Archives for 2007

Angelina Jolie in the Mystery of the Missing Apostrophe

The publishers of a new book called From Our Lips to your Ears are looking for true personal anecdotes reflecting the everyday life of interpreters, with the aim of giving the general public a better idea of how interpreters touch people’s lives. The deadline for submission is the 3 December.

I like their guidelines for writing – it sounds like the kind of book I’d really like to read. They say:

Ideally, your story should accomplish one or more of the following things:

Enable the reader to imagine the scene vividly

Engage one or more of the five senses

Evoke emotions

Help the reader feel more connected to others

Their promotional tour currently only involves the US, but it would be great to have some perspectives from this side of the pond too. So, what do you say, interpreters? Sounds like a great chance to come out from behind the booth/ speaker.

Of course, I’d really love to see a similar collection of stories by translators. Or even better, a movie. No matter what you thought of The Interpreter, there’s no doubt that Nicole Kidman has done wonders for the profession in the glamour stakes.

I’m sure us translators could club something together to rival it. I can see it now: the obvious star would be Scarlett Johannsson (channelling glamour, a strong air of intelligence, and an artsy almost bookish air). My outside-the-box vote would go to Angelina Jolie (channelling a strong interest in current affairs, a career/family juggler, a go-it-alone type). Now for the difficult part – a nail-biting plot… hmmm… 🙂

All About International Translation Day

by Sarah Dillon

30 September is the day translators, interpreters and language professionals around the world show solidarity and promote their profession.

Here is my rundown of interesting facts about International Translation Day (ITD).

International Translation Day

International Translation Day has been promoted since 1991 by the International Federation of Translators.

The federation chooses a different theme each year, and uses it as a springboard to lobby for recognition of the profession internationally.

Past themes are as follows:

1991: No official theme
1992: Translation – the vital link
1993: Translation: a pervasive presence
1994: The many facets of translation
1995: Translation, a key to development
1996: Translators and Copyright
1997: Translating in the Right Direction
1998: Good Translation Practices
1999: Translation – Transition
2000: Technology serving the needs of translation
2001: Translation and ethics
2002: Translators as agents of social change
2003: Translators’ rights
2004: Translation, underpinning multilingualism and cultural diversity
2005: Translation and Human Rights
2006: Many Languages – One Profession
2007: Don’t shoot the messenger!
2008: Terminology – Words matter
2009: Working Together
2010: Translation Quality for a Variety of Languages
2011: Translation: Bridging Cultures
2012: Translation as Intercultural Communication

According to the South African Translators’ Institute. (Link correct as of September 2012)

Elsewhere around the world, translation organisations usually organise a range of training and networking events at national and local level.

The day coincides with St Jerome’s Day, who is recognised by the Catholic Church as the patron saint of translators, scholars and editors, as well as libraries and librarians. (Sounds like a portfolio careerist to me.)

Here’s a little about St Jerome:

St Jerome

Saint Jerome and a skull, by Lucas van Leyden.

Saint Jerome and a skull (purportedly a late-paying client), by Lucas van Leyden.

St Jerome is known for translating the Bible from Aramaic and Hebrew into Latin.

You can find a good rundown of his life in the church and an interesting consideration of the translation challenges he faced here.

It certainly sounds like St Jerome was not a typical shy and retiring translator.

He was known for his ferocious temper and vitriolic pen, and for being an unoriginal thinker (ouch).

There is even some debate about the degree to which he translated the Bible himself.

His trusty research assistants and benefactors, the mother-daughter team St Paula and Eustochium, have been credited with doing much of the work.

In a very Da Vinci Code kind-of twist, there exist some fascinating claims that their names were removed from the annals of history because they were female.

That’s not to say St Jerome’s life was all work and no play.

He was, according to Butler’s Lives of the Saints, “no admirer of moderation, whether in virtue or against evil.”

He even gets a mention in the film Ghostbusters:

Dr. Peter Venkman: Have you, or any member of your family, ever been diagnosed schizophrenic . . . mentally incompetent?
Alice the Librarian: My uncle thought he was St. Jerome.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I’d call that a big yes.

