Translation Psychology

Question 1: What are three parameters of a translation product?

Time:
+ Fastest turnaround
+ Tension between clients and translators
+Translator – one of the last link in every complex chain of event
Quality:
+ Lack of inventories
+ Clients cannot possibly test our product for quality
+ Quality has to be evaluated indirectly
+ Favors experienced translators
+ Hated by new entrants
The problem of price:
+ Its cost >< labor
+ Margin
+ Standard price
Question 2: What are the expectations toward the translators for the
development of the translation career?
1. Submit their work on time
2. Create translations which are free from errors and omissions (no missing word,
paragraphs, pages)
3. Spend time to discuss clients about the issues involving translation (be their
linguistic, cultural, social, or philosophical)
4. Service the client (clients will be treated with respect and compassion, they shall
be informed of all problem and issues involving the translation)
5. Maintain a proper home office (real computer, WPS, proper printer)
6. Learn how to use word processing software and the modern conventions in
desktop publishing (know how to use the function)
7. Learn the subtle art of telecommunications and modem transmissions (delivery
work on time)
8. Take advantage of the on-line universe (messages and files can be sent and
receive almost instantly)
9. Accept assignments for which they have the time and knowledge and refuse all
others
10. Abandon their individualistic and perhaps ivory-tower tendencies and
recognize that they are part of a complex process and that they have thousands of
colleagues around the world (share, talk, shouldn’t think of others as opponent)
Question 3: What are the expectations toward the translation agency and
vendors for the development of the translation career?
1. Pay translators within a reasonable amount of time
2. Maintain a presence on the web (place where translators can go to get
information for translation projects such as glossaries, references…)
3. Have people in-house who understand the languages they deal with
4. Use a standardized independent contractor’s agreement
5. Use a standardized independent contractor’s information sheet.
6. Send detailed information to the translator about the job and how it should be
done (specifies how to handle matters such as charts, fonts)
7. Provide clean, legible, readable copies of the material to be translated along with
all other related material
8. Hire at least one person who is (or was) a professional translator
9. Stick to a defined schedule
10. Recognize the valuable and vital service that translators provide
Question 4: What are the expectations toward government of the translator
leaders for the development of the translation career?
1. Inform, educate, provide information, give advice and council, create and
develop standards for the profession
2. Create a solid, stable, and functional translation and glossary management
software package for Window, UNIX and Macintosh systems
3. Develop a library of current and complete language reference materials
4. Proper understanding of the professional.
5. Perform the academic research base for the translation profession.
Question 5: What are the expectations toward the society for the development
of the translation career?
1. Stop confusing translators and interpreters (translators deal with written
language and interpreters deal with spoken language)
2. Stop blaming for failure and mistake (translation is a multifaceted process
involving many people not just the translator)
3. Appreciate the value and relevance of translation
Question 6: In order to develop the translations career, which individual
or/and organization should be responsible?
Government, clients, translators and translator leader, general public, society,
vendors…
Question7: What is the nature of translation?
Translation is a human activity which enable human beings to exchange ideas and
thoughts regardless of different tongues used
Translation is a science, an art and a skill:
It is a science in the sense that it necessitates complete knowledge of the structure
and make up for the two languages concerned. It is an art since it requires artistic
talent to reconstruct the original text in the form of the product that is presentable
to the reader who is not supposed to be familiar with. It is a skill because it entails
the ability to smooth any difficulty in the translation and provide the translation of
something that has no equal in the target language
Question8: How many types of translations are there? What are they?
There are 8 types of translation: word-for-word translation, literal translation,
faithful translation, sematic translation, adaptive translation, free translation,
idiomatic translation, and communicative translation
Question 9: Describe the importance of translation?
Translation is a human activity which enable human beings to exchange ideas and
thoughts regardless of different tongues used
Question 10: What are at least 3 criteria for a good translation according to
Massoud (1988)?
