ATA08 Mar08-BI.qxd 2/29/08 5:43 AM Page 1 Volume … · 2016-04-09 · Volume XXXVII March 2008 TheCHRONICLE Number 3 A Publication of the American Translators Association In this

CHRONICLETheMarch 2008

Volume XXXVIINumber 3

A Publication of the

American Translators Association

In this issue:Getting into Print

Interpreter Licensure

Looking Back

ATA08 Mar08-BI.qxd 2/29/08 5:43 AM Page 1

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Contents March 2008

March 2008Volume XXXVII

Number 3

A Publication of the


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Call for Nominations

Good Chemistry: Getting a Letter to the Editor into PrintBy Lillian ClementiWith support from the Public Relations Committee, three ATA members promote the profession in a key tradepublication.

Translating U.S. Undergraduate Admissions into SpanishBy Michael DoyleThere is a growing need to translate admissions materials for U.S. colleges and universities into Spanish.

A License to InterpretBy Nataly KellyCertification and licensure each have some interesting points of distinction and possible intersection, and the coexistenceof the two can present both benefits and challenges.

The Way We WereBy Bernie BiermanA bit of a rear-mirror view of what translation and translators, and translation technology in the U.S., looked like some50 years ago.

American Translators Association225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 • Alexandria VA 22314 USATel: +1-703-683-6100 • Fax: +1-703-683-6122E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.atanet.org

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Columns and Departments

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Our AuthorsFrom the PresidentFrom the Executive DirectorBusiness SmartsThe OnionskinSuccess by AssociationCertification Exam Information

New ATA-Certified Members Dictionary ReviewThe Translation InquirerHumor and TranslationGeekSpeakUpcoming EventsDirectory of Language Services

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The ATA Chronicle ! March 20084

The ATA Chronicle (ISSN 1078-6457) is publishedmonthly, except bi-monthly in November/December,

by the American Translators Association, 225Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314

USA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Virginia,and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send

address changes to The ATA Chronicle,225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590,

Alexandria, VA 22314 USA. The American Translators Association (ATA) was

established in 1959 as a not-for-profit professionalsociety to foster and support the professional

development of translators and interpreters and topromote the translation and interpreting professions.The subscription rate for a member is $43 (includedin the dues payment). The U.S. subscription rate for

a nonmember is $65. Subscribers in Canada andMexico add $25; all other non-U.S. subscribers add

$45. Single copies are available for $7 per issue.

©2008 American Translators Association

Reprint Permission:Requests for permission to reprint articles should be sent

to the editor of The ATA Chronicle at [email protected].

Send updates to:The ATA Chronicle

225 Reinekers Lane Suite 590

Alexandria, VA 22314 USAFax [email protected]

Moving? Find an error with your address?

EditorJeff Sanfacon

[email protected]

ProofreaderSandra Burns Thomson

DesignEllen Banker

Amy Peloff

AdvertisingMatt Hicks

McNeill Group [email protected]+1-215-321-9662 ext. 19

Fax: +1-215-321-9636

Executive DirectorWalter Bacak

[email protected]

Membership and General Information

Maggie [email protected]

website: www.atanet.org

AdvertisingDirectory

acrossSystemswww.across.net

Honyaku Corporation www.translatejapan.com

ifstudio-translations.com www.1translate.com

International Communicationsby Designwww.icdtranslation.com

Japan Pacific Publications, Inc.www.japanpacific.com

Monterey Institute ofInternational Studieshttp://translate.miis.edu/ndp

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The ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages

members and nonmembers to submit articles of

interest. For Submission Guidelines, log onto

www.atanet.org/chronicle. The ATA Chronicle

is published 11 times per year, with a combined

November/December issue. Submission deadlines are two months

prior to publication date.

We Want You!

National Security Agencywww.nsa.gov/careers

On the Go Systems, Inc.translators.icanlocalize.com

Payment Practices Inc.www.paymentpractices.net

SDL Internationalwww.translationzone.com

Star Groupwww.star-group.net

The Association of LanguageCompanieswww.alcsf2008.com

Tipping Sprungwww.tippingsprung.com

University of NorthCarolina–Charlottewww.languages.uncc.edu

WordFinderwww.wordfinder.com

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Our Authors March 2008

Bernie Bierman is the author of A Translator-Warrior Speaks: APersonal History of the American Translators Association, 1959-70,which is the only published history of the ATA. He was managingeditor of Translation News (1989-1995), and has written exten-sively about the U.S. translation industry and its history. In addi-tion, he was president of AdEx Translations International, Inc., andassisted in establishing the translation studies program at New YorkUniversity. He is currently a semi-retired freelance translator,dividing his time between his homes in Pawling, New York andMarco Island, Florida.

Lillian Clementi is a member of ATA’sPublic Relations Committee and principal of LinguaLegal, a translationconsultancy based in Arlington, Virginia.She translates from French and Germaninto English, specializing in law andcommerce. Contact:Lill [email protected].

Michael Scott Doyle, a professor of Spanish and translation and LatinAmerican studies, is the graduate coordinator of the M.A. in Spanish programat the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His specialties include trans-lating and translation studies, Spanish for business and international trade, and20th-Century Spanish literature. He is an ATA-certified English"Spanish trans-lator. Contact: [email protected].

Nataly Kelly is an independent consultantbased in New Hampshire. She is also a certified court interpreter (State of Missouri)for English and Spanish. A former Fulbrightscholar in sociolinguistics, her research inter-ests focus on interpreter certification, qualityimprovement programs, and telephone inter-preting. She currently serves on the National

Council on Interpreting in Health Care’s Outreach Committee. She is the authorof Telephone Interpreting: A Comprehensive Guide to the Profession. Contact:[email protected].

ATA/American Foundation for Translation and Interpreting Contribute toHarvard Advocate’s Special 25th Anniversary Translation Issue

The Harvard Advocate recently published a special 25th anniversary issue devoted to translation. ATA, through the American Foundation forTranslation and Interpreting (www.afti.org), contributed financially to this effort.

The anniversary issue of the Harvard Advocate is a singular collection ofessays, poems, fiction, and art that delves into the particular challenges and creative possibilities of translation among languages, cultures, art forms, and realities. It contains translations into English of French,German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Mongolian, and Tibetan literatures,including the first English translation of an unfinished Leo Tolstoy shortstory by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and a new translation of aTs Bavuudorj poem by Simon Wickham-Smith.

Essays on translation in the issue come from Harvard undergraduates as wellas literary scholars from Harvard and other universities, including SandraNaddaff and Lawrence Venuti. Also featured is an interview with severaltranslators of Philip Roth, and both the French and English versions of anessay on translation by writer Nancy Huston.

The issue can be purchased online at the Harvard Advocate website,www.theharvardadvocate.com.


7The ATA Chronicle ! March 2008

Strictly Strategy

[email protected] the President Jiri Stejskal

The ATA Board of Directorsmet for a day to step back from day-to-day issues and to look at ourAssociation from a wider perspective,to assess where we are today and toexplore long-term possibilities withan open mind. This year, the Boardgathered for its Annual Planning Dayin Alexandria, Virginia, one daybefore the Board meeting, which tookplace on January 19-20, 2008. (Pleasesee Executive Director Walter Bacak’scolumn on page 8 for a completeoverview of the Board meeting.)

It is vital for any organization to bal-ance tactical and strategic issues. ThePrussian military thinker Carl vonClausewitz instructs us that “tactics isthe art of using troops in battle; strategyis the art of using battles to win thewar.” Of course, ATA does not engagein battles or wars, but the militaryanalogy makes the connection betweentactics and strategy clear: whenengaged in day-to-day activities, wemust not lose sight of the big picture.

The big picture is what the AnnualPlanning Day is all about. For oneday, the Board becomes the crew of anairplane surveying the ground belowfrom 30,000 feet, looking at the land-scape without seeing much detail.Robert’s Rules, which normallygovern ATA Board meetings, are sus-pended, and brainstorming and freediscussion, with liberal use of flipcharts and other props, take placeinstead. No “put downs” are allowedand all suggestions are welcome.Unorthodox ideas are encouraged.

This year, the Board surveyedATA’s objectives, looked back oneyear to the previous Annual PlanningDay, reviewed the Association’sfinances, discussed public relations,and scrutinized the bylaws. ATA’sobjectives (Article II.a. of ATA’sBylaws) serve as our measuring stickfor any Association-related activities,

so it is crucial that they be clear. Thereview of ATA’s objectives, initiatedin January 2007 and continued thispast January, confirmed that they arestill relevant to us today, but alsorevealed some ambiguities that theBoard felt should be addressed. Forexample, it is not quite clear who theintended audience is for “dissemina-tion of knowledge” in Article II.a. 2,or what the “allied professions” are inArticle II.a. 5. It was also pointed outthat “training” in Article II.a. 4 shouldreally be “education.”

Making changes to our core objec-tives is not something to be takenlightly, and should not be done just to

satisfy the desires of the currentadministration. However, it is impor-tant to take a close look periodicallyat the objectives and at the bylaws tosee if improvements can be made.Over the course of 2007, the Boardworked with a professional parlia-mentarian and received a number ofrecommendations regarding ATA’sbylaws. In 2008, the Board is taking ahard look at the bylaws in light ofthese recommendations, and will seekinput from the membership before anyamendments are proposed.

Another important piece of the2008 Planning Day was a discussion ofATA’s public relations initiative. Thework of the Public RelationsCommittee clearly fulfills the very firstobjective in our bylaws, namely “topromote the recognition of the transla-tion and interpretation professions.”Two members of the committee, as

well as our paid public relations con-sultant, came to talk to the Board toexplain the current media strategy.They discussed the future direction ofthe public relations efforts and theneed to provide tools to ATA membersto participate in public relations,which will benefit the profession aswell as members.

“Where do we go from here?” wasthe question we asked ourselves at theend of the Planning Day. After werecapped the day’s discussions, wecreated a list of actionable items andattached one or more names to each tomake sure that we do indeed go some-where. The priorities remain the same

as those we identified a year ago:communication, certification, andmember benefits. Ultimately, wherewe go depends on each of you, as theBoard and its actions are guided bythe members. The Board is lis-tening—let your voice be heard.

Ultimately, where we go depends on each of you, asthe Board and its actions are guided by the members.

ATA Translation Company Division

9th Annual Conference

July 17–20, 2008

Englewood, Coloradowww.ata-divisions.org/TCD



January Board Meeting Highlights

[email protected] the Executive Director Walter Bacak, CAE

The ATA Board of Directorsmet January 19-20, 2008 in Alexandria,Virginia. Here are some highlightsfrom the meeting.

Public Relations: ATA’s public rela-tions initiative was one of the focalpoints for the Annual Planning Day,which took place the day before theBoard meeting. (Please see PresidentJiri Stejskal’s column on page 7 formore on the Annual Planning Day.) TheBoard also spent considerable timereviewing the program during theBoard meeting. The Board noted itsappreciation of the outstanding work ofthe Public Relations (PR) Committeeand stressed the need to expand beyondthe current focus on media placement.ATA President Jiri Stejskal plans towork closely with ATA PR CommitteeCo-chairs Kevin Hendzel andAlexandra Russell, whose appointmentwas approved by the Board at thismeeting, to provide material andresources to ATA members to use inpromoting their services as well thetranslation and interpreting professions.

Certification Accreditation: In theongoing efforts to enhance ATA’sCertification Program, the Board, ledby ATA Directors Claudia Angelelliand Alan Melby in conjunction with the

Certification Committee leadership,has been pursuing accreditation of theATA Certification Program by ANSI(formerly the American NationalStandards Institute). The Board tookanother step in this effort by approvingthe selection of an outside testingexpert to work with Claudia andCertification Committee Chair JuttaDiel-Dominique on assessing the pro-gram. While it is still uncertainwhether ATA will actually apply forANSI accreditation, the ATACertification Program will benefitfrom all this review.

Dispute Resolution: The Board dis-cussed a proposal from ATA BusinessPractices Education Committee ChairDorothee Racette to offer dispute res-olution assistance to ATA members.All agreed on the need to providemore education on this matter to themembership. The Board requestedadditional information from theBusiness Practices Education Com-mittee, and will take up the issue at thenext meeting.

Nominating Committee: The Boardapproved the appointment of the 2008Nominating Committee: TuomasKostiainen (chair), Jean Leblon, OdileLegeay, Connie Prener, and Dorothee

Racette. (For more information on theNominating Committee, please seepage 9.)

Division Leadership Appointments:The Board approved the appointmentsof Interpreters Division (ID) ActingAdministrator Armando EzquerraHasbun, ID Acting AssistantAdministrator Robert Brara, andLiterary Division Acting AssistantAdministrator Montserrat Zuckerman.The three will serve until their respec-tive division elections this fall.

ATA Scholarly Monograph Series.The Board approved “Testing andAssessment in Translation and Inter-preting” as the topic for an upcomingvolume in the ATA Scholarly Mono-graph Series. The Series, which is editedby Françoise Massardier-Kenney, ispublished and marketed by John Benja-mins Publishing Company. ATA mem-bers receive a 30% discount on the Seriesvolumes. For more information, pleasesee www.atanet.org/publications/index.php or www.benjamins.com.

The minutes of the meeting will beposted online at www.atanet.org/membership/minutes.php. Past meetingminutes are also posted on the site.Board meetings are open to all members.

American Translators Association/ National Capital Area Chapter of ATA

April 5-6, 2008

Government Seminar Washington, DCwww.atanet.org/pd/government



Call for NominationsThe 2008 Nominating Committee is pleased to call for nominations from ATA’s membership to fill the positions of

one director (a one-year term), as well as three directors’ positions (each a three-year term). Elections will be heldat the Annual Meeting of Voting Members on Thursday, November 6, in Orlando, Florida. All active members of ATA

are eligible to run for elected office. Please note that members of the Nominating Committee are not eligible to run forelected office. Any member may make a nomination using the form below and online (www.atanet.org/membersonly).Nominations should be submitted as early as possible so that the Nominating Committee can fully consider proposed can-didates. The final deadline for nominations is May 19, 2008.

The members of the 2008 Nominating Committee are:Tuomas Kostiainen, chairJean LeblonOdile LegeayConnie PrenerDorothee Racette

2008 Nomination Form: ATA Officers and DirectorsPlease submit the nomination form as early as possible: the final deadline is May 19, 2008. Mail or fax the completed form to:

Tuomas KostiainenChair, ATA Nominating Committee225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590Alexandria, VA 22314 USAFax: +1-703-683-6122

Thank you for submitting your nomination for ATA director. Under ATA’s bylaws, active members have the right to serveon the Board of Directors. Active members are those who have passed an ATA certification exam or who are established ashaving achieved professional status through an Active Membership Review (for more information on this process, visitwww.atanet.org/membership/membershipreviewprocess_overview.php). Active members must be citizens or permanentresidents of the U.S. Other member categories are not eligible to serve as officers or directors. However, any member maysubmit a nomination. On November 6, 2008, the voting members of ATA will elect a director to serve a one-year term, aswell as three directors to serve three-year terms.

