Chuanyun Bao, Dean of Monterey’s GSTI

Feb 1st, 2006 | Continuing Ed., Interpretation, Interviews, Translation | No Comments

By Steve Goldstein

Chuanyun Bao is the Dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation (GSTI) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He has taught at the United Nations Translators and Interpreters Program at Beijing Foreign Studies University and for the Department of Foreign Languages of Xuzhou Normal University. An active member of AIIC, Dean Bao was a staff interpreter at the United Nations Office in Geneva before he joined the T&I faculty at MIIS. 

This year marked the 50th anniversary of MIIS. Can you talk a bit about the origins of the school, its history, and the significance of this important milestone?
MIIS was founded by a group of professionals 50 years ago who had a strong belief in training professionals for international careers. The school was first called the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, then changed to the present name in the 1960s. The 50th anniversary marks the end of our first period of success in international education and the beginning of a new era represented by our affiliation with Middlebury College. GSTI was founded in 1968, and is unique because it is not a school that focuses on language development; students are required to already have language proficiency as they enter our programs. GSTI provides training in translation and interpretation by the highest professional standards and it is a premier school in the field of translation and interpretation in the US. It has a comprehensive curriculum that covers almost every aspect of training in translation and interpretation, including theories, techniques, professional ethics, public speaking and communicative skills, etc. 95% of our faculty are practicing translators and interpreters with training or experience in teaching.

Describe a typical student in your program.
GSTI enrolls about 95 students a year on average, for our seven language programs. We currently have 190 students, of which more than 60% are from abroad. All have a strong interest in translation and interpretation, an interest in world knowledge, and a strong curiosity in learning new things and meeting new challenges.

GSTI recently announced the new MATLM (Masters of Arts in Translation and Localization Management) program. Can you talk about the program a bit, and how it came about?
As more and more of our students have been hired as project managers for localization projects, we recognized the need for more professionals who have language and translation skills as well as knowhow in localization technologies. The MATLM program is unique in that it has three essential components: Tranlsation, Business Management, and Localization Technologies. This combination is made possible by the strong interdisciplinary nature of the programs at MIIS.

You’ve referred to T&I as being an art and a science. In your view, what is the art, and what is the science?
First of all, T&I are a science because they have their rules and norms. Professional training is a scientific and systematic process in which students learn these rules and norms and thus acquire the skills as well as the theoretical knowledge base of translation and interpretation. But it is not enough to know these rules and norms: they must be internalized to become part of your subconscious behavior so that when you use them, they would come out naturally, without much thinking. When one can use these skills as naturally as one’s subconscious self, T&I would become an art. In general, you learn T&I as a science and you practice them as an art—of course after much practice.

With the return of the Winter Olympics this month, can you speak about MIIS’s close association with the Olympic Games?
Dr. Bill Weber, a former dean of the Department of Translation and Interpretation at MIIS, has been actively involved in interpretation for the Olympics. Thanks to his efforts, faculty and students from MIIS were involved in the Los Angeles Games, the Atlanta Centennial Games, the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and a few other winter Olympic Games. In the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, as many as 40% of the professional interpreters had either worked or studied at MIIS or were then-faculty members; in addition, a number of students worked as volunteers at the game.

Did you see the movie “The Interpreter”? What did you think of it?
I think it is a good movie, although some of the scenes of interpretation are not how interpreters work in real life. I like the movie because it helps the public know what an interpreter is. As a matter of fact, the original title of the movie was “The Translator.” Thanks to our interpreter colleagues at the United Nations Headquarters in New York who explained to the crew the differences between a translator and an interpreter, we now have a movie that is not only entertaining, but also an education to the public about interpretation.

December GM: Candidates, Invoicing, ATA and more!

Feb 1st, 2006 | Business, NCTA Info, NCTA Meetings | No Comments

By Rafaella Bushiazzo

December is traditionally the first occasion for members back from the ATA Conference to report on what they have seen. Candidates for the Board of Directors are also introduced, and awards given. This past December, the General Meeting also featured a useful presentation on invoicing software.

After general announcements regarding upcoming events, candidates for NCTA Board elections were introduced: Andrea Wells, Evan Geisinger, Naomi Baer, Song White, and Stafford Hemmer. All are professional translators and interpreters eager to share their own skills and time with the Association. The introductions were followed by an awards ceremony for three NCTA members: Stacey Ramirez, Juliet Viola, and Michael Metzger.

Stacey, as Translorial’s Advertising Manager, has succeeded in increasing the volume of advertising in our publication in just over a year on the job. Juliet, our long-time NCTA Administrator—the person that new members contact first—is NCTA’s “Institutional Memory,” the soul of the organization who so often helps board members with information and thoughtful advice. And last but not least, Michael, our former two-term NCTA President and Ad Manager and Webmaster before that, has devoted immeasurable time and effort to the Association. All three were rewarded for their extraordinary volunteer service; Juliet and Stacey with a year of free NCTA membership and Michael with an honorary Lifetime membership. The organization thanks you once again for all your great work and looks forward to your continued involvement with NCTA!

