 | |
Ethics 101 for Translators
Posted by genta on Friday, April 03 @ 08:09:58 EDT (674 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| We have a question: How should a Christian translator deal with
wrong Biblical references in a work of fiction targeted at a Christian
readership, since the Bible is The Word of God and target readers are
likely to identify the mistakes?
The question—or something like it—was posted by our friend
and colleague Betty Spíndola to a translators' forum sometime ago and
we will try to find an answer to it and a few related issues here.
Because this is not the Poughkeepsie Journal of Theology and both
authors are agnostics, we will tread very lightly on the matter of
religion, but the fact that Betty—as so many translators—is a religious
person and was referring to a book sacred to her cannot be overlooked.
| | (Read More... | 11997 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
The Bottom Line
Posted by genta on Friday, April 03 @ 08:02:44 EDT (744 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| Practical tips for practicing translators.
Q:
Dear Fire Ant & Worker Bee,
One of our best external translators cannot take
criticism—something my colleagues in the in-house translation
department used to laugh about, but which is getting to be a serious
problem.
We always provide guidelines and background documentation up
front, and make an effort to frame our feedback in a positive way, so I
feel we are doing our part. We also pay well and promptly.
But he insists on arguing every (and I mean every) point, which
means an author's request to change a single sentence or term takes on
ridiculous proportions. What is the best way to deal with such an
obviously skilled yet persistently contentious supplier?
| | (Read More... | 22727 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
The Bottom Line
Posted by genta on Thursday, January 08 @ 05:05:08 EST (541 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
|
Practical tips for practicing translators.
Q:
Dear Fire Ant & Worker Bee,
I can see a recession is coming on; what should I do to protect my translation business from it?
| | (Read More... | 22198 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
The Best Breed of Project Managers
Posted by genta on Thursday, October 09 @ 03:44:26 EDT (549 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| How to make the most of your feline or canine features when managing a project |
| |
Zoomorphism
is the representation of gods as animals or the attribution of animal
characteristics to a god. In our industry, localization project
managers can be seen as both: gods and animals. Gods because they are
omnipresent, participating in every step of the process; omnipotent, as
any decision can turn a project into success or disaster; and
omniscient, in their full awareness of how things are being carried
out. Or they can be animals -- in a good or bad way. In this article, I
will focus on this latter idea, but will divide project managers in two
very specific species. |
| | (Read More... | 9608 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
God's Translators:
Posted by genta on Thursday, October 02 @ 04:50:45 EDT (576 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
|
A Conversation with Ilan StavansVerónica Albin: During our conversations, Ilan, we have seen time
and again the importance of translation for the advent of culture. Not
only have translators invented alphabets, they have compiled
dictionaries, contributed to the emergence of national languages and
literatures, and, specifically to this piece, they have played a
crucial role in the spread of religions.
| | (Read More... | 61952 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
Whistle-Blowing and Language Professionals:
Posted by genta on Thursday, October 02 @ 04:42:03 EDT (588 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| | After
the raid on 12 May 2008 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
agents that netted several hundred allegedly undocumented immigrant
workers at the Agriprocessor slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in
the town of Postville, Iowa, there were widespread protests and
criticisms by numerous immigrant and human rights advocacy groups,
lawyers, and rank-and-file citizens.
Whistle-blowers
are advised to keep their arguments on a high professional plane that
is impersonal and objective, and to avoid bias, extraneous issues, and
emotional outbursts. |
One of the
critics was Professor Erik Camayd-Freixas, a professor at Florida
International University, who served as an interpreter at the
subsequent arraignments of the detained workers. He went public with
his criticisms, "blowing the whistle" on the operation in an essay
entitled "Interpreting after the Largest ICE Raid in US History: A Personal Account," which attracted a great deal of media attention.
Professor Camayd-Freixas performed an act of courage in going public
with his opinions and concerns. Whether his actions and his essay were
the best way of expressing his opinions and drawing public attention to
what he and many observers considered to be injustices perpetrated upon
the detained workers is open to argument.
| | (Read More... | 21146 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
Dr. Marijan Ante Bošković
Posted by genta on Thursday, October 02 @ 04:12:24 EDT (538 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| As I
write this tribute to Marijan Bošković—colleague and friend—I am aware
that my goals are, from the beginning, unachievable. It is too early to
sum up Marijan's life and accomplishments because his life ended too
soon for their meaning and impact to be fully appreciated; at the same
time, for those who did not know him, it is too late for even this
incomplete introduction. I knew Marijan for only a relatively short
period of time and so writing this tribute feels to me like exploring a
room full of treasures with only a flashlight for illumination. But I
feel honored to be in the company of his family and friends as we pool
our lamps to shed light on Marijan's character and talents.
| | (Read More... | 9342 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
The Bottom Line
Posted by genta on Wednesday, July 23 @ 06:37:34 EDT (616 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| Practical tips for practicing translators.
Q:
Dear Fire Ant & Worker Bee,
I have an
undergraduate degree in French and Spanish and am working as an English
teacher in Spain while preparing for the Institute of Linguists'
Diploma in Translation (French/Spanish - English).
However I am unsure how to proceed; should I start looking for an
in-house position now since I am unsure of the business side of
translation or is it better to wait until I pass the diploma and set up
as a freelance? Also, how do I go about looking for an in-house
position if this is the best way forward? I intend to stay in Spain in
the long-term.
Thank you,
Preoccupied
| | (Read More... | 18356 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
Personality-Oriented Principles in Teaching Languages
Posted by genta on Tuesday, April 08 @ 05:10:23 EDT (872 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
|  hese
days the educational system of Russia is undergoing intensive and
crucial modernization. The structure and the basic functions of the
higher educational system, mainly represented by our universities and,
to a lesser degree, institutes and academies, are supposed to be
dramatically altered in the nearest future. One of the changes
manifests itself as a fast shift to a bi-level teaching system similar
to what they mostly have in Western Europe today. Another change is
formulated as a module-structured educational process and a credit
system of assessment within the framework of the so-called Bologna
process. All this has placed our establishments of higher education
into such conditions that demand uniformity of the reforms,
irrespective of the location and profile of the specific university in
the vast territory of Russia.
| | (Read More... | 11710 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
Football Is Coming Home to Die-Hard Translators
Posted by genta on Tuesday, April 08 @ 04:39:16 EDT (712 reads)
Topic Miscellaneous
| Football (soccer) has been part of my life since my early years. My
father is a former player and coach who has devoted his life to the
study of football. So, even before I had been to school, I used to read
his annotations on formations, line-ups, strategies, and the history of
football. Like most kids in Brazil, I played soccer during my childhood
and adolescence and cheered for my favourite club. However, my skills
on the pitch were not really outstanding, and my street soccer
afternoons were soon replaced by an early career in Journalism.
Prior to starting pursuing my university degree, I had worked as a
freelance football reporter for a local newspaper. Already an
undergraduate student, I was hired in 1996 by Grupo Editorial Sinos,
one of the largest communications groups in southern Brazil, and I
worked in a daily newspaper for almost two years. During that period, I
spent several months writing for the sports pages, which included daily
coverage of Rio Grande do Sul's two biggest football clubs—Grêmio FBPA,
club world champions in 1983, and SC Internacional, which were
eventually crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions in 2006.
| | (Read More... | 13193 bytes more | comments? | Score: 0) |
|
| | |
