September 2002 Volume XXXI Number 9 The Chronicle€¦ · in this issue September 2002 Volume XXXI Number 9 Features 17 International Certification Study: Japan By Jiri Stejskal 20

ChronicleThe

A Publication of

the American

Translators

Association

September 2002

Volume XXXI

Number 9

in this issueInterpreting

Hyatt Regency Hotel

American Translators Association

ConferenceAnnualForty-Third

November 6 – 9, 2002Atlanta, Georgia

u

in this issue September 2002

Volume XXXI

Number 9

Features

17 International Certification Study: JapanBy Jiri Stejskal

20 Personalities at WorkBy Tim LewisPersonalities are an important part of the success of businesses. Understanding yourown personality traits and those of your employees or coworkers can reduce, if not eliminate, personality conflicts and improve productivity.

25 How to Speak the Language of InsurersBy Kirk HansenEstablishing strategic partnerships with insurance companies can provide a new marketfor translators/interpreters and create a growth opportunity. The challenge is to marketyourself in a way that will make insurers take note of the skills you have to offer.

27 Lack of Due Diligence in Mexican International Reinsurance TranslationsBy Ellen P. Walroth SadurniLack of due diligence in the legal review process of international reinsurance contractsissued in Mexico is a serious danger to all involved parties.

28 A Translator Interpreting: Deal-Making 101By Kirk AndersonThis is the true story of a translator who got talked into being an interpreter.

31 Adventures in Online Learning: Introduction to Medical InterpretingBy Holly MikkelsonAn existing course, Introduction to Medical Interpreting, was converted to an onlineenvironment. Students participated in nine weeks of online work, consisting of readingsfrom websites, vocabulary-building exercises, and a threaded e-mail discussion. Thenthey journeyed to Monterey for a one-week intensive workshop in medical interpreting.

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the American

Translators

Association

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The ATA Chronicle | September 20024

2002 ChronicleEditorial Calendar

An Easy Reference To ATA Member BenefitsYour ATA membership has never been more valuable. Take advantage of the discounted programs and services available to you as an ATA member. Be sure to tell these companies you are an ATA member andrefer to any codes provided below.

We’ve done everything possible to ensurethat your address is correct. But sometimeserrors do occur. If you find that the informa-tion on the mailing label is inaccurate or outof date, please let us know. Send updates to:The ATA Chronicle • 225 Reinekers Lane,Suite 590 • Alexandria, VA 22314Fax (703) 683-6122 • [email protected]

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...And, of course, as an ATA member you receive discounts on the Annual Conference registration fees and ATA publi-cations, and you are eligible to join ATA Divisions, participate in the online Translation Services Directory, and muchmore. For more information, contact ATA (703) 683-6100; fax (703) 683-6122; and e-mail: [email protected].

The ATA Chronicle Submission GuidelinesThe ATA Chronicle enthusiastically encourages members to submit articles of interest to the fields oftranslation and interpretation.1. Articles (see length specifications below) are due the first of the month, two months prior to the

month of publication (i.e., June 1 for August issue).2. Articles should not exceed 3,500 words. Articles containing words or phrases in non-European

writing systems (e.g., Japanese, Arabic) should be submitted by mail and fax.3. Include your fax, phone, e-mail, and mailing address on the first page.4. Include a brief abstract (two sentences maximum) emphasizing the most salient points of your

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The ATA Chronicle | September 2002 5

33 The Concept of Equivalence in Court InterpretingBy Marina BraunTo put restraints on translators/interpreters by demanding a “verbatim” translation is todisregard the fundamental tenets of modern language and communication theories.Instead, the goal of any translation/interpretation should be semiotic equivalence (i.e.,achieving correspondence on the level of cultural units between the source language andtarget language).

37 What Can Interpreters Learn from Aristotle and Stanislavsky?By Estela HerreraHow Aristotle’s and Stanislavky’s methods can serve as valuable resources whentraining interpreters in the nontechnical skills which are not traditionally taught in interpretation schools.

42 Increasing Web Visibility for the Chinese MarketBy Mike Adams and Sheh LioIf you want your company, products, or services to be seen by Internet-savvy Chineseconsumers, it’s essential that your site appear on Chinese-language search engines.Make it well worth their click, and you’ll be richly rewarded on a global scale!

The ATA Chronicle (ISSN1078-6457) is publishedmonthly, except bi-monthlyin November/December,by the AmericanTranslators Association.

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Mark your calendar!

The 2002 Annual Meeting of theUpper Midwest Translators andInterpreters Association

Saturday, October 19, 2002Minneapolis, Minnesota

Why attend?

• Help shape the translation and interpreting industry in the Upper Midwest.

• Meet local colleagues and agencies.

• Learn about the exciting new initiatives underway.

...And much more!

Contact: [email protected].

29 Intermarkwww.intermark-languages.com

64 Iverson Languagewww.iversonlang.com

63 National Security Agencywww.nsa.com

41 Portland State Extended Studieswww.cep.pdx.edu

71 Star-GMBH Translation Technologywww.star-transit.com

64 Arizona Superior Court HumanResources

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72 TRADOS Corporationwww.trados.com


About Our Authors... Mike Adams is the president and CEO ofArial Global, LLC (www.arialglobalreach.com), a localization and global marketingconsulting firm focusing on Asian markets.Contact: [email protected].

Kirk Anderson is an ATAdirector and ATA-accred-ited translator (Spanishand French into Englishand English into Spanish).He specializes in legal,

commercial, marketing, and literarytexts. Contact: [email protected].

Marina Braun (Ph.D.) is aconsultant, trainer, speaker,writer, and court certifiedinterpreter. She haswritten on dealing withissues of cross-cultural

communication, teaching effective com-munication in a foreign language, as wellas theory and the practice of transla-tion/interpreting. Her many publicationsinclude The English-Russian Dictionary ofAmerican Criminal Law (GreenwoodPress, 1998) and Teaching Effective Com-munication in English [Metodika Obuch-eniya Kulture Obsheniya na AngliiskomYazike] (Moscow: Visshaya Shkola, 1991).Contact: [email protected].

Kirk Hansen is thedirector of claims for theAlliance of American In-surers in Downers Grove,Illinois. The Alliance is anational trade organiza-

tion representing 338 property/casualtyinsurance companies. Contact: [email protected].

Estela Herrera is a certi-fied English→Spanishtranslator and interpreterin Buenos Aires, Argen-tina. She graduated fromthe University of La Plata

with a degree in translation and English-language teaching. She com-pleted her graduate studies in interpreta-tion. She has worked as a freelancetranslator for the last 25 years. As aninterpreter, she has worked extensivelyat medical conferences and in the humanresources field, having interpreted forseveral years for a joint advanced certifi-cate program of Cornell University andthe Argentine Association of HumanResources Executives. She is an activemember of the Colegio de TraductoresPúblicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.Contact: [email protected].

Tim Lewis is the owner ofLewis Communications, atechnical writing servicein Rockford, Illinois. Heworks on a diversity ofprojects for clients in the

region. He has over 23 years of experi-ence in the communications field. Prior tostarting his business, he was a multimediaand video services manager for SiebeEnvironmental Controls. He has workedon over 145 technical documents in thepast three years, and produced over 225technical videos. He is the vice-presidentof the Rock Valley Chapter of the Societyfor Technical Communication. He wasalso a presenter at the Third Annual ATATranslation Company Division Conferencein Chicago this past June. Contact:[email protected].

Sheh Lio is the globalization director atArial Global, LLC, a localization andglobal marketing consulting firmfocusing on Asian markets. Contact:[email protected].

Holly Mikkelson is the director of qualityassurance at Language ServicesAssociates. She is an adjunct professorof translation and interpretation at theMonterey Institute of InternationalStudies. She is an active interpreter andtranslator, has taught court and medicalinterpreting for many years, and haswritten numerous books and articles.Contact: [email protected].

Ellen Walroth Sadurníreceived her bachelor’sdegree in biology and hermaster’s degree in busi-ness administration (spe-cialization: international

business) from the University of Miamiin Coral Gables, Florida. She has manyyears of experience working with trainingprogram designs and assisting in thework of top risk analysts in the UnitedStates. She is an expert in corporatecommunications, is completely bilingual,and has dual nationality status in Mexico.Contact: [email protected].

It pays ...to keep your listings updated in ATA’s online Directory of Translation and Interpreting Services and Directory ofLanguage Services Companies

(www.atanet.org)

AssociationsMake A BetterWorld

Join your colleagues at the 43rdAnnual Conference in Atlanta,November 6-9, to discuss theestablishment of an ATA MedicalDivision.

An information session will be held

on Thursday, November 7, at

5:15pm.

Are you interestedin an ATA Medical

Division?


From the PresidentWelcome to Atlanta

Thomas L. West [email protected]

I t is always a pleasure for the ATApresident to welcome our membersto the Annual Conference, but this

year will be even more special thanusual for me because I will also get towelcome you to my hometown. Wehave a saying down here in theSouth—“you have to go throughAtlanta to get to heaven”—because somany flights connect through theAtlanta airport. Many of you will haveprobably passed through our airport,but you may not have ever venturedinto the city. In this article, I wouldlike to give you a few tips on how toget from the airport to the downtownHyatt Regency, where our conferencewill be held. And, please note, that it’sthe Hyatt Regency; we have more thanone Hyatt in Atlanta.

If you’re coming in from outside theU.S., you will deplane at Concourse E,which is the international concourse. Itis the farthest from the terminal, andyou must take a train from Concourse Eand pass by four stops before you get tothe terminal. One odd thing about theinternational concourse at the Atlantaairport is that if you have checked yourbaggage to Atlanta, you must recheck itafter you pass through customs andimmigration. In other words, they willnot let you carry your checked luggageon the train, so they make you recheckit and then reclaim it at the baggageclaim in the terminal building.

The other odd thing is that theymake you go through security againbefore you board the train for the mainterminal, so expect to wait in anotherline with your hand luggage. Pleasenote that these comments apply only tointernational flights. If you arrive frominside the U.S., you will still have totake a train to the main terminal, butyou will not have to pass through secu-rity to do so.

Once you’re in the main terminaland have reclaimed your checkedbaggage, you will probably want totake the subway (“MARTA”) to theconference hotel. When you get to thesubway platform at the airport, youcan take any of the trains you findthere. They are all northbound trains(because the airport is the last stopgoing south). Please note that it doesnot matter whether you take a trainbound for Doraville or one bound forDunwoody. The track does not splituntil after it passes the stop for theconference hotel. The stop you arelooking for is called “PeachtreeCenter,” and the hotel is literally rightnext to the stop. The subway tokenwill cost you $1.75 (compared to a$40 taxi ride). Across the street fromthe hotel is a Macy’s departmentstore; there is also a Brooks Brothersdowntown and a Hard Rock Café upthe street. You can also take thesubway from the hotel to Lenox

Square and Phipps Plaza, two upscaleshopping malls that are right acrossthe street from each other inBuckhead. These malls have it all,from Hermès and Cartier toRestoration Hardware, Pottery Barn,Macy’s, Rich’s, Saks Fifth Avenue,and Neiman Marcus. Within walkingdistance of Phipps Plaza is a largeBorders bookshop.

If you have time during the confer-ence, you might enjoy a visit to theAtlanta History Center, which is amuseum telling the story of our city.Other particularly “southern” sitesare the Margaret Mitchell House,where she wrote Gone with the Wind;the Cyclorama, which is a painting-in-the-round of the Battle of Atlanta;and the Joel Chandler Harris House,home of the author of the UncleRemus stories. On a more interna-tional front, you can tour CNNCenter, visit the Jimmy CarterPresidential Library, or relax inCentennial Olympic Park.

When you get ready to return to theairport, remember to allow plenty oftime to get to your gate, since you willhave to take the train from the main ter-minal to the departure concourse.

All of us in the Atlanta Associationof Interpreters and Translators lookforward to welcoming you to our city.

This is an exciting opportunity for you to share your knowledge and experience with appreciativecolleagues. For more information, contact: Virginia Perez-Santalla ([email protected]).

ATA’s Spanish Language Division 2nd Annual ConferenceSt. Anthony Hotel • San Antonio, TexasApril 25-27, 2003


ATA Now Offers Customized Website Program

ATA and Two Radical Technologies (2RAD) have

teamed up to provide ATA members an opportunity to

build their own customized websites. Through 2RAD’s

online creation tools—RADTown—ATA members will

be able to set up their own online presence. The offer

includes obtaining a domain name and creating links to

the ATA online directories. For more information,

please contact 2RAD at [email protected] or log on

to www.atanet.org/radtown. See their ad on page 10!

ConferenceUpdate

The Preliminary ConferencePrograms for ATA’s 43rd AnnualConference, November 6-9, inAtlanta, Georgia, have beenmailed. If you have not receivedyour copy, please contact MaggieRowe at 703-683-6100, ext. 3001or [email protected]. You mayalso see the most current informa-tion and register online atwww.atanet.org/conf_2002.

NAJIT Spanish Certification Examination Complete

In May of this year I was able to attend the AnnualMeeting and Educational Conference of the NationalAssociation of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators(NAJIT), held in Phoenix, Arizona. It was, as usual, agathering of fascinating individuals involved in themany diverse aspects of judiciary language services. Iwas particularly interested to learn that the NAJIT certi-fication examination in Spanish is almost complete. Dr.Mike Bunch and Ms. Donna Merritt, of MeasurementIncorporated, who developed the examination togetherwith the Society for the Study of Translation andInterpretation, the 501(c)3 arm of NAJIT, presentedinformation about the process to date. Ms. Mirta Vidal,president of SSTI, also spoke about the examinationand its current status.

This examination is unique in its combination of oraland written aspects of language work. Participants arerequired to demonstrate competence both in translationand in interpretation. In addition, the exam is bidirec-tional in English and Spanish. Finally, it includes bothconsecutive and simultaneous interpretation, in addi-tion to sight translation. I am not aware of any otherexamination that combines these various aspects. It willbe an excellent credential to earn. (The history and pur-pose of the examination was discussed in Dr.Dagoberto Orrantia’s article in the June ATA Chronicle,pp. 19-22).

The written examination has been fully developedand is now ready. The oral examinations were given for

the first time in Phoenix. The oral exam demonstratesthe benefits of new technology. It is given on CD-ROMand taped for grading, so it can be replicated exactlyand the answers reviewed as many times as neces-sary. In June, the oral responses were reviewed andgraded and the standard for passing set. The exam isnow complete. Psychometric analysis of the writtenportion shows a high degree of reliability, and it isexpected that the oral exam will also. The fact that oneneed not be a member of NAJIT to be certified addsweight and credibility to the examination—additional evidence, to my mind, that the ATA Boardwas wise to commit to opening our examination tononmembers in the future.

More than one U.S. state authority has alreadyshown interest in this examination as a standard forcertifying individuals to work as judiciary interpretersand translators. While there are other examinationsavailable for Spanish interpreters in this country, I believe that this effort to develop a standard set bythe professionals themselves will create a new bench-mark for interpretation. ATA members involved in Spanish-language interpretation will certainly wantto learn more about this opportunity. I commend our colleagues in NAJIT and SSTI on their efforts, and NAJIT members for their support of this extraordinary endeavor.

Ann G. [email protected]


From the Executive DirectorATA 2002 Membership by the Numbers

I always enjoy seeing the updateddemographic data of the ATAmembership. Last year, we fin-

ished with a record 8,562 members.We will surpass that number thisyear, and will probably have 9,000members by year-end if current mem-bership trends continue.

For 2002, we once again askedATA members to provide somedemographic data with their renewalnotices. The questions were optional,so I would like to thank those mem-bers who took the time to share theirinformation. I would also like tothank Roshan Pokharel, ATA’s infor-mation systems manager, who com-piled the statistics, and Teresa Ly,ATA’s membership and accreditationspecialist, who keyed in the data.

The following statistics are basedon the responses from 3,830 mem-bers. Obviously not all membersresponded, and we still have acouple of months left, but the num-bers do reflect a solid sampling ofthe membership.

Employment StatusWhile the industry is going through

some changes with various mergers andacquisitions of language services com-panies, the employment status remainsrelatively unchanged. ATA memberswere asked to check all of the followingtranslation-/interpreting-relatedemployment status categories thatapplied.

Full-time independent contractor:42% (39% in 2000, the mostrecent year for comparison)

Part-time independent contractor:29% (unchanged)

Company owner:10% (11%)

Full-time private-sector employee:9% (10%)

Academia:6% (7%)

Government employee:4% (unchanged)

Areas of SpecializationMembers were asked to give their

areas of specialization. More than onearea of specialization could have beenspecified.

Business:18% (unchanged from 2000)

Law:13% (unchanged)

Arts & Humanities:12% (unchanged)

Industry & Technology:11% (12%)

Medicine:11% (10%)

Computers:9% (10%)

Social Sciences:9% (8%)

Engineering:6% (7%)

Natural Sciences:6% (unchanged)

Other:5% (4%)

EducationHere is the highest level of educa-

tion completed.

High school diploma:2% (3% in 2000)

Associate’s degree:4% (unchanged)

Bachelor’s degree: 36% (34%)Master’s degree: 43% (44%)Doctorate: 12% (13%)Other: 3% (2%)

Years of ExperienceHere is the breakdown by years in

the translation/interpreting profession.

0-5 years: 17% (19% in 2000)6-10 years: 26% (27%)11-15 years: 20% (18%)16-20 years: 17% (unchanged)>20 years: 20% (19%)

GenderWhile gender was not specified on

the questionnaire, I did want to includeit to help round out the demographicprofile of the membership. Genderwas determined by the title selected(e.g., Ms., Mrs., Mr., etc.) on the mem-bership application form. Please note,all respondents did not complete thisfield, and we did not include thosewho selected “Doctor” or “Professor”as his or her title. The following per-centages do not represent a significantchange from recent years.

Female: 70%Male: 30%

It will be interesting to see if and/orhow the demographics of the member-ship are affected by the changes in theindustry—mergers and acquisitions,the growing global marketplace, andthe economy. Regardless, ATA willcontinue to strive to offer valuable pro-grams and services. Thank you againfor being a member of the AmericanTranslators Association.

Walter Bacak, [email protected]


Letters to the Editor

MIIS Graduate School of Translationand Interpretation ProfessionalExams (Response to Joel Stern)

Having read the interview with JoelStern in the June 2002 issue (“SlavicTranslation for the Determined:Reflections of a Polyglot Translator,”page 31), and having received anumber of queries from current andformer students regarding the accuracyof some of the statements therein, Iwould like to respond in my capacityas the director of translation andformer Russian program head of theGraduate School of Translation andInterpretation (GSTI) at the MontereyInstitute of International Studies.

Although I tend to agree with Mr.Stern’s contention that formal aca-demic training is not essential tobecoming a successful translator, Iwas somewhat taken aback by his gra-tuitous slighting of some examineesfrom the GSTI Russian program and,by extension, of the Institute. I thoughtperhaps your readers would be inter-ested in some of the facts pertaining tothe situation to which he alludes.

In 1999, to the best of my recollec-tion, two M.A. candidates in theRussian T&I program and one grad-uate of the program took the exam. Allthree were native speakers of Englishand had Russian as a B-language. Twoof these people passed the exam(Laurel Nolen and Jonathan Baram).In 2000 (again, to the best of my

recollection), four or five people tookthe exam, none of whom passed. Ofthis group, only one was a nativespeaker of English and had Russian asa B-language. The other candidateseither had Russian as a C-language orwere not native speakers of English,but had nonetheless been encouragedby me (and State) to take the examfor experience, if nothing else. Thus,the pass rate for GSTI-R M.A. candi-dates who are native speakers ofEnglish with Russian as a B-languagecurrently stands at 50%.

Now, a number of conclusionsother than the one implied by Mr.Stern can be drawn from these statis-tics, but I’ll leave that to yourreaders, many of whom will no doubtaccord Mr. Stern’s observations theproper degree of skepticism. I wouldonly like to add that the exam inquestion is not usually administeredto anyone with less than five years ofprofessional experience, and thatState was pleasantly surprised thattwo people with relatively little pro-fessional translation experience actu-ally passed the exam.

Graduates of the Russian T&I pro-gram at MIIS have consistently dis-tinguished themselves as professionaltranslators and interpreters, and agood many of them have gone on towork for the U.S. Department ofState, albeit primarily as interpreters.Moreover, GSTI’s professional

exams have long been a regularrecruiting stop for State, and theRussian-language sessions are oftengiven high priority. Cavalier remarkslike the ones made by Mr. Sterndetract from this relationship.

Mike [email protected]

Gone with the Wind After reading ATA President Tom

West’s column on the SociétéFrançaise des Traducteurs in the Julyissue, I decided I had to write. WhenI read about Mr. Caillé, I rememberedI had a copy of Autant en emporte levent. After my grandmother died, Iwas given several of her books and Iremembered this being one of them. Ipulled it out and found that it wasindeed the translation by Caillé. Yousay that it sold like hotcakes. Well,you weren’t exaggerating. My copywas printed in July 1939, and it is the47th edition! (It shows a copyrightdate of 1938.) I mentioned this to myfather. He was a teenager at the time,but he remembered his mother, hisaunt, and their friends reading andtalking about it. Thanks for the tripdown memory lane!

Cristina [email protected]

The Northwest Translators andInterpreters Society’s Directory ofTranslators and Interpreters is nowonline, enabling translation and interpre-tation users to find the right profession-al for the job. Go to www.notisnet.org

(click on “Need a Translator orInterpreter?”), and be sure to share thelink! The NOTIS website hosts a wealthof client education information, from“beginner” education to payment prac-tice reminders. White papers on our

letterhead (in PDF format) are ready tosend to your clients as is, or you are wel-come to use some of our text to incor-porate into a letter to the editor. Justclick on “About Translation &Interpretation.”

NOTIS Directory of Translators and Interpreters Online!


2002 ATA Election: Proposed Amendments to the ATA Bylaws

T he following section offers fullcoverage of the election: the pro-posed amendments to the Bylaws

regarding the broadening of eligibilityfor student status and a change ofcommittee name, and the candidates’statements. Please note that the Bylawsrevisions are denoted by crossingthrough text for deletions and under-lining text for insertions. Ballots willbe mailed in late September.

