| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Having your text translated by someone else Thread poster: Natalia Veselova
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Hello guys!
I'm trying to do some research, and that's what I'd like to ask you.
Suppose you have written a text — a book, a story, an article, anything else — and you know for a fact that it is going to be translated into one or several languages you don't know. As an author, you have very little or no control over the translators, and you might not even know who they are. Therefore, you have no clue how foreigners are going to see your text, and how much of your i... See more Hello guys!
I'm trying to do some research, and that's what I'd like to ask you.
Suppose you have written a text — a book, a story, an article, anything else — and you know for a fact that it is going to be translated into one or several languages you don't know. As an author, you have very little or no control over the translators, and you might not even know who they are. Therefore, you have no clue how foreigners are going to see your text, and how much of your initial meaning will reach them.
So, the question is: what, as an author, can you do to help your text be translated as smoothly and correctly as possible?
Please don't answer "I'll translate it myself", there are languages you don't know.
Thanks in advance! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Phil Hand 
China
Local time: 07:56
Chinese to English
| Pay professional rates | Mar 19, 2014 |
Professional translators are pretty good, so I hear!
What's your worry, Natalia? Why do you think that part of your message might not get through? Is it a particularly difficult text?
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:56
Spanish to English
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I'd look for a couple to do it. For example, for a translation into English, get a Russian-English (speaking) couple to do it for you. That way, you could liaise with your compatriot about any semantic or stylistic issues you are particularly concerned about. A British friend of mine recently married a Russian who speaks fluent English and they'd be ideal if they weren't already too busy...
| | | | | I'd be flattered and insist on professional translators | Mar 19, 2014 |
I would just be so flattered that anyone would want to translate my outpourings!
Being a translator myself, I would expect someone conscientious to do their very best to convey the ideas and the meaning, and as mentioned, the work should be paid for at a professional rate. I also know many colleagues who would take just that approach.
OK, you also have to choose the right translator.
I used to proofread for an expert on law who could make anything sound a bit like... See more I would just be so flattered that anyone would want to translate my outpourings!
Being a translator myself, I would expect someone conscientious to do their very best to convey the ideas and the meaning, and as mentioned, the work should be paid for at a professional rate. I also know many colleagues who would take just that approach.
OK, you also have to choose the right translator.
I used to proofread for an expert on law who could make anything sound a bit like legalese... But he knew it and usually kept to law! ▲ Collapse
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Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:56
Member (2006)
English to German
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| A few more points | Mar 19, 2014 |
Natalia Veselova wrote:
So, the question is: what, as an author, can you do to help your text be translated as smoothly and correctly as possible?
- As Phil [and others] already pointed out, get a good translator with the relevant expertise and experience. In life you can't do everything yourself - you have to rely on other people and their specific skills. You won't print or sell the book yourself either but leave these tasks to people who know how to do that.
- Set the stage before the translation starts: Tell the translator what you need, what you want to achieve, what the message of your content is, what your target group is... In short: give background information to set your expectiations. Listen to the translators' ideas.
- Be available for questions before and during the translation and take the time to think about and answer those questions.
- Don't get suspicious when your translators ask questions; get suspicious if they don't!
[Edited at 2014-03-19 09:43 GMT]
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1. Make sure I do have control over who the translator is.
2. Make sure that the translator knows that I would like to be asked any relevant questions (and then I would have to answer any questions efficiently and productively).
3. Hire a specialized translator who has credentials as an expert in the given field, can convince me that he or she is an experienced translator, is a native speaker of the target language and can speak/write (not just read) the source language well enough t... See more 1. Make sure I do have control over who the translator is.
2. Make sure that the translator knows that I would like to be asked any relevant questions (and then I would have to answer any questions efficiently and productively).
3. Hire a specialized translator who has credentials as an expert in the given field, can convince me that he or she is an experienced translator, is a native speaker of the target language and can speak/write (not just read) the source language well enough to effectively communicate with me.
4. Ask a professional colleague (= regarding the subject matter, not a fellow translator or editor) or friend who is a native speaker of the target language to have a look at it for me and provide general (not detailed) feedback. This could be a paid service or done as a favor.
4. If I have enough money to pay him or her to do the job properly, I would involve a professional editor in the process (who fulfills the same criteria as the translator). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Natalia Veselova
Lithuania
Local time: 01:56
Russian to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Just gathering information | Mar 19, 2014 |
Phil Hand wrote:
What's your worry, Natalia? Why do you think that part of your message might not get through? Is it a particularly difficult text?