1. A good translation is easily understood
2. A good translation is fluent and smooth
3. A good translation is idiomatic
4. A good translation conveys, to some extent, the literary subtleties of the original
5. A good translation distinguishes between the metaphorical and the literal
6. A good translation reconstructs the cultural/historical context of the original
7. A good translation makes explicit what is implicit in abbreviations, and in
allusions to sayings, songs, and nursery rhymes
8. A good translation will convey, as much as possible, the meaning of the original
text
Question 11: What are at least 3 criteria for a good translation according to El
Shafey (1985)?
1. The knowledge of the grammar of the source language plus the knowledge of
vocabulary, as well as good understanding of the text to be translated
2. The ability of the translator to reconstitute the given text (source- language text)
into the target language
3. The translation should capture the style or atmosphere of the original text; it
should have all the ease of an original composition
Question 12: What are the translation problems in term of linguistic?
1. Grammatical differences
2. Lexical ambiguity
3. Meaning ambiguity
Question 13: What do cultural problems in translation refer to?
The cultural problems refer to different situational features
Some of the major problems of translation are over-translation, under-
translation and untranslatability
Cultural constitutes another major problem that faces translators
A bad model of translated pieces of literature may give misconceptions
about the original
Poorly translated texts distort the original in its tone and cultural references
Question 14: Besides reading comprehension skill, what other 3 skills do
novice translators need?
1. Researching skills: choosing dictionary depends on style of the protext-original
text, and on the different types of users of the translation.
2. Analytical skills: during analysis, translator refers to the protext in order to
understand it as fully as possible.
3. Composing skills: the mental construction resulting from interpretation seeks
and outer expression.
Question 15: Provide a definition of translation?
An activity that aims at conveying the meaning of a given linguistic discourse from
one language to another
Translation is a human activity that render words, phrases or texts from one
language to another language.
Question 16: What are the requirements of a professional translator?
1. Degree in foreign language
2. Equipment and software
3. Responsibility
4. Passion
5. Soft skills
6. Strong knowledge of culture and customs
7. Specialize in a specific field
A translator must have the following things:
A native or near-native level of proficiency in both source language and the target
language.
The abilities to thoroughly understand all that a text says and implies.
Excellent writing and editing skills.
Question 17: Which 3 questions are often asked when referring to the
payment?
1. How is payment to be made?
2. When is payment to be made?
3. What method of payment is to be used? Bank transfer, cheque?
Question 18: What should a translator care about in term of delivery?
1. Where is the translation to be delivered? To the customer’s address, Internet
address?
2. When is the translation deadline?
3. How is the translation to be delivered? By fax, emails, post?
4. Do copies of material sent have to be returned?
Question 19: What are the basic steps that the translator has to follow?
1. Read the original carefully
2. Research the subject
3. Translate the work
4. Ask the questions
5. Compare with the original
6. Edit (proof) the translation
7. Sleep on the product
Question 20: According to the A-Z checklist for translating what pre-
translation issue should a translator know? Describe in detail at least 3 issues?
1. Who is the translation for? – this can be helpful when determining the register of
your translation
2. Is there a contact for queries? Make sure you have records of the contact
3. Find out if the language has to be translated into a particular variant. UK English
or US English?
4. Are there particular terms that the translation should include for consistency?
5. If working under contract for a translation company, do they have a style guide
that you should follow
6. Are text areas, embedded in tables and images, to be translated as well? If so,
knowledge of graphic editing programs is of an advantage?
7. Are you required to use a specific word processing software for the translation?
8. Are you required to use a specific Computer-Aided Translation (CAT)-tool for
the translation?
9. Is there a translation memory available for the translation?
Question 21: According to the A-Z checklist for translating, which 3
questions are often asked when referring to the liability and compensation?
1. Is the translation to remain confidential?
2. Does your indemnity insurance cover all possibilities?
3. Is the early termination of a job subject to compensation?
Question 22: State one of the myths about translation and/or translators that
you know. How can you educate the clients and debunk that myth?
1. Translators are just people who can speak 2 or more languages.
Knowing 2 languages doesn’t mean that a person can translate with those
languages.
2. Translators can translate any subject matter as long as the material is in the
language they know.