Proposed Bylaws Change:Whereas the ATA Consultant, Paul

O’Mara, has advised the Associationof the benefits of broadening eligibil-ity for student membership, and

whereas the Board of Directors ofthe Association wishes to attract greaternumbers of student members, and

whereas greater numbers of studentmembers will benefit the Associationby ensuring a future stream of poten-tial translators and interpreters whoare aware of the work of theAssociation and value its activities,

now, therefore, be it resolved thatthe Board of Directors present aBylaws amendment to the member-ship of the Association, to be voted onin the Annual Meeting of VotingMembers to be held in Atlanta,Georgia, November 7, 2002, to amendArticle III, Section 2, Item d of theBylaws as follows:

Article III, Membershipd. Student: Any person who is a full-

time student, or any person

enrolled part-time in translation orinterpretation interpreting, foreignlanguage, or related course ofstudy at the non-degree certificate,undergraduate, or graduate level,curricula at the collegiate levelshall be eligible for student mem-bership. A person may not retainstudent membership status formore than a four year period.

❏ FOR ❏ AGAINST

For your information, Head-quarters requests candidates forstudent membership to provide ver-ification of their eligibility for thatstatus. The ATA Board of Directorsrecommends that you vote FORthis proposal.

Proposed Bylaws Change:Whereas the Association’s Treas-

urer currently serves as chair of twocommittees with overlapping duties,namely the Budget Committee andthe Investment Committee, and

whereas a single committeeencompassing the duties of the twocommittees above would streamlinethe Association’s operations and elim-inate confusion as to which commit-tee is responsible for which tasks,

now, therefore, be it resolved thatthe Board of Directors present aBylaws amendment to the member-ship of the Association to be voted onin the Annual Meeting of VotingMembers to be held in Atlanta,

Georgia, November 7, 2002, to amendArticle VII, Sections 2 and 2a of theBylaws as follows:

Article VII, Other CommitteesSection 2—Standing and OtherCommittees; Purposes

The Association shall have the fol-lowing standing committees exercis-ing the authority of the Board ofDirectors: Executive Committee,BudgetFinance, Ethics, Active Mem-bership Review, and Nominating. Thedelegation to such committees ofauthority shall not operate to relievethe Board of Directors or any individ-ual Director of any responsibilityimposed upon them by law.

a. BudgetFinance. The BudgetFinance Committee shall include,but not be limited to, the membersof the Executive Committee. Thiscommittee shall oversee thefinances of the Association, includ-ing, but not limited to, drawing upthe draw up abudget for each fiscalyear to be submitted to the Boardof Directors for approval before thebeginning of the fiscal year.

❏ FOR ❏ AGAINST

The ATA Board of Directors rec-ommends that you vote FOR thisproposal.

Plan now to exhibit at the AmericanTranslators Association’s 43rd AnnualConference in Atlanta, Georgia,November 6–9, 2002.

Exhibiting at the ATA Annual Conferenceoffers the best opportunity to market yourproducts and services face-to-face to morethan 1,500 translators in one location.

Translators are consumers of computerhardware and software, technical publi-cations and reference books, office prod-ucts, and much more. For additionalinformation, please contact:

Brian WallaceMcNeill Group [email protected](215) 321-9662, ext. 38Fax: (215) 321-9636.

Attention Exhibitors:

ATA’s 43rd AnnualConference

Atlanta, Georgia • Hyatt Regency Hotel

November 6-9, 2002


Candidates’ Statements for ATA’s Election

T he election this year is to fillthree directors’ positions (eacha three-year term). The ballots

will be mailed in late September.

Kirk [email protected]

I am truly honoredto be nominated toserve a second term onATA’s Board of

Directors. My last three years ofservice to the association have been avastly enriching—not to mentiondeeply humbling—professional expe-rience, and have undoubtedly repre-sented the most rewarding volunteerexperience of my life. It’s been apleasure and a privilege to servealongside many of the stars of ourcraft. I’d like to thank the member-ship for giving me this opportunity,and to offer some reasons why youshould give it to me again.

I was first elected to the ATABoard amid the international accredi-tation controversy, as one of threefreelance translators elected that year,and as its youngest member. Sincethen, the Board’s makeup haschanged considerably and, thanks toyou, the members, freelance transla-tors and interpreters now have a sig-nificant voice in association affairs.

It’s undeniable that our industry isundergoing radical change, and it’smore important than ever that ATA doeverything possible to give our trans-lator and interpreter members thetraining and resources they need to bethe best in the world.

During my past three years on theBoard, I spent much of my timechairing the Chapters Committee,meeting with local groups nationwideto discuss their relationships with ATA,support their growth and establish-ment, provide greater resources forlocal events, but most of all, to listen.In my three years as Chapters chair, Imet hundreds of translators from allover the country, and their comments,concerns, and criticisms have informedmy participation on the Board.

Most importantly, I continue towork as a freelance translator andinterpreter, in the trenches, makingmy living by the word. Over the years,I’ve worked in a broader-than-averagerange of capacities in our industry,from project manager to in-housetranslator, from telephone interpreterto the deposition circuit, from desktoppublisher to published literary trans-lator, and have become ATA-accred-ited in three language pairs. I alsoteach translation at Florida Inter-national University. Through personalexperience in a wide range of industrypositions, I believe I can fairly repre-sent a broad cross-section of ourmembers, especially freelance transla-tors and interpreters.

I’m also a firm believer in givingback to our profession. In addition tomy service on the Board and asChapters Committee chair, I’ve alsoserved twice on the NominatingCommittee, contributed to severalassociation and industry initiatives,made presentations at annual confer-ences, and published numerous arti-cles in the ATA Chronicle, variousassociation, division, and chapterpublications, and other industry andgeneral-interest periodicals.

If re-elected, I pledge to continue tolisten to members’ concerns and criti-cism, to promote our professionsthrough solid, proactive public rela-tions efforts, to support and promotecontinuing education and professionaldevelopment for translators and inter-preters, to push for further improve-ments and transparency in accreditationand association governance, and to pro-vide ATA members with an increasingquantity, and quality, of tangiblemembership benefits.

I hope you give me the chance toserve you for another three years.

Kathy Hall [email protected]

I am honored to havebeen selected by thisyear’s Nominating Com-mittee as a candidate

for a position on the ATA Board ofDirectors. Throughout my 20 years asan ATA member, I have seen manychanges in our profession, and ATAhas always been there to provide trans-lators and interpreters with a forum todiscuss these changes, a structurewithin which to exchange ideas, and ameans to seek guidance and training inorder to become better able to prosperin the ever-evolving world of transla-tion and interpretation.

During the past 20 years, I have hadthe opportunity to be active in ATA atthe chapter level, serving my localchapter, the MidAmerica Chapter ofATA, as president, vice-president, sec-retary, treasurer, director, and nomi-nating committee chair, as well asediting the chapter newsletter andassisting in preparations for our annualsymposium. With this background atthe chapter level, along with 25 yearsof working as a simultaneous inter-preter and technical translator, I feel Ihave a solid foundation of experiencewhich I can bring to the nationalorganization.

Having spent the first half of mycareer as a simultaneous interpreter,and being currently employed as an in-house translator/editor for a transla-tion agency where I interact withagency personnel, project managers,and freelance translators on a dailybasis, I believe I can bring a comple-mentary perspective to the ATA Board;one that is based on understanding therole of each link in the translation/interpretation process and how each isvital to the success of the whole.

In running for national office, I doso not because I have any personalagenda to fulfill, but rather out of adesire to continue to contribute toATA in any way that I can, and to giveback to the organization that hashelped me throughout my career.

Alexandra [email protected]

A translator workingfrom Spanish, ➡


French, and Portuguese into English, Ihave over 20 years of experience,including several as a freelancer. Forthe past 14 years, I have been a stafftranslator-reviser at an internationalorganization in Washington, DC. I’vebeen actively involved with ATA since1996, when I attended my first confer-ence. I was so inspired by the chanceto be around hundreds of colleagueswho actually knew and appreciatedwhat I do for a living that I’ve beencoming back ever since.

ATA has given me a lot: a sense ofpride in the profession; opportunitiesfor professional development I couldnot have found elsewhere, and thechance to share my knowledge andexperience with others; businessopportunities to recruit prospectivefreelance translators and summerinterns for my organization; a net-work of like-minded professionalswith whom to exchange press clip-pings about language and translation;and many lasting friendships.

My key interests in professionaldevelopment and communication haveled me to write articles for the ATAChronicle, deliver papers at the confer-ence, and to join ATA’s PublicRelations Committee. I believe theseare the strengths that I could use on theATA Board to get useful information tothe membership, enhance the imageof the profession, promote learningopportunities, and provide practicalsupport to members.

I would like to work with thePublic Relations Committee on sev-eral outreach projects we’ve talkedabout: brochures for client educationin different languages, talking pointson key issues for the press, and sug-gested topics for member presenta-tions to various audiences (fromgrade school to university students).

In terms of professional develop-ment, I would like to help work withthe divisions, local chapters, andorganizers of specialized confer-ences. It is crucial that we providethese opportunities to the member-ship if we want to set standards of

excellence for translation which willhelp us enhance the image of ourprofession.

Madeleine [email protected]

It is an honor to benominated to run for afull term on the ATABoard of Directors.

Working with my colleagues duringmy one-year appointment, I’ve beenpleased to contribute and give backto the organization that has given meso much.

These are exciting times for ATA.Over 8,000 members strong, we aremoving to further professionalize ourorganization so that it can better serveits members and to improve the publicperception of translation and inter-preting. I strongly support last year’sBoard decision to implement the rec-ommendations of the Hamm Report.Change is always unsettling. Butimprovement can’t take place withoutit, and the recommended changes tothe accreditation program will makeus better at what we do, enhance ourprofessional image, and strengthenour credential. Decoupling the accred-itation exam from membership is cru-cial to its acceptance as a standard.Eligibility requirements for the exam,ensuring a better fit between the examitself and the people taking it, willimprove the way it is perceived by thepublic. Implementing continuing edu-cation as a requisite for retainingaccreditation will not only make vis-ible the fact that we as a professionvalue the importance of remainingcurrent with new developments in ourmany fields of expertise, but will alsoserve the very practical and desirablepurpose of making us better transla-tors and interpreters. The successfulmentoring program is a primeexample of our members’ commit-ment to excellence, as are the wellattended topic-specific seminars likethe ones on medical translation andinterpreting and the business of trans-lating and interpreting that were held

this year in Chicago and Boston. Asan educator of translators, I also sup-port broadening student membershipeligibility to give more young peopleinterested in languages a chance torub shoulders with experienced andsuccessful translators and interpreters,and to learn about career possibilitiesand about the organization that willsupport them as professionals.

Accredited in French→Englishtranslation, I’ve been translating for 12years and an ATA member since 1996.I direct the graduate certificate programin nonliterary translation at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,where I also teach French and Frenchtranslation. When I have the time, Itranslate literature, and was awardedthe French-American Foundation Trans-lation Prize in 1998. I’ve been active inprofessional development, helping toorganize conferences and giving trans-lation workshops, as well as inincreasing the public’s awareness of thenature and importance of our profes-sion through talks in high schools andat a state conference of foreign lan-guage teachers. This past summer, aspart of a Board initiative to reach out tothe foreign language community, I gavea presentation on our profession and theATA at the annual convention of theAmerican Association of Teachers ofFrench in Boston.

I ask for your vote so that I cancontinue to work with my colleagueson the Board to help make our greatprofessional organization even better.

Laura E. [email protected]

The year turns, bring-ing me closer to my 10thanniversary this Nov-ember as a full-time,

freelance language services provider(Russian→English), both interpreterand translator. As the date approaches,I think more and more about the path Ihave traveled during this decade. Attimes, it seems to me that I have workedfor every conceivable type of client inevery conceivable sector (for federal

Candidates’ Statements for ATA’s Elections Continued


agencies, the courts, some of the majorinternational organizations, law firms,oil companies, dance troupes, pub-lishing houses), and in every conceiv-able field (nuclear disarmament,diplomacy, education, sports, humanrights, agriculture, the media, andbanking). I have translated books onsubjects ranging from Stalinism toslang for mainstream and academicpublishing houses. I have providedconsultation on lexicography, cross-cultural communication, and testingand evaluation of court interpreters. Ihave seen close-up how our profes-sions are practiced in Western andEastern Europe and in Canada. Ihave been a mentor to newcomersand written on the profession for abroad public.

Through it all, ATA has been crucialto my career, providing me with closefriends, colleagues, and priceless andpleasurable opportunities for profes-sional exchange. I have writtennumerous articles for the ATAChronicle, including the popular “MissInterpreter Speaks” series. I have beena frequent presenter at ATA confer-ences. For five years, I was an editor ofSlavfile, the newsletter of ATA’s SlavicLanguages Division, where I was oneof the first to push to broaden the scopeof the division to serve practitioners inSlavic languages other than Russian,and where I founded a distinguishedspeaker series.

In running for the ATA Board ofDirectors, my main concern is for thefate of freelancers. In my years on themarket, I have seen conditionsworsen. Rates have stagnated and, insome cases, dropped. This is due bothto the domination of the market by afew large-volume clients and to thegrowth of a gray market in languageservices provided by bilinguals withfew credentials and little experience.It is now not uncommon for inter-preters to be asked to pay their ownway to jobs in other cities and towork alone without a partner, evenwith large groups. More and moreoften, interpreters are brought into

this country to work at below-marketrates or for travel expenses only.

I know of no sure way to put a haltto these practices, but I believe thatprogress can be made if they are dis-cussed audibly and often. We mustplace greater emphasis on training,credentials, and high professionalstandards. We must urge members ofthe profession to demand decent payand working conditions and to refuseto work under unsatisfactory arrange-ments. The more we respect our-selves and the more clients and thepublic respect us, the better we willbe treated. In me, freelancers, andparticularly freelance interpreters(traditionally underrepresented in ourorganization), will find an advocateon the Board.

Timothy T. [email protected]

I have been a trans-lator and interpretersince 1990 and an ATAmember since 1991. I

joined ATA’s Portuguese LanguageDivision immediately after joiningthe association, and became itsadministrator in 1997. When my termended in 1999, I ran for, and waselected to, a director’s position on theATA Board. I have attended all theconferences, except for Austin, madepresentations, and contributed to theATA Chronicle and the PLDatanewsletter. Outside of ATA, I haveattended and made presentations atseveral conferences abroad, and havelectured in the New York UniversityTranslation Certificate program.

During my tenure as an ATAdirector, I chaired the DivisionsCommittee for two years. This com-mittee serves as a forum for divisionsto coordinate policies and exchangeideas. In addition to establishingATA’s Chinese Language Division, thecommittee’s greatest recent accom-plishments, with the crucial support ofHeadquarters staff, include standard-izing the division election calendarand procedures and successfully

eliminating the Headquarters divisionoverhead charge (thus increasing divi-sion budgets by over 25%).

I have always been a strong sup-porter of the accreditation program. Iam ATA-accredited (Portuguese→English). As the only such credentialin the U.S., ATA accreditation hashelped me tremendously in mycareer. Whenever I fill out a transla-tion company registration form, Iproudly check the “ATA-accredited”box. Rarely do these forms not askfor ATA accreditation information,which indicates the credential’sacceptance in the market.

I applaud the ongoing effort to turnATA accreditation into an evenstronger credential and a standard ofexcellence in the industry. ATA mem-bers, and indeed the entire industry,will only benefit from these improve-ments. The Accreditation Committeeand ATA Board have been respondingto suggestions from the membership,including the use of computers,increasing exam security, fine-tuninggrading criteria and the selection ofexam passages, as well as looking intoeligibility and continuing educationrequirements for maintaining accredi-tation. Some members disagree withopening the program up to nonmem-bers. I am persuaded that disassoci-ating the credential from membershiprequirements, after improvements tothe program have been introduced,will increase its credibility in themarket and benefit us all.

The Board is forward-looking,and I am proud to have been a part ofit for the past three years. It is repre-sentative of all segments of the asso-ciation, and has worked hard andcollegially to bring many new bene-fits to all of us. Ever-improvingmembership numbers and attritionrates, and finances, are an indicationof our success.

If elected, I intend to focus on pro-moting improvements to ATA’s web-site. I have recently been appointed to

Continued on p.16


Conferences and Events

Washington, DCTranslators Discussion Group Borders Books and Music18th & L Streets, NW

Meets the second Wednesday of eachmonth from 6:30-8:00 pm at Borders.For more information, please contactBorders at (202) 466-2152.

Minneapolis, Minnesota 2002 Annual Meeting Upper Midwest Translators andInterpreters Association Saturday, October 19, 2002

Why attend? • Help shape the translation and inter-

preting industry in the upperMidwest.

• Meet local colleagues and agencies. • Learn about the exciting new initia-

tives underway.

...And much more! Contact: [email protected].

Cambridge, Massachusetts6th Annual Massachusetts MedicalInterpreters Association Conference “Unheard Voices” Cambridge College1000 Massachusetts AvenueOctober 25-26, 2002

For information or to be placed on the

mailing list, contact either Joy Connellat (617) 626-8133([email protected]) orJohn Nickrosz at (617) 636-5212 ([email protected]).

Berlin, Germany4th International Conference andExhibitionLanguages and the MediaTheme: Viewers, Languages, andMarketingHotel InterContinental BerlinDecember 4-6, 2002

Who should attend: language industryspecialists; manufacturers of languagetechnology and tools; consumer represen-tatives; decision makers and specialists onlanguages in the media; distributors ofaudiovisual media products and services;producers; exporters and importers ofmedia programs; subtitling and dubbingcompanies; and experts in media studiesand mass communication. Information:www.languages-media.com.

San Antonia, Texas2nd Annual ATA Spanish LanguageDivision ConferenceApril 25-27,2003

This is an exciting opportunity for you toshare your knowledge and experience withappreciative colleagues. For more informa-tion, contact: Virginia Perez-Santalla

([email protected]), or visitwww.ata-spd.org.

Dublin, Ireland14th International Japanese/EnglishTranslation Conference IJET-14 May 17-18, 2003

The 14th annual IJET conference inDublin will mark the first time that IJEThas met in Ireland, and promises to pro-vide an exciting and charming experi-ence for all attendees. This venue wasproposed in the hopes of not only provid-ing a thoroughly enjoyable conference,but also to expand the horizons of IJETattendees. Just as translations serve tobring Japanese- and English-speakingcultures closer together, IJET conferencesprovide an opportunity for first-handexposure to the languages and cultures. Itis hoped that IJET-14 will be a learningexperience, as well as a good time, for allparticipants. More information will beavailable at http://ijet.org/ijet-14/shortly.

Please send us information on yourupcoming events (including dates,venue, and contact information) [email protected].

(Please send material at least twomonths prior to the event.)

Help Us Get the Word Out!

chair an ad-hoc committee that willmake recommendations to the Boardwith regard to the Internet. An effec-tive web presence will depend on theinvolvement of all ATA members,including our exciting new publicrelations initiatives, so that the sitecontents can be complete, up-to-date,and easy to navigate. In addition, Iwill continue to serve as liaisonbetween the Board and our divisions.

Candidates’ Statements for ATA’s Elections Continued from p.15

Los Angeles, California Spanish Legal Translators and Interpreters SeminarIntermark Language Services October 18-19, 2002For more information on this 9-hour seminar, log onto www.intermark-languages.com

A Seminar of Interest toSpanish Legal Translators and Interpreters


W ith the article on Denmark inthe August issue we com-pleted our overview of the

highly regulated governmental certi-fication systems in the Nordic coun-tries. We will now examinecertification in Japan, which repre-sents the opposite side of the spectrumwith no governmental involvementand with multiple certification sys-tems being run by multiple profes-sional and educational organizations.Contrary to the Scandinavian model,most of the Japanese certificationprograms have no eligibility require-ments and provide for multiple-levelcertification, ranging from elemen-tary knowledge of foreign languageto expert translation capabilities.

Collecting information for thisarticle proved to be particularly chal-lenging because most of the relevantwebsites are available only in Japanese.Therefore, the information presentedhere relies on the following individualswho were willing to share their knowl-edge: Fred Uleman, a member of theJapanese Society of Translators (JST)and the Japanese Association ofTranslators (JAT); Tomoki Hotta, who,in addition to being the part-time exec-utive director of the Japan TranslationAssociation (JTA) in charge of a pub-licity committee and certification pro-cedures, is the executive director ofBabel Co., Ltd., and a member of theNorthern California TranslatorsAssociation; and Chuichi Kamei, aformer liaison officer with theInternational Federation of Translators(FIT), and a member of JAT and theJapan Translation Federation (JTF),where he serves as the “Sanyo”(advisor or counselor).

It is not an easy task to navigateamong the great number of organiza-tions for translators and interpretersin Japan, and this article does notclaim to be an exhaustive treatment

of the subject. To my knowledge, thefollowing organizations in Japanoffer certification programs for trans-lators and interpreters:

• Japan Society for Technical Communication (JSTC)

• Japan Translation Association (JTA)• Japan Translation Federation, Inc.

(JTF)• Honyaku-Jutsumu Kyoiku Gakuin• National Council of Professional

Translators• Business Education Academy• Babel Co., Ltd.• Japan Association for Technical

Communication (JATEC)

In addition to these organizations,Japanese translators and interpreterscan join JAT or JST. Neither of theseorganizations, however, offers certifi-cation. They are mentioned herebecause the subject of certificationhas apparently been discussed withinJAT a number of times, always with anegative result, with the administra-tive considerations (graders, proc-tors) being major dissuaders, inaddition to the doubts of JAT mem-bers as to whether such a certificationprogram would have any meaning inthe real-life marketplace. For thesame reason, JAT does not recognize

certifications earned elsewhere. Eventhough JAT has cordial relationshipswith JTA and JTF, which have certifi-cation programs (described below),many JAT members view theseorganizations’ programs as efforts togenerate revenues rather than asserious contributions to the quality oftranslation in Japan. Fred Uleman([email protected]) can provide furtherinformation in this respect. JST,another major player in the Japanesetranslation industry that does notoffer certification, is Japan’s onlyfull-status member of FIT. SelectedJapanese organizations, for whom thecertification process is meaningfuland who believe that it enhances thequality of the translation and inter-pretation profession in Japan, areintroduced below.

Japan Translation AssociationIn 1987, JTA received permission

from the Ministry of Labor to beestablished as an association. Theobjective of JTA was to objectivelymeasure the knowledge and technicalskills of translators in the industrialarea, and its current TranslatorQualification Examination is appar-ently the most authoritative examina-tion of technical translation skill inJapan. Following the discontinuationof public certification in 2001 due tothe policy of privatization and dereg-ulation introduced by the Japanesegovernment, the association decidedto continue using the TranslatorQualification Examination as itsqualifying examination.