If you plan to put a name forward for nomination, please contact the potential nominee first, tell them your intention,and let them know that a nomination does not guarantee a formal invitation to run for office. If a nomination is not put for-ward by the Nominating Committee to ATA’s Board of Directors, an individual may still petition to be added to the slate ofcandidates by submitting the nomination in writing along with the signatures of at least 35 voting members endorsing thenomination. The petitions must be received by the Nominating Committee not later than 30 calendar days after first publi-cation by the Board of Directors of the names of the candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee.

All ATA officers and directors serve on a volunteer basis: please do not nominate colleagues who express serious con-cerns about service, or who have conflicting priorities.

Please fill out the nomination form completely with the candidate’s help, so that the Nominating Committee has up-to-date information about the candidate’s service and affiliation with ATA. Members may nominate themselves.

Person making nomination: ____________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail address: ____________________________________________ Telephone: _______________________________________

Nominee information

Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail address: ____________________________________________ Telephone: ___________________________________________

Continued #

Current directors whose terms expire in 2008:Jacki NohBoris SilversteynLiliana ValenzuelaLilian Van Vranken



Please check all that apply:$ full-time$ part-time$ translator$ interpreter$ in-house employee$ other (specify):

Number of years in translation/interpreting: $ 1-4$ 5-9$ 10-14$ 15-20+

Working languages and directions (e.g., German into English): ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number of years as an ATA member:$ 1-4$ 5-9$ 10-14$ 15-20+

Membership in ATA chapters, other regional groups, and/or divisions: _________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Volunteer service for ATA, ATA chapters, other regional groups, and/or divisions: _________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other relevant service: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please answer the following questions:How has the candidate demonstrated commitment to the translation and interpreting professions?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What strengths would this person bring to the ATA Board of Directors?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why did you nominate this person?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Final thoughts: What perspectives or points of view do you feel are important to have represented on the ATA Board?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any other comments? ____________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for being an ATA member and for your active commitment to the future of your association.



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It was the opening Karen Tkaczykwas waiting for. A chemist-turned-trans-lator and regular reader of Chemical &Engineering News (C&EN), she hadbeen looking for an opportunity for overa year to write to the influential tradepublication and point out the importanceof translation in chemistry.

“When the November 12 issuecame and I saw the headlineTranslating Drug Research, I thought,‘Ooooh—this is us!’” she told TheATA Chronicle. “Then I read thearticle and realized it was really abouttranslational research, the process ofmoving pharmaceuticals into clinicaltrials. The article was interesting, buthad nothing to do with translation.”

Fresh Burst of InspirationTkaczyk (pronounced KAT-chick)

was undeterred. “I had seen theposters of newspaper clippings andletters to the editor at [ATA’s] NewOrleans conference, and I thought itwas valuable exposure for the profes-sion. And I had just attended a publicrelations panel session in SanFrancisco, so I had a fresh burst ofinspiration.”

Tkaczyk contacted fellow chemists-turned-translators Matthew Schlechtand Cathy Flick to ask if they wereinterested in sending a joint letter tothe editor to the publication.

Short and PithyWith Schlecht and Flick on board,

Tkaczyk drafted a letter for theirreview. “We kept it focused and to thepoint,” said Schlecht. “Readers have ashort attention span, so it had to bepithy.” Then Tkaczyk contacted ATA.“Early on, we acknowledged that we

wanted input from the PublicRelations [PR] Committee,” Schlechtsaid. “It was really helpful,” Tkaczykadded. “We know chemistry, but wedon’t know PR, and it was great to geta response from ATA.”

The ATA MessageATA PR Committee members

Chris Durban and Lillian Clementiprovided guidelines for writing aneffective letter to the editor, andedited the writing team’s draft. “Thematerial was excellent,” said Durban.“All we did was trim it a little andfocus it more tightly on the ATA mes-sage.”

The Association’s PR messagecontains four key ideas:

1. Getting translation/interpretingwrong can cost you.

2. It pays to get it right.3. It is a mistake to rely on bilinguals;

hire a professional.4. ATA can help you find the right

professional for your job.

Good Chemistry: Getting a Letter to the Editor into PrintBy Lillian Clementi

I had seen posters of letters to the editor at theconference, and I thought it was valuable exposure

for the profession.



The final version of the letter toC&EN’s editor included all of them.

Nuts and BoltsAfter an introductory paragraph

identifying the original article andpointing out the importance of trans-lation in the chemical field, the lettertackled the first two elements of themessage head-on: “Poor translation iscostly. Errors compromise safety,intellectual property, and image aswell as the bottom line…. [C]hoosingthe right translator can ultimately savemoney and grief.”

“It is important to stress the finan-cial aspect,” Schlecht told The ATAChronicle. “I was a research chemistfor 20 years, so I have seen this fromthe other side. There was always pres-sure to pinch pennies, but translationcosts are really a drop in the bucketcompared to marketing and thepatenting process. A lot of problemsthat come up later can be nipped in thebud by an accurate translation.”

Paragraph three covered the thirdelement of the ATA message,stressing the need for subject areaexpertise with a catchy, industry-spe-cific example. “Being bilingual is noguarantee of written fluency or trans-lation skill,” it read, “and highly tech-nical material requires highlydeveloped subject area knowledge. Ifyou don’t know an alkane from analkene—let alone understand a reac-tion scheme or patent abstract—chances are you can’t translate it.”

The fourth paragraph provideduseful information for translation con-sumers and pointed them to ATA as aresource for finding a qualified trans-lator—with another reminder of theimportance of investing in a qualitytranslation right up front. “Be sure tobudget appropriately: you’ll get what you pay for. The American

Translators Association maintainssearchable online directories(www.atanet.org) that can help youmatch a skilled professional to yourjob.”

An upbeat closing reiterated theimportance of translation and the

skills required to practice it well:“Highly specialized translators like uscombine both chemistry backgroundand language skills to get chemistspast the language barrier and meet agrowing need in an increasingly com-petitive market.”

“The bar is set very high on letters to the editor,” says ATA veteran Neil Inglis.“Because they have to sift through hundreds of letters, editors are far less patientthan even their readers.” He recommends following these guidelines to tip the oddsin your favor.

DO adopt the “sandwich format” recommended by Inglis:

A first paragraph briefly identifying the original article and praising thejournalist for his or her insights (or, at the very least, for raising theissue in the first place).

A second paragraph correcting errors or expanding on partial information, with an anecdote if possible.

A third paragraph closing with an uplifting message or practical tipand looking ahead to the future.

DO keep your letter short and focused: at most publications, screeds over 300words go straight into the circular file.

DO include a distant address if you can. Among them, Tkaczyk, Schlecht, and Flickcovered three states and three different time zones. “Some publications adore receiv-ing letters from far-flung readers around the globe,” notes Inglis. ”It flatters the edi-tor’s ego and demonstrates circulation to advertisers.”

DON’T include a lengthy list of degrees or professional qualifications. Get to yourpoint right away, or you will not make the cut.

DON’T whine, complain, or play the victim. Replace the negative (“Translatorsjust do not get the respect they deserve.”) with the positive (“Savvy clients knowthat an expert translation gives them a strategic advantage.”). “If you don’t get norespect,” says Inglis, “people may assume there is a reason why. Surprise them withself-confidence.”

%Making the Cut

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Once Durban and Clementi’s editshad been incorporated, the writingteam made final style changes andsent it off. “We felt it was too edgy,”Tkaczyk said, “so we toned it down abit.” In early December, C&EN noti-fied Tkaczyk that it would publish theletter. It appeared on the magazine’swebsite on January 14, 2008, and ranin the paper issue of January 21.

Exponential Increase“The inside knowledge that Karen

and her colleagues brought to theeffort was critical,” said Clementi.“We know PR, but we don’t knowchemistry. Alerting the editor andreadership of a major trade publica-tion to the importance of translation is

valuable not only for the threechemist-translators, but for the profes-sion as a whole.”

During the PR component of theATA Board’s January Planning Day,Clementi cited the C&EN letter as anexample of the powerful contributionmembers can make to the PR effort.“If all of us showed this kind of initia-tive,” Clementi told the Board mem-bers, “we could increase our exposureexponentially.”

New MandateEfforts to involve members more

actively in the Association’s PR initia-tive will increase as new ATAPresident Jiri Stejskal hits his stride.Under his administration, the Board is

likely to broaden the scope of ATA’sPR program, combining its successfulmedia strategy with a variety ofmember-oriented projects. As part ofthis new mandate, the PR Committeeplans to provide members and regionalgroups with how-to kits for outreachactivities ranging from networking atbusiness events to organizing pro bonoprojects—all designed to raise the pro-file of the individual or group as wellas the profession as a whole.

If you have an idea for an outreachproject in your community or industry,please send it to the PR Committee [email protected] with the subject lineOutreach Idea.

Good Chemistry: Getting a Letter to the Editor into Print Continued

SDL Acquires IdiomSDL, a provider of global information management solutions, has acquiredIdiom Technologies Inc. for $22-million plus the assumption of nearly $5-million of debt and working capital commitments. Idiom, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a provider of “Software as a Service” translation management systems. SDL reported the combined company will continue to support Idiom’s WorldServer, but in the longer term will migrate to a single solution incorporating the best of all technologies. Mike Iacobucci will continueto serve as chief executive officer of Idiom, reporting to Mark Lancaster,chairman and chief executive officer of SDL. For more information, please visit www.sdl.com/idiom.



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Demographic projections, nat-ionally and for the state of NorthCarolina, indicate that Hispanic/Latinostudents will soon represent a signifi-cantly higher proportion of collegeand university enrollments. As of July 1, 2006, the estimatedHispanic/Latino population of theU.S. was 44.3 million people, makingpersons of Hispanic origin, now 15%of the total population, the nation’slargest ethno-linguistic minority. Ofevery two people added to thenation’s population between July 1,2005 and July 1, 2006, one wasHispanic, for a total of 1.4 millionHispanics added during that yearalone. By the year 2050, the total pro-jected U.S. Hispanic population willconstitute at least 25% of the total pro-jected U.S. population of 420 million.1

Demographic data regarding school-and college-age U.S. Hispanics issummarized in Table 1 on page 17.2

In terms of the educational attain-ment of U.S. Hispanics/Latinos 25years and older (23,499,000 persons inthe year 2006), 28% were high schoolgraduates, 19% had some college or anassociate’s degree, and only 9% had

earned a bachelor’s degree, compared to32%, 27%, and 20%, respectively, fornon-Hispanic whites. If the percentageof U.S. Hispanics holding a bachelor’sdegree rises to that of non-Hispanicwhites, then 2,528,000 more U.S.Hispanics would hold the degree.

In the 2000 census, North Carolinaled the nation in the percentage increaseof Hispanic/Latino residents per state.3

In its 2006 study, “The EconomicImpact of the Hispanic Population onthe State of North Carolina,” the KenanFlagler Business School at theUniversity of North Carolina reportedthat, “North Carolina’s Hispanic popula-tion totaled 600,913, or 7% of the state’stotal population, in 2004,” and that“Hispanics accounted for 27.5% of thestate’s population growth from 1990 to2004, and 57% of the total enrollmentgrowth in North Carolina public schoolsbetween the school years 2000-2001 and2004-2005” [emphasis mine].4 Thisgrowth in the state’s public schools willsoon have a significant impact on enroll-ments in the 58 campuses of the NorthCarolina Community College systemand the 16 campuses of the University ofNorth Carolina.

Reaching OutIn a 2005 American Community

Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, itwas reported that “Spanish speakersconstitute nearly one in eight U.S.household residents,” and that thereare more than 32 million “U.S. house-hold residents five years and olderwho speak Spanish at home.”5 Giventhe rapidly changing demographicsand growing number of Spanish-speaking students who are or will beenrolling in American colleges anduniversities, we can expect a greaterdemand for the translation intoSpanish of the information prospectivestudents will need to navigate thecomplex application process andfinancing of a college degree. This isparticularly true for the admissionscontent of college and university web-sites, where many applicants will lookfor information on admissions require-ments and financial aid. As such,American higher education representsa niche for translators working fromEnglish into Spanish.

To begin to address this need, aspring 2007 graduate workshop at the University of North Carolina at

Translating U.S. UndergraduateAdmissions into SpanishBy Michael Doyle



Charlotte, “Translating AmericanHigher Education from English intoSpanish: UNC Charlotte’s Under-graduate Admissions Website,” pro-vided an opportunity to students toreach out linguistically and culturally toinform and welcome Hispanic/Latinostudents and their families.6 (The con-cept of family/familia is an importantcultural factor in this communicationeffort because decisions made byHispanic/Latino individuals ofteninvolve the opinions and advice offamily members, both immediate andextended.) The three-credit hour courseoffered nine graduate students enrolledin the Translating and TranslationStudies track of the Master of Arts in

Spanish at the university a real-worldlearning opportunity, the results ofwhich they can now use to establish afoothold in this developing marketniche within the translation profession.The following provides an overview ofthe project and its outcome. For moreinformation on the Master of Arts inSpanish, please visit www.languages.uncc.edu/masters/index.htm.

Course DesignThe semester-long project involved

translating portions of the University ofNorth Carolina at Charlotte’s under-graduate admissions website fromEnglish into Spanish. The projectserved a dual purpose. First, it created

an opportunity for students to givesomething back to the university by pro-viding Hispanic/Latino applicants andtheir parents (and extended family) withinformation in Spanish about the uni-versity and its admissions processes.Second, having these translations onlinealso created a favorable public relationsinitiative on the part of the university.

The 12 documents translated fromEnglish into Spanish are listed inTable 2.

ProcessAt the outset, each student was

required to present at least fiveresources for terminology related toundergraduate admissions and finan-cial aid that might prove useful to thework at hand—e.g., specialized dic-tionaries and glossaries, Spanish-lan-guage Web pages at other colleges anduniversities (both in the U.S. andabroad), and other related material.Having students find resources alsohelped to develop their familiaritywith the terminology of higher educa-tion institutions. A major surprise ofthis initial research stage was that theclass found very few examples ofSpanish-language translations ofonline admissions and financial aidmaterials at American institutions ofhigher learning, even among stateswith large Hispanic/Latino popula-tions and college enrollments. A finallist of resources was compiled and dis-tributed to the students to assist themin their work. These resources are

Hispanic/ Total (in rounded Hispanic OriginLatino Population thousands) Mexican Puerto Rican Cuban Central American South American Other Hispanic

# % # % # % # % # % # % # %

Total 43,168 100 28,323 100 3,704 100 1,584 100 3,536 100 2,587 100 3,434 100

5-9 years 4,032 9 2,888 10 332 9 89 6 286 8 172 7 266 8

10-14 years 3,899 9 2,683 10 335 9 117 7 245 7 188 7 331 10

15-19 years 3,513 8 2,335 8 332 9 85 5 255 7 189 7 316 9

20-24 years 3,628 8 2,471 9 309 8 83 5 326 9 189 7 249 7

Total Kindergarten– 15,072 34 10,377 37 1,308 35 374 23 1,112 31 738 28 1,162 3424 Age Group

Table 1

Document # Document Name # Words

1 Menu 41

2 Academic Requirements 247

3 Application Information 38

4 Estimated Costs 316

5 Visit the Campus 159

6 Checklist for Admitted Students 633

7 Academic Services 781

8 Out-of-state Student Information 2,406

9 Scholarship Information 932

10 Student Orientation Advising and Registration 197

11 University Profile 300

12 Degrees Offered 755

Total Words 6,805

Table 2

#



provided at the end of this article forthe benefit of the reader.

The Office of UndergraduateAdmissions at the University of NorthCarolina at Charlotte was identified as aprimary resource, especially directorRegena Brown, who was overseeing theproject. The students met Ms. Brownduring the first class meeting, where sheinformed them that they should feel free

to contact her should they have anyquestions about the meaning of thesource-language documents.

Each student was responsible forcompleting individual translations of thedocuments listed in Table 2 on page 17,which were then graded. These transla-tions were discussed and compared inclass, either in pairs, small groups, or bythe entire class. Students were encour-aged to negotiate and arrive at a con-sensus regarding the most appropriatetarget-language text renditions intoSpanish. The final versions of thesetranslations were edited and proofread inclass and online. The instructor synthe-sized the best options and stylized thefinal consolidated translations to ensure aconsistent style.

Problem solvingThe translation process involved

many problem-solving considerations,both general and specific, some exam-ples of which follow.

Tone: The tone and register of eachdocument had to be determined. Someuniversity Web pages (in both Englishand Spanish) use a more informal tone

and register (contemporary and more“hip”) that targets the prospective stu-dent as the primary reader. Other insti-tutions adopt a more formal tone, whichbroadens the readership to include par-ents and other stakeholders. In Spanish,this difference is reflected between thepronominal “you” forms, tú (first-namebasis, John/Juan, and Mary/María) orusted (last-name basis or use of title,

such as Mr./Sr., Mrs./Sra., or Miss/Ms./Srta.). The students learned that theUniversity of North Carolina atCharlotte preferred a more formal tone,so they adopted the usted form ofaddress in all translated documents.

Dialect: Another initial general con-sideration involved determining whichvariation of Spanish to use in the trans-lations, which is an issue related tolocalization. There are at least 20Spanish-speaking nations in the world,in addition to the Commonwealth ofPuerto Rico, each with distinctiveaccents, vocabulary, and ways ofexpressing things. Among U.S.Hispanics/Latinos, the Spanish (oreven Spanglish) spoken by differentnational-origin groups may differ con-siderably depending on whether indi-viduals live in California (a largeMexican-origin population), Miami(Cuban, Colombian, CentralAmerican), or New York (Puerto Ricanand Dominican). Additionally, theclass included native speakers fromMexico, Colombia, and Puerto Rico,as well as near-native speakers (Anglo-Americans) who had lived or worked

for extended periods in Spain andMexico, so that their level of Spanishwas in effect that of an educated nativespeaker. Therefore, much of the work-shop was devoted to an ongoing nego-tiation concerning which dialect wouldbe most appropriate to use for transla-tions on the website. At times the dis-cussion, which was always conductedin a productive and respectful manner,was quite vigorous, reflecting the factthat we are often more culturally hard-wired to express things a certain waythan we are aware of, and that we arevery attached to our way of speaking.

Demographics: Another aspect thatstudents needed to consider as theycompleted their translations was theissue of demographics. The country oforigin and citizenship of Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. and North Carolinaappear in Table 3.7

At first glance, it might seem appro-priate to “mexicanize” the Spanish ofthe translation, since the majority ofSpanish-speakers in Charlotte andNorth Carolina are originally fromMexico. However, there are also manySpanish speakers in the metro regionand state who hail from other parts ofthe Spanish-speaking world: CentralAmerica, the Caribbean, the Andeanregion, the Southern Cone region ofSouth America, as well as Mexico. TheHispanic/Latino students who will beenrolling at the University of North

United States North Carolina

Mexico 59% 65%

Puerto Rico 10% 8%

Cuba 4% 2%

Other 27% 25%

Table 3: Hispanic/Latino Countryof Origin and Citizenship

American higher education represents a niche fortranslators working from English into Spanish.

Translating U.S. Undergraduate Admissions into Spanish Continued



Carolina at Charlotte come fromdiverse linguistic backgrounds. Just asthe English used on the university’swebsite is not tagged linguistically, i.e.“southernized” in the style and dictionof North Carolina, it was decided thatthe Spanish the class would use in theirtranslations should be as neutral as pos-sible. The translations would rely on anAmericanized Spanish, examples ofwhich can be found in several of theeducation glossaries and governmentaldocuments that are already shaping andstandardizing such usage in the U.S.8

Translation ChallengesStudents learned that even apparently

simple or obvious translations could bequite complex. For example, in the aca-demic requirements document, thewords “course” and “high school” posedunexpected problems. The onlineDiccionario de la Lengua Española9 pro-vides several definitions from which towork. An individual “course” may betranslated as asignatura (cada una de lasmaterias que se enseñan en un centrodocente o forman un plan académico deestudios), materia (asignatura), clase (enlos establecimientos de enseñanza, cadauna de las asignaturas a que se destinaseparadamente determinado tiempo), orcurso (estudio sobre una materia, desar-rollada con unidad; tratado sobre unamateria explicada o destinada a serexplicada durante cierto tiempo). Cursocan also refer to a course of studies (thesemester-long class), or an academicprogram (a major). “High school” can betranslated as escuela secundaria (laintermedia entre la primaria y la supe-rior), colegio (establecimiento deenseñanza para niños y jóvenes), orescuela preparatoria (Méx. escuela en laque se realizan los estudios de segundaenseñanza antes de empezar los estudiosuniversitarios). The group decision wasto use the word curso since:

1) It appears in the main Americanglossaries students consulted.

2) “Courses” in the source-languagetext referred both to specific classesas well as to year-long programs ofstudy (e.g., required high schoolcourses, such as English, algebra,and social studies; and recom-mended high school courses, suchas math, science, foreign lan-guages, and world history).

3) It is an Americanized cognate thatis used by many native-speakingfaculty colleagues and students torefer to a single course.

In the end, escuela secundaria wasused for “high school,” but with a foot-note explaining that it is Equivalenteen EE.UU. a la escuela superior o laescuela preparatoria en diversospaíses hispanoparlantes.

At times, humorous mistranslationsarose from having misunderstood theoriginal English. For example, in thedocument entitled “Information for OurOut-of-state Students,” a description ofthe university as having “a number of24/7 computer labs on campus” wastaken to mean that the university hadseven computer labs with 24 computersin each lab, instead of the labs beingopen 24 hours a day, seven days a week.On the same page, the students also dis-covered information that needed to be

updated in the English-language Webpage: the source-language text referredto the “WNBA Charlotte Sting,” whichno longer exists in Charlotte.

Translation Process ReportsAn important part of the workshop

was the requirement that studentssubmit short (500-600 words) transla-tion process reports during the semester.In these reports, students identified andexplained any problems or challengesthey encountered while working ontheir translations. Students were alsorequired to justify their proposed(theory-based) solutions to these chal-lenges. The reports served to documentstudents’ resourcefulness and problem-solving methodology for the instructor.

Project OutcomeOne outcome of the semester-long

project is that the University of NorthCarolina at Charlotte now has a newSpanish-language link at www.uncc.edu/admissions/espanol/espanol.htm.To our knowledge, the site representsthe first such translation of higher edu-cation documents into Spanish withinthe 16-campus University of NorthCarolina system.

The students in the course gainedvaluable experience working on real-world documents, the translations ofwhich they can now add to their portfo-lios. They learned to negotiate meaningthrough collaborative teamwork,

Just as the English used on the university’s website isnot tagged linguistically, it was decided that the Spanish

the class would use in their translations should be asneutral as possible.

#



which means entertaining other possibil-ities that they may not have consideredon their own. They sharpened theirreading, proofreading, and editing skills.They improved their capacity forresearch-based and creative problemsolving. They also developed a profes-sional discourse for addressing transla-tion quality, standards, and assessmentcriteria. Students also provided a valu-able outreach service on behalf of theUniversity of North Carolina atCharlotte. Translating the undergraduateadmissions website for the University ofNorth Carolina at Charlotte served as astudent-centered learning model forreaching out linguistically and culturallyto inform and welcome Hispanic/Latinostudents to our institutions of higherlearning. This project can now be addedas a resource for those at other collegesand universities who will be workingon similar translations in the future.

Notes

1. The statistics on populationgrowth were compiled from thefollowing sources:

U.S. Census Bureau: State &Country QuickFactshttp://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html

U.S. Census Bureau: ProjectedPopulation Change in theUnited States, by Race andHispanic Origin: 2000 to 2050www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimproj/natprojtab01b.xlsU.S. Census Bureau Newswww.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/007910.html

A Demographic and HealthSnapshot of the U.S.Hispanic/Latino Population:2002 National Hispanic HealthLeadership Summitwww.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/hpdata2010/chcsummit.pdf

2. U.S. Census Bureau: HispanicPopulation of the United States(March 2006), www.census.gov/p o p u l a t i o n / w w w / s o c d e m o /hispanic/cps2006.html.

3. The 10 states with the largestchange in proportion of Hispanic/Latino residents between 1990 and2000 were (in order of population):North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia,Tennessee, Nevada, South Carolina,Alabama, Kentucky, Minnesota,and Nebraska. In 2006, 42% ofU.S. Hispanics lived in the West,


Resources

Wikipedia Glossary of Education-related Termshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_education-related_terms

English-Spanish Higher Education Glossaryhttp://gearup.ous.edu/documents/pdf/English-Spanish_Glossary.pdf

Glossary of Educational Acronymshttp://westspringfield.massteacher.org/id32.htm

Dictionary Resourcewww.diccionarios.com

Glosario de términos útileswww.okhighered.org/student-center/espanol/glosario.shtml

ProZ Spanish-English Glossary for AllLevels of Education www.proz.com/glossary-translations/english-to-spanish-translations/33

School Wise PressGlossary of Educational Termswww.schoolwisepress.com/smart/dict/dict.html

Postsecondary Education English-Spanish Glossarywww.tgslc.org/pdf/Spanish_glossary.pdf

Includes financial aid terminology.

United Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural OrganizationGlosario de Educación Superiorwww.unesco.org.ve/general/glosario.asp

Glossaries Consulted

Continued on p. 22


Resources

Florida International Universityhttp://lau.fiu.edu/spanish/index.htm

Abilene Christian University www.acu.edu/admissions_espanol/index.html

University of Arizonawww.arizona.edu/future/espanol-index.php

American University of Puerto Ricowww.aupr.edu

Caribbean University (Puerto Rico)www.caribbean.edu/CU/Admisiones/index.html

Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Ricowww.inter.edu

University of Michiganwww.umich.edu/Es/ug

La Universidad de Puerto Rico, RecintoUniversitario de Mayagüezwww.uprm.edu/administration

Universidad de Puerto Rico, RecintoUniversitario de Río Piedraswww.uprrp.edu

University of Virginia10

www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/enespanol.html

Texas Woman’s Universitywww.twu.edu

Web Pages Consulted: Universities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico

La Universidad de los Andes (Chile)http://w3.uandes.cl

Universidad Anáhuac: México Nortewww.anahuac.mx/contenidos/2701.html

University of Aucklandwww.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/about/international/information-in-other-languages/spanish

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chilewww.puc.cl

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Méxicowww.uaemex.mx

Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara www.uag.mx

Universidad Autónoma del Noreste(Coahuila, Mexico)www.uane.edu.mx

Universidad Complutense de Madridwww.ucm.es

Universidad de las Américaswww.udla.mx

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Méxicowww.unam.mx

Universidad Mexicanawww.unimex.edu.mx

Universidad Tecnológica de Mexicowww.unitec.mx/portal/page?_pageid=537,1,537_905524&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)www.usal.es/web-usal

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Méxicowww.itam.mx

Web Pages Consulted: Universities in Spanish-speaking or Other Countries

Other Useful Resources for Education-related Terminology“Guía universitaria 2007.” Reader’s DigestMéxico (March 2007).

Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de Méxicohttp://becas.sre.gob.mx

FAFSA Solicitud Gratuita de AyudaFederal para Estudianteswww.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm

Establecimientos de Estudios Terciarios/Universidades/Colegioswww.okhighered.org/student-center/espanol/tipos

Secretaría de Educación Pública de Méxicowww.sep.gob.mx/wb2

American Council on Educationwww.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?section=empuje

Contains various higher education PDF docu-ments in Spanish, including ¿Por qué elegir launiversidad? and ¿Cómo es la universidad?

U.S. Department of Education Recursos en españolwww.ed.gov/espanol/bienvenidos/es/index.html

U.S. Department of EducationRepaying Your Student Loanswww.studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/repaying%5Floans/index.html

Financial Aid Resource Publications fromU.S. Department of Educationwww.studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html

White House Hispanic Education Pageswww.yosipuedo.gov

Iniciativa para la excelencia en la educación delos Hispanoamericanos. Go to “Herramientas útiles”(on left side) and then click on the link to“Postsecundaria.”





36% in the South, 14% in theNortheast, and 8% in the Midwest.It is clear that the South is experi-encing a substantial growth of itsHispanic/Latino population.

4. “The Economic Impact of the HispanicPopulation on the State of NorthCarolina” (Press release, January 3,2006), www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/ki/reports/2006_HispanicStudy.

5. U.S. Census Bureau News (May17, 2006), www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/population/010048.html.

6. During the fall 2006 semester,University of North Carolinaadministrators (led by Dr. JoanLorden, Provost, and Dr. NancyGutierrez, Dean of the College ofArts and Sciences) identified aneed to translate into Spanish por-tions of the institution’s website,with the pages containing admis-sions and financial aid informationas priorities. The University of

North Carolina at Charlotte’sassistant director of undergraduateadmissions at the time, RegenaBrown, responded enthusiasticallyto my offer to create a specialtopics graduate workshop, sayingin an e-mail that, “TheUndergraduate Admissions Officewould love to work with you andyour students to translate theadmissions website into Spanish.”She also explained that the admis-sions office “currently uses thefree services of Babel Fish. As youcan probably imagine, there aresome areas that have a very roughtranslation.”

7. “North Carolina Latinos.” NCLatino Health (2003), www.nciom.org/projects/latino/latinopub/C2.pdf.

8. Two examples of such sites arewww.tgslc.org/pdf/Spanishglossary.pdf and http://gearup.ous.edu/documents/pdf/English-Spanish_Glossary.pdf.

9. Real Academia Española, http://buscon.rae.es/draeI.

10. The University of Virginia is leadingamong institutions of higherlearning in the Mid-Atlantic regionin its efforts to reach out to thecoming wave of Hispanic/Latinostudents by making its undergrad-uate admissions information avail-able in Spanish. In the October 18,2007 issue of UVA Today, the uni-versity stated: “In an effort todemystify the college admissionsprocess for Hispanic/Latino stu-dents and their families, theUniversity of Virginia will conductinformational sessions in Spanish atfour Northern Virginia high schoolsthis month” (www.virginia.edu/uva-today/newsRelease.php?id=3070).

New Bill Proposed for the Creation of an Assistant Secretaryfor International and Foreign Language Education and an Office ofInternational and Foreign Language Education

U.S. Representative Rush Holt (New Jersey), a member of the House Committee on Education andLabor, recently introduced H.R. 5179, the International Leadership Act of 2008. The bill would create in the Department of Education an Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign LanguageEducation and an Office of International and Foreign Language Education. The Assistant Secretaryfor International and Foreign Language Education would provide leadership in directing effortsaimed at international and foreign language education.

For more information, go to www.house.gov/apps/list/press/nj12_holt/020708.html.

Please write or call your representative urging them to co-sponsor H.R. 5179.



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Nearly one thousand occupa-tions are currently regulated in somefashion in the U.S.1 Regulation, whichis often defined as a system of controlover the practice of a given profes-sion, serves to protect consumersfrom unqualified individuals. This isespecially important in professionssuch as medicine, where there is thepotential for serious harm due toimproper practice. Regulation is seenas a way to promote quality andencourage responsibility. Two of themost common forms of regulation arelicensure and certification.

In the past few months, certifica-tion has received significant attention,especially in the field of health careinterpreting. Numerous articles havebeen written and conference presenta-tions delivered regarding interpretercertification. In contrast, there hasbeen little discussion of a topic that isequally important: interpreter licen-sure. While not yet commonlyaddressed within the interpretingcommunity, licensure exists for bothspoken and sign language interpretersin the U.S., and, in some cases, it hasbeen in place for decades.

This article provides an introductionto the main conceptual differencesbetween certification and licensure.This introduction is followed by adescription of the pros and cons oflicensure, as well as the possible waysto avoid the disadvantages of licensurewhile retaining the benefits. Then, twobasic models for state-based regulationof the sign language interpreting profes-sion in the U.S. are provided. Finally,the article provides a series of recom-mended questions for consideration andfurther discussion in the field.

While the main focus of this articleis licensure, the discussion of this topicis not meant to imply that licensure ispreferable to certification. This article

By Nataly Kelly

A License to Interpret



aims only to share informationregarding licensure and its potentialimplications for the field as a means ofsupplementing the current discussionsrelated to certification. As the articlewill show, certification and licensureeach have some interesting points ofdistinction and possible intersection,and the coexistence of the two canpresent both benefits and challenges.

Basic Conceptual DifferencesLicensure refers to the laws that

regulate a given occupation. Its pur-pose is essentially twofold: 1) titleprotection (i.e., preventing unqualifiedindividuals from utilizing the giventitle); and 2) scope of practice (i.e.,defining the specific tasks that consti-tute the practice of the given occupa-tion). Certification, on the other hand,is a nonstatutory process whereby anaccrediting body grants recognition toan individual for having met predeter-mined professional qualifications.

There are several conceptual differ-ences between licensure and certifica-tion, but the majority of them relate tothe core premise for how the practice ofa given occupation to be licensed orcertified is viewed. The fundamentaldifference is that licensure presumesthat the work activity is a privilege,whereas certification presumes that theactivity is a right.2 In other words, a

system that uses licensure presumesthat an individual should not be allowedto practice within the occupation unlessthey have been granted a license.Certification is a credential that recog-nizes those individuals who havedemonstrated their qualifications, butmaintains that non-certified individualsstill have the right to practice the occu-pation. Certification also presumes thatconsumers have the right to choosefrom among a variety of providers,including those who are not certified.

This issue of how the work activity isviewed relates directly to a secondimportant conceptual differencebetween certification and licensure:power and who possesses it. Licensureshifts the majority of decision-makingpower from consumers to a governmentlicensing board, which decides who isallowed to practice the occupationlegally. This can restrict entry into a par-

ticular occupation, and potentiallylimits consumer choice. In many cases,this is done out of valid concerns for thesafety of others, particularly when con-sumers might not know enough aboutthe profession to make the best choices.For example, licensing drivers keepsunsafe drivers off the road. As anotherexample, many health care professionsrequire practitioners to obtain licensesto protect the safety of patients.

Certification, on the other hand,leaves the decision-making processentirely up to consumers. Certificationrecognizes practitioners who havedemonstrated professional competence,such as completing a course of studyand/or passing an examination, but isgenerally not required. Consumers haveaccess to this information so that theycan make educated decisions regardingwhich practitioners (certified or non-certified) they select to perform a

The deeper we plunge into the fascinating topic ofqualifications for interpreters and how this has

historically been addressed by state legislation, themore questions seem to be raised.

Figure 1: Conceptual Differences Between Licensure and Certification

Concept Licensure CertificationView of the Activity Presumes that the work activity is a privilege. Presumes that the activity is a right.

Purpose To control the activity strictly and/or restrict entry into the profession, To inform and educate consumers about the qualifications often in the interest of safety. of individual providers.

Function Grants permission to perform an activity. Confirms that one meets certain criteria.

Adoption by Practitioners Mandatory in order to perform an activity. Voluntary. Non-certified individuals are still allowed to practice.

Decision-making The government is empowered to require licensed interpreters; reduces Enhances the power of the consumer to choose from amongthe power of consumer to choose providers who may not be qualified. certified or non-certified providers.

Reprimands If licensing law is violated, the violator is subject to fines, penalties, Certification could be revoked, but the individual mayand/or other forms of punishment. still practice.

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given activity. Certification does notrestrict entry into the profession, unlesslaws are passed that require certificationin a given area.

Licensure provides a method of strictcontrol over who can and cannot prac-tice a given occupation. Individ-ualswho do not follow the prescribed rulesassociated with the license risk losingtheir ability to practice the activity.Certification may be used to obtain acertain level of control of this sort, but ittends to be more limited in scope. Forexample, certification can be withdrawnor revoked, but this does not remove anindividual’s ability to practice within aprofession entirely.

To summarize, a license gives anindividual permission to engage in aspecified activity, especially when highlevels of risks are associated with car-rying out this activity. The purpose of alicense is to control the activity andrestrict entry into a profession, often toprotect others from harm. Licensureassumes that the right to engage in theactivity is a privilege that is bestowedby a government licensing board. Italso entails reprimands. If one violatesthe licensing law, one is subject toprosecution under the laws of the governing body.

In contrast, certification is a state-ment of an individual’s qualifications.

Certification can be issued by non-gov-ernmental bodies, and does not nor-mally entail government reprimands. Itdoes not assume that the right toengage in the activity is a privilege, butrather is based on the premise that onehas a right to engage in the work. Itserves to give the consumer informa-tion about the practitioner, and, insome cases, can be combined withstate laws to control entry into a pro-fession, although to a lesser degreethan licensure. (See Figure 1 on page25 for a snapshot of the main concep-tual differences between certificationand licensure.)

Pros and Cons of State LicensureIn general, licensure requires that

practitioners of an activity meet thesame set of minimum standards,thereby protecting the public and thepractitioners themselves. In doingthis, licensure has the potential ofdenying some practitioners entry intothe field until they are able to meet thedesignated standards. As mentionedbefore, this could potentially limit thesupply of practitioners in a givenfield, thereby resulting in higher feesto consumers. According to one eco-nomic study, the median earnings oflicensed occupations were 50%higher than the median earnings of

unlicensed occupations.3

Even though working practitionersin most fields would welcomeincreased earnings, consumers maynot be willing to pay the costs. Also,limiting the pool of available candi-dates can restrict consumer choice.Sometimes this can actually result in ashortage of qualified individuals to dothe work. There is also the potentialfor a decreased demand for services,as some consumers may prefer to dothe work themselves or to pay unqual-ified individuals lower rates to per-form the job functions.

Licensure may also entail otherconsequences as well. When licensureis carried out at the state level, whichis most often the case, states maydevelop diverse requirements. Thisinhibits a practitioner’s ability tomove freely from state to state. Whenrequirements differ from one state toanother, this can prevent the existenceof nationally accepted standards.

Issues of liability are also importantto consider when discussing licensure.If a consumer receives services deemedto be substandard from a licensed prac-titioner, the state licensing board couldbe sued for failing to live up to its man-date. Therefore, any licensure programmust be able to defend the validity of itsexams and standards. When programscannot demonstrate validity, the out-come can be very costly. As an example,in the 1970s, several states spent $183million in federal dollars to developindividual programs for licensing para-medics. When faced with lawsuits,these programs could not prove theirvalidity. Since then, 46 states havedropped their state licensure programsfor paramedics and replaced them withnationally recognized standards devel-oped by the National Registry ofEmergency Medical Technicians.4

While this is an important example toconsider, please keep in mind that the

Figure 2: Pros and Cons of State Licensure

Pros ConsUnqualified practitioners are excluded from Possible shortage of practitioners due to restricted the profession. entry into field.

Enhanced recognition for practitioners and the Diverse requirements across states (quality may profession at large. vary).

Potential for greater market demand. Decreased mobility for practitioners from one state to another.

Revenue opportunities for states. Liability for states.

Higher income for practitioners. Higher costs for consumers.

A License to Interpret Continued



cost of licensure at the state level isviewed by some as being balanced in theend by the assurance of higher qualitywork (assuming that the program is rec-ognized). Higher quality also serves toimprove the public’s perception of theprofession. Sometimes this can lead toan increased demand in the market.

It is possible that higher costs toconsumers could result regardless ofthe form of regulation that is pursued,be it certification or licensure.Licensure could end up costing morethan certification if states work inde-pendently and do not benefit fromeconomies of scale, but this depends onmany things, including the model andprocesses implemented. (See Figure 2on page 26 for an overview of the prosand cons of licensure and certification.)

Avoiding the Pitfalls, Retaining the Benefits

Various “hybrid” approaches com-bining elements of licensure with cer-tification might be possible. One keystep would be to implement uniformand detailed standards, includingstandards for training, that would beaccepted across all states. Forexample, if a standard describes aminimum level of language profi-ciency that an interpreter must have inorder to interpret accurately, it is pos-sible to make the testing of languageproficiency a prerequisite for eitherentering a training program or fortaking an interpreting skills test. Thiscould cut down on the chance ofexcessive rates of failure by ensuringthat individuals who take the testdemonstrate the required proficiency.Another option could be to grant a“provisional license” once certainrequirements are met, making it pos-

sible for individuals to practicewithout a full license, but still alertingconsumers that the holder is not “fullylicensed.” This would provide con-sumer choice and ensure that willingpractitioners are still able to practice,thereby preventing a national shortageof qualified interpreters.

Conversely, if national standardsare not issued and widely accepted,this could result in disparate require-ments across states, even with anational certification process in place.This situation has occurred in otherprofessions. For example, in thenursing profession, confusing and dis-parate state regulations existed untilan effort began in the 1950s to createa common set of national standards.These standards have since beenaccepted by nearly every state in thenation, and are now overseen by theCouncil of State Boards of Nursing.5

An Example of Licensure forSpoken Language Interpreting

In Texas, the concepts of licensedand certified court interpreters existsimultaneously. According to Section57.001, Definitions, a “certified courtinterpreter” is an individual who is aqualified interpreter as defined inArticle 38.31, Code of CriminalProcedure, or Section 21.003, CivilPractice and Remedies Code, or certi-fied under Subchapter B by theDepartment of Assistive andRehabilitative Services to interpretcourt proceedings for a hearing-impaired individual [emphasis added].6

A “licensed court interpreter” means anindividual licensed under Subchapter Cby the Texas Commission of Licensingand Regulation to interpret court pro-ceedings for an individual who can

hear, but who does not comprehendEnglish or communicate in English[emphasis added].7

While the distinction between certifi-cation and licensure used in Texas seemsquite clear, the same cannot be saidwhen looking at the national picture oflicensing for interpreters. As far as thisauthor is aware, aside from Texas, noother state has a licensing process forspoken language interpreters.

State-based Approaches toRegulating the Sign LanguageInterpreting Profession

Some authors have pointed out thatit may be important for the spokenlanguage interpreting community inthe U.S. to identify the lessons thathave already been learned in the signlanguage interpreting field in order tobenefit from its much longer historyin this country, which has resulted inmajor strides toward professionaliza-tion.8 As with many issues we dealwith in the spoken language inter-preting world, the issue of state regu-lation is indeed something that hasalready been discussed in detail andaddressed by our colleagues from thissister field.

In sign language interpreting, theissues regarding licensure not onlyabound in many states, but are oftenquite difficult to navigate. In hisarticle, “The ‘State’ of State Licensingfor Interpreters: Growing Pains VersusGrowth Spurts,” Jay Scirratt describedthe confusion of state licensing bydescribing it as a “maze,” adding, “Iwould like to have a resource page in‘plain English’ for lay people to beable to get information and a contactperson for their states’ requirements.But with so many certifications,acronyms, categories, etc., this is noeasy task.”9

To help shed some light on thiscomplex topic, in its policy

When training requirements differ from one state toanother, this can prevent the existence of nationally

accepted standards for training.

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paper, “State Regulation ofInterpreters: Critical Issues andModel Legis-lation,” the Registry ofInterpreters for the Deaf (RID) identi-fies two approaches that are taken bystates for regulating the sign languageinterpreting profession: 1) recog-nizing existing standard qualificationprocesses; and 2) assigning theauthority to a board, state agency, orcommission.10 RID points out thatstates can often avoid complexitiesand financial burden by simply recog-nizing a national certification as thedefault standard through state statute.The negative side to this approach,however, is that such statutes can bedifficult to enact and to modify at alater date.11

RID’s position paper goes on toidentify 10 important considerationsfor state regulation by recognizing astandard qualification process:

1) Scope of regulation; 2) Standard(s)/types of certification

to be recognized; 3) Exemptions; 4) Grandfathering of currently work-

ing interpreters; 5) Recognition for graduates of inter-

preter education programs andinterpreter preparation programs;

6) Continuing education require-

ments or mandatory re-testing; 7) Grievance and mediation systems;8) Penalties for working without

credentials; 9) Reciprocity with other states; and 10) Definitions.

When considering the secondapproach—that of assigning theauthority to a board, state agency, orcommission—RID points out that, inaddition to the 10 considerations justoutlined, there are four additional fac-tors to consider: 1) composition of theboard; 2) board appointments; 3)administration; and 4) fees. RID thengoes on to provide model legislationfor both of the possible approachesidentified.

Ultimately, which approach isbetter? The National Association ofthe Deaf (NAD) asked this very ques-tion. Under the auspices of NAD, LisaParker of Gallaudet University con-ducted research on the various statelaws regulating the profession.12 Herresearch found that both approacheshave pros and cons, but that in stateswith no current overseeing body, itmay be advantageous to adopt theapproach of recognizing existing stan-dards. For states that already have anexisting overseeing body, however, itmay be more applicable for those

states to continue to certify and/orlicense interpreters.

