Translation industry news

Interview with the Australian translator of classical Japanese literature Meredith McKinney

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2020/12/12/books/for-meredith-mckinney-translation/

With the advancement of translation and interpretation technology, how concerned do translators and interpreters actually need to be? Is the robot-controlled future upon us?? Here’s my take on Amazon Echo’s new Alexa Live Translation feature/skill, and how I believe we’re still in the green zone.

https://www.favretranslations.com/post/new-amazon-echo-alexa-live-translation-feature-translators-concerned

“The most conscientious editors of my novels are not those for whom English is their first language, but the foreign translators who bring their relentless eye to the tautological phrase or factual inaccuracy – of which there are far too many. My German translator is particularly infuriating.”

This beautiful article is three years old, but it’s timely now, since Le Carré died a few days ago.

Why we should learn German | Languages | The Guardian

In a latest article published by Alconost, tips and insights about localizing for Canadian audiences are discussed, such as:

• how the Canadian market looks right now and where it’s heading; which industries are growing
• Differences in English between the US and Canada
• Canadian Slang
• Differences in French between France and Canada
• Localization advice

Check the article out here at MulitLingual.com: Localization tips for the Canadian market

At the beginning of the year, Inbox Translation embarked on an extensive research project on freelance translators. It was based on a survey (almost 70 questions, exploring various aspects of the profession – working with translation agencies and direct clients, rates, non-payment, continuing professional development, routes into the profession etc.), which received more than 1,500 responses. Many people got involved, including from professional translation associations such as the Chartered Institute of Linguists, the Institute for Translation and Interpreting, The American Translators Association, the Association of Translation Companies etc.

9 months and 18,000 words later, the report is finally here:

https://inboxtranslation.com/resources/research/freelance-translator-survey-2020/).

What words marked 2020 and what were some things language professionals have to do to adapt to changing times and linguistic needs? How can translators be up to speed with the latest words and trends? Find out in the latest article:

https://www.favretranslations.com/post/most-used-words-2020-translators-adapt

The United States is far from being an English-only speaking country. It is in the top 10 countries with the most spoken languages! This just goes to show just how diverse the country is, which is one of the reasons why it’s so rich and interesting, despite what some Americans might say. Everyone could learn a thing or two from US President John Quincy Adams and take advantage of the language mecca that is America. Find out more about the languages spoken in the US here:

https://www.favretranslations.com/post/there-are-335-languages-spoken-in-the-us-this-us-president-could-speak-8-american-language-stats

So you’re a professional writer or translator. Quality is an important measurable in our line of work, and when it’s lacking, it gets noticed. Mistakes can cost you a client. However, there are software solutions to help language professionals write better, find the right word, do more research, organize our work, and stay productive on top of it all. A lot can be achieved by adding plug-ins to your internet browser. Here are my top favorite, best Google Chrome Browser Extensions for writers and translators.

https://www.favretranslations.com/post/best-google-chrome-extensions-for-writers-translators

As companies increasingly turn towards international operations and expand into global markets, there is also a greater need for translators.

A carefully curated translation CV is essential if you want to stand out from the crowd and secure new projects and clients. In order to successfully compete against other translators, here are five top tips to improve your translation CV.

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I’ve often received questions about translation agencies, how to find the good ones, how to apply to them, and how to work with them. That is what I’m covering in this episode. In the search to find a steady stream of clients, sometimes working with a translation agency can be your best bet, at least at the beginning of your career.

Listen to the podcast here

Here at The Savvy Newcomer we understand that it can be intimidating to talk about money. It’s often a sticky subject, but we feel it couldn’t be more important to address as small business owners. One major component of succeeding as a freelance translator or interpreter is managing your finances well. If you don’t master your money, your translation career won’t be profitable or sustainable. This series on money matters is intended to get right to the heart of some of our biggest questions about freelance finances; we won’t shy away from the tough questions and we invite you to dive into these topics along with us.

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These months of confinement have changed our lives in many ways, including how we teach and learn. Despite the terrible consequences the pandemic brought to the professional interpreting world, there have been positive effects: a profession more united than ever before, and the possibility to attend courses, workshops and classes remotely from every corner on earth.

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Award-winning Tamil writer Perumal Murugan’s latest novel Estuary has been translated by Nandini Krishnan. Estuary is a curious book. It may appear flat in its tone, but the preoccupation of the government clerk Kumarasurar with his son Meghas’s welfare is universal. Many parents will identify with it. Much of the story revolves around Meghas’s request for a fancy smartphone that Kumarasurar may or not be able to afford. Estuary is a commentary on society and a gentle dig at people who are immune to external influences and refuse to evolve.

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Carlos Fonseca’s Natural History (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020) is a singularly difficult book to describe. It’s always hard to sum up an entire novel in a few words, but this one poses special difficulty. It has multiple, layered, sprawling stories, and the book is more about the journey than the destination. It’s a philosophical novel of ideas, a story about art and theory in which language is of primary importance. It’s about mimeticism and identity, about belief and nihilism, family and generational conflict. It calls to mind Georges Perec’s idea of the novel as a puzzle that the reader must reconstruct, though Carlos ensures that the solution is always just out of reach.

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Today on WWB Daily, Gitanjali Patel and Jessie Spivey of Shadow Heroes, an organization that runs creative translation workshops for students, take on the myth of the “good” translation. Deconstructing the harmful and exclusionary assumptions behind the phrase, they propose an alternative approach to translation.

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One of the greatest Arabic language poets of the 20th century, the late Palestinian author and cultural icon Mahmoud Darwish, is the focus of a recent book titled Palestine as Metaphor (Olive Branch Press). The book is a collection of interviews that have been translated into English by Arabic professor at QF partner Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), Dr. Amira El-Zein, and professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, Dr. Carolyn Forché.

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Interpreting is a professional field. What was once done by whoever was bilingual now has an established certification process. There are less and less reasons to work with unvetted providers. This timeline tells the story on the West Coast, where I live. I am from Oregon, where I am certified as a healthcare interpreter and a court interpreter. The story is told from an Oregon perspective. However, nothing happens in isolation. Oregon often works in partnership with the other West Coast states, or observes their work closely. What happens in the court interpreting field affects the work in the healthcare interpreting field. The story would not be complete without the federal context. Therefore, there are elements from all West Coast states and the history of court and healthcare certification is intermingled.

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With many organizations expanding their reach and going global, the role of translation is becoming increasingly important. Businesses need effective multilingual communication with their partners, employees and customers across cultural borders if they are to succeed in international markets.

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SAS terminology manager Ronan Martin announced recently that the search engines in the SAS Portal are available to communities outside SAS. Already operating internally, these tools are used extensively by testers, technical support and in-house translators. Several factors have led to the decision to open the portal.

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