Generally, such with the most egregious examples. had?” was turned into “have you had “experts” are people who have trained Two colleagues and I have other pregnancy losses?” and “I get in their respective professions and also described in print the many problems cross at my friends” became “I have happen to speak another language. I found with one of these documents, confrontations with my friends.”5 The However, unlike professional transla- a questionnaire that was translated by translators were obviously unfamiliar tors, these individuals did not acquire Spanish-speaking healthcare profes- with the proper wording for demo- their second language by studying it in sionals for a major research study.3 graphic questionnaires in Spanish, a systematic way. Even when they are The investigator who brought me the including not being aware that “mar- native speakers and have received translation for review assumed that it ital status” is translated as “estado their technical training in the language would need very few changes, since civil.” This last phrase is something of the proposed translation, these she had confidence in the language they could have found in any good people may be “field experts,” but they abilities of the translators. However, bilingual dictionary. But being native are not necessarily “language the document contained so many speakers, they assumed no equivalent experts.” And this makes all the differ- errors that it had to be almost com- term existed in Spanish or else they ence in the world with respect to the pletely retranslated. would have known it. Clearly, they quality of the translations they pro- The vocabulary and syntax gave did not feel the need to consult the duce. To quote Vitek: “Most bilingual me the impression that I was reading dictionary. As a result, while the experts are not translator material if English with Spanish words. Many English had a section with the

30 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 heading “marital status,” the Spanish journal. I found the article, which I ence with Mexican-American heading read “Por favor de marcar. proceeded to read with great care. patients.”9 “The second evaluation Estaba casado?” (“Please to mark. The article looked impressive committee was formed by 10 bilin- Were you married?”). enough. According to the authors, gual healthcare consumers,”10 all of In short, the translation as it was their methods: whom were Hispanic (three had would have been completely useless Spanish as their first language). as a cross-cultural research instru- “were designed to assure cross-cul- ment on psychosocial variables, even tural equivalence…and to conform ¥ “A total of five iterations of the though it had been done by “bilingual to the guidelines…proposed…for translation process were accom- experts.” As a professional translator, the cross-cultural adaptation of plished, including a formal back- I was able to fix this particular trans- [health-related quality-of-life] instru- translation.” According to the lation so the study could be carried ments. Content equivalence was article, great care was taken to out successfully. I am happy to say assured by having an expert panel preserve “the original structure of that not only did the research make of healthcare providers fluent in the [questionnaire]” and “for each an important contribution to the field, Spanish and knowledgeable about of the [pain] descriptors in but the investigator also obtained a Mexican-American culture evaluate English, a Spanish equivalent was Ph.D. for her work. the relevance of each item…to found that was considered to Even peer-reviewed medical jour- the culture of Spanish-speaking convey similar qualitative and nals sometimes unknowingly publish Mexican-Americans. Semantic equiv- quantitative dimensions of pain.”11 translation disasters that would have alence was ensured by using a rigor- been simple enough to prevent if the ous forward- and back-translation ¥ Once the translation and back- translation had been entrusted to a process…An integral part of the translation were done, the “evalu- professional translator. A case in translation process was evaluation ation committee, formed by point is an article published a few by an expert panel to assure compa- healthcare providers, examined years ago in the Journal of Clinical rability of item meanings across the the appropriateness of the Epidemiology6, one of the most pres- two language versions.”7 semantic content and grammatical tigious medical journals in the U.S. form of each Spanish descriptor in This article was brought to my atten- The article then describes the the translation.”12 tion during the course of my work translation and validation method- reviewing translations to be used in ology in great detail. ¥ Finally, in order to establish its clinical trials. An investigator sub- validity and reliability, the trans- mitted for review the translation of a ¥ One translation committee formed by lated questionnaire was pre-tested pain questionnaire he wanted to use “nine bilingual health researchers with both bilingual and monolin- in his study. After looking over the with extensive experience studying gual patients and the results sub- questionnaire, I informed the study Mexican-Americans.” Five of these jected to a series of statistical coordinator that I could not approve translators had Spanish as their first analyses. These tests included it because there were serious prob- language. The other four knew Pearson correlation coefficients, lems with the translation. She did not Spanish and “were…familiar with chi-square, and paired t-tests. The believe me and said there had to be local Spanish usage.” 8 results of these analyses are pre- something wrong with my method of sented in a total of six scatter evaluation, since this translation had ¥ Two evaluation committees, one plots, two bar charts, two tables, been done and statistically validated made up of “eight healthcare and two graphs.13 by bilingual healthcare professionals providers,” six physicians, one at the University of Texas. In addi- nurse, and one social gerontolo- In their conclusion, the authors tion, an article had been published gist. “Spanish was the first lan- assert that they have “provided evi- describing the methodology that was guage for four of these individuals, dence that the translation fulfills used in the translation and validation but all were fluent and able to read published criteria for cross-cultural of the questionnaire. She gave me the and write in both languages and equivalence,” and that it “is suitable complete citation and I consulted the had many years of clinical experi- for studying Spanish-speaking ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 31 Beware of the “Bilingual Expert” Continued

Mexican-Americans in South Texas, to serve as unique descriptors. For cialized field in which she or he and probably in other locations in the example, three categories were all labors. In working with medical Southwestern U.S.”14 modifications of the word dolor researchers, I let them know I believe Seeing all this, how could I, a (Spanish for pain): doliente, in the concept of division of labor: mere translator without a medical or doloroso, and adolorido.16 Two more they are medical professionals and I scientific degree, pass judgment on categories were simply variations on am a language professional. We each work produced to such exacting stan- the word torcer. Neither of those cat- have our own area of expertise— dards by “bilingual experts” who egories would work because no theirs is medical and mine is lin- were M.D.s, Ph.D.s, and R.N.s? As a Spanish-speaking person would char- guistic. It’s simple. If you’re sick, see translator, I am interested in words acterize his pain as “un dolor tor- a doctor. If you need a translation, see and their meaning, the context in ciendo” or “un dolor torciente,” 17 a translator. which those words are used, and since those phrases would make no To quote Vitek once again: whether they follow the logic of the sense semantically. A pain described language. Looking over the list of as fearful in the English question- “A bilingual expert is not neces- pain descriptors these researchers had naire became horrificante (a word sarily a good translator, and a produced, it was clear to me that in that does not exist in Spanish); a radi- good translator is much more than the real world very few Spanish- ating pain was translated as radiante a bilingual expert…if I have a speaking patients, Mexican- (which means radiant in Spanish); choice between a doctor and a pro- American or not, would understand and a wretched pain became fessional translator, I will always such a questionnaire—let alone be afligido18, which can mean upset, choose the latter.” able to give meaningful answers. grieving, sad, troubled, or tormented. In addition to my language skills, A patient who is in pain can certainly I could not have said it better. I also have to be familiar with feel any of those emotions, but it research methodology so that I can would be nonsensical to describe the Notes understand and evaluate the transla- pain itself in that way. 1. Steve Vitek. April 2003. “Is tions of the protocols that come The entire translation was riddled Technical Translation Really a across my desk for review. Despite its with such problematic words. How Collaborative Activity?” ATA complicated statistics, tables, and did these terms manage to pass the Chronicle, pp. 24-27. charts, the study violated one of the evaluation committee’s aforemen- basic principles of research design. tioned test of “appropriateness of the 2. Ibid., p. 25. This principle states that in order to semantic content and grammatical assure the validity and reliability of form”? Evidently, the members of 3. Capitulo, Kathleen L., Maria A. the research instrument, categories this committee did not have the nec- Cornelio, and Elizabeth R. Lenz. must be mutually exclusive. That is, essary language skills to carry out the August 2001. “Translating the the categories that are being studied task. After hearing my comments, it Short Version of the Perinatal Grief must be defined in such a manner that was obvious to the study coordinator Scale: Process and Challenges.” each piece of information obtained that in spite of its having been pub- Applied Nursing Research. Vol. l4 during the research can fit into only lished in a prestigious journal, no No. 3, pp. 165-170. one category and no other. The amount of “bilingual expert” input or English questionnaire had 78 distinct statistical analysis would make this 4. Ibid., p. 168. word categories, each one a different translation achieve its objective. adjective describing a unique type of This and many other such inci- 5. Ibid., p. 168. pain. The translation purported to dents have made it clear to me that no have a distinctive, perfectly matched one can ever take the place of a trans- 6. Escalante, Agustin, et.al. 1996. Spanish word for each English one. lator who has the education and prac- “Measuring Chronic Rheumatic However, two of the categories of the tical experience to render meaning Pain in Mexican-Americans: translation consisted of exactly the faithfully from one language to Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the same word, punzante.15 Several other another while at the same time categories were too close in meaning respecting the conventions of the spe- Continued on p.43

32 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 The Medical Interpreter and the Police in the Emergency Department: Too Close for Comfort?

By Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and Gladys McCormick

n ambulance brings a six- year- are often asked to interpret for law not interpret for law enforcement, old girl to the University of enforcement or to help the police in a since doing so breaches the role of the AWisconsin Hospital and Clinics criminal investigation. These situa- medical interpreter and presents a Emergency Department (ED). Bitten by tions pose difficult and gut- clear conflict of interest. The patient’s a dog while playing in the park, she is wrenching quandaries. Should a interests may be fundamentally dif- accompanied by her limited-English- medical interpreter cooperate with ferent from those of the police, and speaking mother. Within a few min- the requests of law enforcement offi- this fact may not be obvious to an utes, a monolingual English-speaking cers? How about in the two afore- inexperienced interpreter. For police officer arrives and asks the mentioned cases? In the first example, an interpreter may not know ED’s medical interpreter to help him instance, the interpreter’s assistance enough to judge between an get a description of the dog and its could spare the girl from receiving innocuous question and a question owner. Finding the dog quickly may that is more interrogational in nature save the little girl from having to (and one whose answer could subse- receive the prophylactic rabies treat- “…Among the many quently be used against the patient in ment, a procedure involving six court). If the interpreter collaborates painful injections within four weeks. challenging situations with a police officer without evalu- The police officer informs the inter- confronting interpreters in ating the situation first, this could lead preter that he has no access to an the patient to lose trust in the inter- interpreter through his department. a medical setting, dealing preter, possibly undermining one of Should the medical interpreter coop- with law enforcement the most important foundations of the erate with the officer’s request to agencies stands out as interpreter/patient relationship. Medical interpret for him? interpreters are not trained in the spe- Another scenario. A limited- one of the most cialized legal terminology that may English-speaking patient arrives in problematic…” arise when interpreting for law enforce- the ED in the early morning hours ment officers. The interpreter may accompanied by a sheriff’s officer. inadvertently be liable for incorrectly Though the patient’s car hit a tree, he painful injections and prevent further relaying sensitive legal information, is relatively unscathed. He has a dog attacks. In the second situation, such as Miranda Rights at the moment minor facial laceration and is quite the interpreter could help the officer of an arrest. Even more importantly, we agitated, slurring his words and do his job while ensuring that the believe that medical interpreters run the calling out for his girlfriend. The allegedly drunk patient understands risk of divulging confidential health- officer wants to give the patient a what is being asked of him. care information if they assist police ticket for driving under the influence At first glance, one might be com- officers. The strict guidelines guarding (DUI) and get his signed consent to pelled to cooperate out of a sense of medical information in the recently draw blood to determine the blood professional courtesy or civic respon- implemented Health Insurance alcohol level. The officer asks the sibility. However, if we examine the Portability and Accountability Act hospital’s medical interpreter to inter- situation more closely, we will see (HIPAA) clearly state that such collab- pret for him. What should the med- the need to tread very carefully. In oration could potentially be a breach of ical interpreter do? most cases, as we will argue in the patient confidentiality. Among the many challenging situ- following article, it is in the inter- The medical interpreter’s role is as ations confronting interpreters in a preter’s best interest to turn down complex as that of other individuals in medical setting, dealing with law requests for interpreting services the medical field, such as doctors and enforcement agencies in an emer- made by law enforcement officers. nurses. To understand this complexity, gency room stands out as one of the one must first recognize that what most problematic. It calls into ques- When should the medical interpreter makes an interpreter a professional is tion the role of the medical inter- interpret for the police? not only linguistic ability, but the preter, as well as the lines between If forced to provide a blanket capacity for ethical decision making in personal, civic, and professional answer to this question, ours would be the face of difficult situations. This is ethics. As medical interpreters, we never. A medical interpreter should especially true in the field of ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 33 The Medical Interpreter and the Police in the Emergency Department: Too Close for Comfort? Continued medical interpreting, where inter- to assist an officer if the situation they can keep them in jail. Considering preters regularly confront difficult posed imminent danger to the patient it involves a hate crime, a medical ethical situations. or members of the community and interpreter may choose to help police In our first scenario, the informa- did not warrant specialized knowl- with the deposition. tion needed by the police officer (a edge of medical vocabulary. To It is our belief that all three sce- description of the dog and its owner) clarify what is meant by imminent narios present situations where it would is of a very general nature and does danger, let’s look at a third scenario be inappropriate for the interpreter to not require knowledge of a special- where an interpreter might be called intervene. In the events portrayed, there ized terminology. This information is upon to help law enforcement. is no imminent danger to those time-sensitive and would be Two ambulances arrive at the ED. involved. These cases also place the extremely beneficial for the little six- The first one has a woman with stab interpreter in a potentially antagonistic year-old, since it may prevent her wounds and the second a man with stab position in relation to the patient, and from having to undergo six injections. wounds and a kitchen knife embedded may require specialized vocabulary. In this particular scenario, when bal- in his throat. There is no way of What if the patient does not want to ancing benefits over possible harm, knowing if the case is one of attempted press charges against the person the benefits seem to clearly outweigh murder/suicide or double murder with abusing him? What if the DUI patient the negative. Therefore, in this case, the perpetrator still at large. If it is a refuses to answer the doctor’s questions the medical interpreter may choose to murder/suicide the alleged perpetrator after the interpreter has collaborated go ahead and interpret the questions will need to be found. In such a situa- with the police officer because he is pertaining to the description of the tion, the medical interpreter may afraid of incriminating himself? What “suspects” to the police. choose to help police officers ques- if the interpreter gets subpoenaed to The second scenario presents a tion the stabbed woman to ascertain testify in the trial for the hate crime completely different picture. The what took place. Upon finding out victim? Such ambiguities surround need for immediate attention does not that the man had stabbed the woman many of the cases a medical interpreter exist, and the medical interpreter may and then himself in a jealous rage, it confronts in the ED that involve law be unfamiliar with the legal termi- would then be appropriate for the enforcement. Medical interpreters need nology involved in a DUI ticket or the interpreter to remove himself from the to clearly understand that they must set consent to draw blood. If the inter- situation, since there is no longer the aside their personal beliefs when con- preter collaborates with the police possibility of imminent danger (the fronted with these situations. officer, the patient may see the inter- perpetrator is incapacitated). preter as an extension of the officer In contemplating a medical inter- A Complicating Factor: The and be less forthcoming with medical preter’s ability to professionally gauge Relationship Between the Police information. If the patient has sub- the ethical dimensions of a situation, Department and the ED stance abuse problems, he may be we must also consider how an inter- The medical personnel in the ED reticent to mention this to the doctor preter’s own set of beliefs can interfere will usually have a close relationship (who would certainly refer the patient with the decision-making process. For with the police department that is to a substance abuse counseling pro- example, a medical interpreter may mutually beneficial to both. The ED gram) for fear that the information have strong feelings about domestic helps law enforcement officers when- may aggravate his legal situation. In abuse, compelling him to interpret for ever possible, and the officers are this case, it would be appropriate for the police. However, the same inter- there to protect the ED staff when- the medical interpreter to explain his preter may not feel as strongly about ever needed. Therefore, the medical or her professional role to the officer drunk drivers, so he decides not to interpreter is often under implicit, or and then politely refuse to assist. interpret for the police in a DUI case. even explicit, pressure from the ED These two cases illustrate the dif- In another situation, police suspect that staff to “collaborate” with the police. ficult choices to be made by the med- a patient in the ED is a victim of a hate “Oh, come on, they just want your ical interpreter when deciding crime after being severely beaten at a help so they can be done with this. whether or not it is advantageous to nightclub and left with non-life threat- No big deal.” ED staff may feel that collaborate with law enforcement ening injuries. Police arrest two sus- an interpreter’s refusal to interpret officials. An interpreter could decide pects and want to take a deposition so will antagonize the police and may