As for the issue of promoting statelicensure of interpreters, NAD states,“NAD does not have a position on thisissue, but encourages the states to con-sider both options of certifying andlicensing and to explore the advantagesand disadvantages as well.” In otherwords, NAD’s view on this subjectseems to be that individual states shouldexplore issues of licensure on their ownto determine whether or not licensurewill be beneficial.

NAD also provides several addi-tional guidelines and considerationsfor state regulation and legislation,building upon the considerations ofRID.13 In addition, NAD guidelinesdetail some of the perceived advan-tages and disadvantages of certifica-tions and licensure for interpreters,which are summarized in Figure 3.

NAD also has a helpful table thatincludes legislation from 49 statesrelated to the regulation of the inter-preting profession. There are variouscategories used to indicate what areasor settings are addressed by the legisla-tion. Some apply to legal proceedings,for example, while others apply tomedical settings, educational settings,administrative proceedings, and othersettings. The NAD table is eight pages

Figure 3: Advantages and Disadvantages of Licensure and Certification for Sign Language Interpreters

Licensure CertificationAdvantages

Disadvantages

Can be done without an overseeing body.

Given by a nationally recognized certifying organization.

Non-certified interpreters may not be allowed to interpret.

Interpreters may not be able to practice before taking a national certification test.

May give unlicensed interpreters a limited period to practice inter-preting until they receive a license.

License fees may be used to provide interpreting training andcontinuing education workshops.

Can be given only by an overseeing body, and cannot be donewithout an overseeing body.




long, so it is too extensive to reprinthere. However, Figure 4 provides someinteresting highlights extracted fromthe data compiled by NAD.

It is worth noting that in Figure 4, theoverwhelming majority of states (35)have some legislation in place for signlanguage interpreting in legal settings.This focus on legal settings is quite sim-ilar to what we are experiencing in thespoken language interpreting world, inwhich 34 states reported membership inthe Consortium for State CourtInterpreter Certification at the end of2005.17 Another parallel to be drawn isthe fact that medical settings have his-torically ranked low in priority whendeveloping requirements for both signand spoken language interpreters andcertification programs. This large gap inaddressing the need for interpreters inhealth care settings may seem strange inlight of the widely reported fact that thechance of medical errors and potentialfor great harm to human life is oftenhigh when no safeguards are in place toguarantee the quality of the interpretingthat is provided.

The gap in areas of high potentialrisk and harm to individuals is notlimited to health care. Another area ofgreat risk that appears to receive lessattention than is merited by languageaccess legislation is that of publicsafety. In the U.S., there is generallyvery little discussion of providinginterpreting in public safety settings.In other countries, such as the U.K.

and Japan, however, areas such aspolice interpreting are more widelyaccepted as a unique field of inter-preting, and there are numerouscourses offered, tests available, andstructures in place to ensure that inter-preters can be provided for this impor-tant area of society.18

The reasons some areas of inter-preting are given more attention bylegislators are likely too numerous andvaried to discuss in this article.However, if licensure and certificationare to be considered and discussed, thefact that some areas enjoy greater leg-islative popularity than others shouldnot be overlooked. Interested partiesmay wish to dig deeper to explore thefactors that give rise to “explosions” inlegislation for some industries whileother areas go largely unnoticed bylawmakers. These underlying factorscould be key in driving legislation to acritical point where a greater impactcan be achieved.

Another point of interest from theNAD table that may be of assistance tothose interested in issues of interpretercertification and licensure is the recogni-tion of national certifications for sign lan-guage interpreters by individual states.Figure 5 on page 30 shows the states inwhich NAD and RID certifications areofficially recognized, unofficially recog-nized, or not recognized at all.

As Figure 5 on page 30 indicates,there are 13 states that officially rec-ognize NAD certification in legisla-

tion and 30 states that officially rec-ognize RID certification. There are 13states, however, that do not officiallyrecognize either certification for signlanguage interpreters. Yet, legislationexists in those states. How, then, arethey addressing the issue?

The short answer is that each statevaries in its requirements and approach.Arizona requires the interpreter to beauthorized by a state Council for theDeaf. In Massachusetts, qualificationsare determined by the Office ofDeafness. In Utah, qualifications aredetermined by the Department ofRehabilitation Services.

The variability in program require-ments is not just limited to the statesthat do not recognize either certifica-tion. Even in states that do recognizeboth programs, there are variations.For example, in Alabama, which rec-ognized both NAD and RID certifica-tions, licensure is issued by theAlabama Board of Interpreters andTransliterators. In Illinois, which alsorecognizes both certifications, inter-preters must pass an interpreter skillsassessment screening.

There is also variability even withina given state. For example, Wisconsindoes not recognize either NAD or RIDcertifications for legal settings. For that,the Department of Health and FamilyServices maintains a list of qualifiedinterpreters. However, for educationalsettings, RID certification is recognized.

Figure 4: State Laws and Regulations on Requirements of Sign Language Interpreters in the U.S.

Setting or Industry Total Number of States Addressed by Legislation14 States with Legislation for Named Industry with Relevant Legislation

ALL Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, 14Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin

Legal15 Arizona16, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, 35Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Education Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, 10Utah, Wisconsin

Medical Washington 1

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Questions for ConsiderationIf anything, the deeper we plunge

into the fascinating topic of qualifi-cations for interpreters and how thishas historically been addressed bystate legislation, the more questionsseem to be raised. In fact, given thatinterpreter certification in itsbroadest sense is a largely underex-plored field, each question may meritat least a small research study of itsown in order to provide the mostvaluable information with which tofunnel such findings into a nationalagenda for certification.

With regard to the questions mostpertinent to this discussion of licensureand certification, Figure 6 on page 31includes seven key questions to assist inthe identification of a model. This listincludes basic questions only, and is byno means exhaustive.

The questions in Figure 6 are onlya basic starting point for considering

the limitations and possibilities of cer-tification and licensure models. Theydo not include questions regarding theactual implementation of suchmodels, although many potentialquestions can be identified from fur-

ther analysis of the information, espe-cially when reviewing the modelsused in the realm of court interpretingfor spoken languages and in the signlanguage community.

In spite of the many unansweredquestions that remain, it is important toremember that progress toward a formal

process for regulating the interpretingprofession is not only possible, but issomething that is already evolving inmany forms across the nation.Therefore, rather than ask, “can wemove forward?” with regulation in any

industry, it may be important to reframethe question as, “what form do we wantit to take?” Do we want spoken languageinterpreting to someday mirror the highdegree of variability in the sign languageinterpreting world? Or, do we prefer toidentify the lessons learned in order tocreate new best practices that will com-

Any licensure program must be able to defend thevalidity of its exams and standards.


Figure 5: Recognition of NAD and RID Certifications in State Legislation

States Where Certification States Where Certification States Where Certificationis Officially Recognized is Unofficially Recognized is Not Recognized inin Legislation in Legislation Legislation

NAD Certification Alabama, Arkansas,19 California, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Virginia Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, West Virginia Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi,

Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire,New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina,Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, SouthCarolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,Wisconsin

RID Certification Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, District of Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia Columbia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, UtahNew Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota,Oklahoma,Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin



bine the benefits of many programswhile reducing the negative elements?

The professional regulation of inter-preting is something that cannot bestopped. Individuals and organizationscan and will work toward interpretercertification and licensure within theirsphere of influence, as they have in thepast, even though they are frequentlyburdened by a lack of resources.Sometimes their efforts are largely invain, as they may last only until thegroup they represent is absorbed byanother effort. At other times, theirefforts will influence the field and leadto new models and practices.

Many national and state-levelgroups around the country have beenestablished while others continue todevelop certification and other formsof professional qualification. Manynonprofit, academic, and for-profitentities have already developed certi-fication processes, some of which arebeing used widely across the country.Certification programs are being dis-cussed for specific industries, andsome are being discussed that wouldbe pan-industry in scope.

The most important lesson of all

may be that it is essential to move for-ward with a realistic mindset. While wemust continue carrying out the neces-sary research, we also need to bemindful that efforts toward the profes-sional qualification of interpreters arecrucial and will not stop in their tracksto wait for a full research agenda to becompleted. For this reason, it is impor-tant for groups to beware of duplicatingefforts whenever possible and to try toform partnerships to facilitate collabora-tion. In addition, a great degree of trans-parency is needed to ensure that stepstoward certification take place in amanner that is gradual and methodical,allowing stakeholders to participate andbe fully involved at numerous stages ina process to which they can accord ahigh level of trust.

If the four key principles—realism,collaboration, transparency, and trust—can be a core part of program develop-ment to the point where they reflect thevery values on which a program isbased, it may ensure a high degree ofsuccess, regardless of whether or noteach and every research question canbe fully answered.

Notes1. Cox, Carolyn, and Susan Foster.

The Costs and Benefits ofOccupational Regulation (Bureauof Economics, Federal TradeCommission, October 1990).

2. Merriam-Webster defines licen-sure as “the granting of licenses,especially to practice a profes-sion.” License is defined as “apermission granted by competentauthority to engage in a businessor occupation or in an activityotherwise unlawful.” See also:

• Wilson, Lawrence. Legal Guide-lines for Unlicensed Practi-tioners (L.D. Wilson Consultants,Inc., January 1, 2005).

• Oliver, Suzanne, MT-BC.Certification Versus Licensure:What Are the Differences?(The Certification Board forMusic Therapists), www.cbmt.org/default.asp?page=Certification%20vs.%20Licensure.

• Supan, Terry. Licensure VersusCertification: How It Can AffectYou (Amputee Coalition ofAmerica), www.amputee-coalition.org/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=19&z=3.

3. Clarkson, Kenneth W., andTimothy J. Muris. “The FederalTrade Commission and Occu-pation Regulation,” In Occu-pational Licensure and Regu-lation,edited by Simon Rottenberg(Washington: American EnterpriseInstitute for Public PolicyResearch, 1980), 108.

4. History of National Registry ofEmergency Medical Technicians(National Registry of #

Figure 6: Additional Questions for the Identification of a Model for Licensure

1. What is the underlying purpose of the process toward a formal process for regulatingthe interpreting profession, and is this purpose more in line with a specific model(e.g., certification, licensure)?

2. Who are the stakeholders affected by the proposed process?3. What are the pros and cons of certification and/or licensure as they relate to the

proposed process?4. How will the stakeholders be affected by the pros and cons that have been

identified?5. How can we minimize the negative impacts to each stakeholder?6. How will we ensure the participation of stakeholders, especially those most

negatively impacted, throughout the entire process to ensure high possibilities of acceptance and success?

7. What negative impacts are we collectively willing to accept in exchange for implementing a process?



Emergency Medical Technicians),www.nremt. org/about/nremt_history.asp.

5. Barnum, Barbara Stevens. “Licen-sure, Certification, and Accredita-tion,” Online Journal of Issues inNursing (August 13, 1997),www.nursingworld.org/oj in/tpc4/tpc4_2.htm.

6. Texas Department of Licensingand Regulation. Court InterpretersGovernment Code, Title 2,Subtitle D, Chapter 57 (EffectiveSeptember 1, 2005), www.license.state.tx.us/court/lcilaw.htm.

7. Ibid.

8. Roat, Cynthia E. Certification ofHealth Care Interpreters in theUnited States. A Primer, a StatusReport and Considerations forNational Certification (TheCalifornia Endowment, September2006); Kelly, Nataly. “InterpreterCertification in the United States:Where Are We Headed?” The ATAChronicle (January 2007), 31.

9. Scirratt, Jay. “The ‘State’ of StateLicensing for Interpreters: GrowingPains Versus Growth Spurts,”VIEWS (May 2001).

10. State Regulation of Interpreters:Critical Issues and Model Legis-lation (Registry of Interpreters for theDeaf), www.rid.org/ model.pdf.

11. Ibid.

12. Developing State Legislation onCertifying and Licensing Inter-preters (National Association ofthe Deaf, September 2000),www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=180368.

13. Guidelines for Developing StateLegislation on Certifying andLicensing Interpreters (NationalAssociation of the Deaf, April2000), www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=180367.

14. Other categories of settingsincluded in the NationalAssociation of the Deaf table thatare not mentioned here includevarious settings for which signlanguage interpreters are morecommonly provided, such asadministrative proceedings ofstate agencies and departments,tax exempt organizations, andplaces of employment. The cate-gories listed here are limited to theones most commonly discussedwith relation to the provision ofinterpreters for spoken languages.

15. If a state is not listed in a singlecategory, such as “Legal,” but islisted under “ALL,” this does notmean that the state legislationdoes not include legal settings;rather, it means that the listingunder “ALL” includes all settings.

16. If a state is listed in more than onecategory, this indicates that the statehas more than one piece of legisla-tion. For example, Arizona is listedunder both “ALL” and “Legal”because it has legislation and/orrequirements in both categories.

17. Frequently Asked Questions(National Center for State Courts.Consortium for State Court Inter-preter Certification), www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/CourtInterp/Res_CtInte_ConsortCertFAQ.pdf.

18. See www.colc.co.uk/cambridge/cintra/intro.doc and www.lr.mdx.ac.uk/lang/interpret/pdf/Police_interpreting.pdf for two examplesof police interpreting course cur-ricula outlines within the U.K. Toread more about the MiyagiPrefectural Police InterpretingCenter in Japan, see the center’swebsite at www.police.pref.miyagi.jp/hp/sotai/sosiki_index-e.html.

19. Some states, such as Arkansas andArizona, are listed in multiplecolumns due to the fact that certi-fication may be recognized in leg-islation for some settings, but isnot applicable in others. Forexample, in Texas, neither NADnor RID certifications are offi-cially recognized by the HumanResources Code that addressesinterpreted conversations; how-ever, RID certification is officiallyrecognized in three other codes(civil, education, and criminal).

A License to Interpret Continued Links

Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certificationwww.ncsconline.org

The National Association of the Deafwww.nad.org

Registry of Interpreters for the Deafwww.rid.org



Some months ago, a patron ofone of the numerous translatorwatering holes in cyberspace posed avery intriguing question: “Whatwould translation and the translationindustry, in terms of technology, looklike 50 years from now?”

It was a question that I felt qualifiedto answer with a single word: dif-ferent. For certain, I did not want tooffer anything more, since crystal ballgazing and saying the sooth are bothendeavors for which I am eminentlyunqualified. However, I did offer thequestioning patron of that cyberspacewatering hole a bit of a rear-mirrorview of what translation and transla-tors, and translation technology in theU.S., looked like some 50 years ago.Indeed, as I sit here in front of a com-puter screen and absolutely marvel atthis truly amazing piece of technology,I cannot help but think of what trans-lators had to work and live with 50years ago and how far we have come,technologically-speaking, since thosefar more simple days. Clearly, thetechnological contrast between 2008and 50 years ago is so striking that thereader of this narrative might come tothe belief that I am describing not the1950s, but the 1850s!