The evaluations are intended forthe fields of natural sciences, socialsciences, and the humanities. Thereare four levels of achievement. Thetests are geared toward “industrialtranslation,” and each level is com-prised of both a knowledge examina-tion and a technical skill

International Certification Study: Japan

By Jiri Stejskal

“…most of the Japanesecertification programs

have no eligibilityrequirements and provide

for multiple-levelcertification, ranging fromelementary knowledge offoreign language to experttranslation capabilities…”

➡


International Certification Study: Japan Continued

examination. Every person whopasses the exam is conferred a title byJTA according to his or her field andlevel (e.g., “Level 1 Translator[English–Natural Sciences]”). Thefour individual levels are:

• Level 4: Practical translation expe-rience in basic language skills, par-ticularly in English, is required.

• Level 3: The applicant must beproficient in comprehension, lan-guage expression, and have funda-mental specialized knowledge inpractical translation.

• Level 2: For persons with morethan three years of practical trans-lation experience. Even though theperson hasn’t yet attained the levelof a professional translator, it isnecessary to have a skill level inwhich the person could become aprofessional with a small amountof correction.

• Level 1: For people with more thansix years of practical translationexperience. A mandatory require-ment is to have not only a highlevel of proficiency in Englishexpression, but also to be highlyaccomplished in written Japanese.

Babel Co., Ltd. and Babel UniversityIn addition to the “English Trans-

lation Grammar Proficiency Test,”which is an entry-level test for trans-lators, Babel Co., Ltd. offers a“Professional Translation ProficiencyTest” designed to evaluate the com-petence of professional translators.Although individual examinationquestionnaires differ with each cate-gory, each test comprises approxi-mately 1,000 words.

The Babel Professional LanguageTest (BPL Test) is administered by

the Babel Professional Language TestAdministration Committee. The can-didates are not restricted to thealumni of Babel University, andpublic participation has been widelyencouraged.

As an evaluation standard for busi-ness communication proficiency, espe-cially for translation proficiency, theabove-mentioned “Translator Qualifi-cation Examination” (Honyaku-Kentei),administered by JTA with the author-ization of the Ministry of Labor,would come to mind first. However,according to the information pro-vided by the Babel representative, theJTA test examines ability in the majorcategories of social sciences, naturalsciences, and the humanities, butdoes not necessarily prove ability in aspecific category. On the other hand,the BPL test, which is offered withgreater frequency than the JTA test,has been designed to evaluate profi-ciency in a specific category.

As part of reforms led by PrimeMinister Junichiro Koizumi, govern-ment agencies have ceased to supportthe evaluation of technical translationproficiency, such as the Society forTesting English Proficiency test. Inother words, the BPL Test has cometo compete for de facto standardstatus with other translation profi-ciency tests in the same arena of “pri-vately run tests.”

The Professional TranslationProficiency Test has two features.The first feature is “grade evalua-tion.” Based on test results, exami-nees are given grades from 1 through5. Grade 2 proves that an examineepossesses enough knowledge andtechnique to work independently as aprofessional translator (a goal forexaminees for the time being). Theother feature is “skill analysis.” Anassessment sheet clearly points out anexaminee’s deficiencies to provide

guidance for further study aftertaking the test.

The eight categories of theProfessional Translation ProficiencyTest currently include English→Japanese translation of fiction, non-fiction, and movies (subtitles), law-and computer-related texts, as well asJapanese→English translation ofpatent specifications. Additional cate-gories include French→Japanese andGerman→Japanese literary transla-tion. Furthermore, the fiction categoryis divided into mystery and romance.Candidates usually take the test athome, but Babel Co., Ltd. recentlyadministered its first test at a testvenue to evaluate the productivity ofcandidates and to move toward a“practical” situation examination.Examination time was also shortenedfor those taking the test at home.

For further information on both JTAand Babel Co., Ltd., please contact Mr.Tomoki Hotta ([email protected]).

Japan Translation FederationJTF is a nonprofit industrial organ-

ization striving to promote translationbusinesses through the implementa-tion of research studies, seminars, thetraining of skilled persons, and partic-ipation in international conferencesrelated to translation. Through its pro-grams, JTF aims to contribute to theeconomic and social development ofJapan. JTF was founded as a voluntaryorganization in 1981. The HonyakuKentei (Translator QualificationExamination) was inaugurated fiveyears later, in 1986. In 1990, JTF affil-iated with FIT and became a corporatejuridical entity upon obtaining the per-mission of the Ministry of Economy,Trade, and Industry. In 1992, JTFlaunched an online version of theHonyaku Kentei examination system.Finally, in 1993, JTF became affiliatedwith ATA. As of March 2002, JTF has


119 corporate members, 313 indi-vidual members, and 6 supportingmembers. JTF’s activities include:

• Conducting research and studiesrelated to the translation business;

• Organizing seminars and lecturesrelated to the translation business;

• Fostering skilled translators andadministering examinations for theevaluation of translation proficiency:→ Honyaku Kentei (Translator

Qualification Examination), and→ Issuing guidebooks for pro-

spective applicants and com-menting on past problems;

• Collecting and provisioning infor-mation on translation businesses;

• Serving as a liaison cooperatingwith foreign and Japanese organi-zations related to translation;

• Protecting intellectual propertiesrelated to translation; and

• Issuing commendations related totranslation.

The Honyaku Kentei (TranslatorQualification Examination of JTF)Objectives:1. To foster industrial translators and

to maintain and improve thequality of translation, thereby con-tributing to the promotion of lan-guage services to the industrysectors requiring translation.

2. In order to achieve the aboveobjectives, the following twolevels shall be established:a. Practical use level—designed

to certify the ability of theexaminee as a professionaltranslator;

b. Basic level—designed to findpromising future translators.

Types of certification:1. The level and fields of specializa-

tion shall be as follows for eachlevel:

a. For the practical use level, theexaminations shall consist ofEnglish→Japanese andJapanese→English;

b. For the basic level, the exami-nations shall consist ofEnglish→Japanese and Japanese→English.

2. For the practical use level, thefields of specialization shall be asfollows: Politico-socio-economic,science and technology, financeand securities, medicine and phar-macology, information pro-cessing, and patents. For the basiclevel, there shall be no particularfields of specialization.

Number of grades of certification:The number of grades shall be as

follows for each level:1. For the practical use level—from

1st grade down to 3rd grade;2. For the basic level—4th grade and

5th grade.

Qualification for taking the examination:

There shall be absolutely no dis-crimination based on academic cre-dentials, age, sex, or nationality.

Management and operating organization:1. The examinations for certification

shall be managed and operated bythe Certification Committee.

2. The Certification Committee shallconsist of the System Division, theExamination Paper and MarkingDivision, and the Operation Division.

Appointment of the chairman and members:1. The expert members shall be men

of learning and experience, orexperts on the management andoperation of the system.

2. The members of the Examination

Paper and Marking Division shallbe translators in active service inthe relevant field of specialization.

3. In principle, members shall bemembers of JTF. Expert membersand members of the ExaminationPaper and Marking Division canbe nonmembers.

Venue of examinations:Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, and a

special venue established on theInternet.

Frequency of examinations:The examinations shall be given

twice a year, on the fourth Saturdaysof February and July.

Further information on JTF can beobtained directly from Mr. ChuichiKamei ([email protected]),who generously translated the infor-mation presented here and who canprovide, in English, a more detailedreport on JTF’s activities and merits.

In the next issue, we will examinethe situation in the Iberian Peninsula.As the editor of this series, Iencourage readers to submit any rele-vant information concerning non-U.S.certification or similar programs, aswell as comments on the informationpublished in this series, to my e-mailaddress at [email protected].

Check out ATA’s online Job

Bank in the Members Only

section of the ATA website at

www.atanet.org/membersonly

Looking for a freelance job or a full-time position?


(Note: The following is based on apresentation the author gave at theThird Annual ATA Translation Company Division Conference inChicago this past June.)

A business’s success is primarilydue to human relationships,not technical skills. You can

possess all the knowledge and skillnecessary to be in business, but ifyour interaction with others needsimprovement, you will have a hardtime selling your product or service.Nor can you effectively lead people.Dealing with people is probably oneof the biggest challenges a businessowner will face. Some teams workwell together, while others strugglewith conflicts, thus reducing output.There are many reasons for conflict,but personality differences are amain factor.

Understanding personalities canreduce conflicts and on-the-job stress,improve productivity, and help youmeet deadlines. If you are a manager,having this knowledge will help youoversee people more effectively, espe-cially if you learn to match individualsto specific job requirements by usingtheir personality strengths and mini-mizing their weaknesses. If you under-stand personalities, you will know whypeople behave in predictable ways.The information in this article is basedon, among other research, PersonalityPuzzle, a book by Florence Littauerand Marita Littauer.

The theory of personality traitsgoes back to Hippocrates. Twenty-four hundred years ago, Hippocratesreasoned that even though each of usis unique, there are four basic person-ality traits: Sanguine, Melancholy,Choleric, and Phlegmatic. Most of ushave a blend of all these personalities,but one trait usually controls ourbehavior more than the others.

We all are born with a dominatepersonality trait that tells us andothers who we are. Over the course ofour lives, we may learn new traits, butthe foundation is always there. Allpersonalities have strengths andweaknesses. It is possible to learnhow to use our strengths and mini-mize our weaknesses to fulfill ourgoals. The key is to be aware of ourown personalities before we try tounderstand others.

As you explore personalities fur-ther, you will discover that there aremany different theories, with theDISC (D = drive; I = influence; S =steadiness; and C = compliance)Personality System and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator being the mostcommon. Most of these theories usevarious names for the four basictraits, however, the characteristics ofeach remain the same and are rootedin Hippocrates’ theory. Each theoryhas its own method for testingpeople. For this article, we will usethe terms that the Littauers uses,since they are the easiest toremember. We’ll take a look at eachof these traits and how they can beapplied to the people in your workingenvironment. Keep in mind as youread about each personality type thatpeople can have varying levels ofthese characteristics. Also, thinkabout how these personalities applyto you and others.

In order to understand otherpeople’s personality traits you must

first understand your own. If youknow why you behave the way youdo and how you interact with otherpeople, you will learn to be more tol-erant of others. You will realize thatothers are not wrong just becausethey act differently.

Popular SanguinePopular Sanguines are probably

the easiest to recognize. They tend towear the latest clothes so they will benoticed. You can hear them fromacross the room because they talkloud and fast, often saying thingswithout thinking. These individualscan work in busy and noisy environ-ments. In fact, the busier the better.Their workspace is often clutteredwith current and past projects,unopened mail, toys of all sorts, andthings that should have been filed ortossed long ago. If you ask them for afile for a project, they probably won’tbe able to find it in the mess. Youwon’t find a datebook or PDA ontheir desk because they generallydon’t write down appointments orkeep a to-do list. The exception tothis is that they may have a PDAbecause it is a trendy toy.

Popular Sanguines are cheerfuland glad to see you. They are extro-verts, fun-loving, easygoing, vibrant,optimistic, and enjoy working withothers. If you need someone to boostmorale, Popular Sanguines are thebest choice. They prefer freedom tomove so that they can interact withpeople. They are the ones who cancome up with ideas and then con-vince others to buy into them.Because of this, they can be goodleaders, but do not like to do the jobthemselves. However, they have theability to motivate others to completethe task.

Their strengths, if carried toextremes, can lead to incessant

“…All personality typesare valuable and contribute

towards success...if youlearn to understand

them…”

Personalities at Work

By Tim Lewis


talking, monopolizing conversations,and exaggeration. They do not like tofollow rules, especially in corporateenvironments. If there is a way tobend established rules and proce-dures, they will do it. They can gen-erate a lot of ideas but cannot focus ondetails; therefore, they have difficultyimplementing their ideas. Sometimesit is difficult to follow their conversa-tions because they start out talkingabout one thing and then suddenlychange the topic. Because they don’twrite down appointments, they areoften late. Even if someone remindsthem of a meeting, chances are theywill be late because they stop on theway to talk to someone else, whichthen leads to talking to anotherperson. They also have difficulty insaying “no,” and soon have more proj-ects than they can handle.

Popular Sanguines have all kindsof excuses for why projects are notcompleted or where they went wrong,but everything usually turns out okay.If they get someone else to do thework, they usually take all the praise.They get away with things that otherswould be fired over because theircharm and outgoing personality getsthem out of trouble.

Popular Sanguines perform wellin positions requiring face-to-facedealings with people, such as sales-people, receptionists, or customerservice representatives. They create apositive first impression (the recep-tionist answers the phone with acheery “Good morning, XYZTranslations”; the salesperson makesfriends with clients). They are alsovery good at generating ideas. If youare having a meeting to discuss waysto win a bid on a translation project,listen to their ideas and refrain fromdismissing them. They may not all begood, but somewhere in there is oneidea that could land the project.

If you manage a Popular Sanguine,you will need to give them plenty ofattention and approval, especiallywhen they meet their goals. It is themotivation for their decision makingand gives them the energy to keepgoing. When assigning projects toPopular Sanguines, move the deadlineup and remind them occasionally ofwhen a project is to be completed.You will have to maintain tight con-trol because a full-fledged PopularSanguine can easily get out of control.For instance, they may know what thesales goals are, but they might not payattention to the cost of generatingthose sales. Make sure they do nottake on more work than they canhandle. Make instructions clear andstress the importance of the project.

If your boss is a Popular Sanguine,be sure to give them a lot of attention.When they give instructions or offer alot of ideas, be sure to write themdown. These individuals have a ten-dency to forget what they say becausethey have not really thought it out.You may go off and do exactly asthey said, but when you present thework they might say “That’s not whatI wanted.”

Perfect Melancholy Like Popular Sanguines, Perfect

Melancholies are easy to identify, butfor different reasons. Where thePopular Sanguine wears flashyclothes, the Perfect Melancholydresses conservatively. If you have adress code in your business, they willfollow it to the letter. They are oftenintroverted, shy, quiet, and private.They prefer to keep a low profile, somuch so that others may not knowwho they are. They need a quiet workenvironment so that they can concen-trate. Their workspace is neat andprofessional. Their current projectsare usually the only ones out on the

desk and works in progress are linedup in the order of importance in a fileorganizer. At the end of the day, theystraighten out their desk and put theproject that they will be working onthe next day right where they can seeit when they come in. They keep adatebook and have a to-do list wherethey check off completed tasks andwrite down new ones.

You can count on PerfectMelancholies being reliable workerswho can work alone with little supervi-sion. You can assign a project and theywill determine the best way to com-plete it. You can expect perfect transla-tions from these people because theyexpect it of themselves. Unlike PopularSanguines, Perfect Melancholies aredetail oriented, which makes themideal in jobs where accuracy is impor-tant. They are very analytical and pes-simistic. If you are bidding on a largeproject and need to know what prob-lems the project could present, thePerfect Melancholy will uncover themand avert cost over-runs. Given the timeto think about it, these individuals havethe ability to solve problems.

When their strengths are carried toextremes, they become brooding,depressed, and impatient. They expecttheir work to be perfect even thoughperfection is unobtainable. Because ofthis, they may not see the big pictureand might lose sight of deadlines,budgets, and schedules. Projects cango on longer than required as theystrive for perfection when it is notnecessary. They may appear to beprocrastinating because they thinkout the project before they start. Theyget hurt easily and are sensitive tocriticism and comments about theirwork. Melancholies are suspicious ofcompliments. You could complimentthem about their excellent translationof a 700-page manual and they willthink it was not perfect and say ➡


something to prove it, such as, “well,there is a missing period on page 589and a misspelling on page 13.” PerfectMelancholies can also be pessimisticin a negative way. Their first reactionto an idea might be to say that itcannot be done. However, given timeto think about it, they can come upwith a solution.

The best position for the PerfectMelancholy is where attention todetail and deep thinking are important.If you have a highly technical or diffi-cult project to translate, assign it to thePerfect Melancholy. They are goodwhere data, charts, and graphs have tobe recorded and maintained. They arealso very good technical writersbecause they make sure all the proce-dures are described so that the userwill accomplish the task correctly.

Managers of Perfect Melancholiesshould understand that these individ-uals need everything in their lives tobe orderly. Allow them time to thinkabout and organize their projects. Ifyou know about a project that youwill be assigning later, let them knowahead of time so they can startthinking about it even though theyhave not finished their currentproject. Knowing that a new projectis coming motivates them to com-plete other tasks first. PerfectMelancholies need a feeling ofaccomplishment. Unfinished projectsmake them feel that they failed to dothe job they set out to do. To preventprocrastination and the tendency to“perfect” their project, give clearmilestones and deadlines. They needto be reminded to let go of theproject. Give them sincere praise forcompleted projects.

Perfect Melancholy bosses wantdetailed information. When you meetwith them, be prepared to tell themwhat has been accomplished and whatneeds to be completed. Allow them to

offer solutions to your problems.Understand that their questions andsuggestions have been well reasoned.

Powerful Choleric Powerful Cholerics avoid fashion

trends, preferring to wear functional,but professional, clothing that lasts.They do not want to be bothered withkeeping up with the latest fads becauseit serves no purpose in achieving theirgoals. When you see them walking,their stride is powerful, determined,and purposeful. As they approach you,they may have a scowl on their faceand not even say “hi” as they pass you.This is because they have things ontheir mind and are on their way tosolve a problem or going to an impor-tant meeting. Although they are extro-verts, Powerful Cholerics generally donot develop on-the-job friendshipsbecause such individuals often feel thatthey do not need friends. So you won’tsee them participating in non-workconversations or activities. Their workarea is usually functional and devoid offrills (their desk may not match the filecabinet and bookcase).

Powerful Cholerics are very goodin leadership positions or being incontrol of projects. They love chal-lenges, opposition, and the victory ofcompetition. They tend to make quickdecisions and act fast withoutresearching the ramifications. How-ever, they are often correct. PowerfulCholerics can fix problems and rightwrongs. If you have an ailing com-pany, they can turn it around. They seethe big picture, understand the chal-lenges, set goals, and work diligentlyto implement the plan. Once a plan isin place, they will stick to it, even iflater on it is apparent that the plan willfail. They will work long hours to getthe job done. You will find that theyare very productive and work harderthan others.

When their strengths are carriedtoo far, they become bossy, control-ling, and manipulative. They canbecome overconfident, opinionated,expect too much from others, insiston high production, and have a lowtolerance for those who do not followorders. Because they do not developfriendships, the saying “it is lonely atthe top” is true for them—and theytend to like it that way. They fre-quently hurt people by what they say(they don’t mean to hurt people, theyjust speak with authority). PowerfulCholerics do not like to be told whatto do or to be corrected. Their biggestfear is losing control.

Powerful Cholerics are at theirbest in positions that demand strongcontrol and authority. This does notmean that they have to run the com-pany. They can be in supervisorypositions or even just in charge of aparticular client’s project. They excelwhere quick decisions are required.When you have projects that needinstant action, assign them to thePowerful Choleric. Such individualsare often in management or own thebusiness. If they are not in a leader-ship position, they soon will be.

A Powerful Choleric can be yourbest worker when you acknowledgetheir accomplishments. Give themchallenging work where they realize asense of accomplishment. When onechallenge is complete, immediatelygive them new assignments. If they arenot challenged, they will move on toanother company. Rather than givingthem specific instructions, give themgoals and let them determine the bestcourse of action. Insist on two-waycommunications. Realize that othersmay resent the Powerful Choleric’shigh productivity because it makesthem look like they are slacking off.

If you have a Powerful Cholericboss, it is important to keep them

Personalities at Work Continued

updated on your projects and to letthem know when they are complete.They need to know that you are beingproductive. If a project is runningbehind, let them know what is causingthe delay and what you are doing torectify the problem. Never keep themwaiting for meetings or anything theyask for. Also, it might help sometimesto let your boss think that the solutionto a problem was their idea.

Peaceful Phlegmatic Peaceful Phlegmatics are intro-

verted, soft-spoken, and maintain alow profile, even more so thanPerfect Melancholies. PeacefulPhlegmatics tend to dress as casuallyas they are allowed and do not keepup with fashions, to the point ofwearing clothes that are several yearsold. When, and if, they speak duringmeetings, their tone is so soft thatsometimes you have to listen intentlyto hear what they have to say. Theirworkspace is generally neat exceptfor the piles of unfinished projects.They prefer to keep projects withineasy reach. They are perfectly happyin almost any work environment.

Peaceful Phlegmatics are faithful,competent, reliable, and easily trained.They rarely miss work and when theydo, they feel guilty about it becausethey do not want to let others down.Peaceful Phlegmatics are good at rou-tine or boring jobs that others shun.They are also good at administrative,bookkeeping, and accounting posi-tions. They avoid conflict and if theybecome involved, they try to restorepeace and order. They are the peace-makers. They listen to other people’sproblems and don’t tell them what todo. They can be good leaders if theyare trained. With the proper training,they can also be good salespeople.

An extreme Phlegmatic mayappear stubborn or strong-willedbecause they have difficulty makingdecisions or changing the way theydo things. They tend to become indif-ferent, indecisive, don’t care aboutmuch, and can’t get excited aboutnew projects. They can kill projectswith inaction. They procrastinate andare not self-motivated. This is whythey have unfinished projects piledon their desks. Even though they maybe well trained and competent, they

have low self-worth and feel less tal-ented than others.

Peaceful Phlegmatics are best inpositions that are routine and wherelife is consistent. They are very goodin positions where they mediate con-flict and can bring unity to a team.They can calm the storms with theirsoft speech and by listening toeveryone’s viewpoint. Because theyare easily trained and their ability tolisten, they can accomplish mosttasks and hold a variety of positions.

If you manage a Peaceful Phleg-matic, realize that they need respect.They feel overlooked and undervalued.Let them know how important they areand acknowledge their work. Becausethey are not self-motivated, theyrequire direct supervision. Give themspecific instructions and deadlines andthen monitor their progress. When theydo speak up and offer suggestions,listen to them carefully and help thembring out their ideas. They respectthose who listen to them.