There are plenty of pictures batting about too, if you fancy wallpapering your workspace or photoshopping up a card or two (paying due attention to copyright, of course [ahem]).

ITD, St Jerome and Kumarajiva

Finally, many translators seem to confuse International Translation Day and St Jerome’s Day, but of course, the whole point of an international day is to open celebrations to all faiths and creeds around the world.

In that vein, Kumarajiva also warrants a mention. A Buddhist scholar and translator, he’s not a saint (for obvious reasons) and has no day to call his own, but is still someone many translators identify strongly with.

Regardless of who you are or where you are from, Happy International Translation Day!

Originally posted in September 2007. Last updated September 2012.

Why dabbling in short-term contracts is good for your freelance career

by Sarah Dillon

I’ve taken some short-term contract work which means I’m back to 9 to 5 this week. Michelle Goodman over at The Anti 9-to-5 Guide gives her run-down on the pros and cons of this:

Pros:

Steady money

Priceless experience that helps flesh out your resume

Contacts you can use when you do go freelance later (or try to land a staff
job with the company you’re temping at)

Not having to attend most employee meetings or perform other maddening
employee tasks (annual reviews, feigned enthusiasm for special projects)
[…]

Cons:

Commuting

Dealing with office politics

Commuting

Getting treated like a second-class citizen because you’re not a “real”
employee

Commuting

Being expected to hit the ground running, sans training (because you’re not
a “real” employee)

Commuting

I largely agree with her pros, but she’s probably missed out my main one:

short-term contracts are fun!

They let you try on another working identity for a bit, with very little risk. You can also use them as an opportunity to learn more about a particular industry, or observe people at the very top of their game.

But my cons would probably be different. For example, I’m not so bothered about not having training as I tend to learn best by getting stuck in. In fact, I like to think my hitting the ground running impresses those around me (granted, expectations can be pretty low) and gives me an air of mystery (i.e. “Wow! Who is that girl?!”). Especially as most of us like to think our job is much harder/more complicated than anyone else’s.

I don’t feel like I have to deal with office politics either as everyone knows I’m only on a flying visit – so when I invariably put my foot in it, I’m excused 🙂 (of course, they don’t need to know I’d do that regardless of how long I’d been there). Plus, office ins and outs are SO much more interesting from with a bird’s eye view, and I notice the kinds of things that would probably pass me by if I were there everyday.

So, my revised cons list would be as follows:

Commuting
Losing my autonomy and flexibility, i.e. having to be at my desk for 9am, having to wear proper shoes, not really being able to dash outside whenever I fancy some fresh air, etc.
Commuting
Having to pretend all the time, i.e. that I’m bovvered about things that bore me senseless, that I’m not bovvered about things that I find pointless
Commuting
Not being able to talk out loud to myself (a thinking tactic I didn’t realise I’d become quite so dependant on…)
Commuting

Like the true grindhopper I am, I still don’t know if I want to freelance forever. But thanks to my recent foray into the 9-to-5 marketplace, Tuesday will see me returning to my little home office with renewed enthusiasm and energy.

Bring it on!

Friday funnies from my cubicle

by Sarah Dillon

Some lazy link love today (seeings as it’s Friday) – inspired by my temporary return to cubicle dwelling.

Overheard in the Office: this very funny page is part of the larger Overheard in New York site. Anyone who overhears something funny in their workplace can write in and post it for all to enjoy. And it’s interactive, so you can vote for your favourites. Perfect if you miss the funny moments of sharing an office with more than a handful of people.

This one made me laugh out loud:

11AM Return Calls to Clients
Co-worker on phone: Uh yes, this is [Brett Myers} with the Mortgage Company. It’s Wednesday, 10:30 AM…I’m sorry! It’s just that…well, you sounded like a voicemail voice.
1350 Deming Way Middleton, Wisconsin via Overheard in the Office, Apr 12, 2006

True Office Confessions: all that CEOs find frightening about worker access to the internet – “bringing the confessional to the comfort (and discretion) of your cubicle… because a lot can happen between 9 and 5”. Just what you need to remind you that there are worse coworkers/bosses/jobs in the world.

