Our Team

Welcome

Kenneth Patton once said that “we learn what we have said from those who listen to our speaking.” This means that before opening our mouths to speak or letting the pen touch paper, our brain is only constructing our perception of reality. However, the act of speaking and writing, communicating, also involves the perceptions of those who hear us and read our writing.

The idea of conveying meaning, therefore, extends beyond our control and perception and so those of us who wish to communicate effectively must also consider what are possible ways that our thoughts may be interpreted. But, despite its importance when considering one’s native language, it is imperative when conveying a message in a second or third language. The chances of being misunderstood are colossal. Of course, no one can come up with all the possible conclusions to be drawn, especially if speaking. However, writing is different since it gives us time to conceptualize what and how we will convey our meaning so as to be understood by the majority. Translation, on the other hand, is not only conveying our meaning but more essentially, conveying the meaning of what the author of the source text wants to convey. Therefore, this blog is gear towards University students who already have proficiency in the English language and aspire to translate from English to Spanish. In other words, we are targeting students whose interest ranges from translating just an assignment to translating as a career.

This blog provides resources, ideas and materials that offer different approaches to problem solving when translating into Spanish.But before going any further we must emphasis that the secret to success in translating is reading. One of the first things any translator ought to master to become a great translator is to read and understand written text which means that knowledge of these skills in the target language must be mastered. Yes, we know that this is wearisome and an area of weakness for many, many people and that is why we have provided links to blog dedicated to assisting and motivating you to read in the most innovative of ways.

With this blog we hope to open more doors for all readers-new and habitual-and Internet users behind which they will find the answers to all those questions left unanswered before the creation of PuraMadreLengua.

Aqui te damos una idea de lo que implica traducir al español.

Common errors made when translating from English to Spanish

Ten Common Translation Mistakes

This web page presents the most frequent mistakes in scientific translation such as too long phrases, acronyms, excessive gerunds, etc.

Perfecting your Spanish

This web page shows mistakes in Spanish made by English speakers with explanations and examples.

Overcoming the Greatest of Translation Challenges

This page focuses on common errors in translation and provides translated documents and a resource library in both languages.

Topics of Controversies

If you know the answer to or have any information about any of the following questions, please do not hesitate to post a comment. We also welcome any suggestions or opinions you would like to share.

Registering as a licensed translator in the state of Quintana Roo

The answer(s) to this question could provide useful information to recent graduates.

Do you know the process through which someone can become registered as a Perito Traductor so as to translate official documents in the state of Quintana Roo?

Human Translations vs. Machine Translations

We appreciate any speculations you may want to contribute in order to shed some light on these issues.

How acurate would you say is machine/computer translations? In other words, can compter translations be trusted?

How helpful are computer translating software? Which ones are the most effective?

What are the effects of translating softwares or interent portal links on the success of new era translators with regards to the availability of job opportunities? In other words, are computers taking our jobs or are they openning more opportunities?

Links Related to Blogs on Reading

Please, check out these new blogs made by our classmates:

Read Without Burning Brains was made by students from our Educational Technology class and contains very useful tips for those who want to improve their reading.

Booking Worming at UQROO is a blog design by Mar and Sol that contains Book Reviews and suggestions for more enjoyable readings from readers just like you.

CAE (Certificate for Advanced English) a very kind and warm person, created this blog to help those students who have to sit the CAE exam. Nevertheless, this interactive blog contains very useful advice for those who want to improve their reading skills.

Miscellaneous

Although this information is under the Miscellaneous heading, it is of vital importance to any and all translators. The web site, Differences between English and Spanish, provides useful English translating web sites, recommends links and other services while giving a deep analysis of the differences between these two languages in Spanish.

Interviews with Translators

Interview Guide

The following are some thought-provoking questions that were asked during the interview. Be sure to listen to the recordings so as to learn probable answers and some very practical advice.

1. Would you say that there is a demand for translators; in other words, how big is the market in Mexico?




2. 
   
   Based on your experience or in your opinion, how big is the market in Quintana Roo?




3. 
   
   How can you obtain a government license to translate official documents in Mexico? Is it hard to obtain?




4. 
   
   Do you think that innovative computer translating programs could completely replace human translators?




5. 
   