I don't have any text, Phil, I'm just researching for the general purpose. I have to edit lots of translations, and I often think that authors would be mortified if they could see what their text has been turned into.
| | | | Natalia Veselova
Lithuania
Local time: 01:56
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | A good option, but depends on too many factors | Mar 19, 2014 |
neilmac wrote:
I'd look for a couple to do it. For example, for a translation into English, get a Russian-English (speaking) couple to do it for you. That way, you could liaise with your compatriot about any semantic or stylistic issues you are particularly concerned about. A British friend of mine recently married a Russian who speaks fluent English and they'd be ideal if they weren't already too busy...
Yes, that's a nice idea, but such couples can be hard to find, especially in several languages. Or they might not be linguists. So this option is rather luck than something reliable.
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Phil Hand
China
Local time: 07:56
Chinese to English
| Target culture activity | Mar 19, 2014 |
Natalia Veselova wrote:
I don't have any text, Phil, I'm just researching for the general purpose. I have to edit lots of translations, and I often think that authors would be mortified if they could see what their text has been turned into.
Oh, I see. In that case, it's a big question!
There are a few ways of thinking about it. In translation studies, it's often assumed that translation is a target culture activity. I.e. the target culture (let's say the UK) decides that there is something of value in a Russian text, and translates it. In this model, it's really up to the target culture what value they find in it. The author doesn't get to say what their text "means." So if you as an author end up in this kind of a model, then there's not much you can do (e.g. imagine a UK publisher wants to publish a Russian book. They're not that interested in what the author thinks it means or how it should read. They just want a version that will sell well in the UK.)
Another way of thinking about it is quality management. There's plenty of information about this out there: good review systems, open processes, knowledgeable practitioners all help. As an author you can assist by making yourself available for technical queries. But there's no getting around the problem of bad translators.
| | | | Neil Coffey
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:56
French to English
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| These are very different types of text | Mar 20, 2014 |
Natalia Veselova wrote:
Suppose you have written a text — a book, a story, an article, anything else
Bear in mind that these are of course very different types of text.
For example, some important factors are:
- the extent to which the text in question was designed to be translated in the first place
- the extent to which the author deliberately plays on cultural or idiomatic linguistic knowledge of speakers of the original language
- the degree of freedom available to change the text at the "micro" level to achieve its overall purpose.
If you think about different texts, produced under different circumstances and for different purposes, in terms of factors such as these, you'll see that what it means for the author to "get their message across" and what can be done with the text to achieve this can vary somewhat.
Either way, one would try to set up a chain of communication so that the original author isn't "afraid" of the translation.
| | | | | Put trust in a professional's abilities | Mar 20, 2014 |
Natalia Veselova wrote:
Hello guys!
I'm trying to do some research, and that's what I'd like to ask you.
Suppose you have written a text — a book, a story, an article, anything else — and you know for a fact that it is going to be translated into one or several languages you don't know. As an author, you have very little or no control over the translators, and you might not even know who they are. Therefore, you have no clue how foreigners are going to see your text, and how much of your initial meaning will reach them.
So, the question is: what, as an author, can you do to help your text be translated as smoothly and correctly as possible?
Please don't answer "I'll translate it myself", there are languages you don't know.
Thanks in advance!
Couple of thoughts:
Go to the directory, filter translators by whatever field of expertise is needed - one being poetry/literature for example. Review the profiles, you might already find couples who work together (one native in the source text, the other in the target text). Many translators team up with trusted colleagues as well for the entire task of translation/proofreading. You can inquire about and request a team by contacting one of the translators featured in profiles.
Once you decide on a translator, send her/him a sample, have them translate it and have a second translator proofread the translation.
Communicate with the translator in your language/source text when the translator is not a native speaker of your language and get a feeling for his/her capability understanding the source text.
There are quite a few translators listed who have received great feedback. Look who gave them the feedback.
Many translators will be able to send you a sample of their work.
In the end, you will have to put some trust in a professional's abilities. But it's smart to review translators and their profiles carefully.
And ... don't be cheap. I mean, be reasonable.
add-on: previously published translations with links to reader feedback are also a good criterion.
add-on 2: I suppose you're talking about an original text that has been published.
B
[Edited at 2014-03-20 02:19 GMT]
[Edited at 2014-03-20 04:00 GMT]
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I'd encourage the translator to ask questions, to be analytical and avoid just guessing. I'd generally want my grammatical and syntactical choices to be respected, not just transcreated into some semi-decent writing like normal (which may or may not convey the intended meaning).
