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How to improve translation skill!
Thread poster: suchitrac9
suchitrac9
suchitrac9
India
Jul 23, 2018

I still remember my first translation assignment. I was in college and landed up in a freelancing job of translating certain IT specifications. I simply translated what was written in Japanese, without really understanding the meaning and going back and checking if it is really making sense.

I must say it has been a long journey from translating that IT specification to managing a team of translators today!

As a translator, we hold much greater responsibility than the p
... See more
I still remember my first translation assignment. I was in college and landed up in a freelancing job of translating certain IT specifications. I simply translated what was written in Japanese, without really understanding the meaning and going back and checking if it is really making sense.

I must say it has been a long journey from translating that IT specification to managing a team of translators today!

As a translator, we hold much greater responsibility than the person actually using the document or specifications, which we have translated. Imagine an actor, simply narrating the lines without appropriate emotions in it. Will you enjoy the performance? There will be no connect with the character he is playing, let alone the audience!

In the same way, if we simply translate what is scribbled, we are not justifying the intent with which the document has been written.

Step 1 for a translator is, to understand the topic that you are translating, what it is about, what it contains. If possible, try to get an overview from the concerned stakeholders. Then comes the translation as step 2. But remember, once you have translated a sentence, the next sentence should flow from the former, previous sentence. This is step 3. The entire translation should be in proper synchronization and should be consistent. To maintain consistency, it is suggested to prepare a Glossary list and have it handy.

Try this 1-2-3 mode and let me know if it has changed anything in your translation quality!
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:34
Member (2008)
Italian to English
I disagree (I think) Jul 23, 2018

I almost never begin a translation at the beginning and work through it sentence by sentence until I get to the end.

I choose parts of it, almost at random, gradually building up the whole translation. In fact there may be an idea in the text that only emerges as the discourse progresses. I need to know that at the beginning. Or there may be terms that have been given a particular nuance that might not be evident if you just begin at the beginning.

So I disagree with th
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I almost never begin a translation at the beginning and work through it sentence by sentence until I get to the end.

I choose parts of it, almost at random, gradually building up the whole translation. In fact there may be an idea in the text that only emerges as the discourse progresses. I need to know that at the beginning. Or there may be terms that have been given a particular nuance that might not be evident if you just begin at the beginning.

So I disagree with the King (in Alice in Wonderland) who said “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Wrong !

[Edited at 2018-07-23 11:59 GMT]
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Anthony Teixeira
Paulinho Fonseca
Angus Stewart
Daryo
neilmac
 
Paulinho Fonseca
Paulinho Fonseca  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 08:34
Member (2011)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It basically depends on the area. Jul 23, 2018

As a technical translator, I might take different steps and procedures. Translation is such a vast universe of fields that a frame would not fit for all purposes.

neilmac
Valérie Ourset
Flávia Werneck
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:34
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I‘m old-fashioned! Jul 23, 2018

I always begin by printing the whole text and reading it, whatever its length, and by underlining or color marking the words or expressions that are unknown to me or sound “strange” in the context and need further work. Next step is to research a good translation for those words or expressions. Sometimes a take notes on the page, others I build a glossary. Then I’ll start translating from the beginning and I’ll edit the glossary along the way if need be. After that, I’ll read the text ... See more
I always begin by printing the whole text and reading it, whatever its length, and by underlining or color marking the words or expressions that are unknown to me or sound “strange” in the context and need further work. Next step is to research a good translation for those words or expressions. Sometimes a take notes on the page, others I build a glossary. Then I’ll start translating from the beginning and I’ll edit the glossary along the way if need be. After that, I’ll read the text several times, the last one aloud (deadline permitting)…Collapse


Valérie Ourset
Daryo
Eveline Gomes
Tradupro17
Rachael Gillam
 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 08:34
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Read, read, read! ... in both languages Jul 23, 2018

For me the, translation process goes like this:
(idea stated in L1) > (concept and meaning in mind) > (idea stated in L2)

This is the only way to do it.
If you intend to translate word by word, and then fix the grammar, machine translation can do it much faster.

If you read a lot, you'll exercise your skill in converting words into ideas, you'll see how people encoded ideas in words, since telepathy is not an option.