   Based on your experience, what was the hardest part of translation for you?




6. 
   
   What was the easiest part of translation for you?




7. 
   
   Based on your experience what are some common errors that are made by translators?




8. 
   
   Based on your experience what are some false assumptions that people have about translation?




9. 
   
   Based on your experience what are some false assumptions or conclusions that translators have?




10. 
    
    Do you use a special technique for translating or do you find a particular method more beneficial than others?




11. 
    
    Do you think that accurate translations are possible?




12. 
    
    After seeing a new movie I had often heard people say, “The translated version was better than the original,” do you think that such comments are true? In other words, do you think that a translated version can be better than the original?




13. 
    
    What suggestions or advice would you give to our viewers who may be translators or are planning to pursue the career?

• Armando Perez Morfin

In this brief introduction Mr. Perez Morfin reveals how long he has been a translator, how he became interested, how big the translating market is in Mexico and Quintana Roo as well as the procedure for becoming a registered translator in Mexico.

In the second part of his interview, Mr. Perez Morfin acknowledges what was the hardest and easiest part of translation for him as well as very practical tips to avoid making some common errors and drawing wrong asumptions.

Mr. Perez Mofin closes with valuable advice for anyone who may be planning to pusue the translating career or for those who are translators. Luis, Kenia, Addy and Zara would like to extend a great thank you to Mr. Morfin for his contribution to our blog. This blog would not be the same without you, Mr. Armando Perez Morfin.

• Luis Gonzalez Dodd

Sit back and relax while Mr. Luis Gonzalez Dodd unveils his perspective of what translation entails.

Bibliography

ON UQROO´S CAMPUS

• Here we have some useful bibliography on UQROO´s campus library.
  

Thesis translations:

These papers will give you an idea of what it takes to do a translation as a final project for your career.

T PE1498 P67 2003. Portillo Campos, Vilma Esperanza..: Análisis de estrategias empleadas en la traducción del inglés al español de un ensayo:"Biography of a story" y de un cuento corto, "The lottery" escritos por Shirley Jackson /Vilma Esperanza Portillo Campo. Guadalajara, El Autor, 2003. 194 p. :il. ; 24 cm.

T P306 P46 2007.Peña Aguilar, Argelia..: Análisis de estrategias utilizadas en la traducción del inglés al español de dos cuentos cortos de Dorothy Parker, "New York to detroit" y The lovely leave" /Argelia Peña Aguilar. Guadalajara, Jalisco. El Autor, 2007. 141 P. :il. ; 24 cm.

T PE1128 B47 2008.Bernardino Castro, Carlos Alberto..: English-Spanish translation of the article :"Chapter 4: Identifying information needs and its indicators", with a detailed analysis of the techniques used by the translator /Carlos Alberto Bernardino Castro. Chetumal, Quintana Roo : El autor, 2008. 57 p. : :il. ; 28 cm.

T P306 C36 2008.Cantún Delgado, Solangel Guadalupe..: .English-Spanish translation of the article heritage site management:Motivations and expectations. An analysis of some translation techniques /Solangel Guadalupe Cantún Delgado. Chetumal, Quintana Roo El Autor, 2008. 177 p. :il. ; 28 cm. g

Books in UQRoo´s library´s catalogue:

Text books and guides are useful for translating and interpreting in order to reinforce your previous knowledge.

C GE300 G37.Gaspar Paricio, Miguel A..: Routledge spanish dictionary of environmental technology = Diccionario inglés de tecnología medioambiental :Spanish-English/English-Spanish, Español-Inglés/Inglés-Español /Miguel A. Gaspar Paricio. Londres : Routledge, 1998. 260 p. ; ; 24 cm.

P306 G3 1989 .García Yebra, Valentín.: En torno a la traducción: teoría, crítica, historia // Valentín García Yebra. Madrid, España : Gredós, , 1989. 398 p. ; 20 cm.
P306 G3 1994. García Yebra, Valentín.: Traducción:historia y teoría /Valentín García Yebra. Madrid: Gredós, 1994. 466 p. ; 24 cm.

P306 G3 1997.García Yebra, Valentín..: Teoría y práctica de la traducción /Valentín García Yebra. Madrid: Gredós, 1997. 2 v. ; 20 cm.

