Sep 1st, 2009 | NCTA Events | No Comments
by stefano nicola mura
A marvelous and sunny day greeted our annual summer potluck picnic and barbecue on Sunday, June 21 at the breathtakingly beautiful Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County. Many NCTA members, families and friends gathered at Paradise Beach Park, not only for the delicious food, but also to assist and take part in the Talent Show which followed the barbecue. A number of talented members took the stage at the spur of the moment, encouraged by the excitement.
I introduced the idea to NCTA board members some time ago, so I opened the show myself with a couple of instrumental songs played in the ‘finger picking’ style on my acoustic guitar. The pieces were “In Christ there is no East or West,” a beautiful hymn written in the early 20th century, and “Hey hey,” a Blues piece by the great Blues master Big Bill Broonzy.
Then Marc Weber took the stage and finally resolved the almost 400-year adage of the Zen Buddhism discipline: What is the sound of one hand clapping? And indeed, he showed us all the sound… of one clapping hand up in the air!
Eric’s monologue of the reclusive wizard Tim, the Enchanter, from the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail was… well, just enchanting. He put on his best Scottish accent and there he was, addressing King Arthur and his Knights, encouraging them to continue searching for the Holy Grail, and leading them to the Cave of Caerbannog.
Young Stefan Moskowitz, 11 years old and with a great passion for soccer, beat his previous record of 91 juggles with the ball, alternating feet and thighs, with an outstanding 121 juggles.
Marina Kopinec and Lisa sang ‘a cappella’ the beautiful and haunting old Russian folk song, “Ochi Cherniye” (Dark Eyes), dancing passionately at the end of the song.
Finally, Mehram Sheikholeslami exhibited his still life acrylic painting, Leek and Green Onion in Basket. Mainly a portrait painter, Mehram is the gold medalist at the 6th Annual International Open Exhibition of the Pastel Society of the West Coast for his astonishingly beautiful portrait, Mrs. Giti Bozorgi.
Everybody had lots of fun and the day seemed perfect to showcase our NCTA members’ artistry spontaneously. We most certainly have to repeat the event next year!a
BY STEFANO NICOLA MURA
Marina Kopinec and Lisa sang the old Russian folk song “Ochi Cherniye” (Dark Eyes).
A marvelous and sunny day greeted our annual summer potluck picnic and barbecue on Sunday, June 21 at the breathtakingly beautiful Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County. Many NCTA members, families and friends gathered at Paradise Beach Park, not only for the delicious food, but also to assist and take part in the Talent Show which followed the barbecue. A number of talented members took the stage at the spur of the moment, encouraged by the excitement. → continue reading
May 1st, 2009 | Interpretation, Interviews, NCTA Events, Reports | 1 Comment
At the NCTA February meeting, Iraqi interpreter Haitham Jasim was interviewed by Steven Goldstein and shared some of his experiences working for U.S. Forces in Iraq. BY SARAH LLEWLLYN
Haitham Jasim answers Steven Goldstein's questions.
The first meeting of 2009, held February 7th, began with a presentation by NCTA President Tuomas Kostiainen of current Association data and was followed by the announcement of the results of the 2009 Board elections. Re-elected to the Board were Tuomas Kostiainen as President, Yves Avérous as Vice President, and Raffaella Buschiazzo and Sonia Wichmann as Directors. J. Mónica Pérez was newly elected as Director.
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May 1st, 2009 | NCTA Events | No Comments
BY DAGMAR DOLATSCHKO
Left to right: Elisa Rossi, Dagmar Dolatschko, Stafford Hemmer.
Agency Member Peritus Precision Translations, Inc. hosted the first Peninsula NCTA Happy Hour at its office at the Port of Redwood City on a brisk February 4, 2009.
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Feb 1st, 2009 | Business Services, Continuing Ed., NCTA Events | No Comments
At the NCTA December meeting, guest speaker Florencia Pettigrew explained how to get the most out of social networking sites and techniques for building and managing your online reputation. BY SARAH LLEWELLYN
Florencia Pettigrew details LinkedIn's advantages.
Feb 1st, 2009 | Machine Translation, NCTA Events | No Comments
Is post-editing in your future? Will you soon be cleaning up after the machines? The AMTA Conference addressed this and more. BY MIKE DILLINGER, FOREWORD BY YVES AVÉROUS
Jiri Stejksal, President of ATA, attended the Waikiki conference to represent us.
