A Practical Guide for Translators (Topics in Translations) - Softcover

Samuelsson-Brown, Geoffrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847692591 ISBN 13: 9781847692597

Verlag: Multilingual Matters, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

This is the fifth revised edition of the best-selling A Practical Guide for Translators. It looks at the profession of translator on the basis of developments over the last few years and encourages both practitioners and buyers of translation services to view translation as a highly-qualified, skilled profession and not just a cost-led word mill. The book is intended principally for those who have little or no practical experience of translation in a commercial environment. It offers comprehensive advice on all aspects relevant to the would-be translator and, whilst intended mainly for those who wish to go freelance, it is also relevant to the staff translator as a guide to organisation of work and time. Advice is given on how to set up as a translator, from the purchase of equipment to the acquisition of clients. The process of translation is discussed from initial enquiry to delivery of the finished product. Hints are given on how to assess requirements, how to charge for work, how to research and use source material, and how to present the finished product. Guidance is given on where to obtain further advice and professional contacts. This revised edition updates practices in the translation profession and considers the impact of web-based translation offerings. Industry and commerce rely heavily on the skills of the human translator and his ability to make intellectual decisions that is, as yet, beyond the capacity of computer-aided translation.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown is a translator with more than 30 years experience in the profession. He has taught translation at the University of Surrey and has given papers at national and international conferences. He developed from working as a freelance to managing a significant translation company. His career as a translator has turned full circle and, after selling his translation company, he returned to the creativity of working as a freelance again. While the art of translation demands many skills, the author continued his personal development and completed a Master of Business Administration degree in Strategic Management, International Enterprise and a management research project entitled "Skills Auditing in Small to Medium-sized Enterprises".

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A Practical Guide for Translators (Fifth Edition)

By Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown

Multilingual Matters

Copyright © 2010 Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-84769-259-7

Contents

Acknowledgements, ix, 
Foreword to the Fifth Edition, xi, 
Preface to the Fifth Edition, xiii, 
1 How to become a translator, 1, 
2 Bilingualism – the myths and the truth, 25, 
3 The client's viewpoint, 35, 
4 Running a translation business, 43, 
5 Your working environment and the tools of the trade, 65, 
6 Machine translation and computer-aided translation, 81, 
7 Sources of reference, data retrieval and file management, 89, 
8 Quality control and accountability, 104, 
9 Presentation and delivery of translations, 125, 
10 What to do if things go wrong, 135, 
11 Professional organisations for translators, 149, 
12 Planning your exit strategy, 171, 
13 Glossary of terms, 175, 
14 Appendix, 184, 
15 Index, 196, 

CHAPTER 1

How to become a translator

They know enough who know how to learn Henry Adams, 1836–1918

People usually become translators in one of two ways: by design or by circumstance. There are no formal academic qualifications required to work as a translator, but advertisements for translators in the press and professional journals tend to ask for graduates with professional qualifications and three years' experience.

Many countries have professional organisations for translators and if the organisation is a member of the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT) it will have demonstrated that it sets specific standards and levels of academic achievement for membership. The translation associations affiliated to FIT can be found on FIT's website – www. fit-ift.org. Two organisations in the United Kingdom set examinations for professional membership. These are the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL) and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI). To gain a recognised professional qualification through membership of these associations you must meet certain criteria. Comprehensive details of professional associations for translators in the United Kingdom are given in Chapter 11.

If you have completed your basic education and have followed a course of study to become a translator, you will then need to gain experience. As a translator, you will invariably be asked to translate every imaginable subject. The difficulty is accepting the fact that you have limitations and you are faced with the dilemma of 'How do I gain experience if I don't accept translations or do I accept translations to get the experience?'. Ideally as a fledgling translator you should work under the guidance of a more experienced colleague.

Do not disregard your dossier of translations made while studying at university. You will have covered a range of subjects and received feedback from your tutor. You will be unlikely to receive this level of analytical constructive criticism from an agency or client. If you have progressed to studying for an MA you will have reached a very professional level. Continuous personal development with a professional body such as the ITI or the CIoL will stand you in very good stead.

1.1 'Oh, so you're a translator – that's interesting!'

An opening gambit at a social or business gathering is for the person next to you to ask what you do. When the person finds out your profession the inevitable response is, 'Oh so you're a translator – that's interesting' and, before you have a chance to say anything, the next rejoinder is, 'I suppose you translate things like books and letters into foreign languages, do you?'. Without giving you a chance to utter a further word you are hit by the fatal catch-all, 'Still, computers will be taking over soon, won't they?'. When faced with such a verbal attack you hardly have the inclination to respond.

The skills clusters that the translator needs at his fingertips are shown in Figure 1. Regrettably, an overwhelming number of people – and these include clients – harbour many misconceptions of what is required to be a skilled translator. Such misconceptions include the following:

• As a translator you can translate all subjects.

• If you speak a foreign language ipso facto, you can automatically translate into it.

• If you can hold a conversation in a foreign language, then you are bilingual.

• Translators are mind-readers and can produce a perfect translation without having to consult the author of the original text, irrespective of whether it is ambiguous, vague or badly written.

• No matter how many versions of the original were made before final copy was approved or how long the process took, the translator needs only one stab at the task, and very little time, since he gets it right first time without the need for checking or proofreading. After all, the computer does all that for you.

1.2 A day in the life of a translator

Each day is different since a translator, particularly a freelance, needs to deal with a number of tasks and there is no typical day. I usually get up at around 7 in the morning, shower, have breakfast and get to my desk at around 8 just as my wife is leaving to drive to her office. Like most freelances I have my office at home.

I work in spells of 50 minutes and take a break even if it is just to walk around the house. I try and take at least half an hour for lunch and try to finish at around 5 unless there is urgent work and then I will perhaps work in the evening for an hour or so. But I do the latter only if a premium payment is offered and I wish to accept the work. If I were to analyse an average working month of 22 possible working days, I would get the following: My average monthly output for these fifteen and a half effective days is around 28,000 words. If this is spread out over effective working days of six working hours (8 × 50 minutes in reality), my effective hourly production rate is 300 words an hour. This may not seem a lot but it may be worth considering that to expect to work undisturbed on translation eight hours a day, five days a week, is unrealistic. There may also be times when you are physically or mentally unable to work – how do you take account of such eventualities as a freelance?

1.3 ITI's peer support group

ITI runs two online peer support groups. These are the ITI Professional Support Group (PSG), for translators launching a freelance career, and the ITI Orientation Course, for newcomers to translation. Details of both courses are given below.

ITI Professional Support Group

An online course for translators launching a freelance career Who is it for?

Do these statements apply to you?

• you have qualifications and experience in a field other than translation on which you can draw in establishing yourself as a translator;

• you have done some paid translation work, but not enough to earn a living;

• you are about to launch a freelance translation career;

• you have joined ITI as an associate or qualified member but you are not sure how to go about earning a living from freelance translation work.

1.3.1 Its aims

The ITI PSG is a mentoring scheme, run annually for a group of20-25 members of ITI who are establishing themselves as freelance translators. It is online, so it does not matter where you live. It consists of a set of exercises in which, under...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Multilingual Matters
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1847692591
• ISBN 13: 9781847692597
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Auflage: 5
• Anzahl der Seiten: 218
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar