Schreibtischtäter [ˈʃra͜iptɪʃtɛːtɐ]

Musings on the raw material of a translator

Your average translator is somewhat of a bookworm, and most definitely a pencil pusher (if the electronic age would not forbid us to actually use pencils). His or her working time is entirely spent in the company of words—source words, target words, dictionary terms, glossary terms, vocabulary lists, reference lists: amazing what can be accumulated by seemingly endless combinations of only 26 individual characters in many of today’s languages.

For most people, language is not really something they think about—it’s a tool we use on a daily basis, but why and how it works is rarely on anyone’s mind, unless you happen to be a professional linguist in some shape or form. The latter variety of course has studied the phenomena for centuries, but I am not about to discuss the many theories and models they have come up with. Nevertheless, I do invite you to marvel for just a little while on the workings of language, without which hardly any of our modern commodities could have been created in the first place.

The sound and the thing

There is not much that confirms the will (and sheer necessity) of coming together like the mutual agreement on a certain sound to signify a specific object, action or characteristic. Imagine our hunting and gathering forefathers repeatedly producing the same grunt to designate a certain plant or animal, recognizing that by assigning a sound to a thing, communication loses the limitations of pointing and shouting. Such an agreement didn’t have to be set in stone, neither literally nor otherwise—continuing consensus formed fluidly, just as it does today when a new term or expression emerges. If enough of us start using a word with a certain meaning, it will become part of our vocabulary, and the same goes for all the other fun parts that make language the incredible living tool that it is—what we commonly dread refer to as grammar. As many rules (and exceptions) there are, the process that really happens is simply one of “spreading the word”. The writing down and making up rules portion happens only in hindsight. It’s a truly democratic procedure, and one of the most creative I can think of—after all, we have evolved from grunting at a tree to expressing ourselves in highly complicated structures that we still all agree on, and therefore understand.*

The power of Babel

We all love the story of how God allegedly kicked us out of the tower trying to make us lose that understanding we had gained thanks to language, because it apparently made us too powerful. Of course, nothing good can happen if everyone gets along. Fact is though, whether you look back at the common language we really might have once had, trying to dig up its archeological treasures, or if you look at the riches we can find in the many languages existing today that reflect back on our different cultures, you are always peering deep into the human soul. More than any other of our “symbolic activities” as Ernst Cassirer once defined them—the others being myth, religion, art, and science, together constituting the power of human abstraction—language is part of our everyday experience, regardless of who you are and where you are. It thus carries with it and continuously evolves the knowledge and history of its speakers.

The writing on the wall    

Already in its earlier days (commonly dated back to the Bronze Age), language gained a whole other dimension by the efforts of recording its own utterances. After connecting sound and object, yet another connection had to be made, that of associating the entity of sound and object to one or several symbols that could represent it. Just like we developed our verbal skills from barking sounds to elaborate sentences, writing systems evolved from pictograms and glyphs to scripts and alphabets. The first forms were not even reminiscent of the verbal designation of an item but rather a separate representation. After all, it’s much easier to draw a picture of a tree than to figure out what symbols to use that eventually will represent the sounds in /triː/.

From the safety of our desk, translators get to take these blocks of meaning apart, only to put them back together again in a different design. Different combinations will mean different things to different groups of people, based on what they all agreed on. If “schreiben” means “writing” to you, “Tisch” means “table” and “Täter” “offender”, you are part of the group that grasped the opening building block. If you are left with the individual elements, use your imagination—or a professional translator that will recreate the wor(l)d for you.

*If you are a secret linguaphile, I have to recommend Guy Deutscher’s “The Unfolding of Language”.

 

Nanette Gobel, MA

Return Ticket

Why back translations don’t necessarily guarantee a safe roundtrip

When you need material translated from English into a variety of foreign languages, you might look for a standardized way that allows you to ensure accuracy and completeness of the different translations. Back translation seems to be a good option: After rendering the source text into the respective target languages, the target texts are translated back into English by a different set of translators. While the first translator group specializes in translations from English into their respective native language, the second group specializes in translations from the respective foreign language into English.

Roadblock

As straightforward as this may sound, language generally does not work like mathematics where we can arrive at the same result even if we use different numbers and then reverse the process. It is impossible to check a translation the way we verify an invoice, and equations don’t really have a place in linguistics. If we could simply replace one word with another, Google Translate would have already taken over the world—probably not only—of translation (more about that feature below). When a translator takes on an English document to be conveyed in his or her native language, a wide range of considerations enters the process of phrasing each sentence and shaping the material as a whole, including structural and cultural aspects, subtext, style, and target audience. The choices made might stray from the original on a purely lexical and even semantic level. With the back translation, however, an entirely new process of interpreting and expressing the material takes place, this time based on the choices of the initial translator, which will lead inevitably to a different version of the original source text.

Lost

The result, at best, is confusion on the part of the client. Why does the back translation read “creating room for unique experiences” when the original is talking about “helping amazing experiences emerge”? And how did we get from the original “truth of technology” to the “mystery of technology”? Are these mistakes? Is the entire translation a failure? What usually ensues is a back and forth between client and translator via the translation agency, the Client denoting individual lines or words that seem to be “wrong” or missing, making suggestions, and the translator (or sometimes the back translator) trying to come up with alternatives to accommodate the client. Often, however, this kind of piecing together will hurt the flow of the text and might even create inconsistencies, unless the original translator or an editor or reviewer goes over the entire translation once again. There is rarely enough time to do so, which ultimately leads to the risk that the “final” translation achieved via the observations made in the back translation is actually of lower quality than the original translation, which was carefully composed and reviewed as a whole.      

Short cuts

Going without the back translation does not mean taking a short cut or missing out on understanding what happens to the original text in its target versions. There are other ways to communicate and discuss the transformation where needed, which we will talk about in the next paragraph, and which will actually cut short the time spent inquiring (on the part of the client) and explaining/revising (on the part of the translator) the items brought up as a result of the back translation as outlined above. Back translation short cuts that will get you nowhere are, as you might have guessed, instant translation tools as provided by Google or Babblefish, since even as they are becoming somewhat more sophisticated, they still reduce language to mathematics.

 

Safe haven

The best guarantee for high quality translation is working with translator teams selected by a high-end language services provider based on their special expertise and experience in the respective subject matter. If desired by the client, and as a way to avoid going through the process of back translation, the initial translator (in each language) will highlight and comment translation choices that may seem to depart from the original, but are made to serve readability, cultural sensitivities and similar. This is a typical procedure for marketing translations but can be adapted in other areas as well. An editor in the target language then proofreads the translation, ensures its completeness and accuracy, makes necessary corrections and may suggest alternatives to some of the translator’s choices. Before the translation goes to the client, however, the translator will have a chance to review the editor’s changes and notes, consider the material once more in its entirety, and finalize his or her work, including comments. The latter may, as a matter of fact, contain actual back translations of certain phrases to help the client understand the target text, but always in connection with an explanation as to why such a choice was made.

 

If the truth of translation is that there is never one truth or one translation, the secret of translation is that some languages may have several different words for something that other languages can only express with one term. If you have to go from one to several and then return to one again, the choice might remain a mystery, unless the translator is given an opportunity to elaborate.

 

Nanette Gobel, MA

RISK COMMUNICATION AND THE MEDICAL LINGUIST

Whether through verbal or nonverbal language, we communicate with others continually and without much thought. Communicating a message clearly and concisely under normal circumstances is an art in and of itself. The style and goals of this form of art become more complex when communicating in emotional or risky situations. Translating this specialized form of communication into a foreign language is the job of a medical linguist.

Risk communication is a research-based approach to effectively communicating with diverse audiences in emotionally charged situations involving high stress, controversy and oftentimes, low trust. Regardless of the language spoken, communicating in these situations, whether in person, by phone or through print medium, the goals of a risk communicator remain the same.

In emotionally charged situations, people need to feel their concerns, regardless of their validity, are understood and accepted. The first goal of a risk communicator is to address the emotional response of the target audience and minimize any undue fears and concerns. Acknowledging concerns is an important step in diminishing them.

There is a fine line between minimizing fears and downplaying the risk. The next goal is to enhance trust in the source of information. People will judge the quality of the information they receive based on the perceived credibility and trustworthiness of its source. Being too matter-of-fact or making false promises can negatively affect your credibility and increase worry.

