february 2002 volume xxxi number 2 the chronicle · collection services/receivables management dun...
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ChronicleThe
A Publication of
the American
Translators
Association
February 2002
Volume XXXI
Number 2
in this issueata divisions: past, present, and beyond
in this issue February 2002
Volume XXXI
Number 2
Features
10 Conference Sessions Approved for Continuing Education Credit
12 ATA Award Recipients
14 International Certification Study: Finland and Sweden By Jiri Stejskal
16 Pursuing Failure By Barton GoldsmithWork to encourage your team to pursue possible failure, and they will respond bypushing the envelope all the way to the top.
17 Thoughts on Evolutionary Aspects of Language and TranslationBy Ruth BittorfThe ability to speak and think and the emergence of different languages are evolutionarydevelopments that the translator helps to reintegrate to facilitate communication.
19 The ATA Interpreters Division Update By Helen D. ColeThe success of an organization requires everyone’s participation.
20 Message from the New Administrator of the Portuguese Language Division By Tereza d’Ávila BragaThe annual conference is not your only opportunity to meet and network with colleagues.
21 French Language Division Annual Meeting SummaryBy Michèle HansenThe FLD celebrates continued growth and the hard work of its members.
A Publication of
the American
Translators
Association
About Our AuthorsFrom the PresidentFrom the Executive Director Conferences and EventsAccreditation ForumDictionary Reviews The Translation InquirerHumor and Translation Display Advertising Index ATA Chapters and Groups New Active and Corresponding Members
Columns and Departments
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The ATA Chronicle | February 20024
2002 ChronicleEditorial Calendar
An Easy Reference To ATA Member BenefitsYour ATA membership has never been more valuable. Take advantage of the discounted programs and services available to you as an ATA member. Be sure to tell these companies you are an ATA member andrefer to any codes provided below.
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The ATA Chronicle Submission GuidelinesThe ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages members to submit articles of interest to the fields oftranslation and interpretation.1. Articles (see length specifications below) are due the first of the month, two months prior to the
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
writing systems (e.g., Japanese, Arabic) should be submitted by mail and fax.3. Include your fax, phone, e-mail, and mailing address on the first page.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.5. Include a brief biography (three sentences maximum) along with a picture (color or B/W). Please
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
disk or via e-mail ([email protected]).7. Texts should be formatted for Word or Wordperfect 8.0. 8. All articles are subject to editing for grammar, style, punctuation, and space limitations.9. A proof will be sent to you for review prior to publication.
Standard Length Letters to the editor: 350 words; Opinion/Editorial: 300-600 words; Feature Articles: 750-3,500words; Column: 400-1,000 words
ChronicleThe
JanuaryFocus: Professional PracticesSubmission Deadline:
November 1
FebruaryFocus: ATA Divisions: Past,
Present, and BeyondSubmission Deadline:
December 1
MarchFocus: MarketingSubmission Deadline:
January 1
AprilFocus: TerminologySubmission Deadline:
February 1
MayFocus: Literary TranslationSubmission Deadline:
March 1.JuneFocus: Agencies, Bureaus, and
CompaniesSubmission Deadline:
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JulyFocus: Science and TechnologySubmission Deadline:
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AugustFocus: Independent ContractorsSubmission Deadline:
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SeptemberFocus: InterpretingSubmission Deadline:
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OctoberFocus: Legal Translating/
InterpretingSubmission Deadline:
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November/DecemberFocus: Training and PedagogySubmission Deadline:
September 1
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 5
22 Kevin Hendzel Sets PBS Viewers Straight: “Babelfish is 400 Years Away” By Alexandra Russell-BittingATA members continue to set the record straight about machine translation.
23 Spanish Language Division: Up, Up, and Away! By Rudy HellerWith over 2,000 members, there is no telling where 2002 might take us.
24 Update from the Japanese Language DivisionBy Izumi SuzukiFaces new and old came together to help make the JLD’s activities at the conference a success.
25 Minutes from the Annual Meeting of the ATA’s Nordic Division By Marianne DellingerNewsletters, exams, and Mexican food—an overview of the annual meeting of theATA’s Nordic Division.
26 Where Do We Go from Here? By Tim AltaneroA brief overview of the evolution of the localization industry.
27 The Chinese Language Division in Los Angeles By Yuanxi MaRead about the Chinese Language Division’s plans for the coming year.
28 German Language Division Report from the Administrator By Dorothee RacetteAn overview of our activities during the past year and a glimpse of what is to come.
31 Educating Future Leaders By Olgierda FurmanekA new certificate in Spanish translation and interpreting at Wake Forest Universityoffers a different approach to the role of T/I courses at the undergraduate level.
34 Translating Official Documents for African Immigrants By Adrián Fuentes LuqueThe influx of immigrants from developing countries poses new challenges not only forpoliticians and social agents, but also for translators, who are confronted with officialdocuments of varied and often unfamiliar ethnic, legal, and cultural backgrounds.
36 Two Hands Clapping: Nuances of Sound and Style in Prose TranslationBy Cindy SchusterIn an analysis of the process of translating a short story by María Luisa Puga, this articlediscusses how the language used to convey certain sounds functions, not only to evoketheir aural qualities, but also to clue the reader in on how a character’s perception ofsound metaphorically reveals her psychological state.
39 Some Thoughts on the Modern Scientific Principle of Systematic OversimplificationBy Steve Vlasta VitekNo matter how many times you proofread a poor translation, the only way to turn it intoa good translation is to start from scratch.
43 Fifth International Conference on Translation By Eva Jover and Else MogensenFrom Arabic technical terminology to a Polish version of Alice in Wonderland: a report onthe Fifth International Conference on Translation at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
The ATA Chronicle (ISSN1078-6457) is publishedmonthly, except bi-monthlyin November/December,by the AmericanTranslators Association.
Reprint Permission:
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Subscription rate for a member is $43 (included inthe dues payment). U.S.subscription rate for a non-member is $50. Subscribersin Canada and Mexico add$25; all other non-U.S. sub-scribers add $45. Singlecopies are available for $5per issue. Second-classPostage rates paid atAlexandria, Virginia, andadditional mailing offices.
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Changes of addressshould be sent to The ATAChronicle, 225 ReinekersLane, Suite 590,Alexandria, VA 22314. TheAmerican TranslatorsAssociation (ATA) wasestablished in 1959 as anot-for-profit professionalsociety to advance thestandards of translationand to promote the intel-lectual and material inter-ests of translators andinterpreters in the UnitedStates. The statementsmade in The ATAChronicle do not neces-sarily reflect the opinionor judgment of the ATA,its editor, or its officers ordirectors and are strictlythose of the authors.
The ATA Chronicle | February 20026
About Our Authors... Tim Altanero, Ph.D., is an associate dean andassociate professor at Austin CommunityCollege, where he founded and manages thelocalization program. This program, a first of itskind in the nation, has received internationalrecognition. He is also a freelance translator ofAfrikaans and Spanish. Contact:[email protected].
Ruth Bittorf is a self-employedGerman<>English translator with 11 years ofexperience based in Washington, DC. She has along-term interest in the evolutionary and historical aspects of human development andlinguistics. Contact: [email protected].
Helen Cole is the administrator of ATA’sInterpreters Division. She has been an activeChinese interpreter in the Washington, DC, areafor almost 10 years. Contact:[email protected].
Tereza d’Ávila Braga is the administrator ofATA’s Portuguese Language Division. Originallyfrom Rio de Janeiro, she is a freelance trans-lator in Dallas, Texas, specializing in BrazilianPortuguese in the areas of marketing, adver-tising, legal, and financial materials. She alsoworks as a seminar interpreter with the U.S.Department of State and as a translator withthe Organization of American States. Contact:[email protected].
Marianne Dellinger holds a master’s degree intranslation and interpretation (Danish<>English)from the Aarhus School of Business inDenmark, and is a Danish state-authorizedtranslator and interpreter. After a stint as aninternational communication specialist for theworldwide accounting group KPMG, she taughttranslation studies at her alma mater, lecturedon U.S. society, and worked as a freelancetranslator and interpreter in Denmark for sixyears before moving to California. She is anATA-accredited translator (Danish-English) andmentor, and the assistant administrator of ATA’sNordic Division. She works as a freelancetranslator and interpreter, and has beeninvolved with such projects as Harry Potter,Shrek, as well as the Holocaust survivor law-suits and international tobacco lawsuits. Shehas interpreted for the Danish High Court, theU.S. Superior Courts in California and NewYork, and for members of the DanishParliament visiting the U.S. government. Shealso teaches English at the University ofCalifornia and California State University.Contact: [email protected].
Olgierda Furmanek is currently an assistantprofessor of Spanish and director of theCertificate Program in Translation, Interpreting,and Localization at Wake Forest University inNorth Carolina. She also taught translation atYale University. She is a native of Poland and
has worked as a translator, interpreter, terminologist, and localization specialist inPolish, English, Spanish, and French. Contact: [email protected].
Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., has started, devel-oped, and sold three companies, which giveshim a unique understanding of entrepreneursand those striving for success. He is a con-tributing author to numerous books and busi-ness journals, including The Los AngelesBusiness Journal. Contact:www.BartonGoldsmith.com.
Michèle Hansen is the assistant administratorof ATA’s French Language Division. Contact:[email protected].
Rudolf Heller is the administrator of ATA’sSpanish Language Division. Contact:[email protected].
Eva Jover holds a degree in translation andinterpretation. She is a freelance translator andassistant teacher at the Universidad de Alicante.Contact: [email protected].
Adrián Fuentes Luque teaches translation at theUniversity of Cadiz in Spain, and works as asworn English translator and interpreter (certifiedby the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Herecently completed his Ph.D. thesis on the recep-tion of translated audiovisual humor and culture.He has taught at the University of Granada(Spain) and the University of Portsmouth (U.K.),and has worked as a senior interpreter/translatorat the Australian Embassy in Spain. He has pub-lished several articles on audiovisual, legal,tourism, advertising, and diplomatic translation.Contact: [email protected].
Yuanxi Ma has a Ph.D. (American literature,comparative literature) from the StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo, and is cur-rently the director of translation of the ChinaPractice Group of Baker & McKenzieInternational Law Firm in Chicago. With hermany years of teaching and translation in boththe U.S. and China, she has accumulated goodexperience in handling the different as well assimilar cultural and linguistic aspects ofChinese and English. She has had a number ofliterary and legal translations and writings pub-lished in various journals and edited books. Shehas been an ATA member since 1996. Contact:[email protected].
Else Mogensen holds a Ph.D. in classicalphilology. She is senior translator and editor atEriksen Translations Inc. in Brooklyn, New York.Contact: [email protected].
Dorothee Racette is the administrator of ATA’sGerman Language Division and holds an M.A.in German from the University of Vermont. She
is ATA-accredited (German<>English) andworks as a full-time freelance translator fromher home in upstate New York. Contact:[email protected].
Alexandra Russell-Bitting has been a seniortranslator/reviser at the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank in Washington, DC, for thepast 14 years, working from French, Spanish,and Portuguese into English. She has donefreelance translations for other internationalorganizations such as the United NationsEducational, Scientific, and CulturalOrganization, the Pan American HealthOrganization, and the Organization of AmericanStates, as well as for the U.S. Department ofState. She has taught translation at GeorgetownUniversity and the Université de Paris VIII, andis a regular contributor to the Chronicle.Contact: [email protected].
Cindy Schuster is a poet and literary translator(ATA-accredited, Spanish>English). She is co-translator (with Dick Cluster) of the anthologyCubana: Contemporary Fiction by CubanWomen (Beacon Press, 1998). She teachesSpanish, Latin American literature, and transla-tion in the Department of Hispanic Studies atthe University of Massachusetts in Boston.Contact: [email protected].
Izumi Suzuki is the administrator of ATA’sJapanese Language Division. She was born inYokohama, Japan. After graduating from theJapan Interpreters Training School and thenfrom the ISS Simultaneous Interpreters TrainingCourse, she became a registered conferenceinterpreter for ISS and Japan ConventionServices. She moved to Michigan 20 years agoand established Suzuki Myers & AssociatesLtd., a language, marketing, human resources,and training firm, with her husband, SteveMyers, in 1984. Her repeat interpreting clientsinclude top executives with all major OEMs inthe U.S./Japan automotive interface (e.g., Ford,Mazda, General Motors, Isuzu, Fuji HeavyIndustry, DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi Motors,Toyota, and Honda). Major law firms andaccounting firms are also her clients. Contact:[email protected].
Steve Vlasta Vitek received his master’s degreein Japanese and English studies from CharlesUniversity in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1980.He worked as an in-house translator for theCzech News Agency in Prague from 1980-81and for Japan Import Center in Tokyo, Japan,from 1985-86. He has been a freelance trans-lator specializing mostly in the translation ofJapanese and German patents and articles fromtechnical journals for patent law firms in theU.S. since 1987. He recently moved fromNorthern California, where he spent almost twodecades, to Chesapeake, Virginia. Contact:[email protected].
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 7
From the PresidentYour ATA Membership
Thomas L. West [email protected]
I t’s that time of year again: time torenew your ATA membership. Ifyou have already renewed, I want to
thank you on behalf of the association.If you haven’t, I’d like to suggest
some reasons why your ATA mem-bership is one of the most significantinvestments you can make as a trans-lator or interpreter.
First of all, ATA is thriving. Wehad over 8,500 members last year andexpect to surpass that number thisyear. We are also hard at work onplans for the 43rd Annual ATAConference, to be held in my home-town of Atlanta from November 6-9,2002, where we expect to draw acrowd of around 1,600 translators andinterpreters from across the U.S. andaround the world. In the meantime,some additional professional devel-opment seminars are in the planningstages—you’ll get more details onthem soon. In addition, some excitingchanges are underway. Our award-winning monthly magazine The ATAChronicle has a new look. Also,Lilian Van Vranken and her dedicatedteam are hard at work on strengthen-ing our accreditation program.
Still not convinced? Here aresome more reasons to renew yourmembership.
One job covers your dues payment. Icontinue to hear from many ATA mem-bers who have gotten jobs through theonline Translation Services Directoryand the Corporate Translation ServicesDirectory. Many translation companiesuse the TSD on a regular basis to hiretranslators and interpreters. The
potential of gaining a new client is morethan worth our modest dues payment.
Keep up with the latest tools in ourprofession. By reading The ATAChronicle, you could learn about anew software tool that could save youhours. How many hours would youhave to save to cover the cost of yourmembership dues? The answer is: notmany! Perhaps a dictionary review inThe ATA Chronicle will make youaware of a specialized reference workthat is now available. For example,Boris Silversteyn’s review in theJanuary issue discusses two booksthat no into-English translator willwant to be without. On the otherhand, you might learn about anadministrative practice discussed at aconference session that will help yourun your business more efficientlyand effectively. It won’t take long forthese time savers to cover the cost ofyour ATA membership.
ATA membership offers a multitudeof professional development oppor-tunities. You need to stay current inyour working languages and areas ofspecialization to be successful. Toaddress this need, ATA holds an annu-al conference featuring over 150 edu-cational sessions; conducts regionalseminars, such as the FinancialTranslation Conference in New Yorklast year (with additional seminars inthe works for this year); and publishesa variety of special interest articles inThe ATA Chronicle. Finally, our divi-sions offer specialized training andpractical, informative newsletters.
(You must be an ATA member to be adivision member.)
Develop, strengthen, and expandyour network. We learn from eachother. ATA membership offers youmany opportunities to network withyour colleagues. What is so importantabout networking? Where can youturn if you have a question about ter-minology that you can’t find online orin a dictionary? You don’t need toreinvent the wheel each time. Morethan likely someone has faced thesame terminology query or businessproblem that you are addressing. ATAprovides many networking opportuni-ties for both newcomers and experi-enced translators and interpreters.
ATA membership saves you money.As for true dollars-and-cents savings,ATA members receive discounts onthe ATA Annual Conference, profes-sional liability insurance, collectionsservices, medical and disability insur-ance, overnight and express packageshipping services, and much more.
Doing something for the profession.As the many other volunteers and Iinvolved in our thriving associationhave found, the more you give, themore you receive.
When you consider all that ATAhas to offer you, it is clear that thenominal membership fee is moneywell spent. I urge you to renew yourmembership in ATA.
ATA’s Fax on DemandNeed a membership form for a colleague? Want the latest list of exam sites? Call ATA’s Document on Request line, available 24-hours a day: 1-888-990-3282
The ATA Chronicle | February 20028
From the Executive DirectorThanks and Reminders
A TA Pro Bono Project Thanks.For the past three years, ATA,as part of its community out-
reach program, has sponsored a probono translation project in conjunc-tion with the ATA Annual Conference.Most recently, in Los Angeles, ATAmembers translated a 3,800-wordbrochure for the Starlight Foundation,an organization that is dedicated togranting wishes to gravely ill chil-dren and to helping their familiescope with the duress of their chil-dren’s illness. (In St. Louis, ATAmembers translated a brochure inseveral languages for the ScottJoplin Museum. In Orlando, ATAmembers translated some webpagesfor the Everglades National Park.)The projects have helped creategoodwill for the association, andspread the word on the work of pro-fessional translators and interpreters.Our thanks go out to past PublicRelations Committee Chair ManoucheRagsdale for all her efforts to initiateand coordinate this important ATAprogram, as well as to the translatorsand reviewers on this year’s project:Alba Jones, Hernando Carranza,Izumi Suzuki, Manouche Ragsdale,and Beatrice Wulfsohn.
Thanks to Albert Bork. Al Borkhas stepped down as chair of theDictionary Review Committee. Forover eight years, he helped compilethe popular dictionary reviews thatappear in the Chronicle. I am happyto report that Al will continue toserve on the Committee, and thatBoris Silversteyn has agreed to serveas the new chair. Besides appearingin the Chronicle, the dictionaryreviews are also available online atwww.atanet.org/dictionary_reviews.htm.
Renew your membership online.2002 final dues renewal notices havebeen mailed. Please renew your mem-bership today. You may renew online inthe Members Only section of the ATAwebsite: www.atanet.org/memberson-ly. If you have not received yournotice, please contact Maggie Rowe at [email protected] or (703) 683-6100, ext.3001. Don’t miss a day of your mem-bership benefits, including your list-ings in the online Translation ServicesDirectories. Thank you for your con-tinued support of the American Trans-lators Association.
Translation Services Directories.Listings in the online TranslationServices Directory and CorporateTranslation Services Directory are prov-ing to be valuable benefits of ATA mem-bership. Buyers of translation and inter-preting services are using the TSDs. Lastyear, these sites averaged just over100,000 hits per month. Be sure to keepyour listings up to date. As a reminder,the Directories have been further refinedto allow members the option of puttingtheir areas of specialization and lan-guage combinations in any order.
Call for Proposals for ConferencePresentations. Share your knowledge
and experience with fellow ATA mem-bers by making a presentation at ATA’s43rd Annual Conference, November6-9, 2002, in Atlanta, Georgia. Pleasecomplete the Proposal for ConferencePresentation form and return it toATA Headquarters by March 15. Theform may be downloaded from theATA website, www.atanet.org/conf2002/abstract.htm. You can also get a copyfrom ATA’s Document On Request faxservice, 1-888-990-3282, document#80, or by calling ATA Headquarters,703-683-6100. The presentations area great way to network with otherswho share your interests, and to indi-rectly promote you and your compa-ny’s services.
Awards Reminder. In addition tothe call for conference proposals,the deadline is approaching forATA’s various awards: Gode Medal,Lewis Galantière Award, and theStudent Translation Award. In addi-tion, the American Foundation forTranslation and Interpretation isoffering a scholarship again this year.For more information, please see theJanuary Chronicle or the ATA web-site, www.atanet.org/awards.htm.
Walter Bacak, [email protected]
(From left to right) Past ATA President Ann Macfarlane, Manouche Ragsdale (past Public Relations Committee chairand coordinator of ATA’s pro bono translation project), Jenny Isaacson (director of community affairs for theStarlight Foundation), and pro bono project reviewer Izumi Suzuki in Los Angeles.
The ATA Chronicle | February 200210
Sessions Approved
Judicial Council of California Administrative Office of the CourtsContinue Education Activity for Court Interpreter Minimum Continuing Education Credit (CIMCE)
The following sessions, presented at the ATA Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, have been approved for Court InterpreterMinimum Continuing Education Credit (CIMCE) by the Judicial Council of California Administrative Office of the Courts. For a com-plete list of approved sessions, please visit ATA’s website at www.atanet.org/conf2002/credit_ca.htm. For more information, pleasecontact Teresa Kelly at ATA Headquarters ([email protected]).
CIMCE# Credit Hours Session Title1152 12 I-1 “Home Alone 3”: Building a Cooperative Network of Support Among Interpreters
(Friday, 10:00-11:30am)
1148 12 I-3 The ASTM Standard Guide for Language Interpretation Services: What Is It? What Does ItSay? What Is It Good For? (Friday, 1:30-3:00pm)
1153 12 I-4 Processing Time for Interpreters/Interpretation of Innuendo (Friday, 1:30-3:00pm)
1154 12 I-5 Quality Assessment of Telephone Interpreters: Preview to the Process of Identifying, Training,and Certifying Telephone Interpreters (Friday, 3:30-5:00pm)
1155 22 I-7 Life Before and Inside the Booth—A Reminder (Friday, 3:30-5:00pm)
1147 12 I-8 Conference Interpretation: Is It for You? (Saturday, 8:00-9:30am)
1156 12 I-10 Court Interpreting Techniques (Saturday, 10:00-11:30am)
1144 12 I-11 Plea Bargain? You Bet Your Life! (Saturday, 1:30-3:00pm)
1145 12 Part One: I-12 Telephone Interpretation in Action: A Live Demonstration (Saturday, 3:30-4:15pm)Part Two: I-13 Interpreting for a Non-English-speaking Juror (Saturday, 4:15-5:00pm)
1146 12 I-14 Interpreters Do Have a Voice: Interpreters’ Perceptions of Their Role—A Survey of Conference,Court, and Medical Interpreters in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. (Thursday, 3:30-5:00pm)
1149 12 LAW-1 The Role of the Interpreter in Addressing Hate/Bias Incidents (Friday, 1:30-3:00pm)
1150 12 MED-1 The NCIHC Forum Series: Listening to Your Voice about Telephonic Interpreting(Friday, 10:00-11:30am)
1151 12 Part One: MED-4 Initial Assessment of Interpreter Skills: A Case Study in Screening MedicalInterpreters (Saturday, 1:30-2:15pm)
Part Two: MED-4 Medical Interpretation at the Crossroads: Overview of the Los Angeles AreaHospital Project and CSULB Training Strategies (Saturday, 2:15-3:00pm)
1183 3 SEMINAR E Force Majeure Clauses in Spanish-language Contract Documents (Wednesday, 9:00am-12:00pm)
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 11
1187 3 SEMINAR Q Confidence in the Courtroom! Advance Preparation Tips and Tools for TrialInterpreting (Wednesday, 2:00-5:00pm)
1186 2 SEMINAR P The Challenge: Translating an Economic Analysis into English (Wednesday, 2:00-5:00pm)
1185 3 SEMINAR G Professional Enhancement for Practicing English-Spanish Interpreters in the Field ofHemispheric Trade (Wednesday, 9:00am-12:00noon)
1184 2 SEMINAR O Language in TV News: Effective Communication in a Fast-paced Environment (Wednesday, 2:00-5:00pm)
1194 12 Part One: SL-3 Audience-oriented Translation for the General Public (Friday, 10:00-10:45am) Part Two: SL-3 Recent Issues in Russian and English Translation: Avoiding the Pitfalls andOvercoming Business and Technical Challenges (Friday, 10:45-11:30am)
1179 12 SL-4 Russian-English Cognates that Go Their Own Way (Friday, 1:30-3:00pm)
1181 12 SL-6 Challenges in Translating Russian Financial Statements (Saturday, 10:00-11:30am)
1192 12 Part One: SP-6 How to Create, Edit, and Publish Your Own Glossary (Saturday, 8:00-8:45am) Part Two: SP-6 Multicultural Spanish Business Terminology (Saturday, 8:45-9:30am)
1180 12 SP-7 Al español de qué parte del mundo debe traducirse en Estados Unidos?(Saturday, 10:00-11:30am)
1191 12 L.A. Law (Thursday, 3:30-5:00pm)
1193 12 Part One: C-2 The Problematics of Chinese Interpretation (Thursday, 3:30-4:15pm) Part Two: C-2 My “Mission” in Guam: A Story of the Complexity of Interpretation (Thursday, 4:15-5:00pm)
1188 12 G-2 Translating German Legalese: Written Arguments in Civil Litigation (Thursday, 3:30-5:00pm)
1189 12 J-2 Legal Documents (Contracts) Made Easy: Understanding Legal Expressions (Thursday, 3:30-5:00pm)
1190 12 J-8 Interpreting Workshop (English<>Japanese) (Saturday, 1:30-3:00pm)
1182 12 SP-4 Problems with the Translation of Terminology in Legal Documents in Mexico(Friday, 1:30-3:00pm)
New ATA Publication Now Available from ATA Headquarters
Translating and Interpreting in the Federal Government, compiled by Ted Crump,is a comprehensive survey that provides the language needs, career ladders, andcontact information for over 80 federal agencies and offices. 174 pages; $30 (ATAmembers), $50 (non-members).
Translating and Interpreting in the Federal GovernmentTranslating and Interpreting in the
Federal Government
American Translators AssociationCompiled by Ted Crump
The ATA Chronicle | February 200212
American Translators Association Announces 2001 Awards Recipients
E ach year, the ATA awards three prizes: a medal for meritorious service to the translation and interpreting professions,a prize for a book-length translation, and a student prize. The following awards were presented at the ATA’s 42ndAnnual Conference in Los Angeles, California, in November 2001.