The All-powerful TypewriterImagine today translating a lengthy

document in which you have used theword “widget” some 25 times over 15pages, only to discover by the timeyou reached page 15 that the word is

not “widget” but “gidget.” With a littleflick of a mouse and a couple of clicks,you change 25 “widgets” to “gidgets.”

As the 1950s came to a close, thesituation described above was nothingshort of a very bad dream, for the cen-tral production tool of the translatorwas a typewriter, a most unforgivingtool, for if you made an error—even aminor typographical error—therewere few alternatives to fixing it.

In fact, in 1958, the manual type-writer was still king of the office,although it was now starting to bereplaced by the electric typewriter,which provided just a bit more effi-

ciency and less wear and tear on theleft arm, the limb assigned to operatethe manual typewriter’s carriage returnat the end of every line. And for thetranslator with an eye toward “cutting-edge” technology (the term was still

three decades away), there was theIBM Model D electric typewriter withits unique proportional spacing fea-ture. This was a feature that providednewspaper-like formatting, but if youhad to go back and make a correction,such as inserting two extra words, youwere entering the gates of technolog-ical hell. To correct an error, the IBMModel D really provided the translatorwith just one option: retype the entirepage!

1 + 3Yes, 50 years ago it still equaled 4,

but it had another meaning for #

The central production tool of the translator was atypewriter, a most unforgiving tool.

The Way We WereBy Bernie Bierman



the translator. It meant an originalplus three copies…three copies madeon thin paper called onionskin paper,with carbon paper providing themedium for making the typewrittenimpressions on the onionskin paper.That meant that in order to do “1 + 3,”you inserted seven sheets of paperinto the typewriter. One sheet of bondpaper, three sheets of onionskin paper,and three sheets of carbon paper. Andit was a not too seldom occasion whenthe translator was asked to provide anoriginal plus six copies! If you made amistake, you corrected the originalwith chalk and the six copies with asoft rubber eraser.

But suppose you were asked toprovide 25 copies of your translation?Certainly, there was no typewriter thatcould handle some 50 sheets of paper.The technological response of 50years ago was the stencil, a piece ofdark blue wax-coated paper with allsorts of lines to help guide the typist.But before one could type a singleword onto the stencil, it was necessaryto remove the ribbon from the type-writer, so that the typing impressionwould result in white letters on theblue background of the stencil. Errorsmade on the stencil paper were cor-rected by applying a special liquidmade especially for stencil work. Alittle dab here and a little dab there,and a wait of about five minutes, andyou were ready to resume work. Uponcompletion of the stencil, you ran (orwalked) with it to the nearest printingshop, and hoped (and perhaps evenprayed) that your 25 copies would berun off before the client’s stated dead-line. Of course, if your translationassignment ran 30 pages, you werefaced with hand-collating 25 copies of30 pages, unless you were willing tohave the print shop do the honors foran extra fee. (At that time, Kinko wasa term to describe someone who had

unusual sexual proclivities, andFederal Express was the name of anovernight train on the PennsylvaniaRailroad that went between Bostonand Washington).

In the film “The Bridge on the RiverKwai,” the commander of the Britishprisoners of war, Colonel Nicholson,firmly tells his Japanese captors that“British officers will not do manuallabour.” In the “Paleozoic” age of trans-lation of some 50 years ago, there weremany translators who steadfastlyrefused “to do manual labour,” namelytyping. Indeed, there was a fairly well-known translator team working in New

England who fervently, if not dogmati-cally, believed that typing was not justbelow the dignity of a translator, butwas outright unprofessional. For thosetranslators who refused, in the spirit ofColonel Nicholson, “to do manuallabour,” there was a piece of equipmentcalled the Dictaphone, a weighty pieceof electrical machinery into which onespoke one’s translation, with the wordsbeing recorded onto a cylinder. Thecompleted cylinder was then dispatchedto someone who did condescend “to domanual labour”—namely a typist.Those translators who opted for dic-tating their work (called in the parlanceof the day, “dictators”), claimed thattheir method was not only more digni-fied and professional, but much fasterand efficient than those who chose the“manual labour” of the typewriter.

But whether one chose the route of“manual labour” or some other more“dignified” method of production,

there was no doubt about it that theworld of the translator of 50 years agowas a world of paper, reams andreams of it: bond paper, tissue oronionskin paper, carbon paper, stencilpaper, envelopes for sending thepaper, filing cabinets for storing thepaper, all punctuated by an inventoryof essential office aids like typewriterribbons, chalk and rubber erasers,paper clips, staple guns, etc., etc.

And if the methods by which trans-lation was produced look like horse-and-buggy compared to what we have50 years hence, the methods of com-munication appear in comparison to be

something out of the age of the quillpen. In the late 1950s, the principalmedia of communication were the tele-phone (the rotary version, of course)and the U.S. mail. For those living andworking in major urban areas, therewas local messenger service. Overnightcourier service was still unknown(although the U.S. Postal Service didoffer a thing called “Special Delivery,”which guaranteed, or supposedly guar-anteed, next-day delivery), and fac-simile transmission was still a fulldecade away. Voice-mail? Only a privi-leged few had the luxury of ananswering service. I said answeringservice (as portrayed in the 1950smusical show, “Bells are Ringing”), notanswering machine. A call from a clientor potential client that went unan-swered was often a call truly lost.

The Google of 50 Years AgoA couple of movements and clicks

The Way We Were Continued

Overnight courier service was still unknown, andfacsimile transmission was still a full decade away.



with today’s computer mouse bringsthe modern translator to one of themost phenomenal research tools of ourage: the Google search engine.“Instant gratification” would be a mostappropriate and descriptive term.

The search engine of the translatorof the 1950s was the translator him-self or herself, and his or her library ofdictionaries, encyclopedias, and refer-ence books. Absent such personallibrary, the translator had no choicebut to leave the typewriter (or dicta-tion machine) and repair to the localpublic library to undertake a time-consuming search through encyclope-dias, reference books, journals,magazines, etc., to check on words orterminology or phraseology. But therewas one particular element of the mid-20th century that was not too differentfrom the early 21st century, namelythe delivery deadline. Yes, even 50years ago, clients needed their transla-tions “yesterday”!

And if the technology of 50 yearsago appears quaint, if not primitive, sodoes the structure of the U.S. transla-tion industry. When Dwight D.Eisenhower was still the occupant of1600 Pennsylvania Avenue inWashington, the terms “translationagency” or “translation (service) com-pany” were not even part of the dailyvocabulary. Rather, there were “trans-lation bureaus.” And they were called“bureaus” because they were preciselythat: small entities, indeed very smallentities, that provided a translationservice. Oftentimes the translationbureau was one person—a translator—sitting in a small office, translatingfrom (and sometimes into) several lan-guages, and for the languages that heor she did not know, the work was“farmed out” to “collaborators.”1 Therewere other, slightly larger translationbureaus, owned by one person (again, atranslator) with a staff of perhaps two

or three “in-house” translators and a“stable” of outside “collaborators.”And when you walked into any ofthese translation bureaus, whether theywere one-person or five-person enti-ties, you saw dictionaries and referencebooks everywhere (aside from type-writers, stationery, and filing cabinets),for not only were these businessesowned and operated by translators,they were also places where translationwas produced. In the terminology ofthe late 1950s, a project manager wassomeone who supervised a construc-tion site, and an agency was a place towhich one went to make travelarrangements.

Splendid IsolationThe countryside of translation in

the 1950s was not unlike the ruralAmerica of the 1850s, where theinhabitants could go for weeks, if notmonths at a time without seeing ortalking to another soul. If today’stranslator uses the term “splendid iso-lation,” it is used in a more or lesspoetic fashion, for the technology ofthe 21st century has made the trans-lator’s isolation a thing of the past.But in the 1950s, the term was an aptdescription of the translator’s milieu.

In the very early spring of 1959, anincident occurred that was totallyunknown to me. The incident was adinner held at a Chinese restaurant inNew York City, where a small groupof translation bureau owners and free-lance translators gathered to discussthe idea of forming an association ofprofessional translators. Exactly fiveweeks later, this small group met once

more, but this time on the campus ofNew York University. Again, I was notaware of the meeting, probablybecause I was more focused on andinterested in closing a rental deal for abeach house on Fire Island, NewYork, and a summer of sand, surf, andpartying. Those who came to thatmeeting at New York University onthat first day of May in 1959 hadslightly more serious business on theirminds. By the end of the day, they hadsuccessfully completed that business.It was the formation of America’s firstnational association of translators.The era of splendid isolation wasdrawing to a close.

Note 1. The term “collaborator” used in the

U.S. translation business for a free-lance translator ceased being usedduring the days of the SecondWorld War, because the wordbecame synonymous with someonewho was cooperating with theenemy, the enemy of course beingNazi Germany and Japan. The term“collaborator” was first used inAmerican mass communications todescribe a Norwegian politiciannamed Vidkun Quisling, who coop-erated with the Germans when theyinvaded Norway in 1940. Indeed,the man’s name became a common-place noun in English, e.g., “he wassuspected of being a quisling” (i.e.,a spy, a collaborator). In the U.S.translation business, “freelancer”replaced “collaborator.”

The countryside of translation in the 1950s was notunlike the rural America of the 1850s, where the

inhabitants could go for weeks, if not months at a timewithout seeing or talking to another soul.



Business Smarts Working from Home

Freelancers who are just starting outoften face pressures on many fronts.They have to acquire customers, watchtheir finances, put effort into marketing,and translate with particular care toestablish a good reputation. Anotherchallenging aspect that is rarely dis-cussed is the working environment.Instead of commuting to a place ofwork, the newly minted freelancer oftenhas to establish new routines for effec-tively working from home.

Dear Business Smarts,I am writing about a problem that

I am too embarrassed to bring up inan online discussion forum. Afterbeing laid off from my previous in-house job, I started working fromhome as an independent contractorsix months ago, specializing inEnglish into Spanish translations inthe financial and business field. I likethe benefits of this work arrange-ment, but did not anticipate the reac-tions of my family. My husband willtake over the computer any time helikes to check his e-mail and read thenews online, while my kids areasking for online access to do theirhomework and chat with theirfriends. On one occasion, I missed anurgent message from a new clientabout a rush job. When I finallyresponded, the project had alreadybeen assigned to someone else. Noone seems to listen when I explain

what I do, and I am exasperated.Is Working from Home for Me?

Dear Working from Home:Setting up parameters and work

routines for a new employment situa-tion at home is not easy. Since you arejust getting started, purchasing asecond computer is probably out ofthe question for the time being.Instead of accommodating all of yourfamily’s cyber needs, however, it isessential that you establish firm hoursduring which you can do your bestwork and will have exclusive accessto the computer. It may be helpful todraw up a schedule that shows “busi-ness hours” and “family time” for thecomputer. Post the schedule next tothe computer, and insist that yourreserved work hours be respected andinterrupted as little as possible. Also,plan plenty of review time for yourtranslation projects before your placeof work becomes hectic with familyactivities in the afternoon andevening. Structure your workday toallow for maximum undisturbed worktime. For example, you may want todelay any housework or errands untilthe afternoon, when you cannot getmuch translation work done anyway,and do all your writing in themorning.

Because your work computer isbeing used for so many other pur-poses, including online access by

children or teens, be sure to back upyour data in a safe location, preferablyto an external hard drive.

It may also be helpful to give somemore thought to how your work envi-ronment is organized. Is the computerset up in a location where it invites spon-taneous access by other family mem-bers? Do you have enough space whereyou are currently working? You maywant to consider changing the furnitureconfiguration and desk setup to under-score the fact that you are not just pur-suing a hobby, but working to earn anincome. If your children are still fairlyyoung, they will learn very quickly toadapt to your new work reality.

For maximum data security andconfidentiality, you should plan assoon as possible to purchase a laptopor second computer exclusively foryour own work. Setting aside a smallportion of every translation paymentyou receive is a relatively painlessway to save up.

The information in this column was compiled by members of ATA’s Business Practices Education Committee for the benefit of ATAmembers. This column is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each individual or company should makeits own independent business decisions and consult its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The views expressed hereare not necessarily those of ATA or its Board of Directors. Send your questions about the business of translation and interpretation toThe ATA Chronicle—BPEC Q&A; 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA; Fax: +1-703-683-6122; E-mail:[email protected]. Questions must be accompanied by a complete name and address, but will be published anony-mously or pseudonymously upon request.

Comments?ATA members can discuss business issues onlineat the following Yahoo! group:http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ata_business_practices. You willneed to register with Yahoo! (at no charge) ifyou have not already done so, and provide yourfull name and ATA member number in order tojoin the group.



Flying the Flag in Croatia

The Onionskin Chris [email protected]

Sexual innuendo is a time-honored means of propelling transla-tion onto the media radar screen, andif it raises awareness of translationrisk, why not?

U.K. opera singer Tony Henry con-tributed last autumn by mispro-nouncing a key line in Croatia’snational anthem as he performed atthe opening of the Britain-Croatiasoccer match on November 21. Asreported in the Daily Telegraph, theCroatian team and ball boys smiled,snickered, then laughed outright whenMr. Henry sang Mila kuda si planina(roughly: You know, my dear, how welove your mountains”) as Mila kura siplanina (roughly: “My dear, my prickis a mountain.”) Fan websites claimthat hilarity surrounding the faux pasrelaxed the home team and gave theCroats a leg up; they ultimately beatthe British 3 to 2. Some, apparently,have already called for Mr. Henry tosing again at Euro 2008; for them, hisflagging the fly paid off in spades.

Curiously, Croatian televisionappeared unaware of any error.Croatian radio professionals we con-tacted had heard about the incidentthrough the U.K. coverage.

Czechered Websites in PragueLester Haines, writing online in

The Register (motto: “Biting the handthat feeds IT”) on September 23, 2007,

blasted the Czech Olympic Committeefor “annihilating” the English lan-guage. Prague is bidding to host the2016 Olympic games, and is at thispoint very much a dark horse given thesize and reputation of its rivals.

The straight-shooting Mr. Hainesjudged the English version of the“Prague 2016” site so poorly trans-lated as to be an “outrage,” and in anycase “not for the linguistically sensi-tive or faint-hearted” (www.olympicprague.net/olympic-history).

We agree wholeheartedly, havingtried unsuccessfully to wend our waythrough its brief history of the bid:“Big neighbor Prague overprint andCzech backing her say only eyes forcry. […] Then set in metropolisOlympic silence which a little com-minute-vibrated focus high Tater aboutwinter games.” A notice indicating“translated by robot” (i.e., text pro-duced by translation software) appearsonly at the very end, by which timemost readers will have packed it in.

But what did the Czech OlympicCommittee have to say?

Interviewed by telephone, its good-natured Secretary General PetrHrubec set the record straight. Theflawed Prague 2016 site has nothingto do with his organization, he said,noting that he had been alerted to itsnonsensical content by severalobservers, including a translator in

Brussels. Instead, the site’s creator isa Czech cyclist keen to promote thecity’s candidacy all on his own. Andlike many well-meaning amateurs,this gentleman had fallen for a soft-ware vendor’s sales hype and used acomputer program for the English.

