The hronicle C A Publication of the American Translators Association VOLUME XXIX • NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2000 Focus on the Law and Translating/Interpreting Featured Language: Italian The Features Chronicle Proofreading Translations: A Checklist, not a Blank Check A Publication of the American Translators Association By Dena Bugel-Shunra . 12 Volume XXIX, Number 10 After a translation is completed, the next step is proofreading. October 2000 Whether you commission your own proofreader or your client takes care of that side of the transaction, you can spare yourself a lot of grief if you put together a list of proofreading requirements and submit it with the translation. Wills and Estates in Italy By Marica Pariante Angelides . 15 This article will answer the following questions: 1) According to Italian law, when is an Italian will valid?; and 2) Can an American citizen living abroad challenge an Italian will? At the same time, the article will also give an Italian version of the most relevant legal terms a translator is likely to encounter. Concision in Technical Translations from English into Italian By Roberto Crivello . 17 A few methods and suggestions on pruning wordiness in technical translations from English into Italian. Focus on the Law and Fossil DNA, the Perfect Language, and the Internet Translating/Interpreting By Roberto Arcangeli (English translation by Anne Milano Appel) . 20 Featured Language: The hunt for the fossil DNA of Indo-European languages: the nth Italian attempt to exhume the “perfect language.” A fruitless endeavor since linguistic diversity is not divine retribution, but the successful result Photo: Occulus and dome of the Pantheon. of human evolution. The Challenges of Working as a Court Interpreter in Germany By Barbara M. Mueller-Grant . 23 Monthly Columns The work of a court interpreter in criminal cases in Germany is From the Executive Director . 7 interesting, but can be very frustrating for beginners. One reason From the President . 8 for this is that in most of the Laender (states), there are few possi- ATA Activities . 10 bilities available for learning or improving the skills interpreters Upcoming Conferences and need for the job. The article focuses on the situation in the state of Educational Programs . 11 Hessen. Topics include the qualifications and procedure for Dictionary Reviews . 56 becoming a court interpreter, the criminal courts (the players, Translating Into Success. American Translators Association’s Scholarly status, selection, and role of court interpreters, as well as the Monograph Series, Vol. XI working conditions), and other employers of sworn interpreters. Reviewed by Leland D. Wright, Jr. Finally, the role of the German Interpreters and Translators Asso- The Translation Inquirer . .57 ciation in providing forums for discussion, opportunities for fur- Compiled by John Decker ther education, and trying to improve conditions for court inter- Accreditation Forum . 58 preters and translators will also be discussed. Humor and Translation . 59 Italian Translations: To Edit and How to Edit—This Is the Question By Mark Herman By Carmela Pacchioni . 29 Display Advertising Index . 64 Nowadays, editors are in big demand in the Italian translation ATA Chapters and Regional Groups . 60 market, and almost no translation company would simply take a text Classified Ads . 62 from a translator and deliver it to the client without at least proof- Accreditation Exam Sites . 62 reading or editing it. Nonetheless, editing is a very broad concept New Active and Corresponding Members . 62 worth discussing in detail so as to prevent misunderstanding and unpleasant surprises. Mission Impossible—Monty Python in Swedish? By Monica Scheer . 35 What happens when an entirely new kind of humor, and foreign on top of that, befalls Swedish television viewers? How does the trans- lator cope in a subtitling country like Sweden where translation already has two kinds of restrictions: limitations of space and time? The AN EASY REFERENCE TO ATA MEMBER BENEFITS Your ATA membership has never been more valuable. Take advantage of the dis- Chronicle counted programs and services available to you as an ATA member. Be sure to tell A Publication of the American Translators Association 1999 FIT Best Periodical Award Winner these companies you are an ATA member and refer to any codes provided below. 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 Business Owners Insurance Alexandria VA 22314 Seabury & Smith, Inc. 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Finally, it offers suggestions on how to deal with 24-hours a day: different kinds of translation problems confronted by translators of Spanish legal texts.