Articles tagged "translation"
The Rube Goldberg Approach to Translation
Posted by Jody in Doc Byrne’s Translation Miscellany on October 7th, 2011
Normally I don’t have too much of an issue with doing test translations for new clients or agencies. Some really good agencies even pay translators for these tests. The logic behind test translations is pretty sound because it doesn’t matter what you have on your CV, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and the only way to gauge how good you are as a translator is to see a sample of your work.
Recently a translation agency made contact with me and, after the usual introductions, asked if I would like to work with them on technical translation projects. After much to-ing and fro-ing we were both satisfied that we could work together. I outlined my experience and specialisations, they described the type of projects they get and we both agreed that there was great potential for future work. Hell, we might even get matching tattoos. Rates and terms were agreed without so much as a whimper. Everything was going well until the issue of test translations cropped up.
The epitome of efficiency?
This agency had a pretty weird approach to test translations. Instead of a test translation at the start of our working relationship, which is the customary thing to do, they announced that they ask translators to complete short test translations for each project. The translator who produces the best test translation is then awarded the particular project. I read and re-read the email several times to make sure I understood what they were proposing, hoping that I had misunderstood. But no, when they received a job from a client, rather than contacting a translator who they had already screened, tested and knew was suitable, they would start a mini screening process before work could even start on the translation. I can imagine this being pitched to customers as a way of ensuring that “only the best translators are used” for their projects, and it’s probably well intentioned, but does anyone seriously think this is good practice?
Aside from the startling inefficiency of this Rube Goldberg approach to operations management, which disadvantages both customers and translators alike, things became even more interesting when I queried whether translators would be paid for producing numerous test translations over an extended period of time. The hitherto brisk and prompt exchange of emails suddenly ground to a halt. I never received a response and can only assume that it confirms my worst suspicions.
Hold your horses
Posted by Jody in Doc Byrne’s Translation Miscellany on May 27th, 2010
No problem, it'll all be ready by morning (Image via Global Nerdy
I received an enquiry from a potential client asking whether I could verbally translate 400,000 words of specialised texts into English, on-site and over the course of 8 days. Now it’s possible that in my old age (I’m approaching another birthday with alarming speed) I’m slowing down ever so slightly but this equates to 50,000 words per day. The most I’ve ever managed to turn around in a day was around 18,000 words and that took a solid 20 hours to do with a good translation memory and it was for information purposes. Surely nobody could do 50,000 words in a single day?
Tales from Portsmouth
Posted by Jody in Doc Byrne’s Translation Miscellany on November 9th, 2009
Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth (via Wikitravel)
I’ve just come back from a conference in sunny Portsmouth where I gave a keynote on the subject of “the translator as writer“. Of course you can never be completely happy with your performance at conferences but overall I think my presentation went down pretty well. It was quite unnerving though that it was recorded on video so hopefully I won’t find it too painful when I get to watch it back. My topic was “Are technical translators writing themselves out of existence” and at some point over the next few days I’ll write something about it here.
The conference itself was excellent as usual with a good variety of topics presented by practitioners and academics from all over the world. The Portsmouth translation conference is, I have to admit, my favourite not just because of the topics discussed or the friendly, relaxed atmosphere but because it draws practising translators as well as researchers. For me, conferences that are solely for academics can be quite dull so to have presentations from the word-face too is quite refreshing. Sometimes academics can lose sight of what translation is about and focus on obscure issues far removed from the actual process of translation.
There were some hits and one or two misses at this year’s conference. I won’t name and shame the misses because that’s not nice but I will point out some of the highlights for me. First up was Arvi Tavast from Talinn University who gave a really interesting and really useful look at how translators view their roles and whether they should correct errors in the source text. Backed up with empirical research, Tavast showed that there was quite a significant difference in how translators approached, for example, errors in source texts. He also showed that opinion is divided among agencies as regards expectations for translations and translator behaviour. For me, this was one of the most relevant pieces of research I have come across in quite a while.
Quite a useful way of explaining punctuation as it turns out (via Air Guitar Australia)
I also went to a workshop by Janet Fraser which looked at how we teach writing skills to translation students although the activities, she stressed, could be used by professional translators as a “warm-up” exercise. Normally I run a mile whenever someone mentions workshop but this one was actually useful and fun. The activity involved giving participants several trigger words and asking them to write an advertisement aimed at tourists. The upshot of it all was that without exception everyone knew how to write texts like this. We all knew that particular linguistics structures and strategies were expected and we all produced quite similar texts. The challenge, then, is getting students to unlock these skills when translating.
Other highlights were Stephen Crabbe’s talk on the development of controlled language as well as the other keynote, entitled “Inspiration” by director and translator Neil Bartlett. Neil managed to persuade a room full of people to act out some bizarre circular arm movements to illustrate the need to be mindful of punctuation in translation. From the back of the room the result looked like the national air guitar championships. Classic stuff!
One theme which cropped up a lot over the course of the various presentations was that the public doesn’t fully understand what translation involves. Some of the examples of how this manifests itself included vague instructions for translation jobs, unrealistic expectations as regards the type of translation, unreasonable deadlines etc. This is probably true and it might suggest that there is a need to educate the general public and raise awareness among non-translators of what it is we do. But the thought also occurred to me that this might come across as some sort of cheap and desperate attempt to make people respect us, maybe even love us poor misunderstood translators. After all, do we fully understand what it is doctors, architects or pilots do? Nope! But we still respect them and trust their judgement. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m still exhausted from the drive back from Portsmouth and could really do with a nap.
