NATIONAL LEARNING SERVICE

ENGLISH WORKSHOP 5.5

GETTING STARTED AS A TRANSLATOR

ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR JUAN DE DIOS MARIN

TRAINNE NEIT ARIAS CASTELLANOS

LOGISTICA MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

BOGOTA CITY, OCTOBER 2020

 Workshop

As part of your English Learning Process, it is important to get

familiar with technical vocabulary in order to be able to translate
short pieces of texts containing technical information.

A. Getting familiar with technical vocabulary

After revising the vocabulary in the material “Strategic framework:

developing guidelines”, read the given definitions and complete
the followig crossword.

Across

1. The act of producing more of something than is

needed, or to produce too much.

9. Movement of goods or services along the value

stream from raw materials to the customer without

backflow, stoppages, or waste.

12. A party that supplies goods or services. A supplier

may be distinguished from a contractor or

subcontractor,
who commonly adds specialized input to deliverables.

Also called vendor.

13. Basic substance in its natural, modified, or semi-

processed state, used as an input to a production

process for subsequent modification or transformation

into a finished good.

14. An estimate of costs, revenues, and resources over

a specified period, reflecting a reading of future

financial conditions and goals.

15. Department, facility, machine, or resource already

working at its full capacity and which, therefore, cannot

handle any additional demand placed on it. Also called

critical resource.

Down
2. Study of capabilities and limitations of mental and

physical work in different settings. Ergonomics applies

anatomical, physiological, and psychological

knowledge (called human factors) to work and work

environments in order to reduce or eliminate factors

that cause pain or discomfort.

3. A business or person that sells goods to the

consumer, as opposed to a wholesaler or supplier, who

normally sell their goods to another business.

4. Desire for certain good or service supported by the

capacity to purchase it

5. Highest sustainable output rate (maximum number of

units per month, quarter, or year) that can be achieved

with current resources, maintenance strategies,

product specifications, etc.

6. An itemized catalog or list of tangible goods or

property, or the intangible attributes or qualities.

7. Estimate of expected demand over a specified future

period. Also called forecast demand.

8. The comparison of what is actually produced or

performed with what can be achieved with the same

consumption of resources (money, time, labor, etc.). It

is an important factor in determination of productivity.

 9. Work arrangement (or rearrangement) aimed at

reducing or overcoming job dissatisfaction and

employee alienation arising from repetitive and

mechanistic tasks. Through job design, organizations

try to raise productivity levels by offering non-monetary

rewards such as greater satisfaction from a sense of

personal achievement in meeting the increased

challenge and responsibility of on1e's work. Job

enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation, and job

simplification are the various techniques used in a job

design exercise.

10. Non-productive time (during which an employee is still

paid) of employees or machines, or both, due to work
stoppage from any cause. Also called idle time, allowed time,
or downtime.

1  O 2     3  4   5        7
           R          I          D
 
 8 A  S  S  E  S  S M  E  N  T        E
9    
W  A  I T   T I   M  E    F    6     M
W           A          L    I      A
 
 A          I          A   N      N
  1
 I          L         T    V 0    D
 T          E            E  L    F
 T          R  1 L  I    E      I    O

1
 1 N N
 1
 I   2 S U  P  P L  I  E     T C    R
   
M                       O  E    E
1  
 E   3  R O U  G H          R  N    C
                           S    A
 1 M  
          4  E  S  T  I A  T  E    S
1 G
5 P L A N M A N A E M E N T

B. Understanding Word categoríes

Translate the following terms into Spanish and determine their

grammatical category. Check the example:

English Term Spanish Translation Gramatical Category

Supply chain Cadena de Noun phrase
abastecimiento
supply chain Administracion de la Noun phrase
management cadena de
abastecimiento
flow of godos Flujo de mercancias Noun phrase
storage of goods Almacenamiento de Noun phrase
mercancias
point of origin Punto de origen Adverb
point of consumption Punto de consumo Adverb
consumer Consumidor Verb
supplier Proveedor Verb
customer Cliente Verb
 provider Abastecedor Verb
network Establecer Verb
procurement Compra Sustantive
transformation Transformacion Adverb
warehousing and Almacenamiento y Sustantive
distribution distribucion
intermediate product Producto de Sustantive
intermediacion
finished product Producto final Adverb
to meet customers’ Para satisfacer los Adjective
requirements requisitos de los
clientes
re-engineering Reingeniería Sustantive
freight and transport Gastos de fletes y de Adverb
costs transportes
destination market Mercado de destino Adverb
seasonal trends Tendencias Adverb
estacionales
import and export Regulaciones de Adverb
regulations exportación e
importación
customs duties and Aranceles aduaneros Adverb
taxes e impuestos
inventory Gestión de inventario Adverb
management
delivery services Servicios de entrega Adverb
order fulfilment Cumplimiento de la Adverb
orden

C. Evaluating translations

Read the following translations and identify the posible problems

in the result. You can express the problems you identify in
Spanish. Please, provide a posible solution for each case