What’s not to like in a conference taking place in Waikiki, Hawaii? Besides, the program put together last October by AMTA, the Association for Machine Translation in the Americas, was quite compelling. After a recent general meeting presentation touting the merits of post-editing-or fixing the manageable translations some machines achieve today, it looked like the matter needed more examination. The MT trend also reached the halls of the ATA conference that followed a month later. Not coincidentally, Jiri Stejksal, President of ATA, attended the Waikiki conference to represent us. → continue reading
Feb 1st, 2009 | NCTA Events | No Comments
EVENT REPORT BY NINA BOGDAN
Dining room with a view
On Sunday, January 25, NCTA members gathered at Skates by the Bay, a restaurant in Berkeley, to celebrate the post-holiday season and share experiences. → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2008 | Business, Machine Translation, NCTA Events, Reports | No Comments
At the NCTA September meeting, Dr. Anthony Pym discussed his research findings and explained “what happens” when translators work under pressure. BY RAFFAELLA BUSCHIAZZO
The September General Meeting took place on Saturday the 13th in downtown San Francisco and was presented by NCTA President Tuomas Kostiainen. Vice President and Translorial Publisher Yves Avérous offered potential volunteers free training on layout and Translorial blog site management. Then he praised the excellent work Translorial’s new editor, Nina Bogdan, did on the September issue. He also showed everyone how to join the new NCTA Group in LinkedIn, the professional network website. All active NCTA members are welcome to join the group. At the December General Meeting we will present the most popular network websites where you can promote your professional skills online. → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2008 | NCTA Events, Reports | No Comments
On October 11, more than 60 NCTA members gathered in San Francisco’s Chinatown for dinner, wine, conversation, and a fireworks show. BY INGEBORG WEINMANNN WHITE
The 30th anniversary celebration dinner of the NCTA, held at the Empress of China, one of San Francisco’s oldest and most prestigious Chinese restaurants in the heart of Chinatown, was truly a joyous event. The large windows offered a beautiful view of the downtown skyline and distant bay basking in the rose-colored light of the sunset. It was easy to break the ice and feel at home among our family of peers (the delicious welcome champagne helped too). People greeted old friends, met new ones, and eventually settled down at the round tables, where the Chinese feast was soon to begin. → continue reading
May 1st, 2008 | NCTA Events, Reports | No Comments
BY RAFFAELLA BUSCHIAZZO
On February 25 at 5:30 PM, a group of NCTA members, all aficionados of our monthly Happy Hours, met in Oakland at the Pacific Coast Brewing Co. The pub is in an elegant 1876 building where several museum pieces are on display. It’s conveniently located downtown, a block from the 12th Street Bart Station in an area that has been renewed and now hosts cafes, restaurants, and interesting shops, from the well-known Ratto’s European Deli to an exotic African products boutique.
After a hard day of work we enjoyed a drink while relaxing and chatting with colleagues who share the same interests. You can’t talk with just anyone you meet about the difference between cognates and “false friends,” their important role in learning languages, and how excruciating it is to see them badly translated. But at our Happy Hours you have an attentive audience ready to start an intelligent discussion on these sorts of topics. Bob Killingsworth, Sylvia Korwek, and Sharlee Merner Bradley were the key participants in this interesting debate.
I particularly enjoyed exchanging book titles such as Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky and trying to remember the name of that Nobel-laureate Portuguese writer … Salgado? Salvado? We all had his name on the tips of our tongues and Sharlee satisfied our curiosity on the spot by consulting Wikipedia directly on her iPhone. We all exulted when she pronounced the name of the well-known author of several masterpieces: José Saramago!
If you wish to organize a Happy Hour where you live, just drop me a message at events@ncta.org.
Feb 1st, 2008 | NCTA Events, Reports | No Comments
By Nina Bogdan
The annual NCTA New Year’s brunch was held at Skates on the Bay restaurant in Berkeley on January 13th. This is the fourth year that the event was held at this location and the general consensus among attendees was that it remains a good choice. Approximately 30 members attended, although apparently 50 or so sent in a positive RSVP. The whereabouts of the missing attendees remain a mystery and they certainly did miss out on a very pleasant social and networking event. This was my first time attending the brunch and I must admit that while I made the decision to go only at the last minute, I am very glad that I overcame my slothful inclinations and took the plunge.