ATA Conference Report

The afternoon continued with a panel discussion about the 46th ATA Annual Conference in Seattle in November. Three attendees shared their personal experiences with the audience.

For Tatyana Neronova, a Russian-English interpreter, it was her first time at the conference and served as a wonderful introduction to the organization. She spent a lot of time participating in the activities of the Slavic division, where she was made to feel at home. She participated in several sessions, met many interesting people working for important institutions, and had promising contacts with several agencies. Despite all the activities that kept her very busy, Tatyana found time to volunteer at the NCTA table!

Ayano Hattori, a Japanese-English translator, was also a newbie at the ATA Conference. She attended several business and computer technology lectures and participated in some social events with the very active Japanese division. She told us about the Job Market Place, a table where attendees can leave their business cards and resumes in order to be contacted by companies and translation agencies. Ayano met many friendly people, learned a lot, and said she felt that the conference was definitely worth attending.

The last comments were from Shayesteh Zarrabi, a Farsi-English translator, who also attended for the first time. Shayesteh was representing Accent on Languages, the translation agency for which she currently works. She found the sessions to be very useful, particularly the Déjà Vu and TRADOS workshops. The only detail that she would like to see improved is the size of the conference rooms, which are now too small for the size of the crowds attending the lectures. She concluded by encouraging translators and interpreters to visit the booths set up by translation companies and to use this opportunity to establish contacts for the future. Other members in the audience shared their own recollections of the ATA Conference and added useful information, insights, and perspectives.

Invoicing tools presentation

After a very encouraging report on the financial situation of the association by our Treasurer Barbara Guggemos, the General Meeting continued with a presentation of the most-used invoicing programs for freelance translators. The subject raised so much interest among the audience that it is likely that NCTA will organize a workshop on this theme. NCTA President Tuomas Kostiainen, and English-Finnish translator, presented Quickbooks, Basic Edition 2003. Among other features, Tuomas likes the way the program creates invoices and enters them into the program’s bookkeeping functions at the same time.

Next, Christine Lemor-Drake, a English-French translator, showed us Customer Pro-File, a friendly and inexpenive invoicing system that runs on both the PC and Mac. In addition to invoicing in multiple languages, it features other built-in modules including Client Manager, Report Center, Event Scheduler, Expense Tracker, Money Converter, and others.

Finally, Tetu Hirai, a Japanese-English translator, presented PractiCount & Invoice, the Standard Version. This program not only generates invoices but can also count words and characters, including Asian ones. It allows the user to exclude numerals and to change the settings according to personal needs.

The General Meeting ended with a festive mailing party that gave us the opportunity to network and have fun all together while sticking stamps and envelopes!

And Justice for All?

Feb 1st, 2006 | Court Interpretation, Interpretation, Reports | No Comments

By Michael Schubert

Launched in 1997, the State Commission on Access to Justice is chartered with exploring ways to improve access to civil justice for low- and moderate-income Californians. The Commission’s new policy paper, “Language Barriers to Justice in California,” documents the need for increased court-interpreter resources in the Golden State.

In our profession and with our various backgrounds, NCTA members know first-hand that California is home to one of the most ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse populations on the planet. According to data from the 2000 census, roughly 26% of California’s 34 million residents are foreign-born, representing over 220 languages! This extraordinary diversity can be a great asset to the artistic landscape and to the general marketplace of ideas and perspectives, but it also poses huge cultural and linguistic challenges for providers of government services.

These challenges become clearer when one delves further into the census data: a full 10% of California’s 2000 population arrived during the 1990s, and rates of immigration continue to rise. More importantly, 20% of Californians speak English less than “very well,” meaning that they require an interpreter when appearing in court as a defendant, litigant, or witness.

While criminal defendants, witnesses, parties in small claims cases, and parties in a narrow class of civil cases have the right to an interpreter, no such right has been recognized for parties in most civil cases, including evictions, repossessions, creditor/debtor cases, wage garnishments, and family law matters. The judge may assign an interpreter at his or her discretion, but, not surprisingly, there is usually a lack of state funds available to pay the costs when the affected parties are unable to. The issue touches on the need for written translation services as well, since most court forms are available only in English. Even where such forms exist in another language, by law they still must be submitted and filed in English.

Aggravating the growing need for court interpreter services has been a concurrent shrinking of California’s pool of qualified interpreters. Court records show that between 1995 and 2005, the number of certified court interpreters for Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Arabic, Japanese, Tagalog, and Portuguese fell from 1,665 to 1,238—a 25% drop! The decline in Spanish interpreters, who make up 88% of this pool, has been nearly 30%. In desperation, the courts have been forced to rely on unqualified interpreters, including relatives and children, with the predictably dubious results for the administration of justice that hardly needs emphasizing among Translorial readers.

Court administrators have stepped up their efforts to attract and retain qualified interpreters, including the launching of a pilot program incorporating specialized telephone equipment, workshops, recruitment campaigns, collaboration with UC Berkeley and UCLA, better cooperation with local courts, and a redesign of the court interpreter program website. The single greatest problem hampering all of these efforts, however, is the lack of adequate funding. Compensation for California’s certified and registered court interpreters currently stands at $265 per day and $147 per half day, significantly lower than rates at the federal level and far below private-sector prices.

The Commission on Access to Justice outlines five principal recommendations:

• Adopt a comprehensive language access policy for courts.
• Develop specific recommendations to implement language access policy.
• Compile existing data and conduct additional research.
• Reevaluate system for recruitment, training, compensation, and certification of court interpreters.
• Evaluate role of lawyers and bar associations, legal services programs, law schools, and law libraries.

The Commission’s full 68-page report is posted at http://www.calbar.ca.gov/ under “Reports” in the left-hand column. The Commission explicitly welcomes the feedback, suggestions, or contributions of NCTA members!

Macworld: A Quiet Revolution

Feb 1st, 2006 | Business Tools | No Comments

by Yves Avérous

Some Mac observers were underwhelmed by this year’s presentation by Steve Jobs at Macworld: No new striking Apple product, or at least nothing nearly as extravagant as the rumors flying before the show. So much so that the second processor architecture change in the whole history of the Mac was greeted with almost as much worry as enthusiasm. Still, the numbers are in and performance is indeed way up as well as the potential, soon, to run Windows programs in native speed—for those who really need some critical apps. To learn more about what Macs can do for translators, join the next TransMUG meeting on February 11, right before the General Meeting, one block away from the Mechanics Institute. More info at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transmug.

Re-translating the Classics in Hebrew

Feb 1st, 2006 | Essays, Hebrew, Literary Translation, Translation | No Comments

New lessons in literature

By Merav Rozenblum

The Hebrew-language book market may be small in Israel, but it is extremely passionate. Consider that among a population of some seven million people, only about 100,000—after subtracting Arabic and Russian speakers, children, ultra orthodox Jews, and others who simply don’t read—are potential book buyers. Still, these are avid readers who need translators to quench their literary thirst.

In a country where half of all books published are translations, a typical publication run numbers about 1,500. Selling 4,000 copies of a book makes it a bestseller. Into this rather concentrated market, put a translator with the ability to work from an exotic language such as Japanese or Portuguese, or with the opportunity to translate an important novel such as the Harry Potter series or Life of Pi (by NCTA’s own Ofer Shorr), and the result is an environment in which Hebrew translators may receive recognition (if not some modest monetary rewards) that is virtually unheard of here in the States. This is especially true with regard to the current trend of re-translating much of the classic literature of the 20th century.

New perspectives

Why the re-translations? Efrat Lev, a Foreign Rights Director with The Deborah Harris Literary Agency in Jerusalem, explains that some world classics are taught in schools and there’s a real need to update the language. Modern Hebrew, after all—now about 140 years old—has developed rapidly in the past 40 years, and a 17-year-old girl today will not be attracted to a 1958 Hebrew translation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. (The new translation of this Russian masterpiece became a bestseller within weeks of its publication.)

Several high-profile books have been retranslated recently in Israel, among them Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens. This book was re-translated by a well-known journalist, Irit Linor, an author in her own right, and a TV and radio personality well known for her acerbic wit. Whether it was because of her celebrity status that her name is featured prominently on the cover is open to speculation (Ms. Lev thinks it is something of a PR stunt), but the fact remains that that the translator has assumed a new prominence in this evolving author-translator-publisher relationship.

Language to the fore

In addition to Nicholas Nickleby, A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh has also seen a recent re-translation (supporters of the new translation say children can understand it more easily; opponents argue the language has been dumbed down), and other classics are also receiving fresh interpretations. Gili Bar-Hillel, who gained her reputation primarily as the translator of the Harry Potter series, is working these days on a new translation of The Wizard of Oz, of which she is a long-time fan.

For Huckleberry Finn, Yaniv Farkash deliberately did not use previous translations as a reference. “The point of departure was just so different,” said Mr. Farkash. “The previous translations focused on the story; in one of them, the translator, a famous author of children’s books, even decided to omit the murder scene, thinking it wasn’t appropriate for children. I wanted to convey the text as in the original language, with all its linguistic richness.”

Most of the translators of the great Western masterpieces first published in modern Hebrew in the 50s, 60s, and 70s were poets and writers, who felt it was their duty to teach the new language to readers through their work. These translations are therefore highly poetic, using a register that might sound stilted and unnatural to many of today’s native speakers.

Mr. Farkash is very much aware of his advantage as a young native-Hebrew speaker living in 21st century Israel. It has been only in the last couple of decades that the use of slang, as well as informal and colloquial language, has been legitimized in original Hebrew literature, and even more so in local Hebrew newspapers and media.

As if to underscore this point, one of last fall’s bestsellers in Israel was a 10,000-word dictionary of Israeli slang, which not only reflects the influx of foreign words into modern Hebrew, but also illustrates the ancient language’s challenge in adapting to modern times.