For those with Peaceful Phlegmaticbosses, if you listen to their ideas, theywill respect you. Give them yourrespect and let them know they


Popular Sanguine Perfect Melancholy Powerful Choleric Peaceful PhlegmaticExtrovert Introvert Extrovert IntrovertLoves people Works well alone Born leader Develops relationshipsFriendly Analytical, deep thinker Business minded Patient, kind Optimistic Pessimistic Practical Low-keyEmotional Intelligent Commanding personality UnemotionalCreative and colorful Detail oriented Organized Competent and steadyCheerful Artistic Decisive Administrative abilityThrives on activity Perfectionist Persistent Mediates conflictThinks up new ideas Sets high standards Risk taker Good listenerVolunteers for jobs Planner Motivational Finds easy wayInspires others to join Schedule oriented Authoritarian Strong-willedLots of energy and enthusiasm Long-range goals Logical Handles pressure

Table 1: Personality Strengths

➡


are appreciated. Help them arrive atdecisions without interrupting. Repeatyour understanding of what they said.They welcome your suggestions andlike it if you do their work for them.Help them accept new challenges.

Solutions If you are running a business, it is

to your advantage to employ peoplewith different personalities and toensure that their personalities fit thejob. All of the above personality typesare valuable and contribute towardssuccess. In the workplace, we all need:

• Popular Sanguines to bring ideasand fun;

• Perfect Melancholies to solveproblems and keep us organized;

• Powerful Cholerics to hold every-thing and everyone together; and

• Peaceful Phlegmatics to bringpeace and balance.

Where it is allowed, test youremployees and applicants using oneof the many personality tests avail-able (refer to the reference list at theend of this article). When testingpeople, explain to them that you wantto make sure that you assign tasksthat best suit their personality. Besure to test yourself first.

Learn what your personality is sothat you can better understand thepeople you work with. Lead yourstaff into their strengths and helpthem overcome their weaknesses.Hire people to fill your weaknesses.Personalities are at work in the work-place; if you learn to understandthem, you will be in a better positionto work with others and succeed.

References Littauer, Florence, and Marita Littauer.

Personality Puzzle, Understandingthe People You Work With. FlemingH. Revell (ISBN: 0-8007-1676-0).

Littauer, Florence. Personality Plus,How to Understand Others byUnderstanding Yourself. FlemingH. Revell (ISBN: 0-8007-5445-X).

Littauer, Florence. Put Power in YourPersonality! Fleming H. Revell(ISBN: 0-8007-5563-4)

Kroeger, Otto, and Janet M. Thuesen.Type Talk at Work. BantamDoubleday Dell Publishing Group,Inc. (ISBN: 0-385-30174-X).

Popular Sanguine Perfect Melancholy Powerful Choleric Peaceful PhlegmaticTalker Sensitive to criticism Quick to anger ShyExaggerates Easily depressed Impatient Not self-motivatedUndisciplined Bogs down in details Workaholic ProcrastinatesDoes not like to work Inflexible Bossy and pushy Compromises standardsDoes not pay attention to detail Too perfectionist Demanding Lacks follow-throughPoor at following through on tasks Pessimistic Does not take time to research IndecisiveTakes on too much work Critical Not a team player StubbornLoses track of time Hard to please Fears losing control Resists change

Table 2: Personality Weaknesses

Personalities at Work Continued

Looking for a freelance job or a full-time

position? Need help finding a translator orinterpreter for a freelance job or a full-

time position?

Check out ATA’s online Job Bank in

the Members Only section of the ATA

website at

www.atanet.org/membersonly


9 :00 a.m.—An insurance com-pany receives a report of an auto-mobile accident from its

policyholder. The policyholder reportsthat he was backing up at a speed ofabout three miles per hour and bumpedan elderly lady he hadn’t noticed. Thepolicyholder reports that an ambulancewas not called and that he isn’t surewhether the lady was hurt. He doesn’tthink that she speaks English.

10:00 a.m.—The claim is assigned toa claims adjuster.

10:30 a.m.—After confirming thedetails of the accident with the policy-holder, the claims adjuster calls thepedestrian. Unfortunately, the pedes-trian doesn’t speak a word of English.After a 10-minute futile attempt atcommunicating with the pedestrian,the claims adjuster ends the callwithout the needed information.

The claims adjuster is frustratedand isn’t sure where to go with thenext step. The insurance companywould like to find out whether thepedestrian is hurt, has seen a doctor,and has any medical expenses. Theclaims adjuster might want to take astatement, but it would have to be inthe pedestrian’s own language. If theclaims adjuster could figure out away to communicate with the pedes-trian and settle the claim, a release inthe pedestrian’s own language wouldbe needed.

11:00 a.m.—The claims adjusterdecides that the services of a languageprofessional are needed, but becomeseven more frustrated because hedoesn’t know where to find one.

If insurance companies betterunderstood what your translation/interpreting firm has to offer, would theybeat a path to your door? Would your

financial results improve if you tappedinto the insurance claims market?

Establishing strategic partnershipswith insurance companies can pro-vide a new market for your businessand create a huge growth opportunity.Unlike most sectors of our economy,insurance companies don’t pick andchoose their times to buy goods andservices. Insurable losses, for whichthey must pay, occur in good, as wellas bad, economic times.

Experts estimate that between 20%to 40% of all insurance claims requirethe claims adjuster to find and use atleast one service provider or contractorwith whom he has no significant priorexperience. Beyond the Yellow Pages,most claims adjusters do not knowwhere to turn in order to find qualifiedlanguage services. The challengefacing language professionals is tomarket themselves in a way that willmake insurers take note of their skills.

The first thing claims adjustersare likely to look for when evalu-ating a language service provider is a competitive fee structure.Translators/interpreters are likely tofind that by giving insurance compa-nies a good deal, they are able to addto their volume, and will be stronglyconsidered for additional assignments.

“In selecting service providers,we look at a number issues,” saidDavid Narigon, senior vice-presidentof Employers Mutual CasualtyCompany. “While costs are a factor,

more important are experience anddedication to quality. We want to makesure that the service provider addsvalue to the claims process.”

The impression that language pro-fessionals make on claimants is alsoimportant. However, the translator/interpreter must not express anyjudgments about the validity of aclaim or work as an advocate forclaimants. Their activities should beconfined to clear and concise trans-lation/interpretation.

“The translator [and interpreter]must recognize that not only does herepresent his own business, but also theinsurance company,” added Narigon.

“As a direct extension and repre-sentative of our company, we expectthat service providers will consistentlyuphold our commitment to quality,accuracy, and accountability,” addedK. Sue White, manager of propertyloss for Liberty Mutual InsuranceCompany. “It is essential that transla-tors [and interpreters] provide aprompt response, accuracy at a com-petitive price, and demonstrate a pro-found commitment to customer care.”

Teaming up with insurance com-panies can be difficult, but once arelationship is established, they canbecome loyal customers.

One way to catch the attention ofan insurance company is to simplygive them a call. You can contact thelocal claims supervisor or claims man-ager and schedule a meeting to promote your services.

Language professionals also mayfind it beneficial to join some of thesame organizations that insuranceclaims people do, or attend some oftheir seminars (which are oftenhosted by local law firms free ofcharge). In this way, they can get toknow claims professionals on aninformal basis and learn what skillsthey are looking for. ➡

“…Beyond the YellowPages, most claims

adjusters do not knowwhere to turn in order tofind qualified language

professionals…”

How to Speak the Language of Insurers

By Kirk Hansen


Another way translators/interpreterscan penetrate the insurance market isto take advantage of e-commerce. Anemerging means of gaining access toinsurance companies is throughextranet websites where serviceproviders can post information aboutwhat they have to offer. One such siteis ClaimsGate (www.claimsgate.com),which is used by members of theProperty Loss Research Bureau(PLRB), a nonprofit, national insur-ance claims association formed in1947. The site reports that claims pro-fessionals from 900 different insur-ance companies visit it daily. Theseinsurers are looking to locate serviceproviders who can give estimates andperform work on insurance claims. Intotal, PLRB’s member companieshave about 130,000 claims adjustersthat use the website. This representsabout two-thirds of the U.S. propertyand casualty insurance market. Theseinsurers spend about $80 billion a yearresolving claims.

Prior to ClaimsGate, penetratingthe insurance industry market wasdifficult and required a great deal of“legwork” for language serviceproviders. ClaimsGate provides alevel playing field that gives smallerbusinesses the same market access tothe adjusting world as big businesses.For a fee, translators/interpreters can

sign up to be part of a network ofproduct, repair, and service providersto the insurance industry. Once at thesite, companies can click on the“Sign Up” button and obtain a pass-word. Once a member, a companyenters its business information, suchas the services it can provide.

ClaimsGate allows a languageservice provider to:

• Edit its company profile;• Post its contact information; • Choose the search categories to be

listed under;• Edit the content of each page of

its site by typing or pasting text or pictures;

• Change the look and feel of its siteby using new templates;

• Upload images or a company logoto the site;

• Post a weekly or monthly e-newsletter to be sent to clientsand adjusters;

• Receive and reply to “Request ForProposals” from claims adjusters;

• Include links to other websites;• Display a portfolio of work or a

services line; and• Post a calendar of upcoming

events or seminars.

The website is designed to giveclaims adjusters an efficient means of

locating and communicating with thetype of expertise they need, whenthey need it, at the right price andwith high quality results. ClaimsGatecreates a communication tool thathelps claims adjusters quickly findand select the best qualified and mostcompetitive services.

“We believe electronic searchengines like ClaimsGate will replacemore traditional search avenues,”said Peter Reid, senior assistantvice-president for Amica Insurance.“If we need a service providerbeyond our usual, we’re going toClaimsGate first to find providersinterested enough to be on anindustry site. We haven’t the time forendless phone calls and meetings todevelop potential partnerships.When we have a need, we need solu-tions NOW. As we learn of newservice providers, we expand theirknowledge of who we are.”

The insurance industry can be animportant customer for translators/interpreters who are successful infinding ways to reach this marketthrough the formation of strategicpartnerships.

“[Translators and interpreters]who make it happen receive furtherassignments from us,” Reid noted.

How to Speak the Language of Insurers Continued

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S everal glaring problems con-front the translator when com-pleting any project involving

international reinsurance in Mexico. The first is that Mexico’s laws,

based on the codified Spanish andFrench legal systems dating back tocolonial times, lack synchronicitywith the common law concepts ofEngland, the British Commonwealth,and the U.S. and Canada. At firstglance, any translation clause in aninsurance contract should sufficewhen stating that, in case of contro-versy, the original contract wordingwill prevail. However, the insurancecompany reissuing the contractlocally for a fronting fee will fre-quently deny such precedence andinsist that it is the wording in Spanishthat must prevail. Individuals involvedin issuing international reinsuranceoften find themselves in situationspresenting a conflict of interest, sincethe broker and the reissuing companywant their fees/commissions, theclient urgently requires insurance tocomply with government regulationsto initiate operations, but it is theinsurance beneficiary who is left inthe lurch when the insurance issuedis neither valid or enforceable. Thetranslator is often blamed for theseproblems, serving as the whippingboy for the lack of due diligence putinto effect in executing the contract.When a loss occurs, the benefi-ciary(ies) are often faced with expen-sive, time-consuming, and usuallydissatisfactory arbitration processeswhich do little to ameliorate thestress of a loss, and often ruin thesuccess of a project.

The second problem translators ofinternational reinsurance contractsface is that the standardized products(general conditions), having alreadybeen established by either the originalunderwriters or the reissuing com-

pany, frequently do not concur withthe conditions required by the client.There is often no analytic reading ofan insurance contract, either by thebroker or the insurance sales divi-sion, to ensure that the client’s needsare being met by the product issued.Time pressures to proceed to thenext step in establishing businessoperations create a communicationsgap between what the translatorprocesses and what the intention ofthe contract should be. Remarkably,

the translator is often the only indi-vidual to read the materials analyti-cally and to realize that there is alack of concurrence between theinsurance specifications and the general conditions attached to thecontract. What, then, is the responsi-bility of the translator in terms ofadvising the parties involved that thecontract may be invalid?

In addition to what has alreadybeen stated, there is also the problemthat the general and individual condi-tions issued by a local reinsurancecompany are tailored to comply onlywith local laws. In situations whereinternational transportation, ship-ping, packaging, or quality standardsmust be met, these local laws are,more often than not, at odds withsaid international norms. Once again,the beneficiary of the insurance cov-erage pays an expensive price forlack of due diligence on the part of

the parties issuing a contract to sup-posedly protect the client’s interests.Once again, the translator is caught inthe middle. The problem can becomeserious enough to involve lawsuitsand counter lawsuits, not to mentionmillions of dollars in losses.

One might argue that these aregrowing pains involved with that newtrend, globalization. But there may beanother answer, which gains validityat the time of this writing in light ofthe Enron, Xerox, WorldCom, andother corporate scandals rocking themarket today. Transparency in most,if not all, cases involving interna-tional reinsurance has been deliber-ately compromised to maximize thegains of a few at the expense of themany. The close-knit world of legiti-mate translators who have been testedunder valid international conditionsfocuses entirely on clear lines ofcommunication. This is not alwaysthe goal of the certified translatorsauthorized locally, who function asprotected guilds in foreign countries,where the translator is often awardeda bogus license and/or has not beenacceptably certified. The result is acontract that is not valid in either theoriginal language or the translatedversion...and where, inevitably, whena risk is incurred, stockholders andother innocent parties pay the price.

In Mexico, where I worked for fouryears as the manager of the translationsdepartment for the largest reinsurer inLatin America, these problems are nowbeing addressed, but too slowly. Thethousands of business initiativesunderway in the country require areview process for the validity of theirinsurance coverage, and a guaranteethat when a beneficiary incurs a loss,said loss will be protected against byexisting coverages.

“…it is the insurancebeneficiary who is left in

the lurch when theinsurance issued is

neither valid orenforceable…”

Lack of Due Diligence in Mexican InternationalReinsurance TranslationsBy Ellen P. Walroth Sadurni


T he following is a true story of atranslator who got talked intobeing an interpreter. Some of the

names and vital details have beenchanged or omitted to protect the inno-cent, but the story is presented to illus-trate some of the issues facingtranslators, interpreters, and those whopractice both crafts, when they play apivotal role in business negotiations.

Over the past 10 years or so, I’vebeen doing sporadic work for amedium-sized international manufac-turer. The work has covered anextremely broad range of subjectmatter, from quality control specifica-tions, employee manuals, and printadvertisements, to consulting reports,business proposals and contracts, andeven some product name consulting—until very recently, all written trans-lation work. A little over a year ago,I received an unexpected call fromthe CEO of the company himself,who told me that he appreciated mytranslation services, and was won-dering if I’d be available to accom-pany him on a business trip to Spainas his interpreter.

Years ago when I started workingwith the company, I was doing a lotof interpreting. I’d had some limitedtraining as an interpreter and hadamassed some solid learning experi-ence as a hospital and telephoneinterpreter, gradually moving up intothe deposition circuit and doingsome escort interpreting. Along theway, I fell on my face many times,learned from countless mistakes,received great advice from many ofmy more experienced colleagues,and had reached a level where I wasconfident that I was doing a fairlydecent job. Even so, I eventuallycame to the realization that I wasmuch more comfortable with thewritten word. The performance

aspect of interpreting stressed me out,and I often found myself frustrated bythe impossibility of editing thespoken word. So I stopped inter-preting, and after a few years felt likeI had lost my chops and forgotten howto ride my interpreting bicycle.

So I politely declined this firstrequest, offering to refer him to anumber of very competent colleaguesI knew. He said he’d get back to me.

The translation work continued totrickle in periodically. Then came aseries of business letters from Spain. Itbecame clear to me that the two com-panies were trying to negotiate a hugedeal that clearly seemed in both par-ties’ best interest, but they were justbutting heads like two ornery moun-tain goats fighting over a tuft of grass.

Then came the second call. TheCEO was on the speakerphone fromhis boardroom with a bunch of exec-utives. “We need your help,” he said.“We have a conference call scheduledwith Spain in 10 minutes, and weneed to be sure our message getsthrough…” Well, that certainly putme on the spot! I took advantage ofthe 10 minutes I had to get as muchinformation from them as I couldabout their message, how theywanted it presented, any key tech-nical terms, and so forth.

The conference call went surpris-ingly well—all two and a half hoursof it. I was pacing my office like amadman, sweat dripping from mybrow, frantically flicking through

dictionaries to check technicalterms, and struggling to understandtrade names of obscure U.S. prod-ucts through a thick Spanish accent.But in the end, both parties werepleased with the progress they hadmade and had set a date in Spain forfinal negotiations. They wanted meto be there…

Again I expressed my concernsabout interpreting to the CEO. Hewas a man with vast internationalbusiness experience, a respectedauthor of books in his field, andsomeone I was sure was accustomedto top-notch interpreting services. Istill wasn’t sure I was up to the job.But flushed with the success of theconference call—all parties involvedseemed like reasonable, professional,and genuinely nice people—andcalmed by the CEO’s assurance thatthe Spanish company had their owninterpreter and that I was simplygoing to accompany him to “makesure their message got through,” Itentatively accepted, saying I’d getback to him with the details.

Not having interpreted in years, Ihad no idea what to charge, andhaving never accompanied an execu-tive abroad, I didn’t know what toexpect. I immediately started leavingmessages for all my interpreter col-leagues, looking for some quickadvice. But before I actually receivedany, information was flooding inregarding travel plans and back-ground information, which meant Ihad to come up with some rates, andquick. Before I had a chance to con-sult with anyone, the CEO was on thephone again wanting to finalize thedetails. I was instructed to meet himat a hotel in a small town in Spain thefollowing week for two days of meet-ings. I gave him a rate, which I laterlearned was quite high, but which heaccepted without comment.

“…After a good five yearsof not interpreting, a table

of 10 with everyonespeaking at once was quite

a warm-up…”

A Translator Interpreting: Deal-Making 101

By Kirk Anderson


After savoring my first transatlanticbusiness-class flight, and after havingbreakfast with a buddy in Madrid, Ihopped on a train to La Mancha andmade my way to the hotel. Upon myarrival, I found a note telling me totake a nap and to meet for a strategysession before dinner.

I stretched out a bit and hung upmy clothes, nerves building, stillwondering what I had gotten myselfinto. But there was no turning back atthis point. At the strategy session, Idiscovered that the CEO had broughttwo other executives with him, thepresident of the division making thedeal and the chief engineer. Theybriefed me on the negotiations todate, their strategy, and the key pointsfor them in the negotiations. I hadalready been given copies of draftagreements that had passed betweenthe parties, and got a brief descriptionof the key technology involved in theproposed transaction. I’d had the pre-vious week to review some of thesematerials and to brush up on myinterpreting skills, so I had a fairlysolid understanding of the topics thatwere likely to be addressed.

What I wasn’t prepared for wasdinner. Not long into the strategy ses-sion, the Spanish company’s inter-preter appeared. He turned out to bethe company’s sales director, basi-cally their number three executive. Iquickly discovered that although hedid know all the technical terms of thedeal, his comprehension of AmericanEnglish, not to mention his skills asan interpreter, left a great deal to bedesired. He escorted us to the restau-rant where we met the Spanish com-pany’s representatives, all six of them.We were quickly ushered into a pri-vate dining room and seated aroundan enormous table for 10.

After the introductions, it becamevery clear that I was to interpret for

the table. Luckily, I had the assis-tance of the sales director and a littlehelp from the Spanish company’soutside counsel, but after a good fiveyears of not interpreting, a table of 10with everyone speaking at once wasquite a warm-up.

After interpreting the menu directlyfrom the waiter (of course, the restau-rant didn’t have a written menu to helpme) and getting the orders in, speci-fying that two of the American execu-tives were “allergic” to garlic, thingswent downhill very fast.

The Spanish CEO waved his hands,and his whole team immediatelybecame silent. The Americans shifteduneasily in their chairs, wonderingwhat was up. After taking the floor soabruptly and absolutely, the Spaniardcleared his throat and launched intohis opening statement. He welcomedus graciously, and continued…

“As you know, I returned from abusiness trip to Madrid this morning,and only had the chance to reviewyour most recent proposal this after-noon. I’m sorry to say that if I hadn’tknown you were already on your wayhere, I would have called and toldyou not to bother coming…”

The gloves were off right out of thegate. The negotiations had begun.Questions were flying across the tablefrom all sides. The American CEObegan to sweat. His colleagues’ jawswere slack. My shirt was alreadywringing wet, despite the chillyevening. Amidst the flurry of inter-preting, emotions flared, Spanish fistsbanged the table, and I noticed some-thing that had to be addressed. TheSpanish sales director seemed intenton jumping in and interpreting certainthings for his CEO, but on severaloccasions I found myself correctinghis understanding of the English. Thismay be the root of all the miscommu-nication, I thought. It seemed that his

interpretations were brutally tailoredto what his CEO wanted to hear, orwhat he wanted him to hear. With thehelp of the Spanish attorney, I man-aged to calm things down a notch ortwo, and by the time the appetizerswere served, civil conversation hadresumed, but the deal seemed to be ingrave jeopardy.

After a little more polite conversa-tion, dinner was served and theSpanish CEO clarified the issues thatwere the true deal-breakers for him.Once this was clear, the AmericanCEO diplomatically restored hope thata deal could be reached, though hiscolleagues didn’t seem nearly so sure.

After dinner, back at the hotel, Iinformed the American team of ➡


some of the communication problemsI had observed, and they dispersed toconsult with their legal and financialteams in the U.S., setting anotherstrategy meeting for 7:00 the nextmorning. I fell asleep exhausted, butconcerned, at about 1:00 a.m.

The next morning, the AmericanCEO was waiting for us all in thehotel’s cafe. He hadn’t slept allnight, but was completely energized,with a folder full of charts andgraphs he had developed over thecourse of the night. He announced acompletely new strategy for thenegotiations. The original plan hadbeen to have the whole group meetagain at 9:00 a.m. to begin negotia-tions. He said that his new plan wasto request a meeting alone with theSpanish CEO and his attorney, andme as his interpreter…

Now it was my turn to get ener-gized. He reviewed his strategy withme and explained his various graphsand charts, basically rehearsing hispitch for my benefit and that of hiscolleagues. The basic idea was toremove all potential obstacles tocommunication between him and theSpanish CEO, and to explain, insimple numerical terms, why thevariation of the deal the Spaniardswere proposing couldn’t work.

When we got to the boardroom, theSpaniards were ready for us. The CEOand his attorney listened patiently aswe made our presentation. As I men-tioned before, most of my previouswork had been with the written word,and although I had interpreted a fewbusiness negotiations before, they hadbeen relatively simple affairs. Theywere either issues that the parties weremore or less immediately prepared toresolve, or addressed gaps so hope-lessly large that there was little or noreal expectation of bridging them.There were also a few plain and

simple shouting matches. But here,once we got into the meat of the deal,I quickly realized I was dealing withtwo master negotiators. Both CEOswere wise, experienced men who hadbuilt their companies on their ownpersonal reputations. Both compa-nies had amazing employee loyalty,and both were quality-driven enter-prises at all levels—in many ways,impressive models for the contempo-rary corporate world. Both of thesemen had negotiated hundreds ofdeals, and when looking into eachother’s eyes, they each knew theother had what it took to be a suc-cessful negotiator: the willingness towalk away from the table.