For more information and deadlines for ATA’s 2002 awards, please contact: Jo Anne Engelbert, Chair, ATA Honors & AwardsCommittee, American Translators Association, 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314; Phone: (703) 683-6100;Fax: (703) 683-6122; E-mail: [email protected].
The AlexanderGode Medal,ATA’s mostprestigiousaward, wasawarded toChristineDurban, a
freelance translator specializing infinance and capital markets. Durbanis also a contributing columnist tothe ITI Bulletin (U.K.) and theTranslation Journal, and is theauthor of a client education pamphletentitled Getting It Right.
The UngarGermanTranslationAward,bestowed biennially inodd-numberedyears for a
distinguished literary translationfrom German into English, wasawarded to John Felstiner for histranslation of Selected Poems andProse of Paul Celan. Felstiner is aprofessor at Stanford University inCalifornia. This award consists of$1,000, a certificate of recognition,and up to $500 toward expenses forattending the ATA conference.
The StudentTranslationAward,bestowed annually to astudent or groupof students for aliterary transla-
tion or translation-related project,was given to Aaron Crippen for histranslations of the modern Chinesepoet Gu Cheng. Crippen is currentlyworking toward his Ph.D. in Englishliterature at the University ofHouston. This award consists of$500, a certificate of recognition, andup to $500 toward expenses forattending the ATA conference.
Beacons is a magazine of literary translation published annually by the ATA’s Literary Division. Weare currently seeking submissions of literary translations of poetry, fiction, short drama, journal-istic writing, or essays for the 2002 publication. Translations from any language into English areacceptable. Submissions should be limited to a maximum length of 15 pages and must beaccompanied by a copy of the original text and a letter of permission for serial publication fromthe holder of the foreign rights. All submissions must be sent as hard copy by mail, with a SASEenclosed. The deadline is April 15, 2002. Send all correspondence to:
Alexis LevitinEditorBeaconsDepartment of EnglishSUNY-PlattsburghPlattsburgh, NY 12901
Beacons 8: Call for Manuscripts
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 13
Conferences and Events
Santa Fe, New Mexico ATA’s Portuguese Language DivisionSpring MeetingApril 25-28, 2002
For more information, please visitwww.ata-divisions.org/PLD/index_P.htm.Hope to see you there!
Washington, DCTranslators Discussion Group Borders Books and Music18th & L Streets, NW
Meets the second Wednesday of eachmonth from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Borders.For more information, please contact LilyLiu at [email protected].
CanadaVancouver, British ColumbiaXVI World Congress of the InternationalFederation of TranslatorsTranslation: New Ideas for a New CenturyAugust 6-10, 2002
Canada is proud to welcome the XVI FITCongress to Vancouver, British Columbia.It kicks off August 6th, 2002, with thewelcome reception and on-site registra-tion, and the Congress itself runs threeand a half days, August 7-10. This is thefirst time in over two decades that theCongress has taken place in NorthAmerica, so we’re happy to continue thetradition of welcoming hundreds of dele-gates from all corners of the world.Recent Congresses have been held inMons, Belgium (1999), Melbourne,Australia (1996), Brighton, England(1993), Belgrade, Yugoslavia (1990), andMaastricht, the Netherlands (1987). Formore information, please visitwww.fit2002.org/enghome.htm.
Slavonice, Czech RepublicCall for PapersSlavonice International TranslatorsConference 2002September 19-22, 2002
Topics: Any topic of interest to translatorsLength: 5-10 double-spaced pages (short is beautiful!)Abstracts: Maximum of 100 words;enclose CV.Delivery: E-mail in .doc format [email protected]: Abstracts by May 31, 2002, finalversion of papers by July 31, 2002.Authors of accepted papers will beadvised by June 30, 2002.All presenters must be registered for the conference.
For more information, please contact:Zuzana KulhankovaJana Zizky 2378 81 SlavoniceCzech RepublicTel: +420-332-493777 Fax: +420-332-493770 Mobil: +420-605-726432E-mail: [email protected] www.scholaludus.cz
Cambridge, England18th Intensive Course in SimultaneousConference Interpretation August 18-31, 2002
Participants will interpret guest speakerson a wide range of general and technicalsubjects under authentic conference con-ditions. In addition to the core curriculum,there will be specialized discussions in avariety of fields (for example, consecutive,on-sight translation, use and preparationof texts, booth and stress management,marketing and negotiation, interpreting
approaches to Shakespeare and the Bible,etc.), and briefings on the InternationalAssociation of Conference Interpreters,the international institutions, and the pro-fession. The course languages areEnglish, French, German, Russian, andSpanish. The language of general instruc-tion is English. Early enrollment is recom-mended. For information, including adetailed course brochure and applicationforms, please contact: ChristopherGuichot de Fortis; Tel: (+32-2) 654-2080;Fax: (+32-2) 652-5826; E-mail:[email protected].(Note: This course is specifically designedfor conference interpreters only.)
Yokohama, Japan13th International Japanese/EnglishTranslation ConferenceMay 11-12, 2002
For more information, please visitwww.ijet.org/ijet-13.
Auckland, New ZealandNew Zealand Society of Translators and InterpretersEthics, Education, Experience, andEarnings: Elements in theMultidimensional World of Translation and InterpretingJune 1-3, 2002
For more information, please contact thenational secretary via e-mail [email protected].
May 25-27, 2002 (Exact dates to be confirmed) • Toronto, Canada
Conference Theme: Translation and (Im)migrationInformation: Dr. Anne Malena, Modern Language and Cultural Studies, 200 Arts Building, University ofAlberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E6 Canada. Tel: (780) 492-1187; Fax: (780) 492-9106; E-mail: [email protected]; website: www.uottawa.ca/associations/act-cats/index.htm.
Call for PapersCanadian Association for Translation Studies 15th Annual Conference
The ATA Chronicle | February 200214
I n the January issue we looked atthe complex certification processof the Canadian Ordre des traduc-
teurs, terminologues et interprètesagréés du Québec. We will now moveon to Scandinavia, with a review ofthe Finnish and Swedish certificationprocesses. The following descriptionis based on the information providedby Meeri Yule, membership chair ofthe Mid-America Chapter of the ATA;Ari Penttilä, vice-chairman of theFinnish Association of Translatorsand Interpreters (Suomen kääntäjienja tulkkien liitto, SKTL); Sven H.E.Borei, chairman of the SwedishAssociation of Professional Translators(Sveriges Facköversättarförening, SFÖ);David Jones, chairman of theFederation of Authorized Translators(Föreningen Auktoriserade Translatorer,FAT); and Kerstin Björkholm, repre-sentative of the Swedish Legal,Financial, and Administrative ServiceAgency (Kammarkollegiet).
Finnish professional linguists areorganized under the umbrella of theSKTL. Until 1987, the certificationprocess was administered by both theFinnish Chamber of Commerce andthe Translator Examination Board.Currently, certification exams areadministered solely by the TranslatorExamination Board, appointed bythe Ministry of Education in con-junction with the Research Institutefor the Languages of Finland. TheTranslator Examination Board hasbeen administering exams for trans-lators since 1967, which is when thefirst Act on “sworn translators” cameinto effect. The current type of exam-ination was introduced in 1988,when the Act was amended. In orderto become certified, the candidatemust pass a translation exam con-sisting of two parts: general and spe-cialized. Examinations are conductedbetween any two domestic languages,
or a domestic and foreign language,in either direction. The domestic lan-guages are Finnish, Swedish, andLapp (Sami). No educational entryqualification has been prescribed forthe test, but the candidate must be alegally competent person residing inone of the member states of theEuropean Union or in some othercountry included in the EuropeanEconomic Area (EEA). Further
information on the certification proce-dure and on the SKTL is available atwww.megabaud.fi/~sktl, or you maycontact Ari Penttilä directly [email protected].
In Sweden, the certificationprocess also used to be administeredby the Chamber of Commerce, but theresponsibility was taken over by thestate at the beginning of the 1960s—originally by the Swedish Board ofTrade and now by the Kammarkollegiet(www.kammarkollegiet.se). The fol-lowing rules and procedures arerequired by the Kammarkollegiet(based on the information receiveddirectly from the Kammarkollegiet):
Conditions of AuthorizationTo qualify for authorization as a
translator, you must:
• Reside in Sweden or any otherstate within the EEA;
• Be 18 years of age and not underthe legal guardianship of anadministrator (under the provi-sions of Chap. 11, Sec. 7 of theCode on Parents and Children) orbe subject to any similar restric-tions in another state;
• Be of known personal integrityand otherwise be suitable to workas a translator; and
• Have passed the proficiencyexamination as set down by theKammarkollegiet.
If special grounds exist, a personresiding outside the EEA may alsoqualify for authorization.
Administration of the TestThe examination is held in
September in Stockholm, Gothenburg,Malmö, and Umeå. On each examina-tion, you may translate from one lan-guage to one other language only. Oneof these languages must be Swedish.
Once authorized, translators havetheir own individual stamp and areentitled to vouch for the accuracy oftheir translations. In some cases,Swedish government agencies areenjoined to entrust translation toauthorized translators, and an author-ized translation is required in a numberof official contexts. Authorization is arequirement for some translationposts within the Swedish civil serviceand for inclusion in some of theframework procurements of transla-tion services by state agencies. Someauthorized translators are authorizedto work from more than one languageinto Swedish, and some are author-ized to work both to and fromSwedish into another language, butthe vast majority are authorized inone direction only.
International Certification Study: Finland and SwedenBy Jiri Stejskal
…While currently there isno cooperation betweenthe ATA and the Finnish
and Swedish organizationsin terms of mutual
recognition of linguisticcredentials, Sven Borei of
the SFÖ has expressedinterest in such an
arrangement…
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 15
There are two organizations fortranslators in Sweden—the already-mentioned FAT and SFÖ. FAT onlyadmits authorized translators whileSFÖ membership is open to anyonewho meets their criteria for entry.FAT currently has about 325 mem-bers, working either into or fromabout 30 languages. FAT representsthe interests of these translators andorganizes annual seminars for candi-dates for the authorization test. Italso publishes a quarterly newslettercalled Fataburen, and is involved in theproduction of word lists. Further infor-mation is available at the Federation’swebsite (www.eurofat.se) in Swedishonly, or directly from the Federa-tion’s chairman, David Jones, [email protected].
According to the chairman of theSFÖ, the organization feels that thegovernment authorization does notsuccessfully answer the question asto whether a translator maintains ahigh level of ability and quality overtime. The test, being academic innature, does not address the questionof end-user satisfaction or any of theISO- and/or DIN-related translationadministration issues. In an attemptto accomplish this, the admissionprocedures of the SFÖ are very strict,and a great emphasis is placed oncontinuing education. To be admittedto full SFÖ membership, a translatormust provide three recommendationsfrom customers for each languagepair, and submit proof of havingworked five years as a professionaltranslator (applicants who do notmeet the five-year requirement canbecome associate members). Thereare currently approximately 650members in the association. Applica-tions are screened by members of theSFÖ board. All recommendations arechecked, with the focus being onascertaining the applicant’s level of
established ability and capacity.There is no requirement that an appli-cant be a citizen or resident ofSweden, nor that Swedish be one ofthe languages of the pair. Translatorsare required to translate only into theirmother tongue, though exceptionsmay be granted by the membershipcommittee. Further information on theSFÖ can be obtained directly fromSven Borei at [email protected], orat the organization’s website atwww.sfoe.se.
The above-mentioned SwedishKammarkollegiet has, according tolaw, an advisory council for questionsrelating to interpretation and translation(Rådgivandenämnden för tolk- ochöversättningsfrågor) where the SFÖand FAT each have a seat. All majorinterpretation organizations are repre-sented, as are the larger users of author-ized interpreters and translators. Thecouncil deals with standards, integra-tion of standards, problems with thetest procedures, the definition of lan-guages, and other related questions attheir semi-annual meetings. In betweensessions, there are task forces on spe-cific questions. This council has poten-tial to develop into a major player inraising and maintaining interpretationand translation standards in Sweden.
Another form of certification inSweden, though as yet without anyformal linkage to any of the above-named organizations, are various uni-versity courses leading to a diploma.The main representative is theInterpreter and Translator Institute atthe University of Stockholm (Tolk-och översättarinstitutet, TÖI), withwhich the SFÖ has first-level con-tacts in an effort to ensure that thosewho graduate have attained a qualitylevel that is in itself sufficient formembership in the SFÖ.
While currently there is no coop-eration between the ATA and the
Finnish and Swedish organizations interms of mutual recognition of lin-guistic credentials, Sven Borei of theSFÖ has expressed interest in such anarrangement either within FIT in gen-eral or else limited to the ATA andSFÖ. Next time we will revisit thecertification process in Canada,namely the Canadian Translators andInterpreters Council certification, aswell as the current initiative of theSociety of Translators and Interpre-ters of British Columbia, gearedtoward mutual recognition of creden-tials between the ATA and STIBC.
As the editor of this series, Iencourage readers to submit any rele-vant information concerning non-U.S.certification or similar programs, aswell as comments on the informationpublished in this series, to my e-mailaddress at [email protected].
The ATA Chronicle | February 200216
“Success is going from failure to failurewithout loss of enthusiasm”
Winston Churchill
M ost people dislike the idea offailure, but think about it; theonly way not to fail is by not
trying. Wouldn’t you rather your peo-ple pursue possible failure in order toattempt new ideas, seek to bring innew clients, and try to create newproducts, than not? If your people arenot allowed to fail, they will notgrow. If you cannot encourage yourteam to reach new heights by givingthem a safety net (not firing them ifthey fail), then how will you takeyour company to the next level?
From 0 to 50…MillionThis philosophy has helped a
number of companies reach the top oftheir markets. For example, take Mid-America Direct, the largest Corvetteafter-market parts company in theworld. CEO Mike Yager continues toencourage his team to try new ideas,and doesn’t punish them if their ideasdon’t work right away. He believes thatwith support, his team members willreach deep within themselves andcreate new income streams for thecompany. He continues to remindthem that they are part of a team andthat they are supported by him and byeach other. Even if their ideas don’twork, he is pleased that they areattempting to push the envelope. Tofurther inspire his people, they also getpersonal rewards for their continuedefforts toward improving the company.
Yager started Mid-America Directwith a vision, a few ideas, and notmuch else. After reaching the top ofhis industry, he decided to take on twonew catalogues (Volkswagen andPorsche) two years ago, and iswatching them grow with the samevelocity. He believes that the only
thing that can turn a challenge into afailure is not learning from it. He alsobelieves in continuing education forhis team, and brings in the bestspeakers and trainers in the country tohelp his people reach the next level.
Act As IfHenry Ford said, “Failure is only
the opportunity to begin again moreintelligently.” Being able to look atyour failures and learn from them is adefinition of wisdom. To be able to seethem clearly, as steps to your goals,gives you energy and inspiration. Ifyou beat yourself up and become list-less with self-loathing, your goalsbecome harder to reach. The energyyou put into anger just holds you, andyour people, back. If you have diffi-culty grasping this idea, here’s a wayto see how it actually works.
The next time you or one of yourteam members fail, don’t chastisethem (or yourself). Hold back youranger or disappointment and “act asif” (pretend) that it was part of theprocess. See it as a step in the rightdirection. Talk with your team andexplain that you believe that this sup-posed “failure” is taking you closer toyour goal. Explain to them (and your-self) that without the lessons learnedfrom this failure, you would not havethe information and experience nec-essary to achieve success. Then see ifyou don’t reach the next level quickerand easier than if you had spent timeand energy wallowing in blame,anger, and disappointment. This isn’t
some kind of mind game, but rather anecessary step in growing your busi-ness that has been used by some ofthe most successful leaders and com-panies in the world.
Beyond FailurePerhaps the most important job of
a mentor is to help the mentees learnfrom their mistakes. This is thelearning that comes from experience,and it’s the most valuable learning weget. By supporting your team andyourself in this kind of thinking, youare creating a company culture thatwill inspire your team to make yourbusiness grow. Most successfulpeople will honestly tell you that theyreached their goals by making lots ofmistakes. The mentor’s job is toencourage the mentees to reachbeyond their failures, mistakes, andfears, and use the lessons learned toachieve success. Work to encourageyour team to pursue possible failure,and they will respond by pushing theenvelope all the way to the top.
(Note: More information can befound at www.BartonGoldsmith.com,or by contacting Barton Goldsmith,Goldsmith Consulting, P.O. Box 4502,Westlake Village, CA 91361; Toll-free:866-522-7866.)
Pursuing Failure
By Barton Goldsmith
…Most people dislike theidea of failure, but think
about it; the only way notto fail is by not trying…
It pays ...
to keep your listings updated
in the ATA’s online
Translation Services Directory
and
Corporate Translation Services
Directory
(www.atanet.org)
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 17
F or many years, very intelligentcomputer scientists and linguistshave attempted to develop com-
puter-supported software to replacethe human translator. To date, theresults have been disappointing,because machine translation is unableto capture the structural meaning ofmultilayered human expression.
An example for an optimally func-tioning machine translation devicewould be the “universal translator,” asseen in the Star Trek TV series andmovies. Alas, it is fictional! The uni-versal translator device on Star Trekallows Federation crews to communi-cate with the aliens they encounterwhile traveling through variousgalaxies (all of whom seemingly speakand understand Standard AmericanEnglish). Only once did CaptainPicard and his crew from “Star Trek:The Next Generation” come into con-tact with a civilization that causedtheir universal translator to crash. Inthat episode, the aliens communicatedthrough metaphors, physical expres-sions, and images taken from theirculture’s history. The vocabulary wascomplex and allegorical. The lan-guage was expressive in differentways than ours, in that it did not rep-resent concepts by way of abstractsymbols carrying assigned meanings.
For example, when we see theword “please” spelled out or hear itspoken, we understand the letters orsound of the word to be a codethrough which we associate meaning.Every English speaker knows thisword means to request something.However, in the language CaptainPicard encountered, concepts such as“please” or “you are welcome” werenot represented by abstract symbols,but were circumscribed within analo-gies, allegories, and legends. Thespeaker expressed a concept throughthe retelling of a parable (like the deed
of some historic figure) that symbol-ized the idea the speaker was trying torelay. For example, if we wanted toexpress the concept of “honesty” inour own cultural context using the lin-guistic system just described, wewould probably tell the story ofAbraham Lincoln, because to this day“Honest Abe” is symbolic of this trait.
Aside from this episode, I am notaware that the linguistic or culturaldifferences as reflected in languageever played much of a role in the StarTrek series or other science fictionprograms. In the newest TV version,
“Enterprise,” Captain Archer has aloyal female pilot/engineer/linguist(it is still unclear what she is) whomiraculously understands the lan-guages of the new species theEnterprise encounters—a universaltranslator with a pretty face!
The dream and/or convenience of auniversal language may have been areality millennia ago (in biblicaltimes, perhaps in Babel), but we willprobably never know, for recordedhistory does not reach that far back.Also, our ability to reconstruct thisuniversal language from the vocabu-lary of present-day languages, alreadymany generations removed, is highlyquestionable. However, it is entirelypossible to reconstruct many of theparent languages of today’s lan-guages. For example, we can traceFrench, Spanish, Italian, Romanian,Catalan, and a few others to Latin.Moreover, we can reconstruct a
common linguistic ancestor for manyof the Eurasian languages of today:proto-Indoeuropean (the prefix “proto”indicates that it is a reconstructed lan-guage). But attempts to reconstruct thegrandparent languages (for example,of proto-Indoeuropean, proto-Altaic,proto-Nihilo-Saharan, etc.) from thesereconstructed languages, what theRussian School calls the “Nostraticlanguage,” is entirely theoretical.Evidence of this reconstruction isspeculative, which makes the veracityof the end result highly suspect.
However, language is more thanjust a way to communicate. Languageis the stuff that makes us human. Wewere reminded not too long ago, withthe results of the widely publicizedgenome project, that our geneticmakeup is over 98% identical to thatof monkeys. Could it be that ourhumanity is encoded in less that 2% ofour total DNA? It certainly looks thatway—and language is part of that 2%!Language gives us awareness and asoul. Through language, we can passalong information, learn from andconnect with others, form and culti-vate relationships, analyze, abstract,and even evaluate facts and concepts,as well as question the physical worldand cultivate our intellect.
Physiological research of thebrain’s functions and of injuries anddiseases of the brain has shown thatthe center for language capacity islocated in the brain’s left hemisphere.Linguists and cognitive scientists havedemonstrated through studies in lan-guage acquisition that there must bean innate genetic predisposition forlearning language. This is substanti-ated by the way in which childrenmaster the most complicated gram-matical systems in a relatively shortperiod of time. Children even createnew languages, as research on thegenesis of the creole languages
…Language is more than just a way to
communicate. Language is the stuff that makes
us human…
➡
Thoughts on Evolutionary Aspects of Language and TranslationBy Ruth Bittorf
The ATA Chronicle | February 200218
demonstrates. Remarkably, the abilityto acquire languages seems to be inde-pendent of the amount and quality ofthe input we receive from our environ-ment. Children have a natural urge tospeak. Irrespective of their native lan-guage, culture, social status, or thequality of the language input fromtheir parents, children generally startspeaking their native tongue by theage of two. Language is ultimately anevolutionary adaptation to a hostileenvironment, and one that probablyimproved our chances of survival mil-lenniums ago. Subsequently, languagehas also allowed us to develop religion,culture, art: everything we are today.
Language should not be confusedwith thinking. We think in conceptsand images that we subsequentlyencode into language. Even babieswho have not yet acquired languagehave shown the ability to distinguishbetween different concepts they find intheir immediate surroundings, such asrecognizing the image of the motherand differentiating between her imageand that of the father. Using thebuilding blocks of language (the “lin-guistic toolbox,” i.e., morphology,syntax, lexicon, etc.), we encode themental images and concepts we wantto communicate or define and passthese on to others. In turn, we use lan-guage to decode the images wereceive. Some of us are more skilledthan others at working with linguisticencoding and decoding tools. Properdecoding and analysis of the informa-tion is more reliable if the interlocutorsshare a similar cultural backgroundand/or life experience.
Language is multifaceted and mul-tilayered, just like human beings. Thenumber of possible grammatical sen-tences that can be built with any lin-guistic inventory is infinite. Languagehelps us to analyze thoughts, inform,dream, express emotion, convince,
analyze, confuse, deceive, lie, andmanipulate. The list of linguistic appli-cations is as long as the list of humanendeavors. Rhetorical figures, shifts inmeaning, borrowed lexicon and struc-tures, connotations, denotations, allit-erations, metaphors, satire, parody,irony, registers, syntax, and semantics,among others, characterize the rich-ness of language as it evolves overtime and becomes part of the culture ithelps define. Centuries of literature,folklore, and science have proven thevalue of language as a companion andintegral part of human development.
Technically speaking, it is thetranslator’s job to take a finite lin-guistic selection from an infinitesource-language system, and totransfer this to a corresponding finitelinguistic selection from an infinitetarget-language system utilizing the“linguistic toolbox.” The translatoranalyzes and decodes the multila-yered concept and expression in thesource language and re-encodes theconcept into a corresponding outputin the target language. These finiteselections of language are very spe-cific in terms of content and applica-tion for use in a particular technical,economic, social, or cultural con-text. The translator’s tools are his orher innate language skill in thenative language and a well-roundedknowledge of one or several lan-guages (in addition to expertise inthe subject matter to be translated).
Despite what some people,including many clients, believe,translation is a very complex intellec-tual endeavor. It goes far beyond thelinear exchange, replacement, andsubstitution of surface expressions.Being able to speak does not neces-sarily mean a person can write.Likewise, being able to speak morethan one language does not neces-sarily enable a person to translate on
a professional level. Professionaltranslation is not limited to findingtarget-language equivalents for com-puter commands, restaurant menus,replacement part lists, and opera-tional manuals. Since requests fortranslation are usually related to aspecific subject field, the translatoralso needs a thorough education,experience, and research skills in thatparticular area in order to grasp theconcept that is represented in theoriginal text. Sensible decoding andre-encoding is not possible without asecure understanding of the sourcelanguage. Being a professional trans-lator requires linguistic sensitivityand awareness, intelligence, imagina-tiveness, attention to detail, conscien-tiousness, logic, common sense, andthe ability to communicate. A well-written original text and a well-writtentranslation should be effortless to read,and even give pleasure to the inter-ested reader.
Language is organic. It is as aliveas the people who speak it. Everytime somebody opens his or hermouth or writes down a sentence,new speech is created. The translatoris a facilitator bringing different lan-guages and people together, thushelping humanity interact.
Thoughts on Evolutionary Aspects of Language and Translation Continued
Renew YourMembership
Renew online in the
Members Only section at
www.atanet.org/membersonly
or by contacting Maggie Rowe at
[email protected] or 703.683.6100
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 19
W ith the proliferation of globalcommunication, interpretersare playing a vital role to
ensure accurate and successful com-munication between cultures. Sincethe inception of the ATA’s InterpretersDivision (ID) three years ago, it hasgrown into the second largest divisionin the ATA with 854 members.* Weattribute the success of the ID to ourformer administrator, Diane Teichman,for her leadership and diligent work inbringing us to light.
We all know the inherent, subtle,and obvious difference between inter-preting and translation. I believe thatinterpreting and translation comple-ment each other, which means that wefine-tune our skills through both prac-tices. There are, however, extremecases. Maybe one can be blind andinterpret well, but not translate. Onecan be deaf and translate well, but notinterpret. One can translate meticu-lously, but cannot interpret in front ofan audience. One can interpret flaw-lessly, yet lack the hardware, soft-ware, or tools to translate. Knowingour strengths and weaknesses is thekey to developing and improving thequality of our profession.