Readathon Translator!

by Sarah Dillon

I’ve just come across a 24 hour Read-a-thon which is being planned for the 20th October, and I’m all excited about it. “So why not do it?” I’m thinking to myself. But there are plenty of reasons why not:

24 hours of reading is a long time. I’ve done it before out of choice (nothing better when it’s cold outside and Mr D is away) but I’m not sure I could face it just off the bat like that.
I’m busy at weekends, every weekend. Although I’ve nothing in particular planned for the 20th October.
I don’t necessarily enjoy reading the kind of books that other translators read. Why publicise that more than I need to?
I’m precious about my weekends. They’re mine, and I like having the freedom to do whatever I like, and at the very last minute if I so chose.
Do people really want to read about a Read-a-thon on this blog?
Did I mentioned I might decide to be busy that day?!

But then it looks like so much fun that I think I’ll throw caution to the wind, face my issues head on and just go for it. With a few provisos of course – I’ll do it for as long as it’s fun (12 hours is wishful thinking, let alone 24), I’ll read whatever I fancy and then I’ll only review whatever is most relevant here on my blog.

I have reviewed books here before of course, along with articles I’ve read or training sessions I’ve attended – usually those I’ve found interesting and relevant to me and my freelance career (although very few of these address the process of translation itself). So it’s not entirely unprecedented from that point of view.

So any suggestions for books for me to read? Why not use this as a chance to make some headway on your Amazon wishlist? Or if there’s a book that’s been languishing on your I-know-I-should-read-this-to-help-my-career-but-I-just-can’t-bear-to pile, then let me know. Maybe it will interest me enough to add it to my Read-a-thon list, then you’ll have me to do the donkey work and send you the condensed version. How bad?!

And of course, if you fancy participating yourself, then all the better!

Blogrushing Translators :)

by Sarah Dillon

You may notice I’ve added a new widget to my sidebar called Blogrush – the idea is it will display links to similar blogs, so if you enjoy There’s Something About Translation… then hopefully, you’ll see something you like there too. It’s still very much in its early phases and I expect it may take a bit of fiddling with before it becomes really useful – I’m willing to give it a chance but will be keeping a close, beady eye on it!

Of course, it should also help boost my traffic, and I’m curious to see what will happen there too.

If you have a blog yourself and are interested in getting more information about Blogrush, click here. It’s very easy to add and there are some excellent video tutorials on setting it up.

ATC Conference: Meeting the translation market challenges

by Sarah Dillon

The annual conference of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) is taking place this Thursday in London. I attended last year’s conference and found it was a really useful way to get another view on what was happening in the industry – and from the perspective of a range of translation buyers too, which made it even more valuable.

There were some really excellent speakers and it was exciting to put faces to the names of the real movers and shakers of the translation world. As I was one of a very small number of translators there, the buyers I spoke to seemed to really appreciate the fact that I had made the effort to attend. They were also genuinely interested in hearing about the kind of work I did. All in all, I felt I learnt more from that one day than from several ITI sessions put together.

On the face of it, an ATC conference seems like a pricey option, given it’s only one day and is not even really aimed at translators. But I came away with a notebook full of ideas and a bag full of business cards, from people I had actually met and spoken to.

So give it a thought when planning your CPD sessions for next year!

Do Freelancers Do It Better?

by Sarah Dillon

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge to freelance, or are currently freelancing and wondering why you ever thought it was a good idea (it happens…), then have a look at this article called 101 Reasons Freelancers Do It Better.

Yes, I know there is no shortage of posts out there along this theme. But I like this one because it scratches just enough below the surface to convince me that it’s not another self-congratulating article written by freelancers for freelancers with the sole purpose of justifying their freelance existence. I also like it because it uses gentle humour to avoid the nah-nah-ne-nah-nah tone adopted by far too many of us who have been foolhardy/brave enough to escape the cubicle. Which is nice 🙂

It looks at the benefits of freelancing under several headings:

Time
Sticking it to the man
Money
Relationships
Mental health
Physical health
Motivation
Working conditions
Flexibility
Fun bits

Worth a read, whichever camp you fall into.