34 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 jeopardize their working relationship. The first step to achieving this goal In Conclusion At the University of Wisconsin is to ensure that both parties under- The relationship with law enforce- Hospital and Clinics, medical inter- stand and respect each other’s profes- ment is one of a myriad of chal- preters often take the time to explain sional roles and boundaries. A lenging situations we face as medical to their colleagues in the ED that, meeting of the individuals in charge of interpreters. It is an area where guide- given the conflict of interest involved the hospital’s interpreter services lines and standards have yet to be and the potential for mistakes due to department, along with medical inter- developed. Like our non-interpreting insufficient knowledge of legal termi- preters, the police department, and the colleagues, we believe that our ulti- nology and procedures, they are not ED staff can help ensure that all par- mate duty is to do what is in the best qualified to interpret for the police. ties have a clear understanding of their interest of the patient. The interac- Such an explanation has raised the roles and expectations of each other. tions between the medical interpreter staff’s awareness of the role of the Throughout these conversations it is and the police need to be placed medical interpreter and has dramati- necessary to make clear the expecta- within this larger framework. When cally reduced the “peer pressure” that tion that law enforcement agencies choosing to collaborate with law existed before. need to provide for limited-speaking enforcement officials, we need to be Though opening the lines of com- individuals, much as healthcare insti- aware of the ethical dimensions of our munication can easily alleviate this tutions have done. Police departments decision, the potential liability issues form of peer pressure, medical inter- should pay for specialized interpreters such a decision could bring, and the preters still face an additional form of themselves, or else ensure the avail- fact that our interpreting could violate pressure that is not as easily solved. ability of bilingual officers. patient confidentiality and lead to a Many interpreters in the ED complain It is also important to make con- loss of patient autonomy. This article that police officers attempt to intimi- structive suggestions to the police is intended to foster a dialogue at the date them into interpreting. Officers department on how to improve its local and national levels about this claim that an interpreter has a “civic capacity to work with limited-English- subject. Undoubtedly, there is much duty” to collaborate with the police, speaking individuals. Although they to discuss before reaching a national and dismiss the reasons for the inter- have good intentions, law enforcement consensus. preter’s refusal to assist them. officials are not always very knowl- Medical interpreters are put in a very edgeable about the field of interpreta- difficult position, especially if the tion and translation. To help them officers repeatedly insist that they col- understand this need, it may be helpful laborate. To begin tackling this form to identify the reasons why it would be of pressure, the hospital’s interpreter beneficial to have some of their written services department contacted area resources translated, as well as to share in next month’s law enforcement agencies to explain interpreter resources, such as tele- Chronicle... our policies and requested that the phonic interpreter services, that could information be shared with their per- make their job easier. interpreting sonnel. As we will explore in the fol- A second important step involves lowing section, these efforts should be medical interpreters directly. part of a broader and ongoing com- Hospital guidelines that clearly munication with these agencies. address the role of medical inter- preters, specifically stating the extent How to Make the Relationship of their collaboration with police, Between the Medical Interpreter and would allow interpreters to have Law Enforcement Close and something to fall back on when Associations Comfortable deciding if they should accept a Make A Better There are several practical steps that request for their services. Such World can be taken to ensure a professional guidelines could also be drawn up in relationship between law enforcement conjunction with a Medical officers and medical interpreters. Interpreter’s Code of Ethics.

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 35 Medical Language and Medical Translation

By Elena Sgarbossa

mberto Eco wrote: “Trans- participants usually claim to have discussion list someone requested the lating is not only connected expertise in medical translation. English translation of the Spanish U with linguistic competence, word “circulante.” The translator but with intertextual, psychological, 1. The Source Language: added, for context: “circulante appears and narrative competence.” When Intra-Lingual Problems at the bottom of an operating room fee translating medical text, it is also ¥ Semantic Pitfalls list.” In everyday Spanish, “circu- essential to be highly competent in Lexemes with a Medical Meaning lante” means cash or circulating. Yet the medical sciences. Medical lan- and a Non-Medical Meaning both “circulante” and circulating guage, while devoid of the complex The “almost-right” translation acquire a specific meaning in the con- nuances or prosodic constraints problem begins with the inherent text of the operating room: “enfer- found in literary writing, can still be complexity of any given language. mera/o circulante de quirófano” or abstruse. Lexical errors can lead to a Many languages have certain lexemes (operating room) circulating nurse. dangerous situation for the patient— (lexical items) that maintain a “core The circulating nurse is a specially e.g., it is not uncommon for a medical meaning” across semantic contexts, trained nurse who moves around prescription stating “q.d.” (once a but within a certain context (such as active operating rooms to provide and day) to be misinterpreted as “q.i.d.” medicine) that meaning is “spun.” clear away instruments or materials (four times a day). needed for surgery. The translator who As consulting physicians, many of posted “circulante” obtained several us routinely review medical record “…The difference English renditions, including the cor- summaries and laboratory or test between the right word rect circulating nurse. Among the less reports from other institutions. appropriate answers, however, were Patient documents that have been and the almost-right word distributor (which is not grossly incor- translated sometimes contain sub- is as great as that rect, but is misleading) and the col- stantial errors. Some errors arise orful answer petty cash. (The context from problems intrinsic to the source between lightning and for circulating did call for operating language (as in the “q.d. versus q.i.d.” the lightning bug…” room fees, which, I suppose, one example) that can be carried over to —Mark Twain could defray with some petty cash….) the translation, while others emerge For yet another example, consider from the interface of two languages. the lexeme patency/patent. Patent, Consider, for example, the word Webster’s says, means “obvious” or When “Common Sense” is Not clearance. In everyday English, it “evident.” Patent is also synony- Enough means authorization [for a check], mous with “unobstructed” or “per- Mark Twain said: “The difference cleaning away, or even sale. In medi- vious,” which is the intended between the right word and the cine, clearance specifically alludes to meaning when the term appears in a almost-right word is as great as that the volume of human plasma that is medical document or article. A trans- between lightning and the lightning freed of a substance, per minute, in a lator requesting online help in the bug.” This is painfully true in medical live subject. Clearance is frequently English→Spanish language pair translation, where simply applying attached to the word renal, but renal posted patent jejunostomy as it “common sense” is often inadequate. clearance does not imply eliminating appeared in the phrase “the left lower What is the nature of medical mis- the kidneys. Renal clearance is usually quadrant of the abdomen has a patent translation? Statistics on frequent a measure of renal function. When kid- jejunostomy (medical record).” A errors would be very difficult to com- neys do need to be eliminated (because quick response (provided by someone pile, but I would like to contribute of tumors or disease, or when they are with a medical Ph.D. and a degree in here my personal observations. The donated for transplants), the process is translation) read: “yeyunostomía evi- most pervasive errors I have encoun- called kidney/renal ablation, removal, dente, abertura quirúrgica evidente tered are categorized in the following or resection. del yeyuno”(reference: Ruiz Torres sections. Some examples were taken Other terms may also have unrecog- Diccionario médico). The same trans- from documents I edited and others nized medical meanings. For instance, lation was replicated by another par- from online discussion groups, where on one online medical translation ticipant, who provided Internet

36 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 references about “yeyunostomía” (but the online translation (into Spanish) years of vaccination programs), and not about “yeyunostomía evidente”). was requested for “emergent condi- therefore the connotation of burden To encounter a physician’s note tions” with the context “Only patients of disease is neutral, not negative. stating “yeyunostomía evidente” (evi- with emergent conditions will have Thus, the analogy to a scourge in the dent yeyunostomy) would be as referrals issued for the Emergency translation is misleading, which unlikely as encountering a note Room,” a translator proposed “enfer- brings us to our next subject on stating “evident mouth” when dis- medades emergentes” and “enfer- lexeme connotation. cussing the exam of a patient’s face. medades en vías de desarrollo.” Both The Spanish translation for patent options mean “new diseases,” which is One Term, Several Connotations jejunostomy (or functioning jejunos- the wrong interpretation. Some lexemes maintain their tomy) is “yeyunostomía permeable” A frequent source of error is the “core” meaning across subjects or or “yeyunostomía funcionante.” name medulla and the Spanish fields, but their connotation spins “médula” The part of the central (often by 180 degrees). One example Homonymy and Polysemy: One Word, nervous system that continues the is the word remodeling. According to Two Unrelated Medical Meanings spinal cord towards the brain is the Webster’s, remodel means “to alter Some medical lexemes have more medulla oblongata, which is “bulbo the structure; to remake.” Although than one meaning. For example, take raquídeo” in Spanish. The medulla remodeling as a process (be it in our the lexemes flare/flaring. According oblongata should not be confused home, workplace, or anywhere else) to Webster’s, flaring is “an area of with the “médula espinal” (spinal cord may not be enjoyable in itself, the skin flush.” This meaning is close to in Spanish) or with “médula ósea,” tacit consensus is that the post- “flare up” or “sudden bursting into which means bone marrow. “Médula remodeling status will be more flame or light,” and implies “redness” espinal” and “médula ósea” appear in appealing than the pre-remodeling or “inflammation.” Flare also means several medical websites, often with status. Remodeling is thus associated “to open or spread outward.” their meaning switched or else con- (if only for the end result) to a posi- On an online discussion group a fused with medulla oblongata. tive connotation. This is not the case, translator posted the phrase nasal Another term with an unsuspected however, regarding cardiac remod- flaring and shallow rapid respira- medical meaning is burden of dis- eling. When remodeling has taken tions, requesting a Spanish rendition. ease, which was submitted to a web- place in the structure of the heart In this example, nasal flaring alludes site by a translator requesting the (after a heart attack), the end result is to the rhythmic movement of the nose Spanish term. The context was: “to an unhealthy cardiac deterioration. openings when trying to increase air estimate the current burden of dis- I was recently editing a document intake, a worrisome sign exhibited by ease.” A translator proposed to render in which “cardiac remodeling” had people with respiratory difficulty. burden of disease as “flagelo de la been properly translated into Spanish The phrase nasal flaring triggered enfermedad,” which is indeed closer as “remodelación cardíaca,” but the several answers, two of which coin- to disease scourge. This option, remodeling was attributed by the cided in proposing “rojez (enrojec- according to the translator, was justi- translator to the beneficial effects of a imiento) nasal y respiración rápida y fied because while burden in Spanish medication—when indeed, this med- poco profunda.” Here, the second is literally “carga,” burden of disease ication prevents or reverses remod- half of the premise has been ade- was probably referring to the dis- eling (as stated in the original quately translated, although “poco ease’s punishing societal aspects, document), which is the action that profunda” is not as good for shallow which are well captured or drama- makes it so effective. as “superficial.” Nasal flaring, on the tized by the word “flagelo.” In the other hand, was misinterpreted to field of epidemiology, however, ¥ Syntactic Pitfalls mean “flush” or “redness.” The cor- burden of disease means “disease Newly coined medical lexemes in rect translation would have been prevalence,” or the ratio of disease English are being introduced more “aleteo o ensanchamiento nasal.” cases within a specific population. frequently than ever before. This The phrase emergent conditions The disease prevalence in a popula- means that during their professional can mean either “new diseases” or tion may indeed be zero (for lives, medical translators working “emergency medical problems.” When example, when it is measured after with English will routinely ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 37 Medical Language and Medical Translation Continued encounter unknown terms. When con- seen on 10/3/2003”). The translator include: “domanda” (for question); fronted with unknown lexemes, it is wanted to make sure that “è stato “laureato” (for graduate); “egregio” important to pay special attention to esaminato” was past tense, and con- (for distinguished); and certainly the sentence syntax. Analysis of the sulted with peers to ask whether it “conferenza” (or “conferencia” in textual structure is particularly pivotal was possible that the date could have Spanish) for lecture; as well as “lec- in “order languages” such as English, been mistyped because it was a future tura” (in Spanish) or “lettura” (in where a word may have a role as a date and appeared twice. The source Italian) for reading. noun, adjective, or verb depending on text was, however, free of errors. The False friends abound. In Italian, its location within a sentence. date 10/3/2003 is “March 10, 2003.” “decade” means ten days; “fábrica” Textual analysis might have pre- (in Spanish) means factory; “candido” vented peer consultation in the fol- 2. Problems Between Languages: (in Italian) means naïve; and “libreria” lowing examples. A translator Inter-Language Semantic Pitfalls (in Italian) is bookstore. “Pain” in requested online help with a transla- The Apparent Cognates or French means bread, and “also” in tion (into Spanish) for emerging False Friends German means therefore. In Spanish, genes. The context was: “Ideally Among speakers of some Indo- “once” means eleven, “pie” is foot, suited in plasma and protein serum as European languages, a non-negligible “largo” is long, “recordar” is to well as emerging gene therapy appli- cause of medical mistranslation is the remember, “hipo” is hiccups, “éxito” cations, this early stage filter will….” presence in a source text of deceptive is success, “tuna” is cactus, and “rape” The first proposed translation was cognates or false friends. These terms means monkfish. A translator affirms “genes emergentes o incipientes,” are dangerous because their apparent that while she was at a beach restau- until another translator noted that transparency prevents us from dic- rant in Spain browsing through the emerging was not an adjective for tionary or peer consultations. menu, one item caught her eye: the genes, but for applications. In this Misnaming occurs, for example, special dish “rape a la marinera” example, help should have been if one does not realize that the ilium (monkfish marinara) was described requested, if at all, for the phrase (or “ilion” in Spanish) is a part of the for tourists as “rape, sailor-style.” emerging gene therapy applications, pelvic bone that encloses the ileum or simply emerging applications. (“íleon” in Spanish) or end portion of Transparent Terms with Several Textual analysis of the source doc- the small bowel, and that ileum Meanings (One of Which does not ument may also uncover grammar paralysis constitutes an ileus (or Apply in the Target Language) errors and misspellings that shed “íleo” in Spanish). The problem of homonymia and light onto the fact that the unknown In Italian, one could allude in polysemy is compounded when, for term may not be all that new. writing to a patient’s family history, each of the word meanings, the source Consider, for example, the request for mentioning a “parente” (meaning rel- and target languages impose different help by a professional translator in ative), or refer to the patient as a boundaries. Consider the word titra- Latin America to render into Spanish “bimbo” (boy) while noting that his tion. Titration means both “deter- the phrase “found to over.” The abdomen seems “sensibile” (sensitive) mining the concentration of a phrase appeared within the sentence but “morbido” (soft). One might refer substance in laboratory samples (or in “colon cancers are found to over to a work-up in Portuguese as “testes” vitro) in terms of the smallest amount express epidermal growth factor to mean tests. Medical treatment may of a reagent of known concentration receptors.” Had “over express” been require prescribing a medicine required to produce a given effect in identified as a verb (or as the object “fiasco” in Italian, or a medicine flask. reaction with a known volume of the of the verb in an infinitive phrase), Translators working on the written test solution,” and “determining the the question would probably have not report of a scientific meeting (“con- optimal dosage of a drug in live sub- been posted. gresso” in Italian and “congreso” in jects (or in vivo).” The first meaning Syntax rules also apply to num- Spanish) may find terms such as “asi- can be translated into Spanish as “tit- bers and dates. Last April, a translator stir” (in Spanish) for attend, “atender” ulación,” but the second cannot. was puzzled by the Italian text “il for pay attention, as well as “notizia” Titration in vivo does not have a one- paziente è stato esaminato il (in Italian) and “noticia” (in Spanish) word Spanish counterpart. One needs 10/3/2003” (“the patient has been for news. Other likely Italian terms to resort to “determinación de la dosis

