This week, I attended not one but two translation workshops held, very conveniently, just down the road in Cardiff.
The first was a talk by Kari Koonin FITI on Professional Editing for Linguists and Translators. The event was primarily aimed at MA Translation students at Cardiff University, but a number of translators were invited by ITI Wales to give students a chance to meet people already working in the industry. Kari's talk was a very helpful refresher and a reaffirmation of best practices: she ran through the distinctions between proofreading, revision and editing (terms that are often used interchangeably) and emphasised the importance of checking your own translation work carefully (and preferably having it checked by a second reviser) over a number of stages. One suggestion that I have been meaning to look into for some time is making use of "text to speech" functions when checking, which allows translators to hear their work being spoken aloud as well as reading it on the screen (or page), which is a good way of spotting mistakes or stylistic glitches that might be less obvious otherwise. I already tend to read my work out loud at the revision stage for these reasons, but listening to yourself speaking is slightly different to hearing the text being read by an external voice.
The first was a talk by Kari Koonin FITI on Professional Editing for Linguists and Translators. The event was primarily aimed at MA Translation students at Cardiff University, but a number of translators were invited by ITI Wales to give students a chance to meet people already working in the industry. Kari's talk was a very helpful refresher and a reaffirmation of best practices: she ran through the distinctions between proofreading, revision and editing (terms that are often used interchangeably) and emphasised the importance of checking your own translation work carefully (and preferably having it checked by a second reviser) over a number of stages. One suggestion that I have been meaning to look into for some time is making use of "text to speech" functions when checking, which allows translators to hear their work being spoken aloud as well as reading it on the screen (or page), which is a good way of spotting mistakes or stylistic glitches that might be less obvious otherwise. I already tend to read my work out loud at the revision stage for these reasons, but listening to yourself speaking is slightly different to hearing the text being read by an external voice.
I've written previously about the revision process (though using slightly different terminology) and it's a topic that I've been focusing on a lot recently. In March, I joined the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, where I plan to develop my skills in this area further. I also recently started using the very helpful TransTools suite, which allows certain aspects of proofreading and revision to be automated (and this was something I recommended at Kari's talk too).
The second event was a workshop organised by ITI Cymru Wales, Translation: Craft or Commodity? Silke Lührmann, an active translator and academic researcher, gave a presentation on the tension between the understanding of translation as a skilled craft practised by experts (which is how most translators regard their role), and an understanding that is prevalent in the industry which sees translators as "resources" that exist to churn out product as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Sometimes, these industry conditions can stand in the way of good-quality translation outcomes: one point that particularly resonated was the difficulty translators experience in focusing on intellectually demanding work when they face tight deadlines and constant interruptions.
Silke's presentation was followed by a panel discussion with several other translators (including myself). We discussed machine translation, which will mean that in future premium translators will need to up their game and ensure they give their work "a human touch" that machines can't reproduce. We also talked about ways in which translators who are new to the industry can be more effectively supported: for example, by means of mentoring relations with established translators, or through online and offline networks that allow translators (especially at early stages of their career) to collaborate more effectively and make them less vulnerable to exploitative practices in the market. One issue where I slightly differed from some other panelists/audience members is that I feel that translators shouldn't necessarily identify as or aspire to be "enterpreneurs"; while business skills are instrumentally necessary to ensure we are economically successful, I don't think they should be conflated with the craft of translation itself.
It was a helpful opportunity to reflect on some very topical issues for the industry, and also as ever a great chance to reconnect with colleagues and put some names to faces. For anyone interested to read more, the #ITICW hashtag on Twitter includes a summary of some of the points that were made.
The second event was a workshop organised by ITI Cymru Wales, Translation: Craft or Commodity? Silke Lührmann, an active translator and academic researcher, gave a presentation on the tension between the understanding of translation as a skilled craft practised by experts (which is how most translators regard their role), and an understanding that is prevalent in the industry which sees translators as "resources" that exist to churn out product as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Sometimes, these industry conditions can stand in the way of good-quality translation outcomes: one point that particularly resonated was the difficulty translators experience in focusing on intellectually demanding work when they face tight deadlines and constant interruptions.
Silke's presentation was followed by a panel discussion with several other translators (including myself). We discussed machine translation, which will mean that in future premium translators will need to up their game and ensure they give their work "a human touch" that machines can't reproduce. We also talked about ways in which translators who are new to the industry can be more effectively supported: for example, by means of mentoring relations with established translators, or through online and offline networks that allow translators (especially at early stages of their career) to collaborate more effectively and make them less vulnerable to exploitative practices in the market. One issue where I slightly differed from some other panelists/audience members is that I feel that translators shouldn't necessarily identify as or aspire to be "enterpreneurs"; while business skills are instrumentally necessary to ensure we are economically successful, I don't think they should be conflated with the craft of translation itself.
It was a helpful opportunity to reflect on some very topical issues for the industry, and also as ever a great chance to reconnect with colleagues and put some names to faces. For anyone interested to read more, the #ITICW hashtag on Twitter includes a summary of some of the points that were made.
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