—
It was only on re-reading my post that I detected some not-very-veiled criticism directed towards the freelance community in general, and its attitudes towards our cubicle-dwelling brethren. Am I justified in this? Hmm, something to explore in future posts perhaps.

Blogging is great.

Tuesday Chuckles

by Sarah Dillon

This was posted to the ITI’s French Network egroup last year, and I’ve just come across it again while trawling my archives. It’s been circulating the internet for some time now and although its origins are a little suspect (as explained in painful detail here), I reckon it’s still quite amusing:

Mensa Invitational

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s winners:

Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

Ignoranus : A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.

Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

Karmageddon : It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

Glibido : All talk and no action.

Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

Caterpallor (n.): The colour you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

Of course, if I were really eager, I’d come up with a few more of my own (think of how it would enhance my professional image!) But I’m not…

Working Identities

by Sarah Dillon

A couple of months ago I read a great book called Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies For Reinventing Your Career, by Herminia Ibarra. I’ve been meaning to review it for ages, and it took reading an interview with the author recently to make me sit down and pull my notes together. So here’s my take on it.

There are a lot of books out there on career transitions, achieving your dream job and successfully maintaining a work-life balance. Ibarra’s book manages to touch on all of these issues and frankly blows all other contenders out of the water. It is impeccably researched, very well written and grounded in a real-life practical framework. If you read one business or work-related book this year, this should be it. But be prepared to work for it – much like life, there are no one-size fits all solutions here.

Ibarra works on two key assumptions:

Our working identity is not a single hidden concept. It is made up of a range of possibilities, both tangible and intangible.
We are many selves, therefore change is not a straightforward swap. It is a transition, during which we reconfigure our own set of possibilities.

Ibarra is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, and has interviewed a broad range of professionals from across Europe and the US who have already navigated a career change. In this book, she analyses these interviews to investigate how these career changes coincided with or provoked changes in identity. She also looks at the effect this process has had on the lives of the professionals, both internally and externally. In this way, the strategies she suggests are grounded and concrete, and offer a very real roadmap for anyone interested in reinventing themselves.

But don’t be fooled by the mental images conjured up by the words “career transition”: you don’t have to be a wizened (or at least middle-aged) professional in a crumpled suit looking to break free of your cubicle, surfboard and/or yoga mat under arm. This book is equally valuable for anyone of any age asking themselves what it is they want from their working lives.

I suppose what I found most refreshing about this book was that, unlike most business books, it doesn’t waste time mulling over why we transition, or lamenting the changing workplace we find ourselves in today. Instead, Ibarra jumps straight to the point: how did those who have successfully transitioned go about it, and how can I make this work for me?

Chapter 1 explains the process of questioning and testing working identities
Chapter 2 explains why, instead of asking “What do I want to become?”, we should ask, “Which amoung my various possible selves should I explore now? And how?”
Chapter 3 describes the inevitable chaotic period of transition as we navigate between our various possible selves
Chapter 4 shows how necessary this time is to help configure our identities
Chapter 5 explains how to transform abstract possibilities into tangible projects
Chapter 6 demonstrates how finding new mentors, role models and professional groups can help ease our transition into new communities
Chapter 7 maps out the process of how people rewrite the story of their lives to accommodate their new working identities
Chapter 8 summarises the unconventional, counter-intuitive strategies that have emerged from Ibarra’s studies

Also interesting is her argument that career changes are achieved by doing, and not by reflection or introspection alone. It is only by the process of actually doing that we can meet others, encounter new circumstances and experiences, and actually “try on” and test our provisional identities. These experiences can then form the basis for more decisive steps and are therefore the true catalyst for change. (Controversial advice for for those of us who prefer to consider our options from the safety of our armchairs 🙂 )

Working Identity is one of those books that I’ve decided to keep on my bookshelf as it is so full of valuable insights that I know I’ll refer back to it at various stages of my life. Definitely worth a read.