38 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 óptima,” “ajuste de la dosis,” or a sim- meticulous editors, in cardiology text- text was “A multicenter, double- ilar circumlocution. books, or in medical glossaries. masked, randomized, parallel study Another example is the word A translator requested online help on the safety of YY….” A clinical “anexo” in Spanish, which shares with with the English translation of the study that is double-masked (or annex its meanings “appendix” or Spanish term “hipersensibilidad del double-blind) is one in which neither “appendage” and “something annexed cuero cabelludo.” A response pro- the participating patients nor the as an expansion/wing.” “Anexo,” how- vided by a translator read healthcare providers are aware of the ever, is also an archaic term for “Hipersensibilidad [sic] of the hairy nature of the intervention the patients “ovario” (ovary). A translator who ran leather.” This rendition not only are receiving (usually placebo versus into the phrase “resección de quiste de leaves “hipersensibilidad” untrans- active medication). In Spanish, anexo derecho” (removal of a right lated, perhaps inadvertently, but pro- double-masked is “doble ciego” or ovarian cyst) requested online help vides a “literal” translation of “cuero “doble enmascarado.” The proposed with “anexo derecho.” Another trans- cabelludo” that is meaningless. The translation, however, was “contro- lator (who indicated a maximum correct translation is hipersensitivity lado” (controlled). Along with this degree of confidence when answering) of the scalp or scalp hipersensitivity. translation, a link to a website was proposed “right wall,” perhaps refer- Another translator working on a provided, with the comment: “Take a ring to the right half of the abdominal radiological report in Spanish posted look at this website. I am not con- wall. The correct rendition, however, the phrase “no se observan zonas vinced by the definition of “doble would be right ovary (or, in this case, patológicas de reforzamiento con el ciego”; [your answer] ought to be right ovarian cyst). material de contraste,” and asked for “controlado” (author’s translation). The word condition, translated its English counterpart. The context A study that is “controlado” is one into Spanish as “condición,” means provided was: “Describing a brain in which a patient group in the study “stipulation.” To mean “disorder” or scan.” A proposed translation was receives an active intervention and “disease,” though, a different word is Pathological zones of reinforcing with another group does not. A controlled needed, such as “trastorno.” How- the resistance material are not study may or may not be double- ever, encountering condition ren- observed. Here, the word reinforcing masked, depending on the patient’s and dered as “condición” in Spanish is a literal interpretation of “reforza- the investigator’s awareness regarding medical translations is so frequent miento.” The word used in radiology, the intervention status. While all that the word will probably soon however, is enhancing, meaning to double-masked studies are controlled, expand its meaning officially, at least accent or increase [in visibility]. In not all controlled studies are double- for U.S. Spanish. addition, “[material de] contraste,” masked. Thus, controlled is not perhaps because of its inherent exchangeable with double-masked, and Translations That are Too Literal meaning of “contrary” or “con- neither are their Spanish counterparts. In a cardiology journal originally trarian,” was erroneously rendered as Another example of excessive written in Spanish and translated by resistance, making it a case for this deductive thinking was evident in the the publisher into English, this phrase article’s next topic, reading too much responses to the online request for the appeared: “…to use an 8 F guide into a term. A correct translation Spanish translation of elegant animal catheter to treat a lesion of the left would have been: with the contrast studies. The context was: “Osteo- common trunk.” The term left agent, no pathological areas of porosis. Skeletal response to mechan- common trunk is a literal translation enhancement are observed. ical forces. Elegant animal studies of “tronco coronario izquierdo,” a have shown the importance of mechan- name for the main coronary artery. Reading Too Much into a Term ical loading to the skeleton….” Here, This artery, however, is called left Examining the source document the obvious translation is “estudios main coronary artery in English, or with excessive zeal or elaborating too animales elegantes” or “elegantes estu- LMCA. “Left common trunk” and much on a term sometimes leads to dios en animales.” The proposed trans- “common trunk” can only be found in inaccurate translations. Consider the lation was “estudios Elegant en Medline in a few articles authored term double-masked, which someone animales” (that is, studies Elegant in by non-English-speaking researchers, who wanted a Spanish rendition animals). This curious answer received but not in first-tier journals with posted in an online forum. The con- endorsements from several trans- ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 39 Medical Language and Medical Translation Continued lators. The person who answered sup- would indicate that although environment such as a hospital, where ported her proposal explaining: “Aquí, advanced credentials (degrees in med- one will be continuously exposed to Elegant es nombre propio” (Here, icine and languages) and experience medical terminology and all its Elegant is a proper name), providing in medical translation may be neces- nuances. Equally important for the an Internet excerpt where “Elegant” sary, perhaps they are not always suf- conscientious medical translator is to seems to be a brand name that happens ficient to guarantee precision in read current medical literature (in as to be associated with osteoporosis- medical translation. many ancillary medical fields as pos- related products. While I personally Professionalism in translation sible) in each language to keep abreast doubt that “elegant” is the best adjec- entails being aware of the fact that as of both recently coined terminology tive for animal studies or experiments neologisms and new usages are intro- and semantic shifts. (since they usually involve intense suf- duced in a language, semantic and Translation and medicine are both fering, a permanent handicap, or the grammatical pitfalls, the sources of inexact sciences. In each field it is death of the animal), the phrase “ ele- mistranslation, will be renewed. One important to be aware of one’s own gant animal studies” is a stock phrase way to decrease the risk of mistransla- limitations so that one can either con- found in some medical publications tion is to continuously increase one’s sult with more knowledgeable peers or referring to a meticulous procedure proficiency in both the target AND the decline, in a timely fashion, a duty for followed during the experiment, and source language. This goal can par- which one may not be fully qualified. not to a “Dr. Elegant.” tially be accomplished through the fre- What you don’t know can kill quent use of dictionaries, specialized you—or someone else. In Conclusion websites, and libraries. However, these Unfortunately, problems in med- and other standard resources for the Note: All examples presented in ical translation are common. The translator (such as attending profes- this article as online consultations examples presented herein illustrate sional seminars and interactions with represent true instances of questions “real world” pitfalls in both the source colleagues) rarely substitute for spe- and answers by medical translators. language and the language interface. cific medical knowledge (ideally, at the The specific web address for each Medical mistranslations are often graduate level). Perhaps the best way example is available by request to the born of amateurs, but also of seasoned to master the language of medicine is author at [email protected]. medical translators (many with through immersion, ideally in a advanced medical degrees). This “hands-on” fashion, in a medical

Evaluating Speech in a Mental Health Setting Continued from page 29

(any information that is not For those who want to learn more intended for the client should be about mental status exams, I suggest Moving? Find an error said outside of the session). a wonderful resource, The Clinician’s with your address? ¥ The seating arrangement should be Thesaurus (5th edition), written by discussed. Ideally, the client should Edward Zuckerman and published by sit facing the clinician and the inter- Guilford Publications, Inc. This book Send updates to: preter should sit beside and offset a does a wonderful job of categorizing The ATA Chronicle • 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite little behind the clinician. This will aspects of the mental status exam and 590 • Alexandria, VA 22314 help insure that eye contact between provides a wealth of descriptive Fax (703) 683-6122 • [email protected] the client and clinician is maintained. words that can be used to define the (Note that all of the clinician’s ques- nuances of a person’s speech. tions should be directed toward the client, not the interpreter).

40 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Simultaneous Interpreting: (Rewarding) Stress and the Need for Recovery

By Satu Höyhtyä, Translated from Finnish by Anja Miller

Note: The following was originally places on interpreters. This is based factors indicating a need for recovery published in the March 2003 issue on Daniel Gile’s (1995)1 model of from stress, causes of stress, methods (pages 1, 4) of Kääntäjä/Översättaren, simultaneous interpretation. The of recovery, improvement of the the monthly publication of the Finnish model includes three non-automatic ability to concentrate, health factors Association of Translators and processes (listening and analysis, pro- and working hours, and finally the Interpreters. duction, and memory), which are rewards associated with simultaneous coordinated by a fourth non-automatic interpreting that make interpreters nyone who has ever attempted process (attention). For all these willing to continue in their profession. simultaneous interpretation or processes, a finite amount of mental The background information A done it professionally knows energy is available. If the total energy revealed that the majority of respon- that the work is challenging and is cer- or the energy required for a certain dents in this as well as in previous tain to lead, at the minimum, to process is insufficient, the interpreta- studies were women, mostly free- nervous tension and feelings of inade- tion suffers. A separate discussion lancers. Their ages ranged from 30 to quacy, if not to full-blown stress. The deals with some brain functions and 78, and the length of their careers to Finnish title of my study is stresses that cannot be related to date was 3-40 years or “long” (this is “Simultaanitulkkaukseen liittyvä Gile’s model. how the two oldest respondents stressi ja siitä palautuminen. described their careers). Only three of Kyselytutkimus suomalaisille simul- the interpreters admitted to being taanitulkeille” [Stress Associated With “…Mental stress usually smokers. This was interesting, since in Simultaneous Interpreting and another study up to 52% of the respon- Recovery from It: A Survey of Finnish leads to overload in some dents had been “heavy smokers.” For Simultaneous Interpreters]. My warm process involved in the the majority of government employee thanks to all the interpreters who par- interpreters the number of working ticipated in the survey and to those interpretation…” languages was four, while freelancers who contributed in various ways to reported having two. The major lan- this master’s thesis research. guages were English, Swedish, Based on this model, I designed an German, and French. Theoretical Background Internet survey of simultaneous inter- The most significant indicators of For this study, I relied on the preters. Participants’ contact informa- the need for recovery from stress results obtained in four different tion was obtained from SKTL’s were fatigue or even exhaustion fields of science: [Suomen kääntäjien ja tulkkien liitto, (either psychological and/or phys- Finnish Association of Translators and ical), as well as headache and muscle Interpretation research: The inter- Interpreters] 1999 directory of inter- tension. These complaints were most pretation process as a whole and what preters, as well as directly from EU common in response to health ques- simultaneous interpreting really is; interpreters who heard about the study tions as well. Up to 59% of the through the chief of the Finnish booth respondents felt the need for quiet Cognitive psychology: Comprehen- at the Joint Interpretation and and solitude after their working day. sion, language production, attention, Conference Service of the European and memory; Commission. Information was also Stress Factors obtained at the European Parliament. I Stress factors were explored Neuropsychology: How and which received 44 completed questionnaires through two long lists, where the parts of the brain are involved in lan- and 23 messages from interpreters with degree of stress caused by each factor guage processing and simultaneous various excuses for not participating. was rated according to the following interpreting; and All contacts took place via e-mail. scale: 1 (= no effect); 2 (= slight effect); 3 (= moderate effect); 4 (= Psychophysiology: Research on stress. Results considerable effect); 5 (= strong The questionnaire was very exten- effect); 6 (= don’t know). In addition, I focused on simultaneous interpreta- sive. In addition to background vari- an open question probed whether an tion and the demands and effects it ables, 19 questions were asked about interpreter who had worked both ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 41 Simultaneous Interpreting: (Rewarding) Stress and the Need for RecoveryContinued as a government employee and a free- were very important. In fact, in a few Stress Recovery Methods lancer had noticed any difference in responses to the last question salary Overwhelmingly, the most the stress factors in each role. was mentioned as one of the profes- common means of stress recovery The results indicated that mental sion’s reward factors. were exercise and rest. Even in stress tended to contribute to the most Background variables seem to theory, these are the best means of stressful experiences. Mental stress explain the differences in stress factors recovery. Exercise can help eliminate usually leads to overload in some reported by interpreters. Full-time aggression, muscle tension, and process involved in the interpretation. employees tended to experience stress mental pressures. A healthy body is Factors leading to mental stress can from all the travel required by the job, also better able to withstand the include a speaker’s strong foreign while freelancers were stressed by effects of stress. Among the forms of accent, unfamiliar terminology, dense having to bear other responsibilities in exercise mentioned by respondents factual content, unknown subject addition to interpreting. were walking, bicycling, jogging, matter, and the lack of logic and con- Differences were also noted aerobics, rhythmic gymnastics, and tinuity in a speech. An illogical pres- between the degrees of stress related swimming. Sports activities, such as entation hinders both comprehension to colleagues and job responsibility those listed above and not involving and production, because the content is as experienced by younger and older competition, are best suited for disjointed. An unknown subject and interpreters. Working solo, on the people living stressful lives, while unfamiliar terminology have similar other hand, causes different kinds of simple rest can restore normal func- effects. New information must be stress for experienced interpreters tion to the body after the changes integrated with existing knowledge, than for neophytes. caused by stress reactions. Normal and something completely novel must A general conclusion was that the relaxation alone will restore balance be produced from both. At the com- working conditions of freelancers are to things like blood pressure and prehension phase, a foreign accent fairly unstable, while those of breathing. In addition to complete can consume a lot of energy. On the employee interpreters are stable. This rest and sleep, relaxation exercises, other hand, dense factual content may would explain some of the variations mental imaging focused on pleasant even lead to a saturation of all the associated with stress levels between things, meditation, yoga, etc., were processes (i.e., an overload of the the two groups. The stability factor employed relatively frequently as total processing capacity), when the was very clear in responses to ques- means of recovery. interpreter’s capacity may prove tions on working hours. Frequently, Alcohol, cultural pursuits, and the insufficient to cover all the informa- some freelance interpreters were com- family were also common stress tion given from beginning to end. pletely unable to estimate their average reducers. The need for alcohol, how- Other highly significant factors number of hours or days worked ever, did not appear to be very great leading to stress include a lack of visual because they vary so much. Even they, at all. It was more often mentioned as contact with the speaker and audience, however, can define their ideal an aid to recovery among respon- inappropriate booth size, negative feed- working hours. Government inter- dents’ colleagues than as a method back on performance, and general work preters would like shorter workdays, they personally employed. For many satisfaction. This indicates that emo- freelancers more work and stability. interpreters, family life and social- tional aspects are also important in the A closer examination of team izing with friends represent a con- work of an interpreter. interpreting revealed that the trasting environment and activity to Factors leading to general stress common 30-minute time period rule work, and are conducive to relax- included preparation for the assign- is not preferred by a great number of ation. Cultural activities included lit- ment, the personal responsibility interpreters, nor is it always fol- erature, music, concerts, and museum involved, and managing names and lowed in actual practice. Depending visits. A relatively recent Swedish figures. In contrast with these stress on the circumstances and various study found that experiences of high factors, the interpreters participating factors, some would prefer to inter- cultural value contributed to lowered in the study did not report that their pret for only 15 minutes at a time. blood pressure and reduced stress- current compensation, collaboration This preference should possibly be related illness. Music at home also with technical staff, or their own taken into account in interpreter has an effect on the area of the brain expectations of the interpretation training as well. that produces feelings of pleasure.