New words, new ideas

The Academy for the Hebrew Language (the Israeli equivalent of the Académie Française), which generally tries to inhibit the importation and use of foreign words, often tries to invent Hebrew alternatives to these imports. In this forum, the nation’s most respected linguists offer their creations, which are then debated (often vigorously) and voted upon. A list of new words is published several times a year, and while state radio and TV are asked to use them, the requests are not binding—and often not heeded.

“Every word has its fate,” explained Avraham Tal, deputy director of the Academy, admitting that the Academy does not have a stellar record of getting its creations into the modern vernacular.

The greatest challenge in the new translation of Huckleberry Finn was in fact the treatment of language. Mr. Farkash worked closely with his editor, a privilege that only translators working with the more serious publishing houses get. They wanted the Hebrew text to be fluid, dynamic, and fun, just like the original English. Mr. Farkash used his intuition and tried to differentiate between the various voices that Twain employs. The glowing reviews that the book received attest to his success.

Literary translator as celebrity? Welcome to Israel, where this idea is not necessarily a contradiction in terms

Jorden Woods: New Paradigms

Feb 1st, 2006 | Interviews, Localization, Translation | No Comments

By Anna Schlegel

Jorden Woods is the founder and principal of Paradigms Consulting Group. He is recognized in the industry as a pioneer and leading authority on enterprise-class globalization strategy, content and application globalization technology, and multilingual issues. Jorden is also a successful Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur who has founded three IT-focused companies in the last decade, including GlobalSight Corporation, a company that pioneered the development of globalization management systems (GMS) for the Fortune 500. Jorden has consulted with companies including Apple, Cisco, GE/Global Exchange Services, HP, Mercury Interactive, Palm, PeopleSoft, Redback Networks, Samsung, VeriSign, and the World Bank.

How did you become involved in the globalization industry?
Interestingly, I became involved in the world of globalization when I moved overseas in 1993. It was at that time that I joined a British consulting company in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong was a bridge between the East and the West, the consulting staff was quite international, and in addition to various forms of English I also spoke a mix of Mandarin and Cantonese with my co-workers.

While at the company it became commonplace for me to collaborate on projects simultaneously with people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, the UK, the U.S., Germany, and Scandinavia. Working with these cross-cultural teams across many time zones was amazingly exciting!

As the firm entered the China market, we began to actively localize our marketing materials, both for printed collateral as well as for the website we put up in 1995.

What was the vision that led you to found GlobalSight? What did people know about Global Content Management Systems?
My experiences in Hong Kong provided me in part with the inspiration to found GlobalSight. Being both entrepreneurial and international, Hong Kong was a perfect environment for nurturing a desire to start an internationally focused business.

When I returned to the U.S. from Hong Kong in 1996, my wife and I saw the web as a great opportunity for starting our own business. My vision for GlobalSight was to create a company that would provide the world with the best solutions to minimize costs and maximize the benefits of web globalization. Initially we were more service oriented, but over time we became focused wholly on core infrastructure and processes and less on the actual websites and web applications themselves.

In the early days, 1996-97, companies did not really understand the concept of purchasing software for websites. They tended to believe that they could do everything themselves using scripts and inhouse tools coded by their own IT people. The idea of global content management, let alone content management, was considered very sophisticated by all but the most advanced sites.

In 1997-98 there were raging debates about the ultimate importance of the web, the need for multiple languages in international web sites, and the benefits of centralized versus decentralized development. It was not until 1999 and afterward that content management began to penetrate the corporate world.

Today, most companies are familiar with content management, and so now when they hear about global content management they tend to see it as the next evolution of a system they already have.

What do corporations not understand about globalization?
Unfortunately, though corporations understand that globalization is important, they do not understand that globalization is very complex and demands strategic initiatives that involve the entire company in order to be successful. Too often, globalization is seen as either a tactical initiative or something that can be delegated to a group to perform.

Successful globalization requires a finely tuned plan that simultaneously integrates the entire organization, its technological infrastructure, and its processes. Globalization by its very nature must touch and penetrate every aspect of the corporation in order for it to reach its true potential.

As corporations rarely provide their employees with education and training in globalization best practices, most globalization initiatives do not meet their stated goals.

What is your advice for freelance translators?
My advice for freelance translators would be twofold. First, stay abreast of the latest technology and second, find an area of specialization that can create a differentiator. In short, develop an edge that can increase both your chance of gaining quality opportunities as well as guaranteeing higher pay.

What are you reading these days?
I tend to read quite a mix of books, but I love history, cross-cultural relations, and science, and so gravitate towards books that incorporate these elements. Recently I have read Robinson Crusoe, The Da Vinci Code, Don Quixote, The Three Musketeers, and The Commanding Heights.