Lastly, a risk communicator needs to increase knowledge and create understanding. Once created, that understanding is used to empower your target audience to make informed decisions. Especially in any type of crisis situation, people feel they have some personal control over a situation in which they are able to participate in a response or decision making process.

Medical linguists are a specialized and talented group of professionals. Some work in facilities that translate for patients in person or over the phone, others work behind the scenes to create informed consent documents, health education materials, and patient information sheets like discharge materials or advance directives. Regardless of where, or in what medium they work, when it comes to healthcare communication, action, or inaction can be associated with risk. Through effective risk communication techniques, medical linguists are specially trained to facilitate patient access to health care services by clearly and concisely communicating this risk.

Sherry Dineen

Legalese

Translating the language of the law

Somewhat sarcastically—or desperately, depending on who you are talking to—considered a language in its own right, legal speak in any tongue is a hard nut to crack for those not acquainted with it. Its specific terminology extends far beyond individual terms and encompasses an extensive set of phrases and expressions. The latter are extremely rigid, to such a degree that even the slightest change can invalidate them, and since the raison d’êtreof any court document, decree, contract, waiver or disclaimer is its inherent validity, every effort is made to avoid such changes. This of course often results in an almost archaic language that requires some decoding.

Rule no. 1: Know thy glossary

Familiarity with this specific vocabulary and jargon, an aptitude for deciphering the “code” in its individual context and the ability to work said code into different types of legal texts are the top requirements for the translator, which applies to his/her source and target languages. As the archaic elements of legal lingo may not have changed much since the early days of a particular judicial system for the reasons shown above, the job of the translator could be mistaken for simply memorizing century-old terminology. His core challenge, however, consists in determining where an equivalent in the other language (and system) actually exists and is called for and where he or she is forced to use a literal, yet comprehensible, translation. Lawyers in most countries, for instance, will use a severability clause in standard contracts, and the translator has to be familiar with its designation and phrasing in the target language(s), which is not necessarily a word-by-word rendition (“Salvatorische Klausel” in German, for instance, from Latin salvatorius, meaning maintaining or preserving, and “Clause de sauvegarde” in French, meaning safety or protection). Were we to translate the above into English, we would end up with “Preservation” or “Protection clause” rather than “Severability clause” if unfamiliar with the concept in question, and thus introducing an inaccuracy.

Rule no. 2: Know thy concepts

Then there is the opposite case. Even in countries with similar legal systems, like the US and many of the European countries, different structures (e.g. the court system) and concepts exist that do not have an exact equivalent. If we look to Asia or the Middle East, the gap becomes even more apparent. Many books and papers have been written about how a domestic court should handle and/or interpret specific laws and regulations of other countries (ranging from the difference in the validity of electronic signatures—Germany and the US—to the notion of Mahr, the Muslim custom where the groom has to give a gift to the bride in consideration of the marriage). The translator finds himself to a certain extent in the middle of the discussions without being able to wait for an outcome, but rather with the obligation to find a workable solution for the text or document that awaits translation. In that sense, the language of the law is in just as much fluctuation as all other linguistic expressions, and needs to be adapted to new circumstances and developments. Research is a constant companion to all professional translators, and an in-depth knowledge of legal processes, systems and concepts is the foundation to be built upon.

Rule no. 3: Write for thy audience

Writing for your audience bears yet more responsibilities in this context than it does in a purely commercial or marketing context. The translated text needs to be not only understandable and readable, but it must be applicable to the target group. While contracts will usually contain a clause asserting that they are only enforceable in the language they were originally written in, disclaimers, waivers, non-disclosure or license agreements that appear as part of product packaging or online rely on their binding effect in translation (ironically, the latter example also relies on the disputed electronic signature discussed above). Enhancing the readability of translated legal texts does not involve simplifying complicated sentence structures—even though one of the characteristics that make legalese so “foreign” is its intricate and elaborate (read: long-winded) phrasing. Rather, the wording used in the translation must be familiar and part of the legal canon of the target country. If a new concept has to be introduced, the terminology must come as close as possible to the terminology that would be used in the target language if its speakers were to adopt this concept into their legal system (and if you know the severability clause, you know this provision comes pretty close to it).