42 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Other ways of stress removal men- need to learn new things and to early days of their career, and that tioned were sauna, nature, and manage unexpected situations. On they understand the fear and lack of remembering that there’s more to life the other hand, a few respondents confidence felt by students. These than interpreting. mentioned that they felt rewarded by respondents thought that overcoming The last question, dealing with the the chance to help people, the real- the fear requires a lot of work and rewards associated with simultaneous time nature of the work, and good practice. Of special interest in future interpreting, revealed that the mental compensation. However, one research might be to focus on the effort required for interpreting and response differed from the others by stress experienced by students of the satisfaction it offered was stating that simultaneous interpreta- interpreting and how they manage it. rewarding to the majority of respon- tion is always so challenging and dents. One eloquent response was the demanding (citing “machine-gun Notes following: “Interpreting is like a speakers” and lack of collegiality 1. Gile, Daniel. 1995. Basic Concepts high-wire act: Once you have taken among colleagues) that it is never and Models for Interpreter and that first step you have to keep on full possible to characterize the work as Translator Training. Amsterdam/ speed to reach the other end or risk rewarding. Philadelphia: John Benjamins falling off. That kind of challenge Several responses revealed how Publishing Company. suits me.” Other factors leading to job interpreters still remember the fear satisfaction included the constant they experienced as students or in the

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The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 43 Argentine Political Jargon

By Rut Simcovich

s I write this, it is voting time people soon resorted to the voto cas- It is no wonder that when the mid- in Argentina. The crisis that tigo (punishment vote): voting against term elections took place in 2001, we A swept away democratically rather than for a political party. had an abundance of voto salame elected President De la Rúa and led After years of inflation and hyper- (salami vote), which consisted of us to the record of having five presi- inflation, Argentina tied its currency inserting a slice of salami instead of dents succeed each other in a few to the U.S. dollar through the so- the mandatory ballot into the enve- days (the other four were elected by called “Convertibility Law” during lope. In slang, “salame” is a rather the Legislative Assembly) is over, or the 1990s, making one Argentine peso polite way of calling somebody not, depending to whom you listen. equal to one U.S. dollar. For a while, stupid. We also had the voto Clemente Some say it is just un veranito (a this worked very well, and the (Clemente is a very outspoken pop- short summer), meaning a short-lived economy grew at an unprecedented ular character in a daily newspaper respite, although the weather has pace. Consumer credit reappeared and cartoon who, together with another turned cold (don’t forget we are extremely popular character, upside down here in the Southern Gaturro2, act as political commenta- Hemisphere). How has language “…A new election is a tors of Argentina’s reality.) A group reflected the Argentine political turning of the page, called “501” was also created. Rather rollercoaster and, more particularly, than favoring Levi’s classic jeans, this the way people vote? especially in a country that group advocated for traveling 501 In the old days, we had voto can- has been denied this right kilometers away as a way of dodging tado (literally, “sung vote”), although the obligation to vote (remember, I no karaoke was involved. It simply many times in the past...” said voting is mandatory). meant that people were supposed to In the 2001 elections, a record say aloud who they voted for, under number of the votes fell into one of the forbidding glare of the local people went on a spending spree. the above categories. But politicians powerbroker’s thug. However, your bank loan or credit were looking the other way and paid In 1912, an important law was card balance were denominated in no notice to the writing on the wall. passed, the so-called “universal secret dollars. Thus, the 1995 presidential Therefore, come December 2001, and compulsory vote” act. At the election saw the appearance of the when people took to the streets time, “universal” did not encompass voto cuota (installment vote), a vote banging pots and pans, we had the women (who were only given the vote for the status quo by people who had cacerolazo that led to the resignation by Perón in 1949). Curiously, school dollar debts and did not want to rock of President De la Rúa. children are still taught that 1912 was the boat of “convertibility.” Now, on April 27 (when you read the date when “universal” voting was The presidential election of 1999 this it will already be past history), established. But let’s leave that aside. was marked by the voto bronca (angry Argentines are voting for a new pres- More importantly, the law made vote). The economy was in a reces- ident. And there seems to be several voting mandatory. Therefore, in the sion, unemployment was on the rise, types of votes this time around. There 1950s, when Perón was ousted and and there were new corruption scan- are those who will supposedly vote proscribed, his followers favored the dals on an almost daily basis. The for former President Menem (who, voto en blanco (blank vote), which opposition candidate was swept in by after being in office for 10 years, from means simply not putting a ballot in a landslide. But very soon voters 1989 to 1999, is running for a third your envelope. The slogan at the time became sorely disappointed with the term). This has been termed a voto ver- was “vote y vuelve” (vote and he’ll new administration. The recession guenza (shame-faced vote), because come back). continued, unemployment became few openly admit supporting his In the 1960s and 1970s, there even worse, taxes were raised, and comeback. Then you have those can- wasn’t that much voting1, but rather a salaries cut back. To top it all, the didates who are fighting the pre- succession of military dictatorships. vice-president resigned, accusing the vailing skepticism by asking for a Democracy was restored in 1983, but government of having bribed mem- voto contrato (contract vote), as a sign of dissatisfaction with the bers of Congress to get approval of meaning “I will deliver.” But it performance of the government, certain legislation. doesn’t stop there. We have warnings

44 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 disrupted and had to be suspended. Some have expressed concern at the emergence of what the cartoon char- acter Clemente has called prepoc- racia or strongarm tactics (de prepo is slang for “by sheer force”). At the same time and in connection with the same election, political humor has coined the phrase sale con fraude (“with fraud on the side”) as an echo of a famous expression of restaurant waiters, who when relaying to the kitchen the order for Argentines’ staple steak, shout sale con fritas (with French fries on the side). Gaturro cartoon by Nik. First published in La Nación Revista, April 27, 2003. Reprinted by kind In many ways, a new election is a permission of the author. turning of the page, especially in a country that has been denied this right against the voto utilitario (utilitarian members of Congress, a new head for many times in the past. And, as I have vote), which means choosing a the Buenos Aires city government, all tried to convey, it is also an opportu- winner instead of voting for your pre- on different dates. nity for people to assert, even in the ferred candidate if it is unlikely he or One of the problems that has long face of adversity, that as long as there she will win. It is important not to afflicted Argentine political life is the is popular wit and humor, there is confuse this with the voto útil (useful existence of the lista sábana (bed- cause for hope...and new political vote), a synonym for a valid vote that sheet list), meaning that you have to jargon for translators to learn. gets tallied in our complicated elec- vote for a full slate of candidates, say tion system, as opposed to non-valid 30 representatives for a province. Notes votes which do not count in the final Some say the reason it has been 1. There were only three presidential reckoning. (In a nutshell: to win, a dubbed lista sábana is that you can elections: Illía (1963), Cámpora candidate must get 40% or more of hide all sorts of things under it. (1973), and Perón (1973), none of the valid votes, not the total ones.) People complain that they only know whom finished their term, This time, all political analysts a few of the candidates on the list and although for different reasons in expect no candidate will achieve the the rest get elected on their coattails. each case. necessary majority to win on the first Consequently, a proposal has been put round of voting. Also, for the first forward, called the “sabanita” (little 2. Gaturro’s father, humorist Nik, time the balotaje system will come bedsheet). Basically, it consists in was kind enough to grant permis- into play, which, of course, follows having two shorter full slates of can- sion to reprint the cartoon that along the line of the French ballotage. didates (don’t ask me to explain, illustrates this article with a literal But things will not end there, because because I haven’t yet worked it out rendering of the “salami vote.” this year there will be many elections. myself). We will be voting for governors, Recently, a provincial election was

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The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 45 A Linguistic Tragicomedy

By Paulo Rónai, Translated from Portuguese by Tom Moore © By Cora Tausz Rónai and Laura Tausz Rónai, Rights granted by Solombra Books ([email protected])

or the Brazilian who has not yet the street, the hotel, the restaurant, the resistant to any attempts at simplifica- traveled outside his country, it taxi, and the post office. He must have tion or unification. F will be difficult to understand the made use of competent collaborators Another not very heartening con- obsessive energy with which the idea for each language, since, at least con- clusion: it is in the immediate necessi- of an international language haunts cerning those languages of which we ties of expression in a language that the and torments a European brain. One have some knowledge, there are knowledge of others is less helpful, trip through Europe would suffice to almost no errors. And what is more, even if they are closely related. For make the Brazilian develop a pas- he offers a short synopsis of each of example, despite the fact that French, sionate interest in the matter. And if by the languages he includes, in which Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese are chance he is lacking the means for he quite laconically sums up their related, a person will use very different such a trip, he can content himself by fundamental characteristics. formulas when asking for something in opening an ingenious little book each language (donnez-moi, s’il vous intended for those lucky ones with no plaît; mi dia, per piacere; te rog impediments to undertaking such an “…It is in the immediate adumi; faça o favor de me dar). If his attractive and instructive expedition. necessities of expression request is fulfilled, he will express his Throughout the ages, there have thanks using formulas that are com- been small conversational guides for in a language that the pletely distinct (merci, grazie, va mul- travelers to use. But no matter how knowledge of others is tumesc, obrigado). How is it that each compact they might be, the tourist of four daughters of the Germanic wishing to criss-cross the Old World less helpful, even if they branch (English, German, Dutch, and in all directions would never have are closely related…” Swedish) has a different term for the enough pockets (even were he to wear word “matches” (matches, Streich- a vest and overcoat) to carry all the hoelzer, lucifers, tandstickor)? How guides he would need. One who, like us, pages through can it be that each language has a dis- Mr. Archibald Lyall, a linguist this useful little book, not as a tourist parate way of expressing the term endowed with good sense, had the but rather in a (unhappily) disinter- “walking” (to walk, spazieren, wan- brilliant idea of bringing together an ested manner, simply to dream a little, delen, promenera)? enormous number of these little will certainly find food for thought. The aspiring polyglot will also books in a single volume of only 300 He will come away from his reading note, with surprise and a certain pages.1 To accomplish this feat, he with the general impression of an amount of disappointment, how small reduced each language to its quintes- insoluble linguistic drama. the number of truly international sence: 30 sentences and 800 words. “What Europe most needs,” said a words is in the daily lexicon. Among He certainly does not mean to insin- sagacious and bilious observer, “are the 800 words in Lyall’s book, there uate that this limited vocabulary is about 50 more dead languages.”2 And are not even a half dozen that are used sufficient for the exchange of ideas we might almost agree with him, in each one of the 25 languages listed. with the natives of various countries; especially given the fact that Mr. Lyall Kilometer and museum are, not however, it will enable the traveler to considers it indispensable to supply taking into account the differences in ask for and receive information to our traveler with keys to no less than spelling, kilometer and museum learn how much something costs or to 25 languages. You may say that he has everywhere. But Turkish continues to buy a sandwich or a few liters of gaso- included Esperanto, and since it is call the restaurant a lokante; line. With a malicious wink, the spoken on the shores of the Hungarian still uses távirat instead of author observes that most people do Mediterranean, Arabic. On the other telegram; Finnish is obstinate in not make use of a larger number of hand, he paid no attention whatsoever talking on the puhelin, not the tele- words and phrases, even when at to Catalan, Provençal, Basque, phone; German, just to be that way, home in their own country. Gaelic, Ladino, Yiddish, Ukrainian, listens to the Rundfunk, not the radio; It is clear that Mr. Lyall chose the Slovak, Slovene et quibusdam aliis, and we Brazilians insist on calling sentences and vocabulary with great not to mention dialects! And these correio what is the post everywhere care, and that these words correspond are, by and large, old languages with to the real necessities of the tourist in strong cultural traditions, that is, Continued on p.58