P306 R4418.Reiss, Katharina..: Fundamentos para una teoría funcional de la traducción /Katharina Reiss y Hans J. Vermeer. Madrid: Akal, 1996. 206 p. ; 24 cm.

P306 Z36.Zanier, Alessio..: Traducción IV:guía metodológica /Alessio Zanier. Chetumal: Universidad de Quintana Roo; Departamento de Humanidades, 2002. 62 p. :il. ; ; 28 cm.

P306.2 Z36. Zanier Visintin, Alessio..: Basic elements of consecutive interpreting /Alessio Zanier Visintin. Chetumal, Quintana Roo Universidad de Quintana Roo, 2006. 87 p. ; 22 cm.

PC4498 H47.Hervey, Sándor..: Thinking spanish translation:a course in translation method: spanish to english // Sándor Hervey... [et. al.]. London: Routledge, 1995. 232 p. : il. ; ; 24 cm

PN162 S435. Senz Bueno, Silvia..: Normas de presentación de originales para la edición. Originales de la autoría y originales de traducción /Silvia Senz Bueno. Gijón : Trea, 2001. 123 p. :il. ; 22 cm.

Technical Dictionary

C QA76.15 A38.Aguado de Cea, Guadalupe..: Diccionario comentado de terminología informática :unificación racional de términos, anglicismos y galicismos, pautas de traducción, semántica informática, glosario inglés-español /Guadalupe Aguado de Cea. Madrid : Paraninfo, 1994. 431 p. ; 25 cm.

Glossary

C TD208 W3.Comisión Nacional de Agua.: Guía de traducción de términos del agua español-inglés = Water translation guide /Comisión Nacional del Agua. México: Comisión Nacional del Agua, 2006. 36 p. ; 24 cm.

FREE ON-LINE TRANSLATING SERVICES

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

ON-LINE DICTIONARIES AND GLOSSARIES

http://cvc.cervantes.es/oteador/default.asp?l=2&id_rama=531&act=catalog88

Links to Translation Related Blogs:

R. Schiaffino's blog, About Translation, provides information, news and opinions about professional translation.

Alltop Linguistic News provides threads from all over the world that is related to the latest development in language.

ALTALK BLOG is a blog ddicated to the American Literary Translators Association.

Babelhut, by Peter and Thomas, is about language and language learning.Thomas, on May 21, 2009, said that "Learning a language is like having a pet..."

Blogging on Bilingualism is gear towards American parents who would like their children to become bilinguals or that they may at least be exposed to two or more languages.

The Blogging Translator is about translation, linguistics and freelancing in the 21st Century and it provides a wide category list.

Blogos covers language through multilingual and translation, localization and global markets, individual skills and emerging technologies, enablers and barriers, knowledge and speculation.

Freelance Translators from Scratch provides links to other translation blogs as well as a step-to-step guide of how to create a freelance translating business based their experience.

Global by Design, by John Yunker, is dedicated to web globalization.

A quote of interest from languagehat.com is: "Evidence that the internet is not as idiotic as it often looks. This site is called Language Hat and it deals with many issues of a linguistic flavor. It's a beacon of attentiveness and crisp thinking, and an excellent substitute for the daily news."

A German to English translator shares his knowledge and thoughts on Musings from an Overworked Translator.

Notas terminológicas provides terminology notes, tips and glossaries from the Spanish Translation Services of the United Nations, New York.

Separated by a Common Language has observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK along with a long list of labels!

Speaking of Translation contains lots of blogs reviews.

There’s Something About Translation tells the lifestory of a professional translator. This is a blog where she relates about starting up in the profession, continuing her professional development and life as a freelancer.

Thoughts on Translation offers useful sites and lots of professional translators.

Tips for Translators is a compilation of language communities, tools, and other online resources that’ll help you get started.

Translate This!

Translating is an Art deals with misconceptions about translation.

Translating Patents is a blog by Martin Cross who has been an in-house editor of Japanese patent translations and worked on a machine translation development program.

Translation-Language-Culture makes references to lots of translation blogs and posts about translation issues.

The Translation Journal, is an on-line publication for translators by translators about translators and translation.

Transubstantiation provides terminology links.