As soon as he was aware of the sit-uation, Mr. Hrubec dispatched thedirector of the official committee’smarketing agency to bring the naiveathlete up to speed on how counter-productive his efforts were. “Theautomatic translation means the con-tent is a real disaster in terms ofimage,” he told us.

So far the cyclist has refused toremove the flawed texts, but hasadded a sidebar disclaimer...in bumpyEnglish. Spelling errors confirm thatthis is a human translation, albeit anamateur one: “Nothing like oficialinformation about Czech olympiccommittee [...] is here.”

The Secretary General reckonsPrague has a 50/50 chance of winningthe 2016 games, and is setting itssights on 2020 if this first bid fails.This will give it plenty of time torecruit the translation and interpretingtalent it needs. China, which ishosting the summer games in August2008, has just completed a first roundof recruitment of linguists.

The Onionskin is a client education columnlaunched by the ITI Bulletin (a publication ofthe U.K.’s Institute of Translation andInterpreting) in 1996. Comments and leadsfor future columns are very welcome; pleaseinclude full contact details.Contact: [email protected].

Translation: Getting it Right is an ATA client education bookletavailable in print and online. ATA members can order up to 100copies at no cost. To download a PDF copy of this booklet, visitwww.atanet.org.

Translation: Getting it Right“By applying even half the tips in this guide, you will improve

your chances of getting a translation that works.”

american

translators

association

A guide to buying translations

Translation

getting it right



The Medical Interpreter Networkof Georgia (MING) is a nonprofitorganization, founded in 1999, whosemembership includes medical inter-preters as well as other institutions thatsupport MING’s mission. MING worksto promote equal access to health careservices for limited English proficientindividuals by supporting professionalmedical interpreting, and by serving asa resource for medical interpretersthroughout the state of Georgia.

Goals• To provide resources and support

to medical interpreters and individ-uals aspiring to become medicalinterpreters.

• To promote the development andimplementation of medical inter-preting services within the healthcare community.

• To promote the profession of med-ical interpreting by adopting acode of ethics and standards ofpractice.

• To promote partnerships withregional and national professionalhealth care organizations.

Benefits and Activities • A listing in MING’s online direc-

tory of medical interpreters

(searchable by name, language, orzip code).

• Membership card.• Access to the online forum.• Career opportunities.• Access to the quarterly newsletter.• Announcements on upcoming

training and events.• Discounted registration fees at all

MING events held throughout the year.• Voting privileges.• Opportunities to serve on MING’s

board and committees.• Opportunity to attend MING’s

Annual Fall Forum.• Networking with other profes-

sionals throughout the state.• Updates on new developments in

the field of health care interpreting.• Links to national efforts to advo-

cate for the rights of limited

English proficient individualsseeking health care.

• Discounted membership with theNational Council on Interpreting inHealth Care (www.ncihc.org).

• Opportunities for ATA members toearn continuing education points(subject to ATA approval).

WebsiteIn addition to membership informa-

tion, MING’s website (www.mingweb.org) contains: event listings; contactinformation for officers; an onlinesearchable membership directory; amembers only area; access to a discus-sion board; interpreter resource links;and information on MING’s projects.

ATA chapters, affiliates, and local groups serve translators and interpreters in specific geo-graphic areas. They provide industry information, networking opportunities, and supportservices to members at the local level and act as liaisons with the national association. Thiscolumn is designed to serve as a quick resource highlighting the valuable contributionsthese organizations are making to the Association and the profession as a whole.

• Established: 1999

• Website: www.mingweb.org

• Contact:MINGP.O. Box 1954Buford, GA 30515Tel: (404) [email protected]

Medical Interpreter Network of Georgia

Quick Facts

Success by Association

English-to-Spanish Contrastive Grammar Workshop for Translators

Presenter: Xosé Castro RoigFor more information visit www.aatia.org or contact Marta Blumenthal at [email protected].

April 5, 2008

Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Association



ATA Certification Exam InformationUpcoming Exams

CaliforniaSan FranciscoApril 26, 2008Registration Deadline:April 11, 2008

Los AngelesMay 11, 2008Registration Deadline:April 25, 2008

San DiegoSeptember 6, 2008Registration Deadline:August 22, 2008

FloridaOrlandoNovember 8, 2008Registration Deadline:October 24, 2008

MassachusettsSomervilleJune 1, 2008Registration Deadline:May 16, 2008

MichiganNoviAugust 9, 2008Registration Deadline:July 25, 2008

New JerseyNew BrunswickApril 19, 2008Registration Deadline:April 4, 2008

North CarolinaRaleighApril 20, 2008Registration Deadline:April 4, 2008

OhioKentMay 24, 2008Registration Deadline:May 9, 2008

PennsylvaniaPittsburghMay 18, 2008Registration Deadline:May 2, 2008

TennesseeNashvilleSeptember 14, 2008Registration Deadline:September 5, 2008

TexasAustin April 12, 2008Registration Deadline:March 28, 2008

WashingtonSeattleApril 26, 2008Registration Deadline:April 11, 2008

Washington, D.C.April 6, 2008Registration Deadline:March 21, 2008

WisconsinMilwaukeeMay 3, 2008Registration Deadline: April 18, 2008

All candidates applying for ATA certification must provide proof that they meet the certification programeligibility requirements. Please direct all inquiriesregarding general certification information to ATAHeadquarters at +1-703-683-6100. Registration for all certification exams should be made through ATAHeadquarters. All sittings have a maximum capacityand admission is based on the order in which registrations are received. Forms are available fromATA’s website or from Headquarters.

New Certified Members Congratulations! The following people have successfully passed ATA’s certification exam:

English into Portuguese

Maria FontesOnancock, VA

Fabio A. OliveiraTaylorsville, UT

Cristina A. RizekSão Paulo, Brazil

English into Spanish

Liliana Martinez-CriegoApache Junction, AZ

Juan Vaquer, Jr.Phoenix, AZ

Spanish into English

Sam CogdellCharleston, SC

Marian ComenetzBelmont, MA

Suzanne M. CoutureWauwatosa, WI

Steven A. HackbarthWatertown, WI

Kelley D. SalasMilwaukee, WI



Portuguese BusinessDictionary

Authors: Morry Sofer and MariCarmen Pizarro

Publisher: Schreiber Publishingwww.schreiberlanguage.com

Publication Date: 2006

ISBNs: 0-88400-321-3 978-0-88400-321-2

Price: $24.95

Reviewed by: Giovanna L. Lester

I was surprised to discoverthat the authors of this dictionary arenot Portuguese translators. Ms.Pizarro is a Spanish into Englishtranslator, and Mr. Sofer’s nameappears as the author or editor ofbooks on translation for a variety oflanguage combinations: Chinese,German, Spanish, French, Japanese,and English.

The dictionary is very simple andstraightforward, and it fits easily intoone’s briefcase. Its glossy paperbackcover, bright white paper interior, andnice font size are easy on the eyes. I doquestion the use of the word dictionaryin the title, though, since, in myopinion, this work is more of a bilin-gual glossary.

Entries are in alphabetical orderand most of them have an equivalentin the other half of the book. The main

entries appear in bold and their target-language equivalents are in regulartypeface. Most entries take up onlyone line, and the few longer ones carryexplanations for terms for which anequivalent in the target language wasnot found. There are no illustrations,appendices, or tables.

The authors did not provide anysample sentences to indicate wordusage, nor did they include pronuncia-tion or grammatical guidelines. I alsofound some entries to be rather cryptic(e.g., M-CAT = M-CAT without anyexplanation of what it refers to). Otherentries have spelling issues: remição(remissão, page 26), aumentoa(aumento, page 162). In some cases,masculine articles precede femininenouns (page 168: cessão do apólicecomo garantia: apólice is a femininenoun). I found instances of preposition

Dictionary Review Peter A. [email protected]

Compiled by

Table 1: Examples of Mistranslations

Main Entry Translation Correct Translation

Adjusted tax basis base de taxação ajustada base de cálculo (de tributo) ajustada

Analysis of variance análise de variança análise de variação

Affirmative Action Ação judicial cabível contra discriminação no mercado No actual translation is given, and the explanation providedde trabalho em função de cor, sexo ou religião; ação is inaccurate. The translation, Ação Afirmativa, is not provided.antidiscriminatória

Accrual method método de provisão regime de competência

Abusive tax shelter abrigo tributário excessivo, cobertura tributária excessiva Deduções fiscais/tributárias abusivas

Charge buyer Comprador encarregado Comprador que cobra no cartão, que usa cartão de crédito

Hacker pirata (…) Cracker is the term used in Brazil in the computer field. The termpirata with that meaning is more common in Spanish.

House to house A domicílio House to house: transporte de mercadoria do sede to exportadorà do importador (not translated)

Luxury tax Imposto sobre bens suntuosos; imposto sobre Imposto sobre supérfluos is the form used the Brazil.supérfluos; imposto sobre bens de luxo; imposto suntuário.

Market timing procura do* investidor de um melhor retorno Market timing (alteração da agressividade da carteira em *The correct term here is pelo. função de previsões sobre o mercado) is a term that is usually

not translated in Brazil.



and article contraction where none isrequired (Opção ao descoberto, page94). There are also mistranslations,some of which are detailed in Table 1.

The back cover claims that this dic-tionary “is designed to facilitate busi-ness between Portuguese andEnglish-speaking countries,” and that“it is an invaluable tool for communi-cating in the global market.” However,I found very few entries followed by a

letter “P” to indicate that they werespecific to Portugal, as readers areinformed in the “How to Use thisDictionary” section (page 8).

The many shortcomings describedhere indicate an inattention to detail,which is detrimental in this type ofwork. I am looking forward to arevised edition.

Giovanna L. Lester is the immediate pastadministrator of ATA’s Interpreters Division (ID).She served as the president and director of theformer Florida Chapter of ATA, and as theassistant administrator of the ID. She hasworked in the translation and interpretingindustry since 1980. Contact:[email protected].

TIP-Lab 18th Distance SpanishTranslation/Revision Workshop

July to December 2008

Open to English into Spanish translators.Excellent command of Spanish and Englishrequired. Registration on a first-come-first-served basis. For information, call, fax, ore-mail: TIP-Lab, c/o Alicia Marshall (847) 869-4889 (phone/fax); [email protected]; or www.tip-lab.org.

24th CambridgeConference

SimultaneousInterpretation Course

August 17-29, 2008Cambridge, United Kingdom

www.cciconline.net

ATA Translation Company Division9th Annual ConferenceJuly 17-20, 2008 The Inverness Hotel and Conference CenterEnglewood, Colorado

Highlights:• Thursday evening reception and banquet.• Two days (Friday and Saturday) of educational sessions

tailored to the needs and concerns of translation company owners and managers.

• Topics will focus on industry trends, workflow tools,project management, sales, marketing, behavioral interviewing, and more.

• Plenty of time and opportunity for networking,networking, and more networking!

• Optional Friday or Saturday evening activity in Denver (www.denver.org)

• Sunday morning buffet breakfast

Advertising, exhibit, and sponsorship opportunities available.

Stay tuned to www.ata-divisions.org/TCD for more information!

Kim VitrayTCD [email protected]

Ellen BoyarTCD Assistant [email protected] ext. 1331

Beatriz BonnetLocal Conference [email protected]



Never in a million years wouldit have occurred to the TranslationInquirer that gender-based differencescould exist, or previously existed, inany written form of a language. Butthat is exactly what is stated in theextensive introduction to RoyallTyler’s translation into English of the1,000-year-old Japanese classic, TheTale of Genji. At the stratified, rarifiedlevel of the high aristocracy in Osaka,men and women were both highly lit-erate and wrote notes to each other

that usually included brief poemscomposed on the spot. But it was unladylike for women to write in theChinese-influenced Kanji characters.A properly demure lady of high rankwould use the phonetic Kana systemalmost exclusively. To use the Kanjiwould leave an impression of brusque-ness that would turn the man off. Nowwho would ever have imagined thatwriting systems could be part ofgender definition?

The Translation Inquirer John [email protected]

B-BulgarianE-English[E]-Englishacceptable as ananswer, theoriginal query didnot involve EnglishF-French

G-GermanI-ItalianK-KoreanPo-PolishPt-PortugueseR-RussianSp-SpanishSw-Swedish

Abbreviationsused with this column

New Queries(E-F 3-08/1) A Lantra-L member verysimply wanted to know what theFrench was for cusp, as in the cusp ofa tooth.

(E-Sp 3-08/2) Maybe this matter wassettled elsewhere long ago, but a ProZparticipant wants good Spanish forlegal entitlement, as in Farmers benefitmost from individual risk covers subsi-dized by the government and legalentitlement to payments upon occur-rence of a loss. Help this colleague out!

(F-E 3-08/3) A member of ProZ stum-bled over the term trappe cardiaque inthis text on medical devices: Il s’agitde notre civière 2 sections avec unetrappe cardiaque de 9 x 10 po (23 x 25cm) du côté gauche. Cette trappepermet de faciliter le travail de l’util-isateur lors de l’échographie car-diaque. Un dossier court positionneadéquatement le patient sur le côtégauche, afin d’obtenir de meilleuresimages. What is it?

(G-E 3-08/4) The abbreviation PTHSPwas difficult for a ProZ user trying todeal with instructions for contractorsworking on an offshore wind energy

project. Under the heading ofRisikoanalyse des Auftragnehmers bzw.seines Designers, are found two bullets,Schwierigheitsgrad (S) gem. PTHSPand Wahrscheinlichkeit (W) gem.PTHSP. What do these refer to?

(I-E 3-08/5) A ProZ member alreadyhas a tentative English wording forthis problem mechanical-engineeringsentence, but obviously is not satisfiedwith it and wants help: Lo spigolo altodella rete di pretezione del ribaltatoresi impiglio nel telone del camion….Focus on the words in bold print.

(Pt-G [E] 3-08/6) English will beacceptable for this ProZ query aboutprotocolo de exposição externa, a realestate term used by a broker in thatfield who is offering certain services tohis client. Here is more: XXX garanteaos sus clientes a exposição de cadapropriedade no Mercado interna-cional, quer através das parceriasprotocolo de exposição externa emvigor. What is he talking about?

(R-E 3-08/7) Four replies had come into ProZ regarding this Russian term bythe time the Translation Inquirerspotted it, but the four respondents

were not super-confident about theirsuggestions. It is the words in boldprint in the following: Lj[jls bhfc[jls> gjkextyyst ghb 'rcgkef-nfwbb j,(trnjd cjwbfkmyjq cats.What might they be, or is the concepttoo fuzzy to pin down?

(R-E 3-08/8) What, asks a ProZer,does ktljnthvbrf mean in thissnippet of civil engineering:cjnhelybrb jnltkf ktljnthvbrb….Regrettably, that is all the contextthere is.

