Archives de Tag: translation

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On the process of translation

If you live outside the translation sphere, you’d probably think it is a simple task consisting of changing words for others. Well, you’ll be surprised to find out that it’s so much more than that.

I found a great infographic depicting the whole process that goes into translating. From the research needed beforehand to the proofreading and editing steps, handling translation projects is a wide and massive task requiring time and reflection.

To have a look at the document, please click here. The website is curated by Clara Giampietro from Winged Translations.

If I had a piece of advice to give to clients willing to have their business literature translated, it would be to, first and foremost, establish some kind of brief with the following elements: the aim of the documents (informative, commercial, promotional,etc), the target audience (employees, customers, investors, etc), deadline and specifics about formatting and/or terminology. Also, if your company has a very specific terminology that needs to be abided by, then it’s of the utmost importance to provide your translator with the necessary references (glossaries, style guides, past translation projects for consistency purposes).

Preparing a translation project should be like preparing an ad campaign, it should be well thought-out and accurately targeted to ensure optimal results.

Clients and translators need to work hand in hand to ensure a project is successful. Communication is key!

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The Art of Translating for the Tourism Sector

It’s official, France is the #1 destination for tourists with more than 84 million people visiting the country in 2013. They’re mostly from Germany, the UK, the US and China. Therefore, offering multilingual content is necessary to properly welcome these numerous international guests. So, if you’re still unsure about your areas of expertise, here’s a sector you should consider. However, translating touristic texts isn’t as easy as it may sound.

In fact, it is a very demanding task involving various notions: translation, localisation, transcreation and adaptation, as explained in this academic paper on quality in the translation of tourist discourse on the Web, by Patrizia Pierini, published in the Journal of Specialised Translation.

Translation is in high demand in this industry, and it includes a wide range of content –  1362514234xwt2dinformational, promotional, commercial. Depending on the aim and scope of the material, a translator has to apply the proper strategy to ensure that it has the same effect on the target audience as the source text did on the original audience. And in order to achieve just that, there is no such thing as a standard procedure; and the exact purpose of the communication strategy has to be clearly established by the client so that the translator can take the proper decisions. He/she may need to adapt/localise the text – changing currencies, dates, the measurement system (metric, imperial) – but also ensure the proper tone is applied (depending on the target culture, the source text may be considered too straightforward and aggressive, requiring an important stylistic realignement).

The ultimate goal is to create the same effect on the reader – persuasion – in order to enhance the client’s conversion rate and turn readers into paying customers. In that regard, Pierini mentioned the AIDA approach ⎯ capture Attention, create Interest, increase Desire and motivate to Action.

Every translator working on this type of content has to constantly keep in mind the socio-psychological needs of the potential tourist. One has to strive for a translation that sounds like an original text, not a translation. And that’s why clients need to think local. Indeed, for a touristic text to be persuasive, it has to be relevant to the target audience, not foreign. And only a native has the extensive knowledge needed to convey accurately every nuance and localise appropriately.

Localisation – What does that mean? Pierini gives a compelling answer:

Localisation involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target locale (country/region and language) where it will be used and sold. For example, the French spoken in Canada is a different locale to the French spoken in France.

According to a recent survey by TextMaster, mistakes and errors in translation account for a loss of about €120 million each year. So, a competent translator with excellent writing skills can seriously consider this sector a viable option!

Ready to make people dream?

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Making Time for Professional Development (Part 2)

Following up on this major topic, I’d like to add that it is also professionally and personally essential to set aside some time to attend a translation-related conference each year. At least,that’s the goal I set for myself. Last year, I went to Geneva to attend a conference entitled « Traduire pour le grand public ». It was so enriching to meet with and hear from fellow translators.

You’ll get to exchange face to face with fellow translators and even potential clients. It’s a great opportunity to network and « put yourself out there » in the real world to start making a name for yourself.

Take advantage of local meetups organised by the different official organisations (if you live in Europe, you’ll see there are plenty of opportunities to socialise with your peers thanks to the numerous professional bodies).

13942303150imlvBeing an independent professional means you need to do every job (CEO, CFO, accountant, community management, administrative officer, etc.) Some people think that people who work from home have it easy. If only they knew!

It’s a demanding job that requires discipline, rigour and passion. You don’t keep track of time and yet, you need to make sure you have enough of it to cover every aspect of this immensely rewarding profession!

Let’s be poetic for a minute: Your translating business is like a tree, you need to nurture it properly so that it can grow strong for years to come!

Looking forward to meeting all of you during a conference somewhere on the planet!