At the same time, however, it wasbecoming increasingly clear to me thatthis particular deal, worth many mil-lions of dollars, was a total win-winsituation if there ever was one. It wasjust a matter of resolving a handful ofdetails each side was concerned about.Of course, that’s always easier saidthan done.

Once the CEOs had ironed outthe basic framework of the deal, therespective teams were called back into work on the details. In the end,the main issues each party consid-ered critical were accepted by theother, with a certain amount of nit-picking on both sides. The mostrecent draft agreement was pro-jected on a screen and everyone pro-ceeded to edit it simultaneously,while the interpreter franticallytried to keep everyone abreast ofwhat everyone else was saying.

As the U.S. team’s departure timewas rapidly approaching and the talkswere winding up, I was alreadybasking in the glow of a deal nearlyclosed, but the fists pounding thetable, papers flying through the air,and the projected draft agreement jit-tering on the wall quickly reminded

me that the fat lady had yet to sing.The U.S. side had conceded on thedispute resolution provisions, but wasstill pushing the Spaniards tostrengthen their guarantee. This wasvery close to the last straw for theSpanish CEO, who literally rose fromthe table. There was no need to inter-pret this silent move.

While the U.S. team’s private jetwas waiting at a nearby airstrip towhisk them off to Germany for othermeetings, the final details werescribbled out on notepads and aletter of intent to enter into the finaldeal was signed. I was left at thetrain station with the Spanishattorney, with whom I had to finalizethe Spanish and English versions ofthe final agreement.

Three weeks later, back in theU.S., after even more negotiations byconference call, a few more near deal-breaking episodes, and almost nonstoptranslation and editing work for me,the final agreement was signed, amidmuch hoopla and a banquet luncheon(this time with about 30 peoplearound a long table). Although thespeeches were impromptu, they were,thankfully, simple and brief. The lun-cheon’s organizers were thoughtfulenough to seat me next to the SpanishCEO and across from his U.S. coun-terpart, so I could diplomatically limitmy interpreting to the two of them,and actually manage to eat a few bitesof food.

The lessons learned were count-less. The experience was priceless.And though it’s only an anecdote, Ihope it’s one that will provoke somethought, and perhaps even inspiresome dialogue, on the issues facingtranslators and interpreters involvedin business negotiations.

A Translator Interpreting: Deal-Making 101 Continued


I ntroduction to Medical Interpreting(Spanish→English) had beenoffered several times over the past

few years at the Monterey Institute asan intensive certificate course lastingtwo to four weeks. Enrollment wasusually relatively small, even for ournormally small classes. This was mostlikely due to two factors: 1) the highcost of attending a course at a privateschool located in an expensive area;and 2) the lack of incentive forobtaining specialized training in med-ical interpreting in a field where stan-dards and pay have traditionally beenlow. Nevertheless, we continued tosearch for ways to boost enrollment,and settled on distance learning as away to make the course more afford-able and accessible.

After exploring the differentmodalities of distance learning bytaking classes, reading books andarticles, and attending conferences, Idecided I was ready to teach my firstdistance course. I settled on a combi-nation of web-based and face-to-faceinstruction, commonly known as“blended” learning. Students wouldspend nine weeks at home doingbackground reading and studyingSpanish→English medical termi-nology, and then would come to theMonterey Institute of InternationalStudies for a one-week intensiveworkshop in consecutive interpretingand sight translation. It was expectedthat the online portion would requireapproximately 10-20 hours a week ofself-study, depending on the indi-vidual’s experience and aptitude. Thecourse was advertised and, to mygreat surprise, a total of 16 studentsregistered (compared to a previousaverage enrollment of 6).

The StudentsAs part of their application for the

course, students had to fill out a

questionnaire about their educationalbackground and reading habits. Theywere also required to make a tape todemonstrate oral proficiency inEnglish and Spanish. Participants inthe course came from a wide varietyof backgrounds. Their ages ranged

from early twenties to mid-sixties,and their level of education rangedfrom a high school diploma to aDoctor of Medicine. Although abouthalf were Spanish mother-tongue andthe other half English mother-tongue,most were English-dominant. Somewere very computer literate and com-fortable in the online environment,while others were new to computersand had trouble using e-mail or log-ging on to the Internet. A few hadextensive interpreting experience, butthe majority had little or none. Mostlived somewhere in California, buttwo students lived on the East Coastand one was in Nicaragua.

Course ContentThe online component of the

course was delivered by means of awebpage that contained the syllabusand weekly assignments. Each weeka different topic was covered: 1) therole of the medical interpreter andethics; 2) Latin and Greek roots andSpanish-English anatomy terms; 3)diseases and symptoms, diagnostic

testing; 4) therapy, surgery (pre- andpost-op, discharge), and medication;5) medical instruments and devices,nutrition, diabetes; 6) folk medicineand cross-cultural communication; 7)labor and delivery; 8) internal medi-cine, AIDS, and TB; and 9) review.

The assignments consisted ofreadings (usually the students werereferred to a website via a hotlink onthe assignment page), terminologyresearch, and interactive Java-scriptexercises. Students were alsorequired to participate in a discussionon a topic related to that week’stheme. For the first two weeks, thediscussion took place via regular e-mail, but some students com-plained that there were too manymessages for them to downloadevery day. We then moved the dis-cussion to my faculty webpage,where students did not have to fill uptheir personal mailboxes with mes-sages and where the softwareallowed for a “threaded discussion”(i.e., e-mails categorized into topicsto allow the reader to be more selec-tive). Additional issues arose sponta-neously, such as working conditions,pay, professional associations, andresources for medical terminology. Anew thread was added for each newtopic. Because so many students hadlimited computing power available tothem, we did not ask students todownload video or audio files; andbecause of the difference in timezones and work schedules, we didnot conduct real-time chats.

To make sure students werekeeping up with the reading assign-ments and to give them feedback ontheir progress, weekly quizzes (eitheressay questions or translation pas-sages) were e-mailed to them. Theywere given a few days to completethe quizzes and return them by e-mail. The other instructor and ➡

Adventures in Online Learning: Introduction to Medical InterpretingBy Holly Mikkelson

“…It was gratifying toconfirm that a complex

skill such as interpretingcan be taught with a

combination of distanceand in-personinstruction…”


I reviewed the quizzes and gave thestudents narrative comments (noletter grades were awarded for thiscourse). We also participated activelyin the threaded e-mail discussion.

About halfway through the onlinepart of the course, students were toldthey could begin working with the textbook, The Interpreter’s Rx(Mikkelson: Acebo, 1994) to practicesight translation and consecutive inter-preting. Most were so overwhelmedwith the required coursework that theydid not spend much time practicingbefore they came to Monterey.

On the 10th and final week of thecourse, the students arrived at theMIIS campus for 30 hours of practicein interpreting skills. The two facultymembers who had been involved inthe online course were joined by athird instructor for this week, and thestudents were divided into two groups.This arrangement allowed us to groupthe students by ability and to provideplenty of individual attention. Asexpected, some students were stillmastering basic medical terminologyand had trouble with simple consecu-tive interpreting and sight translationexercises, while others were eager tomove at a fast pace and challengethemselves with more difficult inter-preting tasks. Fortunately, we wereable to accommodate both groups.

Classes met for three hours eachmorning and three hours each after-noon, spending roughly equal

amounts of time on consecutive inter-preting and sight translation. Theconsecutive practice involved role-playing from scripts of provider-patient interviews, with questions inEnglish and answers in Spanish.Texts for sight translation were typ-ical documents that patientsencounter in English, such as ques-tionnaires, fact sheets, and consentforms, as well as Spanish letters andreports. Most came from TheInterpreter’s Rx, but additional mate-rials were supplied by the instructorsfrom their own work. On the last dayof the course, each student was givenan individual oral exam and critique.

ResultsAt the conclusion of the online

portion, and again at the end of theweek of face-to-face instruction, stu-dents filled out questionnaires toevaluate the course. Overall, theywere happy with their experience, butsome said they had not expected it tobe so difficult and time-consuming.They felt they had learned a greatdeal, though many expressed thewish that more time had been allo-cated to the in-person interpretingclasses. Of the 16 students who orig-inally signed up for the course, only 1dropped out due to lack of time;another student was unable to cometo the final week’s session because ofan emergency at work. Distancelearning courses tend to have a highattrition rate, and we were pleasedthat most of the students stayed withus for the duration.

A common complaint about onlinelearning is that it lacks a “personaltouch,” but we were able to develop atrue learning community. Thanks to e-mail introductions and the threadeddiscussion, the students felt theyknew each other well before they metin person the final week. When we

had our first get-together over coffeeand bagels just before class Mondaymorning, they enjoyed guessing whowas who based on their expectations.Despite the differences in age,country of origin, interpreting experi-ence, and educational background,the class was remarkably harmonious.

Another common complaint aboutonline learning comes from faculty, andthat is that it is far more time-consumingthan traditional face-to-face instruc-tion. Although I had taught thiscourse before, adapting the materialsto the online environment took manyhours. Because I was enjoying it somuch, I did not keep track of theamount of time I spent researchingwebsites for the students’ backgroundreading. The (literally) countlesshours my administrative assistantdevoted to developing the websitewere also a labor of love. Once thecourse began, participating in thethreaded e-mail discussion andreading the students’ translationquizzes, in addition to answering alltheir practical questions (e.g., how toopen e-mail attachments) and puttingout fires on the technology front (e.g.,inability to log on to the password-protected website), required severaldozen additional hours each week.Fortunately, the MIIS server neverwent down during the nine weeks ofonline learning, though a few glitchesdid arise. All things considered, the30-hour interpreting workshop at theend of the course was by far the eas-iest week for the faculty and staff.

This course was offered on a pilotbasis, but, due to completely unre-lated circumstances, it will not begiven again at the MIIS. Nevertheless,I found the experience extremely illu-minating and rewarding, and I hope toexplore this alternative further in thenear future.

Adventures in Online Learning: Introduction to Medical Interpreting Continued

ATA’s 43rd AnnualConference

Atlanta, GeorgiaHyatt Regency HotelNovember 6-9, 2002

PLAN AHEAD!


Adistrict attorney resorted to thefollowing joke in his openingstatement describing the mindset

of the defendant and the motive for themurder he allegedly committed.

“Some men’s idea of a perfectmorning is when, at the breakfasttable, they see their kid’s pictureon the package of Wheaties, theirgirlfriend’s on the cover ofPlayboy, and their wife’s on themilk carton.”

Then he proceeded to tell the jury:

“This joke stops being funny andbecomes somewhat sinister whenyou become aware that it is whatthis defendant would consider aperfect morning, after he’s mur-dered his wife. He’ll attempt toshow you, ladies and gentlemen ofthe jury, that it was he who put hiswife’s picture on the milk carton,but he’ll be lying. He didn’t evenbother faking chagrin after herdeath. Moreover, he waited for aweek before he reported his wifemissing, all this time cavortingwith his girlfriend.”

Linguistically, there is nothingarcane about this text: no legal con-cepts or terminology and no convo-luted syntactic structures (for which“legalese” is so famous). So “legalequivalence,” seen as the goal ofcourt interpreting by some theorists(Gonzalez et al., 1991, p. 16), doesnot play any role in this or numerousother court situations where partici-pants use only the “common core”vocabulary at best, or slang and streetjargon at worst (cf. witness or defen-dant testimony). However, the textpresents a challenge to a translator,and can be a nightmare for a courtinterpreter. (Please note that by

“translator,” we mean anyone who isserving as a conduit to interlingualcommunication, regardless of themedium.) Not that jokes are a fre-quent part of the legal procedure. It isjust that we find this example quiteillustrative in the context of thedebates concerning equivalence incourt interpreting.

As D. Crystal points out: “expres-sion of humor is one of the most dis-tinctive of all linguistic contexts”(Crystal, 1993, p. 62). And arguably,there is no other linguistic context thatmore vividly demonstrates the neces-sity to strive for functional equiva-lence in translation/interpretation; inother words, for a response on thepart of the target-language audiencethat is similar to the responseexpected from the source-languageaudience/listener/reader. E. Nidarefers to this as dynamic equivalence,stating that: “Dynamic equivalence istherefore to be defined in terms of thedegree to which the receptors of themessage in the receptor languagerespond to it in substantially the samemanner as the receptors in the sourcelanguage. This response can never beidentical, for the cultural and histor-ical settings are too different, butthere should be a high degree ofequivalence of response, or the trans-lation will have failed to accomplishits purpose” (Nida, 1969, p. 24).

The juxtaposition of a jocularremark concerning the randy, if pater-nally ambitious, nature of some men

versus the gravity of the charge mayindeed be an effective rhetorical device.However, our exemplary D.A.’s rhet-oric would be lost on a juror who hap-pens to be a nonnative speaker ofEnglish and/or who is not familiar withpresent-day American culture. No dic-tionary would shed light on the seem-ingly incongruous use of such lexicalunits as “a box of Wheaties,”“Playboy,” and “a milk carton.” It isrequired that all nonnative speakers ofEnglish (defendant, witnesses, andjurors alike) be provided with aninterpreter in the courtroom.Therefore, it is up to the interpreter tobring the speaker’s message home tothe non-English speaker in such away as to, as Nida would put it,achieve “a high degree of equivalencein response.”

The linguistic problem here, obvi-ously, lies not in the referentialmeaning of each of the lexical itemswe singled out, but in their culturalmeaning, which can be drawn onlyfrom the cultural context. It is themissing cultural context that is themajor hurdle in intercultural/interlin-gual communication. In someinstances, its lack is somewhat com-pensated for by the shared knowledgethe interlocutors have in a givenfield/area/discipline. (For example,compare the amount of shared knowl-edge among participants at an inter-national scientific conference.) Animmigrant in a court in a foreigncountry, especially in the capacity ofa defendant or a witness, presents adiametrically opposite situation. As isthe case in any communicative act,the bulk of what a person says or per-ceives is framed by the system of hisnative culture, but, in this case, theamount of shared knowledgebetween the nonnative speaker andthe rest of the actors of this scenariois minimal. ➡

The Concept of Equivalence in Court Interpreting

By Marina Braun

“…It is the missingcultural context that is the

major hurdle inintercultural/interlingual

communication…”


Each of the previously-mentionedlexical items (a box of Wheaties,Playboy, and a milk carton) must betreated separately by the interpreter. Letus analyze these terms in order to findout how the interpreter might presentthem to a non-English speaker. Thoughthe analysis will be based on the inter-section of American and Russian cul-ture and the English and Russianlanguages, the theoretical conclusionscan be applied to all languages.

Lexical Unit 1: Milk Carton The seemingly simple term “milk

carton” in the D.A.’s statement pres-ents a serious challenge to the inter-preter. The word combination “milkcarton” (its sound and/or graphicimage) is a “signifier” (signifiant, inSaussure’s terms) of a concept recog-nized by all Americans. If we were totranslate this word combination liter-ally (or verbatim) by translating eachword with the help of a bilingual dic-tionary, the result would be a sound orgraphic image for which there wouldbe no concept, no “signified” (sig-nifié, according to Saussure), in theRussian culture.1

Saussure referred to the relation-ship of the signified to the signifieras a linguistic sign, which he definedas the basic unit of communicationwithin a community (Crystal, 1993,p. 407). In the absence of the signi-fied, our newly created sound/graphic image simply does not standfor anything. It is unable to form arelationship that could produce anoffspring (a sign). Thanks to the lin-guistic context and the extralin-guistic situation described in the text(consider the other words in theD.A.’s statement: “morning,” “break-fast,” “milk”), understanding, andhence communication, would be pos-sible to a certain degree. However,only to a certain degree, since the

intended humor of the context, “thewife’s picture on the milk carton,” willstill be lost. But, interestingly, even ifwe stepped away from the literal trans-lation and came up with the more cul-turally appropriate “butilka moloka”(“milk bottle”), this rendering wouldstill not elicit a response from theRussian addressees that would be sim-ilar to the response expected from theAmerican receptors.

To substantiate this, let us take alook at what is communicated withthe help of the linguistic sign [milkcarton]2 in the given linguistic andcultural (American) context. The“signified” is not only a concept fora receptacle for milk available forretail distribution, but also serves asa mini billboard, if you will, due tothe fact that certain public notices,specifically about missing persons,are often printed on the sides of thecarton. Communication (in English)can occur only when the soundimage (“milk carton”), as the “signi-fier,” dovetails with the above con-cept, the signified, thereby givingbirth to a linguistic sign and creatingmeaning. It is only when this lin-guistic sign falls into place that cor-rect decoding of the context (“apicture of the wife on the milkcarton”) becomes possible.

The Russian sound image “butilkamoloka” (“milk bottle”) is destined toremain forever barren, since it cannever produce a sign that could besimilarly decoded. The reason for thisis quite simple: there is no concept(Russian milk bottles do not have anywriting on them), no “signified,” withwhich it can form a relationship.

The semiotic approach that wehave taken for the above analysisshould leave little doubt as to what theinterpreter needs to do. As a conduitto interlingual communication, theinterpreter, in her search for “the right

words,” must, instead of using soundimages empty of meaning (in a semi-otic sense), find language means thatcould participate in creating linguisticsigns. Instead of taking the morecommon route of searching among thepossible “signifiers” (“milk bottle,”“milk carton,” “milk package,” and thelike), it is more logical to use the “sig-nified” as the starting point. The “themilk carton” problem becomes easilysolvable if we single out those aspectsof the “signified” that are of primaryimportance in the given context: 1) itsfunction as a place for posting notices;and 2) something that is a part of theaverage person’s morning routine. Itsfunctional equivalent in the Russiansemiosphere (Lotman, 1984) is amorning paper, or a certain section ofit. The next step, finding the signifier(the sound/graphic image), is easy.Only after that will the humorousimplications of at least one part of theoriginal text become comprehensibleto listeners. In this way, the interpreterwill have assisted in creating a lin-guistic sign that conveys meaning tothe target audience.

Lexical Unit 2: Wheaties PackageAfter we have laid down the

groundwork, we can now skim overthe “Wheaties package” problem. It isquite similar to the previous one. Inthis case, the functional equivalent ofthe signified might also be a morningpaper (the sports section), since, unlikeAmericans, Russians still rely mostlyon the morning newspapers rather thanon packages of commercial products,like cereal, for information.

Lexical Unit 3: PlayboyUnlike the two previous cases, the

signified of Playboy is easy to locate.As a result of the lifting of the “IronCurtain” and a subsequent flooding ofthe virgin Russian market with all

The Concept of Equivalence in Court Interpreting Continued


things American, Playboy has alreadymade a triumphant, if controversial,appearance in Russia. So, chances arethat the average Russian speakermight be familiar with this piece ofAmericana and with its cultural con-notations. However, the sound imageof the concept, the signifier, needs tobe modified. The magazine’s name istransliterated in Russian, so it willsound “foreign” in a Russian text.Also, given the term’s very short his-tory in the Russian language, it willnot be subject to the rules of noundeclension. In cases like this, theoristssuggest that the word “magazine” beused in conjunction with its name(“the Playboy magazine”).

Here is the result of the translationefforts we have undertaken (back-translated from Russian):

Some men’s idea of a perfectmorning is when, at the breakfasttable, they see their kid’s picturein the “Promising Young Athletes”section of the morning paper, theirwife’s in the “Missing Persons”column of the same paper, andtheir girlfriend’s on the cover ofthe “Playboy” magazine.

Thus, with the help of several modifi-cations, the cultural, or semiotic, con-text is recreated in translation.

There seems to be a consensusamong linguists regarding catego-rizing the modifications (a.k.a. trans-lation/interpreting techniques) thatlanguage professionals have to resortto when dealing with cultural differ-ences between two languages. Atranslator/interpreter can select fromamong the following linguistic modi-fications: addition, omission, general-ization, substitution, or compensation(Barhudarov, 1975). In the aboveexample, we used substitution (for“the milk carton” and “the Wheaties

package”) and addition (for “Play-boy”). The factors (both linguistic andextralinguistic) determining this selec-tion and how one learns to performsuch operations on the text lies beyondthe scope of this article.

As if the linguistic complexitiesdescribed above are not enough, acourt interpreter operates under strictstate and federal guidelines thateffectively outlaw the use of modifi-cation techniques. According to the“Code of Professional Responsibilityfor Interpreters in the OregonCourts,” the interpreter: “shall rendera complete and accurate interpreta-tion or sight translation, withoutaltering, omitting anything from, oradding anything to what is stated orwritten….” This requirement is takento its extreme in the following pro-nouncement: “The interpreter isrequired to render in a verbatimmanner the form and content of thelinguistic and paralinguistic elementsof a discourse…” (Gonzalez et al.,1991, p. 16).

On the other hand, when a conces-sion is made allowing interpreters touse “additions” and employ othersimilar techniques, they are stillwarned that they will need to do sowith “great caution,” since inter-preting cultural meaning is an “intu-itive process” (Gonzalez et al., 1991,p. 311).

The conflict between the require-ment of verbatim interpretation and thenature of the translation/interpretingprocess is apparent. The result is con-fusion and frustration among inter-preters, who, instead of gettingassistance from linguists regardingthe practical steps to take in theirdemanding profession, are confrontedwith an avalanche of prescriptionsthat reflect the concerns over possibleliability more than they address theunderlying linguistic issues.3

The concept of legal equivalencecannot provide a practical roadmap,since it is not a linguistic, psycholin-guistic, or sociolinguistic concept.Legal equivalence, by definition,cannot elucidate the complexities ofthe interpreting process, nor set a lin-guistically valid goal for court inter-preters. Moreover, such equivalencedoes not, by any measure, encompassall types of discourse in court. As wepointed out earlier, interpreting thedefendant’s testimony before the jury,which is arguably the most crucialpart of the legal proceedings (possiblyeven a matter of life or death), hasnothing to do with legal terminology.