Untranslatable Words
Three Chinese Puzzles

Feb 1st, 2006 | Chinese, Essays, Translation | No Comments

By Song White

Stakeholder

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reported on Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick’s September 2005 speech to the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and the frustration felt by many Chinese officials and academics in attendance. “We need to urge China to become a responsible stakeholder,” said Zoellick.

The problem arose because there is not an official Chinese translation for stakeholder. In this article, I would like to discuss this, and two other words—endorse and leverage—in the political and financial sectors that are difficult to translate from English to Chinese (simplified).

I first encountered the word stakeholder fifteen years ago in a class for business students. One of the word’s English meanings is “one who holds the bets in a game or contest”; the Chinese word for this meaning—which I found in my outdated Chinese-English dictionary—is “赌金保管者” (du jin bao guan zhe).

But stakeholder is often used today with its more contemporary meaning of “one who has a share or an interest, as in an enterprise.” In the context of a company, stakeholders include those who have an interest in the company and can influence it, positively or negatively. Such entities can range from individual stockholders and employees to unions and customers to domestic and foreign governments, and even competitors. At a time when a planned economy was the dominant system in China, a business had only one entity to be concerned about: the State. Other internal and external constituents that make up the concept of “stakeholder” must be able to hold “stakes” before the word can represent a meaningful concept.

In the past 15 years, constituent stakeholders have begun to emerge in China. In 2001, China became a member of the World Trade Organization, making the country itself a constituent in the global trade institution. The Chinese translation for stakeholder seems to be lagging behind the change in China, although many translations had been previously offered. The issue is more of identifying a translation that sticks and is intuitive for use—that is, one which is commonly accepted and understood.

My translation in Chinese includes “相关成员” (xiang guan cheng yuan) (“related member”), “相关团体”(xiang guan tuan ti) (“related group”), or “相关团体成员” (xiang guan tuan ti cheng yuan) (“related group member”). For reference, it should be noted that the U.S. State Department’s translation is “利益相关的参与者” (“participants with related interests”), while Chinese scholars have offered “利害攸关的参与者”(“participants with related benefits and drawbacks”), “共同经营者”(“joint operators”), “参股人”(“shareholder”), and “合伙人”(“partner”).

Endorse

Now let’s look at our second word, endorse. The more “mechanical” meanings of  endorse—of “writing one’s signature on the back (of a check, for example),” or “of placing (one’s signature), as on a contract, to indicate approval of its contents or terms”—are relatively simply translated into Chinese as “背书” (bei shu) and “认可” (ren ke), respectively.

However, translating the other notion represented by endorse—“to give approval of or support to, especially by public statement”—sounds awkward in Chinese (“为某人背书” [wei mou ren bei shu] [“endorse someone”]). That’s because “背书” (bei shu) also means “to recite a lesson from memory.” A teacher or parent usually gives “背书” (bei shu) as pupils’ homework. The Chinese translation “为某人背书” (wei mou ren bei shu) is likely to be in a twisted meaning that indicates the person is acting like a pupil when reciting a statement from his/her memory to show his/her support. As a result, I have chosen to stay with a conservative translation, “公开支持”(gong kai zhi chi) (“show support publicly”), or “支持”(zhi chi) (“support”) for “endorse” in the sense of supporting.

Leverage

Finally, our third word, leverage, has similar dynamics. This word’s original meaning is “the action of a lever,” which is rendered “杠杆作用” (gang gan zuo yong) in Chinese. As later applied to the financial sector, its meaning became “the use of credit or borrowed funds to improve one’s speculative capacity and increase the rate of return.” Today, of course, the word is found in many areas of business, as “to use, to utilize, and to improve.” Translating this concept into Chinese, however, is difficult since there is not a simple Chinese word to reflect the meaning. As a result, my own translation typically includes several Chinese words or phrases: “发挥优势” (fa hui you shi) (“employ advantages”), “运(使)用…”(yun (shi) yong …) (“use …”), and “达到最佳效益” (da dao zui jia xiao yi) (“reach maximum result”), to cover the single English word.

And what if the stakeholder uses her leverage to endorse someone? Oy vey! In the end, it is a translator’s excitement and joy—and challenge—to be on the cutting edge of introducing to a culture new words and concepts in a fast-changing world.

The Translorial Tool Kit

Feb 1st, 2006 | Business Tools | No Comments

By Jost Zetzsche (c) 2006 International Writers’ Group, compiled by Yves Avérous

The Tool Kit is an online newsletter that comes to its subscribers’ mailboxes bimonthly. In Translorial, we offer a quarterly digest of Jost’s most helpful tips from the past season. If you would like to subscribe to The Tool Kit, visit www.internationalwriters.com/toolkit/ and mention Translorial during the subscription process; Jost will put your name in a drawing for one free Tool Box book per edition.

