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Translators do more than "just" translate

by Sarah Dillon

At the AUSIT Biennial Conference in November 2010, Tineke Van Beukering shared her thoughts and practical experience of post-editing machine translation output. It was a great session so I was delighted to attend another more indepth talk by Tineke on the same topic a few weeks ago.

Among other things, she covered:

  • the role of the MT post-editor.
  • the advantages of using MT + a skilled post-editor (i.e. it’s not just about the money).
  • the differences between MT post-editing and checking.
  • a typical MT workflow, including other emerging sources of work, e.g. MT optimisation.
  • how to make a lucrative income stream out of MT post-editing.
  • how and why she got into this line of work.
  • what she finds most satisfying about it.

Machine translation: not a question of “good” or “bad”

Something that particularly interested me was Tineke’s discussion of her initial resistance to working with MT output, and how she came to terms with that.

She said it posed an ethical dilemma for her when she was first offered this work, because she didn’t want to contribute to practices which she believed might lead to the end of her profession. These initial concerns reflected many of the usual fears we  hear bandied about when the topic of MT makes an appearance, and I was impressed with the way in which Tineke went about  testing her fears, before coming to her current and ultimately more informed conclusions.

What constitutes a “real” translator?

I also got the impression that Tineke felt she had to strongly defend her decision to work with MT output to her peers. I sensed that she may have been at the receiving end of explicit or implicit criticism for her choice in the past. (To be fair, I didn’t get a chance to talk to Tineke about this so I could be way off base.)

It caught my attention because I’ve seen this kind of snobbery rear its ugly head in the profession before.  And it’s a shame that some translators feel they can look down on peers who apply translation skills in a way that may not fit the traditional “word-in, word-out” model of translation.

To stay relevant, translators need to be able to apply translation-related skills to a range of communicative tasks. I see it as an extension of the poverty-trap mentality which Jill Sommers refers to here, when those who dare to earn a living and adapt to a changing profession are somehow deemed less of a “proper” translator for doing so.

Translation professionals vs. people who translate

I didn’t entirely agree with all the points Tineke made though. For example, she drew some comparisons between the use of translation technology today and the automation of tasks during the industrial revolution, which saw so many workers lose their jobs.

For me, this doesn’t sit well for a couple of reasons, primarily because it compares translators to workers who were often unskilled and who did low-level, repetitive manual labour. While many such workers were indeed replaced by technology during the industrial revolution, some jobs were retained, and many new ones were created for supervisors, managers, skilled technicians, and so on. In my view, professional translators are more akin to these managerial, skilled and/or specialised roles.

Tineke spoke too about the financial benefits of working in this emerging field. This reminded me of an ITI salary survey from 10 years’ ago (the most recent one, as far as I’m aware). Those who reported generating the highest income were referred to as “language professionals”, while all other categories of earners were “translators”. At the time I hypothesised that maybe this was because these professionals applied more to their work than their (not inconsiderable) translation skills, and viewed themselves more broadly than through the prism of translation only.

Crystal-ball gazing has never been my thing. But I’m now more convinced than ever that this is how the careers of professional translators will look in the future. There will always be work for those with highly developed translation skills, but very few of us will work with words in a way we recognise today. This is not something to be sad about, any more than we should feel sad that accountants now use Excel instead of abacuses. Because as our roles become increasingly sophisticated and complex, we evolve, and professionalise, and gain greater recognition.

Above all, we need to be careful with our judgements and our snobberies (and I include myself in that). We need to encourage more translators like Tineke to stand up and share what they’re experiencing at the wordface, without making them feel like their commitment to the profession will be called into question in the process. Because we can’t prepare for the future if we’re not even aware of what’s happening around us in the present.

Last updated: 27 April, 2011 by Sarah Dillon. Filed Under: Business of translation, Technology for translators, Translation profession and industry Tagged With: Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators, machine translation, Professional development

Hello AUSIT Queensland members

by Sarah Dillon

Hello to fellow AUSIT members who are dropping by after yesterday’s professional development session on building a strong professional presence online.