(Sp-E 3-08/9) What does infiltradoparenquimatoso alveolar a focosmúltiples peri-hiliar e hilio-basalmean in a cardiology context? Theentire context sentence is Pulmonesmúestran infiltrado parenquimatoso afocos múltiples per-hiliar e hilio hilio-basal podría estar en relación apulmón congestivo en evolución cor-relación de hallazgos con la clínica yestudio radiológico de control sgúncritero del medico tratante, recomen-dado.

(Sp-E 3-08/10) Here is some Spanishnitty-gritty about building specifica-tions that includes two words troubling



to a ProZ member: *Fundamentos:muros corridos y pilares aislados, yarriostrados entre si, línea de masa detierra con hilo de cobre de 35 mm.What are muros corridos?

(Sw-E 3-08/11) The last six words inthe quote that follows caused prob-lems for a ProZer: I ett förök att kon-trollera hela produktionsprocessenköpte han också ett boktryckeri, somdock sakta men säkert kördes i botten.Something snappy and colloquial inEnglish is what is wanted.

Replies to Old Queries(F-E 7-07/4) (les mauvaises herbesgraminées, dicotylédones et cypéracéesdéjà levées): All of the previous transla-tions proposed for this, says FlorenceHerbulot, are in error. Déjà enlevéesdoes not mean déjà levees, she pointsout, but “already sprouted.” All theseherbs are out of the soil and haveappeared. They have not been eradi-cated, which is something that she saysought to have been noticed earlier.

(F-E 11-07/4) (slack la poulie): PeterChristensen says it means what itappears to mean: “give the pulleysome slack.” In other words, “take iteasy, slow down, take a rest.”

(F-E 11-07/5) (prise en charge ambu-latoire): “Accepting as an outpatient”is how Peter Christensen would renderthis. Ambulatory in English is simplya synonym of the more common out-patient. Talvi Laev simply calls it“outpatient treatment.”

(G-E 1-08/5) (Setzen der IP-Adresse):This kind of setzen (setting) meansassigning a numerical address to agiven computer, says Gabe Bokor. TheIP (Internet Protocol) governs the useof the numerical addresses for allInternet-connected computers by

which it can be found among the mil-lions of other computers.

(G-E 1-08/6) (KV): Iris Nussbaum saysthat in the German part of Switzerland,KV-Ausbildung means “basic profes-sional training in business orcommerce.” This training is often donein the form of an apprenticeship at acompany, but specialized schools alsooffer it. KV itself means KaufmännischerVerband (Association of CommercialEmployees). Mario Beer expands KV tobe Kaufmännischer Verein, an organizerof serious business schools. In someareas, KV accreditation is the onlyserious certificate of adequate training.

(K-E 11-07/9) (Keuklyongkangseong):D. Bannon points out that this refers toHeilungkiang Province, the northern-most in China. The word is a roman-ized version of the Koreanpronunciation. The Koreans usewritten Chinese characters known ashanja in Korea, in combination withtheir native alphabet, hangul. Thewritten characters have essentially thesame meaning in both countries, butare pronounced differently, making iteasy to read the originals, but not sosimple to work backward from aromanization of the Korean pronunci-ation of those same characters. [Andthat is more insight, in just one para-graph, into Korean as a language and awriting system than has appeared inthis column over at least 15 years!]

(Po-R [E] 11-07/10) (komora!o˝yskowana jest obrotowo na osi): PiotrGraff renders this into English as “thechamber rotates around its axis on a ballbearing.” The verb !o˝yskowaçmeans to“use ball bearings to make parts rotatearound each other.” Anyone care to tryRussian for this, which is what was orig-inally wanted?

(Pt-E 1-08/7) (torrão de açúcar): GabeBokor cites the Dicionário Lello, whichdefines this as a variety of pear. A verywelcome hello to Franco Gamero, whoenergetically came aboard this monthby supplying several responses. In thiscase, what we are dealing with, as inSpanish, is the nickname (literally“sugar cube”) of a flower. He advisesnot translating it. Alan Clarke says thatthe plant is a member of the Proteoidae,a subfamily of the family Proteaceae,the latter being part of the genus Protea.We call it the “sugarbush,” a plant thatdoes not actually yield any sugar, butproduces gorgeous flowers in Africaand America. In the U.S., it grows onthe forest floor beneath trees such assugar maples that do serve as a sourcefor sugar.

(R-E 1-08/8) (njrfhm-eybdthcfk):Aleks Lukoff suggests “referencemanual for turning lathe operatorswith universal qualifications,” in viewof the fact that njrfhm means a“turner,” and eybdthcfk indicatessomeone qualified to operate all kindsof turning lathes.

(Sp-B [E] 11-07/11) (contrato enorigen): Leonor Guidici refers to theoffering of a job contract in the homecountry of the person before he or shetravels abroad to work. She believesthe document relates to the fact thatmany people from Eastern Europe arehired abroad to work on farms insouthern Spain.

(Sp-E 9-07/9) (calibre comercial): Twopossibilities are offered by FrancoGomero, “of commercial quality” and“of commercial grade.” Example: Miproducto es de calibre comercial.

Continued on p. 44


44 The ATA Chronicle ! March 2008

English ‘brick’ is Italian ‘mattone’;Yiddish ‘matoneh’ is ‘gift.’German ‘Gift’ is the word for ‘poison,’while French ‘poisson’ is ‘fish.’

In Hebrew, ‘dawg’ is the word for ‘fish’:this tower of Babel confounds!Is one man’s ‘brick’ another man’s ‘dog’?Does the plural of ‘brick’ imply ‘hounds’?

Such play with words is easy enough;it doesn’t take much knowledge:some time in ‘shul,’ some ‘mame-loshn’and a couple of classes in college.

The poem above is by Arthur Graham and is pub-lished by Polyglot Press of Lexington, Kentucky. It isreprinted here by permission, as is the rest of the storywhich, as they say, continues.

The poem was accompanied by an explanatory sheet,dated October 24, 2007, entitled “Poet’s Notes on‘Homonyms.’” The first two paragraphs read:

Searching for a printing project, I wrote a “poem”based on bilingual homonyms. Even without fluency infour of the six tongues, a smattering of vocabulary per-mitted me to feign linguistic competence. The last stanzais an unintentional confession of my fraudulence as apolyglot scholar.

This verse was intended to amuse an older audience, thechildren and grandchildren of Eastern-European Jewishimmigrants. My early years were spent in a orthodox reli-gious environment, and my loving grandmother spoke onlyYiddish. Readers without this background will miss thewarm colloquialism and humor of the words “shul” and“mame-loshn” (“synagogue” and “Yiddish”).

I might add that “shul” is etymologically related to“school” and that “mame-loshn” literally translates as“mother tongue.”

Before receiving “Homonyms,” I received an e-mailfrom Arthur Graham which said:

You will soon receive “Homonyms” in the mail. With itis a letter from the poet that, unfortunately, contains atypo. Rather than sending an erratum sheet, I append amessage sent me by O. Leonard Press (formerly ofKentucky Educational Television) in regard to thismatter.

I’m too gracious a lad to point this outExcept to a scholar like youBut is “In a orthodox religious environment”A way to talk for a Jew...Nu?

But this was not the last word on the subject. That cameafter, in a copy I received of an e-mail from Gay Reading toArthur Graham:

Of course the popular press (rather than the Leonardkind) would have no problem with this. They have put ann to it.

Best to all,Gay

Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit items for future columns via e-mail [email protected] or via snail mail to Mark Herman, 1409 E GaylordStreet, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858-3626. Discussions of the translation of humor andexamples thereof are preferred, but humorous anecdotes about translators, transla-tions, and mistranslations are also welcome. Include copyright information and per-mission if relevant.

Macaronic Homonyms

[email protected] and Translation Mark Herman

(Sp-E 10-07/11) (condiciones de lig-aduras de los movimientos): Accordingto Franco Gomero, these are “bonds,links.” The context is biomechanics.

Please keep them coming, especiallyoriginal queries. For this column, they arethe equivalent of diamonds. No kidding!

This column is solely intended as a means of facilitatinga general discussion regarding terminology choices. Forfeedback regarding pressing terminology questions,please try one of these online forums: Lantra-L(www.geocities.com/athens/7110/lantra.htm),ProZ.com (www.proz.com), or Translators Café(http://translatorscafe.com).

Address your queries and responses to The TranslationInquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania17821, or fax them to (570) 275-1477. E-mailaddress: [email protected]. Please make your sub-missions by the first of each month to be included inthe next issue. Generous assistance from Per Dohler,proofreader, is gratefully acknowledged.

The Translation Inquirer Continued from p. 43



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GeekSpeak Jost [email protected]

Backups—we know we’vegot to do ’em, but we just don’t quiteknow how. I remember way backwhen I was writing my dissertation, Ibacked up all my files on a floppydisk every night. About the time I hadfilled the first floppy and reached thesecond, I knew I had to be aboutdone—there is only so much you canwrite for a dissertation, right?

Oh, how the times have changed!When Apple released the first incarna-tion of the iMac without a floppy drive,people scratched their heads and feltlost. Of course, it is standard now—infact, I am not sure that my kids wouldactually know what to do with a floppydisk. And I would venture to say thatwith the newly released MacBook Airwithout a CD-ROM drive, another eramay also soon be over—we have longsensed that CDs and even DVDs aresort of “yesteryear.”

So what is hip, especially when itcomes to backing up your data? Thereis no doubt that it has got to be onlinebackups. However, the hippest thingdoes not always have to be the best, soI spent some time last week looking atonline backup services.

Before I report on my findings,here are some thoughts on onlineservices in general. It is hard to put afinger on the exact time when itbecame feasible to trust online serv-ices as much or even more than yourlocal computer, but the fact is that itfinally happened sometime in the lastcouple of years. Only three or four (ormaybe five) years ago, most peoplewould have argued that the Internet asthe primary medium to store data,communicate by telephone and e-mail, manipulate files, and, in ourcase, translate, edit, and proofread,was just not quite reliable enough.What if my connection fails? What ifthe server that stores my data crashes?

What if the Internet “goes down”?While all of these things can stillhappen (probably in the same order oflikelihood as mentioned above), todaythere are plenty of workarounds (suchas other means of wired or wirelesscommunication with the Internet) andsecurity mechanisms (redundantservers). More importantly, we havestarted to accept online solutions asthe new norm. Predecessors to manyof today’s products were already thereduring the first dot-com boom, butthey did not make it because ourminds and attitudes were not quiteready for it.

So, let’s back up (pun intended).There is a never-ending list of com-peting products that offer online backupwith slightly different features. Someoffer file sharing with other users, someeven let you work on the files while theyreside at the remote location. A feweven provide a peer-to-peer servicewhere you do not back up on a server,but on a few “buddies’” computers (notsurprisingly, one of those products iscalled BuddyBackup).

Two of the most popular productsat the moment are Carbonite(www.carbonite.com) and Mozy(www.mozy.com). Both servicescharge approximately $5 a month forunlimited storage, although withMozy you have the option to get a freeaccount if you only need to store 4 GB(you will need more). Since several ofyou wrote to me about Carbonite, Isigned up for the 15-day trial to check

it out. I really like it, as it does exactlywhat it promises, but I ended up unin-stalling it again.

First, let’s start by explaining whyCarbonite is a cool little program. Itreally is little—just about 5 MB todownload—and it is extremely simpleto set up. Once you have it installed, itgives you the option to either choosethe default Documents and Settingsfolder for backup (where your e-mailfiles and My Documents typicallyreside), or you can choose folders onyour own. If you forget a folder or afile, it takes only a right-click to add(or deselect) a folder for backup. The

backup process starts right away. Youwill see a little notification that the ini-tial backup may take several days—and it does. In my case, it took aboutfive days. I disabled it while it wasworking during the day because itrequires quite a bit of processingpower, and continued the backup atnight. It all works seamlessly, and oncethe initial backup is complete, each filethat is modified is flagged to be backedup either right away or at a time ofyour choosing. The restore function isalso super-easy: a new virtual drive iscreated that gives you immediateaccess to all of your files. The benefitsof this are obvious. It is dirt-cheap, youhave access to your files from any-where (provided that you access themfrom the machine where they werebacked up), and it is easy.

There is a reason why I decided toreturn to my exterior hard drive backup.

So what is hip, especially when it comes to backing upyour data?



Depending on your TEnT (translationenvironment tool) and whether youchoose to work with client-specifictranslation memories and/or a large all-encompassing translation memory, thesize of those files can be enormous. Solarge, in fact, that the nightly backupmay just not be enough to get every-thing that has been changed writtenback to the Carbonite server. Add tothat your e-mail file(s)—I happen touse Outlook, which stores everything ina large database-like file—and what-ever actual documents you have beenworking on, and you will have to havethe backup run constantly, which tendsto steal from your processing power.This may not be true for you. You may

not deal with very large files. In thatcase, Carbonite, Mozy, or some of theircompetitors may be the right solutionfor you.

There is one more thing, though.On my external hard drive I can doincremental backups that not onlykeep the data from yesterday, but alsofrom the day before and before and—you get the picture. Quite often Irealize that I need to dig much deeperthan just a day or even a week to getsomething that may have beenchanged many times since, which isnot a problem. Of course, there arelimitations, too (at some point thelargest external hard drive is full), butthese are things I can deal with.

(Of course, if my office burns tothe ground and wipes away both mycomputer and the external hard drive,I may regret what I just wrote—so Ido use the good old CD drive to burnCDs with the most important files andstore these outside the house.)

The GeekSpeak column has two goals: to informthe community about technological advances and atthe same time encourage the use and appreciationof technology among translation professionals. Jostalso publishes a free technical newsletter for trans-lators (www.internationalwriters.com/toolkit).

In Memoriam

Marian BabireckiLabrum

1943-2008

The following appeared in the Daily Herald (Provo, Utah) on January 13, 2008.

Marian Babirecki Labrum, 64, died at her home in Orem, Utah, onJanuary 10, 2008, after a courageous battle with multiple sclerosis.

Marian was born on November 5, 1943 in Salto, Uruguay, to AlbaGuillermina Pazos and Wladyslaw Francieszek Babirecki. From a youngage, Marian developed an interest in foreign languages and cultures. At16, she began teaching English in Uruguay. In 1965, she came to theU.S. to attend Brigham Young University in Idaho, where she earnedboth a bachelor’s and master’s degree. She received a Ph.D. in modernlanguages from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Marian married Bruce Marshall McMaster in 1966, and had twochildren. She later divorced, and married Joseph Labrum in 1989.Marian was a professor of Spanish and translation at Brigham YoungUniversity for 33 years. She was also a visiting professor of Spanish atthe Middlebury College Language School during the summer monthsfor 15 years. Marian joined ATA in 1976, and was an ATA-certified(English&Spanish) translator.

Marian is survived by her mother, Alba, her husband, Joseph, her twochildren, Ian McMaster and Tricia Donaldson, a brother, Ian Babirecki,and 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.


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