This year, we have the greatest for-tune to have former ATA PresidentAnn Macfarlane as a liaison betweenthe ID and ATA. She is also instru-mental to the establishment of thedivision. Personally, I find her aninspiration.
Please note that there is an Inter-pretation Policy and Advisory Com-mittee (IPAC) established by the ATAand headed by Christian Degueldre.IPAC is responsible for making recom-mendations to the ATA Board con-cerning any issue involving interpreting.The IPAC and the ID share a common
goal: to better serve and defend theinterests of the interpreting communitywithin and outside of the ATA.
Our division’s assistant adminis-trator is Elizabeth Tu, who comes to uswith diverse professional experience.Through her exporting activities, shehas been a translator and interpretersince 1983. Elizabeth has activelychaired the Chinese Sister CityCommittee in Cincinnati since 1989.
Our website has a wealth of infor-mation for all interpreters. You canfind tips, training opportunities, the
division’s newsletter, bylaws, andlinks to other sites for references, justto name a few. Do check out our site atwww.atanet.org (click on “Divisions”).
Our quarterly newsletter, The Inter-preter’s Voice, is edited by DianeTeichman. Dan MacDougal and PatThickstun serve as proofreaders andLinyh Chan Brown is the layout editor.You may submit your articles to Diane([email protected]) in order to bepublished and have your voice heardby all who walk the same journey.
The division’s annual meeting washeld on November 1, 2001, during theATA’s 42nd Annual Conference at theBiltmore Hotel in Los Angeles,California. The meeting agenda wasas follows:
Call to Order• Introduction of the new ID admin-
istration
• Election of candidates and candi-date statements
• Candidate for administrator:Helen Cole
• Candidate for assistant adminis-trator: Elizabeth Tu
• Voting: Election was conducted
Division Reports• Financial report: surplus • Membership total: 854
2000-2001 Division Activity• Newsletter: published quarterly• ID website: constantly updated • ID reception: held at Camacho’s,
was a great success
Election Results Announced
Report from New Administrator andAssistant Administrator
Three motions were made, discussed,and voted upon (see details below).
(Meeting adjourned)
After discussing old business, thefloor was turned over to the newadministration. The results of our dis-cussion were as follows:
1. The first motion for discussion waswhether interpreters are properlyrepresented within the organiza-tional title of the American Trans-lators Association. Shall we proposeto have the name changed to theAmerican Translators and Inter-preters Association? After a thor-ough discussion of this topic, weconcluded that there are compli-cated issues involved with thisidea. Unless a solid proposal isdrafted, we shall not make amotion to the ATA in haste. A con-ciliatory solution was made as an
The ATA Interpreters Division Update
By Helen D. Cole
…Since the inception ofthe ATA’s Interpreters
Division three years ago, ithas grown into the secondlargest division in the ATA
with 854 members…
Continued on p.22* Based on the November figures provided by
ATA Headquarters
The ATA Chronicle | February 200220
The Portuguese Language Division(PLD) is one of the oldest andmost successful divisions of the
ATA, I’m very happy to say. In additionto explaining who we are and what wedo, this article also serves as a way forme to introduce myself. If you are a newATA member with an interest in thePortuguese language who has maybenever heard of us, please visit our web-site at www.ata-divisions.org/PLD/index_P.htm and join us!
I took office as administrator lastNovember during the ATA’s 42ndAnnual Conference in Los Angeles.The conference is our chance to meetand network with almost 2,000 col-leagues working with every languageon the planet—from Arabic to Zulu.If you are a new ATA member andhave never attended, believe me, it isa great party! But this event is notyour only opportunity to meet andnetwork with colleagues. The PLDalso holds its own mini-conference(the PLD Spring Meeting) every yearin a different city just for Portugueselinguists. You can read more about iton our website. We are planning avery special meeting for 2002, inbeautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico,April 25-28. Please see the informa-tion on page 21.
I am fortunate to have three greatprofessionals and friends workingwith me on the PLD board. We areexcited to have this opportunity tolearn together in a voluntary way tomake our division stronger and tohonor the accomplishments of ourprevious administrators, especiallyVera Abreu, whose vision and dedica-tion took the PLD to new heights andinspired us greatly. My assistantadministrator is Kátia Iole, from SãoPaulo, Brazil, a specialist in videosubtitling and a technical translator
based in Florida. Our treasurer is InesBojlesen, also from São Paulo, a trans-lator and interpreter based in Oregon,with a degree from the AlumniAssociation in Brazil. And our secre-tary is Arlene Kelly, a court inter-preter, college teacher, and FulbrightScholar based in Massachusetts whospent many years in Brazil.
If you are considering member-ship in the PLD, we welcome youand would love to meet you at theearliest opportunity. If you arealready a member, thank you for wel-coming us to the board and for
working with us for the continuedgrowth and recognition of our profes-sion in the U.S. and around the world.
We also publish a newsletter fourtimes a year, the PLData, which I’mco-editing with Heather Murchison,another hard-working colleague andfriend based in Seattle whose enthu-siasm never fails to inspire me. Youcan read recent issues of the PLDataon our website and receive it elec-tronically when you become amember. We have been featuringinterviews with many professionalcolleagues. In the works is aninformal conversation with the teamof Portuguese terminologists atMicrosoft’s world headquarters.
All facets of the profession are rep-resented in our division—freelancers,in-house, part-timers, company owners,project managers, and sales executives.
We are translators, court interpreters,subtitlers, editors, journalists, local-ization experts, conference inter-preters, or any mix of the above. Weeven have professionals who have astrong connection to the Portugueselanguage but make a living working inother languages—you name it! Wecome from all over the world and haveall kinds of academic and professionalbackgrounds. In many ways, and inmany subjects, we do not even thinkalike. Our link, though, which hasproven very strong, is our love of thePortuguese language and our desire toexplore new ways to strengthen ourprofession. The ATA gives us a greatopportunity to do just that. And westill get the perks of making newfriends every year, expanding ourfamily of linguists, nursing and com-forting that saudade in our hearts, andlearning how to work smarter and betruly successful.
I have been a member of the ATAsince the early 1990s, and joininghas proven to be the single very bestdecision I made in my professionallife. Originally from Rio de Janeiro,I freelance as a translator in Dallas,Texas, specializing in BrazilianPortuguese in the areas of marketing,advertising, legal, and financialmaterials, in addition to my contractwork as a seminar interpreter withthe U.S. Department of State and asa translator with the Organization ofAmerican States.
Our website contains a list ofactivities for present and future mem-bers, as well as many useful links anda history (past, present, and future) ofour division. Our sincere thanks to allthe ATA family. See you in 2002 andan outstanding year to all. Saúde ebom trabalho!
Message from the New Administrator of thePortuguese Language Division By Tereza d’Ávila Braga
…If you are consideringmembership in the PLD,
we welcome you andwould love to meet you atthe earliest opportunity…
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 21
T he French Language Divisionheld its annual meeting onNovember 1, 2001, during the
ATA’s 42nd Annual Conference inLos Angeles. The division has grownsignificantly since its inception fiveyears ago, and currently has nearly800* members, making it the thirdlargest in the ATA. The followingissues were discussed:
Newsletter. A heartfelt “merci” wentout to Mylène Vialard as editor of À Propos. She has performed nearlyall of the tasks associated with pub-lishing the newsletter alone. Fourmembers graciously offered to helpher find or write one article per issuein the coming year. Additional contri-butions are certainly welcome!
FLD website. G. David Heath hasdone a remarkable job creating andmaintaining the FLD website (www.americantranslators.org/divisions/FLD/fldhome.htm). He appreciates any andall input (articles, comments, links, etc.).Several members indicated that theynever visit the site, so a suggestion wasmade to add an automated reminderservice, such as NetMind, to notifymembers whenever the site is updated.
Listserve. Odile Legeay described thesystem used with ATA and its disad-vantages: many initial technical prob-lems and slow message exchange(twice per day). She proposed anotheroption, such as a Yahoo! Group. This
idea was well received (she has sinceset up this eGroup).
Directory. Thierry Chambon reportedthat the ATA has a policy of not sup-porting online directories for divi-sions, as maintaining and updatingseparate directories would becometoo difficult. An alternative is beinginvestigated, namely, posting a list of
FLD members and their names andcontact information on the FLD web-site, which visitors could then use toconsult the online TSD. Gina DeMarcoagreed to assist in this effort should itgo forward.
T-shirts. FLD t-shirts are availablefor the first time for $15, and continueto be available from ATA Head-quarters (see ordering information onthe website or in À Propos). MichèleHansen took the initiative to create avery nice design featuring a small arcde triomphe logo on the front and aquote from Victor Hugo on the back.
Sessions. As in past years, volunteerswere recruited to write brief sum-maries of French-specific sessions. As
a general rule, conference speakersare not paid, so the depth and breadthof FLD sessions are solely the resultof our own members’ generous effortsand hard work. Many thanks to thepresenters, and to Michèle Hansenand Marie-France Schreiber forhelping to identify these individuals.
Translator’s Handbook. This projectwas proposed at last year’s confer-ence, before members were awarethat the Japanese Language Divisionhad already written a thorough hand-book of interest to translators andinterpreters of all languages. Tobetter serve our francophone inter-ests, the FLD has decided instead tooffer a mentoring program, withMichèle Landis, Michel Meunier,Manouche Ragsdale, and AnneVincent volunteering to respond toany telephone or e-mail queries sentto the administrator and/or website.Danièle Heinen also offered to writean article for newcomers to be postedon the website.
Social Activities. Marguerite Laytonand Anne Wiles were roundlyapplauded for their generous under-writing of the FLD reception onFriday evening. We tried a newformat this year: a cocktail receptionrather than a sit-down dinner, tofacilitate networking among mem-bers. Our reception was wellattended and everyone commentedfavorably on this new format, whichwe intend to keep next year with afew improvements.
French Language Division Annual Meeting SummaryBy Michèle Hansen
April 25-28, 2002—in beautiful Santa Fe, New MexicoDetails and information can be found in the PLDATA, the newsletter of the PLD, and on our website at: www.ata-divisions.org/PLD/index_P.htm. Hope to see you there!
Mark your calendars! ATA’s Portuguese Language Division 2002 Spring Meeting
…The French LanguageDivision…has grownsignificantly since its
inception five years ago,and currently has nearly
800 members…
* Based on the November figures provided byATA Headquarters
amendment to the first motion.This is to simply request that theATA Board include the word“interpreters” and “interpreting”on the listing of services and pub-lications that the ATA offers.
2. The second motion for discussionwas to produce a paper copy of theID directory, since there are timeswhen we need to reference thedirectory. The majority voted infavor of a paper copy.
3. The third motion for discussionwas to have a button made whichstates “(I’m an) Interpreter, ATA”or simply “Interpreter, ATA.” This
discussion did not take long andgained favorable votes from themajority of participants.
4. The fourth motion for discussionwas to have the ID Spring Meetingat a Texas ranch. Due to the timeconstraint, this motion did notmake it to the table. Please refer tothe ID website for details and offeryour input. The contact person isDiane Teichman.
5. During the ID annual meeting, ourwebsite was up on a demo modesimultaneously, which added greatflavor to our meeting. Our web-master, Margareta Ugander, is a
true backbone and treasure to theID. Her knowledge and expertiseenhanced not only the meeting butalso the division.
6. Also during the annual meeting, avolunteer sign-up sheet was circu-lated around. Thanks to all thosemembers who have signed up toshare their talents.
The success of an organizationrequires everyone’s participation. Wecan only be strong and better if we putall our hands together. I look forwardto seeing all of you next next fall inAtlanta, Georgia, for the ATA’s 43rdAnnual Conference.
The ATA Chronicle | February 200222
(Note: This article first appeared inthe Capital Translator, the newsletterof the ATA National Capital AreaChapter, www.ncata.org.)
I n a PBS special called “PlanetWork: Finding Solutions in theWorld Wide Work World,” which
aired in September, host Will Durstexplored how globalization of theworld economy is transforming theway we work, including how we trans-late. Taking a lighthearted approachonly befitting a standup comedian,Durst interviewed people in a varietyof jobs around the U.S. and on sever-al other continents.
Between segments on a mother whocommutes from California to Asia sev-eral times a month and a gondolierphilosopher in Venice deploring thedecline in the quality of life, Durstchatted with the ATA’s own KevinHendzel, who runs ASET International,a Washington-area translation company.He was clearly wowed by Kevin’s back-ground as an interpreter who manned
the hotline between the White Houseand the Kremlin for five years.
Noting that “national security hasalways depended on real people forsimultaneous translation,” Durst askedKevin where he could get a “headset”that would do the job automatically.Such translation software, Kevin
informed an incredulous Durst, “is 400years away.” “Not months or years?”asked Durst. “It’s Star Trek tech-nology,” Kevin insisted. To prove hispoint, he did a trial run of the Babelfishmachine translation program available
on the Internet for Durst, who con-cluded that for something simple, it’s“clunky but adequate.”
But when Kevin put Babelfish to theacid test of Durst’s own writing, Durstsaw the light. Translated from Englishinto Italian and back to English, thephrase “Although our American culturemay be the red, white, and bluebowling ball on the ping pong table ofcommerce…” became “Even if ourcultivation American can be the spherewhite woman and red blue bowling onthe table of pong of metallic noise ofthe commerce….”
Durst concluded the segment byaccosting some passersby on the streetsof Rio with his $150 “Lingo 10 TalkingTranslator.” Reactions ranged from anindulging handshake to an irate slap.Clearly, Durst got the message that cur-rent machine translation programs areokay for simple sentences but not okayfor complex phrasing. Score one for theATA’s ongoing outreach activities forclient education, spearheaded by Kevinand other ATA members.
Kevin Hendzel Sets PBS Viewers Straight:“Babelfish is 400 Years Away”By Alexandra Russell-Bitting
…Machine translationprograms are okay for
simple sentences but notokay for complex
phrasing. Score one forthe ATA’s ongoing
outreach activities…
The ATA’s Interpreters Division Update Continued from p.19
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 23
I t was great to see so many SPDmembers at the ATA’s 42ndAnnual Conference in Los
Angeles. Close to 1,400 people werethere, the way I heard it. And around260 of them were from the SPD! Agood representation and a great crosssection of our membership, althoughfrom looking at the list of attendees’addresses, California definitely ruled.The presentations for our languagepair were enlightening, and what ameal we had at El Floridita!
At the division’s annual meeting,Virginia Perez-Santalla, my invaluableassistant administrator, and I solicitedsuggestions regarding what the mem-bership wants from its division (seethe list). Note that the SPD has nowbroken the 2,000 member barrier, andthe Board would very much like tohear from the rest of the membershipabout where you want us to head.Specifically, our treasury is in anenviable position, i.e., we have plentyof funds to put to good use. What weneed are more suggestions as to whatyou want to do with those monies.
The following list of suggestionsfor how to use our funds was createdduring the brainstorming session at
the division’s annual meeting in LosAngeles. (Remember that brain-storming involves listing any and allideas without judging them.Reviewing the merits of each pro-posed idea is a subsequent step.) Thislist is by no means complete, soplease let us know what you think.
• Regional training sessions forATA accreditation exam
• Upgrade Intercambios• Scholarship for a promising
student translator• Upgrade website• Get higher profile speakers for the
ATA conference• More coverage of the
division’s activities• Special development of
workshop materials• SPD publications to share with
the world
• Client education/public awareness campaign
• Regional seminars for SPD members• Regional seminars for clients and
potential clients• Publish an informative booklet to
distribute to clients• Return to printing and
mailing Intercambios• Hold two SPD conferences each
year, one at either end of thecountry (our first division confer-ence took place aboard the“Fascination” of Carnival CruiseLines, January 25-28, 2002. Moreon this successful event willappear in a future issue.)
Remember, there were 260people present and our division has2,000+ members. We are very inter-ested in hearing from everyone, soplease do not hesitate to [email protected] any comments on the sugges-tions that have already been made.Keep in mind that the SPD’s missionis to assist us in our professionallives, and then send me some ideas.
Spanish Language Division: Up, Up, and Away!
By Rudy Heller
…The SPD’s mission is toassist us in our
professional lives…
ATA Chapter Seed Money FundIs your ATA chapter planning an event? Does that event have need for a distinguished, dynamic, industry-relevant speaker?
If so, the ATA’s Professional Development Committee wants to help!
The ATA’s Professional Development Committee offers a seed money fund for speakers. Be sure to call the ATA today for
application guidelines and a list of fabulous speakers who could be a guest at your next meeting, workshop, or seminar.
The ATA’s chapters play a key role in the continuing education of their members. Since the chapters vary greatly in
number and composition of members, it can be hard for some chapters to offer educational opportunities to everyone. As a
service to all ATA members and as a benefit of chapterhood, the ATA would like to support these educational efforts by sub-
sidizing presentations that might otherwise prove to be a financial burden for individual chapters.
The fund was designed for ATA chapters, so don’t let the opportunity pass you by. Contact [email protected] at ATA
Headquarters soon for all the details!
The ATA Chronicle | February 200224
Update from the Japanese Language Division
By Izumi Suzuki
I t was fun meeting new people andseeing familiar faces at the ATA’s42nd ATA Annual Conference in
Los Angeles. As for JLD activities, there were
about 25 people who came to ourinformal gathering. We introducedourselves one by one, and BenTompkins announced he would be thenew editor of our newsletter, JLDTimes, thanking Manako Ihaya whohas done a wonderful job during her2000-2001 tenure. Each speaker whowas present that evening was intro-duced, and enough people volun-teered to introduce the speakers at thebeginning of their sessions and tosummarize the sessions. Thank youvery much to all our volunteers. Yourreports will be valuable to those whocould not come to the conference, andattendees whose busy schedule causedthem to have to miss some sessions.Let me also extend our sincere appre-ciation to the 2000–2001 ProgramCommittee: Hiro Tsuchiya, AkikoSasaki-Summers, and Tim Hallet.They worked hard all the way throughthe conference to assure successful
JLD sessions, and they did a superbjob. Gokurosama deshita! (= Thankyou for your hard work!)
There were about 35 members inattendance at the JLD AnnualMeeting. You can read the details ofthe meeting in the minutes recordedby our secretary/treasurer, Ben
Tompkins. On Thursday night, wehad a JLD dinner at Sai Sai, theJapanese restaurant in the hotel.There were 42 people engaging inconversation, catching up with oneanother, and enjoying kaiseki-ryori.On Friday, I counted 54 people at onepopular session! (Later, I saw even
more faces, so there must have beenabout 60 people altogether.)
After the forum on Saturday, wetook some time to chat about nextyear’s conference program. HiroTsuchiya was the moderator for theforum, and he continued on in thatrole as we discussed what sessionswe would like to have next year. Thenew Program Committee consists ofCarl and Masae Sullivan and ManakoIhaya. We are all thankful to them fortaking up this very important task. Infact, this is where our division shines,thanks to a wonderful program and tothe fine speakers that are consistentlyprovided each and every year. I amcertain that some of you will hearfrom the committee. If contacted topresent a session, please say “Yes!”
Every member of the JLD hassomething special that is valuable toshare with other members. Bysharing such knowledge, all of usbecome a little better, and we all win.We look forward to seeing everyonein Atlanta in 2002!
…Every member of theJLD has something special
that is valuable to sharewith other members. Bysharing such knowledge,all of us become a little
better…
Share your knowledge with colleagues by making a presentation at the ATA’s 43rd Annual
Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, November 6-9, 2002. Plese complete the Proposal for
Conference Presentation form and return it by March 15. Forms are available at
www.atanet.org/conf2002/abstract.htm, ATA’s Documents On Request line
(1.888.990.3282, document #80), or through ATA Headquarters at 703.683.6100.
Call for Proposals for ATA Conference PresentationsAtlanta 2002
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 25
Minutes from the Annual Meeting of the ATA’s Nordic DivisionBy Marianne Dellinger
A pproximately 15 membersattended the Nordic Division’sannual meeting at the ATA con-
ference in Los Angeles. MarianneDellinger, the division’s assistantadministrator, presided over the event.The following topics were discussed:
1) In the future, our newsletter,Aurora Borealis, will be posted onthe Nordic Division’s website(www.atanet.org, click on “Divi-sions”), where members can accessand read it at leisure. Members willreceive an automatic electronicmessage when a new newsletter hasbeen posted. In order to save costsfor the division, we decided to dis-continue distribution of hard copiesof the newsletter. We agreed that inthis time and age any professionaltranslator would have access to theInternet and would be able to accessthe site and read relevant informa-tion there. For those last few people(if any) who still have no Internetaccess, it is possible to access theInternet at all public libraries.
2) We discussed whether it would bepossible to write a little about whathas been going on within each lan-guage group in every newsletter.Anja Miller graciously offered towrite something for the Finnishgroup, so if you have any contribu-tions for her, please send them [email protected] Eriksen, of Eriksen Transla-tions Inc., mentioned the possibility
of one of her employees, ElseMogensen, contributing an articlefor the Danish group. Please con-tact Diane Manown at [email protected] if you have any sugges-tions. At this time, we are stilllooking for a volunteer contributorfor Norwegian. If you are inter-ested, please contact Diane [email protected].
3) We reported a very small (approx-imately $400) surplus this pastfiscal year.
4) Edith Matteson is contemplatingarranging a conference for theNordic Division in Norway in 2002similar to the one that was arrangedin Denmark. Approximately fivepeople indicated an interest inattending such a conference.
5) The need for more ATA accredita-tion exams was also discussed.We currently have accreditationexams in place for English>Finnish,Finnish>English, and Danish>English.We still need English>Danish,
Norwegian>English, and English>Norwegian. The accreditationexams are here to stay, and willremain an option for memberswho wish to become accredited inorder to indicate their skills andother professional qualifications.
Marianne Dellinger volunteeredto work on the English>Danishaccreditation process, but indicatedthat she will not be able to do sountil early 2002. We are looking forqualified volunteers who might beable to help out with the Norwegianand Swedish exams. If you are inter-ested in doing so, please contactATA directly ([email protected]) orEdith Matteson at [email protected].
Please note that the ATA hasdecided that the “accreditationexams” will be known as “certifica-tion exams” at some time in thefuture. This is for reasons of lin-guistic correctness (organizationsbecome “accredited,” private indi-viduals become “certified”). Inaddition, stricter requirements forbecoming certified will be imple-mented. For more information aboutthis, please refer to information onthe ATA website (www.atanet.org).
6) The meeting was adjourned afterthese discussions. Some of themembers subsequently met onFriday evening for a delightfulinformal dinner at a Mexican restau-rant on old historic Olvera Street.
…Approximately 15members attended the
Nordic Division’s annualmeeting at the ATA
conference in Los Angeles…
ATA Honors and AwardsFor information and deadlines for ATA’s upcoming Gode Medal, Lewis Galantière Award, and Student TranslationAward, and the American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation Scholarship, visitwww.atanet.org/awards.htm.
The ATA Chronicle | February 200226
Where Do We Go from Here?
By Tim Altanero
T he Localisation Institute StandardsAssociation’s (LISA) conferencein Chicago in August 2001
brought the issue of translation qualityto the forefront of discussion during aseminar hosted by the automotiveindustry. The issue has resonance farbeyond this industry alone, and callsinto question the manner in whichquality is measured and how thatmeasurement is achieved.
Europeans have had a longer his-tory of dealing with multilingualism,translation, and interpretation thanthe U.S., so it should come as no sur-prise that many of the leadingscholars in the field have their ori-gins at European universities. How-ever, even in Europe, scholarship inthe area of translation theory is alsorelatively recent.
As relates to issues discussed atthe LISA conference, translationquality seems to be something thateveryone wants to measure. How thisquality is measured, and how it willbe implemented across languageswith diverse internal structures, stillpresents broad challenges for whichthere are few concrete answers.
However, it is still worthwhile toinvestigate the progress made thusfar, and how this progress has cre-ated a technological leap that hasforever changed the translationquality landscape. This article aimsto trace the modern evolution oftranslation quality assurance in orderto put into perspective the currentstate of the industry, and perhapsmark parts of the path to the future.What follows does not attempt to bean academic treatise on the theoret-ical origins of translation. I will onlydescribe the basics of what I believeare the origins of our modernindustry, including a selected bibli-ography for those interested indeeper academic investigation.
Translation quality has been dis-cussed in academic circles for sometime. It was only in 1978, however,that it was recognized that in order tomeasure quality, a theory of transla-tion must be in place. Hans J.Vermeer was the leading scholar whostarted what became known as
Skopos theory, or functionalism.Much of the way in which we definethe word localization today, and theways in which the industry hasevolved, are directly rooted in hiswork and that of his students.
Functionalism, in its most basicform, seeks to underscore the impor-tance, as the name implies, of thefunction a given translation is sup-posed to have in the source and targetlanguages. By this, it is meant thatthe delivery of the translation mustnot only meet the requirements oftranslation accuracy, but also theexpectations of the end user. There, atits heart, is the raison d’être of thelocalization industry.
We would not speak of localizationif what is considered to be an adequatetranslation consistently met the needsof the end user in the target language.Consider, for example, the subtle fieldof advertising. A well-known exampleis that of the German company
Gardena, which manufactures high-quality garden tools, whose adver-tising extols the craftsmanship andtechnical superiority of its products.An accurate translation of an adver-tisement meant for the German audi-ence is unlikely to resonate with aU.S. audience because the culturalexpectation of the American consumeris usually assumed to be based on theease of use or convenience of a toolversus the quality of the craftsman-ship. As such, even an accurate trans-lation is insufficient, suggesting thattranslation is part accuracy and partfunction, with neither holding a posi-tion of superiority.
It stands to reason, then, that a poortranslation, or even a nontranslation,should be viable in a given culture ifthe poor quality or nontranslation iswithin the boundaries of what isexpected in the target language. Thereare examples of this, such asVolkswagen’s Fahrvergnügen adver-tising in the U.S. and, even moreunusual, the General Electric televi-sion advertisement that is broadcastacross the U.S. only in Japanese.