I will upload my slides, along with some additional resources, by the end of the day today. In the meantime you might find the following posts interesting:

  • A 5-minute video on how I use WordPress for this blog. This is the same system I use for my website.
  • Some 5-minute videos with demonstrations of how I use LinkedIn and Google Reader for professional purposes.
  • A half-hour presentation on social media for translators, which looks at Tweetdeck (co-presented with Philippa Hammond – check out her blog for a great guest post on search engine marketing (SEO) too).
  • Finally, here is a list of 107 blogs by (mainly) freelance translators. (There are also plenty of blogs by interpreters, but these can be a starting point for finding them if you wish). If you’re thinking of starting a blog, it’s a good idea to know what’s out there already. If blogging is not for you, that’s fine too: but you might be interested in keeping up-to-date with what other professionals are writing.

Thank you very much to everyone who attended last night, and for your interesting and insightful questions.

Last updated: 25 June, 2010 by Sarah Dillon. Filed Under: Moi, Professional development Tagged With: Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators, Professional development, social media for interpreters, social media for translators

CPD Matters: What is CPD?

by Sarah Dillon

I refer frequently to professional development on this blog (in fact, I have an entire category dedicated to it), but life-long learning is not specific to translators or language professionals.

Doctors do it, engineers do it, and I have it on good authority that even educated fleas do it. So I’m running a mini-series on CPD over the next few weeks: what it is, how to do it and most importantly, where to get it, even if you’re not in a position to fly 10,000 miles for a one-day workshop. [Read more…]

Last updated: 16 June, 2010 by Sarah Dillon. Filed Under: Language and languages, Professional development, Translation profession and industry Tagged With: Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators, Institute of Translators and Interpreters, online learning, professional bodies, Professional development

5Qs with Andrew Bell, AAA Scandinavian Translations

by Sarah Dillon

After working as a nurse in several countries, Andrew Bell set up AAA Scandinavian Translations in 2001 and now specialises in medical/pharmaceutical translation services. He also runs the popular translator-networking site Watercooler. Here Andrew tells us about how he became a translator, and offers a wealth of advice for new and experienced translators interested in moving into the highly specialised field of medical/ pharmaceutical translations.

Sarah Dillon: You have many years of experience in healthcare, and are in fact a Registered Nurse (RN). How difficult was it to make the conversion to being a medical translator? What preparation did you have to undertake to supplement your existing knowledge, and do you have any tips for aspiring medical translators who might not have this background? [Sorry, I know that’s really 3 questions but I couldn’t resist!] [Read more…]

Last updated: 30 September, 2009 by Sarah Dillon. Filed Under: Real-life translators (5 Qs), Starting up in translation, Translation profession and industry, Working habits Tagged With: Andrew Bell, ATA, Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators, books, dictionaries, Institute of Translators and Interpreters, marketing tips, medical translations, pharmaceutical translations, references, Scandanavian translations, start-up tips

Translator identities: multiple personalities or a dynamic whole?

by Sarah Dillon

How important is it to you to speak another language? How is ‘being multilingual’ viewed in your country? How closely do you identify with the translation profession? These were just some of the questions asked by Floriana Badalotti, a PhD candidate from Monash University, in a session titled Considerations on the Cultural Identity of Interpreters and Translators at the 2008 AUSIT Biennial National Conference in Brisbane. [Read more…]

Last updated: 16 December, 2008 by Sarah Dillon. Filed Under: Language and languages, Professional development, Translation profession and industry Tagged With: Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators, cultural identity, multilingualism, Professional development

First impressions: translating in the UK vs translating in Australia

by Sarah Dillon

The last eight months have been a real roller-coaster ride professionally speaking, as I’ve tried to settle into life on the Other Side of the World. On the one hand, despite my best efforts to stay connected virtually, at times I’ve felt isolated and demotivated without the face-to-face contact that I enjoyed with my peers in London. On the other, I’ve had a stronger sense than ever of the wealth of opportunity and choice that translation as a career can offer me – if only I could get myself focussed enough to tap into it.

Thankfully last weekend’s 2008 AUSIT Biennial National Conference in Brisbane delivered just the shot of enthusiasm I needed to top up my motivation levels. My one and only aim in attending was to gain an overview of translation in Australia. What I got was a lesson on how the oldest profession in the world is forging its place in country with needs far different to those I’d ever considered before.

Brisbane CBD and the Story Bridge, Brisbane QLD.

Yes, this is where I live now. And yes, this is the frankly breathtaking mode of transport I used to commute to the AUSIT conference last weekend 🙂

[Read more…]

Last updated: 24 November, 2008 by Sarah Dillon. Filed Under: Professional development, Translation profession and industry Tagged With: Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators, Institute of Translators and Interpreters, Moi, professional bodies, Professional development