Web-Translations gives very useful tips to those translators who are thinking of becoming global by extending their business on-line.

Yndigo is a New York based foreign language translation agency dedicated to the legal community and provides a long list of translation links.

Do not leave this blog before reading this!

Prof. Richard Finks Whitaker is the director of Maestría en Traducción e Interpretación Inglés-Español at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and despite all his efforts a video conferencing was not possible. Therefore, he so generously wrote his wisdom and advice as follows. Luis, Kenia, Addy and Zara would like to extend a great thank you to Mr. Finks for his kind contribution and for sticking with us eventhough the going was hard. "Mr. Finks, this blog would not be the same without you".

I. How many years have you been a translator?

In a way, I suppose that I have been translating ever since I began my formal studies of a foreign language over forty years ago. Back in the mid-1960’s, particularly in the part of the world where I did my undergraduate studies (the American Midwest), foreign languages were taught following the “grammar-translation” method—and most of what we students did consisted of studying the grammar of the target language and doing written exercises that involved translating.

Of course, for all that I acquired my admittedly limited knowledge of French by carrying out simple translation exercises, I did not perform professional translations involving a second language until several years later, when I came to Mexico to live and began to learn Spanish.


II. How did you become interested in translating?

My interest in translation dates all the way back to when I was a very young child. In the early 1950’s, my mother belonged to something I believe was called the Around-the-World Gift Club. Every month, she received a small example of one of the native arts and crafts of a different country—an ebony elephant from what was then known as Ceylon, a hand-painted urn from Greece, etc. These “gifts” came wrapped in packaging that almost invariably consisted of sheets and scraps of newspapers from the corresponding land. These wonderful samples of scripts I couldn’t read absolutely fascinated me; I remember eagerly awaiting the opportunity to spread out the crumpled newsprint and ponder the inscrutable texts.

In those years, also, there was one particular international crisis that received a lot of television coverage from the United Nations. I was fascinated by the fact that the speakers at the U.N. were earnestly communicating in tongues I could not understand at all—and I loved listening to the interpreters provide versions that made all the sense I couldn’t myself extract from what was being spoken.

When I was eleven, I accompanied my parents on a trip around the world, and that experience changed my life in many ways indeed. One immediate result was that I found myself suddenly in the midst of cultures where everyone but me, it seemed, understood what was written on signs and menus and what was said in the hotels, shops, and streets wherever I went.

I became convinced then that I wanted to learn lots of different languages. Although I always knew I would be a teacher, I recall that there was a time in junior-high school when I was asked to prepare a major project on what I wanted to do professionally when I was older—and I did my report on becoming “a language interpreter.”

I didn’t have much opportunity to turn that sort of dream into a reality in my small hometown in Missouri, where at the time foreign languages were not taught in schools until the final years of high school (and Latin was the main offering there), but I knew that being able to communicate in a living language other than my native English was something I deeply wanted to do.

Most of my life since has followed a course that traces my attempts to be able to do this.


III. Would you say that there is a demand for translators; in other words, how big is the market in Mexico?

The smaller the world becomes—or, to put this another way, the larger our global community becomes—the more obvious it is that there is a very real need for people to communicate accurately and effectively across the barriers that different languages and cultures represent.

There is a very considerable market for quality translation and interpretation work in Mexico.

I heard on the news just this week that tourism is the second most-important source of income for Mexico (the first being the oil industry). It is understandable that a country like Mexico, which is such an attractive draw to tourists from around the globe, has a constant need to provide first-rate translation-interpretation services to its visitors.

But Mexico does not need translators-interpreters only to attend to its important tourist industry. Modern Mexico daily interacts with a huge range of countries around the world, and the lingua franca of much international interaction is English. It is not for nothing that Mexico is increasingly developing bilingual education programs in English and Spanish in order to better prepare its young people to take an increasingly broader role in world events.

In Mexico today, it seems to me that the skills of the competent, professional English-Spanish, Spanish-English translator are in constant demand.