As regards the selection, I wouldn't care were the translator professional or not, the skill is what matters. I might want some testing, possibly back-translation, though I'd try to keep it within reasonable... See more I'd encourage the translator to ask questions, to be analytical and avoid just guessing. I'd generally want my grammatical and syntactical choices to be respected, not just transcreated into some semi-decent writing like normal (which may or may not convey the intended meaning).
As regards the selection, I wouldn't care were the translator professional or not, the skill is what matters. I might want some testing, possibly back-translation, though I'd try to keep it within reasonable limits. I'd probably prefer to skip people whose writing tends to be sloppy when they aren't putting on their best faces, e.g. in e-mails and online comments. I trust people more when they use punctuation all the time, not just when they're contractually obligated to. I suspect only someone motivated to enough to write well would be able to do the job right and relate to me anyway.
Finally, a good rate and a civilised deadline. No incompetent QA, no outrageous demands, full respect. And proper credit. No nonsense like shoving the translator under the carpet and pretending he didn't exist. I'd actually want the translator to step up and take responsibility for that part of the final outcome which were attributable to his own creativity, specific approach, strategy and other choices. The translator should have a share in the sales, too. ▲ Collapse
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Phil Hand
China
Local time: 07:56
Chinese to English
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz wrote:
...I'd generally want my grammatical and syntactical choices to be respected, not just transcreated into some semi-decent writing...
I could agree with everything else you wrote there, but this struck me. I'd generally want a translator *not* to respect my grammatical choices. Grammar is language, and that's precisely the bit we're trying to change. I want my *semantic* choices respected.
I'm sure this comes from different experience. I find that Chinese and English are so different that it is often helpful to deliberately - even artificially - avoid using similar grammar. It helps stop the translationese creeping in.
And in general, I think I wouldn't want a translator who deferred too much to me as an author. If there's one thing I'm convinced of, it's that we all take something different from a text. I'd like to see some evidence from a translator that they are really reading my text, and that will inevitably mean we find things to disagree about. A translator ought to be able to stand up for their own reading. Right up until I fire them
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 00:56
French to English
| With you all the way Phil! | Mar 20, 2014 |
Phil Hand wrote:
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz wrote:
...I'd generally want my grammatical and syntactical choices to be respected, not just transcreated into some semi-decent writing...
I could agree with everything else you wrote there, but this struck me. I'd generally want a translator *not* to respect my grammatical choices. Grammar is language, and that's precisely the bit we're trying to change. I want my *semantic* choices respected.
I'm sure this comes from different experience. I find that Chinese and English are so different that it is often helpful to deliberately - even artificially - avoid using similar grammar. It helps stop the translationese creeping in.
And in general, I think I wouldn't want a translator who deferred too much to me as an author. If there's one thing I'm convinced of, it's that we all take something different from a text. I'd like to see some evidence from a translator that they are really reading my text, and that will inevitably mean we find things to disagree about. A translator ought to be able to stand up for their own reading. Right up until I fire them
With you all the way Phil!
Łukasz I'm not sure what you mean by "respecting" the grammar and syntax. I hope you mean "take into account and convey" rather than "blithely reproduce"?
However, more than that I would prefer someone who'll stand up for their own reading, who'll show the author that there's more to the text than they thought, someone who enjoys reading my book and cares passionately about expressing the same ideas in their own language,
because it will shine right through and produce that je ne sais quoi, that little buzz of feeling that keeps the reader turning the pages.
| | | | | Don't interfere too much | Mar 20, 2014 |
I have translated a few books in my time - usually with a good relationship with the authors, who were ready to help with questions and ambiguities. A couple have even come back with more work.
From recipes to psychology...
However, I started on a potentially very interesting project for an autobiography... and it never got off the ground, in spite of the author's extensive use of flying metaphors!
He wrote reasonably well in Danish, but he tried to write p... See more I have translated a few books in my time - usually with a good relationship with the authors, who were ready to help with questions and ambiguities. A couple have even come back with more work.
From recipes to psychology...
However, I started on a potentially very interesting project for an autobiography... and it never got off the ground, in spite of the author's extensive use of flying metaphors!
He wrote reasonably well in Danish, but he tried to write passages himself in English. Some Danes can do that too, but he did not experience his childhood in English, and he could not let go of the 'little red dictionary' and accept that English IS a different language in spite of its common roots with Danish. He could not accept my choice of words - and the whole thing was just too personal and subjective. His vivid descriptions in Danish did not come over, because he wanted every word translated literally as it stood.
I felt every sentence was a battle, and mercifully he got tired of it before we had finished 20 pages.
Once you have found a translator or a team, you do have to trust him/her/them. In translation sometimes you have to accept that plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - and that is actually what is intended! ▲ Collapse
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