The success of these endeavors isto be found, I believe, in the fact that,regardless of the language, the func-tion remains the same and, as such, iscapable of being generalized acrosstwo cultures. The Volkswagen ad, forexample, played on the U.S. percep-tion that German words are hard topronounce and that Fahrvergnügensounded like a disease. Viewers weresubtly encouraged to “catch” Fahr-vergnügen as an “ailment” of extremepleasure that manifests itself indriving sporty cars. The GeneralElectric ad spoke to U.S. values andtraditions, such as nighttime baseball,even though the actors were Japanese.The logical conclusion is that accu-racy and function are interrelated inways that must be considered in
…How translation qualityis measured, and how it
will be implementedacross languages with
diverse internal structures,still presents broad
challenges for which thereare few concrete
answers…
➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 27
order to understand, and act upon,quality assurance in translation.
There is far more depth and scope tofunctionalism than can be covered here,but as a starting point we can see howthis theory, taken in its most basic form,has determined the technology withwhich we work today. Furthermore, itseems more than coincidence thatGermany has been at the forefront ofvarious aspects of groundbreaking inno-vations in translation technology. Thisindustry dominance appears to havehad its genesis in a pragmatic approachto translation as a definable quantity,based on given functions for which dif-ferent individuals are responsible.
A quick glance at the localizationindustry and translation memory tech-nology is striking. In the realm oftranslation memory and associatedtechnology, we find that a number ofthe major players are either headquar-tered or have their origins in or nearGermany—Trados, founded in 1984 byJochen Hummel and Iko Knyphausenin Stuttgart; Star, founded in 1984 inStein am Rhein, Switzerland; andIBM’s translation manager division,headquartered in Stuttgart.
As the technology moved beyondtranslation memory to include work-flow, terminology management, andcross-platform standards, and as the
industry began to show profit, orpotential thereof, there began a pro-found change in the field of transla-tion which resulted in many mergers,acquisitions, and IPOs, as technologycreated efficiencies previously unob-tainable. From this, the localizationindustry was born, which seems torepresent an emerging relationshipbetween translators and engineersthat is still being defined.
The LISA conference featured anumber of interesting exchanges fos-tered by a panel session hosted by theautomotive industry that may indicate
The Chinese Language Division in Los Angeles
By Yuanxi Ma
T he Chinese Language Division(CLD) held its first meeting atthe ATA’s 42nd Annual Confer-
ence in Los Angeles on November 2,2001. Approximately 35 people partic-ipated. Yuanxi Ma (assistant adminis-trator) reported on the work beingperformed by the AdministrativeCommittee since the establishment ofthe CLD at the beginning of 2001.The following issues were discussed:
1. Preparation to establish the CLDby the Administrative Committee;drafted the CLD by-laws; and discussed the procedures andrequirements for the establishmentof the CLD with ATA Headquarters.
2. Recruitment of members (currentlyat 170).
3. Three issues of the CLD Newsletterpublished and sent to members.
4. Setting up a website (in progress).
5. Preparation for the 2002 budget
(including passing out the budgetto attendees for comments).
The attendees were then asked tobriefly introduce themselves and tella little bit about their past work andprojects they are currently involvedin. We also asked each person towrite down their name and e-mail
address, which will, together with thee-mail addresses of the members whowere unable to attend the meeting, becompiled into a list and posted in thenext issue of our newsletter.
The third item on our agenda was tosolicit comments and suggestions
from the attendees. The following ideaswere suggested:
1. Setting up a CLD e-mail messageboard to help members and toenhance and protect their interests.
2. Creating a network for the exchangeof terminology.
3. To save on postage, members feltthat copies of the newslettershould be mailed out only to thosemembers who cannot receive itelectronically. Also, a number ofpeople suggested that some arti-cles be written in Chinese so thatthere will be a wider readership.
4. Contact with Chinese translators/interpreters organizations shouldbe pursued.
Members of the CLD Administra-tive Committee are in the process ofexploring ways to implement some ofthese suggestions.
…The Chinese LanguageDivision held its first
meeting at the ATA’s 42ndAnnual Conference in
Los Angeles…
Where Do We Go from Here? Continued from p.26
Continued on p.30
The ATA Chronicle | February 200228
German Language Divison Report from the AdministratorBy Dorothee Racette
T he 2000/2001 calendar hasmarked a busy time for the ATA’sGerman Language Division.
This report provides an overview ofour activities during the past year, aswell as an outlook on what is to come.
MembershipDivision membership continues to
grow rapidly and was last reported at753 (up from 716 in October 2000),which makes the GLD the fourthlargest division within the ATA after theSpanish, Interpreters, and French divi-sions.* This increase in membershipwas especially noticeable in the con-ference attendance and the sessioncontributions in Los Angeles.Approximately 135 GLD membersattended the conference and more than80 were present at the annual businessmeeting.
GLD website The division’s own website, which
is now part of the ATA website, can beseen at www.ata-divisions.org/GLD/index.html. The site contains informa-tion on division activities, lists admin-istrators, and also contains links to theonline version of our newsletter,Interaktiv. As the site continues togrow, we welcome membership com-ments and input.
The GLD also maintains its own dis-cussion forum under the auspices ofOnelist.com. Any GLD member is wel-come to join the group, and messagesare available either as e-mail or in digestformat. Further instructions on how tojoin can be found on the website underthe address www.ata-divisions.org/GLD/list.html. Many thanks toMichael Metzger for his dedicatedwork with the website and the admin-istration of the newsgroup!
A new division project is to establisha knowledge database for members atthe site. Featured articles will addressfrequently asked questions. So far,three articles are available, and we hopeto increase the number of representedtopics over the coming year. The col-lection of bilingual contributions canbe found at www.ata-divisions.org/
GLD/conindexd.html.Newsletter Interaktiv
The distribution of the newsletterwas switched to electronic format formost members this year. Effective inApril, 90% of members began toreceive their newsletter by down-loading a PDF file from the GLD web-site. The option to receive a printedversion is still available upon request,and approximately 70 members havetaken advantage of that option.
Our continued thanks go to the teamproducing Interaktiv. This past yearwas the last for our editor MargaHannon, who decided to pass the officeon after four years of excellent service.The new editor will be ChristianeBohnert. Manfred Winter has kindlyagreed to continue his work with thenewsletter, which has published fourissues since the conference in Orlando.The lively new layout is the work ofKaren Lawliss, and Janice Becker con-tinues as our dedicated proofreader.
BudgetThe decision to deliver the news-
letter online to the majority of ourmembers has led to significant budgetsavings. The elimination of the over-head payment of divisions to the ATAhas also helped. Therefore, wedecided to maintain the current mem-bership fees of $15 per year. Thisyear, the GLD was in a position toinvite a speaker from Germany. Wehope to invest the money saved inother places for future professionaldevelopment and training events,including a potential GLD confer-ence to be held in 2003.
Contacts with German-speakingTranslators Associations
We were pleased to welcomeleading BDÜ members Peter Schmitt,of Leipzig University, and ElkeLimberger-Katsumi, of the MontereyInstitute of International Studies, asspeakers at our conference this year.During formal and informal talks,division members discussed plans offuture cooperation with BDÜ in theform of communication platforms,exchanges, and partnership projects.An article about the Los Angeles con-ference is scheduled to be publishedin the official BDÜ newsletter, MDÜ,and will be reprinted in Interaktivwhen it becomes available.
Los Angeles Conference EventsThe ATA’s 42nd Annual Conference
at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel inLos Angeles, October 31–November 3,2001, was certainly one of the busiestever. In accordance with figuresreceived from ATA Headquarters, atotal of 135 GLD members made thetrip. Overall, slightly more than 1,300people attended the conference.
The list of preconference seminars,which is growing longer from year toyear, makes it obvious that many mem-bers are interested in taking seminarswith small numbers of participants
…This report provides anoverview of the German
Language Division’sactivities during the past
year, as well as an outlookon what is to come…
* Based on the November figures provided byATA Headquarters
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 29
within an intense learning atmosphere.This year, the preconference programincluded two offerings for Germantranslators: Robin Bonthrone againoffered a highly successful seminarentitled “Der IAS- und US-GAAP-Anhang,” and Peter Schmitt, our guestspeaker from the University ofLeipzig, conducted a seminar in twoparts entitled “Advanced Topics inEnglish>German Translation.” Bothseminars were well attended, and wehope to keep the tradition of offeringsuch seminars alive in the future.
The official conference program,which formally began on Thursday,November 1, contained a number ofvery interesting and well-presentedsessions for German<>English transla-tors. This year, the conference organ-izers opted to keep events for specificlanguage pairs in the same room when-ever possible. This was a welcomechange from hurried room changesbetween presentations, and allowed fora more continuous program.
Lois Feuerle and Joe McClintonspoke about translating written argu-ments in civil litigation, taking turns toexplain the two sides of court proceed-ings. Their emphasis on translator pit-falls was especially interesting, andparticipants took many notes. APowerPoint file with the text of thepresentation is available upon request,either by e-mailing Joe McClinton [email protected] or by sending $2and a SASE envelope (9x12 inch,$1.49 postage) to Lois M. Feuerle.
On Friday morning, NicholasHartmann gave an expert introductionto German patent translation. The textof his presentation can be found in theconference Proceedings. In fact, theinformation is so valuable that it shouldbe reprinted in the ATA Chronicle for alarger audience. Karl Pfeiffer fol-lowed with his excellent presentationon “Industry and Terminology
Standards in English-German Tech-nical Translation: An Overview ofDevelopments and Resources.” Thetranslation of DIN standards can be adifficult challenge, and we are gratefulthat Karl Pfeiffer decided to post hispresentation as an online resource atwww.mypresentations.homestead.com.
In the afternoon, a presentationabout translating German advertise-ment and marketing texts (presentedby a representative of SiemensLanguage Services, as the originalspeaker, Mary Tannert, could notattend) highlighted the challenges oftranslating text that must have cul-tural and promotional appeal. PeterSchmitt, our guest speaker fromLeipzig, then gave a comprehensiveoverview of translation studies at dif-ferent institutions in Germany. Incontrast to study options in the U.S.,German universities offer a broadspectrum of language options andstudy specializations.
The German program was roundedoff by a seminar for newcomers to theprofession, presented by DorotheeRacette and Elke Limberger-Katsumi.The PowerPoint presentation for thatsession can be found at the GLD web-site at www.ata-divisions.org/GLD/beitrag02.html.
Many GLD members also opted togive more general presentations foraudiences across languages pairs at theconference, and made a valuable con-tribution to the program in that way.
The tragic events of September2001 made it impossible for two of ourspeakers to travel to Los Angeles fromEurope. Thus, Ingrid Haussteiner fromVienna was forced to cancel her pres-entation on terminological issues sur-rounding the introduction of Eurobanknotes and coins and the transitionto a common European currency. Eventhough the presentation had to be can-celled, an abstract of the article was
printed in the conference Proceedings.A second presentation about financialtranslation by Elke Faundez of CLSCorporate Language Services in Basel,Switzerland, also had to be cancelled.We sincerely hope that the twospeakers will be able to present theirtopics to us at a future conference.Many thanks for their willingness tocontribute to the German program.
GLD Annual Business MeetingMore than 80 people attended the
GLD’s annual business meeting onThursday, November 1. Reports weresubmitted by Dorothee Racette (admin-istrator), Michael Magee (assistantadministrator), Michael Metzger (web-master), and Marga Hannon (outgoingeditor of Interaktiv). Dorothee Racettegave an overview of the current state ofthe division. The membership keepsgrowing and reached an all time high of753 in September 2001. Due to a deci-sion by the ATA Board of Directors,divisions no longer need to pay anoverhead to ATA Headquarters, whichis why the GLD budget of approxi-mately $10,500 is balanced and con-tains funds for educational activitiesand future initiatives. Converting thedistribution of the newsletter to anelectronic format has been a financialsuccess, even though the number ofdownloads seems to indicate thatmore needs to be done to advertisethe download site and content of thenewsletter to members. Approxi-mately 70 people have chosen toreceive a printed version by mail.
Assistant Administrator MichaelMagee announced plans for a GLDconference to be held at a future date. Ashow of hands among the attendees ofthe business meeting indicated thatroughly two-thirds would at least beinterested in such an event. A com-mittee has been formed to furtherexplore the possibilities of such a ➡
the direction of the industry. Speakersincluded Lisa Stobierski, customeradvocacy strategy manager for FordMotor Company, Dennis McCury, inte-gration manager for DaimlerChryslerCorporation, and Don Sirena, languagetranslation manager for GeneralMotors. Traditionally associated withhigh-tech industry, this seminar repre-sented an unusual opportunity for theestablished automotive industry topresent its view of the localizationindustry.
The ATA Chronicle | February 200230
conference, which most likely would beheld in 2003. Discussion focused onissues such as cost, location, and orga-nizational challenges. The committeehas established its own listserver discus-sion group, and will start by surveyingthe membership for interest and opin-ions about such an event. Please contactthe administrator if you would like to beinvolved in the work of this committee.
Michael Metzger, webmaster,announced that the GLD listserver cur-rently has about 150 members. In anew initiative for the website, the divi-sion has started a knowledge database,in which a collection of interestingarticles on the profession will be keptto answer frequently asked questions.The articles are accessible to all at theGLD website. Michael Metzger agreedto serve the division for another year,but invited other members to becomeinvolved with maintaining the website.
Marga Hannon, the outgoing editorof Interaktiv, gave an overview of the
past year’s activities. Four issues ofInteraktiv were published, includingthe largest copy ever (28 pages) lastDecember. Marga welcomed the neweditor of Interaktiv, ChristianeBohnert, who, unfortunately, could notbe present at the conference. She alsothanked Manfred Winter, assistanteditor, as well as past and current divi-sion administrators for their support.GLD Administrator Dorothee Racettethanked Marga for her dedicated serv-ices in the name of the division.
The discussion of new businessincluded ways to improve the elec-tronic distribution of the newsletter,as reader numbers apparently arequite low. It was agreed that insteadof one announcement, there would beseveral e-mails reminding membersto access the newsletter. The news-letter often contains importantannouncements and helps membersstay connected, so it is important tobring readership numbers up.
The ATA Board has approved asimplification of the division elec-tion process. Elections for the GLDare scheduled for 2002, andDorothee Racette asked for the for-mation of a nominating committee.Frieda Ruppaner-Lind and RuthZimmer-Boggs have graciously agreedto be part of the nominating committee.As soon as division election guidelinesare published by the ATA, we willannounce election candidates for 2002.
Social EventsOn the social side, we were
pleased to welcome over 90 GLDmembers to our own reception held atthe conference hotel. Due to thegrowing numbers of conference atten-dees, the concept of meeting in arestaurant is becoming increasinglydifficult. The well-attended receptionwas certainly an indication of interest,and we hope to develop the conceptfurther for future conferences.
Where Do We Go from Here?Continued from p.27
GLD Report from the Administrator Continued
FIT is seeking academic institutions, libraries, or foundations interested in serving as a repository for FIT archival materials. Letters of interest shouldaddress the nature of ownership of archival materials, physical and staffresources allocated to collections, access to collections for research purposes,copyright, financial arrangements, and the level of organizational support.
Fédération internationale des traducteurs (FIT) Archives
Letters should be sent to:FIT Secretary General Fédération internationale des traducteurs 2021, Avenue Union, Bureau 1108Montreal, Quebec, CanadaH3A 2S9
Educating Future Leaders
By Olgierda Furmanek
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 31
W ake Forest University, locatedin the beautiful foothills of theSouthern Appalachians of
North Carolina, offers one of thestrongest liberal arts education pro-grams in the United States. ManyWFU students continue their educa-tion at Ivy League or other profession-ally recognized graduate programs.The university believes that a languagerequirement, along with those require-ments in philosophy, theology, litera-ture, and art, is essential to a thoroughhuman science formation. Two yearsago, WFU started a new and very muchneeded certificate program in Spanishtranslation and interpreting. It is onlythe third program of its kind in the U.S.to be offered at the undergraduate level.
There is a growing need for lan-guage services in our region. Overthe past two years, North Carolina,particularly the western part of thestate, has seen one of the fastestgrowing Hispanic populations in thecountry. With neighboring statesexperiencing similar immigrationtrends, the South is not so homoge-nous anymore. As a result, there is aneed to offer not only interpreter andtranslator training, but also to educatefuture professionals about the valueof language services. The certificateprogram at WFU was designed toaddress this situation.
The Romance Languages Depart-ment is fortunate to have as its chair agreat modern literary scholar,Candelas Gala, who has an excellentgrasp of what is happening in the lan-guage world outside academia. Theuniversity administration, headed byDean Paul Escott, has also been verysupportive, providing state-of-the artequipment and other resources for theinterpreting lab. Our certificate pro-gram was designed with a two-foldintention. First, we wanted to select,pre-train, and guide potential students
who were thinking of pursuing agraduate degree in translating orinterpreting. However, we also feelthat it is of the utmost importance toeducate even those who will neverbecome interpreters or translatorsthemselves about the value of lan-guage services to their chosen field.
The students who take my transla-tion or interpreting classes very rarelywant to pursue a career in the languageprofession. In most cases, they are justlooking for an alternative to a literature
course. However, I cannot introducecomplicated texts in my coursesbecause there are still many gaps in thestudents’ vocabulary. Even though aprerequisite for the interpreting pro-gram is a semester spent in a Spanish-speaking country along with manyadvanced language and literatureclasses, we still have to backtrack andstart the course at a beginning transla-tion level (although the class is notcalled Introduction to Translation).
Furthermore, since most of my stu-dents are not there to become transla-tors or interpreters, offering anintroductory course that is purelytranslation practice-oriented at theundergraduate level is a mistake.Students who have only a basic prepa-ration in languages will rarely translateoutside of the classroom. In mostcases, constantly revising and workingwith dictionaries becomes tedious for
students. Instead, they need to learnwhy they should care about translatingand interpreting and how these prac-tices relate to their chosen fields. Sucha course might be the only informationabout T/I to which students with nofurther language plans will ever beexposed. Therefore, we need to takeadvantage of this opportunity to teachstudents about the importance ofquality language services, especially atinstitutions that can afford no morethan one translation-related class peryear in their curriculum.
In answer to this situation, myclass structure presents a translatingand interpreting process in a prac-tical, field-oriented context. Forexample, in the translation class wereview the differences betweenSpanish and English style andgrammar (there is also a separatecontrastive Spanish-English grammarand style course that students cantake within the scope of the certifi-cate program). We discuss translationstrategies, translation dimensions(linguistical, cognitive, and prag-matic), and analyze stages of trans-lating activity. We then focus on thetranslation and localization industry,and also talk about a translator’s psy-chological profile and qualifications.
What I would like to emphasize hereis who usually attends these classes.The following statistical breakdown,representing three semesters of inter-preting and translation classes, illus-trates how many students from eachmajor take advantage of these courses.
Pre-Med: 20%Pre-Law: 20%Communications: 20%Political Science: 20%Psychology: 10%Business/Economics: 5%Others (Religion, Spanish [sic!],etc.): 5%
…Wake Forest University’scertificate program in
Spanish translation andinterpreting is only the
third program of its kind inthe U.S. to be offered at
the undergraduate level…
➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 200232
I assume that the low enrollmentof students studying business andeconomics is due to the existence ofour “Spanish for Business” courses,which are offered simultaneously.These figures confirm my theory thatwe should start client education at thecollege level, otherwise we will missthe opportunity to inform future pro-fessionals early on about the impor-tance of translating and interpreting.
In my courses, we discuss suchtopics as the definitions of varioustypes of interpreting, how to write aninformational guide for medical per-sonnel who use interpreting services,the reliability of online terminolog-ical bases, and the pros and cons ofsubtitling and dubbing. I also like toinvite professional translators in toshare their experiences, includinghow they prepare for a job. Since theteaching mode is bilingual (optionalduring exams), students are able toexpress themselves freely. This isbecause, as I mentioned earlier, notall of them are highly proficient inSpanish. (Although, it should be saidthat students generally have a verygood comprehension level.)
I believe that teaching the value oftranslating and interpreting to studentsentering other fields is the most effec-tive way to diffuse the general public’signorance about the profession and togarner support and recognition of whatwe do. I fully acknowledge the valueof training seminars, awareness videos(offered widely by our European andAustralian colleagues), informationalmass mailing, and special publications.However, I still see T/I classes at theundergraduate level as the best tool toeducate those who will be decision-making leaders in various industries andinstitutions. Why? Because we havemore time in the classroom to elaborate,through examples from the actualworking world, on the importance of
quality language services. Texts can bedrawn from different professionalfields so as to cover a much widerspectrum of the practical application ofT/I services than would be possibleduring a one-day workshop. We canalso fit in speakers, who usually havevery tight schedules, because we aremore flexible in adjusting to theiravailability (classes meet once or twicea week for 15 weeks).
Through classroom exercises, stu-dents also gain a better understandingof how difficult translating is bydoing it themselves. They are encour-aged to discuss situations from theirown volunteering or certificateinternship experiences. Of course, thefact that students are learning moreeagerly because they care about theirgrade (at least those who need a highGPA) is not to be neglected either.
I have seen amazing results fromthe non-language-major students’exposure to different facets of thelanguage business. For example, Ioverheard one of my students cor-recting a colleague from anotherdepartment who asked if the studentwas taking a translation course withProfessor X. The student explainedthe difference between oral andwritten translation (because he wasenrolled in the interpreting course) tothe professor. Another student toldme how she shared what she waslearning in our class during a discus-sion in another course. Though theseare positive signs, it is sad to see thatthe lack of proper terminology,understanding, and support for T/Iprofessionals still prevails strongly inacademia (sometimes even within thelanguage departments). However, Iam really glad to see great encour-agement and enthusiasm for the T/Icourses among the faculty of theRomance Languages Department atWFU. After all, when a client calls
the department seeking help for theircompany, shouldn’t the departmentalsecretary be the first one to correcttheir terminology, even before refer-ring them to an agency or a translation/interpreting student (depending onthe client’s needs)?
A community-oriented internship ina field related to the student’s major isalso a vital requirement for theCertificate in Interpreting. Whether at aNorth Carolina police station, law office,or women’s health clinic, my studentsmight struggle to understand the dif-ferent Guatemalan and Nicaraguandialects, but they definitely will knowenough to use the first person whileinterpreting and to demand professionaltreatment from their supervisors. Theperception of lawyers, doctors, nurses,school principals, and hotel managersconcerning the importance of languageservices is transformed just by beingaround our interns. When I go toobserve the students at the end of theirinternships, their coworkers talk knowl-edgeably of glossaries (not vocabu-laries) and interpreters (not translators).The list of my students’ successful inter-ventions in the real world is endless.
A revolving concern at the “CriticalLink 3: Community Interpreting” con-ference in Montreal this past May washow to increase public recognition ofour activities. I hope these ideas willcontribute to the current debate on thenecessity for increasing the public’sawareness of the T/I professions, andwill give us a better idea of how toachieve this goal. We have a saying inPolish, Czym skorupka za m∏odunasiàknie, tym na staroÊç tràci. Thiscould be translated into English with aless picturesque proverb, What youth isused to, age remembers, or into Latinas Quod nova testa capit, inveteratasapit. Let this be a motto not only to allthe educators, but also to everybodywho happens to have some influence
Educating Future Leaders Continued
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 33
over the young adepts of any moderntrade. They all need to know howtranslators and interpreters work. If weare still discouraged by the disrespect,lack of recognition, ridiculous pay, or aTV screen message saying “voice oftranslator,” let us attempt to informthose whose brains are more receptiveand really eager to learn.
Another reason I wrote this articlewas to respond to the one Harry Obstpublished in the February 2001 ATAChronicle, entitled Interpreter Trainingin the United States, that attempted todescribe the current situation of inter-preting programs in the United States.I generally agree with Mr. Obst’sanalysis, but the high cost of hiringinstructors is only one of the many rea-sons behind the academic vacuum inT/I training. There is also, just to men-tion a few, the territorial nature of aca-demia, the fear of losing literaturestudents, and the lack of Ph.D.s in thefield. The recent rapid growth in T/Ishould help by establishing translationstudies as a recognized academic disci-pline. I am pleased to direct Mr. Obst toour new website, Careers in Languages,at http://lrc.wfu.edu/careersinlanguages/,where, next to other useful informationfor prospective language professionals,there is an updated list of trainingopportunities in the United States. In away, this site came about as a reactionto the needs of my students. Many stu-dents do not realize that there arecareers in language aside frombecoming teachers and translators, andthat knowledge of interpreting, termi-nology, and localization will also helpthem in their chosen professions.
My student assistant Laura Wrayand I have dedicated an entiresemester to the project of discoveringwhat educational courses are avail-able today (at least as of May 2001).We have followed the data fromTranslator and Interpreter Training in
the USA: A Survey. Second Editioncompiled by William M. Park (ATA:1993) and did independent researchon the Internet. As expected, manyprograms are unable to specify theirfocus, some of them are not sure oftheir future due to the lack of funding,and some places have stoppedteaching T/I courses altogether but arestill known as the best schools fortranslators and interpreters. Our sitecatalogues the programs by the natureof the education they offer. We tried toavoid any misunderstandings regardingthe kind of degree you can obtain fromeach school. These are the categories:master’s degree, master’s degree with afocus in…, graduate certificates, dis-tinct certificates, and undergraduatecertificates/minors. We contacted everyprogram we heard of either by e-mailor phone at least twice. If there was noresponse within a couple of months, weassumed (rightly so, I believe) that theprogram did not exist anymore. Anycomments, suggestions, or contribu-tions will be warmly welcomed andappreciated. Please also visit our cer-tificate website at http://lrc.wfu.edu/certificates/.