IV. Based on your experience or in your opinion, how big is the market in Quintana Roo?

On very many counts, Quintana Roo is an especially privileged place. It certainly should represent a major market for professional-quality translation-interpretation services. The region’s remarkable wealth of natural wonders as well as its incomparable archaeological attractions makes the state the destination of choice for a huge number of English-speaking tourists from all around the world—and especially from the United States and Europe. The fact that Quintana Roo shares a border with an English-speaking country (Belize) also underscores the importance there of English-Spanish, Spanish-English translation. And one should not forget that throughout the region excellent translators-interpreters are needed in other languages as well—starting, quite logically, with Maya.

Over a dozen years ago, when I first had the opportunity to visit the University of Quintana Roo, I was greatly impressed by its lovely campus in Chetumal, by the excellent faculty of the English Language Program there, and by the bright, dynamic students I met. I vividly remember being given a lovely brochure about the university and being extremely favorably struck by the superb quality of the English text throughout. It may seem curious, but the impact of the splendid English of that attractive brochure has lasted over the years as one of my first strong impressions of the excellence of the UQRoo.

In my opinion, very many of the materials in English for tourists to Quintana Roo (folders, brochures, guidebooks, etc.) prepared under the auspices of the government of the state and of its Ministry of Tourism have been published in superlative English. This suggests that there is keen awareness there of the value of top-quality translations.

Naturally, there should be a considerable demand for continuing and expanding translation-interpretation services of quality to the benefit of businesses and the service industries throughout the region.


V. How can you obtain a government license to translate official documents in Mexico?

As regards the government-authorized translator in Mexico (perito traductor), I believe you will find that the procedures and requirements for obtaining this appointment may differ from one state to another. In general, you would do well to check with the Supreme Court of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justicia) for the state where you are interested in working, in order to find out the particulars. There may well be specific times during which applications from those interested are invited, and you will want to pay close attention to the announcements pertaining to the call for applications (convocatoria) and the steps and deadlines involved.


VI. Is it hard to obtain?

Government authorization (peritaje) to carry out translations that can be regarded as official will understandably require meeting the criteria established for evaluating one’s qualifications to perform the important tasks involved. The specific requirements for obtaining this authorization in any given state will need to be met.


VII. Do you think that innovative computer translating programs could completely replace human translators? Explain?

Even in our technology-driven society—and perhaps especially in this technological era—it remains my conviction that nothing can replace the human translator.

I am aware that several programs designed to provide assistance to the translator exist, and I do not doubt that in particular those that aid translators in organizing, storing, and accessing information of use (for instance, in the preparation of glossaries of specialized terminology, data banks of phrasings previously employed, etc.) can prove to be invaluable tools.

Yet computer-assisted translating is not the same as computerized translation. The human role in the translation remains essential. All kinds of wonderful examples exist of how common computer-translation features on personal computers have led to errors that no human translator would have made.

I believe that we should employ the services of whatever mechanical or electronic aids actually may serve us well in our work, and there can be no doubt that computers have greatly facilitated our professional performance. But I also sincerely believe we have little to fear about being replaced soon—and, O.K., I’ll risk future embarrassment by going so far as to say probably ever—by non-human devices that purport to carry out genuine translation processes.


VIII. Based on your experience, what was the hardest part of translation for you? Explain.

The “hardest part” of translation work, in my opinion, is the frequent need to work against the clock. Many translation jobs are understandably regarded by clients as “urgent”—and a stunning number of requests come in for translations that are needed not just today, or even right now, but (as clients often sheepishly tell us with a pleading look in their eyes) “yesterday.”

The problem for me, quite personally, is that I do not work primarily as a translator but as an academic administrator and professor; the time that I have available for translating almost always involves shifting priorities and making, not finding, time to dedicate to a given translation task. And personally, again, I do not work best under pressure. I find that translation work requires close attention, minimal distraction, and often the kind of resourcefulness and research only a certain amount of leeway in terms of due-date allows.

Clients do not always—or, generally speaking, often—realize how much work, research, and revision translation tasks call for. My favorite example of the kind of situation that I find “hardest” to deal with is this: I was once asked to translate (or perhaps “just” check the correctness of a translation for) a very short speech to be delivered in English at a large formal event. When I asked at what time this text would be needed, I was told that—uh, well, hmmmm . . . the speaker was already on the dais.


IX. What was the easier part of translation for you? Explain.

It is my personal view that little is particularly easy about translating—and one of the things I like best about doing translations is that every task I undertake, no matter how “routine-seeming” it may at first appear, invariably teaches me something new.

