Jan 1st, 2011 | Essays | No Comments
As freelancing becomes the norm for many translators, could the isolation it entails have a negative impact upon the way we treat each other. BY GLYN HAGGETT (REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE ITI BULLETIN)
In 2005, at the age of 41, I was diagnosed with a long-standing brain condition. Apart from a vaguely odd appearance and the fact that I would be the odds-on favourite for any world championship in clumsiness, I am one of the fortunate ‘anomalies’ who are largely unaffected by the condition and able to live a more or less normal life. However, it is not possible to go through the lengthy process of brain scans, waiting times, consultations, ‘why mes’ and ‘what ifs’, nor in particular to sit in the neurologist’s waiting room among those who have not been quite as lucky, without pause for thought.
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Jan 1st, 2011 | NCTA Meetings, Reports | No Comments
Re-defining the value proposition of their work will help translators develop their business. BY INGEBORG WEINMANN WHITE
Eleni Pallas’ presentation, the central event of our September General Meeting, sparked a spirited and lively discussion among fellow NCTA members. As soon as her introductory phrase, “Look at yourself as the CEO of your own life” reached our ears, we all perked up and paid attention. Pallas’ sparkling personality and enthusiasm are contagious. She challenged us to look at our life and business in a different way by considering a more “holistic” approach. → continue reading
Jan 1st, 2011 | Conferences | No Comments
NCTA volunteers kept a lively table at the ATA Conference in Denver.
BY CONNIE ARCHEA
Whatever qualms I had about attending my first ATA conference didn’t last very long. Hopping on the shuttle at the Denver airport, I was greeted by three other ATA members on their way to the conference, and we immediately struck up a conversation. Let the networking begin! → continue reading
Jan 1st, 2011 | Getting Started, Perspective, Translation | No Comments
Professional translation is a multi-step process. BY DAGMAR DOLATSCHKO
Why do we need editing and proofreading at all? Shouldn’t all translators be perfect to begin with? What’s an editor and why is proofreading different from editing? And why should I pay anything extra for editing and proofreading? Isn’t that part of the translation process?
To illustrate the first point I’d like to start out with a little story about a lawyer in Germany. The law firm wanted to find out more about how we work and how we ensure quality. So I proceeded to explain the usual process: → continue reading
Jan 1st, 2011 | Announcements | No Comments
A report on David Jemielity’s Session at the ATA Conference. BY SARAH LLEWELLYN
Of the many excellent sessions for French<>English translators at this year’s ATA conference, the two that really stood out for me were those presented by David Jemielity, the French Language Division’s “distinguished speaker.” Mr. Jemielity is head of translations at Banque Cantonale Vaudoise in Lausanne and a tenured faculty member at the University of Geneva’s School of Translation and Interpretation.
For reasons of space, I am just going to summarize some of the main points of his first presentation, “Why French->English Annual Report Translations Read Like… Translations,” but the good news is that Mr. Jemielity will soon be publishing the material he presented, probably in the ATA Chronicle. → continue reading
Jan 1st, 2011 | NCTA Events | No Comments
BY SHARLEE MERNER BRADLEY
The end-of-summer Happy Hour drew 10 translators to the regular haunt at the San Francisco Ferry Building’s Mijita restaurant to celebrate a lovely day and gird our loins for the fall season of work. We were happy to have French translator-interpreter Martin Hoffman back, visiting from New York, accompanied by another NCTA member, Tarek Dachraoui. Member John Koch came, too, looking for more involvement in our organization.
Two relatively new members, Pascal Parra and Connie Archea, received seasoned advice from Juliet Viola (our we-couldn’t-manage-without-her administrator), Tuomas Kostiainen (our president, recently returned from a restful vacation in his native Finland), Raffaella Buschiazzo (our ever-friendly and welcoming hostess) and long-time members Sylvia Korwek and Sharlee Bradley.
It was such good weather for The City that we stood for a group photo which Martin was kind enough to contribute for Translorial.