Selected English-language references for a translation and/orinterpreting awareness course:(Ed.) Baker, Mona. (1997). Routledge
Encyclopedia of Translation Studies.Routledge.
(Ed.) Deslile, J., Woodsworth, J. (1995).Translators Through History. JohnBenjamins.
Dubuc, Robert. (1988). Terminology: APractical Approach. Translated byE. Kennedy. Quebec: Linguatech.
Hervey S., Higgins I., Haywood L. M.(1995). Thinking Spanish Trans-lation. Routledge.
Jones, Roderick. (1997). ConferenceInterpreting Explained. St. Jerome.
Mikkelson, Holly. (2000). Introductionto Court Interpreting. St. Jerome.
Robinson, Doug. (1997). Becoming ATranslator. Routledge.
Shuttleworth M., Cowie M. (1997).Dictionary of Translation Studies.St. Jerome.
Sprung, Robert. (2000). TranslatingInto Success. John Benjamins.
Wadensjo, Cecilia. (1992). Interpretingas Interaction. Longman.
Translating Official Documents for African ImmigrantsBy Adrián Fuentes Luque
The ATA Chronicle | February 200234
T ranslating official documentsfrom one language into anotheroften poses singular and diverse
peculiarities that frequently involvecultural, linguistic, sociological, anddeontological considerations. Thislast aspect is common to any sworntranslation, but is particularly preva-lent in the translation of official for-eign documents. When dealing withofficial documents presented by citi-zens of developing or third worldcountries for translation, to be used intheir quest to obtain legal status in agiven country, a new element is addedto the above-mentioned factors. Thistype of documentation calls for trans-lators to include a social component totheir professional linguistic and cul-tural mediation—to empathize withthe client’s situation.
Empathy, of course, does not meanthat a professional sworn translatorshould in any way falsify or distort theinformation of the original documentout of compassion for an individual.Instead, the sworn translator canexpress his goodwill in other ways,such as reducing or waiving his feealtogether. (Obviously, such a practicecannot be systematically carried outfor pure reasons of economic sur-vival.) Also, such goodwill frequentlytests the translator’s expected profes-sionalism. Translators may often feelcompelled to make an additional effortto “rebuild” a flawed document, suchas correcting defective writing, styleerrors, references, etc., in the commis-sioned translation.
The term “client” might not be themost appropriate one to use whenreferring to these situations. Althoughfine from a purely commercial per-spective, the word seems out of placewhere the translation calls for thetranslator’s solidarity towards thefinancial possibilities and objectivesof the individual who commissions
the translation. Most of the time,especially in the case of developedcountries geographically located near(or even bordering) other less devel-oped ones, the “client” is an illegalimmigrant from one of those underde-veloped countries who needs toobtain legal residency or a workpermit in a host country. This is a par-ticularly serious situation in certainEuropean countries, such as France,Italy, Germany, and, perhaps most of
all, Spain. (Spain is both a target andpassing country for immigrants ontheir way to other European destina-tions.) However, illegal immigrationis not a problem that is limited to asingle isolated geographic or lin-guistic context.
As a sworn translator for theEnglish language, I have come acrossseveral situations of this nature inSpain. The narrow 15-kilometer-wideStrait of Gibraltar is the naturalentrance to the Mediterranean Sea,and separates the Northern Africancoast of Morocco from Spain.Because if this, illegal immigrationhas become a very serious problem in
Spain over the last few years, posinga wealth of labor, economic, ethnic,social, health, political, and culturalissues. There are a number of crim-inal organizations which profitgreatly by smuggling immigrants intoSpain (but also into France, Italy, orthe U.K.), jeopardizing lives withfalse promises of a new and pros-perous life in a land of milk andhoney. Many of these immigrantscome from the Northern Africancountries, mainly Morocco, but anincreasingly large proportion of themare of sub-Saharan origin (mainlyfrom Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda,Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon,Tanzania, but also from as far awayas Namibia, Lesotho, Kenya, Ghana,The Gambia, or Botswana).
These people receive very little, ifany, real information in their homecountries about the necessary docu-ments required in the host country. Asa matter of fact, most of them do nothave documentation of any kind. Thismakes regularizing their legal situa-tion extremely difficult. Even prop-erly identifying them is a challenge,and it sometimes becomes an almostimpossible task to establish the realorigin or nationality of these people.Some sworn interpreters have been indelicate court situations involvingimmigrants who claimed to be, forexample, Rwandan or Tanzanian inorder to be considered refugees andnot immigrants. The maze of lan-guages, dialects, and ethnic groups inthese countries, together with thediverse and confusing character ofterritorial borders and armed con-flicts, render identification extremelydifficult to establish.
Types of DocumentsImmigrants frequently arrive in
the host country carrying all sorts ofmixed documents. These can range
…When dealing withofficial documents
presented by citizens ofdeveloping or third worldcountries for translation,
to be used in their quest toobtain legal status in agiven country, a new
element is added…theneed to empathize with the
client’s situation…
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 35
from the appropriate and true originaldocuments to papers blatantly falsi-fied by one of the smuggling mafias.
Among the documents worth men-tioning are age certificates, divorcedecrees, birth certificates, and univer-sity degrees and diplomas. In general,there are no unifying features that canclearly identify these documents. Eachone follows its own requirements interms of presenting the informationand data, and they all follow a dif-ferent style. They often appearunsigned, do not bear the signature ofthe holder or the affirmant, do not bearan official stamp, or are not printed oncrested paper. In these cases, a pos-sible appropriate translation strategymight be to avoid translations in theline of, for example: “This is the trans-lation of a Nigerian birth certificatefrom English into….” A more neutraloption, “This is the translation of adocument written in the English lan-guage and presented to me for itstranslation into...” is perhaps bothmore desirable and adequate.
Translation ProblemsThe following are some of the
most frequent translation problems asworn translator will come acrosswhen dealing with this type of com-mission. They were drawn from theconclusions of consultations withother Spanish sworn translators forthe English language in differentparts of Spain, and are presented heretogether with the results of my ownpersonal experience.
Gender: Unfortunately, most peopleare not sufficiently familiar with thereality of sub-Saharan African immi-grants, especially their different socialand cultural contexts. We do not knowtheir rituals, their norms, and socialrules. We are equally unaware of thenature of their proper names. There is
an established tendency in Spanish todetermine, perhaps due to phoneticsimilarities, that proper names endingin, for example, “-a” or “-y” (such asAnna, Victoria, Jenny, or Nancy) arefeminine and that those ending in “-o”are masculine. Translators often haveto dig within the text in search of aclue that will enable them to deter-mine whether a name like Iyabo, whopresented a petition for divorceagainst Kammy, is the husband or thewife. (In this case, Iyabo turned out tobe the wife and Kammy the husband.)
Coherence and Correction: ManyAfrican countries, like Nigeria, Uganda,Sierra Leone, or Liberia, have Englishas an official or co-official language(for instance, Kisiwahili, Swahili, andEnglish are all official languages inTanzania). However, English is theprimary language of commerce,administration, and higher educationin most countries.
Another problem is that officialdocuments written in English by thecivil servants and nationals respon-sible for issuing them (supposing thatall presented documents are really“official”) often leave much to bedesired in terms of linguistic, gram-matical, and syntactical coherence.Such flaws in the original documentwill have to be fixed by the translatorin the target text. For example, let uslook at an excerpt from a Nigeriandivorce decree: “There is too child[sic] in between them xxx and yyy.”Further down in the same document itis not clear whether the petitioner isrequesting the custody of one or bothchildren: “Prayed to cout to awardshe custody of the child [sic].” Othererrors of this kind are related to verband grammar agreements (forinstance, confusing shifts between thethird and first person without fol-lowing a clearly established criterion).
Style: In the same vein, the translator,as a mediator, recreates, and sometimeseven specifically builds, the style andregister that will be appropriate to theoriginal document. Thus, in the divorcedecree just mentioned, when the peti-tioner presents her arguments for thedivorce claim, the original documentcontains a laconic and direct argumen-tative statement (“no more love”) and aconcluding argumentative statement(“he unberable [sic]”), which obviouslyneed to be changed accordingly.
Cultural Elements: These elementshave to do largely with a country’slegal system. Official documents areoften of a legal or administrativenature. Most of the African English-speaking countries have legal systemsbased on some form of common law(mostly inherited from the formercolonial power), Islamic law, or eventribal or indigenous law (most ofthese being largely unfamiliar toWestern societies).
We can distinguish several sys-tems of reference on which English-speaking African countries base theirlegal systems.
• Those based on English commonlaw and customary law (Uganda,Tanzania, and Sierra Leone).Sierra Leone also uses customarylaws indigenous to local tribes.Nigeria and Kenya are part of thisgroup as well, but they also basetheir legal systems on Islamic lawand tribal law.
• Those based on other law systems(for instance, Rwanda’s legalsystem is based on German andBelgian civil law systems and cus-tomary law). Liberia has a dualsystem of statutory law based on
Continued on p.42
The ATA Chronicle | February 200236
Two Hands Clapping: Nuances of Sound and Style in Prose TranslationBy Cindy Schuster
(Note: This article is based on a presen-tation given at the American LiteraryTranslators Association Conference inRaleigh, North Carolina, in October2001. The author wishes to express herappreciation for the generous feedbackof many of her colleagues.)
F or the would-be reader, anuntranslated text may be assilent as the proverbial one hand
clapping. Yet, when the translator’shand joins the author’s, new soundsbegin to emerge. Indeed, an oftenoverlooked element in prose transla-tion is the question of how best torender sound itself. Translators ofpoetry struggle with such elements asrhyme, meter, assonance, conso-nance, and alliteration as they attemptto preserve the musicality of verse,often finding themselves in thequandary of choosing between soundand “meaning.” While the importanceof sound in poetry is apparent, trans-lators of literary prose must alsoexamine the workings of sound intheir texts, identifying its functionsand striving to approximate a parallelconstruct that will retain the multiplelevels of meaning and effect thatsound can produce.
In his essay, “No Two SnowflakesAre Alike: Translation as Metaphor,”Gregory Rabassa illustrates thisdilemma with examples of soundsderived from animals and musicalinstruments:
More deadly even than personaland cultural nuances in hinderingan ‘exact’ translation is the verysound of languages and the wordsthat constitute them…. The roosterhas shown us that onomatopoeiavaries from tongue to tongue[Rabassa has previously noted thatthe English ‘cock-a-doodle-doo,’ isrendered ‘qui-qui-ri-qui’ in
Spanish], and authors will marshalthe very sounds of their language inorder to squeeze out its ultimateeffects…. Verlaine organizes thesounds peculiar to the French lan-guage to imitate the wail of aviolin…. ‘Les sanglots longs desviolons de l’automne.’ Englishsimply has no matching nasalsounds in words that would conveythe meaning, unless we turn totrombones, and then we havechanged instruments, although thatmay be more in keeping with whattranslation is all about.1
From barnyard to orchestra pit, thechallenge of translating those twocries (the crow and the sob) in all theirnuances abound.
In this article, I will analyze var-ious options I considered in theprocess of translating the soundsinvolved in the opening and closingof a door in a short story by Mexicanwriter María Luisa Puga. In that par-ticular scene, the language used todescribe certain sounds serves twofunctions: 1) to evoke the aural qual-ities of those sounds, and 2) to allowthe reader to appreciate how a char-acter’s perception of sound functionsmetaphorically to convey her state ofmind (which, in this case, involves arather loose grip on “reality”).
Moreover, the use of sound in thistext helps to define and distinguishthe psychological values that thecharacter associates with differentphysical spaces.
In the story, “Difícil situación,”which I’ve translated as “Tight Spot,”Puga tells a wickedly funny tale ofalienation, paranoia, and rage againstcomplacency. A woman goes into aphoto shop in Oxford, England,ostensibly to get some film devel-oped. She somehow finds herself in abattle of wills with the shopkeeper,whom she perceives as conde-scending and dismissive. She beginsto unravel, to dissociate, acting pro-gressively more bizarre as the powerstruggle escalates and the shopkeeperattempts to get rid of her. Finally,exasperated with the standoff, shethreatens him with an imaginarybomb, and realizes that she haspainted herself into a corner.
Here are the opening lines of thestory in the original Spanish, fol-lowed by a literal gloss and two suc-cessive revisions in English:
Original text:La campanilla restalla comolátigo. La puerta ha exhalado unsonido rebotado. Como de balínen los goznes. Todas las puertas detodos los comercios pequeños deOxford son así. Siento el mugir delos autobuses afuera, pero ya estoydentro de la tienda; la puerta secierra suavemente.2
Literal translation:The small bell/doorbell crackslike a whip. The door has breatheda bouncing/ricocheting/reboundingsound. Like a pellet/ball bearing/shot in its hinges. All the doorsof all the small shops in Oxfordare like that. I hear the mooing/bellowing of the buses outside,
…For the would-be reader,an untranslated text may
be as silent as theproverbial one hand
clapping. Yet, when thetranslator’s hand joins the
author’s, new soundsbegin to emerge…
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 37
but I am already inside the store;the door closes gently.
Revision 1:The jangle of the little bell abovethe door cracks like a whip. Thewheezing of the door reverberates.The squeaky ricochet of hinges.All the doors of all the little shopsin Oxford make the same noise. Ican hear the low murmur of thebuses out in the street, but by nowI’m inside the store; the doorcloses with a gentle click.
Final Draft:The little bell above the doorsnaps back like a whip. A rever-berating wheeze; the squeaky rico-chet of hinges. All the doors of allthe little shops in Oxford make thesame noise. I can hear the mooingof the buses out in the street, butby now I’m inside the store; thedoor closes behind me with agentle click.
The first problem that presentsitself concerns the translation of thesounds of the door as it opens. Theseare very specific to a particular kindof door, and the translation mustrespect that. At the same time, thewords used to describe those soundsbegin to give the reader a hint ofinsight into the character’s psycho-logical state. Moreover, these soundspresent an apparent contradiction.How can a bell, with its multiple,high-pitched, metallic sound, alsosound like the crack of a whip?Clearly the whip is being usedmetaphorically to suggest tension andedginess; perhaps even power and thethreat of punishment. Somehow boththe bell and the cracking soundscome through in Spanish: “La cam-panilla restalla como látigo.” (I sus-pect the onomatopoetic echoes of
“illa” and “alla” embedded in thewords may have something to dowith allowing the reader of theSpanish text to hear the bell.)
One strategy would be to look atwhich verbs might be used to trans-late “restalla.” In (American)English, to say that a bell “cracks”brings up visual images of theLiberty Bell, rather than the soundwe’re after. “Snaps” would also giveus the sound of the whip, yet whileboth “cracks” and “snaps” hint at thecharacter’s mental state (she snaps, orcracks up), we still haven’t resolvedthe initial problem. “Snaps like awhip” also calls to mind the unfortu-nate “whippersnapper.” On the otherhand, one might try translating theverb into a sound more consistentwith a bell (clinks, tinkles, rings,etc.), but none of these sound like awhip. Replacing “whip” with “strap”or “switch” doesn’t help either,although “switch” does give us theidea of a sudden change, which isconsistent with the text.
“Doorbell” presents its own set ofproblems: 1) perhaps adding one toomany “doors” to the passage, and 2)causing the American reader to thinkof a “ding-dong” or buzzing sound(not the actual bell referred to in thiscontext). One might opt to amplify“campanilla” to include its sound aswell as its location to clarify whatkind of bell it is, as in Revision 1:“The jangle of the little bell above thedoor cracks like a whip.” The juxta-position of these two sounds sets up adissonance consistent with the toneof the story, yet it seems like some-thing of a mouthful. Too many words,too much information, and a rushedrhythm that suddenly slows as wearrive at the word “cracks,” placingtoo much emphasis on that word (inSpanish, the emphasis is on “látigo”[whip]). Upon further investigation, I
discovered that this kind of bell isoften mounted on a spring devicewhich causes it to “snap back”against a metal plate after the door isopened. This information led to thefinal draft: “The little bell above thedoor snaps back like a whip,” whichis faithful to the sound as well as itsmetaphorical value.
But we’re not out of the woods yet.“La puerta ha exhalado un sonido reb-otado. Como de balín en los goznes.”There is considerable awkwardness ina door that “has breathed a bouncing[etc.] sound,” and to remedy this myapproach was to try to find a way toexpress that sound without actuallysaying the word “sound.” Let’s beginwith the verb. “Breathe” seems tooneutral and quiet. “Exhale” might sug-gest a sighing sound, but “wheeze” ishoarser and more akin to the doublingof the sound that is described, thoughit is a bit of a liberty. I opted for“reverberates,” both to capture the“bouncing” nature of the sound aswell as to avoid the present perfectconstruction “has wheezed.” “Rever-berates” works nicely, since it doesjust that while allowing us to keep theverb in the present tense. I then trans-posed “ricochet” into the followingsentence where it implies the sound ofa shot, suggesting tension and anundercurrent of violence with unpre-dictable consequences, which isappropriate in the context of the story.The word “balín” further complicatesmatters. The many native Spanishspeakers with whom I consultedcould not agree on its meaning. Thepossibility that the more obscure, butin this context logical (and consistentwith Mexican Spanish), usage of“balín” to mean “ball bearing,”caused me to shy away from using theword “shot.” The inference is that thebearing is in need of lubrication,giving us a squeaky hinge. ➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 200238
Upon further revision, I exploredways in which I might omit the word“door,” since I had added it to the pre-vious sentence. I considered sayingsimply: “A wheeze reverberates,” butthat seemed too choppy even for atext in which choppiness is oftendeliberate. “A reverberating wheeze”seemed to flow more easily, but pre-sented a certain ambiguity. Writtenthis way, it sounds as if the wheezedescribes the bell, not the door.Joining the two fragments with asemicolon (“A reverberating wheeze;the squeaky ricochet of hinges”) con-nects the wheeze with the door andrespects the rhythm and the sound,even while altering the syntax.
The next line was relativelysimple. “Todas las puertas de todoslos comercios pequeños de Oxfordson así.” “Make the same noise”communicates the idea (the shops aresimilar because their doors sound thesame) more concisely than the ratherflat-sounding “are like that.”
In the final sentence of this pas-sage, sound serves as a vehicle toestablish a metaphorical contrastbetween the two spaces in which thenarrative occurs—inside and outsidethe shop. The confines of the shopfunction as a kind of prison or trapfor the protagonist, and it is thespace in which emotions are height-ened and the conflict plays itself out.In Spanish, “siento” means “Ifeel/perceive” as well as “I hear,”which is more commonly expressedas “oigo.” By translating it as “I canhear,” we underline the subtlety of thecharacter’s perception, as well as the
contrast between the muted, neutral“outside” sounds that still enter intoher consciousness, and the sharp,grating “inside” sounds she associateswith the shop. The outside world isordinary, nonthreatening, and inno-cent. When the protagonist finallymanages to “escape” from the shop,she is able to breathe a sigh of relief.
This brings us to the “mooing” ofthe buses.” While “mooing” is a bitodd in this context, it can be arguedthat: 1) it preserves the onomatopoeiaof “mugir,” which specifically refersto the sound made by a cow, 2) it sug-gests the peculiarity of the character’sperceptions, and 3) it’s an odd, some-what comic, choice in Spanish as well.The word “bellowing” is synonymousto a certain extent, and “the bellowingof the buses” does have a nice allitera-tive ring to it. Unfortunately, it sug-gests, too strongly to my ear,collocative associations with anger(bellowing with rage), whereas “moo”evokes a more pastoral sensation oftranquility, a reassuring bovine slug-gishness. “Roaring” has a similareffect to that of “bellowing,” andbeyond that calls to mind more fero-cious animals. Revision 1 uses “lowmurmur” in an inventive, but ulti-mately unsuccessful, attempt to sug-gest “moo” by converting its verbalsynonym “low” into an adjective.Despite its unconventional use,“mooing” appears to be the soundwe’re after, and the final draft returnsto the original, literal translation.
Finally, once inside the store, theprotagonist has definitively crossedthe threshold into the realm of
contention. Accordingly, I chose toamplify “closes gently” to “closeswith a gentle click” so as to add aslight onomatopoetic punctuation tothe metaphorical value of theinside/outside dichotomy. That “click”makes the distinction between the twospaces clearer and functions to lockthe character into a claustrophobicspace. The further amplification to“closes behind me” turns the key inthat lock just another notch.
Sound, then, can operate on mul-tiple levels in a literary text, subtlycommunicating an undercurrent ofinformation not explicitly stated. Wehave seen how the squeaks and snapsmade by a simple door, beyond con-vincingly depicting the setting, alsomanage to convey, through the dis-placement of metaphor and the sen-sory immediacy of onomatopoeia, acharacter’s psychological state. Itfalls to the translator’s hand to meetand match these sounds in concert.
Notes1. Gregory Rabassa. “No Two
Snowflakes Are Alike: Translationas Metaphor,” The Craft ofTranslation. ed. John Biguenet andRainer Schulte (Chicago: TheUniversity of Chicago Press,1989) pages 2-3.
2. María Luisa Puga. “Difícil situ-ación,” Cuentistas hispanoameri-canas. ed. Gloria da Cunha-Giabbiand Anabella Acevedo-Leal(Washington: Literal Books, 1996)page 277.
Two Hands Clapping: Nuances of Sound and Style in Prose Translation Continued
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The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 39
Some Thoughts on the Modern Scientific Principleof Systematic OversimplificationBy Steve Vlasta Vitek
No matter how many times you maytry to wash a black dog, it will notturn him into a white dog.
(An Indian proverb discovered ona website of a translator in Japan)
I t was a dark and stormy night ineastern Virginia on the ChesapeakeBay. I was watching a rerun of
“Buffy, The Vampire Slayer” with mypreteen children, fancying myself asGiles (definitely not Spike or Angel).After all, I am often as lugubriouslyabsentminded as Giles, I presume tobe an expert in a dark and secret lore(technical translation), I also have afunny accent, and, unlike Giles, Ispeak fluent Slovakian!
Sometimes I get bored whilewatching TV and turn on my laptopduring one of the commercials. Ifthere is nothing of interest in my e-mail, I fire up a search engine likeGoogle or AskJeeves to check up onmy competition by typing “Japanesepatent translators” or something likethat into the search field, oftennever to come back to Buffy’s latestcount of slain bloodsucking mon-sters (my kids will gladly fill me inlater). Hundreds or thousands of hitsusually come back after such asearch. Some of the resulting web-pages are from translation compa-nies and agencies in the U.S. andaround the world, and some arefrom individual translators. It seemsthat translators are finally wakingup to the opportunities of a world-wide market on the Internet that isnow as open to an individual playeras it is to a multinational corpora-tion. For example, if you search for“Korean translator,” some inter-esting website is bound to come upin California, England, or some-where else. This is also a good wayto find out how much other peopleare charging for what you do.
Teams of language- and subject-qualified experts carefullycheck and recheck our translations!
Every agency and individual usu-ally claims that their translations arecarefully proofread and checked foraccuracy, style, cultural compatibility,etc., so as to guarantee a superiorproduct (although all other agenciesand individuals claim the same thing).Translation agencies usually claimthat their product is superior becausethey have teams of experts who care-fully check and recheck the transla-tion until they are able to shape the
final product into a perfect form.Individual translators sometimes payfor a proofreader, or else have theirwives or husbands proofread thetranslation. (Of course, some wivesdon’t mind this chore since they get tocriticize what their husbands aredoing wrong. This in turn requires thehusbands to thank their wives pro-fusely, sometimes with money,flowers, or by at least taking them to asushi bar every now and then—whichcan cost about as much as having afull-time employee! In fact, even ifthe original translation is good orexcellent, it is a very good idea tohave a fresh pair of eyes look at itagain to find errors, omissions, typos,etc., because we can’t usually see ourown mistakes until somebody elsepoints them out to us. However, I amvery skeptical when it comes toclaims of “teams of language- andsubject-qualified experts” who labor
tirelessly on a translation until a per-fect match is achieved between themeaning of the original and the trans-lated product, which will “read as if ithas been written in English in thefirst place.” I think that this wholeconcept is mostly an advertising gim-mick aimed at gullible, monolingualtranslation consumers.
So why have I never had a singlecall from a language- and subject-qualified expert since 1987?
Although most of my income isderived from my direct clients,mostly patent law firms, I still workfor translation agencies. Based on myinteractions with U.S. agencies since1987, I am sorry to say that I don’tknow a single one that has on its staff“teams of subject-qualified experts”who would be able to add much, ifany, value to my translations ofJapanese patents by pointing out, forexample, mistranslated terms orincorrectly interpreted Japanese partsof speech. For some reason, not evenone such expert has called me in thelast 14 years or so.
Most of the time, I only get a callfrom an agency if I skip a line ofJapanese text or if a recognizable(Arabic, not Chinese) number ismissing in the otherwise Japanese,and thus completely incomprehen-sible, document. This is because theirproofreaders can almost never readany Japanese. Frequently, these arekids (I think I can say that nowbecause I will hit the big five-0 prettysoon) who may know some French orRussian and work part-time as atranslation coordinator/proofreader.
Though these kids seem prettybright (although not all of them are asdeferential to me as I think theyshould be), most are completelymonolingual. Needless to say, noneof them are equally fluent in
…The best protectionagainst a mistranslation ismatching the right kind oftranslation with the right
kind of translator…
➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 200240
Some Thoughts on the Modern Scientific Principle of Systematic Oversimplification Continued
Japanese and English, and at the sametime also experienced in the transla-tion of highly technical Japanesepatents into English. This is probablybecause if they were language- andsubject-qualified experts, they couldmake much more money translatingthe same patents than by working foran agency. Even a monolingualchecker can catch omissions andtypos and thus add some value to atranslation, because even the besttranslators make mistakes sometime,especially when under the constantpressure of one deadline after another.