The Big Brother approach to job applications
Posted by Jody in Doc Byrne’s Translation Miscellany on September 25th, 2009
Media types have always used wacky tactics or "wacktics" to get jobs
Video CVs are, apparently, the the next big thing. I’ve just read an article on Jobs.ac.uk by Catherine Armstrong in which she asks whether such an approach could ever work in academia. But the idea of presenting yourself on video to prospective employers is nothing new. People have been doing something similar for years, just think of actors and broadcast journalists with their show reels. All of this is perfectly normal for media-type jobs where personal appearance is important but it’s a weird prospect for a “normal” job.
Eager to find out whether this really is a daft idea I decided to do a minimal amount of snooping around to see if I could find an example of a video CV. Lo and behold, the first thing I found after typing “Video CV” into Google was a website dedicated to hosting people’s video CVs in a variety of languages. This site will host your video or, for a fee create one for you. There are three examples on their main page which are presumably some of their best examples but as sure as I’m sitting here they’re the best for all the wrong reasons. I’ve included them below for you to enjoy later. Chris Dautremont’s video looks and sounds like a cross between a media student’s over-the-top Big Brother audition tape and one of those public service ads persuading young people to stay at school. Then there’s poor Dilyara Risbayeva’s video which looks more like one of those videos kidnappers send to the cops with a ransom demand. Bless her, she’s so wooden and uptight that you keep expecting to see her holding up a copy of today’s newspaper while the muzzle of an AK-47 pokes out from the side of the screen.
Rogues gallery
Translation agencies turning the screw on freelancers
Posted by Jody in Doc Byrne’s Translation Miscellany on September 19th, 2009
Should translators be at the mercy of agencies? (Image: Colin Anderson/Corbis.com)
When I teach translation technologies to my students, I always make the point that we are not just concerned with the nuts and bolts of how the technology works but also with the sociological, commercial and financial effects the technology has on the profession. Acquiring skills in translation technologies, so the literature goes, helps translators improve themselves by adding new skills to their repertoire and this helps raise their self-image and raises the status of the profession. Tools like translation memories eliminate the mundane, repetitive tasks which are the less palatable part of a translator’s lot and allow us to concentrate on the creative, challenging and ultimately more satisfying aspects of translation. All true to a certain extent although from a translation and linguistic point of view, I’m still somewhat sceptical about the merits.
One of the key effects translation memories have had on the industry is that they have brought about a re-evaluation of payment practices and translation rates. This is well documented (for example, here, here and here). Although it is rather unfair that we lose money if we use translation memory tools, most of us have come to terms with this, but I recently received an email from a relatively new client informing me that “given the current economic climate”, many of their customers are “demanding even bigger discounts for fuzzy matches” and as a result, they would be imposing a new pricing structure. This new structure involved even bigger discounts for customers and even less money for translators. What made the email so interesting and to be honest, more annoying was that it was a diktat; there was no question of negotiation or compromise. This was the agency’s decision and as a translator, I would have no choice but to comply. That’s what they think because I am going to exercise my right to choose never to accept work from them again. Or, to refuse to use Trados on any of their translations. See how they like that!
I’ve seen on other forums and blogs that this isn’t the only agency to chance their arm at squeezing a few more drops of blood from translators using the global economic downturn as a convenient, yet cynical, smokescreen. We shouldn’t be surprised because there is a long and ignoble tradition of translators being penalised for investing in the latest technology, which rarely comes cheap incidentally. I can’t be the only person who thinks that the price you pay for a service should reflect the quality of the service. So if you choose a service that uses the latest technologies, you should expect to pay more for it. It’s simple market economics really: the service provider invests in new technology and then factors this into their fees to reflect the improved service and ultimately to recoup the cost of the investment.
Of course you could always argue that by investing in technology, the service provider gains more business and, depending on the technology, will have a higher work rate and this will offset the investment. This is most likely the case with translation. But with these increasingly grasping discount systems, translators are seeing any commercial benefits being eroded. The discounts are effectively negating the whole point in getting the technology. Can you imagine paying a doctor less for using a shiny new scalpel than if the doctor used a rusty old hacksaw? Or would you expect to pay less for a meal cooked in a modern, clean kitchen than you would for something cooked on a hot stone at the side of a busy road? Unlikely.
The more altruistic among us would say “Ah, but greater cost efficiency and less effort is only part of the story. The real benefit is an improved product for the client”. Such improvements might include greater consistency in translations, better safeguards of accuracy and fewer formatting errors. But the other benefits for the client and in particular, agencies, include the reduced costs as a result of discount schemes imposed for repetitions and fuzzy matches, faster turnaround times and, more worryingly, less dependence on a particular translator. You see, once upon a time a translator who worked regularly on projects for a particular client became, over time, an invaluable repository of useful information, expertise and know-how relating to that customer and their documentation. A regular translator would accumulate the kind of knowledge you simply couldn’t get elsewhere. And with all of this information safely stored in the translator’s head, agencies and clients had to keep using the same translator if they wanted to ensure the same level of quality, consistency and expertise. With translation memories the translator is no longer the guardian of this expertise – it is segmented, formatted and stored in translation memories which can be sent to any number of other translators if the original translator is unavailable or ceases to be economically viable. So by using translation memories, the translator not only loses money but also loses job security.
You’d almost be tempted to stop using translation memories altogether and start using a typewriter.
The only fuzzy thing around here is me...
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