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Making Time for Professional Development

So, you’ve read the books, stocked up on office supplies, picked up your company name and figured out your branding image. You’ve even managed to find a few clients already. All good right? Well yes, but it’s not enough. It’s also crucial to keep on learning, especially if you’ve already chosen your areas of specialisation.

136000100566ey2An important part of an independent translator’s work is also to keep apprised of the latest news and trends in his/her line of work. For instance, I’ve come to mainly work in the following areas: business communication, PR & marketing content, as well as tourism-related projects. I truly love it because it allows me to embrace my creative side. But it also means I need to know what’s up in these industries in order to further my knowledge of the specific terminology, for instance.

The easiest way remains online resources. There are countless academic papers, press releases, articles, etc. on these topics. A couple of days ago, I finished reading a very interesting  paper entitled « Translating Tourist Texts – Domesticating, Foreignising or Neutralising Approach ». It was published in the Journal of Specialised Translation (available here)

I particulary appreciated the mention of these familiar strategies mentioned many times during my academic training. How wonderful when it’s finally all about real-life practice!

No matter the speciality you choose, you should always make sure that you never stop documenting yourself. Having glossaries to rely on is paramount to high quality translations.

For enhanced efficiency, familiarise yourself with CAT-tools, learn how to use terminology tools to optimise your memories, glossaries and other datas.

I once read that when you work as a translator, you get to learn something new every single day. You’ll soon find out how true that is.

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https://twitter.com/LinguaAustralis/status/498414179133710336

 

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Book Suggestions for Junior Translators

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of translation-related material from fellow translators out there who actively engage in the social media, and write very interesting blogs. I thought I’d compile some of these resources for the newest generation of translators. You’ve probably been reading many books by major theoreticians like Venuti, Munday, Bassnett or Baker. Although they were enlightening and great, none of them really tackled the everyday life of today’s translators.

Being self-employed means you have to be extremely versatile. Translating is only one of the many activities you’ll have to undertake. Prepare yourself to deal with accounting, marketing, community management, among many other functions. Daunting, you say? Luckily, after having a closer look at all these resources, you’ll feel a lot more confident in your choice of career and chances are you’ll find the answers to your many questions.

To begin with, I suggest reading these free e-books by Nicole Y. Adams. You might want to start with « The Bright Side of Translation », it offers very positive insights and informative feedback from a lot of different practitioners worldwide.

There are many, many books on Amazon to choose from. Here’s a non-exhaustive list you might want to consider:

love_of_books_202371  How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator by Corinne McKay (an ATA board member).

 Balance Your Words: Stepping in the Translation Industry by Sara Colombo.

 The Prosperous Translator by Chris Durban.

These self-help books should help you consider your independent activity with serenity. Also, do engage in the social media, there is a huge community of translators on Twitter and many of them share interesting blogs and info. Important note for all newbies on Twitter: don’t forget to use the appropriate hashtags to connect with your colleagues -> #xl8 and #t9n for translation, #1nt for interpreting, #l10n for localisation. You can follow me @LinguaAustralis.

https://twitter.com/isabrucher/status/498445424358072320

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Colloque « Traduire pour le grand public » Genève 2013

En raison d’un agenda très chargé, je n’ai pas eu le temps de mentionner la conférence à laquelle j’ai pu assister dernièrement : « Traduire pour le grand public » organisée à la Faculté de traduction et d’interprétation de Genève en septembre dernier. J’ai eu l’occasion de découvrir des exposés très intéressants et instructifs, notamment sur les stratégies de traduction dans le domaine de la littérature enfantine. J’ai également pu y rencontrer des professionnels du milieu de la traduction, ce qui est toujours un plaisir.

Cette conférence représentait le second volet d’un colloque organisé sur trois sites différents (Paris, Genève et Bruxelles). La troisième et dernière conférence aura lieu le 7 décembre à Bruxelles. Je ne pourrai pas m’y rendre en raison d’un emploi du temps très chargé en cette fin d’année. Mais, j’attends avec impatience le feedback de mes collègues.

Programme de la conférence de Genève : http://www.unige.ch/traduction-interpretation/recherches/conferences-colloques/archives/2012/traduire-grandpublic2013/Pleinchamp2013-appelcommunications.pdf

Programme de la conférence de Bruxelles : http://www.unige.ch/traduction-interpretation/recherches/conferences-colloques/2013/traduire-grand-publique-dec2013/traduire-grand-public-dec2013.pdf

Pour tout complément d’information, rendez-vous sur le site Web de l’ISIT : http://www.isti.be/fr/content/colloque-international-traduire-pour-le-grand-public