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Nov30
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This post is meant to begin conversation on schools, institutes, programs, academies, textbooks, and other items designed to prepare translators. It will be very basic.
Obviously, the first thing you need in order to become a translator is a thorough knowledge of at least two languages. You don't need to be able to speak them both. In fact, you can be mute. Translation is all about written language. And it is wrong to assume that you need only learn a second language without learning English better.
Armed with your language skills, it pays to learn about the art, science, and business of translating. This can be done in school or from books. The best books for this purpose will be the textbooks used in the schools. Many universities and a few institutes offer courses in translation. Some offer degrees or certificates. In the United States, one of the most famous is the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. They offer post-graduate degrees in translation. (I'm deliberately offering few details nor telling about other schools, as I expect you, the reader, to do that.)
I invite former MIIS students to talk about their experience there. I spent 2 academic quarters at MIIS in the early 1980s, pursuing a translation degree. The early birth of my first son knocked me out of school. I had a great experience there. It was exciting to sit with experienced professionals and study translation techniques. So much has been changed by technology since then. I have read the course descriptions online and see many things that weren't included "in my day". I also invite comments on degree-offering programs at other schools.
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Nov29
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The price of a translation job depends on size, complexity, urgency, desired form of delivery, the number of translators competing for the job, and how hungry/needy they are. Professional orgnizations like to recommend an industry standard of 10 cents per word for general (non-technical) text that isn't needed urgently, but you simply can't fix prices in a free market economy.
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Let's talk about how prices are set. Twenty years ago, a client needing translation services would go to the yellow pages, find translators and translation firms listed there, call them, and enter the laborious process of finding out how much they would charge to do the work.
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This post is designed to begin to introduce readers to the costs of translation, for the translator as well as for the client. For the moment, I'll consider the costs to the translator. Later we'll look at how prices are set.
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Nov28
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I was just now using a small English-Russian/Russian English dictionary--a fairly good and thorough one--and it made me think of how rare a truly good translation is. I suppose it's fair to say that a technical translation is really good when all the information from the source is represented clearly in the target language; after all, that's all that is expected. But I prefer a literary translation that conveys not only all the pieces but also the "feel" and emotional impact of the original.
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Before I go exposing other people's bad translations, I feel it only fair to air my own dirty laundry. Recently, while translating a birth record from Spanish to English, I had a hard time reading the occupation of the mother. It seemed to say that she was a cabaret performer, so I put that in the draft translation that I showed to the client. Good thing it was only a draft. The word was a Uruguayan way to say "housewife".
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This post is the initial entry in the category of Translation Software. Let's pretend that I'm the Rip Van Winkle of translation and that I just woke up from a 25-year nap. When I went to sleep, translation was done by clever people with dictionaries. Now, translation is done by clever people with dictionaries and computers! And the clever people get help from their computers using stuff called software for computer-assisted translation (CAT) or machine-assisted translation (MAT). I'm a blank slate. Brief me.
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Nov25
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I ask you to send me your favorite bad translations, but please, no second hand stuff you find on the Web. I’m looking for real material—especially websites that should have used a professional translator. My point in showing the bad translations is to emphasize the importance and value of good translation.
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Nov24
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Sight translation can be a quick and effective way to get the job done even if there is no urgency.
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A good translation services firm will cost more than a freelancer because of "overhead", for lack of a better word. And we're not just talking about ulitities and rent. Good firms will stake their reputations and survival on the quality of their translators, their speed of delivery, and the cleanliness of their business dealings. They'll meet deadlines, ensure quality, and pay translators promptly.
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Nov23
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To find a qualified translator: 1. Check the Yellow Pages. 2. Search the Web for "translators" or "translation services". 3. Check the lists at translator listing sites.
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Nov22
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Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Matt Ellsworth, freelance translator, linguist, and writer.
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I've seen a lot of clients asking for certified translators because some government office told them they had to present a certified translation. This is an unfortunate confusion. Very few government offices keep a list of translators they consider "certified." What they mean when they ask for a certified translation is that they want the translator -- any translator -- to certify that the translation is correct.
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Nov21
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One of the greatest errors people make when they need to have something translated is to suppose that someone who knows both languages can translate well. Another error is to suppose that an experienced translator is therefore a good one. Let me kill both of these now.
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Welcome to Translation Maven! This website is an online conversation related to translation services, including computer translation software, pricing, rates, translators, finding reputable translators, associations, best practices, resources, pitfalls, and other translation topics. We invite you to share your experiences...
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