Make history by joining us at the next Happy Hour (check the NCTA Events Calendar on line). We always enjoy our networking after a hard day at the computer or interpreting. SMB
Jan 1st, 2011 | Announcements | No Comments
BY JOST ZETZSCHE
File Types and Tools
To use PDF files as efficiently as possible, it’s important to know that, from a practical point of view, there are three different types of PDF files:
Text-based files, where text is “real” text and you can copy and paste text from the file (unless restricted by the file’s security settings) and search for text in the file. Converting these types of files to a fully editable (and translatable) format, such as a Word file, is less problematic than with image-based files, though not necessarily simple. → continue reading
Jan 1st, 2011 | Business Tools, Continuing Ed., Machine Translation, Reports | No Comments
A timely and entertaining introduction to the tools of our trade. BY NIELS NIELSEN
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, Jost Zetzsche, perhaps best known to most for his GeekSpeak column in the ATA Chronicle, presented a workshop on CAT tools from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the downtown campus of San Francisco State University. In view of the ongoing changes in the translation industry brought about by technology, the importance of this topic was not lost on anyone. → continue reading
Jan 1st, 2011 | Literary Translation, NCTA Members | No Comments
BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN
Congratulations are in order for Alison Anderson and Sarah Llewellyn on the publication of their translation, from the French, of the recently released memoir of former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, “Even Silence Has an End” (Penguin Press).
Alison, a long-time member of NCTA before her move to Switzerland in 2008, was the work’s principal translator, with Sarah, who is based in San Francisco and is currently NCTA’s Continuing Education Director, collaborating as second translator.
The book is a riveting account of Betancourt’s harrowing ordeal as a hostage of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), which kidnapped her in 2002 and held her in the most appalling conditions imaginable, deep in the Colombian jungle, for more than six years. The book is as much a tale of survival as it is a meditation on the meaning of life itself: fear and freedom, hope and what inspires it.
Within two days of its release, the highly-anticipated memoir reached Number 4 on the Amazon.com bestseller list and went on to achieve a top-10 ranking on the New York Times bestseller list (Hardcover Nonfiction). SG
Jan 1st, 2011 | Announcements | No Comments
BY YVES AVÉROUS
Unless you have been living in a cave for the past 9 months, you cannot help but know that the iPad is a huge success, from New York to London and Paris to Shanghai. Last fall, when Apple revealed its new MacBook Air lineup, this product line claimed its place as heir to the iPad, becoming the new benchmark for all things Mac in the upcoming year.
First, the hardware: The new MacBook Air models have built-in flash storage, not to be confused with the Solid State Drives that are now so 2010! Like the iPad, the MacBook Air provides features that we have been wanting for a long time, but that were not readily available due to the high cost of the components that allow today’s feats: no moving parts, quick start and app launch, instant resume from sleep, and extra-long hibernation period—up to 30 days! The iconic 12″ PowerBook of yesteryear finally has a more than worthy heir in the super sexy 11″ MacBook Air. Amazingly, that machine with its low clock rate processor still manages to outperform the previous generation Air. See those benchmark results. → continue reading
Oct 11th, 2010 | NCTA Events | No Comments
Organizer Deana Smalley is passing the appetizers offered by corporate member Peritus at our second Redwood City Happy Hour. Left to right: Hany Farag, Yuki Lapin, Raffaella Buschiazzo, Deana Smalley, and Raija Rapo.
BY DEANA SMALLEY
It all started when I decided to go to a Happy Hour in San Francisco. After an unsuccessful attempt to get together a carpool to the Ferry Building, I decided to take public transportation instead. Then I missed the train. If only it weren’t so far away. I asked events coordinator Raffaella Buschiazzo if it would be okay if I organized a happy hour on the Peninsula. Raffaella said YOU GO GIRL!!! or words to that effect. I told NCTA Treasurer Dagmar Dolatschko, a Peninsula resident and owner of Peritus Language Services, what I was up to in case she wanted to help organize it. Fortunately for all involved, she did.
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