46 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Accreditation Forum

By Celia Bohannon, deputy chair, ATA Accreditation Committee

n May 2003, the ATA accreditation inconsistent spelling, they raised Examples (Passage A): program held its annual workshops questions. What about British usage ¥ The following text describes a Ifor the language chairs and represen- (“to table a motion” or “to revise for research project sponsored by a tatives of its 24 grading workgroups. In an exam”)? What if a translation pre- major university. Translate for pub- preparation for the meeting, ATA sented British punctuation, but not lication in a quarterly magazine Deputy Executive Director and British spelling? (In her defense,the sent to graduates of that university. Accreditation Program Manager Terry grader cited “confusion”.) What about ¥ Translate the following text for publi- Hanlen and Accreditation Assistant Canadian English? Australian cation in an Italian travel magazine. Regina Tocci had browsed through ear- English? Jamaican English? There ¥ The following text is taken from a lier files. One document they found was were far more questions than answers. study of attention deficit disorder. a telling reminder of the long road this The revised grading guidelines take Translate for an online newsletter program has traveled since its inception into account the reality of today’s exam for elementary school teachers. in 1971. Wrapping up the workshops, environment. Theoretical rationale: Accreditation Committee Deputy Chair The ATA accreditation program prima- Examples (Passage B): Celia Bohannon held up the 1981 rily serves the credentialing needs of ¥ Translate the following text for a “Instructions for Graders”—a single the translation market in the U.S. mail-order catalog of home health sheet of paper. Clients based here should be able to equipment. Today’s “Grader Manual”—half expect ATA-accredited into-English ¥ Translate the following text for edu- an inch thick, with seven tabbed sec- translators to be proficient in the stan- cated lay readers with an interest in tions—describes a program that has dard written English of this country. voice-recognition software. grown in scope, complexity, and Practical rationale: All the into- ¥ Translate the following text for stature. ATA members around the English graders are proficient in U.S. publication in a French magazine world can access detailed informa- English, but are not uniformly familiar for tropical fish hobbyists. tion about accreditation policies and with other national varieties of English. procedures on ATA’s website. Recent It is unreasonable to expect graders to Examples (Passage C): articles in the ATA Chronicle have recognize all alternatives that may be ¥ The following text will be mailed outlined major substantive changes to acceptable in any other English- to all customers of a regional the credential itself. This article high- speaking country, and virtually impos- power company. Translate for a lights four relatively minor changes: sible for graders to verify whether such lay readership. 1) a revision of specific guidelines for alternatives have been employed con- ¥ The following text is taken from the into-English graders; 2) a change in sistently throughout a passage. annual report of an international the way exam passages are presented; widget manufacturer. Translate for 3) a clarification about the grading of Starting January 1, 2004, an American law firm representing practice tests; and 4) a modification instructions for examination shareholders who object to the of the exam schedule. passages may include information CEO’s benefits package. about the source text and/or the ¥ For a brochure describing health- Starting January 1, 2004, candidates target audience. care benefits for teachers in a state translating into English are expected This change likewise represents a university system, translate the fol- to use standard American spelling, nod to real-world conditions. lowing text into Spanish. style, and usage. Information about a text’s source and In the past, graders of into-English its intended use can often guide the Effective immediately, graders of ATA accreditation exams were told, translator’s decisions about style, word practice tests may stop grading “British English is acceptable if used choice, and the like. The instructions on when a passage has accrued 45 consistently.” As recently as 1998, current ATA exam passages merely points or more. grader workshops presented examples state, “Translate everything below the This decision merely clarifies a such as “In a test under standardised horizontal line.” Starting with the 2004 detail that wasn’t spelled out when the conditions, the optometrist identified passages, workgroups may provide point system was implemented in a color anomaly.” Although graders additional information about the source November 2002. The purpose of the had no difficulty identifying the text and target audience. practice test is to offer the potential ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 47 Accreditation Forum Continued candidate an introduction to the nature twists and turns, and make adjustments accreditation will coincide with the of the exam. On the exam itself, a pas- based on the feedback that experience calendar year. sage with a score of 18 or more points provides. One driver may get all the This change (already announced in receives a grade of Fail, and a grader way around the course—skidding a bit the April 2003 ATA Chronicle) is an may stop marking errors when the here or there, brushing against the administrative decision. In the past, the score reaches 45 error points. Even if a walls, braking too soon and losing “examination year” began with one ATA grader marks additional errors, the speed—and emerge with a better sense conference and ended a month before maximum reportable score (and the of how to proceed when the stakes are the next conference, creating perpetual score marked at the top of the first real. But the driver who demolishes the confusion for exam candidates and an page) is 45 error points. This procedure left front fender on the first turn, shifts unbalanced workload for ATA now applies to practice tests as well. into first instead of third coming into a Headquarters staff. Because the new eli- Many candidates (and graders) straightaway, and crashes head-on into gibility requirements that take effect in have been under the impression that the wall at the first hairpin turn doesn’t January 2004 add a preliminary round the purpose of the practice test is to need any more feedback. By that point, of administrative tasks for Headquarters give the candidate a better picture of it’s clear that the course is simply too staff as well as for candidates, the his or her problem areas. This is not difficult for that driver in that car. Accreditation Committee chose to shift the case. The practice test is not like Note: Some graders have the time the start of the “examination year” to a car inspection, where the mechanic and the inclination to continue January 1 at this time. This means that provides a list: “If you fix the brakes, marking errors on practice tests even candidates taking the exam during the lights, and the turn signal, you after the score has reached 45 points. the 2002Ð03 year will not be eligible to will pass.” (Or, “If you fix the brakes, They may continue to do so. However, retake it in that language combina- the lights, the turn signal, the emis- only the individual candidate is in a tion and direction until January 2004. sions control device, the rust along position to draw conclusions about Candidates registering for exams given the mainframe, the cracks in the readiness for the accreditation exami- after the ATA conference in November windshield, and the short in the elec- nation based on the experience of 2003 must meet the eligibility require- trical system, you might pass.”) taking the practice test. ments described in the April 2003 ATA It’s more like a test drive on a race- Chronicle and posted on the associa- course. Drivers have the opportunity to Starting January 1, 2004, the tion’s website. view the course, maneuver through its “examination year” for ATA

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48 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 The Onionskin By Chris Durban

The Onionskin is a client education column launched by the ITI Bulletin (a publication of the U.K.’s Institute of Translation and Interpreting) in 1996. Comments and leads for future columns are very welcome; please include full contact details. Contact: [email protected] or fax +33 1 43 87 70 45.

Text Overboard at Niagara Falls

he experience was mar- brochure and website in six languages: “HIV researchers have only one velous!” raves Frenchman “It makes good business sense!” piece of the puzzle in HIV preven- “T Alain Lebret, back from a Yet the monolingual Mr. Ruddy tion,” says Dr. Ziff, who is keen to long-anticipated tour of the north- was nonetheless curious: “What does establish contacts with organizations eastern U.S. and Canada. His trip the French [version of our sign] actu- and agencies in local communities. included an unforgettable visit to ally say?” Aware, too, that outreach translations Niagara Falls, where he donned a Back-translation is pointless, of this type require particular sensi- waterproof poncho and approached since the words are all there: Caution tivity to cultural issues. the base of the falls aboard The Maid (Attention)… Slippery (Glissant)… “We knew the pitfalls, but were of the Mist, a tour-boat service in Surfaces (Surfaces)…. When not sure how to proceed,” she told operation since 1846. (Quand)… Wet (Trempé). The Onionskin. “We have local coor- Yet equally unforgettable for this More useful, in our opinion, is a dinators in 15 cities in the U.S. and language-sensitive visitor was a similarly botched translation of a cor- Puerto Rico, and feedback indicated would-be bilingual sign displayed on responding sign written originally in that translations commissioned in the the deck as passengers disembarked in French. Thus, the Bateaux Mouches past had not necessarily worked once Ontario. Mr. Lebret kindly snapped a cruising the Seine in Paris might well out in the community.” photo for us: “Caution, Slippery warn passengers “Attention, sol glis- Enter Mercedes Pellet, whose Surfaces When Wet / Attention sant par temps humide” or “Pont glis- company M2 Limited agreed to Glissant Surfaces Quand Trempé.” sant par temps humide.” Computer handle the job on a pro bono basis. For linguists, the garbled French is software translates this into English as One of Pellet’s first recommenda- a clear indication of either machine “quay Attention slipping in wet tions was that Johns Hopkins invite (computer) translation or, perhaps, weather” or “Bridge slipping in wet comments from coordinators in the input from a helpful employee “who weather,” giving English speakers at field before starting. The exercise studied French at school,” working least some idea of how odd the Maid’s generated unexpected benefits as both dictionary in hand. The words are sign reads to French tourists. researchers and coordinators opted, there, but the message has somehow To be sure, damp decks at Niagara after discussion, to produce a single jumped ship. Falls probably come as much from Spanish edition rather than multiple As with most translation howlers, mist as from inclement weather. versions as originally planned. the mistakes are only evident to those Over to you, readers: The As Lillian Clementi pointed out in who speak the foreign language—a Onionskin would be glad to forward her insightful article in the June 2003 Catch-22 cited by many monolingual to Mr. Ruddy authentic Caution signs ATA Chronicle (“Doing Well by Doing translation buyers interviewed for from a world-class waterfall in a Good: Using Pro Bono Work to this column. How can I be sure I’ve French-speaking country. Market the Profession and Yourself”), bought a high-quality text if I can’t pro bono work can sour if the parame- assess what is delivered? M2 Limited Gets High Marks from ters are not set clearly from the start. When we phoned the Maid of the Johns Hopkins With Johns Hopkins, Ms. Pellet’s Mist Steamship Company Ltd., an Assisting adolescents at risk of conditions could not have been more attentive Tim Ruddy, vice-president for contracting HIV was the driver behind transparent. First step: a letter detailing marketing, promised an enquiry and a a 2002 initiative that convinced one what M2 Limited would do for the new sign if necessary. He speculated team of researchers of the very real project and setting out its approach. that the flawed phrasing might have benefits of expert translation. She asked Dr. Ziff to sign and return been recycled from a previous effort The challenge facing Dr. Mauri A. this “to confirm that we both knew cobbled together by well-meaning Ziff and her team at the Johns Hopkins what to expect from each other.” folks in the tourist industry. The Maid University Department of General In the letter, M2 Limited agreed to: of the Mist is aware of the importance Pediatrics was to translate into Spanish of quality translation, he assured us, a painstakingly crafted 700-word ¥ Conduct a pre-translation check and turns to professionals for its brochure aimed at potential partners. to determine any areas of ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 49 The Onionskin Continued

difficulty, specialized terminology, Thus, from the start, trendy or Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi— and clarifications. “sophisticated” formulations (e.g., the controversial businessman- “research-based prevention strate- turned-politician—had been on the ¥ Create a glossary of key terms to gies,”“culturally responsive”) were job only two days when he caused an be used throughout the project, translated into the most neutral uproar in his first appearance before and send these terms to the coordi- Spanish possible to ensure that they the European Parliament. nators for review and feedback. would not be off-putting for lay In response to criticism from readers. Dr. Ziff made sure that coor- Martin Schulz, a social democrat ¥ Build and use a translation dinators’ comments were returned in member of Parliament from memory with the translated text to a timely manner. And when the Germany, Mr. Berlusconi lost his guarantee consistency if additional designer delivered the final layout to temper, snapping “A producer in Italy translations were required. Dr. Ziff, M2 Limited reviewed the is making a movie on Nazi concentra- document one last time to ensure tion camps. I would suggest you for ¥ Using the key terms, translate the there were no hyphenation problems the role of capo (head guard). You material into correct Spanish, free or other discrepancies. would be perfect.” of regionalisms. “My husband and I have done At his outburst the chamber many pro bono jobs through the erupted, and despite attempts by high- ¥ Send the translated text to coordi- years,” notes Pellet. She gives two ranking diplomats to extract an nators at five pilot sites, requesting main reasons: “Most of our business is apology, Mr. Berlusconi refused to their comments within a certain built on relationships and trust. And oblige. period of time. there are certain causes that we believe Not surprisingly, there was an in; this is a way we can show that by attempt to shift blame to the trans- ¥ Review the changes suggested by making a meaningful contribution.” lator—or interpreter in this case. “My the coordinators and enter these Dr. Ziff is enthusiastic. “It went joke wasn’t meant to be offensive,” an into the appropriate version for wonderfully. Our initial print run was AP dispatch reports Berlusconi each coordinator’s website (while 5,000, but some sites have informed us saying. “It was an ironic joke, per- urging the group to consider a that they need far more, so a new order haps the translation wasn’t done in an single version rather than five dif- is absolutely necessary,” she told us. ironic sense.” ferent ones). Not to mention other benefits: “The When tempers flare in international project worked as a confidence politics, interpreters are always con- ¥ Send the revised text to the coordi- building exercise between us and the venient scapegoats. Standard practice. nators for their final approval and coordinators, creating closer links all Ho-hum. Who’s keeping count? final changes, if required. around.” It sounds like they’ll be back.

The letter also established that the Nazi Slur: Scapegoat Sighted work would be done on a pro bono in Brussels With thanks to Bob Blake, Philippe 2 basis and stipulated that M Limited The European Union presidency Callé, Lillian Clementi, Neil Inglis, would get credit for its input. rotates every six months, with each María Angeles Lebret-Sánchez, and Meticulous planning definitely member country holding the office in Nathalie Renevier. smoothed the path. turn. In July it was Italy’s turn, and

Wed, Nov 5 5pm-8pm Can’t attend in person? Job Exchange at the Thurs, Nov 6 11am-6pm Complete the form at American Translators Association th Fri, Nov 7 10am-6pm www.atanet.org/jobexchange.htm 44 Annual Conference Sat, Nov 8 9am-2pm (a benefit for ATA members)

50 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Dictionary Reviews Compiled by Boris Silversteyn

Silversteyn is chair of the ATA Dictionary Review Committee.