In witness whereof, I assure you that this article may not be used against me in any court of law in any language.

Nanette Gobel

Along for the Ride

How to map out successful routes that steer your translation projects the right way

Which question would you respond to positively: “Care to join me?” “Would you like to come with me?” “Can you please come?” Or are they all the same? Translations can be the object of much scrutiny, and sorting out what the proverbial bone of contention may be in individual cases is difficult. Let’s take a look at the process and see if there are any road signs that will help avoid complicated detours.

The beauty of the linguistic landscape

In any given language, there are many ways to express an idea, a fact, an opinion. Whether in conversation or in writing, we have to choose one, and our decision will be based on a variety of factors—the best-suited vocabulary and terminology, the most befitting grammar, the proper style. Yet, the choice is subjective in that we are to decide what works best on all those levels, and someone else might argue that it can be said better, or more eloquently, or more pointedly. The same is true for the translator. While it is the translator’s responsibility to decode and interpret these aspects in the source document, when it comes to choosing how they are best rendered in the target language, more than one option will present itself.

Knowing the difference

Even when clear mistakes and misinterpretations are ruled out, there might be translation options that can’t make the cut for other reasons. 1. The terminology is correct, but the client uses a different variant. 2. The sentence structure is accurate, but lacks flow and clarity. 3. The style corresponds to the original, but is not appropriate for the target audience. Experienced translators will do their best to avoid these pitfalls and (1) check with the agency if the client has supplied specific terminology, (2) choose readability over literality, and (3) customize the text for the intended market.

Where content and form converge

One of the classic rules of thumb for translators is the seemingly straightforward “Don’t add anything, don’t leave anything out”. Of course, if the source text reads “The fish weighed 250 pounds”, the translation should not be “The fish weighed a whopping 250 pounds”. Or should it? As a matter of fact, if the next sentence goes on to make a statement about the fish’s weight to this effect, it is a recognized translation technique to reorganize the text structure in a way that is more suitable in the target language. What’s more, all the examples above defy the line that is drawn by this rule between content and form, i.e. implying that the latter can be changed while the former needs to remain consistent. The two aren’t necessarily as separable as we might wish. Philosophy has long claimed content and form to be indivisible, so how are we to divide them in translation? Artists always strive for a balance of the two, because “When form predominates, meaning is blunted… When content predominates, interest lags.” (Paul Rand).

Feedback that gets you on track

Reviewing a translation thus involves taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture. This includes an in-depth look at the original document. If the reviewer finds a statement in the translation of a marketing message that seems out of line with local policies, it must be verified if it is indeed the translation of the message that creates this impression or if it is the message itself that may be appropriate for one market but not for another. There is a limit to what a translator can do with regards to adapting form and content to the target audience. If cultural concerns are involved and the entire concept needs to be replaced—for instance because of religious or political references, or because of the use of colloquialisms that are acceptable in one culture but not the other—client and translator should work together to come up with a solution. If the source document contains information or facts that the reviewer in the target market feels should not be put out to this particular audience, the translator’s hands are bound. In this case, the rule of refraining from adding and eliminating elements fully applies: There is no way the translator can add the weight of the fish into the translation or take it out.

Alternate ways to your destination

To arrive at a target document that is the best it can be and as free of controversy as possible, defining and discussing your goals with your language service provider of choice as well as with your foreign partners on the outset is crucial. When placing the translation order, let the agency know if you are concerned with culturally sensitive issues. If the material turns out to require adaptation to match target market customs and conventions, for instance because it addresses the audience in a way that wouldn’t be appropriate or uses humor in a way that might be misunderstood, the agency will assign translators specializing in this type of material. If your foreign affiliates are concerned with the choice of information and facts or feel that even providing company terminology and other guidelines will not result in a translated document customized enough to appear on their websites, packaging etc., there is another option. You can let them know from the start that you will have your source document translated as is, but that they can customize it after the fact, i.e. make changes that include adding and taking out components of the text. This version is then back translated, so that it is clear where the differences lie and headquarters remains in control of the distributed content.

Key is that the ride never really is the same, but understanding what matters to get you there and working closely with your co-pilots should make it equally joyful and successful.

Nanette Gobel