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Taking advice gracefully

by Sarah Dillon

It’s easy to look at a piece of advice and come up with a hundred reasons why it won’t work for you. There are as many ways to be a translator as there are translators, after all.

But maybe none of our professional problems are that unique. So if a suggestion doesn’t fit your situation 100%, rather than dismissing it entirely, I think it’s worth thinking about the ways in which it might fit.

For example, Fire Ant & Worker Bee are big advocates of the idea that translations appearing in print should bear the translator’s name as a matter of course, and that it is the responsibility of translators to ensure this happens. In their online column and book, they put up a good argument in support of this idea and offer easy-to-follow advice for translators wishing to pursue this option.

I think it’s a great idea. But given my current portfolio, it would be easy to dismiss it and focus on how it doesn’t suit me. For example, I don’t often work on translations that are destined for print, and as such, my work can be tweaked and updated by any number of people over its lifetime (which isn’t to say the work is any less critical or lucrative, of course).

But I can still see the merits of the suggestion, and there’s no reason why I can’t apply the principles behind it to all my translations. What translator wouldn’t benefit from taking concrete steps to ensure proper accountability, due recognition, rigorous standards and appropriate control of their work? These are lofty ideals and not easy to reach with every job, but that’s not to stay I should stop aspiring to them.

Regardless of our individual circumstances, I think we can all learn something if we keep our minds open and our brains turned on when we hear about the ways in which other translators work.

Filed Under: Professional development, Translation profession and industry Tagged With: Fire Ant and Worker Bee, translation advice

About Sarah Dillon

Sarah Dillon is an Irish cailín in Brisbane, Australia. She arrived Down Under via Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, and the UK, having originally trained as a professional translator. Sarah has been involved in the start-up phases of several international small businesses as a founder, advisor and director, and has worked for companies such as Apple Computers, Audi AG and Bain and Company. She is currently pursuing a PhD in international entrepreneurship. Read more about Sarah here.

Comments

  1. Svetlin Simeonov says

    25 November, 2011 at 10:10 pm

    Great post, Sarah.

    I think that every translator should stay up to date with new information and read blogs such as yours.

    I look forward to your next post!

    Svetlin

  2. Professional Translator Michael says

    11 November, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    Thanks for the post Sarah.

    I find a massive pitfall for a lot of professional translators is ignoring all other advice and thinking that what they do is perfect.

    I think that the best thing a translator can do to stay fresh and up to date is to read blogs such as yours and get involved with the translation community.

    I look forward to your next post!

    Michael

  3. Giuseppe Manuel Brescia says

    2 November, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    Hey, Sarah.

    I hope this finds you well. Slightly OT, but I just nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award… Visit Smuggled Words and check it out!

    GMB

  4. Korean Translation says

    1 August, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    The idea advocated by Fire Ant & Worker Bee sounds great. It surely will give more self-esteem as well as pressure on translator’s side, which will work for better quality. By the way, I wonder what you mean by ‘work on translations that are NOT destined for print.’

    • Sarah Dillon says

      5 November, 2011 at 2:06 pm

      To me, that often means translations destined to appear online and which can therefore be edited or changed by other people in a way that is outside my control over their lifetime. It can also include translations used for information purposes, or as a basis for writing more specialised reports, research or analysis papers, and so on. The translator may be just one of a team of specialists working on a particular project, and the end result may not include the translation being printed in all its glory in an enduring and immutable way.

      Like I say, this doesn’t have to mean the translator is a less critical or valued part of the project team, and there are other steps one could take to ensure proper accountability, due recognition, rigorous standards, etc.

  5. EP says

    31 July, 2011 at 3:26 am

    Hey, everybody works differently. But how can you not be open to suggestions? Not unless you want to stop learning, that is. And once that sets in all the suggestions in the world won’t help!

  6. Elena says

    22 July, 2011 at 12:55 am

    I have the same view when it comes to advice, it is there only for you to consider, not for you to do. Well, not the same but similar. It pays to take a look at where the advice is coming from in the first place, is it from legitimate online expert or is it from those who are just armchair experts without proper experience?

    Cool blog by the way 🙂

  7. EP says

    16 June, 2011 at 12:44 am

    That comment about working in isolation is a good point. You need feedback from time to time to avoid living in a bubble, a bubble you won’t even necessarily notice you are living in. It’s kind of like having a partner (like in a marriage) who keeps you from getting too, I dunno, fuddy.

  8. Paul Kearns says

    11 June, 2011 at 12:02 am

    I think one problem is that many translators – like other freelancers or small business owners – can fall into the trap of thinking that their way is the only way to do things, or can get an over exaggerated view of their own opinions. Maybe that’s because we work in isolation (to a certain extent.) On the other hand when you work as part of a team or within a large organisation you have to learn to accommodate different opinions, do things you might not really want to do, or back down when another view prevails.

  9. Caroline says

    25 May, 2011 at 8:39 pm

    Great post, Sarah, with a lot of food for thought. Thanks!