Le Robert & Collins Super Senior dimensions are clearly numbered, and For reference, the European Council (two volumes) for traditionally long entries, a sum- developed notional/functional grammar Grand Dictionnaire Français- mary menu with numbered sections is in the late 1970s in response to prac- Anglais/Anglais-Français supplied under the headword. For tical issues of immigrant language Publisher: example, the English entry for the learning and employment. It is a HarperCollins Publishers and word “mind” contains a menu indi- semantic grammar that categorizes Dictionnaires Le Robert cating five grammatical categories or language according to the uses to Publication date: parts of speech (noun, transitive verb, which it is put—termed functions and 2000 (second edition) intransitive verb, compound, and notions (Council of Europe 1976; ISBNs: phrasal verb), which breaks up the Wilkins 1976). Thus, beyond verb and 2-85036-642-0 (France) article and supplies all the transla- noun as categories of language, each Vol. 1: 285-036-643-9 (France) tions according to corresponding word is seen as it is invoked in the Vol. 2: 285-036-644-7 (France) semantic dimensions (each boxed). larger context of language use. This Vol. 1: 0 00 47433-X (U.K.) Thus, for “mind” as a noun, transla- grammatical system yields categories, Vol. 2: 0 00 472431-3 (U.K.) tions according to the semantic such as “opinion,”“agreement,” Price: dimensions of “brain,”“attention and “comparisons,” and “requests.” Every $110; 75.00 Euros concentration,”“opinion,”“inten- category invokes a repertoire of tion,” and “memory” are supplied. expressions, or possible ways of con- Reviewed by: These are followed by “mind” as a veying the message of, say, “making a Françoise Herrmann “transitive verb,” with translations for request,”“expressing an opinion,” and such semantic dimensions as “pay “expressing disagreement.” ith two volumes, one for attention,”“dislike/object to,”“care,” For translators, this grammar, and each direction of translation, “take charge of,”“remember,” and so the 27 categories of usage offered, is a W containing 750,000 transla- forth, all the way to “mind” as a com- bonus because for each term indexed tions, 500,000 words and expres- pound, which lists such items as to the grammar in the main listing, a sions, 25,000 specialized terms, two “mind-bender” [révélation], “mind- set of alternative, contextualized, and thesauri (one for each language), a reader” [télépathe], “mind-boggling” varied forms of language use are sup- notional-functional grammar for each [ahurissant], and “mind” as a verbal plied. Thus, for example, say that you language, and a bilingual color atlas, phrase, which lists “mind-out” (as in are looking up the translation of the the second edition of Le Robert & “watch-out!”) [Attention!]. term “furthermore” as an expression Collins Super Senior is top of the line While the menus used to remodel of “adding or detailing.” You will find among Le Robert bilingual diction- the presentation of long articles that it is cross-referenced in the main aries. Compiled using the fifth edition invoke traditional categories of listing of the dictionary to the of Le Robert & Collins Senior and grammar, such as nouns, verbs and “Language in Use” section. And in researched using a 400-million-word compounds, Le Robert & Collins section 26.2 of “Language in Use,” electronic corpus, this is a dictionary Super Senior has included, for each you will find no less than 12 of those that constantly strives to improve and language, a modern treatment of wonderful cohesive devices, in expand an already well established grammar that is different in compar- French, that also function to express reputation for superior lexicography ison to your other institutional dic- “addition” like the English term “fur- and reliability. tionary giants, and a real bonus for thermore.” So that beyond a standard No doubt inspired by the elec- translators. This modern grammar, “de plus,” you will also find some tronic culture of user-friendliness, appearing as a separate section at the more elegant alternatives such as “en efforts are present throughout the dic- end of each volume, termed outre,”“d’ailleurs,”“quant aux,”“à tionary to facilitate consultation. A “Language in Use” in English, and cet égard,”“de même,”“ajoutons à three-column layout is used for the “Grammaire Active” in French, is cela,” and “à ce propos.” In sum, listing of headwords, which appear in notional/functional and cross-indexed while you may sometimes be reluc- boldface type. Separate semantic with the main listing of the dictionary. tant to consult the traditional ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 51 Dictionary Reviews Continued compact grammar included in your atlas, divided between both volumes, are selected for inclusion. The results dictionary, preferring perhaps your and you will have completed a tour of are apparent in several ways. own comprehensive resources, you the super features of this bilingual First, you will find up-to-date will definitely find the grammar of Le dictionary. The atlas is also particu- inclusion and translation of terms Robert & Collins Super Senior useful, larly translator-friendly since, rather such as “snail-mail” [courier poste], different, and interesting for all the than supplying two monolingual “webzine” [web-zine], and “chat- alternative translations of expressions atlases (one for each volume), it is room” [forum de discussion] in the it supplies, each according to function truly bilingual, with maps displaying domain of the Internet; “extreme or notion. information in both languages. sports” [sports extremes], including A similar kind of translation bonus Consequently, you will find English- “bungee jumping” [saut à l’élas- has been included in Le Robert & speaking countries (including the tique], “mountain biking” [VTT- vélo Collins Super Senior in the form of a Americas and Oceania) in the tout terrain], and “white water separate thesaurus for each language. French-to-English volume, and rafting” [rafting] in the domain of The French thesaurus is based on the French-speaking countries (including new millennium sports; and “get- latest edition of Le Robert’s Diction- Africa and Asia) in the English-to- away” [escapade], “frequent flyer naire des Synonymes, with 21,000 French volume. While you may raise program” [programme de fidélisa- entries and more than 200,000 syn- an eyebrow at this somewhat arbi- tion], and “red-eye flight” [avion ou onyms. The English thesaurus is based trary division of the world, with vol de nuit] in the domain of tourism. on the Collins English Thesaurus, Physical Europe in one volume and It would probably be unfair to point with comparable content. You should Political Europe in the other, you will out terms not included, such as also know that Le Robert Dictionnaire be delighted at the ease with which “chad,”“9/11,”“bioterrorism,” des synonymes was the recipient of an you can locate translations, since all “roam-time or roam-minutes,” or Académie Française award. Accord- places (i.e., countries, capitals, cities) “dotcoms,” since most of these partic- ingly, the main listing cross-references and geographic characteristics (i.e., ular terms were thrown into common all the terms included in the thesaurus mountains, rivers, deserts, and usage subsequent to the publication for each language, so that for each oceans) appear in both languages, of this dictionary, and would only translation that you look up, and for wherever pertinent. What is more, point to the futility of trying to claim which there are synonyms listed in the you will appreciate the graphical exhaustiveness or some measure of thesaurus, you will find a small quality and clarity of the maps. victory in keeping up with the lin- “→SYN” box included. Again, for Beyond the most obvious super guistic frontier. The reflection of lan- translators this is an invaluable tool, bonuses of Le Robert & Collins Super guage that is provided is bound to be since so much of translation also Senior, the qualitative lexicographic selective and time specific in an involves finding the right tone, shade, dimensions of this dictionary are endeavor to effectively claim a and tint of a particular word, in view of tops. Robert & Collins dictionaries, measure of truth, reliability, and the many constraints on language use, and this dictionary in particular, pride authenticity. such as audience, domain, and style, themselves upon supplying users Second, you will benefit from the found in all texts. Considering both with a true picture of naturally occur- concordance research, which is source and size of the two thesauri ring language use. This dictionary included in the listing. A good included in Le Robert & Collins Super accomplishes this through exten- example, in the English-to-French Senior, and the bridges built across sively researched terms based on two direction, appears in the listing of bilingual and monolingual references, language databases, containing a translations for the term “cancel,” this is indeed perhaps part of the combined total of 400 million terms, which lists the following collocates, reason why the term “Super” appears culled from a wide variety of media. in square brackets for each transla- in the title of this latest edition of the These databases, compiled by Collins tion: [+ reservation, room booked, Le Robert & Collins. and Le Robert for each language, travel tickets, plans] annuler; [+ Add yet another big bonus in the supply both what is included in the agreement, contract] résilier, annuler; form of a 25-page bilingual color dictionary and the translations that [+ order, arrangement, meeting, per-

52 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 formance, debt] annuler; [+ check] clochards]; and “pocketbook” [porte- of Europe: Strasbourg, France. faire opposition à; [+ taxi, coach or feuille, sac à main]. Similarly, when car ordered, appointment party] you look up translations for French Wilkins, D.A. 1976. Notional décommander, annuler; [+ stamp] terms such as “métro” and “biscuit,” syllabuses. Oxford University oblitérer; [+ mortage] lever; [+ you will be happy to find American Press: London, U.K. decree, will] révoquer; [+ applica- and British translations indexed Dictionary of Financial and Stock tion] retirer; [+ ticket] (= punch) respectively: [(Brit.) underground, poinçonner; (=stamp) oblitérer; and (U.S.) subway]; [(Brit.) biscuit, so on, including collocates in the (U.S.) cookie]. Françoise Herrmann is a freelance translator and interpreter for French and domain of math; [+ figures, amounts] Finally, you will also find an English (sometimes Spanish) based in éliminer; (= cross-out, delete) barrer, excellent treatment of abbreviations San Francisco, California. She occasion- rayer; etc. Similarly, in the French- in the main listing, which provides ally teaches scientific translation at the to-English direction, you will find, both expansion and translation. For Monterey Institute of International for example, for the term “prévoir” example, for the abbreviation “MRI,” Studies. Contact: [email protected]. (to anticipate) the following collo- you will find: (abbrev. of Magnetic cates: [+ évènement, conséquence] to Resonance Imagery) IRM [imagerie foresee, anticipate; [+ temps] to fore- par résonance magnétique]. Add still Market Terminology cast; [+ reaction, contretemps] to a bit more in the form of “Cultural (English-French/French-English) expect, reckon on, anticipate. This Notes,” which appear as gray boxes Author: contextual information, directly in the main listing. The “Cultural Christopher Freeland gleaned from concordances in the Notes” supply additional information Published by: 400 million-word corpus, supplies for culturally loaded terms. Thus, you Christopher Freeland, Le Chalet de la invaluable assistance to translators will find notes for terms such as Haute Bardière who are searching for tight correla- “Affirmative Action” and “Smith- ISBN: tions in the target language that sonian Institution” in one volume, 2-9509201-1-x in a continually reflect precise and common usage. and “DEUG/DEUST” and “Sécurité updated edition (see below) Third, you will find excellent sociale” in the other. And last but not Price (according to Mr. Freeland’s indexing of the terms listed: least, you will find complete verb website): according to style, with several levels conjugation lists and conversion 42 euros; $42, plus 5 euros ($5) ship- for colloquialisms (including tables, to conclude this tour of Le ping within Europe, or 8 euros ($8) to “Danger!” for slang that is likely to Robert & Collins Super Senior. ship outside of Europe offend); according to various subject Le Robert & Collins Super Senior Available from: domains, such as botany, physics, or is far more than just the latest version A form printed off the website the Internet; and according to of a bilingual dictionary with a tried (www.financelex.com) whether the term is specialized or in and true reputation for superior lexi- general use. Additionally, as this is a cography. This edition includes an Reviewed by: French and British product, you will expanded corpus, a thesaurus for each Marian S. Greenfield notice that the headword listing con- language, a bilingual color atlas, and a tains both American and British notional-functional grammar for each his glossary has grown from 324 spellings, and that American terms language. As the title indicates, this is pages, including 16 pages of are generously included both as head- indeed a super edition. Enjoy! T abbreviations and acronyms and words (10,000) and in translations. more than 8,500 terms, to approxi- Thus, you will find listed such References mately 384 pages, including 18 pages American terms as “Emmy” [Oscar Coste, Daniel, Janine Courtillon, Victor of abbreviations and acronyms and de la télévision américaine]; “turn- Ferenczi, Michel Matins-Baltar, and approximately 10,000 terms in the pike” [autoroute à péage]; “skid row” Eliane Papo. 1976. Un niveau-seuil. areas of finance, insurance, accounting, [cour des miracles, quartier des CREDIF & Eddy Roulet, Council real estate, and law. It indicates ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 53 Dictionary Reviews Continued

British or American usage, although before and after acceptation, with dif- Terms found here and in other spelling tends toward British, and I find ferent translations. accounting and business/finance some of the English odd, at least to my Headwords in the two glossaries dictionaries: banque universelle American ears: financial year, upon are printed in bold, with diacritical (although Le Robert & Collins gives sight, trend turn-round. marks for French headwords. all-purpose or universal bank and It is a perfect-bound paperback Gender information is provided in Freeland gives full-service bank glossary, with clear, easy-to-read the French-to-English section only. [which I believe to be the most accu- typeface. Unfortunately, the binding No contextual information or exam- rate translation]; universal or global is not as secure on the new editions as ples are provided, but there are two banking); caisse noire; créneau; for- on the 1995 edition—several pages in very useful appendices, one for fait; marché à la baisse; marché offert; my newer edition have come loose, French acronyms and one for marge commerciale; mobilisation de while the 1995 edition is still intact. English acronyms. capitaux; operable; passif à court I reviewed the first edition of this The following are the results of an terme; plus-value; produit interérieur glossary in the March 1996 ATA update to the expected-term search brut; sauf bonne fin (but Freeland Chronicle. Several terms have been from English-to-French I did for the merely translates it as recourse added since that time, but the big first edition. Terms found in Freeland clause, as opposed to Robert’s under innovation is that the glossary can as well as in other accounting and usual reserve or, the old standard I now be printed on demand, including business/finance dictionaries (Saxcé’s learned at the first bank I worked, the new terms that have been added Dictionnaire comptable, fiscal et fin- subject to final collection). based on queries to Christopher ancier, Harrap’s French and English Freeland’s website. The website Business Dictionary, and Le Robert & Terms found in Freeland, but not (www.financelex.com) is worth adding Collins du Management): blue chip; elsewhere: au-dessus du prix; caisse to your favorites list and offers online bullet issue; cash management; d’avances; nominatif pur; sans glossary entries. If a given term or earnest money; EFT; ERM; foreign recours; sans valeur nominale. acronym is not found, the user can send exchange risk; junk bond; late a query to Mr. Freeland, who will interest charges; market maker; Added to Freeland since 1995: ayant research the term and e-mail the user mutual fund; return on equity; settle- droit économique; banque déposi- back with his findings. I have done this ment; soft market; spin-off; stacked taire; banque directe; convention myself on several occasions, and Mr. hedge; trader; takeover bid; turnover; cadre; vente forcée. Freeland has been quite helpful and valuation; warrant; white knight. prompt in his responses. Terms found elsewhere, but not in Look-up is convenient. Each term Added to Freeland since 1995: Freeland: capitaux oisifs; redé- has an individual entry, resulting in accounting standard; bull market; day marrer; rémunérateur. multiple entries for one term. There trading; repo. are several alphabetization anomalies Added to Freeland since 1995: bas in the new edition, including the fol- Terms found in Freeland, but not else- de gamme; rapatriement; rétrocession lowing: curiously, amortissement is where: aging schedule; collar; FRN; (but only translated as retrocession, listed at the end of a list of several REIT; revolving underwriting facility. which works for insurance, but does compound terms, such as amortisse- not cover conveyance, which works in ment accéléré through amortissement Terms found elsewhere, but not in other contexts); ventilation. linéaire; and capitaux is listed at the Freeland: golden handshake; markup; end of a list of several compound Wages Guarantee Fund. There are few filler words. I did terms, such as capitaux circulants not find many errata. This glossary through capitaux immobilisés. This Now for the updated results of a contains up-to-date financial terms listing practice seems to be prevalent French-to-English search: and many entries that you would be in the new edition. Furthermore, acceptation bancaire is listed both Continued on p.57