Eveline Gomes
Michele Fauble
Tradupro17
Daryo
Zeineb Nalouti
Lian Pang
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 12:34
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
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Interesting topic Jul 23, 2018

I never thought people would go about translating in such different ways. I do have a habit of reading bits and pieces here and there and not in any chronological order like TOM here but I had thought this was a bad habit even if I could gather the general sense more quickly and a habit to get rid of. I cannot read all the text throughout when it is too long or print the text as I would be afraid of not finishing in time but, maybe, I would finish it quicker seeing I get a better grasp of the gi... See more
I never thought people would go about translating in such different ways. I do have a habit of reading bits and pieces here and there and not in any chronological order like TOM here but I had thought this was a bad habit even if I could gather the general sense more quickly and a habit to get rid of. I cannot read all the text throughout when it is too long or print the text as I would be afraid of not finishing in time but, maybe, I would finish it quicker seeing I get a better grasp of the gist. I'll try these methods out though. It's good to see how other people work though I cannot imagine me working this way if t=it is a technical, medical text.Collapse


 
Eva Stoppa
Eva Stoppa  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:34
English to German
+ ...
Definitely an interesting topic Jul 24, 2018

[quote]suchitrac9 wrote:

Step 1 for a translator is, to understand the topic that you are translating, what it is about, what it contains. If possible, try to get an overview from the concerned stakeholders. quote]

I remember a professor back in college giving us a very difficult text to translate for students in second year. He told us we need to prepare for such texts since, in professional life, we mostly would have to deal with texts we don't understand.

What do you think of this theory?


Eveline Gomes
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
We can't know everything Jul 24, 2018

Eva Stoppa wrote:
I remember a professor back in college giving us a very difficult text to translate for students in second year. He told us we need to prepare for such texts since, in professional life, we mostly would have to deal with texts we don't understand.


Great idea. Although in my experience translation students generally don't understand basic texts either!

I specialise in economics, and I know a lot about economics, but I can't possibly know everything. Crucially, though, I think I know enough to know when I don't know something.

In any field, you will inevitably reach a point where no translator will fully understand what is going on. So who's going to translate that? And what about texts that mix up different fields?


Josephine Cassar
Michele Fauble
Eveline Gomes
johndaniels1824
Kay Denney
Zeineb Nalouti
neilmac
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:34
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Knowing and understanding... Jul 24, 2018

On another note: I used to translate articles published by “The Economist” for a Portuguese weekly newspaper (we part ways when after a few years the client decided that my rates were too high and I refused to lower them) and a funny thing happened almost without exception: I knew the subject matter and I understood every word but striking a good balance between the readability and flow of the translation and the preservation of the original was quite challenging…

neilmac
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:34
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Q: What's in a tourist guide? Jul 24, 2018

A: There's probably a bit about the architecture of the local area throughout history (churches in all the different styles, etc); maybe there's a lake with all sorts of fish (who's an expert on fish names in their own language, let alone two languages?); then there are the sports that take place on that lake, and maybe on the surrounding slopes - perhaps extreme sports that are really quite new; then there are the local industries, perhaps wine with all its terminology or something that not man... See more
A: There's probably a bit about the architecture of the local area throughout history (churches in all the different styles, etc); maybe there's a lake with all sorts of fish (who's an expert on fish names in their own language, let alone two languages?); then there are the sports that take place on that lake, and maybe on the surrounding slopes - perhaps extreme sports that are really quite new; then there are the local industries, perhaps wine with all its terminology or something that not many people know much about, such as mining; add to that the geography of the area, and any important historical events that took place there, famous people who were born or moved there, and local customs and traditions, and you need a translator who's an expert in a wide range of normally separate disciplines, or one who's an expert researcher.

Of course, it isn't enough to do your research and come up with accurate translations of the terms. You're supposed to make the text sound really inviting and interesting so that tourists will be encouraged to visit and spend their money there.

And that's in the supposedly "easy and straightforward" tourism sector where rates are generally low .

Chris S wrote:
what about texts that mix up different fields?
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Christopher Schröder
Rachel Waddington
Angus Stewart
Michele Fauble
Valérie Ourset
Elena Aclasto
Kay Denney
 
johndaniels1824
johndaniels1824
Philippines
Translators with other field backgrounds Oct 18, 2018

Chris S wrote:

Eva Stoppa wrote:
I remember a professor back in college giving us a very difficult text to translate for students in second year. He told us we need to prepare for such texts since, in professional life, we mostly would have to deal with texts we don't understand.


Great idea. Although in my experience translation students generally don't understand basic texts either!

I specialise in economics, and I know a lot about economics, but I can't possibly know everything. Crucially, though, I think I know enough to know when I don't know something.

In any field, you will inevitably reach a point where no translator will fully understand what is going on. So who's going to translate that? And what about texts that mix up different fields?



Well yes, definitely a translator would reach a point where he/she doesn't know the topic being translated. That is why sometimes, hired professional translators for a given job with technical requirements like for example translators for the medical field requires previous experiences from translators with previous medical knowledge.