Given the far-reaching signifi-cance of errors in judicial proceed-ings and the liability constraintsunder which court interpretersoperate, it is imperative that con-sensus on solid linguistic grounds bereached as soon as possible. Atpresent, it is nowhere in sight.Moreover, even the word “interpreta-tion,” a widely accepted linguisticterm denoting the oral form of trans-lation, is sometimes called into ques-tion by a party in a legal case. It caneven, it seems, constitute grounds forappeal. The following extract demon-strates this only too vividly.

After retiring to consider amotion, the presiding judge, LordSutherland, said the two suspectswould be given verbatim Arabictranscripts of the proceedingssince the trial began on 3 May.

The legal teams said the men, whoare accused of causing the deathsof 270 people when a Pan Am jetexploded over the Scottish town ofLockerbie in 1988, were entitledto a verbatim translation. How-ever, under the translators’ con-tract they were instead ➡


receiving an “interpretation” ofwitnesses’ statements” (BBCWorld News, 2000).

It is apparent from this example that ifeven established linguistic conceptscan be twisted to serve the needs of aparticular case or person, court inter-preters do not, so to speak, have asolid enough linguistic leg to stand onin defense of their position.

Semiotics, which has gained con-siderable prominence in many areasin recent years, seems to have astrong potential for according lin-guistic and communication theoriesin the courtroom the prominence theydeserve—not to satisfy the ego oftheoreticians or save practicing inter-preters face in case of dispute, but inthe interests of justice. Semiotics canalso serve as a ground where fruitfuldebates about equivalence in transla-tion can be held.

The key, it seems, is to under-stand meaning as a cultural unit:“anything that is culturally definedand distinguished as an entity. Itmay be a person, place, thing,feeling, state of affairs, sense offoreboding, fantasy, hallucination,hope, or idea” (Schneider, 1968, p. 2).As Umberto Eco points out: “thisunit remains invariable despite thelinguistic symbol with which it issignified: [dog] denotes not a phys-ical object, but a cultural unit whichremains constant or invariable evenif I translate [dog] by [cane] or[chien] or [Hund]” (Eco, 1976, p. 67).In practical terms, if language profes-sionals are to succeed in their task,they need to look at meaning as a cul-tural unit. The translator/interpreteralso needs to figure out whether thecultural unit has a broader or morerestricted range in the other culture.For example, in the Eskimo culturethere are “four cultural units which

correspond to four different states ofsnow” (Eco, 1976, p. 67). The nextstep is to find the language means(or “sign-vehicle,” in semioticterms) provided by the given lan-guage (code) that corresponds to thecultural unit.

ConclusionThe way two languages encode

cultural meaning may be vastly dif-ferent. To put restraints on languageprofessionals by demanding a “ver-batim” translation (i.e., to translate/interpret words rather than meaning)is to disregard the fundamentaltenets of modern language and com-munication theories. Instead, the goalof any translation/interpretationshould be, we believe, semioticequivalence, which means achievingcorrespondence between culturalunits in the source language andtarget language.

This view of equivalence is relatedto the concepts of “dynamic equiva-lence,” “functional equivalence,” and“pragmatic equivalence,” in the sensethat they are all based on an under-standing of language as a social phe-nomenon and of translation as a typeof communicative act. At the sametime, semiotic equivalence can pro-vide an even more useful tool fortranslators/interpreters by offeringgreater insight into the mechanism ofmeaning and its encoding with thehelp of language means.

Notes1. We know, of course, that because

of the recent influx of importedproducts to that country, theRussian people are familiar withthe concept of the milk carton.However, for the purposes of ourdiscussion, let us assume that themilk carton still has not beenintroduced in Russia.

2. Square brackets [ ] are used todistinguish a linguistic sign as anabstract notion from a concretesound/graphic image of a word orword combination.

3. A distinction should be clearlydrawn between additions, omis-sions, etc., as legitimate and nec-essary tools in the process ofconveying meaning from one lan-guage to another, and idiosyn-cratic changes the interpreter/translator might make (to clarify,smooth rough edges, add to anotherwise incomplete phrase, oromit, let us say, obscenities in thesource language—all of whichshould indeed be considered a vio-lation of professional boundaries).What might help to make this dis-tinction is to understand that theformer is a linguistic issue gov-erned by the equivalence require-ment, whereas the latter is ethical.

References1. Barhudarov, L. 1975. Yazik i

perevod. Moscow: Mezhdunarod-niye otnosheniya.

2. BBC World News on the Internet,June 9, 2000.

3. Crystal, D. 1993. The CambridgeEncyclopedia of Language. Cam-bridge University Press.

4. Eco, Umberto. 1976. A Theory ofSemiotics. Bloomington: IndianaUniversity Press.

5. Gonzalez, R. et al. 1991. Funda-mentals of Court Interpretation.Durham: Carolina AcademicPress.

Continued on p.59

The Concept of Equivalence in Court Interpreting Continued


J ust before starting his presenta-tion, the speaker looked at theinterpreter and asked:

Speaker: Are you a good interpreter?Interpreter: I think I am. That’s whatpeople say.Speaker: Well, I will see for myself.Interpreter: How are you going tojudge? You do not speak my language.Speaker: Very easy, I can always tellthrough people’s reactions.

Interpreters can be rated by listenersand speakers as “good,” “accurate,”“correct,” or even “great.” Thoseinterpreters who are rated “great” areusually the ones that succeed in elic-iting in the audience the reactionsthat the speaker intends.

What are the characteristics thatseparate an “excellent” from a“good” interpretation, and how canwe learn to achieve this level. Good,or even very good, interpreters arecommitted to a high professionalstandard. Their knowledge of thetechnical aspects of the language andof the process of interpretation allowthem to perform their job efficiently.However, as we will see, sometimesefficiency is not enough. What distin-guishes excellent interpreters fromthe rest is not merely their ability tograsp the technical side of language,but their ability to go beyond thislevel and communicate the symbolicaspect of language. In other words,an excellent interpreter is adept atdecoding, and then appropriatelyconveying, the nonverbal elements ofspeech. This is no minor feature ofan interpreter’s task, and requiresmore than finding equivalent termi-nology in the target language. Iintend to discuss these “nontech-nical,” or what we could call “soft”(less definable), aspects of theinterpreter’s performance.

In trying to elaborate upon a list ofqualities that excellent interpretersshould exhibit, I have come up withthe following list. Such professionalsmust be:

• Available; • Highly intuitive;• Humble;• Emotionally intelligent; and • Possess good rhetorical skills.

By available, I mean being in tunewith the speaker and audience (psy-chological openness). This will leadto excellent listening skills (beyondthe words) and a good delivery.Intuition, however difficult to define,

is a very valuable resource for aninterpreter, since intuition will allowthe interpreter to comprehend thenonverbal elements of the speech, toanticipate elements in the discourse,and to read the speaker’s intentions.Being humble, in as much as an inter-preter has to be open to learning as away of life, refers to the interpreter’sability to act as a non-content expertlink between parties (who are oftenexperts on the subject matter beingdiscussed). Emotional intelligence,as described by Goleman, comprisesseven aspects, all of which must bepresent in an interpreter. Finally,interpreters must have good rhetor-ical skills, since they must speak inpublic and, therefore, need to be goodpublic speakers.

A common debate is whetherinterpreting is an art or a technique. Ithink it has been concluded that it isboth. If interpreting is a technique,every aspect of it can be taught.However, if it is an art, it might bethought that it can only be performedby individuals who are naturallygifted. I have found that the Greekconcept of techne best describes thenature of interpreting.1 For the pur-poses of this article, let us agree thatthere is a technical and an artisticaspect to interpreting. The technicalaspect is the one that is traditionallytaught in interpreting schools, and theartistic aspect, as far as I know, is not.

I propose that the artistic aspect ofinterpreting can be taught. In thisarticle, I wish to refer to two histor-ical sources, the works of Aristotleand Konstantin Stanislavsky, whichprovide valuable methods that couldbe used to train future or practicinginterpreters in some of the “artistic”aspects of their performance.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric, his treaty onthe art of persuasion, contains someof the most enlightened theory andconcepts for teaching the art of inter-preting. Interpreters who are versedin the art of rhetoric will be wellequipped to be good rhetoriticians. Assuch, they will be able to identify thedifferent figures of rhetoric employedby the speaker and to reproduce themin the target language.

Konstantin Stanislavsky, the greatRussian actor and director, derived hisfamous Method (also known as “theSystem”) for training actors fromobservations of the work of the greatperformers of his day and from his ownacting experience. He identified anddescribed what these gifted performersdid naturally and intuitively. Fromthese observations, he compiled aseries of principles and techniques thatcontinue to this day to be regarded ➡

What Can Interpreters Learn from Aristotle and Stanislavsky?By Estela Herrera

“…What distinguishesexcellent interpreters fromthe rest is their ability to

communicate thesymbolic aspect of

language…”


as fundamental to both the training and the performance of actors.Stanislavsky’s principles and tech-niques can also be applied to inter-preting. Interpreters who master thetechniques proposed by Stanislavskywill be very well equipped to improveupon the quality of their interpretation,will free up mental space for the intel-lectual process involved in interpreting,and will have more energy available toenjoy and benefit from the richness thatthe interpreter’s work offers.

Interpreters, like artisans, craft anew product with each performance.There is no such thing as repetition.Speakers change, discourses change,and audiences change. In each newsituation, the interpreter is subject topersonal factors that may affect theresult of his or her work.

In comparing interpreters’ work tothat of the artisans, I would like to dis-cuss the materials and tools inter-preters use, and in particular howAristotle’s and Stanislavsky’s methodscan be applied when teaching inter-preters some of the “soft” aspects ofinterpretation I mentioned earlier.

Aristotle on an Interpreter’s Working Material

Like a potter who begins with clay,the interpreter’s base material is thespoken word. However, there aremore than words involved in thisprocess. When defining the subject ofrhetoric in the first paragraph of BookI of Rhetoric, Aristotle provides anexcellent definition of interpretation:

Rhetoric is the counterpart ofDialectic. Both alike are con-cerned with such things as come,more or less, within the generalken of all men and belong to nodefinite science. Accordingly allmen make use, more or less, ofboth; for to a certain extent all

men attempt to discuss statementsand to maintain them, to defendthemselves and to attack others.Ordinary people do this either atrandom or through practice andfrom acquired habit. Both waysbeing possible, the subject canplainly be handled systematically,for it is possible to inquire thereason why some speakers suc-ceed through practice and othersspontaneously; and every one willat once agree that such an inquiryis the function of an art.

Interpreting, like rhetoric, is a processor a means. Specifically, in the interpre-tative situation, the following elementsare involved:

The Speaker who:a) may or may not have good rhetor-

ical skills;b) may or may not be a native

speaker of the language he or sheis interpreting;

c) may be reading, thus using, a codeother than the oral code;

d) may have intentions; and e) may want to provoke reactions in

the audience.

The Message, which comprises:a) a word enunciation which can be

vague, incomplete, or polisemic; b) a rhetorical form; and c) a context which may be explicit

or nonexplicit.

The Interpreter, whose performancecomprises two elements:a) the incoming message: listening,

word decoding, and intuitivedecoding (beyond the words); and

b) the outgoing message, which willideally convey the same messagein the target language, applyingthe same rhetorical form and notbetraying the speaker’s intentions.

The Audience/Listeners, who receivethe message through:a) the interpreter’s output; andb) the nonverbal signs of the speaker,

such as body language, gestures,intonation, etc.

In addition, the audience sends theirfeedback to the speaker, which, inturn, may become part of the message.

With the exception of the inter-preter, Aristotle’s Rhetoric establishesthe principles of communication thatapply to the speaker, the message, andthe audience. Aristotle not onlydescribes the means of persuasion, butalso provides a rhetorical ethic andpsychology. Book I refers to the mate-rials to be used in the oratory, Book IIdeals with the emotions.

...since rhetoric exists to affect thegiving of decisions...the orator mustnot only try to make the argumentof his speech demonstrative andworthy of belief; he must also makehis own character look right and puthis hearers, who are to decide, intothe right frame of mind.

Interpreters must be able to under-stand and reproduce the rhetoricaldevices that speakers use to influencethe audience. No matter the type ofcommunicative situation, the goal isalways to produce a reaction in thehearer. However, it is the informationcontained in Book III which inter-preters will find most useful, as itrefers to the style or language to beused and the proper arrangement ofthe various parts of the speech.

...For it is not enough to knowwhat we ought to say; we mustalso say it as we ought...

...These are the three things(volume of sound, modulation of

What Can Interpreters Learn from Aristotle and Stanislavsky? Continued


pitch, and rhythm) that a speakerbears in mind. It is those who dobear them in mind who usually winprizes in the dramatic contests...

In my mind, the interpreters whowould win prizes in the dramatic con-tests are those who most successfullyconvey all of the elements present inthe speaker’s message. My point hereis that interpreting is about publicspeaking, and public speaking can betaught. Nowadays, there are numeroustechniques and courses for teachingthe art of good speaking. Interpretingschools should create their ownmethods or adapt existing methods tosatisfy the special needs that inter-preting poses.

Stanislavsky on the Interpreter’s Instrument

Some people still think that all youneed to be a good interpreter is tohave a full command of the two lan-guages involved, to be familiar withthe vocabulary of the subject to bediscussed, and to be trained in lis-tening and speaking at the same time.However, to effectively reach anaudience, interpreters have to be psy-chophysically available and intellec-tually well prepared in order to fullyexpress everything the interpretativesituation requires.

In observing the process of inter-pretation, I have frequently comparedit to acting. Just as the actor is aninstrument of the dramatic situation,so, too, the interpreter is the instru-ment of the communicative situation.Here is where Stanislavsky comesinto play.

In his essay “An Actor Prepares,”Stanislavsky proposed a grammar foractors with special exercises. However,his elaborations went further than asimple grammar, outlining an entireseries of techniques to aid the performer

in his art. He described the psychophys-ical and psychological laws, which hereferred to as the psychotechnic (whichbecame known as his Method).

Stanislavsky defined his psy-chotechnic system as a way to learnthe ability to merge the psychologicalwith the physical action to achievethe best possible harmony. To suc-ceed, the performer has to be prop-erly relaxed, concentrated, and beable to focus his or her attention, thusputting the subconscious and intu-ition to work.

The psychotechnic molds the men-talities to trigger subconsciousprocesses, encourages creative powers,and allows the performer to cultivateand apply conscious interior tech-niques. Like the stage performer, inter-preters may also find Stanislavsky’stechniques useful in freeing up mentalspace for the intellectual demandsinvolved in processing an incomingmessage and delivering it in the targetlanguage. The following describesthose aspects of Stanislavsky’s methodthat I consider applicable for thetraining of interpreters.

Relaxation: Stanislavsky observedthat by eliminating unwanted tension,the performer can maintain a state ofcomplete freedom and physical andvocal relaxation. Tension interferes inboth operations of the interpreter:listening/decoding and delivering/ re-coding. Learning to control tensionis a skill that I would say is mandatoryfor interpreters, and one that eachinterpreter will evoke and display in avery individual way. I have only seenreference made to training inter-preters in tension control as part ofvoice training techniques. In thearticle “Masters of the Voice” (quotedby Irene Nikolayeva Stone in herarticle, “If You Cannot See It, HowCan You Tell?”), Silke Gebhard says:

Amazingly, though, voice training,or voice management, plays amarginal role, if any, in the cur-ricula of most interpreters’schools. And while many inter-preters experience voice problemsat some time in their career, fewtake a systematic approach to pro-tecting and using effectively thisessential job tool.

Breathing: A way to learn control ofmuscular relaxation is throughbreathing. Breathing essentially deter-mines the rhythm of attention. Whenbreathing is rhythmic, it renews thecreative functions.

Attention: An essential tool for theinterpreter is to be able to control his orher attention span. This is one of themost important aspects of Stanis-lavsky’s psychotechnic system. Bycontrolling attention, one learns tolook and to see (or, in the interpreter’scase, to hear and listen). Interpretersmust also control their internal atten-tion (the mental techniques associatedwith the interpreting process) andexternal attention (the external action)at the same time. Stanislavskyexplained that the attention of a normalindividual could be represented graph-ically, like the figure below:

.-.-.-.-.

That is, in normal men there isalways an interval of rest and reflection(the dashes) between each moment ofattention (the dots). There is a time forideas to take the form of thought andthen find their expression in words (andactions). During such intervals, atten-tion continues to work, but it does notemerge from the subconscious levels tothe active centers of the brain thattransmit action to the external world.Stanislavsky also made some ➡


interesting observations about how therhythm of attention is broken in somepeople. Interpreters usually have todeal with broken rhythms (for instance,when the speaker is drowned out bybackground noise or another speaker),thus they have to master the ability tofocus their attention on a specific seg-ment of the external action (namely, theprimary speaker).

Concentration and Observation:Stanislavsky referred to the extent, orrange, of concentration as a circle ofattention, and proposed a method forcontrolling it and losing self-con-sciousness. By learning to transferattention, the performer learns to playbetween internal and external attention.This can also be a very useful tech-nique for interpreters. The interpreter,like the actor, will have to strugglebetween the self-exhibitionist driveversus public loneliness.

The Given Circumstances: Stanis-lavsky says that the performer mustalso be aware of the specific details ofthe situation in which a characterexists. In what kind of space does anevent take place: formal, informal,public, or domestic? How does itfeel? What went on just before thisevent? What is expected in themoments ahead? For interpreters, thismeans gathering as much informationabout the speech to be interpreted andthe circumstances surrounding it aspossible. Some of these circum-stances will be self-evident, but otherswill have to be investigated by theinterpreter before the event.

Action Onstage: What? Why? How?An important principle of Stanis-lavsky’s system is that all actiononstage must have a purpose. The per-former’s attention must always befocused on a series of physical actions

linked together by the circumstancesof the play. These physical actions,which occur from moment to momentin a performance, are governed by thecharacter’s overall objective in theplay. For interpreters, the What iswhat the speaker is saying (the mes-sage), the Why is the intention, andthe How is the register plus all therhetorical elements in the speech.

Superobjective: According to Stanis-lavsky, in order to develop continuityin a part, the actor or actress shouldfind the superobjective of a character.What is it, above all else, that the char-acter wants during the course of aplay? What is the character’s drivingforce? Is there a goal toward which thecharacter strives? This will give theperformer an overall objective (thethrough line). To help develop thethrough line, Stanislavsky urged per-formers to divide scenes into units orbeats. In each unit there is an objective,and the intermediate objectives run-ning through a play ultimately lead tothe overall objective. For interpreters,it is very important to discover thesuperobjective of the speaker they willbe interpreting for. There is a dominantidea that the interpreter has to conveywhat the speaker is saying, both intel-lectually and emotionally, but some-times the dominant idea is not overtlycommunicated.

Inner Truth: Stanislavsky proposeda method to achieve a sense of innertruth. He believed that the performershould eradicate personal ideas andfeelings during the performance.Interpreters will probably try andachieve a sense of inner truth by put-ting themselves in the place of thespeaker, thereby creating the fictionof believing in what they are commu-nicating. Interpreters may have theirown personal opinions about what

they are listening to, but, for the sakeof the interpretation, they should notlet their own opinions interfere. Thereis, of course, an ethical dimensionbehind this, but it requires training tobe able to create the necessary detach-ment from the action in order not tolet one’s ego interfere.

Ensemble Playing: Stanislavsky saidthat the actor does not act alone, butinteracts with other people. The actordoes not stop acting when anotheractor is speaking. An interpreter doesnot act alone either. First of all, theinterpreter must be able to make agood “ensemble” with the speaker andthen with the other members of theteam, namely co-interpreters, tech-nical staff, conference organizers, andaudience. Interpreters who can appro-priately communicate with all of theseparties will be the ones best suited toprovide an excellent performance.

Self-control: According to Stanis-lavsky, once the performer islaunched to action there is always the fear of losing control due to threereasons: scenic fear, sense of respon-sibility, and understanding the diffi-culties of the role. To be able todisplay this internal control, the actorneeds to arrive at the theater early inorder to have time to relax and getready (apply make up, dress, etc.).Stanislavsky believed that the actorhas to “fine tune the internal strings.”Interpreters also need to arrive earlyin order to test the equipment, relax,talk to the speaker(s) whenever pos-sible, and become familiar with theatmosphere of the world they will beliving in for the duration of the con-ference (which will be ruled by itsown internal codes).

Stanislavsky also referred to thedifferent moments of performing,

What Can Interpreters Learn from Aristotle and Stanislavsky? Continued


which I find an interesting parallel tothe practice of interpreting. Hedetailed the special challenges of thebeginning of the action, when theperformer has not fully apprehendedthe situation, and to the end of theperformance, when signs of fatiguestart to appear. As an interpreter, Ihave observed that the first five min-utes of a conference are by far themost demanding in all respects, sincethose are the minutes when one isfaced with discovering and decodingthe rules of the game one will beplaying. The observation about theend of the performance is also true forinterpreters, who must be aware of thesigns of fatigue. If and when these orany other elements start to produceany disequilibrium in attention span,both the actor and interpreter musthave the necessary performance tech-niques in place to make adjustmentsaccordingly to correct any deviations.

I suggested earlier that welltrained interpreters have to be able toevoke the subconscious and put it towork. By this I mean:

1) To get rid of all types of tensions; 2) To display intuition; and3) To be in a state of freedom of

expression (association).

Finally, I would also like to takeStanislavsky’s concept of an actor’slaboratory. It would be ideal for expe-rienced interpreters to participate inworkshops or “clinics” to observe eachother’s techniques, since this is theonly way to remedy acquired badhabits or enhance valuable competen-cies. Such a laboratory, outside theactual work environment, is a goodplace for training to overcome obsta-cles and to learn to be in harmony withoneself and the environment. Throughsuch workshops, interpreters couldalso gain self-control, serenity, and

self-discipline, attributes that may helpthem develop the gift of serendipityand valuable treasures in the practiceof this profession that is uniquely richin opening doors to new worlds

Notes1. Techné. In Greek, the word techné

has a broader scope than our word“art,” since it refers to practicalprofessions based on specialknowledge. Therefore, the termnot only applies to painting andsculpture, architecture, or music,but also to medicine, the strategyof war, or the art of navigation.The word techne tries to expressthat these practical works or pro-fessional activities do not respondto a simple routine, but to generalrules based on solid knowledge.

ReferencesAristóteles, Retórica, Aguilar. 1964.

Traducido del griego y notas porFrancisco de P. Samaranch.

The Works of Aristotle, Volume II.1952. William Benton Publisher,Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. (edi-tion reprinted from The Works ofAristotle, translated into Englishunder the editorship of W.D. Ross).