If the original translation is good,there is not much that can or shouldbe done with it, other than catchingthe occasional typo or omission. Ifthe original translation is mediocrebut still makes sense, you can per-haps fix a few technical terms orclumsy expressions, but that is aboutthe only thing that can be done. Andyou can only do it if you happen to bea more experienced translator thanthe first translator.
Typical monolinguals are likely todo more harm than good with theirediting of translations
That is why typical monolinguals,even very smart monolinguals, arelikely to do more harm than good to ahighly technical translation if they tryto change the meaning of somethingthat may “sound strange” to themwithout understanding the meaning ofthe original and/or the technical con-text. The smarter ones try to stick tofixing up typos and carefully checkingfor omissions by matching the linesand paragraphs. They know thatpatents in strange languages are likelyto be “strange” by definition. If atranslation of a Japanese patent soundslike a beautiful excerpt from anothergreat American novel, it is most likelynot a very good translation. A
Japanese patent is not supposed toread like a novel, so if it does, chancesare that the translation is not beingfaithful to the original text.
When one strives to achieve a bal-ance between the principles of fidelityto the original and elegance of expres-sion in the target language (a mightystruggle we all go through every day),it probably makes sense to emphasizeelegance of expression in some typesof commercial translations. Patentsare translated to provide technical evi-dence that is often used in courts oflaw. Every minor mistranslation or aslight change of meaning, which isusually not terribly clear in the orig-inal, can basically destroy the purposeof the whole translation. The best pro-tection against a mistranslation ismatching the right kind of translationwith the right kind of translator. Theproblem is that unless an agency spe-cializes in a certain field or lan-guage(s), the coordinator often has noidea what is in the text that is beingsent to a freelance translator. Once amistake is made and the wrong personaccepts the wrong kind of work, theonly remedy is usually a retranslationwhen an angry client refuses to payfor an unusable product.
If you are not sure about the translations you are selling, shouldn’t you be selling used cars or refrigerators instead?
How many times have youreceived a call from a person askingwhether you can translate “a docu-ment” in your language, and whenyou asked what kind of document,they told you that they were not sure?In my case, it is most of the time. Aused car salesman who “is not sure”about the kind of car he is selling isprobably going to lose his customer.A translation coordinator who is notsure about his product is also likely to
eventually lose his customer, althoughit may take some time before the cus-tomer discovers problems with atranslation. And the company whocommissioned the translation willprobably not be sure why they lostthat customer.
Many clients are realizing thatthey may be better off working with aspecialized translation agency or anindividual translator rather than withan agency that translates “all fieldsand all languages.” When patentlawyers and paralegals run anInternet search, they will be morelikely to send us an e-mail instead ofcalling the biggest advertisement intheir local Yellow Pages (a commonpractice a few years ago) if we seemto have exactly what they are lookingfor on our website. The same prin-ciple is probably applicable to otherspecialized fields of translation.
But our potential clients who lookfor the right kind of specialists (whohappen to be us) can only find us ifwe make it easy or at least possiblefor them to do so. We can do this by,among other things, having our ownwebsite, being listed on the ATAwebsite, or with a listing on the siteof our local translators organization.It is a lot of work to create a websitethat will serve this purpose, and ittakes some time and costs money.But in the end, it is time and moneywell spent. As some of our clients arebecoming more sophisticated aboutthe nature of translation, they arebeginning to realize that, short ofhiring the perfect translator full-timefor their company, which usuallydoes not make sense for budgetaryreasons, the only way to make surethat they get what they need is toenter into a long-term relationshipwith a professional translator or anagency that specializes in a fairlynarrow field.
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 41
Excellence in the field of transla-tion does not just suddenly fall fromthe sky. It is the result of a close rela-tionship between translators andclients who supply the same mate-rials to translators who work in thesame field year after year. Instead oftrying to wash a black dog thatshould have been white, or to paint awhite dog black because we reallywanted a black one, it makes muchmore sense to start with the dog whoalready has the desired color (i.e., theright translator) from the very begin-ning. For best results, you should stillwash the dog (i.e., have the transla-tion proofread carefully), just as longas you know that doing so won’tchange its color!
The performance of some profes-sions is suitable for teamwork, butteamwork may be less suitable forother professions. For example, a teamof professional burger flippers workingat Burger King will achieve the bestresults if the guy who chops onionsand cole slaw can also make fries anddefrost frozen ground meat, as well asrun the cash register. Members of thisprofessional team can be paid theequivalent of minimum wage becausethe skills required here can be learnedeasily, thus making each personeasily replaceable.
However, some professions, likevampire slaying, picture painting, ortranslation in highly specialized fields,is less suitable for teamwork. Whenyou have Buffy, Giles, and Willowgoing after the same monster withthree different wooden sticks, the mon-ster slayers could easily kill each otherin the confusion of the fight, becausevampire slaying is a highly individual-istic art and not very suitable for team-work. Imagine Vincent Van Gogh,Egon Schiele, and Thomas Kinkaidecooperating on the same picture. Theywould probably start fighting with
each other, and one of them might endup missing an ear or some other bodypart as a result of their cooperation. Ibelieve that three different translatorscollaborating on the same text wouldprobably end up killing each other aswell, because each of them is likelyto be a supreme individualist using adifferent approach.
As I said in the beginning, it maynot be such a good idea to try to washa black dog and expect to get a whitedog after the washing, or to paint awhite dog black. I would get the colorof the dog right the first time. And itmakes no sense to try to repaint VanGogh or Schiele into Kinkaideianglitz just because you want “to see thewhole picture.” Each of the artists willpaint a completely different picture ofthe same scene.
“It is vain to do with more what canbe done with fewer.”
From what we know about transla-tion, it seems to be more art than sci-ence and far from an easily learnedskill such as flipping burgers. Buteven if we were to consider transla-tion more science than art in order totry to apply scientific principles to it,I would vote for the well known,time-tested scientific principle calledOccam’s Razor. This principle isnamed after William of Occam(1285–1349), an English Franciscanfriar who taught philosophy inOxford and Munich and, among otherthings, wrote antipapal pamphletsthat influenced Luther and laterpaved the way for the Reformation.According to his maxim: “it is vain todo with more what can be done withfewer.” (Translation into modernEnglish, almost seven centuries later:Keep it simple, stupid!) This meansthat the fewest possible assumptionsshould be made when explaining athing, and that the simplest hypothesis
is usually the best. What could besimpler than having one experiencedand qualified translator translate atext and having a fresh pair of eyes(preferably ones that are qualified)proofread the translation afterwards?This is definitely easier than tryingto do the same thing with the “teamsof subject- and language-qualifiedexperts” that some companies claimto have (which would most likely beprohibitively expensive). After all,more than seven centuries afterOccam, science was called a system-atic oversimplification by KarlPopper (1902–94), perhaps the mostinfluential philosopher of science ofthe last century.
But the simplest and bestsolution...may not always be theeasiest one!
When scientists take complicatedprocesses and strip them down totheir essentials, they can sometimesdiscover fundamental truths thatapply to other processes. Amazingly,what scientists are trying to achievein their laboratories is very similar towhat poets, painters, and philoso-phers are trying to express withwords, colors, shapes, and ideas. Theproblem is that the simplest and bestsolution may not always be as easy asit sounds. The simplest solution forthe translation of a certain type oftext in a specific language would beto have the person who knows thelanguage and field in question answerthe phone when a customer calls witha prospective translation. The sameperson could then either translate thetext or send it to a translator theyknow who is qualified in that lan-guage and subject. In reality, how-ever, this does not always happen. Infact, based on my interactions withagencies (“we have a document foryou to translate, but we have no ➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 200242
idea what’s in it because it is inJapanese, Slovak, etc.”), I know thisdoes not happen too often.
Translation agencies who translate“everything” are hardly the only com-mercial or noncommercial providersof services in this country who donot seem to be paying much atten-tion to actual and real knowledge offoreign languages. It would havebeen nice had there been personnelin key positions fluent in Arabic andother languages within the CIA,FBI, Immigration, and other tax-payer-funded organizations prior toSeptember 11. Had we been able toactually understand communicationbetween terrorists in foreign lan-guages that we were no doubt moni-toring with our superior technology,it might have saved a few thousandlives. I am hoping that we are doingmore of it now, but I am not exactlyholding my breath. It takes a longtime before a country can change itsmonolingual view of the (known)universe. According to newspaperreports, there was a total of nine (!)college graduates who majored in theArabic language in the U.S. in theyear 2000. In a country as big as
ours, chances are that ingrained atti-tudes will never change anyway. It iseasier to spend more money on eaves-dropping technology that nobody willactually listen to.
Even a well-known publishing housesuch as Alfred A. Knopf is “TwoSteps Removed.”
On November 5, 2001, The NewYork Times Book Review published inthe “Letters” section an excerpt froma letter by Paul Olchvary. I would liketo end the article with an excerptfrom this letter, which the editors ofthe Book Review entitled “Two StepsRemoved”:
“On behalf of more than 10 trans-lators, editors or scholars ofHungarian literature, I wish toexpress our pleasure that Alfred A.Knopf has undertaken the Americanpublication of one of Hungary’smost famous 20th-century authors,Sandor Marai. We are dismayed,however, that an author known forhis distinctive Central Europeanvision and his elegant Hungarianprose was translated not from theoriginal work, but from a translation.
The work in question is Marai’sshort novel ‘Embers’ (review, Oct.14). Since only the copyright pageindicates that the German is thesource edition, many readers willhave the impression that the trans-lation is from the language Maraiwrote it in. It is not. That a majorpublisher should condone such along-outmoded practice is regret-table. Will readers of this twice-filtered English text hear Marai’svoice nearly as much as theywould in a fine translation bysomeone in tune with the non-Indo-European nuances of theHungarian? Established transla-tors of Hungarian to English doexist in a sufficient number for apublisher to secure a first-ratetranslation from the original….What, after all, would Americanreaders say about the works of aneminent German author reachingthem not directly from German,but Hungarian?”
I have to wonder, unless you tellthem, would they notice?
Anglo-American common law forthe modern sector, and customarylaw based on unwritten tribal prac-tices for the indigenous sector.Cameroon poses a unique situationboth from a cultural and linguisticpoint of view, since it has Frenchand English as official languages.Its legal system is based on theFrench civil law system, with acommon law influence.
Examples of some of the situationsto be encountered within these complex
legal and cultural contexts include ref-erences to “dowry” and to certainforms of unmarried unions which aresettled simply through family or tribalagreements, but still require a courtdecree to be officially dissolved.
Another curious but very inter-esting example is the translation ofage certificates. This type of docu-ment is common to many English-speaking African countries. Thecertificate states the age or date ofbirth of the holder, and frequentlydoes not bear the signature of the
affirmant (which, in principle, shouldrender the document invalid for offi-cial purposes). This certificate alsocontains references to customary ortribal systems of registering birthsand deaths, where individuals are notregistered in the official register ofbirths, marriages, and deaths. Instead,a record is made in the “book” of thefamily, tribe, or ethnic group. This isshown in the official document usingformulae like: “…I declare that at the
Translating Official Documents for African Immigrants Continued from p.35
Continued on p.46
Some Thoughts on the Modern Scientific Principle of Systematic Oversimplification Continued
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 43
Fifth International Conference on Translation
By Eva Jover and Else Mogensen
D iscussions at the Fifth Inter-national Conference on Trans-lation, held October 29-31, 2001,
at the Universitat Autònoma deBarcelona, ranged from Arabic techni-cal terminology and Finnish websites toa Polish version of Alice in Wonderland.The year 2001 was declared theEuropean Year of Languages in order topromote awareness of the great culturaland linguistic diversity in the EuropeanUnion, and to encourage the learning oflanguages for personal and professionaldevelopment. This has drawn someattention to languages of lesser disper-sion in the EU. As a reflection of this,the conference was aptly entitled“Interculturality and Translation: Less-Translated Languages.”
The conference was organized bymembers of the Department of Trans-lation and Interpretation at theUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona,headed by Albert Branchadell. Therewas an emphasis on the wide array oflanguages taught within the depart-ment, which include Arabic, Chinese,Czech, Greek, Italian, Japanese,Polish, Portuguese, and Russian.Papers were presented in four or fiveconcurrent sessions throughout thethree days of the conference. It wasencouraging to see students from theuniversity flock to get seats at thevarious sessions.
The well-known Catalan author,translator, and professor of anthro-pology and sociology, Joan FrancescMira, who recently was awarded a“Premio Nacional” in Spain for histranslation into Catalan of Dante’sDivina Commedia, was the keynotespeaker. Professor Mira spoke inCatalan with simultaneous interpreta-tion into Spanish and English.Although Catalan is not an officiallanguage of the EU, it is not correctto say that it is a less-dispersed lan-guage since it is more widely spoken
than some of the 11 official lan-guages of the EU. It can boast ofbeing the tenth most translated sourcelanguage in the world, and is animportant part of Europe’s linguisticand cultural heritage.
The “role of translation in intercul-tural relations” was the general topicof this conference. Some of the areascovered included the role of transla-tion in the promotion of linguistic
diversity in Europe, the state of trans-lation and translation theory in coun-tries with less-translated languages,translation and cultural mediation, andcultural imperialism. The conferenceorganizers wanted to make the worldaware of the fact that English worksare translated into other languages inmuch greater amounts than, forexample, works in languages such asArabic, Chinese, and Portuguese. Inshort, access to the translation marketis not equal for all languages and cul-tures, although contact between cul-tures is increasing along with thedemand for translation.
Papers at the conference includedissues related to the Arabic, Chinese,Hindi, Russian, Japanese, Catalan,Galician, Polish, Albanian, Italian,
Finnish, Persian, Malay, Danish,Creole, Kartuli, and Portuguese lan-guages. Albert Branchadell focusedon the basic question of which criteriato use when determining whether alanguage can be categorized as onethat is less-translated, explaining thatthe concept of a less-translated lan-guage is based on the United NationsEducational, Scientific, and CulturalOrganization’s statistics of literarytranslations. He argued that there aremany other languages whose litera-ture is not widely translated, butwhich are widely translated in manyother fields (for example, Catalan).As a result, we may gain another per-spective of whether a language is onethat is less-translated by changing thecriteria to include other subject areas.
Gemma Capellas commented onthe fact that international institutionssuch as the United Nations andInternational Labour Organization useEnglish and French as working lan-guages, and that 90% of the workingpapers are written first in English andthen translated into the other five offi-cial languages. She added that many ofthe translation rosters of these institu-tions are quite small in some languagesand that translation work is often sub-contracted to external agencies due tolack of volume, lack of professionaltranslators in particular languages, andthe need to reduce costs.
Anthony Pym explained that twogeneral principles apply to translationto and from English. He observed thata language that has a lot of publishedmaterial also tends to have a highvolume of these works translated intoother languages. At the same time, themore books there are published in alanguage, the lower the rate of trans-lation tends to be into that language.
Another practice that works againstless-translated languages, as discussedin a paper by Hildegard Resinger,
…The year 2001 wasdeclared the European Year
of Languages in order topromote awareness ofcultural and linguistic
diversity...As a reflection ofthis, the conference was
aptly entitled“Interculturality and
Translation: Less-TranslatedLanguages”…
➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 200244
is the habit of writing in English in spe-cialized and scientific publications, andeven keeping citations and acronymsin English. Juan José Martínez claimedthat the root of many of the problemsof less-translated languages are social.For example, the mere writing of lan-guages such as the Creole of theReunion Islands is considered a polit-ical claim for the status of the lan-guage. Anna Meskhi argued for theimportance of translating the Kartulilanguage, spoken by approximatelyfive million people in Georgia, inorder to make this culture, with itslinks to both ancient and modern civ-ilization, accessible to the world.Vilelmini Sosoni examined multilin-gualism in Europe and the status oflanguages of lesser diffusion, such asGreek and Finnish, and the so-calledminority languages, such as Catalanand Gaelic. She questioned whethermultilingualism and multiculturalismhave an effect on all languages or ifthis is limited to the languages oflesser diffusion. Dora Sales Salvadorconsidered the concept of transcre-ation in relation to Indian fictionwritten in English, looking at this typeof literature in terms of politics and asa fictional echo of multilingualismand interculturality.
Translation techniques and strategiesused in less-translated languages werepresented by Dorota Pacek, who dis-cussed the importance of form in imag-inative literature as a means of creatingspecial and unusual meaning. She ana-lyzed different translations into Polishof puns, often said to be impossible totranslate, from Alice’s Adventures inWonderland and Through the LookingGlass. Inkeri Vehmas-Lehto’s paperdealt with explicitation as a translato-rial strategy in literary translationsfrom Russian into Finnish, focusing onoptional explicitations that may comeabout by stylistic preferences and
pragmatic explicitations caused by dif-ferences between cultures. Eva Joveranalyzed different approaches to thetranslation into Spanish of Danishfairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen.Karen Smith discussed the translationof advertising campaigns from Englishinto Russian, focusing on the strategiesemployed in modes of address to directa message at certain groups in order tocreate the desired relationship. Shealso discussed the possible transferfrom English to Russian advertising.Anastasia Stratu discussed techniquesuseful for interpreting negotiations,based on concepts of semiotics.Lourdes Montoro presented a selec-tion of Caribbean proverbs and say-ings, commenting on problems suchas syntax, vocabulary, and culturaldifferences between the source andthe target language when renderingthem into other languages. SeánGolden analyzed the methodologiesof the Jesuits Matteo Ricci andNicolas Longobardi in dealing withChinese culture as a case study of therole of cultural imperatives in theprocess of cross-cultural transfer andintercultural understanding.
Other topics presented at the con-ference related to less-translated lan-guages included a paper by RachidAarab which discussed the lack ofnecessary tools, the lack of financialsupport to carry out translation work,and the lack of translation educationin some countries. Problems of ter-minology were the subject of a paperby Khaled Abdel Aziz, who spokeabout the lack of standardized termi-nology for special fields, such aslaw, in the Arabic language. DavidWilmsen focused on problems oftranslating modern technical termi-nology into Arabic with its wideregional variations. To illustrate, hediscussed a document comprising abid by a Spanish fisheries company
for the sale of fish to a buyer inCairo, for which the translation ofcommon names of fish wasextremely difficult because the ter-minology is not uniform across theArab world. María Isabel Barrosocommented on the difficulties oftranslating haiku verse, HéctorGonzálvez discussed the translationof sports-related terms into Catalan,and Else Mogensen examined someissues concerning the translation ofcontrolled English into Danish.
Also included were papers on thegeneral field of translation. ChunshenZhu surveyed the academic status oftranslation studies in China, reviewingresearch methodology and theory.Liu Yang presented a study of trans-lation and censorship in China, ana-lyzing the relationship betweencensorship and the selection of texts,translators, and translation strategies,as well as the response of readers.Other topics presented at the confer-ence included: the role of some trans-lators of less-translated languages inpromoting these languages; transla-tion in the theater and the cinema; thevisibility of works in the Malay lan-guage in Britain; the translation ofEgyptian classics into Catalan;dealing with numbers in consecutiveinterpretation from English toChinese; Persian poetry and folktales; the translation into Italian ofthe limericks of Edward Lear; thetranslation into Russian of Spanishpoetry; and the translation of web-pages. Papers on the translation of lit-erary works included a wide array ofclassic authors, such as FyodorDostoyevski, Mikhail Bulgakov,Nagib Mahfuz, Fernando Pessoa,Mircea Eliade, Eugène Ionesco,Witold Gombrowicz, Jorge Amado,and Rabelais.
Continued on p.53
Fifth International Conference on Translation Continued
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 45
Accreditation Forum: Accreditation Activities in Los AngelesBy Lilian Novas Van Vranken, ATA Accreditation Committee chair
T he ATA Annual Conference isusually a very hectic time forgraders and language chairs. It
is a unique opportunity for graders tointeract, exchange ideas, streamlinestandards, fine-tune grading skills,and forge a strong sense of cama-raderie. It is also the venue where theAccreditation Committee meets todiscuss policy, submits a report to theBoard, and presents a short summaryof the committee’s activities to themembership during the association’sbusiness meeting.
As we prepared for Los Angeles,many of us struggled to overcome ourfears after the inconceivable 9/11attacks. Suddenly, our lives anddreams shifted focus and nothingseemed relevant enough other thanbeing close to our loved ones.
The initial jitters soon faded whenwe started seeing all the familiarfaces of friends and colleagues inLos Angeles. The excitement startedto build up and, before long, we wereinvolved fully in the accreditationbusiness.
During the conference, graders andlanguage chairs attend two gradingsessions that help them reinforce aparticular skill. These workshops arerepeated several times to giveeveryone a chance to attend withoutconflicting with other sessions.
Deputy Chair Celia Bohannon hasthe daunting and time-consumingtask of deciding the subject of theworkshop, preparing the exercises,and teaching every single one of theworkshops (this year we had six!).This is a very difficult job becausethe exercises must be neutral, mean-ingful, and relevant enough to bridgethe gap between language combina-tions. As most of us can attest, shedoes a superb job. Celia has anextraordinary ability to think in anabstract way and to come up with
examples that we all find hard to sortthrough, that challenge our skills asgraders, and that become a significantlearning experience.
Regardless of how long gradersand language chairs have beengrading, they will always learn some-thing new at the workshops. This yearis particularly challenging as theaccreditation program prepares tointroduce dramatic changes.
The focus of the first grader work-shop was to practice the new proce-dure that becomes effective with the2001–2002 exam year: the two-grader consultation. This means thatif the two original graders disagree
about the pass/fail outcome of anexam, they must consult each other toseek agreement. Only if they cannotreach agreement will the exam besent to a third grader, who in turnmay consult with the initial gradersor other graders in the workgroup.
Graders were encouraged to attendthis workshop with others in theirgrading workgroup. If this was notpossible, then graders worked withtheir counterparts grading in the otherdirection, with graders of into-English exams, or individually. It wasan invaluable opportunity to furthercompare grading styles, and to con-tinue the discussion about grading
standards. We feel it will help stream-line grading practices and ensureconsistency in each language combi-nation and throughout the languagegroups as well. We also consider thisto be more beneficial to the candi-date, since this process is almost likehaving each exam reviewed by apanel of experts.
The second grader workshop cen-tered on the new form for practice testfeedback. The intent is to make ourevaluation of practice tests more con-sistent, less personal, and more effi-cient. We find that, no matter howcarefully we word our comments tocandidates (which has also been thesubject of a previous grader work-shop), it is too easy to hurt feelings andseem unprofessional in our feedback.
Also, the purpose of the practicetest is to provide an introduction tothe nature of the exam. It is not itsfunction to attempt to teach the can-didate how to understand the sourcelanguage, how to translate, or how towrite in the target language.
The new form contains an upgradedFramework for Standardized ErrorMarking (page 1) with more detailedcategories of errors. Instead of simplymarking an error as SP (spelling), wecan now provide more feedback bymarking D (accents and other diacriticalmarks) or C (case, upper/lower). Thus,it is not necessary to advise the candi-date to review the use of upper or lowercase rules in a particular language.
The framework also includes a boxfor E+ (major plus), E- (majorminus), e+ (minor plus), and e-(minor minus). The AccreditationCommittee intends to develop a pointsystem for grading exams, to beimplemented in November 2002. Therevised Framework, with plus andminus signs in the headings for majorand minor errors (which still carry thesame weight as before), provide
…The ATA AnnualConference is a unique
opportunity for graders tointeract, exchange ideas,
streamline standards, fine-tune grading skills,
and forge a strong senseof camaraderie…
➡
time of this birth was not oficialy reg-istered but was recorded in the familyrecord book [sic].”
Apparently, this is a commonpractice in a number of English-speaking African countries. On theother hand, many societies do notfollow the Western calendar whenmaking entries to their official birthregistries. Instead, they resort to thecurious system of establishingJanuary 1 as the official date of birthfor everyone born during the currentyear. Obviously, this leads to situa-tions in which it is impossible todetermine the exact age of the indi-vidual. I have encountered this situa-tion at least a dozen times.
ConclusionTranslating official documentation
for immigrants and foreign nationalspresents special challenges to transla-tors, since in many cases (such aswhen applying for a work permit orresidency) these papers will oftenplay a decisive role in the legal statusof the individual commissioning thetranslation. Unfortunately, I havefound that many translators do nothave a thorough understanding of thestructural, linguistic, social, and cul-tural nuances involved in the propertranslation of these documents.
It would be both very useful anddesirable for translators and inter-preters to familiarize themselves with
the different stages of the immigra-tion regularization process, includingthe procedures, requirements, typesof documents, and legal systems, inthose countries from which theyreceive translation assignments. Thiswould certainly greatly simplify theirtask, and would also help avoid mis-interpretations. In this sense, thework of social workers proves to beof key importance, since they act as alink between the immigrants and theinstitutions involved (including thetranslator) and are, like the translator,intercultural mediators.
The ATA Chronicle | February 200246
a useful transition to grading with apoint system. These marks will beused on practice tests and optionallyused on exams during the 2001–2002exam year.
Page 2 has a schematic descriptionof the language skills of a professionaltranslator tested by the accreditationexam and whether the candidate meetsthe criteria, as follows:
Comprehension of the source-language text.Criterion: Translated text reflects asound conceptual understanding ofthe material presented.
Translation techniques.Criteria: Translated text conveys thefull meaning of the original. Commontranslation pitfalls are avoided.Dictionaries are used effectively.
Writing in the target language.Criteria: Translated text is coherent.Sentences are recast appropriately for
target-language style and flow.Grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax,and usage are appropriate.
For example, numerous errors ingroup G (grammar), P (punctuation),SP (spelling), C (case), WF (wordform), U (usage), SY (syntax), andST (style) suggest that the candidatedoes not meet the standard forwriting in the target language.