I can honestly say that I have never once done a translation for which, in the process, there were no surprises. Even a standard business letter or e-mail message of the sort I may have translated dozens of times before invariably contains something new for me to consider and tackle: a word I don’t have a ready equivalent for; a turn of phrase I have never considered the difficulty of matching; a syntactical challenge I haven’t previously confronted;—something.

I absolutely love this aspect of translation work. Should this word carry a capital letter? What would be the best way to handle this reference to a popular Mexican refrán for which there is no similar saying in English? Is the register (or degree of formality) in the original text adequately conveyed by the way I’ve worded things in my translation? . . .

It may seem that I am here describing the hardest part of translation—but, no. Hard as translating accurately and effectively can be, from my point of view dealing with all the surprising challenges that crop up is the easiest part of translation work, because what I most enjoy about translating is working successfully through the intriguing difficulties translating always poses.


X. Based on your experience what are some common errors that are made by translators? Explain.

When crossing from one language and culture into another, we all make the occasional unintentional slip. (At a local restaurant, instead of ordering chongos for dessert, I once quite calmly asked the waiter to bring me “una orden de changos, por favor.” That happened long ago, but it still makes me blush and laugh and shake my head in chagrin.) Some such errors are silly and embarrassing; others have serious consequences. All are regrettable. All should be avoided.

That said, I believe that inexperienced translators run the risk of making two kinds of mistakes that are based on misconceptions about what translation, as an activity, involves.

One basic error is to assume that, in order to be perfectly accurate, it is the translator’s duty to produce a word-for-word translation. There are instances (usually rare) when it may indeed prove advisable or even necessary to provide a translation for every single word in the original text, in the precise order in which each appears. But this is usually regarded as the very lowest form (or level) of translation work, and it seldom results in a version that is natural-sounding or fully comprehensible.

While the translator certainly needs to understand every word in the text being translated, it is his/her task to communicate not so much the words of the original as their sense. Expert translators as respected as Saint Jerome (the patron saint of translators) and modern practitioners of the art like Marina Orellana and others concur that what translators need to do is transmit the ideas encapsulated in the words of a text, and this often calls for seeking other ways of saying the same thing in a different language.

Another fundamental misconception of novice translators is that the translator is free to simply read a text, get the gist of it, and provide a kind of summary statement instead of an actual translation. While translators should work ultimately with communicating ideas, we must do so in words—and the words of the original text cannot be glossed over or dismissed.

I encourage student translators to view the words of texts in groupings of what are known as “autonomous units”—not isolated words, but the clusters of words that occur together in the original in short, syntactically bound phrases. The translator can then consider how each word cluster might best and most naturally be handled in the target language. Because in every language words have particular ways of being interwoven to communicate, it is best to look at word-clusters (rather than merely at each word individually) in order to see how best to convey the ideas represented by these phrasings.

In summary, then, I urge inexperienced translators to look at ALL of the words, and to deal with translating the ideas present in ALL of the groupings of these words in the original text. The good translation is seldom one that in the target language is a direct, word-for-word match for the original—and never one that merely proffers just a general overview of what the original text said. If we shouldn’t usually translate word by word, neither should we just pass off as a genuine translation an overall impression of what was said. (I am here referring to written translations. Interpreting works somewhat differently, yet in oral interpretation, too, one must not fail to stay scrupulously close to the contents and tone of the original remarks.)


XI. Based on your experience what are some false assumptions that people have about translation? Explain.

People who are uninformed about all that professional translation work involves often see translating as a simple clerical task. They assume translations can be churned out virtually automatically. The uninitiated tend to regard translators rather as if we were some sort of bilingual human fax machine: You slide an original text across the translator’s desk and on the other side out pops the translated version—just as smoothly and effortlessly and swiftly as that.

One of the tasks that professional translators today have to carry out is educating their clients (tactfully, of course) regarding the kinds of work involved in producing a reliable translation of professional quality.