54 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 The Translation Inquirer By John Decker

Address your queries and responses to The Translation Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania 17821, or fax them to (570) 275-1477. E-mail address: [email protected]. Please make your submissions by the 25th of each month to be included in the next issue. Generous assistance from Per Dohler, proofreader, is gratefully acknowledged.

dvertising overload is some- drie gemeenten, maaltijdprijs.” What This should be enough text to allow thing that can confuse even the is it? someone to try! A most experienced driver. It is (F-E 8-03/2) This query, with its (N-E 8-03/6) The school subject most likely to happen when a person origins in Lantra-L, involves a dispute “eldre historie” stumped a ProZ is driving through a commercial area, in which one pharmaceutical com- member. What kind of studies are like the shopping center in which the pany has taken legal action to force involved here? Translation Inquirer happened to find another to stop making misleading (R-E 8-03/7) Just one word out of himself recently. So many advertising claims in two advertising cards, many, but it caused problems for Bill signs assaulted him that he misread leaflets, or the like. “Visite” evidently Halstrick in this document about oil- quite a few, including one that said, is used in this context to mean a med- related data processing: Lj yfcnj- “TRANSLATIONS.” What?! A store ical checkup. The two items are in zotuj vjvtynf yt bcghfdktyf in a strip mall (see below for English- bold print in the context quote below: cbnefwbz c ytghfdbkmysv ,bybhjd- to-Spanish consideration of this term) “…sous quelque forme et dans fybtv rhbdjkbytqys[ ghjabktq& whose business was to provide the quelque document publicitaire que ce ghtlsleott bcghfdktybt ,skj public with translations? What an soit (annonce presse, remis de visite, dsgjkytyj d ntxtybt ujlf. What absurd setting for it! aide de visite, mailing, poster, diapos- does the word in bold print refer to? Well, the Translation Inquirer had itive, publi-rédactionnel,…).” What (Sp-E 8-03/8) Tomas Chamberlyn not become dyslexic; he simply mis- are they? heard a disk jockey say “Esta rola me read the sign, due to brain overload. (G-E 8-03/3) A Lantra-L corre- late.” What sort of Mexican youth Upon closer inspection, it turned out spondent had trouble with the phrase jargon is this, for which one might be to be a salon named “Tansations”:a “hydraulisch gut angebundenen forced to forgo the dictionary and place where you go to become Oberflächengewässern,” referring to consult, say, a teenage daughter? browner than you were. My brain, surface waters, the level of which from long habit, added an “r” and an does not alter. It comes from online Replies to Old Queries “l” to a set of letters that I am unusu- courseware for GIS software. Want (E-F 6-03/1) (all in a day’s work): ally familiar with. Breathe easy; our more context? Here’s the whole sen- According to Suzanne Meyers, three profession is not going to hit the strip tence: “Festpotenziale in der Natur good choices might be “Cela fait malls yet. And certainly not with a können z. B. die Wasserstände von partie de ma (la) routine” or “J’en vois store as big as “Tansations.” hydraulisch gut angebundenen bien d’autres,” or “Et tout ça, ce n’est [Abbreviations used with this Oberflächengewässern oder die que le train-train quotidien.” column: DÐDutch; EÐEnglish; FÐ Höhenlage von Quellaustritten sein.” (E-R 10-02/3) (bring or recover in French; GÐGerman; IÐItalian; NÐ (G-E 8-03/4) In a listing of tempo- an action): Vadim Bourenin, bringing Norwegian; PtÐPortuguese; RÐRussian; rary drilling site dwellings a con- this matter to our attention a second SpÐSpanish; SwÐSwedish.] tractor had to supply, Cappie found time, respectfully disagrees with one that was intended to be occupied Michael Ishenko’s proposals on page New Queries by the “Sichtführer.” What sort of offi- 55 of the May issue. Vadim states that (D-G 8-03/1) This query is about cial is that? ghbytcnb bcr does not mean fetch. “over het geheel genomen,” and (I-E 8-03/5) This automotive engi- Rather, it is a set phrase, along with comes from a report about facilities in neering text being worked on by a gjlfnm bcr, from the repertoire of residential housing for senior citizens. ProZ denizen had “minima continua- Russian legal boilerplate, and has The ProZ correspondent who pre- tiva,” a concept that stumped him. The nothing to do with fetching. Also, sented it also provided this much con- context: “La pista per prove di Michael errs, in Vadim’s opinion, in text: “In de onderstaande figuur wordt velocità é utilizzata per la determi- phrasing it as recovery should de gemiddelde maaltijdkosten per nazione delle prestazioni dinamiche be…brought, because it is a suit that is gemeente weergegeven en afgezet dei veicoli (velocità massime, being brought. The word bcrf is tegen de gemiddelde, over het geheel minima continuativa, frenatura, omitted in the first part of the combi- genomen van de aanbieders uit de sforzo al gancio, prove di slalom).” nation to avoid repetition, as it is ➡

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 55 The Translation Inquirer Continued in the source text as well. Vadim familiar). Levantar los manteles de la Rodríguez Ballesteros, is the notion believes that ghbytcnb djpvtotybt mesa terminada la comida.”“Levantar that “pastel” is a pie. Not so. The does not even sound Russian and that la mesa” is the equivalent of “alzar la Spanish word carrying the same his version, though somewhat heavily mesa.” As for “montar,” in addition to meaning is “tarta,” and if you are in constructed, is, after all, a legal dis- to ride, it can mean “armar o poner en doubt, compare dictionaries. “Pastel” claimer. Did you ever, he asks, see su lugar las piezas de cualquier is a cake. For wedding cake, for one written in plain language? aparato o máquina.” It is also a syn- example, it’s “pastel de boda.” (E-Sp 4-03/4) (strip malls): onym of “engastar” when referring to (Sp-D 5-03/9) (“Número PGDR Renato Calderon says this could be precious stones, a meaning also found 20 Ð procuraduría”): The abbreviated “una franja de tiendas,” i.e., smaller in English. part of this, says Tomas Chamberlyn, than the regular and larger malls. He Tomas Chamberlyn says that his might be “Procuraduría General de la went to Alta Vista-Babel Fish transla- mother-in-law, wife, and daughter all República.” tions online, and what he got back would have told their children, over a (E-Sp 6-03/3) (filing status): Jaime was “alameda de la Tira.” Calling his period of more than three decades, to Vargas likes “estado del declarante.” sister in Bolivia to share a laugh, she “pon la mesa.” In no other way would Suzanne Meyers focuses on the gov- told him that in that nation malls are they have given this command. ernment’s wanting to know, in these “galerías.” So, he sticks with the sug- (E-Sp 5-03/2) (up-flow add-on forms, whether the taxpayer is mar- gestion at the top. evaporation coils): Here’s what ried, single, or a widow(er), etc., so (E-Sp 10/02-04) (The goal of this Efraín Rodríguez Ballesteros offers: what about “Estado civil (or Estado program is to ensure redundancy, “diseñado para operar con toda una legal) del contribuyente?” Bill etc.): Mario Valenti believes that the línea de sopladores, ventiladores, etc., Morgan provides “estado civil para version suggested by Jaime Vargas on y evaporadores adicionales con ser- efectos de la declaración,” and cites an page 54 of the April issue pentines de flujo vertical.” See page IRS publication, no. 850, page 6, as (“Capacidad de repetición,” etc.) does 55 of the May issue for the entire sen- his source, entitled English-Spanish not convey the right meaning. Mario tence which he is translating here. Glossary of Words and Phrases. proposes: “El propósito de este pro- (E-Sp 5-03/3) (pancakes): In (F-E 11-02/6):(“La société pro- grama es el de asegurar redun- Tomas Chamberlyn’s Guadalajara, duit, distribue et exploite les films”): dancia o suficiente repetición, etc.” Mexico, “hot cakes” is what appears Adding to what Miriam Lassman- By the way, he does not see any on pancake flour packages sold in the Rosin proposed, Mario offers profits reason not to use “redundancia” for stores. Sorry! from for “exploite.” redundancy, as it is also a legitimate (E-Sp 5-03/4) (birthday cake): (F-E 3-03/1) (“normes de word in Spanish. I just added “sufi- Maria Fagrelius is from the north of déploiement”): For Mario, ways of ciente repetición” just in case, to Spain, where it is “trta de placement or ways of locating it work facilitate the understanding of the cumpleaños.” Did she write Tarta or best. His overall translation: uninitiated. Torta? “Pastel” also refers to a cake or Establishing ways of placement will (E-Sp 10-02/5) (set the table): pie (if filled with meat, compote, allow associates to benefit from the Efraín Rodríguez Ballesteros says etc.), and “torta” refers to a flat cake. proximity of a multifunction printer, that “poner la mesa” is used more fre- She does not believe there is a supe- with all the advantages associated quently than “tender la mesa,” but rior or inferior term for this; just the with this type of equipment. both expressions are equivalent. He right term to be understood by those (F-E 3-03/6) (“toujours en quotes the Diccionario Enciclopédico reading the document. In Tomas action”): Mario proposes always Abreviado, Vol. V, seventh edition, Chamberlyn’s Guadalajara, it is available or always ready. 1975, pages 803-4: “Poner la mesa. “pastel de cumpleaños.”“Pastel” (F-E 6-03/4):(“venant dans sa Cubrirla con manteles, poniendo would never be pie (called “pay” partie….[see page 49, June issue]): In sobre ellos los cubiertos y demás there), and a “torta” is a kind of sand- the opinion of J. V. Guy-Bray, this bit adherentes necesarios para comer.” wich on a roll or bun. “Alzar la mesa. (frase figurative y The main problem, opines Efraín Continued on p.58

56 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 Humor and Translation By Mark Herman Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit items for future columns via e-mail to [email protected] or via snail mail to Mark Herman, 5748 W Brooks Rd., Shepherd, MI 48883-9202. 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.

Irony in the Iliad

s a high school student in the 1950s, I studied Homer’s bronze spear Iliad in the then new (1951) English translation by from the wound, then spurned him away on his back from the spear. A Richmond Lattimore. The jacket blurbs were wildly enthusiastic: “The finest translation of Homer ever made into And, after an additional five lines, Lattimore ends Book 16. the English language,”“the best modern verse translation.” But Lattimore’s translation leaves the reader totally unpre- if Lattimore’s was indeed a great translation, it was clear to me pared for Logue’s ending of the Patrocleia. It is as if Logue that the original was vastly overrated. Sure, it had historical were translating an entirely different work: interest, but literary interest? Little that I could see. Now I know better. The Iliad is great, as Robert Fagles’ Saying these things Patroclus died. 1990 translation shows. Lattimore’s translation is not. It And as his soul went through the sand was thought great because it was so much better than the Hector withdrew his spear and said: drivel that had passed for Homeric translation into English “Perhaps.” for over a hundred years. But between Lattimore and Fagles came Christopher Fagles’ translation is recognizably of the same work as Logue, a “translator” who knows no Greek and whose Lattimore’s, but somehow Logue’s ironic sensibility is also “translation,” begun in 1959, remains unfinished. Yet, there, most obviously in the transformations of Thetis’ hair Fagles’ introductory thanks to Logue is well deserved, for, from “lovely” to “sleek” and “Who knows?” from a simple without Logue, there would possibly have been no Fagles. question to an ironical statement, and in the excess of Logue, unintimidated by the Iliad’s status as a classic, “young and supple strength”: showed that the Iliad is ironic if not actually funny. Consider the end of Book 16, the Patrocleia, the first part Death cut him short. The end closed in around him. of the Iliad that Logue translated. Patroclus, dying at the Flying free of his limbs hands of Hector, tells Hector that Hector played the least his soul went winging down to the House of Death, part in Patroclus’ death, which was due mainly to destiny, wailing his fate, leaving his manhood far behind, and that Hector himself would soon be killed by Achilles. his young and supple strength. But glorious Hector Book 16 continues, in Lattimore’s translation: taunted Patroclus’ body, dead as he was, “Why, Patroclus— why prophesy my doom, my sudden death? Who knows?— He spoke, and as he spoke the end of death closed in upon him, Achilles the son of sleek-haired Thetis may outrace me— and the soul fluttering free of his limbs went down into Death’s house struck by my spear first—and gasp away his life!” mourning her destiny, leaving youth and manhood behind her. With that he planted a heel against Patroclus’ chest, Now though he was a dead man glorious Hektor spoke to him: wrenched his brazen spear from the wound, kicked him over, ‘Patroklos, what is this prophecy of my headlong destruction? flat on his back, free and clear of the weapon. Who knows if even Achilleus, son of lovely-haired Thetis, might before this be struck by my spear, and his own life perish?’ Plus, as in Lattimore’s translation, five more lines. He spoke, and setting his heel upon him wrenched out the

Dictionary Reviews Continued from page 54 hard-pressed to find elsewhere. I stand by my earlier assessment that Marian S. Greenfield is a member of ATA’s Board of Directors and chairs ATA’s Professional anyone who does a lot of heavy finan- Development and Ad-Hoc Accreditation Continuing Education Requirements Committees. She is the owner of msgreenfield Translations. Formerly the manager of Translation Services at JP Morgan, she cial (mergers and acquisitions, deriv- translated in New York’s Financial District for 20 years. She is now a full-time translation industry atives) translation will be glad to have consultant and freelancer, translating financial documents from Spanish, Portuguese, and French into this glossary. English. She is also an adjunct associate professor of Translation at New York University. Contact: [email protected].