Invitation to GALA

The quickly growing Globalization & Localization Association (GALA) has invited Tool Kit readers to subscribe to GALAxy, a free e-newsletter for language professionals. You can subscribe at www.gala-global.org/index.php?action=view_newsletter. On their website, check out the “GALA on Technology” blog at www.gala-global.org/blog. The blog was created as a space to “gather, collate, and discuss the impact of tools within the localization industry.” Participation is open to anyone. While GALA is an organization that is not primarily for the freelance translator, it would be great if people from all parts of the industry began exchanging ideas on technology there. There are a good number of online forums for translation technology issues, but most of them are used by one or the other group from within our industry, and this may be a good opportunity to start something different.

CD emulators

CD emulator programs allow you to create up to 23 virtual CD drives on your hard drive, make an image (a complete copy) of the content of a CD, and thus enable you to play several CDs at a time, all at higher speeds and with much less demand on your equipment than through the original CD-ROM drive.

For us as translators, this can be particularly interesting if we need to work with several CD-based dictionaries at a time. Once the emulated CD drives are created, they appear as equals to any “real” CD-ROM drive under My Computer, and all of them can be accessed through a rightclick on an icon in the taskbar as well.

So, what’s the catch? Well, aside from the fact that some DVDs and CDs have a copy protection that does not allow them to be copied, there is none. That is, if you have a very large hard drive that can handle a lot of data.

There are a number of products out there: VirtualDrive (see www.farstone.com/home/en/shtml/vdpoverview.shtml), Original Virtual CD (see www.ztekware.com), or Virtual CD (see www.virtualcd-online.com). Virtual CD is the one that I am most familiar with, but as far as I can tell the others are “virtually” identical.

Easy dictionary searches

Here’s a tool to make searches through dictionaries a lot easier. Wordfinder (see www.wordfinder.com) is an interface to more than 110 dictionaries from many different publishers in 10 languages (Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish). With the Wordfinder interface you can assemble nice little customized compilations of dictionaries to fit a specific project. The software will search all those dictionaries at the same time and display the matches all at once. Oh, yes, and it is also available in a Macintosh version.

Compare in CATs and docs

Track Changes is a much-loved Word feature. This feature allows for great communication between translator, editor, and project manager by showing each party what has been revised in the document. In fact, for many this feature has become such an integral part of the translation workflow process that it is sorely missed if it’s not available, as for instance when you work with TRADOS TagEditor .ttx or SDLX .itd files (the SDLX translation file format). The freeware ApSIC Comparator (www.apsic.com/en/products_comparator).

Resourceful Address

Philip Rand pointed me again to www.translatum.gr, a site that I’ve mentioned before but which is certainly worth another mention. Spiros Doikas has assembled one of the better lists of tools, dictionaries, and other helpful information that extends far beyond the Greek origin of the site.

Forget Fast Save

If you have problems opening other Office files in TagEditor, you may want to check that all changes are accepted, then turn off Track Changes (in the Tools menu), and perform a Save As (shortcut key: F12) under the same or another name. Also, disable the fast save option (Tools> Options> Save> Allow fast saves), which tends to bloat files immensely as it just appends the old copy to the end of the existing file. (Here is a Microsoft article about this: http://tinyurl.com/c74ry.)

Payment Practices

Feb 1st, 2006 | Business, Opinion | No Comments

The Trials and Tribulations of Getting Paid (if at all)

By Ayano Hattori

Ah, if collecting money were only as joyous as it sounds. To most of us, payment is harvest; when the fruits of our labor are expressed with a dollar sign followed by multiple digits (the more the better), we get a sense of justified satisfaction. This, in turn, reinforces our very existence as professional translators. After all, without payments we would simply be volunteers. If you’re one of those people that has never had any difficulties receiving payment, consider yourself lucky—very lucky. More than likely, though, you have had such difficulties and, I’m sorry to say, no matter what the law says or how well you translate, the risk of late or non payment will always be present.

A discussion was sparked recently in the NCTA online forum when one of our colleagues posted a response made by an agency after repeated inquiry regarding an overdue payment. The agency, a corporate member of ATA, replied that its “policy requires … paying [its] translators and editors upon the receipt of customer payment.” The agency reasoned that these measures are taken to stay “financially stable.”

Although I had never seen such small print in translation contracts before, I am all too familiar with it. I have found them in contracts from one of my specialized areas, the architecture and construction industry. It is commonly known as “pay when paid,” and unfortunately sometimes turns into “pay if paid.” These clauses put a tremendous burden on the subcontractor. Depending on the industry, the longer this chain of subcontracting extends, the longer one has to wait for the actual money to trickle down, if ever.

The legality of such clauses have been a hot-button issue and multiple states (including California and New York) have had legislative actions against such clauses. Late payments ultimately have greater impacts on smaller businesses because of the financial impact one missing payment could have. It has been such a problem that the Prompt Payment Act was introduced to help regulate the payment standards even for the U.S. government.

As in the case of our NCTA member/colleague, independent translators are in a contractual relationship with the agency, not the end user. Because the translator is not participating in the selection process of the original monetary source, the responsibility of collecting payment in a timely manner should be left to the agency (the party in contractual agreement with the end user), not the translator. As with any responsible business, translation agencies need to be able to account for the monetary lag between paying their independent contractors and getting paid by the original source, if or when such cases arise. It is the basic fundamentals in preserving the wellbeing of suppliers of the translation service and ultimately the business itself.