Estinel, Marina. "Is Interpreting an Artor a Technique?" Paper presented atthe Colegio de Traductores Públicosde la Ciudad de Buenos Aires,August 2000.

Gebhard, Silke. March-April 2000.“Masters of the Voice.” AIICCommunicate. International Associ-ation of Conference InterpretingStandards.

Paideia. 1957. Los ideales de la cul-tura griega. Ed. Fondo de CulturaEconómica, Wener Jaeger.

Stanislavsky, Constantin. 1954.Preparación del Actor. EditorialPsique: Buenos Aires.

Stanislavsky, Dirige, and V.O.Toporkov. 1961. Teoría y Prácticadel Teatro. Compañía GeneralFabril Editora: Buenos Aires.

Stone, Irene N. “If You Cannot See It,How Can You Tell? The Meaningand Significance of Voice inTelephone Interpreting.” ATAChronicle.

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U.S. firms are unsure about how toapproach Asian markets. What’s thedifference between Simplified andTraditional Chinese, for example?(For some answers on that question,read “Simplified vs. TraditionalChinese: What Every TranslationAgency Should Know,” by Jessie Luand Claire Liu, on page 24 of theJune 2002 issue of the ATAChronicle.) What’s the best strategyfor localizing a website into Chinese?Which search engines are the mostcommon in China, and what char-acter encoding schemes do they use?The rest of this article aims to answerthose questions and more.

Assemble Your TeamAchieving effective, lasting web

visibility in any Asian marketrequires a team effort. At the veryminimum, you will need a capablewebmaster (preferably someone whois at least familiar with the variouscharacter encoding schemes), anative linguist who is also a talentedwriter, and a marketing consultantwho knows the language and the cul-ture of the target region. Your con-sultant should also be intimatelyfamiliar with the primary searchengines used by consumers in thetarget region.

It’s easy to make mistakes whenassembling this team. I’ve seen lotsof companies make them and pay theprice later. The first mistake isassuming that just because someonespeaks the language, they are capableof creating compelling online docu-ments in that language. Supposeyou’re aiming for a Chinese website,and you just happen to have anemployee who speaks Chinese. Youask her to help with the site transla-tion, and she’s happy to pitch in. A

Increasing Web Visibility for the Chinese Market

By Mike Adams and Sheh Lio

“…Getting your messageto Chinese-speakingconsumers is about

making the process workfrom start to finish…”


few weeks later, your Chinese sitegoes live.

That’s when the complaints starthitting your support center. It turns outthat your Chinese webpages aren’tvery professionally written. Notbecause the translation isn’t correct,but because your Chinese-speakingemployee simply wasn’t a skilledwriter (and wasn’t hired to be one,probably). Hire professional transla-tors (who are also great writers) tocreate your localized webpages.

Another common mistake isthinking that your localized web-pages have to perfectly match yourever-changing English webpages.It’s an impossible goal because, ifyou’re like most organizations, yourEnglish pages are constantly on themove. Somebody in the company isprobably tweaking it every day.Trying to keep localized versions ofthe site as exact replicas of theEnglish content is a very difficultgoal. It’s extremely inefficient inmany ways: cost, administrativeoverhead, and sheer frustration.

Think of it this way—whenworking with professional translators,you get the most bang for your buckwhen you have a sizable project, say, ahundred pages of content. If youchange one phrase six weeks later andtry to get that single phrase translatedinto all the target languages on yoursite, you’ll pay through the nose on aper-word basis. Most translators haveminimum fees. Two words might costyou $50. That’s $25 per word, or morethan a hundred times the going rate(depending on your language). Tosave your money, and sanity, plan ondoing a major localization update onlywhen you have enough content to war-rant a sizable project. In the meantime,accept the fact that what your site saysin English will be slightly differentthan what it says in Chinese.

I didn’t yet mention some of theoptional experts you may need duringyour localization efforts. If you’regoing to offer interactive elements toyour Chinese visitors, it helps to havea web/database programmer on handwho has experience with languagesother than English. Web programmingscripts, which are usually written inASP, PHP, Cold Fusion, or PERL,don’t necessarily operate natively withnon-English languages, especially ifyou’re using web forms.

There’s yet another pitfall to avoidin all this—always hire a web pro-grammer who has proven experience indealing with non-English characterencoding. There are all sorts of com-patibility issues to consider: browsers,operating systems, e-mail clients, anddatabase encoding schemes, and you’llfind yourself ahead of the game if yourweb programmer knows the ropes. Forexample, even if you’re runningMicrosoft SQL 7, one of the most pop-ular databases these days, it won’thandle many non-English charactersets correctly unless you happen tocheck a particular box during the orig-inal installation of the database. Youcan always create a new database, ofcourse, and migrate all your old datainto it, but that gets into expensive data-base porting time, and it takes your dataoffline during the process. Not good...

This isn’t a technical article, bythe way, and you shouldn’t have tomaster all this yourself. That’s thepurpose of your team: surround your-self with capable people who can dowhat you can’t. Choosing your local-ization team wisely is undoubtedlythe most important decision you’llmake in your efforts to reach theChinese market.

Where the Rubber Meets the RoadLet’s take a look at a few Chinese-

language webpages and see what

they’re doing right, or wrong, in aneffort to achieve high visibility.Getting noticed by non-Englishsearch engines is a lot like gettingnoticed by English-based searchengines like Google. You have toknow what keywords you’re goingafter, and you have to use them liber-ally (but honestly) throughout yourcontent.

Figure 1 on page 44 is an Englishwebpage that might attempt to attractthe attention of international studentswho are looking for language studiesin the United States. It’s a beautifullooking page, taking advantage of allsorts of technology gadgetry to achievea “cool” look and feel. But do thesearch engines care? Not really. Thepage isn’t much of a winner from thepoint of view of the search engines,primarily because it’s made of images,not text. There’s hardly a lick of actualtext in the entire source code.

Search engines don’t read pictures;they read text. Practically the onlytext on the page in Figure 2 on page45 is the title, which reads, “A.C.E. @MSU,” a poor description of what theorganization hosting the page actuallyoffers. As a result, the search enginessee this as basically a blank page.That definitely won’t earn the pageany high rankings in China, HongKong, Singapore, or anywhere else.

This is an example of a webpagethat was very likely built by a tech-nically savvy webmaster who, in aneffort to make the page look reallycool, overlooked important contentrules. For example, the page doesn’treally describe what A.C.E. is. Itdoesn’t describe the organization’sservices. A menu bar near the toppromises “Testimonials,” but testimo-nials of what?

Sometimes it’s much easier to seewhat other people’s websites aredoing wrong than finding faults ➡

on your own page. Your ego isn’tinvolved in their site, which makes iteasy to criticize. During your ownefforts to appeal to an internationalaudience, however, you need to setaside your ego and look at the nitty-gritty. What single phrase does yourwebpage desperately need that wouldearn it some visibility on the interna-tional search engines?

For me, the phrase that comes tomind is “Learn English!” Imagine astudent in Taiwan looking for anEnglish school in the United States.What are they likely to type in thesearch engine? Probably somethinglike “I want to learn English,” or just“study English.” And that’s the firsttip for creating websites with interna-tional search engine appeal—nomatter what language you’re using,take advantage of all the searchengine strategies you can implementin plain English.

If Montana State University came tome and asked, “How could I make thispage appeal to international students?”I would offer the following advice:

• Scrap all the wow-cool Java stuff.Stick to plain HTML. It workseverywhere.

• Populate the page with words thatdescribe what you’re doing.“Learn English” would be a goodplace to start.

• Replace the current title with abrief description that uses yourmain keywords. Something like,“Learn English studies at theAmerican Cultural Exchange.”That way, you’re covered whensearchers type “learn English” or“English studies.” Notice that thekeywords are at the beginning ofthe title, not the end.

• Give visitors a hint as to what to donext. The page in Figure 1 has 16possible things to click. Six of themare nonsensical letter combinationslike FUSA and SVC. It would bemore meaningful to say, “Lookingto learn English in America? You’vecome to the right place! Click here

to see a tour of what we offer inEnglish studies.…”

I analyzed this English webpagefirst because I want to point out someof the basics that apply to all lan-guages. Even if you translate yoursite into eight different languages,you’re only likely to achieve highsearch engine visibility if you applythe basic principles.

Here’s the short version of thebasic principles:

• Decide which keyword or key-word phrases best represent yourcompany, product, service, orinformation. If you’re shooting forhigh rankings in a Chinese searchengine, then you need to come upwith these phrases in Chinese.

• Be specific, not general. If yourcompany offers accounting soft-ware, don’t try to achieve #1ranking for the word “software” orthe word “accounting.” You’reoffering, specifically, “accountingsoftware,” and that’s vastly dif-ferent than the concepts repre-sented by either word alone. Userswho are looking for accountingsoftware are eventually going totype “accounting software” intothe search engines anyway. Why?Because if they type “software,”they’ll be dissatisfied with theresults and they’ll narrow theirown query.

• Use your selected keywordsthroughout your page title andtext. Make sure your keywordsappear in the text content, not justthe graphics.

• Always begin your title with yourmost important keywords.


Increasing Web Visibility for the Chinese Market Continued

Figure 1: A Pure Graphics Site


• Don’t try to stuff 50 keywords intoone long title. Instead, optimizedifferent pages for different sets ofkeywords. As a rule of thumb, youcan squeeze approximately fivekeywords or keyword phrases intoa single page.

• Use the keywords naturallythroughout your text. Don’t makekeyword lists, and don’t use whitetext on a white background in anattempt to fool the search engines.(They already detect that, and theypenalize for it.) Just use the wordswhere they naturally make sense.

You’re only ready for site localiza-tion after you’ve followed all thesesteps. Remember, your translators aregoing to work on what you give them.They’re not going to rework your pagesinto search engine champions. So ifyou want outstanding search engineresults, give your translators contentthat already has the upper edge.

Getting Your Site TranslatedOnce you’re satisfied with your

content, you’re ready to submit yoursite to your translators. These mightbe in-house translators, independentcontractors, or members at a transla-tions firm.

The name “translator” can be alittle misleading, by the way, becausetheir job involves much more thansimply translating the content ofyour site. They have to restructurethe content to fit the culture and thelanguage of the target region. Some-times this requires reworking thelogic (Chinese logic and Englishlogic are not at all identical). Othertimes, it requires altering text to bemore culturally sensitive. In everycase, it requires the correct characterset encoding.

Once the site is fully localized andtested, it’s your job to post the pagesand make them publicly available.That’s when the search engine place-ment effort begins.

The Major Chinese Search EnginesTable 1 on page 46 gives a short

list of the major Chinese searchengines, along with their preferredcharacter-encoding scheme.

Chinese search engines, like Englishsearch engines, generally fall into twocategories: spiders (engines, likeGoogle, that spider the web and indexcontent through automated processes)and directories (site listing databases,like Sohu, that are usually managed bypeople). Some of the engines are paid(Sohu [see Figure 3, page 46] and Sina,for example), and some are still free(Gais and Google). In some cases, thereare differences between the revenuemodels of the same search engine indifferent countries. Yahoo!, forexample, is a paid listing service in theU.S., but still offers free listings in theAsian markets.

Submitting to a directory takesmore time, of course, because youhave to offer a lot more detail aboutyour site. For example, afterchoosing an appropriate category foryour particular site on theYahoo!/Kimo Taiwan directory (seeFigure 4, page 46), you’re asked toprovide your company’s name in bothEnglish and Chinese, your URL, asite description, the submitter’s e-mailaddress, and other details. Spiderengines, on the other hand, are morestraightforward. They usually onlyrequire you to submit your URL.

Submitting to both directories andsearch engines is important, but don’tgo overboard. Specifically, I recom-mend avoiding software or servicesthat claim to submit your site to hun-dreds, or even thousands, of searchengines. That’s a waste of timebecause 99% of web users stick to thesame two or three search engines.Nobody uses “hundreds” of searchengines. In fact, I’ve never metanyone who can even name 20. ➡

Figure 2: Source Code Revealing Almost No Visible Text


Tips for Submitting Your Site to the Directories• Choose the best category. If you’re

not sure about the correct cate-gory, find the category used by themajority of your competitors anduse that one.

• Make sure your main page pro-vides a clear, prominent descrip-tion of what your organizationoffers. The people who approveyour directory listing will refer toyour index page to verify whetherthe description you’ve submittedis accurate. If you don’t offer aclear positioning statement, yourisk delaying your approvalprocess.

Putting It All TogetherAll this, when done correctly, can

significantly boost your visibility onboth English and Chinese searchengines. With higher rankings, you’llreceive enhancements in brandingand traffic. But that’s only chapterone. The value of the content you

Increasing Web Visibility for the Chinese Market Continued

Figure 3: Sohu China’s Main Page Figure 4: Yahoo!/Kimo Taiwan’s Submission Forms

Continued on p.64

China Hong Kong Taiwan(gb2312 encoding) (big5 encoding) (big5 encoding)

Sina China Yahoo! Hong Kong Kimo/Yahoo! Taiwan(www.sina.com.cn) (http://hk.yahoo.com) (http://tw.yahoo.com)

Sohu Hongkong.com Sina Taiwan(www.sohu.com) (www.hongkong.com) (www.sina.com.tw)

Yahoo! China Lycos Hong Kong Yam(http://cn.yahoo.com) (http://hk.lycosasia.com) (www.yam.com)

Netease* Netvigator Hinet(www.netease.com) (www.netvigator.com) (www.hinet.net)163.com(www.163.com)Yeah(www.yeah.net)

Google Asiaco OpenFind(www.google.com) (http://hk.asiaco.com) (www.openfind.com.tw)

Goyoyo Timway Gais(www.goyoyo.com) (www.timway.com) (http://gais.cs.ccu.edu.tw)

Sina Hong Kong Google(www.sina.com.hk) (www.google.com)

* Netease, 163.com and Yeah have identical content.

Table 1: Major Chinese Search Engines


The Onionskin is a client education column launched by the ITI Bulletin (a publication of the U.K.’s Institute ofTranslation and Interpreting) in 1996. Comments and leads for future columns are very welcome; please include fullcontact details. Contact: [email protected] or fax +33 1 43 87 70 45.

The Onionskin By Chris Durban

Linguists Face Buoyant Job Market in U.S.

“J ob prospects are expectedto be best for highlyskilled interpreters and

translators who have specializedknowledge,” notes a recent profile ofthe profession, reiterating what manyobservers have long maintained.

The U.S. Bureau of LaborStatistics’ decision to home in ontranslators and interpreters in theSummer 2002 issue of OccupationalOutlook Quarterly was due in part toincreased press coverage of transla-tors and interpreters over the pastyear, a contact told The Onionskin.The magazine has 8,000 regular sub-scribers, many of them guidancecounselors in U.S. secondary schoolsand universities, but an online edition(www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm)gives articles a far wider audience.

In any event, this particular articlestarts with a review of the basics,including a definition of what theselanguage people actually do.

“[Interpreters and translators] domore than simply translate words,”writes Elka Jones, an economist inthe Office of Occupational Statisticsand Employment Projections. “Theyrelay concepts and ideas between lan-guages. They must thoroughly under-stand the subject matters in whichthey work so they are able to convertinformation from one language […]into another. And they must remainsensitive to the cultures associatedwith their languages of expertise.”

Growth in employment in transla-tion and interpreting is projected torise by about 24% in the U.S. between2000-2010, a rate above average forall occupations. Only conferenceinterpreters and literary translatorsface what the BLS terms “minimal

growth.” And while earnings datacited by Jones appear low (medianhourly earnings of [gulp] $15), thefigure rises dramatically for highquality professionals working full-time in specialized technical fields,who can make over $100,000 annu-ally. This is clearly where the actionis, with anecdotal evidence con-firming higher job satisfaction than inmany other segments.

The earnings gap recalls the findings of a survey of members ofthe U.K.’s Institute of Translation andInterpreting, published in December2001 (ITI Bulletin, www.iti.org.uk).This highlighted the large number ofITI members working part-time,which brought median income figuresdown sharply.

On the plus side, many U.S. inter-preters and translators find their workrewarding and educationally enriching,and appreciate the variety and flexi-bility it offers. The downside for free-lancers includes “the amount of timethat must be dedicated to looking forjobs,” stress, a lack of employer-paidbenefits, and, in some cases, erraticschedules.

The BLS report was producedwith input from professional associa-tions, including the ATA and theTranslators and Interpreters Guild, inaddition to extensive interviews withpractitioners.

Its overall message is certainlyupbeat: “Whether spoken, written, orsigned, the message has to getthrough—whatever the language.Interpreters and translators areambassadors of clear communicationfor every walk of life.”

Required reading for those consid-ering a move into translation or inter-preting, and an excellent referencedocument for schools and universities.

Building Blocks Unbluckled in ParisThe dynamic nature of information

displayed on the Internet makes web-site maintenance a headache even formonolingual offerings. News datesquickly, and journalists, investors,researchers, and consumers wantaccurate, up-to-the-minute reports.

Problems are multiplied manytimes over when time-sensitive infor-mation must be displayed simultane-ously in two or more languages. Inmany countries, website productionand maintenance is left up to IT teams,who may be even more price-sensitivethan other departments, especially ifthey are themselves monolingual andnot aware of language issues. TheOnionskin has already reported onhapless buyers who sprang for thelowest bid, not realizing that whatlooks German (or Chinese, orEnglish) to a nonnative webmastermay not have the same impact on itsintended readers.

Another tantalizing example ofpotential pitfalls appears on the siteof France’s third largest constructionand civil engineering specialistEiffage (www.eiffage.fr). The com-pany employs over 40,000 men andwomen worldwide and reported 2001sales of €6.4 billion.

In a review of corporate mile-stones (“historic landmarks”),English-language readers are treatedto “The RES unblucklation” fordébouclage du RES.

RES is already fairly opaque tonon-French speakers. It stands forrachat d’entreprise par ses salariés,or management buyout; in the year inquestion, the operation was com-pleted, with employee shares trans-ferred to an investment fund.

Continued on p.60


Elsevier’s Dictionary of EponymsAuthor:R.A. Letuse La OPublisher: Elsevier Science, Inc. Publication date:(Copyright 1999-2001)ISBN: 0-444-50522-9Price: $135.50 (312 pages)Available from:(In the U.S./Canada)Elsevier Science, Inc.P.O. Box 945Madison Square Station, New York, NY 10160-0757

Reviewed by:John Bukacek

The lexicographer Samuel Johnson(1709-1784) is reported to havesaid: “Dictionaries are like

watches: the worst is better thannone, and the best cannot be expectedto go quite true.” Experienced transla-tors are keenly aware of this, and tendto treat dictionaries with a great dealof caution. The dictionary reviewedhere is a good source of informationon eponymous general words, but it isnot necessarily useful for the fullrange of eponymous technical terms.

Elsevier’s Dictionary of Eponymsis a new dictionary containing morethan 2,900 English-language termsderived directly or indirectly from thenames and pseudonyms of people andmythological figures. The dictionarycovers a wide range of fields,including culture, politics, sports,economics, science, and technology.The largest number of entries seemsto cover slang, colloquial usage, andjournalistic writing.

Each entry provides the term (or

variants), a brief definition (or defi-nitions), a citation of the origin, andan example of usage. The definitionstend to be accurate, though notalways as complete as I am used toseeing in dictionaries. The etymolo-gies given are interesting, but I amcertain that in many cases they canbe disputed. The examples of usageare taken from actual publishedsources and are, in many cases, veryamusing.

Of 20 general and specializedeponyms expected (though arbitrarilyselected) to be found in this type ofdictionary, 15 were found and 5 werenot found. They are as follows: Found(Addison’s disease, baud, boson, boy-cott, cardigan, coulomb, Freund’sadjuvant, Gresham’s law, ovonic, paptest, shrapnel, Tay-Sachs disease,Temin enzyme, tesla, and vernier);Not found (doily, Friedel-Crafts reac-tion, Grignard reaction, Krebs cycle,and mansard).

It should be pointed out that tech-nical eponyms will be found in spe-cialized technical dictionaries. Slangand colloquial eponyms can befound in general dictionaries and inlists of eponyms on the Internet. Forthe reader’s information, this dic-tionary contains quite a number ofup-to-date terms, such as “Clintonites,”“Lewinsky,” and “Gorby.” However, Iwas surprised that it did not contain theverb to “Bork.”

This dictionary is a useful compi-lation of eponyms that can also befound in various other sources. Myoverall evaluation of this dictionaryis that it can serve as a handy refer-ence for eponymous words from avariety of fields, but it may not beuseful in the daily work of an experi-enced translator.

Elsevier’s Dictionary of Butterfliesand Moths(Latin, English, German, French, and Italian)Author:Murray Wrobel ISBN:0-444-50433-8Publisher:Elsevier Science, Inc. P.O. Box 945 Madison Square StationNew York, NY 10160-0757Publication date:2000Price:$113.50 (292 pages)

Reviewed by:Jacopo Madaro

H ow does one review such apeerless work as Elsevier’sDictionary of Butterflies and

Moths? Standard methodology isinsufficient to the task. I am used to thecircus approach, pitting various refer-ences against each other in a gladiato-rial context of inclusiveness. MurrayWrobel has fought and won the duelbefore entering the arena by simplyusing the best references as his ownstarting point. His bibliography is anentomological pantheon. As Wrobelprefaces: “Only common names shownin my sources are shown, and there has

Silversteyn is chair of the ATA Dictionary Review Committee.

Dictionary Reviews Compiled by Boris Silversteyn

John F. Bukacek is a Japanese→Englishtechnical translator and interpreter, withconcentrations in biology and medicine.He was the founding administrator of theATA Japanese Language Division, and isthe founding and current president ofthe Chicago Area Translators andInterpreters Association. Contact: [email protected].


been no attempt to translate scientificterms.” Such a statement clearlydefines the limits and scope of a trulymonumental work.

My first impression was not sosanguine, however. The description,kindly sent by Janet Kershaw ofElsevier’s book review department,had alerted me beforehand that ourreference included 4,185 families,genera, and subspecies. Consideringthat there are about 160,000+species of Lepidoptera, the 4,185entries listed by our dictionary con-stitute only 2.6% of the possibletotal. Such a population is signifi-cant, but not impressive.

When I unwrapped the package,the volume offered all the visual andtactile perks we expect from Elsevier.It is slim, but solid: the binding isfinely tooled and the paper lustfullyacid-free. Nevertheless, once opened,I was immediately impressed by anobvious peculiarity—the text issparse, to the point that some pageslook almost empty.