In addition to the grader workshops,some language groups got togetherduring their “extra” time to discuss pas-sage guidelines for the 2001–2002exam year. This is a careful and time-consuming process, whereby gradersdiscuss what constitutes a major or aminor error and develop grading criteriafor their specific language. It representsa large amount of work, but it is also agreat chance to have a good time withfellow graders and to strengthen thebonds of camaraderie and friendship.
The conference is not the onlygrader training opportunity we offer.
Language chairs meet at ATAHeadquarters in March or April ofeach year for the Spring Meeting,where further training and policy dis-cussions are held.
Last April, Celia conducted thefirst regional grader workshop inBoston. A cluster of graders in thatarea traveled a short distance for aone-day training session on the two-grader consultation process. The par-ticipating graders hailed it as a bigsuccess, lots of fun, and a wonderfulopportunity to share insights withfellow graders.
The ATA Annual Conference inLos Angeles proved to be an excitingvenue for graders and languagechairs, and everyone involved in theaccreditation program shares theenthusiasm for the new changes thatwill definitely streamline our pro-gram and improve the level of ourcredential.
Translating Official Documents for African Immigrants Continued from p.42
Accreditation Forum: Accreditation Activities in Los Angeles Continued
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 47
Diccionario Collazo inglés-españolde informática, computación y otrasmaterias (DIC)Author:Javier L. CollazoPublisher: McGraw-Hill Interamericana Editores,S.A. de C.V., MexicoPublication Date:2001ISBN:970-10-3428-7 for both volumes
Reviewed by:Rudy Heller
General Information:Hardcover, heavy weight paper,
with two-column pages. Standardpresentation of English entries in bold,followed by the entry field in italics,then the Spanish translation, followedby numbered encyclopedic descrip-tions in separate paragraphs. Uses veryreadable font, comfortable leading.Contains 1,699 pages in two volumes.
While overall this review is verypositive, let me get some basic com-plaints out of the way first:
• A paper-only dictionary in the year2001—Why? I’d much rather havea CD-ROM that I can load ontomy hard drive than have to dealwith a bulky paper dictionary inwhich searching takes time. Allowme to load the data onto my harddrive and I’m a happy camper. So,Javier Collazo and McGraw-HillInteramericana, consider this reviewto be a plea to come out with anelectronic version of the book soon!
• A two (or more) volume dictionary.If having the dictionary in an elec-tronic format is out of the question,
I’d rather deal with one huge, thou-sands-of-pages monster that I placeon an easel (our town librarian hasgiven me the name of her supplier)and consult without ever closing it.Now every time I want to use it, Ihave to think about whether thebreak between volumes is before the“m” or after the “j” or whatever.There is probably a valid book-binding reason for going the two-volume route, but that does notnegate the inconvenience to the user.
• More than one look-up location. I donot understand the Appendix“Suplemento léxico A” that is foundin the back of Volume II of Collazo’sDIC. Why are these terms not in thebasic corpus? Now I am forced tolook up every term in two locations.Collazo even exhorts me to do thiswith the warning “conviene consul-tar este suplemento, ante la posibili-dad de encontrar en él alguna infor-mación adicional de interés.” If theauthor and publishers are going totake the “supplementary/appendix”route, then I’d much rather pay some-thing extra up front to get updatedversions every so often, similar towhat one does with software. I’d sub-scribe to the Collazo DictionaryUpdate Plan in a heartbeat. And thatis another reason to go with an elec-tronic format from the start.
Having issued these three basiccomplaints, let me move on to thegood stuff. I’ve been hearing aboutthis dictionary for at least five years,and it was well worth the wait.Collazo’s thoroughness is legendary(to wit, the popularity of hisDiccionario enciclopédico de térmi-nos técnicos), and he did not let up atall in creating this masterpiece.
Please be aware that this is a unidi-rectional dictionary (only Englishinto Spanish, with the encyclopedicexplanations written in Spanish).
The dictionary’s alphabetization istotally logical and intuitive. This mayseem trivial, but use a dictionary suchas Beigbeder’s Politécnico, where thislogic is missing, and you’ll realize thatalphabetizing is key. Plus, in Collazo’sDIC, every term is fully written out—no abbreviations or symbolic represen-tations of repeated words. There are nolines or squiggles in this dictionary.And alphabetizing is endemic, evenwithin entries, lists of synonyms,fields, and specializations. All of theseare also carefully alphabetized.
The dictionary is encyclopedic.That is, for most terms there is notjust a translation, but an explanation.This makes the DIC the translator’sultimate tool. By way of example,let’s take a look at a standard entry:
six-phase rectifier (Elec) rectificadorhexafásico.
Rectificador en el que se utilizantransformadores para obtener seisfuerzas electromotrices alternasque difieren en fase en 60° (unsexto de un ciclo) y que alimentanseis diodos o elementos de conduc-ción unidireccional o asimétrica.
So the translation is there along witha description in Collazo’s impeccablesyntax, chock full of terms you mayneed in other parts of your transla-tion. Returning our attention to theabove example, I often see the mas-culine adjectives “automotor” or“electromotor” used with a femininenoun. The careful translator willcatch this error by reading the abovedescription, where the correct “elec-tromotriz” is used.
Silversteyn is chair of the ATA Dictionary Review Committee.
Dictionary Reviews Compiled by Boris Silversteyn
➡
If you are questioning a termyou’ve heard or seen, you will findsecondary terms in the DIC, precededwith the words A VECES, MENOS FRE-CUENTE, TAMBIÉN, VARIANTES, ANGLI-CISMO, LOCALISMO, etc. Secondaryterms may not be the most appropri-ate, but Collazo recognizes that theyare commonly used. Shades ofManuel Seco’s dictum in his latestdictionary: “Si se usa, lo incluyo.” Agood dictionary is not necessarily theone with the most terms and defini-tions, but the one with the most clarityand precision.
Collazo’s care and approach putshis book way above the rest. Forexample, let’s look at the term “jpeg.”This term comes across my screen allthe time, yet I’ve never taken the trou-ble to find out that it stands for JointPhotographic Experts Group and thatthis group is an ISO committee. Thebrand new Microsoft Computer andInternet Dictionary doesn’t tell methat, but says, erroneously, that theextension I see on my screen is not.jpg but .jpeg.
For another example of the qualita-tive difference between these two dic-tionaries (both published in 2001 andboth by McGraw Hill), let’s look at theterm “buffer.” Collazo says: memoriaintermedia, almacenador (almace-namiento) intermedio, compensador(de velocidad), memoria de tránsito.This is followed by a half-column,four-part explanation. Microsoft says:buffer, búfer, followed by a wimpyparagraph. Búfer? Give me a break!
Let’s compare a couple of morecommon terms given in Table 1. As isobvious from these examples, the dif-ference is a matter of thoroughness andoffering the translator choices.
I was not pleased with seeing sev-eral terms (for example, “browser”)
both in the main lexicon and in theappendix. By the way, did you knowthat this term is actually an acronym:BRowsing Online With SElectiveRetrieval? Collazo’s preferred choicesfor this term are examinador,hojeador. I missed seeing exploradorand the even more common nave-gador. As a matter of fact, I ranCollazo’s choices on several searchengines, and the hits are significantlylower for examinador and hojeadorthan for the two terms that are missing.I did read an interview in whichCollazo states that back in the dayswhen Citizen Band Radio (CB) wascatching on, “se publicaron muchascosas tontas de las que ahora nadie seacuerda.” But personally, I think thatexplorador and navegador are here tostay, not so examinador and hojeador.
“Internet.” There is no Internet inthe main corpus (except for the all-lowercase “internet,” entre redes, anda lengthy [one entire column] expla-nation of the Internet, which I foundunder the entry World Wide Web).
And in the appendix, I noticed thatCollazo has chosen to give Internetthe feminine article (la—as opposedto el—Internet). Running this choicethrough several search engines con-firms Collazo’s selection. The dictio-nary’s supplementary appendix doeshave a column and a half of termsthat use the word Internet, startingout with one eight paragraphs long.These detailed descriptions are foundthroughout the dictionary. It is unfor-tunate, though, that they are not alltogether in one place. I only foundthe listing Internet in the main corpusby chance. I don’t want to harp on it,but, oh, do I miss the CD-ROM ver-sion with look-up functions that findall instances of a word instantly!
It is my hope that widespread useof this dictionary will go a long waytowards standardizing the terminologyof computer science and relatedfields, which are plagued by calquesand extranjerismos. For example,with the term “word processing,”Collazo does list the often-heard
The ATA Chronicle | February 200248
Dictionary Reviews Continued
Collazo:“ratón,” telecursor, teleíndice,puntero tipo ratón, telemando(rodante) de cursor.
Microsoft:Ratón
Collazo:entrar, ingresar, dar entrada, daringreso, hacer ingresar (infor-mática, datos)./introducir, meter;insertar; penetrar./inscribir, regis-trar, anotar, asentar; dar(le)asiento, dar(le) entrada (a unainformación en un libro de reg-istro)./afiliarse, ingresar (en);hacerse socio (de), hacersemiembro (de)./(Adm/Com) cargaren cuenta; asentar, contabilizar
Microsoft:Entrar
Table 1
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 49
procesamiento de palabras, however,he clearly expresses his preferencefor the more correct procesamientode textos. And under “word processingfunctions,” he translates and explains(with just the right brevity) 27 differ-ent WP functions that one so oftenruns into when translating fromEnglish into Spanish (regardless ofone’s specialization). A word that hasalways made me cringe, “deletear” (aSpanglish bastardization of “todelete”), is not found here. In itsplace we find (take your pick) anular,cancelar, suprimir, borrar, tachar,suprimir, and eliminar (datos o pro-gramas de la memoria).
The dictionary definitely has aslant towards Latin American Spanish(computadora instead of ordenador,archivos instead of ficheros), althoughI have seen a sprinkled use of ficherosin some definitions. As in Collazo’sprevious Diccionario Enciclopédicode Términos Técnicos, there is nomention of countries where this orthat term is used. Everything seemswritten to promote a standardized,universal Spanish.
The DIC also has a huge collectionof acronyms and abbreviations, all list-ed individually along with their com-plete spellings. For example, between“d’Alembert’s wave equation” and“damage,” I find DAMA (demandassignment multiple access), which Ialso find between “demand-assignedsingle-channel-per-carrier system” and“demand-assigned signaling andswitching.” In the second listing, theterm is spelled out, translated,and defined.
No errata or filler words werefound, although I question why thereare a couple of columns of termsstarting with bank, banker, and banking,and a couple more columns of terms
starting with tax, taxable, and taxing.Given the overall nature of the DIC,this is the last place I would look forterms in those fields.
The more I use Collazo’s diction-ary, the more (pleasant) surprises Irun into. For example, the dictionaryincludes decimal to hexadecimal con-version tables (right in the corpus, notin some never-looked-at appendix),as well as clear and succinct explana-tions of the “reciprocal method” and“cross ratio.” I don’t need or want tobecome an expert in these subjects,and Collazo gives me exactly what I,as a translator, need to know to do myjob well. Never too much and nevertoo little.
Do you want to confirm that youhave your Roman numerals right?What are the rules for scientific nota-tion? What is Shanon’s theory ofinformation? What is Unix? What isthe Greek alphabet (in caps and lowercase; the name and phonetic equiva-lent in Spanish)? How do you calcu-late standard deviation? What are thestandard postal abbreviations of theUSPS? What is RPN (reverse Polishnotation)? Collazo answers these andmany more questions in extensiveentries.
To justify my existence, I lookedup “translator” and found the equiva-lent of two pages under this andrelated terms (translating, translation,transliterate), specified under thefields Computecnia, Lingüística,Técnica especial, Telecom. I found itinteresting that the DIC includes“translation software” but not “trans-lation memory.”
I know that the DiccionarioCollazo de informática, computacióny otras materias is not yet available onU.S. bookshelves (the first printingdid not include U.S. distribution
rights). My favorite bookseller, FreekLankhof, at ibdltd.com, tells me that asecond edition is out and that he isgoing through all kinds of hoops to getsome copies to sell to U.S. translators.A quick perusal of my shelves con-firms the void that Collazo’s diction-ary fills (bilingual computer dictionar-ies are still few and far between). Mostare ancient: IBM (1975), Olivetti(1982), CAC’s Informática (1986),Aguilar’s Ordenadores (1969), Handel’sElectrónica (1962), Chandor’s Compu-tadores (1970), and Maynard’s Pro-cesamiento de datos (1978). How-ever, in a field that has moved as fastas this one, these works are definitelypre-dinosaur.
Perusing ibd’s website, I also findnewer informatics dictionaries likeRincón’s Diccionario conceptual deinformática y comunicaciones (98,Paraninfo), the already slammedMicrosoft dictionary (2000), Cebrián’sDiccionario de Internet (2000, Airtel),Alarcón’s monolingual Diccionario deinformática e Internet (2000), andWollnhals’ Diccionario de tecnologíade la información (97, Brandstetter).I’ve gone through all of these quicklyand, as Freek pointed out, none of thesehave come close to Collazo’s opus.
Última palabra: The DiccionarioCollazo de informática, computación yotras materias should be on everytranslator’s shelf. The list of centralsubjects covered is 22 items long andranges (alphabetically from álgebrabooleana through infotecnica, mate-máticas, procesamiento de datos, andfrom televisión to videotecnia). Relatedfields that Collazo does not considercentral to the DIC, but that are coveredextensively, include: acústica, artesgráficas, cine, contabilidad mecaniza-da, fisica, geofísica, luminotecnia, ➡
The ATA Chronicle | February 200250
método del camino crítico, registromagnético, and tecnología especial. Ifyou own the Diccionario Enciclopédicode Términos Técnicos (DETT, ISBN 0-07-079162-7), this is both a comple-mentary work and an update of thatclassic. If you don’t have the DETT yet,go for broke and buy them both!
Elsevier’s Dictionary ofInvertebrates (Excluding Insects) Authors:Dr. Ilja Okáli, Dr. Miroslava Dulová, andIng. Pavel MokráÀPublisher: Elsevier Science B.V. (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)Publication Date:2000 (first edition)ISBN: 0-444-50535-0Price: $170/NLG 325/Euro 147.48Where Available: This book can be ordered directly fromElsevier’s Amsterdam or New Yorkoffices, or by visiting their website(www.elsevier.com).Amsterdam Office: Elsevier Science Inc.Sara Burgerhartstraat 25P.O. Box 2111000 AE AmsterdamThe NetherlandsU.S./Canada Office: Elsevier Science Inc.P.O. Box 945Madison Square StationNew York, N.Y. 10160-0757
General Information:Multilingual dictionary in Latin,English, French, German, and Spanish.Hardbound with heavy stock qualitypaper and semi glossy, with very legible typeface. Contains 496 pagesand 4,613 terms.
Reviewed by: Marie-France Schreiber
The dictionary contains the nation-al names of species and subspecies ofinvertebrates (excluding insects)found worldwide, including an abbre-viated form of the phylum, class,order, and family of the zoologicalsystem for each name. It not onlyfocuses on geographical areas, butalso local names. Phyla coveredinclude: Plasmodroma (plasmodromicanimals), Ciliophora (ciliophores),Moruloidea (moruloid animals), Pori-fera (sponges), Cnidaria (enidarids),Platyheiminthes (flatworms), Nema-theiminthes (roundworms), Acantho-cephala (spiny-headed worms), Geph-yrea (gephyrids), Nemertoidea (ribbonworms), Ascheiminthes (ascheiminths),Mollusca (mollusks), Annelida (ring-worms), Tentaculata (tentaculates),Archipodiata (archipodiates), andArthropoda (joint-legged animals,excluding insects).
The preface and index sections ofthis book are in four languages. Thereis also a zoological system (a list
classified by individual taxons inLatin) that forms the basis for the mainsection of the dictionary. English,French, German, and Spanish termscan be conveniently looked up in theirrespective indices, located at the backof the dictionary.
Let me point out that I would havenever called this a dictionary. It ismore a glossary; namely, a long listof terms in a numerical sequence,classified alphabetically accordingto families based in Latin. Eachentry is usually translated into oneor more languages, but not everyterm is necessarily available in alllanguages. No phonetic pronuncia-tion is provided for any of the lan-guages, nor is there any contextualor encyclopedic references outlined.There are also no illustrations of theinvertebrates. This would have beena very nice touch for the avid learn-er or research aficionado.
I will attempt to illustrate what Imean by giving you a few examples.When I wanted to look up hermitcrab in English to find out what itsscientific name in Latin was and then
Dictionary Reviews Continued
English Latin French
Hermit crab 745Cancer pagurusXIV-CRU-dec-28
1731Eupagurus bernhardusXVI-CRU-dec-16
Crabe pagure; tourteau;crabe rouge; crabe de lune; crabe velours;crave tourteau; crabe dormeur;dormeur; crabe poupart;houvet
Bernhard-l’hermite; pagure; soldat; Bernard; consilieux
Table 1
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 51
find an equivalent translation intoFrench, the information in Table 1was the result (note there are twoLatin references).
What term would you pick inFrench? Well, I settled for Bernhard-l’hermite. What is the most appropri-ate scientific name, then? I leave thatresponse to a scientist. Next, see Table2 for what I found when looking upthe mollusk coquilles St. Jacques inFrench for an equivalent in Englishand Spanish.
In every one of these cases, itseems rather difficult, in my opinion,to choose an appropriate translationwithout prior scientific knowledge oran understanding of Latin etymology.
In terms of the accuracy of con-tent, I am not a connoisseur of suchcreatures, but I believe any scientistfascinated by this field of studywould find this dictionary quiteuseful if he needed to translate scien-tific terms into lay or common termsin any of the given target languagesprovided. However, the average trans-lator looking for an English>Frenchtranslation of a term or even a scien-tific name equivalent would find thisprocess quite awkward and time-con-suming. I truly think you need to bescientifically inclined to use this dic-tionary creatively.
Elsevier’s Dictionary of Entomology Author:Murray WrobelPublisher:Elsevier Science B.V. (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)Publication Date: 2001 (First Edition) ISBN: 0-444-50392-7Price: $148/NLG 300/Euro 136.13Where Available:This book can be ordered directly fromElsevier’s Amsterdam or New Yorkoffices, or by visiting their website(www.elsevier.com).Amsterdam Office:Elsevier Science Inc.Sara Burgerhartstraat 25P.O. Box 2111000 AE AmsterdamThe NetherlandsU.S./Canada Office:Elsevier Science Inc.P.O. Box 945Madison Square StationNew York, N.Y. 10160-0757
General Information:Multilingual dictionary in Latin, English,French, German, and Italian. Hardboundwith heavy stock quality paper andsemi-glossy, with very legible typeface.
Contains 386 pages and 4,947 terms.
Reviewed by:Marie-France Schreiber
This dictionary was compiled as acompanion volume to Elsevier’sDictionary of Butterflies and Moths.Its purpose is to give an overview ofthe common names of insects otherthan butterflies and moths. It con-tains, in alphabetical order, the scien-tific names of orders, families, gen-era, and species of insects, spiders,snails, and other invertebrates foundin Europe, North America, SouthAfrica, New Zealand, and Australia.French-speaking Canadian terms arealso included.
There is a brief preface section inEnglish as well as an English,German, French, and Italian indexlocated at the back of the book, whereterms can be looked up. The contentsis a numerical listing of Latin scien-tific names with their respectiveEnglish, German, French, and Italiantranslation, whenever applicable.
Overall, this dictionary/glossary isset up the same way as Elsevier’sDictionary of Invertebrates (ExcludingInsects), except there appears to be
English Latin French Spanish
Coquilles St. Jacques=> coquilles de St.Jacques
3178Pecten maximus;Pecten vulgaris;Chlamys maximaXIV-LAM-ani-5
large scallop; great scallop; scal-lop; great clam; pilgrim clam; pil-grim scallop; scallops; queens;frills; escallop; St. James’ shell;harp shell; harp
concha de Santiago; peregrino mayo
Table 2
Continued on p.53
The ATA Chronicle | February 200252
[Abbreviations used with this column:E-English; Fi-Finnish; F-French; G-German; I-Italian; R-Russian; Sp-Spanish; Sw-Swedish.]
Some ATA members may in facthave worked as language coachesfor the motion picture industry,
but the Translation Inquirer has heardof a, probably, unique instance in theNew Zealand Lord of the Rings project.Apparently, individuals were hired tocoach actors and actresses in the cor-rect [!] pronunciation of a nonexistentlanguage, one based loosely on a com-bination of Welsh and Finnish,invented by J.R.R. Tolkien. Sureenough, the first installment, theFellowship of the Rings, has Englishsubtitles for Tolkien’s Elvish. Howfanatical can you get?
New Queries(E-D 2-02/1) Possibly related to
the English-Italian query below, themilitary slang verb phrase to pull rankcame up in a context where Dutch wasneeded. Presumably, the best possibletranslation would be one that wouldcome from the Dutch military, butmaybe in a perfect military servicesuch behavior never occurs….
(E-F 2-02/2) This financial queryleaves open an apparent range ofchoices for the French rendering,because tax default, the term causingthe problem, may be viewed as eitherintentional or unintentional. Perhapsthe context from the original docu-ment may help: …these agreementsinclude one agreement for encour-aging and protecting investments, andanother for avoiding dual taxationand preventing tax default. Clearlyit’s a no-no, but as we all know, youcan run into tax problems withoutmeaning to!
(E-F 2-02/3) This query shouldprovoke a good deal of creative fun, asit was doing when last seen in a not-yet-solved condition on Lantra-L. Thecolloquialism in English is If it lookslike a duck, and quacks like a duck…[implied:] chances are, it’s a duck!The last five words may or may not beincluded if something appropriate andparallel can be found in French.
(E-I 2-02/4) Among a dreary list ofall the negative things that can happento a person as a result of being in afamily, a ProZ member found theneologism parentification. At firstglance, an amateur is tempted to thinkmaybe this is the role-playing done bya sibling to lord it over another sib-ling. However, this is a well-definedbuzzword in psychology. Exactlywhat does it refer to, and how wouldone render it into good Italian?
(E-R 2-02/5) Can this be? Surelythe term fast-forward can scarcely beapplicable to compact disk players,and yet a description of how oneworks says exactly that: After 3 sec-onds, the CD begins to fast-forwarduntil the rocker button is released. Theelapsed time is displayed while the CDfast-forwards. The context sentencesrepeat the idea twice, giving one thenotion that somehow compact disk ter-minology has preserved at least someof the traditional audio tape recorderjargon. If so, ecrjhtyyjt ghjrhexbd-fybt or ecrjhtyyfz gthtvjnrf couldbe the Russian renderings of choice. Oris something else more appropriate?
(E-R 2-02/6) A Lantra-L memberwished to know how to renderMandarin Chinese (the name for thelanguage, that is) into Russian.
(E-Sw 2-02/7) In the context ofmaterials written about the quality of acontrolling valve in a loading machine,a ProZ member had trouble with float
detent. The context: 3-spool, open cen-ter type with float detent on lift andelectrically controlled auxiliary spool.Swedish equivalent needed, please.
(G-E 2-02/8) A ProZ correspondentworking on a patent ran into the con-trast between “entgegen” and “abge-wandt” in the following statementregarding a screw fastening system:“Vorzugsweise schließst sich an dassetzrichtungsseitig abgewandte Endedes Gewindes ein Nachgewinde an,das eine entgegen der Setzrichtungabnehmende Flankenbreite aufweist.”The question is whether the former isbest rendered as facing away, and thelatter as facing (“zur Setzrichtung hin”).
(G-E 2-02/9) A German companylisted the types of scaffolding itoffered. The list, as presented by aProZ participant, included (9.a)“Dachauffanggerüste” and (9.b)“Auslegergerüste.” Does the formerhave anything to do with the some-times seemingly rickety and scarystructures used by window cleaners?
Old Queries, No Replies YetAs far as I can see, there was never a
peep from anyone regarding the twoqueries below, which appeared on page58 of the May 2000 Chronicle. No one isever likely to accuse this column of hav-ing too much Finnish, so back in they go:
(Fi-E 5-2000/12) Yngve Roennikewonders whether “suuntautuneisuus”is best rendered as direct approach inEnglish.
(Fi-E 5-2000/13) In connection withpulp-related machinery, Yngve needsto know the meaning of “käppyrä.”
Replies to Old Queries(E-I 9-01/4) (stipulated default):
Berto Berti would translate this as“inadempienza concordata” or “deb-ito concordato.”
Address your queries and responses to The Translation Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania17821, or fax them to (570) 275-1477. E-mail address: [email protected]. Please make your submissions bythe 25th of each month to be included in the next issue. Generous assistance from Per Dohler, proofreader, isgratefully acknowledged.
The Translation Inquirer By John Decker
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 53
(G-Sw 8-01/11) (“….Schein-selbstständigkeit mit einhergehendenUnterlaufen der Beschränkungen derArbeitszeit….”): Sigrid Junkermann iskind enough to provide some concreteexamples of this sort of legal dodgethat creates pseudo-independent con-tractors: waiters who “rent” parts of arestaurant, and slaughterhouse workerswho come to work every day under aspecial contract to use a position on the“dis-assembly line” (which, I suppose,is the only way one could describe theworkplace at a slaughterhouse). Thepeople described really are employees,
but they use these dodges in order towork longer, not shorter, hours.
(R-E 11-01/7) (ik/p): For this,Jim Shipp refers us to a fine, compre-hensive work by Druker and Avrutin,the Comprehensive Russian ComputerDictionary, published in 1999 by theInstitute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers Computer Society. It goesin both directions. When he read thequery, gateway popped into his head,and the above dictionary confirmed it:ik/p = gateway, Internet gateway.Additionally listed was ik/pjdjqcthdth, gateway server.
(Sp-E 11-01/8) (“asociación enparticipación”): Gabriela Meilij-Romero believes this ought to betranslated as joint venture, eventhough in Argentina the Spanish ver-sion would be “sociedad en partici-pación.” “Asociación,” she says, isused for nonprofit institutions.