The Better Payment Practice Campaign states on its website: “As well as being unethical, the practice of deliberately paying later than the agreed terms is wrong for sound economic reasons:

• It weakens your organization because it harms your reputation.
• It damages your supply sources and strains your relations with suppliers.
• It weakens the economy as a whole because it constricts growth.
• Late payment is often taken as an indication that the buyer is in difficulties. If you create this impression with your suppliers you may find that their terms worsen.”

Some tips for decreasing risks and “confusion”: As with any business decision, know your options and choose carefully. Select payment terms and collection methods that you feel are comfortable and competitive. Check with your state (or country) laws for legalities and amounts.

• Know your client. Do a little digging on the Internet for any “priors” an agency may have.
• Have your payment terms in writing by stating them in a contract.
• Take an advanced payment or retainer before the job begins.
• Issue invoices on time and note the contractual terms. Use special payment terms if you feel this client is risky.
• Charge interest and/or late fees.
• Offer discounts for early payment.
• Allow different methods of payment.
• Sometimes, it’s a matter of convenience. If you can afford to make it easier for the client to pay, it may be worth it. Considerations include electronic transfers, accepting foreign currencies and Internet payment systems like PayPal.
• Have insurance, such as Legal Expense insurance (an option if you feel you may have to use legal expenses to collect). Underbidding by extreme percentages and letting translators “fight it out” in online bids is only creating artificially low pricing that confuses clients and hurts our profession as a whole.

Actions after the fact

Here are some paths you may choose to pursue if the client doesn’t pay on time.

• Be persistent; remind the client consistently but professionally of the work provided and the payment terms agreed upon.
• Help others know the risk of working with this client/agency. Post in online forums and payment practice lists.
• Write to translation/interpretation organizations to help educate the larger business community on sound business practice. (Try places such as ATA Business Practice Education committee.)
• Get someone else to do the job by utilizing collection agents.
• Pursue non-court action through third party negotiation, mediation, conciliation or arbitration.
• Seek the assistance of debt collection lawyers and legal agencies for either/both advice on the current law and use of one in other actions.
• Take legal action through the court system. 

Translating and Interpreting at the Olympics

Feb 1st, 2006 | Event Interpretation, Interpretation, Reports, Sports Interpretation, Translation | No Comments

By Michael Schubert

With the Olympic Winter Games returning to the world stage this month in Turin, Italy, we take a look at what’s behind the decidedly Olympian efforts of our translating and interpreting colleagues—including NCTA members!

Survey the mainstream media for information on how translation and interpretation services for the Olympic Games are handled and you’ll find yourself tripping again and again over such tired phrases as “lost in translation” and “Babel,” interspersed with predictable anecdotes about mix-ups in the mixed zone and confusion at the conferences. Frustration with the pace of consecutive and relay interpreting at media events is another common theme. This scenario seems credible enough, given that the most recent games (2004 in Athens) drew some 10,500 athletes from 202 countries and territories.

Speak with professional translators and interpreters who have actually been in the thick of this prestigious, global, athletic megaevent, however, and a very different picture emerges. Four NCTA members with Olympic experience were of one mind that not only was the quality of the professional linguist teams top-notch but that the honor and excitement of being part of such an important undertaking eclipsed any negative aspects.

The MIIS Connection

Who recruits and coordinates these elite teams? Wilhelm (Bill) Weber and Daniel Glon are part of a common thread in the organization of translation and interpreting services for past Olympic games, as is the local institution—and NCTA corporate member—with which they share a long association, the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Not surprisingly, Mr. Weber and Mr. Glon have résumés that sparkle with not only linguistic distinction but athletic prowess.

A native of Geneva and an accomplished equestrian, Bill Weber was Dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation of MIIS from 1978 to 1992. His involvement with the Olympics goes all the way back to the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, and the International Olympic Committee remains an important client of Language Services International, his formerly California-based and now Hawaii-based company. When the Olympics came to Los Angeles in 1984, Mr. Weber directed International Olympic Committee officials to the incredible talent pool among MIIS students, alumni, and staff, and from these circles a total of 30 interpreters and 15 translators were hired to work in Los Angeles that year. Mr. Weber subsequently served as Chief Interpreter for the games in Calgary (1988), Atlanta (1996), and Salt Lake City (2002), and describes the Olympics as akin to a mini United Nations.

Past MIIS professor and native Frenchman Daniel Glon is a cycling buff and former racer and played rugby at a national level. Mr. Glon began translating for the Olympics at the Munich games in 1972. Most recently, Mr. Glon served as Chief Translator for the 2002 Salt Lake City games. Mr. Glon is founder and president of AILOS (Association internationale des Linguistes Olympiques et Sportifs), a non-profit working to bring together translators and interpreters with sports expertise to meet the needs of sports organizations and events organizers worldwide. He also created the French-English site www.supralingua.com. In an interview available there, Mr. Glon describes the work of Olympic translators as involving a lot of legal and medical documents as well as the official daily newspaper, the Olympic Record. He speaks of the huge glossaries that he and Mr. Weber and their teams manage—technical lingo for bobsled racing or figure skating, for example, plus terminology for newly added disciplines.