Many people assume that anyone who knows another language is capable of producing a translation involving that language. (“My cousin spent two weeks at Disneyland last summer. I bet she could translate that for you.” . . . “My little boy is taking English and doing very well in his first course. I’m sure he could do this translation for you.”) Translating requires all sorts of specialized knowledge and skills. The general public has yet to fully realize, let alone acknowledge, this key point. Although translating, as an activity, has been going on for as long as speakers of different languages have needed to be in meaningful contact with each other, translation as a bona fide profession is still in the fairly early stages of gaining the kind of recognition and respect it deserves.

XII. Based on your experience what are some false assumptions or conclusions that translators have? Explain.

I would refer you to my response to the question before last. Inexperienced translators may tend to stick too strictly to the words and word order in the original text and thus produce a translation that lacks the natural syntax and “sound” of a text written in the target language. Also, no less mistakenly, the uninitiated may assume that the words in the original text can be simply glossed over; translating is not merely summarizing.

Another false assumption novice translators may make is that knowing the basic techniques and linguistic strategies involved in the translation process equates with being able to tackle any translation job. Translators need to be honest with themselves about the areas of knowledge that they master sufficiently well in order to take on tasks of translating in a given field.

If I do not have much knowledge of medicine or law, I have no business accepting translation work in these highly specialized areas. The expert translator of materials relating to computer programs will not be someone with merely rudimentary computational skills. Recognizing the fields one is knowledgeable enough in to do accurate translations for is part of the self-analysis each professional translator needs to do early in his/her career.

Also, students should realize that learning about the history and theory of translation can be valuable and is certainly eye-opening, but needs to be coupled with actual translation practice. It is like swimming. One doesn’t set out to become a lifeguard and then do nothing but contemplate the properties of water, study the physics of drowning objects, and reflect on how saving lives is a worthy, even noble endeavor.

If you want to be a lifeguard, you’ve got to get wet—dive into the pool, cross it lots of times in lots of different ways, splash around, and practice perfecting those strokes. Lives depend on the thoroughness of one’s practical training and firsthand experience in the deep end of the pool—not just at water’s edge.


XII. Do you use a special technique for translating or do you find a particular method more beneficial than others? Why?

Several recognized techniques, strategies, and procedures exist that are of considerable value in the study and analysis of translation work. Students do well to learn about these, for such aspects can illuminate the various processes involved in translating.

However, there is no single technique that is better than any other in all cases. There are particular strategies that work best for resolving particular translation problems, and certain other techniques that are worth applying in other specific instances.

Knowing that there are several ways to approach working through a translation should help the translator feel better prepared for tackling the tasks he/she performs.

While there is no simple formula that can be applied uniformly to all translation work, there are some basic initial steps that translators are probably well-advised to follow in virtually all cases. It is essential, for instance, to read through the complete text to be translated before beginning to translate. Familiarizing oneself at the very start with the document, article, etc., will facilitate the work ahead.

Also, before translating, it is always important to have a clear idea of the specific audience the translation is intended for and should be directed to. The translator will want to clarify this point with the client, since even before beginning a translation it is vital to know who its intended reader is.


XIII. Do you think that accurate translations are possible? Explain.

Accurate translations are indeed possible. They require considerable work and effort to achieve, but they are the goal of all professional translators. It is essential that a professional translation be faithful to the original in every way possible.


XIV. I have often heard people say, “The translated version was better than the original,” do you think that such comments are true/accurate? In other words, do you think that a translated version can be better than the original? Explain.

The best translation is one that reads as if the text were originally written in the target language. The goal always is a translation that is accurate in content, faithful in style, and reliable in conveying the ideas expressed in the original.

It is definitely not the translator’s job to try to “better” the original text.

There are certain kinds of translation work that may actually call for retaining—or at least indicating—errors in the original that the translator may discover while analyzing that text. Legal translations, for instance, need to conform precisely to what the original text says. And all translations, generally, need to avoid turning into adaptations of the original.

Still, in most technical translation work outside the legal arena it is considered part of the translator’s job to not preserve in the translation what in the original are obvious slips of a minor sort. (For example, when translating an article in Spanish about New York City, if in the original there is a reference to “Time Square” the translator should not perpetuate the error; in the translation into English, the mistaken name should be corrected to read “Times Square.” Similarly, if in a Spanish original a comma is incorrectly placed between the subject of a sentence and the main verb, the erroneous comma should not be retained in the English translation.)