Good translators will specialize in only a few different but related areas. This
allows them to keep up-to-date on changes in their industry.
3. Translating from 1 language to another is the same as translating in the reverse
direction.
Translators have dominant languages and it is usually in the best interest of the
translator and client for the translator to translate into his/her dominant
languages.
4. Translators can produce any translation with little or no turn-around time.
Translators need sufficient time to produce a quality product.
5. A native speaker is always a better translator than a non-native one.
Translation requires discipline, study, and continual practice.
A native speaker of a language doesn’t inherently possess all of these qualities, so
it’s hard for clients to understand.
6. Translators like it when the client changes their translation after it has been
delivered.
After a translator has edited, revised, retranslated, and perfected a translation, not
only does the translation quality decrease, but the translator’s reputation can also
be called into questioned.
7. Only translators who are members of a professional translation organization can
translate well.
There are many translators that do an excellent job without ever being members of
any organization.
8. Translator can also interpret.
Translation is not interpretation and interpretation is not translation. They are
not synonymous. Translation is written material; interpretation is speaking.
These are two different skill sets.
9. Translators like to do free translation work.
Translation is not a hobby for most translators and it is not right for people to ask
translators to freely translate something for them.
10. A good translator will take whatever payment the client is willing to give.
Good translators will have a set price and will not very often deviate from this
price. An inexperienced translator will take whatever the clients is willing to pay.
Question 23: What strategies should a new interpreter apply before
performing interpreting on stage?
1. Language and its usage
- Keep on improving linguistic knowledge of both the source and the receptor
language.
- Search for an appropriate, accurate, and natural way using both the source and the
receptor language.
- Should agree with the speaker on how to interpret on stage: statement by
statement or giving a summary after the talk.
2. Psychological readiness
- Must have an I-can-do-it feeling.
- Should assume that nobody else in the audience knows English and/or
Indonesian.
3. Cross cultural understanding
- Eye contact
- Directness versus indirectness
- Terms of addressing
4. Cross-field understanding
- Has the capability of understanding every detail of different fields of knowledge
in order to enrich and prepare for becoming a well-prepared interpreter.
5. Logistical Preparation
- Small tape-recorder or cell phone/ recorder
- Notebook and a pen
- Ask for a hard copy of the talk and review before going on stage.
6. Negotiating and Promotion
- Should negotiating the price
- Should have some business card
Question 24: What strategies should a new interpreter apply after performing
interpreting on stage?
1. Proud of and satisfied with the mission completed successfully.
2. Play back the recording to assess and improve poor
performance.
3. Recall and put down statements/ terms/ cultural aspects s/he
omitted/ missed/ misunderstood during interpreting.
Question 25: Is translation career an advantage or disadvantage? Justify your
answer.
By being a translator, you provide with an exceptional service by acting as a
medium between two languages. It has its own advantages and disadvantages to
accompany with.
First of all, there is one thing you need not worry about when you work in
translation career is money. This will make your life become more comfortable.
Next, by becoming a translator, you are keeping yourself a step ahead of everyone
else in getting to know something different and new. Every language has its own
origin and own culture. By being a translator, you become one among very
precious knowledgeable personnel. The most important factor of being a translator
is wide communication. You get the opportunity to learn and grow at your own
pace, know things that only fewer people know and get one step ahead of other
people in linguistic knowledge.
Every coin has two sides. Of course, there are several disadvantages of being a
translator as well. Being a translator, you have to work under pressure of time. For
example, client gives you a translation and want you to finish it in one day.
Translation as a job is very ancient and it is still prevalent in a very large scale
because of its importance. Many time translators have played a major role in
changing the course of history because of which we are living in a safer world. Just
a small mistake, it may become a big problem. That’s the reason why it comes at
the cost of extensive knowledge gathering and risk of accidentally misinterpreting
certain conversations that lead to a great confusion. Finally, translators have a long
history in the world of jobs and human-kind. They play a very important role of
connecting different communities and making things possible between them. The
field of translation is full of adventures and new challenges and those who
successfully get its essence enjoy a life of a king.