Scale and Scope

Every written document associated with the games must, according to Olympic guidelines, exist in the two official Olympic languages, French and English. This means a bounty of work for French translators like NCTA member Christiane Abel of West Point, California. Christiane holds a Master of Arts degree in Translation and Interpretation from MIIS. Her association with MIIS and Bill Weber led to her recruitment for the 1996 summer games in Atlanta. For one full month before and two weeks during the games, Christiane worked as part of team of 15 French translators in two shifts translating everything from menus, Olympic Village signage, Atlanta mass transit information and, of course, the Olympic Record. The modern office space featured workstations equipped with IBM Translation Manager software. Despite the tight deadlines, horrendous traffic and housing reminiscent of college days, Christiane savored being part of what she described as an excellent team, and formed good working relationships with colleagues that have lasted to this day.

Another aspect of Olympic translating is the big-screen information at the Olympic stadium and other venues, seen around the world by millions. Agnew Tech-II of Westlake Village, California, founded in 1986 by President and CEO Irene Agnew, collaborated with Big Screen Network Productions to translate its video board programming from English to Greek for every venue and sport at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Olympic interpreters work assisting the media in interviewing athletes when- and wherever they can, at the post-medal ceremony press conferences and at meetings of the International Olympic Committee and its commissions. Interpreters must prepare by familiarizing themselves with the rules and regulations of the various Olympic sports, the names of previous medal winners and current favorites, athletes’ biographies, and more. But the most challenging interpreting work may be in the so-called “mixed zone,” the area through which athletes pass between their performance venue and the locker room. Media hounds hungry for a word from the star performers jostle for a front-row spot here; shouting is common and even fistfights have broken out. The chaos of this scene naturally exacerbates the job of the interpreter.

Depending on the infrastructure and budgeting/organizational priorities set by the local committee, interpreting at the post-medal ceremony conferences will be simultaneous, consecutive, or even relayed. Where no budget or obligation for professional interpreters exists, volunteers pick up slack. Some sports are so competitive and culturally significant—basketball and soccer, for example—that the national team will hold a press conference regardless of whether it won a medal.

NCTA Olympians

In addition to Christiane Abel, several other NCTA members have Olympic T&I experience on their resumés. Andrea Hofmann-Miller is a German translator and interpreter, and an alumnus of MIIS as well, where she earned the degree Master of Arts in Translation and Interpretation. While there, she met Bill Weber, who recruited her for the games in Atlanta (1996) and Salt Lake City (2002). Before and during the games, Andrea provided both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting services, mainly into her native German. She remembers with fondness the ebullient atmosphere before the opening ceremony and at the pre-Games interviews, when no one had yet been branded a “winner” or “loser.” The presence of many international luminaries and their social and environmental involvement were another highlight.

NCTA member and newly elected ATA board member Jacki Noh, a professional Korean interpreter, was contracted by Bill Weber for the games in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Salt Lake City (2002). She describes the highlight of her Olympic work as simply “being there,” and she enjoyed cheering on the Korean teams. Jacki interpreted for both the North and South Korean contingents. Compensation for professional Olympic interpreters is according to terms of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), and Jacki describes the pay as competitive, though less so for her Sydney stint because of the exchange rate of the Australian dollar. Despite the stress and travel, however, Jacki regards her involvement with three Olympiads to be a highlight of her career.

Yet another graduate of MIIS, NCTA member Shan Young Tsen, was also recruited by Bill Weber, and worked as a simultaneous interpreter in her native Mandarin in Atlanta (1996) and as a consecutive interpreter in Salt Lake City (2002). The experience was an enjoyable one that she would definitely do again and recommend to others. Shan recalls her self-study crash course in ice hockey terminology and her delight in watching her first-ever ice hockey event as the Chinese women’s team competed.

Shan has no insider information on the 2008 Beijing Games but presumes they will wish to draw first on local translators and interpreters. The press conference hall for Beijing 2008 has already been equipped with a wireless simultaneous translation system. Though the Chinese translation market has grown in leaps and bounds recently to keep pace with China’s growing importance as a global business power, reports indicate that the country still faces an alarming shortage of high-quality professional translators.

Related sites

www.olympic.org Official site of the Olympic Movement (English, French)

www.torino2006.org Official site of the XX Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy (English, French, Italian)

http://en.beijing-2008.org Official site of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China (English, French, Mandarin)

www.aiic.net International Association of Conference Interpreters, Geneva, Switzerland (English, French and selected content in additional languages)

www.miis.edu Monterey Institute of International Studies, California

www.lsiusa.net Language Services International, Inc., Hawaii

www.agnew.com Agnew Tech-II, Westlake Village, California