Just four responses in a month,from an organization that numbersover eight thousand? Some of the chatrooms of translation-related cyber-sites have that many responses, andmore, in an hour!
The Universitat Autònoma deBarcelona, with its international pro-file and status as an innovator, wasthe perfect venue for such a confer-ence. It is located 12-13 miles fromBarcelona in Bellaterra, in the heartof Catalonia’s technological district,in the so-called green corridorbetween Barcelona and the industrialbelt. This provided an attractive envi-ronment for the conference partici-pants. Even the train ride fromBarcelona to the university campuswas a pleasant experience, as itpassed through semirural as well asindustrial and residential areas.
Fifth International Conference on Translation Continued from p.44fewer terms available in all languages.
English seems to be the predominantlanguage represented.
I would also like to make an obser-vation regarding the layout of the mul-tilingual indices. Listing the names inalphabetical order does not assist theresearcher in trying to locate an insect.For instance, if you were looking for aparticular beetle, the only term you findin the English Index is Beetles. Youwould need to know the full name ofthe beetle to look it up, such as Chineserose beetle. I think it would be usefulto cross-reference names under themain heading Beetles as follows:
BeetlesChinese rose beetleChristmas beetlesGoliathus beetle
Otherwise, it becomes a thumb-paging process to find all the beetlesin this particular dictionary.
Overall, both Elsevier dictionariesreviewed here are well compiled based
on the list of bibliographic references.However, they fall short of my expecta-tions as a reference tool for translators.I do not consider myself a scientist, buta researcher. Challenged with trans-lating material on invertebrates andentomology, I believe these two dic-tionaries would be helpful, but by nomeans the only tools for my research.There are usually too many entries topick from for each species! My conclu-sion is that these reference tools shouldbe targeted to scientists, experts in theirfields, who recognize species by theirLatin, scientific names. They provideless assistance to the average translatorlooking up terms in his native languageto render into another.
Dictionary Reviews Continued from p.51
Log on to ATA’s website at www.atanet.org/membersonly for special features for members!
The ATA Chronicle | February 200254
M ost people would agree that atranslation, no matter howchanged it is from the original,
must still retain the essence of theoriginal. Therefore, if somethingessential to the original is not availablein the target culture, then that originalis untranslatable into the target lan-guage. Even if the translator translatesthe words into some “literal” equiva-lent, the result is unsuccessful becausethe target audience reaction is so dif-ferent from the original audience reac-tion. Paradoxically, repeated “transla-tions” of untranslatable material mayeventually instill in the target culturewhat was not previously present, andso make such material translatable, oreven turn what was once not a transla-tion into one.
But how much of what is calleduntranslatable due to culturalincompatibly is actually only badlytranslated? A piece in the currentissue of Translation & Literature(Volume 10, Part 2, 2001) by AdamPiette (pp. 282-89), which reviewstranslations of contemporary Frenchpoetry, shows that critics often donot make the distinction. Here is apoem by the Breton poet Guillevic,which Piette claims the poet can“just about get away with”:
Mer au bord du néant,Qui se mêle au néant,
Pour mieux savoir le ciel,Les plages, le rochers,
Pour mieux les recevoir.
Here is John Montague’s Englishtranslation:
Sea on the edge of nothingness,Mingling with the nothingness,Better to perceive the sky,The beaches, the rocks,
Better to receive them.
According to Piette, Montague’sEnglish “teeters on the edge of a dif-ferent abyss” than the French néant; itis “self-mocking”…“sentiment on therocks!” because over the past two cen-turies there has been “a comic disman-tling” in English “of the Romanticelementary sublime.” “It is so very dif-ficult to register the seemingly unadul-terated joy the French can stillarticulate in just saying elementary“mer,” elementary “ciel,” “plages,”“rochers.” In English, the list:
‘the sky, / The beaches, the rocks’invites the conjuring of concretecontexts: girls and boys at play onthose beaches, gulls scatteringguano over those rocks, the sky suf-fering the projections of a tourist’sdrunken fantasies. English may have
changed so much over centuries ofsuspicious Protestant use that itsspeakers will always be temptedtowards over-reading and batheticconnotation when articulating thebare elements, the over-readingdesigned to explode pretentionstowards flighty sentiment aboutnature and the primitive sublime.
But is Piette correct as to theuntranslatability of the poem? Heimplies that the English reader isstuck with Montague’s translationbecause “the poetry of the elementaryis relatively easy to translate. Thereare not a trillion options.” But there isone obvious option not chosen byMontague—and not mentioned byPiette: to make the English truly “ele-mentary,” not only in ideas but in lan-guage. In English, a tri-syllabic wordlike “nothingness” is not elementary.
Here is Ronnie Apter’s translation,which, by coming closer to the incan-tatory quality of the French, belies thepoem’s untranslatability:
Sea verging on void,merging with void,
better to scan sky,sand, rocks,
better to take in them.
Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit items for future columns via e-mail to [email protected] or viasnail mail to Mark Herman, 5748 W Brooks Rd., Shepherd, MI 48883-9202. Discussions of the translation of humorand examples thereof are preferred, but humorous anecdotes about translators, translations, and mistranslationsare also welcome. Include copyright information and permission if relevant.
Humor and Translation By Mark Herman
On Untranslatability
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The ATA Chronicle | February 200256
ATA ChaptersAtlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT) P.O. Box 12172Atlanta, GA 30355Tel: (770) [email protected] • www.aait.org
Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters (CATI)604 W Academy StreetFuquay-Varina, NC 27526Tel: (919) 577-0840 • Fax: (775) 244-2746 [email protected] • www.catiweb.org• Local group meetings held in Asheville,
Charlotte, and Research Triangle Park,NC; Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg, SC.
• Membership directory, $12; CATIQuarterly subscription, $12.
Florida Chapter of ATA (FLATA)P.O. Box 14-1057Coral Gables, FL 33114-1057Tel/Voice: (305) 274-3434 Fax: (305) [email protected] • www.atafl.com
Mid-America Chapter of ATA (MICATA)6600 NW Sweetbriar LaneKansas City, MO 64151Attn.: Meeri YuleTel: (816) 741-9441 • Fax: (816) [email protected] • www.ata-micata.org
National Capital Area Chapter of ATA (NCATA)P.O. Box 65200Washington, DC 20035-5200Tel: (202) 255-9290 • Fax (202) [email protected] • www.ncata.org• The Professional Services Directory of
the National Capital Area Chapter of theAmerican Translators Association(NCATA) has gone online. It lists NCATAmembers and the services they offer,together with additional informationthat enables translation and interpreta-tion users to find just the right lan-guage specialist for their projects.Bookmark www.ncata.org and checkout the NCATA directory. If you maintainlanguage-related webpages, you maywant to include a link to the directory.NCATA is always interested in comments and suggestions.
New York Circle of Translators (NYCT)P.O. Box 4051, Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163-4051Tel: (212) [email protected] • www.nyctranslators.org
Northeast Ohio Translators Association (NOTA)1963 E Sprague RoadSeven Hills, OH 44131Tel: (440) 526-2365 • Fax: (440) [email protected]
Northern California TranslatorsAssociation (NCTA)P.O. Box 14015Berkeley, CA 94712-5015Tel: (510) 845-8712 • Fax: (510) [email protected] • www.ncta.org• Telephone/online referral service. See
searchable translator database on website.• NCTA Directory of Translators and
Interpreters available on CD-ROM ordiskette for $15. Accept MasterCard/Visa.
Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS)P.O. Box 25301Seattle, WA 98125-2201Tel: (206) [email protected] • www.notisnet.org
Southern California Area Translators andInterpreters Association (SCATIA)P.O. Box 34310Los Angeles, CA 90034Tel: (818) 725-3899 • Fax: (818) [email protected] • www.scatia.org
Affiliated GroupsMichigan Translators/Interpreters Network(MiTiN) P.O. Box 852 Novi, MI 48376 Tel: (248) 344-0909 • Fax: (248) 344-0092 [email protected]
Upper Midwest Translators andInterpreters Association (UMTIA)Coordinator, Minnesota Translation Laboratory218 Nolte Center315 Pillsbury Drive SEMinneapolis, MN 55455Tel: (612) 625-3096 • Fax: (612) [email protected]
Utah Translators and InterpretersAssociation (UTIA)3617 S 1400 WestSalt Lake City, UT 84119Tel: (801) 973-0912 • Fax: (208) [email protected] • www.utia.org
Other GroupsThis list gives contact information for translation and interpretation groups as aservice to ATA members. Inclusion doesnot imply affiliation with or endorsementby ATA.
American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)The University of Texas at DallasMC35, P.O. Box 830688Richardson, TX 75083-0688Tel: (972) 883-2093 • Fax: (972) [email protected]
Austin Area Translators and InterpretersAssociation (AATIA)P.O. Box 13331 Austin, TX 78701-3331Tel: (512) 707-3900 [email protected] • www.aatia.org
The California Court InterpretersAssociation (CCIA)345 S Hwy 101, Suite DEncinitas, CA 92024Tel: (760) 635-0273 • Fax: (760) [email protected] • www.ccia.org
Chicago Area Translators and InterpretersAssociation (CHICATA)P.O. Box 804595Chicago, IL 60680-4107Tel: (312) [email protected] • www.chicata.org
ATA Chapters, Affiliated Groups, and Other Groups
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 57
Colorado Translators Association (CTA)3054 S Xanthia StreetDenver, CO 80025Tel: (303) 743-7719 [email protected]• For more information about the online
directory, newsletter, accreditationexams, and professional seminars,please visit www.cta-web.org.
Delaware Valley Translators Association (DVTA)606 John Anthony DriveWest Chester, PA 19382-7191Tel: (215) [email protected]
El Paso Interpreters and TranslatorsAssociation (EPITA)1003 Alethea PlaceEl Paso, TX 79902 Tel: (915) 532-8566 • Fax: (915) [email protected]
Houston Interpreters and TranslatorsAssociation (HITA) P.O. Box 61285Houston, TX 77208-1285Tel: (713) 935-2123
Metroplex Interpreters and TranslatorsAssociation (MITA) 712 Cornfield DriveArlington, TX 76017Tel: (817) 417-4747www.dfw-mita.com
National Association of JudiciaryInterpreters and Translators (NAJIT) 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3025New York, NY 10176Tel: (212) 692-9581 • Fax: (212) [email protected] • www.najit.org
New England Translators Association (NETA) 27 Wachusett AvenueArlington, MA 02476Tel: (781) 648-1731 • Fax: (617) [email protected] • www.netaweb.org
New Mexico Translators and InterpretersAssociation (NMTIA)P.O. Box 36263Albuquerque, NM 87176Tel: (505) 352-9258 • Fax: (505) [email protected]/~nmtia• Membership Directory available for $5.
Please make check payable to NMTIAand mail your request to the addresslisted here, or contact us by e-mail.
The Translators and Interpreters Guild (TTIG)2007 N 15th Street, Suite 4Arlington, VA 22201-2621Tel: (703) 522-0881 • (800) 992-0367Fax: (703) [email protected] • www.ttig.org
Washington State Court Interpreters andTranslators Society (WITS)P.O. Box 1012 Seattle, WA 98111-1012Tel: (206) 382-5690www.witsnet.org
International GroupsFITFédération Internationale desTraducteurs/International Federation ofTranslators (FIT)2021 Avenue Union, Bureau 1108 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2S9Tel: (514) 845-0413 • Fax: (514) [email protected]
AUSTRALIAAustralian Institute of Interpreters andTranslators, Inc. (AUSIT)P.O. Box A202Sydney South, NSW 1235 AustraliaTel/Fax: +61 (02) 9626 7046 [email protected] • www.ausit.org
CANADAAssociation of Translators andInterpreters of Alberta (ATIA)P.O. Box 2635Station MCalgary, Alberta, T2P 3C1 Canada Tel: (403) 243-3477(Alberta office) or(780) 434-8384 (Edmonton office)www.atia.ab.ca
Association of Translators andInterpreters of Ontario (ATIO)1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1202Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 7B7Tel: (613) 241-2846, Toll-free: 1-800-234-5030Fax: (613) [email protected] • www.atio.on.ca
Ordre des Traducteurs, Terminologues etInterprètes Agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ)2021 Union, Suite 1108Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2S9 Tel: (514) 845-4411Toll-free: (800) 265-4815 Fax: (514) [email protected] • www.ottiaq.org
Society of Translators and Interpreters ofBritish Columbia (STIBC)Suite 514, 850 W Hastings Street, Box 34Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 1E1Tel: (604) 684-2940 • Fax: (604) [email protected] • www.stibc.org
ENGLANDInstitute of Translation & Interpreting (ITI)Exchange House494 Midsummer BoulevardCentral Milton KeynesMK9 2EA EnglandTel: +44 (0) 1908 255905Fax: +44 (0) 1908 [email protected] • www.iti.org.uk
Note: All announcements must be received by the first of the month prior to the month of publication (For example, September 1 for October issue). For more information on chapters or to start a chapter, please contact ATAHeadquarters. Send updates to Mary David, ATA Chronicle, 225 ReinekersLane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314; Tel: (703) 683-6100; Fax: (703) 683-6122; [email protected].
The ATA Chronicle | February 200258
ATA Accreditation Exam Information
Upcoming ExamsCaliforniaApril 27, 2002San FranciscoRegistration Deadline:April 12, 2002
April 27, 2002San DiegoRegistration Deadline:April 12, 2002
ColoradoMarch 16, 2002DenverRegistration Deadline:March 1, 2002
September 14, 2002BoulderRegistration Deadline:August 30, 2002
GeorgiaApril 6, 2002AtlantaRegistration Deadline:March 22, 2002
MassachusettsApril 28, 2002WalthamRegistration Deadline:April 12, 2002
MichiganMay 11, 2002KalamazooRegistration Deadline:April 26, 2002
August 31, 2002NoviRegistration Deadline:August 16, 2002
MinnesotaMarch 9, 2002MinneapolisRegistration Deadline:February 22, 2002
MissouriApril 7, 2002ColumbiaRegistration Deadline:March 22, 2002
New MexicoJune 1, 2002AlbuquerqueRegistration Deadline:May 17, 2002
New YorkSeptember 14, 2002New York CityRegistration Deadline:August 30, 2002
PennsylvaniaMay 11, 2002PittsburghRegistration Deadline:April 26, 2002
TexasApril 21, 2002Austin (2 sittings A.M. & P.M.)Registration Deadline:April 5, 2002
WashingtonApril 27, 2002SeattleRegistration Deadline:April 12, 2002
WisconsinApril 27, 2002MilwaukeeRegistration Deadline:April 12, 2002
CanadaMay 11, 2002TorontoRegistration Deadline:April 27, 2002
EnglandMay 11, 2002West SussexRegistration Deadline:April 26, 2002
MexicoSeptember 14, 2002TijuanaRegistration Deadline:August 30, 2002
Puerto RicoApril 6, 2002San JuanRegistration Deadline:March 22, 2002
CongratulationsCongratulations to thefollowing people whohave successfully completed accreditationexams:
Dutch into EnglishRobert A. CroeseSimpsonville, SC
German into EnglishShannon L. MurrayVicksburg, MS
Hungarian into EnglishIldikó E. PallóColumbus, OH
Portuguese into EnglishMary Jane TeagueMission Viejo, CA
Spanish into EnglishJoy E. LópezParker, CO
English into ChineseSunshine WangIrvine, CA
English into SpanishElena C. AchavalMinneapolis, MN
Vicky E. BernackiKendall Park, NJ
Gabriela BocaneteBogota, Colombia
Marcela A. CaressaBuenos Aires, Argentina
Carlos J. FernándezBerlin, Germany
Sandra M. FrieseRosario, Argentina
Virginia Ordaz KubanColorado Springs, CO
Maria G. OrtizBuenos Aires, Argentina
Maria Yolanda RiveraDallas, TX
Maria C. SaizBogota, Colombia
Aura R. Triana-PachecoBrookeville, MD
Marta R. ViguésBuenos Aires, Argentina
Eva WeingortSherman Oaks, CA
Gabriela L.WolochwianskiRosario, Argentina
The Active MemberReview Committee ispleased to grant activemember status to
Alexei MosalskyMercer Island, WA
Catherine M. MuirMaroochydore DC,Australia
Jack C. NowickiMarietta, GA
George T. PelkaPrague, Czech Republic
Kazuko O. ShermanMcLean, VA
Please direct all inquiries regarding general accreditation information to ATA Headquarters at (703) 683-6100. Registration for all accredita-tion exams should be made through ATA Headquarters. All sittings have a maximum capacity and admission is based on the order in whichregistrations are received. Forms are available from the ATA website or from Headquarters.
The ATA Chronicle | February 2002 59
Check out ATA’s online Job Bank in the Members Only section of the ATAwebsite at www.atanet.org/membersonly
Looking for a freelance job or a full-time position? Need help finding a translator or interpreter for afreelance job or a full-time position?
ATA’s Fax on DemandNeed a membership form for a colleague? Want the latest list of exam sites? Call ATA’s Documenton Request line, available 24-hours a day:
1-888-990-3282
The call is toll-free and user-friendly...simply follow the voice prompts and have the ATA documentsyou need faxed to you.
Here’s the current list of documents that are available and their document numbers:
1 Menu20 Membership Brochure21 Membership Application22 Alternative Routes to Active or
Corresponding Membership30 A Guide to ATA Accreditation31 ATA Accreditation Practice Test
Request Form32 ATA Accreditation Examination
Registration Form
33 Request for AccreditationReview
40 List of Publications & OrderForm
50 Editorial Guidelines51 Chronicle Advertising Rates52 1994 Chronicle Index53 1995 Chronicle Index54 1996 Chronicle Index55 1997 Chronicle Index56 1998 Chronicle Index
57 1999 Chronicle Index58 2000 Chronicle Index59 ATA Code of Professional
Conduct60 ATAware Order Form70 Chapters, Affiliated Groups &
Other Groups80 Proposal for Conference
Presentation90 Model Contract for Translators
If you were unable to attend the ATA Conference in Orlando, or you attended,but couldn’t fit everything into your schedule, you still have the opportunity toenjoy selected sessions related to Spanish that were presented during the con-ference. The SPD has compiled and published some of the sessions related toSpanish as originally presented by their authors.
Order your 211-page copy of Selected Spanish-Related Presentations from theATA 41st Annual Conference in Orlando now. SPD members can enjoy thisfabulous publication for $15! It is also offered at a reasonable $20 for non-SPD members. Contact ATA Headquarters today for ordering information!
41st Annual ATA Conference Selected Spanish-Related Presentation PublicationAvailable for Purchase
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Russian > English
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Technical Writer/translator. GriffithLaboratories Worldwide, Inc. an Alsip, ILbased company is looking for a TechnicalWriter/Translator. Coordinates linguisticallybarrier-free flow of technical, business and legalinformation between the company’s Englishand French-speaking offices and customers.Works with the company’s Research andDevelopment dept. to coordinate translation ofthe company’s cereal, flavor/spice, protein tech-nology, and fermentation technology intoFrench language and preparing operationalmanuals and technical research reports for ouroffices in France and Belgium; assists in prepar-ing brochures, promotional material, charts,video and audio clips and advertisements inFrench targeted to specific age and social groupsin France and Belgium; works closely with com-pany’s Corporate and Legal Dept. to preparesales and distribution, merger/acquisition,patent/technology transfer, corporate and otherlegal instruments in French, including adjustinglegal terminology to French. Belgian, and EUlegal norms and standards; assists Operationsand Technical Support departments in obtain-ing precise and understandable translation ofFrench technical and business terminology;assists French and Belgian subsidiaries in trans-lation and understanding specificEnglish/American technical business, and legalterminology. required technical skills: at least aBachelor’s degree in business/marketing, lin-guistics or law. At least one year of experience inthe french/Belgian market, and native or native-like knowledge of French language. Please replyto Human Resources, Griffith LaboratoriesWorldwide, Inc., One Griffith Center, Alsip, IL60803. No phone calls, please.
Recruitment
Call today today to advertise in ATA’s New Marketplace!1-800-394-5157 ext. 38
Don’t let another issue pass you by!
The ATA Chronicle | February 200260
American Translators AssociationOfficersPresidentMr. Thomas L. West IIIIntermark Language Services Corp.2555 Cumberland Pkwy, Ste. 295Atlanta, GA 30339Tel: (770) 444-3055Fax: (770) [email protected]
President-electMr. Scott Brennan10005 Cairn Mountain WayBristow, VA 20136-3009Tel: (703) 393-0365Fax: (703) [email protected]
SecretaryMs. Courtney Searls-RidgeGerman Language Services2658 48th Avenue SWSeattle, WA 98116Tel: (206) 938-3600Fax: (206) [email protected]
TreasurerDr. Jiri Stejskal7312 Oak AvenueMelrose Park, PA 19027Tel: (215) 635-7090Fax: (215) [email protected]
Directors Committee Chairs Division AdministratorsMr. Kirk Anderson2455 Flamingo Drive, #401Miami Beach, FL 33140Tel: (305) 532-7252Fax: (305) [email protected]
Ms. Beatriz Bonnet7465 E Peakview AvenueEnglewood, CO 80111Tel: (303) 779-1288Fax: (303) [email protected]
Mr. Robert A. Croese204 Neely Crossing LaneSimpsonville, SC 29680Tel: (864) 967-3955Fax: (864) [email protected]
Ms. Marian S. Greenfield2619 Holly AvenueSouth Plainfield, NJ 07080Tel: (908) 561-7590Fax: (908) [email protected]
Prof. Alan K. Melby1223 Aspen AvenueProvo, UT 84604Tel: (801) 378-2144Fax: (801) [email protected]
Mr. Robert E. Sette109 Biddle AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15221Tel: (412) 731-8198Fax: (412) [email protected]
Ms. Ines Swaney6161 Harwood AvenueOakland, CA 94618Tel: (510) 658-7744Fax: (510) [email protected]
Prof. Madeleine C. Velguth2608 E Newport AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53211Tel: (414) 229-5968Fax: (414) [email protected]
Mr. Timothy Yuan89-33 Pontiac StreetQueens Village, NY 11427Tel: (718) 776-8139Fax: (718) [email protected]
AccreditationLilian Novas Van VrankenSpring, TXTel: (281) [email protected]
Active Membership ReviewLeland D. WrightKent, OHTel: (330) 673-0043Fax: (330) [email protected]
BudgetJiri StejskalMelrose Park, PA Tel: (215) 635-7090Fax: (215) [email protected]
ChaptersRobert A. CroeseSimpsonville, SC Tel: (864) 967-3955Fax: (864) [email protected]
Dictionary ReviewBoris M. SilversteynVenice, FLTel/Fax: (941) [email protected]
DivisionsDorothee RacetteSaranac, NYTel: (518) 293-7494Fax: (518) [email protected]
Education and Training(Non-ATA Programs)Gertrud Graubart ChampeSurry, METel: (319) 335-2002Fax: (319) [email protected]
EthicsVacant
Honors and AwardsJo Anne EngelbertSt. Augustine, FLTel: (904) 460-1190Fax: (904) [email protected]
Interpretation PolicyAdvisoryChristian DegueldreSan Diego, CATel: (619) [email protected]
Mentoring Task ForceCourtney Searls-RidgeSeattle, WATel: (206) 938-3600Fax: (206) [email protected]
Professional Development(ATA Programs)Marian S. GreenfieldSouth Plainfield, NJTel: (908) 561-7590Fax: (908) [email protected]
Public RelationsChris DurbanParis, FranceTel: 33(1)42935802Fax: 33(1)[email protected]
Kevin S. HendzelArlington, VATel: (703) 516-9266Fax: (703) [email protected]
Special ProjectsAnn MacfarlaneSeattle, WATel: (206) 542-8422Fax: (206) [email protected]
TerminologySue Ellen WrightKent, OHTel: (330) 673-0043Fax: (330) [email protected]
Translation and ComputersAlan K. MelbyProvo, UTTel: (801) 378-2144Fax: (801) [email protected]
Chinese LanguageFrank MouPittsburgh, PATel: (412) 767-4788Fax: (412) [email protected]
French LanguageMonique-Paule TubbChevy Chase, MDTel: (301) 654-2890Fax: (301) [email protected]
German LanguageDorothee RacetteSaranac, NYTel: (518) 293-7494Fax: (518) [email protected]
InterpretersHelen D. ColeSilver Spring, MDTel: (301) 572-2855Fax: (301) [email protected]
Italian LanguageMarcello J. NapolitanoMilpitas, CATel: (408) 422-7008Fax: (425) [email protected]
Japanese LanguageIzumi SuzukiNovi, MITel: (248) 344-0909Fax: (248) [email protected]
LiteraryClifford E. LandersNaples, FLTel: (941) [email protected]
NordicEdith M. MattesonBallwin, MOTel/Fax: (636) [email protected]
Portuguese LanguageTereza d’Ávila BragaDallas, TXTel: (972) 690-7730Fax: (972) [email protected]
Slavic LanguagesNora Seligman FavorovOrlando, FLTel: (407) 679-8151Fax: (646) [email protected]
Spanish LanguageRudolf HellerBrookfield, MATel: (508) 867-8494Fax: (508) [email protected]
Translation CompanySteven P. IversonMilwaukee, WITel: (414) 271-1144Fax: (414) [email protected]
To International Federation ofTranslators (FIT)Peter W. KrawutschkeKalamazoo, MITel: (616) 387-3212Fax: (616) [email protected]: www.fit-ift.org
To Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL)Christopher RéthoréHarrisonburg, VATel: (540) 568-3512Fax: (540) [email protected]
To ASTM Translation UserStandards ProjectBeatriz A. BonnetEnglewood, COTel: (303) 779-1288Fax: (303) [email protected]
ATA Representatives
