Wednesday 23 November 2011

Venturefest Bristol 2011

Translation is sometimes perceived as an ivory tower activity, far removed from the realities of technological innovation and social interaction. But quite the contrary is true: translation is very much grounded in reality and constantly reaches out to the worlds of modern technology, science and business.

This blog article is about a business event which took place right on my doorstep. On 3 November the new Bristol & Bath science park opened its doors to Venturefest Bristol 2011. Organised by Science City Bristol, it brought together local businesses, investors, academics and the business support community, and was promoted as a catalyst for accelerating the growth of new ventures. I instantly knew this was a must-go event: the science park is within walking (or for me cycling) distance from where I live in Emersons Green. Attendance was free, and I made sure I wasn’t overly busy work-wise that week.

It was a flying, but worthwhile visit: I had a good look around, picked up some leaflets and brochures, made a few new contacts, took and gave away business cards – I even had the honour of being shown around the premises by Richard Pitkin, director of the science park Innovation Centre. The Innovation Centre with its hot-desking spaces, high-tech labs and bespoke buildings is a stylish, modern place with a very pleasant feel to it indeed. With economic prospects generally looking gloomy, it was refreshing to mingle with locals and feel that overall sense of business optimism!

The event focussed on demonstrating new business ideas, for example a new piece of software called Poetiks. It was explained to me by its developer Greg Garrad. Poetiks is designed as an e-learning tool for the classroom. It’s a web application that accelerates poem analyses via an easy-to-use interface, taking the tedious, repetitive work out of the analysis process. More information can be found at http://www.poetiks.com/. Funnily enough, poetry, like translation, is sometimes pidgeonholed as an unprofitable art, but this isn’t why I’ve picked out Poetiks for this blog article. (Translation, by the way, is not an unprofitable art.)

I’ve picked out Poetiks for this blog article because of its striking similarities to translation software. Translation software too takes some of the dull, mechanical work off translators’ shoulders. This frees up room for the intricate component of the translation process which requires human intellectual – and often inspirational − input. In general terms, translation software speeds up the translation process by storing previously translated words, phrases and sentences packaged as so-called ‘translation units’.

As I mentioned, translation constantly reaches out to the worlds of modern technology, science and business. Translation and technology are inextricably linked. I’m convinced that translation quality nowadays is better across the board than it was in the pre-internet era. It seems odd to think that such a wealth of research possibilities didn’t exist not that long ago. Translators today work in a very computerised, internet-integrated, highly networked environment. Here’s something that may be worth checking out: one of the latest, intriguing developments is that memoQ 5.0, as the first translation tool to do so, now features an integrated GoogleMT machine translation plugin.

Friday 14 October 2011

Here’s my story: Why I became a translator

By the time I turned twenty I had already been to very many funerals. As a teenager I supplemented my pocket money by working as a church organist, mainly for funerals because they fitted in perfectly with school days. However I never considered music for a minute as something that I would want to pursue as a career.

The chapel in the Bad Windsheim cemetery where I worked as an organist

This is because I enjoy quiet activities. I therefore ruled out both music and teaching as career options, which obviously are not quiet activities. Translation, by contrast, is carried out unobserved, in the background. It gives me ample room to think a thought through to the end, and the time for tweaking and polishing the text. Only at the end of it all do I present the final product. This is what appeals to me about translation.

Can you remember your reply to the question of what you wanted to be as an adult? Susan Cain, formerly a Wall Street lawyer, now a negotiations consultant and author of “QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”, makes the excellent observation that as children we could probably judge much better what type of career would suit us than later in life as adults. Susan’s blog article, which includes more illuminating insights, can be found here. I remember that at primary school I aspired to become an author of children’s books. It is clear that that type of work is close to what has become my bread-earning career. Translation is after all a writing activity.

I also remember an incident later at grammar schooI which with hindsight shows that the course for my becoming a translator was set. I didn’t mind Maths too much, but I never was overly excited about it − except on one occasion: I asked my Italian pen-friend to send me her calculus exercises so that I could compare the Italian in them side by side with the German in my own calculus homework. It may seem weird to become excited about such a thing, but it is exactly what fascinates linguists.

The idea of working with languages in some way or another had always appealed to me. A huge number of jobs nowadays involves an exposure to foreign languages to a greater or lesser degree. If, however, you are striving for full immersion in a foreign language, there are, strictly speaking, only 3 career options to choose from: teaching, interpreting, and translation.

You might think it’s obvious that because I have two translation degrees I always knew I wanted to be a translator, but it wasn’t as straightforward as that. My two translation degree courses had not taught me much about the practical aspects of working as a translator. After completing my studies, I was not sure whether translation really was for me. I also found it hard to break through the catch-22 situation of “no experience no work”, which naturally affects many newcomers to the profession. What in the end − almost miraculously − helped my business get off the ground was the PSG, the business skills course for translators run by the ITI. I could suddenly see very clearly where I was heading! May I take the opportunity to say another big thank you to my mentors on the PSG 2007 for their advice and tremendous support.

Friday 16 September 2011

Top 10 misconceptions about translation and the translation profession

Many misconceptions exist regarding translation and the translation profession. Given that they are so widespread, I wonder if they are ineradicable? Below are 10 of the most common misunderstandings and misconceptions about translators and translation.

Translation is NOT word-for-word substitution!

1) "Translation is just word-for-word substitution." Nothing could be further from the truth; translation is all about taking the meaning behind the words and expressing this clearly in the target language.

2) "All you need is a computer and some software to become a translator." Quite the contrary; to be a good translator you must possess actual linguistic skills. The computer does not (and cannot) do the job for you.

3) "A dictionary is all that is needed for someone to begin working as a translator." Far from it! With their snippets of information, dictionaries are helpful for getting you on the right track to figuring out the meaning, but nothing more than that.

4) "A translation, when it is finished, is something that is set in stone." Please note: A translation, in theory, is never complete. It may seem perfect after checking it 10 times, but you will still change at least one thing when you check it the 11th time. Also, no translation is exactly like another: Give a text to 20 different translators, and you will get back exactly 20 different translations.

5) "To be a translator you must have a degree in translation." Not necessarily; a translation degree is not a sine qua non for becoming a translator. There is no set career path in translation.

6) "As a medical translator you must have a degree in medicine." No one doubts that having such a degree is useful. In practice, however, many medical translators have not necessarily studied medicine. If a medical translator had studied medicine (law, engineering, etc.), she would probably be working as a doctor (lawyer, engineer, etc.), not as a translator.

7) "Translators are willing to work for peanuts." While some translators are indeed willing to work for peanuts, others prefer to earn a decent income. Ultimately, it is a matter of where you position yourself on the market, what type of work you accept, and who your clients are.

8) "Translation is an intellectual and lonely pursuit." Intellectual – yes, lonely – no. Translators never work in complete isolation because they are in ongoing contact with clients and fellow translators – often to a much greater degree than most people may think! These communications can take place via email or phone, on online forums, and in person.

9) "As a translator you can speak and translate between many different languages." Contrary to popular belief, having just one language combination is absolutely sufficient and will generate enough work for a full-time occupation. Translating from a foreign language into your mother tongue (or language of habitual use) is the norm.

That translators don’t necessarily have to be able to chatter away in the language from which they translate is another matter and leads me right to my next, and probably the most classic, misconception about translation:

10) "Being a translator means you either get dumped into an interpreting booth or you showcase your language skills in face-to-face interaction, out in the business world, all day long." Let me set the record straight and repeat what must have been said umpteen times before: A translator works with the written word; an interpreter handles the spoken word.

Ineradicable? – We shall see!