Such polishing is considered within the realm of the translator’s responsibilities. (Nevertheless, changes of other than a grammatical nature ought to be brought to the attention of the client by the translator, since it does not fall to the translator to make alterations without alerting the client to the nature of these.)

One does occasionally hear that a translation reads more effectively than the original. This might be the case if a translator has taken care to express things with perhaps greater attention to matters of natural syntax or even of the basic mechanics of writing (punctuation, capitalization, etc.) than had the original author. A hastily written letter of recommendation in one language might well turn out to read “better” in translation precisely because of the care the translator has put into expressing in his translation the ideas perhaps worded more clumsily in the original.

Still, I caution translators not to strive to “improve upon” an original text. The goal is to faithfully represent the original—not demonstrate how much better a text might be if handled differently.

XV. What suggestions or advice would you give to our viewers who may be translators or are planning to pursue the career?

Giving advice is always tricky. Once one gets started, the harder it is to stop. Let me just share a few suggestions that leap to mind at this minute. . . .
I would encourage anyone interested in working professionally in the field of translation-interpretation to be aware that good translators-interpreters are always seeking ways to expand and perfect their knowledge—not merely of the languages they wish to work in but also of everything in the world around them. This is one occupation that calls for a very broad range of general knowledge, as well as for a very specialized grasp of the particular areas in which one chooses to work.
Every current event reveals fresh problems and challenges that should interest the attentive translator-interpreter. Keeping alert to the language being used to refer to the situations that arise in the daily news is one simple but vitally important way in which the translation practitioner can sharpen his/her basic linguistic tools.
Translators and interpreters need to read widely and constantly. They also need to be on a constant quest to expand their resources and build a personal library of reference works that can serve them well.
Translators-interpreters should approach their work with professionalism. Doing the very best job one can on every translation-interpretation job one undertakes is essential. I do not doubt that the conscientious translator-interpreter may do his/her best on a particular assignment today—and five months down the line, might actually handle that same task somewhat differently. We grow as we work. As we make a concerted effort to always do our best, we find that over time and with more experience, we actually get better. This improvement should please rather than trouble you.
And, at the start of your career, don’t get daunted by all you may not yet know. Consider that you are committing yourself to a profession that will constantly be instructive, if you take your work seriously.
And do, please, take your work seriously. The pleasures of this profession lie in doing hard work well—all to the benefit of others.
I often point out that translation can be considered in lots of ways: as an art, as a science, as a profession—and as a mission. While there is something satisfying in knowing that we translators have skills that can help others communicate across the barriers that different languages and cultures can pose, there is also something compelling about possessing such abilities. They rather obligate us to be of service, when we can, in the ways we are uniquely prepared to be.
And serving others, for all that this may involve very hard work, can be a gratifying as well as joyful way to spend our working lives.

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Well, we really appreciate that you have visited our blog. I hope you find useful information in order to understand what is involved in translating. We want to make translations easier for you just as our title expresses "Traducciones Sin Dolor y Con Sabor".

So far we know that Translation is the transmittal of written text from one language into another. Although the terms translation and interpretation are often used interchangeably, by strict definition, translation refers to the written language and interpretation to the spoken word.

Translation is the action of interpretation of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text that communicates the same message in another language. The text to be translated is called the source text, and the language it is to be translated into is called the target language.

Translation must take into account constraints that include context, the rules of grammar of the two languages, their writing conventions, and their idioms. Common misconceptions are that there exists a simple word-for-word correspondence between any two languages and that translation is a straightforward mechanical process. A word-for-word translation does not take into account context, grammar, conventions, and idioms.

The demand in the translating field is greater than ever before. Many translators work as freelancers and others are employed by international organizations as well as government agencies. Non-profit and religious organizations also hire or contract the services of translators for document translation. Individuals who work as translators are highly intellectual.

To succeed in this field, you will need good organization and time management skills. The ability to meet deadlines and set priorities is very important as well. The possibilities are infinite if document translation is what you want to do.

For all of those people interested in this field please do not be afraid of failure; trying over and over again is an integral part of learning. Remember that you have the power and we can help you out!!!

Thank you all for visiting this blog. We will read your comments or suggestions and will get back to you soon.