English Spanish Your Your correction

Translatio opinion
 n
Logisti Logística -Hace La logística es una de las
cs is s es una falta el esferas que aún tiene potencial
one of de las uso del en cuanto se refiere al
the esferas, artículo mejoramiento del rendimiento.
spheres que “La”
, which todavía antes de
still tienen Logística
have potencia s.
potenti l en -En
al as cuanto a español,
far as mejorar el
improvi el término
ng rendimie logística
perform nto se se debe
ance is refiere. utilizar
concer en
ned. singular.
-El verbo
“tienen”
se debe
utilizar
en
singular
porque
nos
estamos
refiriend
o a “la
esfera de
la
logística
”
The El global La palabra El mercado global de las logísticas
global mercado “mercado” ha crecido radicalmente sobre los
logistics de va antes años.
market logísticas de global
has han para darle
 grown crecido sentido a
radically radicalme la oración,
over the nte sobre se debe
years. los años. utilizar en
singular la
palabra
“han”;
hace falta
el artículo
“las”
antes de
logísticas.
The En este
main Los párrafo, Los principales grupos de clientes
custome principale esta servidos por la industria logística
r groups s grupos adecuada son los servicios de entrega
served de mente urgente de
by the clientes redactado paquetería,documentos,almacenam
logistics servidos el iento,distribucion,etc.
industry por la contenido;
are industria sobra la
parcel logística consonant
and son los e “y” en
docume servicios paqueterí
nts de ay
express entrega document
delivery urgente os,
services de también la
, paqueterí consonant
warehou ay e “y “ en
sing and document almacena
distribut os, miento y
ion, etc. almacena distribuci
miento y ón, para al
distribuci final del
ón, etc. mensaje
no
redundarl
o.
Efficient Logística Hay varias La logística y el sistema de
logistics eficientes palabras transporte son eficientes e
 and y el equivocad importantes y son previos
transpor sistema as, el requisitos del desarrollo de la
tation de mensaje economía.
system transport esta en
are e son desorden;
importan important faltan
t es previos artículos y
prerequi requisitos hacen
sites of del falta
the desarrollo palabras y
develop de artículos.
ment of ninguna
any economía.
econom
y.
The art El arte y En el El arte y la ciencia de la entrega de
and la ciensia texto mercancía generan buenos
science de la hacían resultados, realizarlos con rapidez y
of entrega falta precisión pueden ayudar a los
deliverin de buenos artículos distintos negocios a operar
g goods con como “a” eficientemente, a reducir los costos
with rapidez y “de”, y a generar nuevos clientes.
speed precisión adverbios
and pueden como
precisio ayudar “eficiente
n can negocios mente” y
help a operar quitar
business más algunos
es eficiente, como
operate reducir “mas”,
more costos y entre
efficientl nuevos otras
y, lower clientes. frases
costs revueltas
and gain en el
new texto.
custome
rs.
Logistic Las Adverbios Las logísticas han evolucionado a
s has logísticas a cambiar lo largo y ancho de los siglos, para
evolved ha como “ha convertirsen en una parte integral
througho evolucion “por de cada negocio.
ut ado a lo “han”,
centurie largo y “centurias
s to ancho de ” por
become las “siglos” o
an centurias “cientos”,
integral para cambiar
part of convertirs verbo
every e en una “convertir
business parte se” a
. integral plural y
de cada sustantivo
negocios. “negocio”
a singular,
falta en
ingles la
palabra
“convertir
sen”.

D. Identifying tenses

Read the sentences given below and identify the tense form used
in each of them. Translate the sentences into Spanish.

Tense Spanish translation

 Last year, the SIMPLE PAST El año pasado, la
U.S. business industria de negocios
logistics de logística de
industry Estados Unidos
continued to continuó creciendo a
grow at an un ritmo nunca antes
unprecedented visto.
 rate.

 Global SIMPLE PAST La competencia global

competition comenzó a extenderse
began to spread en la década de 1970
in the 1970s and y se aceleró en la de
accelerated in 1990.
the 1990s.

 Logistics has PRESENT SIMPLE La logística ha

evolved evolucionado a lo
throughout largo de los siglos
centuries to para convertirse en
become an una parte integral de
integral part of todos los negocios.
every business.

 Globalization is PRESENT La globalización

still moving PROGRESSIVE todavía avanza hoy.
forward today.

 Since 2000, the SIMPLE PAST Desde 2000, la

rail freight industria del
industry has transporte de
undergone a mercancías por
remarkable ferrocarril ha
transformation. experimentado una
transformación
notable.

 Logistics has PRESENT La logística juega un

been playing a PROGRESSIVE papel fundamental en
fundamental role el desarrollo global
in global durante casi 5.000
development for años.
almost 5,000
years.

 Since the SIMPLE PAST Desde la construcción

construction of de las pirámides en el
the pyramids in antiguo Egipto, la
ancient Egypt, logística ha logrado un
logistics has progreso notable.
made a
 remarkable
progress.

 Recently, SIMPLE PRESENT Recientemente, las

innovations have innovaciones se han
become vital to vuelto vitales para
meet customer satisfacer las
expectations. expectativas de los
clientes.

 Now, the PRESENT Ahora, la empresa

company is PROGRESSIVE está trabajando en un
working on a nuevo proyecto.
new project.

 Usually, freight PRESENT Por lo general, los

forwarders PROGRESSIVE transitorios organizan
organize el envío de diversos
shipping of productos.
various goods.

 Now, the ABC PRESENT Ahora, la Compañía

Company is PROGRESSIVE ABC está ampliando
expanding its sus instalaciones de
production producción para
facilities to incluir una nueva línea
include a new de productos.
product line.
E. Critical Thinking

Answer the following questions.

1. According to your experience, which steps did you follow to

complete the different translations?

Create the general idea of each sentence, compare it, redite it and
synthesize it in Spanish and english.

2. According to your experience, do you consider that translation is a

complex activity? Explain.

Of course; You need to coordinate, write and shape the words that make
up the verb from one culture to the other and their way of understanding
the world.

3. What do you think is necessary to do a correct translation?

In my opinion, words should be tactfully conjugated and matched to the

language to which we are going to translate, that is, put together a fresh
and simple idea of that phrase or text.
 4. According to your experience, what is the most difficult aspect
about translation?

It has seemed to me that the most relevant aspect to improve and that
causes great difficulty is the issue of interpreting the ideas to pronounce
them and make them understand in the desired language.