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 57 The Translation Inquirer Continued from page 56 of electronics text is best expressed in thermostat dial, temperature knob in meaning is “We are leaving XXX to English by whose lower part reaches the kitchen range. our children [as heritage].” But such to the contact between a metallic Pt-E 6-03/8: (“Trambulador”): a usage would be absolutely unusual interconnection (CT2) and one (or an) This, states Gabe Bokor, is the gear in Spain, he admits. electrode of the transistor of the cell. selector. (Sw-E 5-03/10) (“giftorättgods”): (F-E 6-03/5) (“masse en ordre de (R-E 6-03/9) (pfjxysq): Gabe There must be some sort of glitch marche”): J. V. Guy-Bray says that Bokor says this is easy: virtual here, says Paul Hopper; obviously, this is mass in working condition or (meeting) or even tele-meeting,by this is not patent-related. His ren- order, or operating mass. It’s not a analogy with teleconferencing. (In dering of the sentence: The property weight, which depends on gravity, but academia, pfjxysq rehc is a distance that is not enumerated in the prenup- the amount of matter in the object learning course). The opposite could tial agreement is community property. concerned. Gabe Bokor’s opinion is be non-virtual, to avoid awkward Those final two words presumably that this is curb weight. descriptions like with the participants clear up the sticking point. (G-E 11-02/9) (“Jetzt-erst-recht- physically present. Stimmung”): This has been (Sp-E 3-03/8) (“Les heredamos a Thanks very, very much! I was translated as being vindictive, vengeful nuestros hijos”): Alvaro Villegas says even compelled to hold over some (i.e., negatively). Melitta Fort, how- that it is common in Mexico to use responses until the September issue. ever, has sometimes heard it (and has “heredar” as an active verb, in which But don’t let that stop you from used it herself) in a somewhat positive someone leaves something to sending either responses or fresh connotation as well, as in “When the someone. This option is marked as queries, particularly the latter. going gets tough, the tough get going.” “unusual” by the Royal Academy It all depends on context and mood. Dictionary, but it does exist: “darle a (I-G 6-03/7) (“pomelli gradiati”): uno heredades, posesiones o bienes Berto Berti explains that these are raíces.” In the sentence originally knobs or dials, for example, time dial, quoted by Renato Calderon, the

A Linguistic Tragicomedy Continued from page 46 else. But where this variety against Latin for having supplanted it the linguistic unity of our immense approaches the level of absurdity is in 2,000 years ago in international com- Brazil. Just imagine if our maçã the terms used for that particular spot munications, and thus obstinately (apple) could be called pomme in São where every tourist must go periodi- opposes neologisms from Latin roots. Paulo, mela in Vitoria, manzana in cally, and which, as we come and go, Though every other country has Belo Horizonte, marul in Brasilia, could certainly be indicated with the adopted such nouns as republic, bus, apple in Curitiba, aeblet in same euphemism in every tongue. passport, visa, in the land of Homer Florianópolis, iábloko in Recife, alma As far as foreign terms are con- these have not managed to overthrow in Manaus, obylis in Belém, and cerned, certain languages (Russian, in dhimocratía, leophoreíon, dhia- mílon in Salvador. You should give particular) show great liberality in wel- vatírion, and epitheórisis, and— thanks to Providence that you do not coming them in, whereas others, such unless Mr. Lyall is pulling our leg—a need to take Mr. Lyall’s little book as German, and Hungarian and Finnish self-respecting Greek does not say with you when you take the ferry. even more so, refuse to accept them. consulate, but rather proxeneion! When these languages are forced to What tempers somewhat the effect Notes accept foreign terms, they drown them of such disheartening information is 1. Lyall, Archibald. 1951. A Guide to in the national lexicon to such an extent the unintended humor of other infor- the Languages of Europe. A that they become unrecognizable. mation. In order to better serve the Practical Phrase-Book. London: Mr Lyall’s lists also allowed me to tourist, the scrupulous author felt Sidgwick & Jackson. discover that there are not only ultra- obliged to transcribe the pronuncia- national and xenophobic languages; tion of the sentences in other lan- 2. Ogden, C.K. 1931. Debabelization. there are jealous and vindictive ones guages into the English alphabet! London: Kegal Paul, p. 13. as well. This is the case for modern Reading such a book will make us Greek, which seems to bear a grudge palpably understand how fortunate is

For complete conference information, visit www.atanet.org/conf2003 today!

58 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 ATA Accreditation Exam Information

Upcoming Exams California Massachustts Puerto Rico Texas San Francisco Somerville San Juan Austin October 11, 2003 October 11, 2003 October 11, 2003 September 7, 2003 Registration Deadline: Registration Deadline: Registration Deadline: Registration Deadline: September 26, 2003 September 26, 2003 September 26, 2003 August 22, 2003

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Please direct all inquiries regarding general accreditation information to ATA Headquarters at (703) 683-6100. Registration for all accreditation exams should be made through ATA Headquarters. All sittings have a maximum capacity and admission is based on the order in which registrations are received. Forms are avail- able from the ATA website or from Headquarters.

New Accredited Members Congratulations! The following people have successfully passed ATA’s accreditation exam. German into English English into German Gavin C. Bruce Irina C. Bruderer LLOCOCALIZAALIZATIONTION WORLDWORLD Geneva, Switzerland Gernlinden, Germany Italian into English Volkmar Hiarantner ConConffererencencee John R. Labati Rossenheim, Germany Jersey City, NJ Michael J. Krug Graz, Austria October 14-16, 2003 Russian into English Seattle, Washington USA Elizabeth L. Cobb English into Italian Vienna, VA Milena Vitali-Charewicz increase your expertise Keith Goeringer Methuen, MA network with professionals Washington, DC English into Russian test the latest tools Spanish into English Nikolay Pribytko Novosibirsk, Russia Maria del Carmen Propato There are four tracks for the conference: TRACKS Buenos Aires, Argentina English into Spanish Management – the business of localization Aaron Ruby Catalina Ocampo Nuts and Bolts – how localization is accomplished Houston, TX Providence, RI World of Locales – localizing for different geographic areas Beyond Software – localizing applications other than software EXHIBITS The exhibit area will give attendees the oppor- Active Member Review tunity to view the latest technology and to talk to companies and consultants about their services. The Active Membership Review Committee is pleased to grant active Optional preconference workshops or corresponding member status to: are designed to provide introductory WORKSHOPS Active Corresponding information for attendees. The workshops are topical localization Victoria E. Johnson-Campbell Gladys P. Wiezel foundations sessions and in-depth tutorials. Norfolk, VA Denver, CO Denise Satchell More information is available at Hove, England Antoinette-M. Sixt Ruth www.localizationworld.com San Antonio, TX

The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 59 MARKETPLACE

Arabic, French <> English Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc. Polish<>English

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Advertise in the Annual Conference Program

Position your company in front of our membership, get valuable exposure before the conference AND generate more foot traffic for your booth! Research has proven that pre-show advertising increases booth traffic.

Call Drew MacFadyen Now! 215-321-9662 Ext. 37

60 The ATA Chronicle | August 2003 American Translators Association 44th Annual Conference November 5-8, 2003 Pointe South Mountain Resort Phoenix, Arizona Plan now to attend ATA’s Annual Conference. Join your colleagues for a rewarding experience in Phoenix, Arizona. ATA’s 44th Annual Conference will feature: • Over 150 educational sessions offering something for everyone; • The Job Exchange where individuals promote their services and companies meet translators and interpreters; • Over 50 exhibits featuring the latest publications, software, and services available; • Opportunities to network with over 1,200 translators and interpreters from throughout the U.S. and around the world; • and much more! The conference rates are listed below. As always, ATA members receive significant discounts.

Conference Registration Fees ATA Member Nonmember Student Member

Early-Bird (by October 1): $245 $335 $110 One-day: $125 $170 n/a

After October 1: $305 $420 $130 One-day: $160 $220 n/a

Onsite (after October 24): $380 $525 $150 One-day: $195 $270 n/a

Note: Students and one-day participants do not receive a copy of the Proceedings. All speakers must register for the conference. Hotel Accommodations The Pointe South Mountain Resort, the host hotel, is the largest all-suite resort in the Southwest located on 200 acres at the base of South Mountain Park. It is conveniently located at 7777 South Pointe Parkway, just six miles from Sky Harbor International Airport. Conference attendees can register at the discounted rate of $155 single/double and $175 triple plus tax per night. This rate is good until October 13, 2003. The availability of guest rooms or the group rate cannot be guaranteed after that date. In addition, take advantage of the special resort rate that is being offered to ATA conference attendees. For a daily charge of $8.00 per suite, attendees may enjoy unlimited local phone calls, unlimited access for credit card, toll-free, and collect calls, free incoming and outgoing facsimile service, daily in-suite pot of coffee, weekday delivery of USA Today, admittance to the Fitness Centre, unlimited tennis and volleyball, and complimentary shuttle to the Arizona Mills Mall. To make your hotel reservations, contact the Pointe South Mountain Resort at 1-877-800-4888. Be sure to specify that you are attending the ATA Annual Conference. lMark Your Calendar Today for November 5-8, 2003! American Translators Association r th registration form 44 Annual Conference

Pointe South ______Mountain Resort Last Name First Name Middle ATA Membership # Phoenix, Arizona ______Nov 5-8 2003 Employer/School (Only list employer or school if you want it to appear on your badge.)

______Street Address

______Join ATA Now City State/Province Zip/Postal Code Country To save on registration ______fees, visit www.atanet.org Telephone Fax Email and click on "Join ATA" to download a Membership Application. Registration Fees ATA Member Nonmember ATA Student Early-Bird (available until Oct. 1) $245 $335 $110 $ ______Cancellation One-day (indicate day ______) $125 $170 N/A $ ______Policy After Oct. 1 $305 $420 $130 $ ______One-day (indicate day ______) $160 $220 N/A $ ______Cancellation requests Onsite (after Oct. 25) $380 $525 $150 $ ______received in writing by One-day (indicate day ______) $195 $270 N/A $ ______Oct. 25, 2003 are eligible for a refund, subject to a $25 Note: One-day and student registrants do not receive a copy of the Proceedings. Registration Fees = $ ______administrative fee. Preconference Seminar Registration (see page 4 of the Preliminary Program for details) Refunds will not be ❑ ❑ ❑ honored after Oct. 25. Seminar A (9:00am-12:00pm) $15 Seminar F (9:00am-12:00pm) $50 Seminar J (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50 ❑ Seminar B(9:00am-12:00pm) $50 ❑ Seminar G (9:00am-5:00pm) $100 ❑ Seminar K (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50 3 Ways to ❑ Seminar C (9:00am-12:00pm) $0 ❑ Seminar H (2:00pm-5:00pm) $0 ❑ Seminar L (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50 Register: ❑ Seminar D (9:00am-12:00pm) $50 ❑ Seminar I (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50 ❑ Seminar M (2:00pm-5:00pm) $50 ❑ Seminar E (9:00am-12:00pm) $50 r Online at www.atanet.org/ Preconference Fees = $ ______conf2003 r Fax registration form Special Event Tickets ❑ to 703.683.6122 Interpreters Division Dinner (Thursday, November 6) $20 per person x ___=$ ______❑ Medical Division Dessert Reception (Thursday, November 6) $20 per person x ___=$ ______r Mail registration ❑ Round Robin Tennis Tournament (Thursday, November 6) $25 per person x ___=$ ______form to ATA, 225 ❑ Translation Company Division Reception (Thursday, November 6) $35 per person x ___=$ ______Reinekers Lane, ❑ German Language Division Happy Hour (Friday, November 7) $20 per person x ___=$ ______Suite 590, ❑ French Language Division Reception (Friday, November 7) $35 per person x ___=$ ______❑ Alexandria, Virginia Japanese Language Division Reception (Friday, November 7) $22 per person x ___=$ ______❑ Portuguese Language Division Reception (Friday, November 7) $28 per person x ___=$ ______22314 ❑ Closing Banquet (Saturday, November 8) $55 per person x ___=$ ______Don’t Forget Special Event Ticket Total = $ ______r Include payment Total Payment = $ ______with form Payment r Make your hotel ❑ reservations Check/Money Order: Please make payable, through a U.S. bank in U.S. funds, to American Translators Association ❑ Credit Card: ❑ VISA ❑ MasterCard ❑ American Express ❑ Discover r Tell a friend ______Credit Card No. Expiration Date

______Name on Card Signature

❑ Please indicate if you require special accessibility or assistance. (Attach a sheet with your requirements.) ❑ Yes, I would like to take part in the Job Exchange. It pays ... Pointe South Mountain Resort 7777 South Pointe Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona 85044 to keep _ Phone: (602) 438-9000; Fax (602) 431-6535 your listings Located just six miles from Sky Harbor International Airport updated in _ ATA’s online

_ Special Room Rate for ATA Directory of $155 single/double a night, plus tax. Translation and _ To take advantage of this special rate, make your hotel reservations by Interpreting October 13. Be sure to mention that you are attending ATA's Annual Services and _ Conference. Directory of ATA conference attendees pay a reduced resort fee. For just $8.00 a day, Language guests receive: Services Companies Free local phone calls Unlimited access for credit card, toll-free, and collect phone calls www.atanet.org Free incoming and outgoing domestic faxes Complimentary USA Today newspaper Free admission to The Oasis Unlimited tennis and sand volleyball court time Free acess to the Phantom Horse Athletic Club Resort Amenities Located in scenic courtyards, six swimming pools offer the perfect respite Attention Advertisers: under the Arizona sun. The fitness center features a full-length lap pool and water aerobics for an active alternative. The Pointe South Mountain Reserve your Resort is the largest all-suite resort in the Southwest, all located on 300 acres adjoining South Mountain Park. Spot Onsite recreational activities include: Today The 6-acre Oasis Water Adventure Increase your Championship 18-hole Golf company’s visibility Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, and Hiking by placing an ad in Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, and Racquetball ATA’s 44th Annual 38,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Fitness Club Conference Program. Swimming and Aqua Aerobics Contact: Drew MacFadyen at For more information, visit www.pointesouthmtn.com McNeill Group Inc. dmacfadyen@ mcneill-group.com 215.321.9662 ext. 37.

Photo: Courtesy of the real Spot. INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS

Because many of the world's top companies and government agencies depend on Language Services Associates for superior quality, we vigorously seek out the industry's best interpreters and translators to join our team. Through selective recruiting, extensive training, innovation in technology and meticulous customer support, we have successfully served our clients' language needs for over a decade. OUR NATIONWIDE SERVICES INCLUDE:

Telephonic Interpreters available in all languages 24x7x365. ON-LOCATION INTERPRETERS Nationwide on-site assignments in all fields. TRANSLATION Document and text translations for all subject areas.

JOINING OUR AWARD WINNING TEAM MEANS: o Timely Compensation o Flexible Schedules o Competitive Rates o Continuing Education o Friendly Staff o Peer Review Network o Stable Volume o Nationwide opportunities

LSA's reputation for excellence is unmatched in the industry. Because of our commitment to high quality standards, we offer training and continuing education seminars to help you grow professionally. We are constantly expanding our roster of translators and interpreters in ALL languages. Secured contracts in the government, medical, legal and business arenas provide our interpreters and translators with a steady volume of assignments. If you have what it takes to work among the best, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please contact us to find out more about our nationwide opportunities. We look forward to working together!

Please meet with a representative at the upcoming ATA Conference PHONE: 1 (800) 305-9673 / FAX: 215-659-7210 www.LSAweb.com / [email protected]