Skates on the Bay is located on the Berkeley waterfront and has a sweeping (one might even say “spectacular” view) of the bay. The weather on Sunday was perfect—clear and bright with a slight breeze. One of the blessings of living in the Bay Area is having these unexpected very un-winter like days that pop up between rainstorms and overcast drizzly periods.
Lunch began with an offering of a variety of beverages. I, not being a designated driver for once, opted for a Bloody Mary and although it looked almost too pretty to drink, it went down quite nicely. We proceeded with ordering brunch and then were presented with pastries, coffee, and tea courtesy of NCTA.
There were quite animated social and business discussions throughout the meal and it was quite apparent that a good time was had by all. I was finally able to put names and faces together, which I find to be an important part of networking when most communications are by email. The lunch ended with what may become a traditional walk on the long pier adjacent to the restaurant and the obligatory group photo. All in all, this was a very pleasant way to spend an early Sunday afternoon.
Dec 1st, 2007 | Business Tools, Continuing Ed., NCTA Events, Reports | No Comments
By Sonia Wichmann
Electronic tools—used correctly—can greatly improve efficiency, saving us time, money, and headaches. The NCTA-sponsored workshop “From Ink to Electrons,” held on October 13th, offered an excellent opportunity for translators to quickly learn a wealth of practical and time-saving techniques.
For some of us, tinkering with programs and gadgets and keeping up with the latest online resources comes naturally. But if you’re like me, you keep thinking that you should learn more (maybe even read the manual?), but rarely find the time or motivation until confronted with some mysterious technological problem—and usually just before a deadline.
Instructor Aaron Ruby, a full-time English>Spanish legal and technical translator and court interpreter, has previously presented on a wide range of legal and technical topics in forums such as ATA, NAJIT (National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators), OMT (Organization of Mexican Translators) and HITA (Houston Interpreters and Translators Association). In this well-organized and lively presentation, attended by about 20 participants, he provided an overview of electronic reference materials, Google searching, and common formatting challenges. The first half focused on electronic and online reference tools, while the second half dealt with techniques for Microsoft Word and strategies for effective searching.
Aaron began by introducing a number of useful resources for translators such as electronic, pocket, and online dictionaries. While online dictionaries are becoming more common, they are still mainly limited to general or monolingual dictionaries. Electronic dictionaries, available in many languages and language combinations, allow the user to search in multiple dictionaries and find results in a matter of seconds, rather than flipping through bulky paper dictionaries. Pocket dictionaries, while limited in scope, are extremely portable and instantly ready to use, which can be helpful for interpreting or travel situations. Aaron also reviewed several useful sites such as Dictionary.com, Eurodicautom (the official dictionary of the European Union), and how to use sites like Wikipedia to gain a quick introduction to an unfamiliar topic. Especially impressive was the demonstration of Webster’s Online Dictionary, The Rosetta Edition, which currently covers 90 modern languages. He also shared his evaluation of various English dictionaries available on CD-ROM.
After the break, we turned to formatting issues in Microsoft Word. Increasingly, translators are being asked to provide documents with more complicated formatting, and while it’s reasonable to decline jobs requiring complex desktop publishing tasks (or at least demand more money), it is also important to be able to do common types of formatting with a minimum of stress. We learned about efficient ways to work with tabs and margins, tables, spacing, the Track Changes function, and—an audience favorite—the mysteries of text boxes and how to edit them.
Finally, Aaron gave a quick overview of using Google, “a translators’ best resource.” As he pointed out, researching a topic on Google can help translators create equivalent expressions that are idiomatic for the target language, rather than simply translating from dictionaries. There are different ways to search, whether using the Google Language Tools or country-specific home pages, and it pays to use a variety of approaches. In addition, using Google or other desktop search applications enables you to quickly access vast amounts of information on your hard drive, whether in old files you’ve created or in downloaded webpages.
I came away from the workshop better equipped, and even inspired to invest a bit more time in poking around Word, Google, and my electronic dictionaries. Clearly, this workshop addressed very relevant topics and there was a general consensus by the participants that a Part II would be welcome!