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:34
French to English
Advice and suggestions Oct 19, 2018

Sheila Wilson wrote:

A: There's probably a bit about the architecture of the local area throughout history (churches in all the different styles, etc); maybe there's a lake with all sorts of fish (who's an expert on fish names in their own language, let alone two languages?); then there are the sports that take place on that lake, and maybe on the surrounding slopes - perhaps extreme sports that are really quite new; then there are the local industries, perhaps wine with all its terminology or something that not many people know much about, such as mining; add to that the geography of the area, and any important historical events that took place there, famous people who were born or moved there, and local customs and traditions, and you need a translator who's an expert in a wide range of normally separate disciplines, or one who's an expert researcher.

Of course, it isn't enough to do your research and come up with accurate translations of the terms. You're supposed to make the text sound really inviting and interesting so that tourists will be encouraged to visit and spend their money there.

And that's in the supposedly "easy and straightforward" tourism sector where rates are generally low .

Chris S wrote:
what about texts that mix up different fields?

I hear you, Sheila! The problem is precisely that the texts are very well written, in a deceptively simply style, then when you get down to the nitty gritty, you see that things have been worded very carefully: glancing through, you get the impression that the hotel is right on the sea front, but in fact you'll have a ten-minute walk down a dirt track to get to the beach, because they have in fact only claimed that the children won't have to cross any roads to get there!

As for the "method" recommended by OP... well I have my own method, honed over 20 years' experience. I start by doing a rough draft, not bothering to look stuff up. I'm too impatient to just passively read it, but it's like a read-through to see what I'm up against. Then I go through it carefully doing my research and trying to make the text sound like it makes sense and making sure I haven't left anything out. Lastly, I put the source text away and read only the English, checking that it flows well and sounds good. It works for me, and anyone who wants is welcome to try to do the same.


Ann Marie Bohan
 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:34
Serbian to English
+ ...
One method NOT to use Oct 23, 2018

I was once watching a friend of a friend "translating" a technical text - that was supposed to be published as a technical college manual! - and couldn't believe my eyes: he was just progressively overwriting the original text with his own "translation" without even bothering to read first the sentence to the end. I just forced myself to refrain from any comment ...

Back to more professional methods - it makes a difference / helps a lot to read first the whole text, and to understan
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I was once watching a friend of a friend "translating" a technical text - that was supposed to be published as a technical college manual! - and couldn't believe my eyes: he was just progressively overwriting the original text with his own "translation" without even bothering to read first the sentence to the end. I just forced myself to refrain from any comment ...

Back to more professional methods - it makes a difference / helps a lot to read first the whole text, and to understand the basics and the logic / the ways of thinking in the given field. Knowing how and where to find the missing explanations and best suited translations makes also a difference.
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Flávia Werneck
 
Christina B.
Christina B.  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 12:34
French to German
+ ...
best method depends on your thinking style Oct 23, 2018

I think the best method depends on your personal thinking style, if you are more of an abstract or a concrete thinker.

I’m abstract and I like to move around «modules» in my head. Doing a translation segment after segment, from the beginning to the end bores me. I often work after this method :

1 Hopp around between the segments and fill in the interesting or easy parts first. (Converting source text into idea and idea into target text.)
2 Go through the text
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I think the best method depends on your personal thinking style, if you are more of an abstract or a concrete thinker.

I’m abstract and I like to move around «modules» in my head. Doing a translation segment after segment, from the beginning to the end bores me. I often work after this method :

1 Hopp around between the segments and fill in the interesting or easy parts first. (Converting source text into idea and idea into target text.)
2 Go through the text from the beginning an do a very fast draft, noting all the things to look up on a separate paper.
3 Research
4 Go back to step 1 for the untranslated parts.
5 Re-write and polish the target.
6 Compare the target to the source, from the beginning to the end.
7 Re-read the target after a pause.


A friend of mine is a typical concrete thinker, not doing things from the beginning to the end drives her crazy...

The way of thinking seemes to be correlated to personality : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232948206_Are_Thinking_Styles_and_Personality_Types_Related/download ).

The method depends of course on the kind of text, for a book translation I would probably work more from the beginning to the end.
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Paulinho Fonseca
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:34
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Badly written original Oct 23, 2018

My most recent translation was a technical document written by an Italian building contractor who was specifying a special product with a particular non-Italian trade name, which he (mis)spelled differently in different sections of his document.


When the source document is badly written, you could waste hours researching a term that doesn't make any sense, only to discover 2 hours later, when you come across a different version of that term, that it was a spelling mistake. Th
... See more
My most recent translation was a technical document written by an Italian building contractor who was specifying a special product with a particular non-Italian trade name, which he (mis)spelled differently in different sections of his document.


When the source document is badly written, you could waste hours researching a term that doesn't make any sense, only to discover 2 hours later, when you come across a different version of that term, that it was a spelling mistake. That happens to me quite frequently and I've learned to be wary of it.


That's one reason why I never translate in a linear way, from beginning to end.

[Edited at 2018-10-23 13:47 GMT]
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neilmac
 
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