I randomly picked some samples:

• Page 94 lists 25 Latin names: 4 aretranslated in all 4 languages(English, German, French, andItalian); 2 have 3 equivalentslisted; and 5 entries have 2 transla-tions each, while 13 have only 1and 1 has none.

• Page 128 presents 27 Latin speciesand families: 2 of these terms arefollowed by their common equiva-lents in 3 different target lan-guages; while 9 have 2 equivalents;and 16 have only 1.

• Page 57 has 23 Latin lemmata: 13with 1 common equivalent; 6 with2; 2 with 3; and 2 with 4.

Page after page, the absence of mostdyads is the norm. Let’s not be fooledby this apparent incompleteness.After all, it is just a reflection of a realpaucity of common parlance, theworld over. Only the specialists needto be specific, since most of us livequite happily without caring to distin-guish one bug from another, and ourdaily vocabulary fully reflects thisgeneral indifference.

After Wrobel’s preventive biblio-graphical strike, if I wished to verifyboth the completeness of his scien-tific listings and the correctness oftheir common versions, I had onlyone option left: to surf the Internet.

The Dutchman Jeroen Voogd has put together an elegant site(www.butterflies-moths.com) con-taining 400 pictures. However, hiseffort is topped by Enzo Moretto, anentomologist of Montegrotto Terme(Padua). Moretto is the founder of LaCasa delle farfalle, the first Italian but-terfly park, and the leading authority inwing prostheses for maimed butter-flies. His site (www.butterflyarc.it) islinked to another treasure trove(www.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it/farnet). Its authors, R. Villa, M.Pellecchia, and G.B. Pesce, would makeCarl von Linné proud. They offer a listof the 276 species of butterflies whichgrace the Italian skies, with excellentpictures of each, organized according tosex, side, stage of development, and sup-porting plants. (Moths are included hereas well, but they are referred to as but-terflies. Perhaps it is not politically cor-rect to discriminate against them simplybecause they tend to be less attractiveand often nocturnal.)

Resisting the temptations of over3,000 images, I did stick with thedrab Hesperiidae moths. Accordingto Villa (et al.), there are 17 species of

the genus Pyrgus in Itlay. Wrobelincludes them all, adding to the listanother dozen from North America.Out of the three Italian Spialia,Wrobel does not mention S. therapne,but adds four other Saudi and SouthAfrican varieties.

Increasing size and range, Villa indi-cates that the genus Charcharodus isrepresented by four Italian species.Wrobel mentions them all, adding threemore from the Middle East and NorthAfrica. Sloperia Proto is not includedin the dictionary, but the Emilian grouprecognizes only one Erynnis species,the E. tages (our Dingy Skipper) versusthe 16 species listed by Wrobel, whocovers both North America and theFertile Crescent.

The three Italian species ofThymelicus, characterized by a lovelyorange color, are partially referencedby Wrobel, who skips T. flavus, butadds two North African and NorthAmerican relatives. The only ItalianOchlodes, O. venatus, is recognizedby Wrobel, who adds four more skip-pers found in America. O. venatus isoften confused with the more commonHesperia comma, the only H men-tioned by Villa (et al.), whereasWrobel adds to the list 19 morespecies from the U.S. and Canada.

The large Heteropterus morpheus,probably the most colorful moth so far,is mentioned by both sets of authors,but the least appealing, Gegenes, islisted twice online and three time inprint due to Wrobel’s inclusion of theSouth African G. hottentota.

Common names are much moredifficult to find. For instance, oneapparently promising site (www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/butmoth/index.html)offers a catalogue of “Butterflies &Moths of the World: Generic Names& Their Type-species,” compiled ➡

by Brian Pitkin and Paul Jenkins onbehalf of the Natural History branchof the British Museum. It lists 30,976

entries, 23,935 of which are paired togeneric names, synonyms, and mis-spelled names (from Linneus to the

Zoological Record of March 2000).The compilation is impressive andexhaustive. Unfortunately, “generic”does not mean “common or vulgar,”and nothing but Latin names can befound.

Kathy Seddon, of the University ofExeter in the U.K., lists 12 commonEuropean butterflies, together withtheir vulgar names, on telematics.ex.ac.uk/butterfly. I organized that listingin Table 1. The International Union forConservation of Nature and NaturalResources (IUCN) offers a list ofendangered and vulnerable Italianmembers of the order Lepidoptera on itssite (www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Network/5557/IUCNLepido.html): 17in total, with some English commonnames and no Italian versions. C.Hilton-Taylor, the IUCN compiler,offers 12 pairings which overlapWrobel’s choices quite nicely. Forinstance, Maculinea alcon is renderedas Alcon Large Blue by Hilton-Taylorand as Alcon Blue by Wrobel, whereasPolyommatus galloi is listed asHiggin’s Anomalous Blue (Hilton-Taylor) and as Gallo’s AnomalousBlue (Wrobel). Both authors havesimilar renderings for the other 10species, with some partial variationsonly in relation to Parnassius apollo,which is Apollo for both, but Hilton-Taylor lists Mountain Apollo andWorbel has Alpine Butterefly orCrimson Ringed Butterfly.

The Northern Prairie WildlifeResearch Center (NPWRC), operatedby the Biological Resources Divisionof the U.S. Geological Survey, abureau of the U.S. Department of theInterior, offers a truly superlative site(www.npsc.nbs.gov). Its curators,P.A. Opler, R.E. Stanford, and H.Pavulaan, have organized the subjectmatter by geographical regions


Dictionary Reviews Continued

↔ = Same NL = Species not listed K. Seddon M. WrobelScientific Name Common Name Common NameAglais urticae Small Tortoiseshell ↔ + Nettle ButterflyAnthocharis cardimines Orange Tip ↔

Callophrys rubi Green Hairstreak ↔ + Holly Butterfly, Bramble FlyCelastrina argiolus Holly Blue ↔ + Spring Azure, Wood Blue,

Nut Skipper, Cho Blue, BlueSpeckled Butterfly

Cynthia cardui Painted Lady ↔ + Good King Henry, ThirstleButterfly, Cosmopolite,Cosmopolitan

Gonepteryx rhamni Brimstone ↔ + Spotted Safron, SulphurButterfly, Sulphur

Inachis Io Peacock ↔ + Peacock EyeLycaena phlaeas Small Copper ↔ + Flame CopperNymphalis antiopa Camberwell Beauty ↔ + Willow Beauty, White

Petticoat, Mourning CloakButterfly, White Beauty,Willow Butterfly

Pieris brassicae Large White ↔

Pieris napi Green-veined White NLVanessa atalanta Red Admiral ↔ + Red Admirable

Table 1

↔ = Same NL = Species not listed NPV/RC M. WrobelScientific Name Common Name Common NamePapilionidae Swallowtails ↔ + Parnassians, ApollosPieridae Whites and Sulphurs Cabbage Whites, Sulfur

Butterflies, Sulphur ButterfliesLycaenidae Gossamer-winged ↔ + Gossamer-winged Butterflies,

Butterflies Blues and Coppers, Blues,Coppers and Hairstreaks

Nymphalidae Brush-footed ↔ + Brush-foots, Nymphs, Butterflies Nymphalids

Hesperiidae Skippers ↔ + Common Skippers, TrueSkippers, Giant Skippers

Table 2

within the North American continentand listed our winged friends by their

common names. Staying close to home, I checked

some of the Lepidoptera found inMassachusetts. Table 2 shows thecompared results by family.

Table 3 shows the compared resultsby members of the Papilioninae sub-family (Swallowtails, according toOpler [et al.], but not mentioned byWrobel) of the Papilionidae, chosenbecause of their superior appearance:

If you are looking for Latin-Italianpairings, the choices were much morelimited.

www.apis.admin.ch/italiano/pdf/Malattie/Mottenschaeden_i.pdf

The Centro Svizzero di RicercheApicole of Liebefeld, CH-3003 Berna,has dedicated a portion of its site to theanalysis of the family Pyralidae.“Protezione dei favi contro la tarmadella cera,” by JD Charrière and A.Imdorf, presents some of the worstenemies of beehives, grain flowers,and nuts in general. Among the mothslisted, Galleria mellonella is found inWrobel’s work as well, together withAchroia grisella (he attributes both tothe Galleriidiae family). Their Italiannames (tarma grande e piccola dellacera) are equally related by bothsources, whereas Vitula edmandsae (ortarma della frutta secca) andEsphestia kuehniella (or tarmamediterranea della farina) are men-tioned only by the Swiss document.

www.reteambiente.it/turismo/F/farfalle.htm

The site offers three Italian equiva-lents for Parnassius: Apollo (Apollo);Papillio machaon (Macaone); andInachys io (Vanessa pavone), respec-tively. Only the latter shows a slightdisagreement due to Wrobel’s alterna-tive choices of Vanessa Io, Occhio dipavone, and Pavone di giorno.


↔ = Same NL = Species not listed NPV/RC M. WrobelScientific Name Common Name Common NameBattus philenor Pipevine Swallowtail ↔ [but referred to the

species only]Eurytides marcellus Zebra Swallowtail ↔

Papilio polyxenes Black Swallowtail ↔ + Celeryworm,Parsleyworm, Eastern BlackSwallowtail, ParsleySwallowtail

Papilio cresphontes Giant Swallowtail NLPapilio glaucus Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Eastern Tiger SwallowtailPapilio canadensis Canadian Tiger Swallowtail ↔

Papilio troilus Spicebush Swallowtail NL

Table 3

↔ = Same NL = Species not listed F. Panchout M. WrobelScientific Name Common Name Common NameEurytides lacandones ——— NLGraphium leonidas leonidas ——— ———Iphiclides podalirius ——— FlambéOrnithoptera priamus poseidon ——— Ornithoptère de cairns [but

referred only toOrnithoptera priamus]

Papilio androgeus androgeus ——— ——— Papilio aprirus ——— NLPapilio machaon Machaon ↔

Papilio memnon agenor ——— NLPapilio nireus nireus ——— ———Papilio permulion ——— NLPapilio thoas autocles ——— ———Papilio ulysses ssp. Ulysses ——— ———Papilio zagreus ——— NLPapilio zalmoxis Voilier bleu ↔

Parnassius paphlagonicus Apollon ↔ [but referred to P. apollo]Trogonoptera Brookiana Brookiana ——— NLTroides criton criton ——— NL

Table 4

➡


www.popso.it/not/ARTICOLI/FAUNA/01-12.112_114.pdf

Here you will find an article byLuciano Süss that analyzes theeffects upon rhododendrons andalpine azaleas of the zigene day-moths (mainly Zygena exulans and Z.filipendulae, ignoring the other 25Italian species). Wrobel lists 19species, but only Z. filipendulae has 2Italian equivalents (Zigena filipen-dula and Gocciolina di sangue).

If the Italian sites did not providemuch information on commonnames, their French counterpartswere much less stingy.

www.insecte.org François Panchout has posted a

well-documented personal collection,and offers several common names. Ihave sampled the site while looking

for Papilionidae. Table 4 shows theresults, once more compared withWrobel’s.

The fine site of the University of LeHavre (www.univ-lehavre.fr/cybernat/pages/lepidiur.htm) offers a very longlist of day butterflies of Normandy,with their common names in Frenchand English. I have checked the but-terflies found on farmland and listedthe results in Table 5.

The search conducted so far isobviously partial and limited, andthe sites I navigated are of unevenquality and scope, but the trend isclear.

Wrobel’s work is supported byevery source, has a wider linguisticbreath, and, like no other reference,usefully discriminates betweenNorth American, French Canadian,Australian/New Zealander, and SouthAfrican usages.

Clearly, the English list is thelargest one by far, with the other threelanguages trailing behind in lemmataand in number of synonyms, but thisfact is also expressed by both theprinted and the online references.

The récueil might well be limitedto 4,185 entries, but it includes almostevery butterfly or moth I have foundonline. Only about 15% of thesearched terms (16 out of 103Lepidoptera sampled) were notincluded in Wrobel’s list, and even thispercentage is deceiving. In reality, outof the 16 exclusions, 9 were scientificnames without translation and only 7were common names, thus reducingthe real differences to less than 7%.And this is a field in which a livelytaxonomic disagreement has beenbrewing among the experts on severalthousand instances for over two hun-dred years. Furthermore, in almostevery case of perfect agreement,Wrobel offered a wealth of synonymsunmatched by any other source.

Thus, a little, and apparentlyincomplete, dictionary has emergedas the richest and largest multilingualcompilation available to date.Contrary to the ephemeral life of itssubjects, this work is destined to joinDorian’s and Wijnekus’ evergreens.

Dizionario di termini cinematografici (Italian→English*) Author: Vezzoli, P. GiuseppePublisher:Hoepli: Milano (v. Hoepli 25, 20121 MI) Publication date:2000 ISBN:88-203-2595-0Price: Lit. 37.000 (276 pages, 1,500 terms)

↔ = Same NL = Species not listed Université de Le Havre M. WrobelScientific Name Common Name Common NameCoenonympha Procris ↔ + Fadet communpamphilusColias crocea Souci ↔ + Colide souci, Colias souciColias hyale Soufré ↔

Cynthya, Vanessa Belle-dame ↔ + Vanesse de chardonscardin {?} [Wrobel: C. cardui]Lycaena phlaeas Bronzé, Cuivré ↔ + Azuré de la bugrane,

commun Petit cuivréPapilio machaon Machaon, Grand ↔ [Grand porte-queue is reserved

porte-queue for P. machaon hudsonensis]Pieris brassicae Piéride du chou ↔

Pieris napi Piéride du navet NLPieris rapae Piéride de la rave ↔ + Piéride du chou, Petit

blanc du chouPolyommatus icarus Argus bleu ( + Azuré commun

Table 5



Dizionario dei termini tecnici efinanziari in uso nel cinema e nelsettore audiovisivo(Italian→English*) Authors:Alessi, Tamara; Heitmann, Monica;Ungaro, Silvia; Zitelli, Maria LudovicaPublisher:Tecniche Nuove: Milano (v. C. Menotti 14, 20129 MI)Publication date:1999ISBN:88-481-0239-5Price: Lit. 90.000 (603 pages, 5,000 terms)

Dictionary of CinematographicTerms (English→Italian*)Author:Vedovati, FrancescoPublisher:Ente dello Spettacolo: Roma (v. G. Palombini 6, 00165 Roma)Publication date:1994ISBN:88-85095-05-4Price:Lit. 50.000 (325 pages, 7,000 terms)

Multilingual Vocabulary ofEducational Radio and TelevisionTerms (English, French, Danish,Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Swedish*)Author:Council for Cultural Co-operationPublisher:TR-Verlagsunion/Max Hueber Verlag:München(8 München 26, Postfach 5)Publication date:1971 ISBN:3-8058-02889Price: DM 20 (190 pages, 731 terms)

Dictionary of Terms for the Cinema(Italian↔English*)Author:Alvey, Glenn, Jr.Publisher:Casa Editrice Mediterranea: Roma (v. Flaminia, 158)Publication date:1952 ISBN:NonePrice:DM 12.95 (96 pages, 2,000 terms)

Reviewed by:Jacopo Madaro

My recent discovery of Alessi’sdictionary has given me theopportunity to review the

movies that are available for TV in bothEnglish and Italian. Extant knownsources are listed above in inverse orderof publication. The last work is long outof print. The Council for Cultural Co-operation (CCC below) vocabularymight still be available under its ISBN.All listed prices reflect purchasing costsonly, and are not indicative of currentvalues, as shown by the old currencies.

In order to compare our refer-ences, I have selected one aspect ofthe “biz” which is well documentedby all texts: the professions and theprofessionals, with the exception ofactors and dubbers, who craft moviesand TV shows. See the charts on thefollowing pages.

This compilation is far fromexhaustive and includes only termsthat are already present in the refer-ences under comparison. The per-centage of “hits” seems to indicate thebroader range of Alessi and Vedovati,but does not allow further extrapola-tions. To do so, we would need toexpand our comparison.

Early filming techniques are wellstudied and represented. Alvey, withhis 1952-vintage “editing girls,” is aprime witness of last century’s greattechnological explosion. And whileCCC is focused on PBS-style studioproductions and of limited help,Vezzoli shines with encyclopedic def-initions worth an Oscar.

More recent developments areincluded only by the troika Vezzoli-Alessi-Vedovati. I checked one exem-plary lemma and its variations: theconstellation blue screen. Alessi rec-ognizes the blue screen process asprocedimento a maschera mobile.Under maschera mobile, Vezzoliacknowledges only the British travel-ling matte shot (Alessi’s single-filmtraveling matte system). The morerobust Vedovati includes everything,indicates U.K. and U.S. usage, and isthe only one to offer the variant Iknew, processo a doppio movimento.

In many other instances, all threereferences are sound and wellinformed. Alessi dedicates no lessthen 12 pages to the exploration ofevery possible variation of film and isbested only by Vedovati, with over150 headwords. The latter competeswith Vezzoli in including the mostlighting terms with similar consider-able breath. Vedovati’s gobbo nero(= black baffle) has ancient theatricalroots, but so does Vezzoli’s gibigiana(= cookie).

Alessi jargonizes like a pro, withuneven results: Fegatello has a reso-nance that leaves its equivalent (refin-ishing take) in the dust, butpanoramicare (= to pan) is by far themost unpronounceable neologisms ofthe decade, as denounced by anyattempt to conjugate it. Anyhow,Alessis’s definitions are clear, informa-tive, and to the point, and she ➡


Animator Animatore ✦ ✦1 ✦ —— ✦

Art director Scenografo/direttore ✦ ✦2 ✦ ✦ ✦3

artisticoAssistant director Aiutoregista —— ✦ ✦ —— ✦

Associate producer Coproduttore/produttore —— ✦ ✦ —— ——associato

Camera operator/cameraman Operatore cinematografico ✦ ✦4 ✦ —— ✦5

Cameraman (TV) Operatore alla telecamera —— ✦6 —— ✦7 ——Central casting Capo compares —— ✦ —— —— ——Chief engineer (TV) Capo tecnico di trasmissione —— ✦ —— —— ——Conformer Addetto al taglio del negativo —— —— ✦ —— ——Construction manager Scenotecnico ✦ ✦ ✦8 —— ——Costume designer Costumista/disegnatore ✦ —— ✦9 —— ✦

dei costumi di scenaCostume director Costumista —— —— ✦ —— ——Costumer Sarta di scena —— —— ✦ —— ——Creative producer Produttore artistico —— ✦10 —— —— ——Crowd casting director Capogruppo —— —— ✦11 —— ——12

Director Regista ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Director of photography Direttore della fotografia ✦ ✦ ✦ —— ✦13

Dolly man Carrellista —— ✦14 ✦15 ✦16 ——17

Editing assistant Aiuto montatore ✦ ✦18 ✦19 ——Editor Montatore —— ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦20

Field producer Produttore delle riprese esterne —— ✦ —— —— ——Gaffer Capo elettricista ✦ ✦21 ✦ —— ✦

Herder Capogruppo —— ✦ ✦ —— ——Independent producer Produttore indipendente —— ✦22 ✦ —— ——Key animator Capo animatore —— ✦ ✦ —— ——Key grip Capo macchinista —— ✦23 ✦ —— ——Lamp operator Elettricista ✦24 ✦ —— ——Manager’s assistant Segretario di produzione ✦ ✦25 —— —— ——26

Mike man Microfonista —— ✦27 ✦ —— ——OB/outside broadcast Produttore di riprese esterne —— ✦ —— ——28 ——producer (TV)Photographer Fotografo —— ✦ ✦ —— ✦

Producer Produttore ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦29

Producer’s rep Agente del produttore —— ✦ —— —— ——Production accountant Amministratore di produzione —— ✦ ✦30 —— ——Production assistant Assistente di produzione —— ✦ ✦31 ✦ ——Production auditor Revisore di produzione —— ✦32 ✦33 —— ——

English Italian Vezzoli Alessi Vedovati CCC Alvey


reserves a hidden “chicca,” or candy,for her readers. There are dozens oftranslated film titles scattered through-out the text (pages 142, 189, 271, 399,415, etc.) that constitute a useful updateto an older but much more extensive

listing, indexed in the Dictionary ofTranslated Names and Titles by AdrianRoom (Routledge, 1986).

Vezzoli is a fine scholar of film his-tory, Vedovati is a technical wiz, andAlessi covers management/financing

aspects better than anyone. Their refer-ences have complementary strengths,and a flaw, in common with their pred-ecessors. Videographers and computeranimators are absent, as are digitalprocessing, photography, and


➡

Production illustrator Disegnatore di bozzetti e —— —— ✦ —— ——story board

Production manager Direttore di produzione ✦ ✦ ✦ —— ✦

Production sound mixer/mixer Fonico recordista —— —— ✦ —— ✦

Production supervisor Organizzatore generale —— ✦ ✦34 —— ——Production unit Unità di produzione —— ✦ ✦35 —— ——Property buyer Trovarobe —— —— ✦ ✦36 ——Property master Capo attrezzista ✦ ✦37 ✦ —— ——38

Re-writes Revisore della sceneggiatura —— —— ✦ —— ——Rigger Costruttore/allestitore —— ✦ ✦ —— ✦39

Scenic designer Decoratore di scena —— ✦ ✦ ——40 ——41

Screenwriter Sceneggiatore —— ✦ ✦42 —— ——43

Scriptwriter Sceneggiatore ✦ ✦44 ✦ ✦ ——Set decorator Arredatore ✦ ✦ ✦ —— ——45

Set manager Ispettore di produzione —— ✦46 —— —— ✦

Sound editor Montatore del suono/tecnico —— ✦ ✦ —— ——degli effetti sonori

Sound engineer Tecnico del suono/fonico/ ——47 ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

ingegnere del suonoSound effects man Rumorista ✦ —— ✦ —— ——Sound mixer Tecnico del missaggio ✦ ✦ ✦ ——48

Still photographer/— man Fotografo di scena/di produzione ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Studio manager Responsabile teatri di posa ✦ —— ✦ ——Studio producer Produttore di uno studio —— ✦ —— ✦49 ——

cinematograficoStunt coordinator Coordinatore delle controfigure —— ✦50 ✦51 —— ——Stuntman/woman/person Controfigura ✦52 ✦53 ✦ —— ✦54

Supervising editor Capo montatore —— ✦ —— —— ——Talent scout Talent scout ✦ ✦ —— —— ✦55

English Italian Vezzoli Alessi Vedovati CCC Alvey20/61 48/61 48/61 13/61 19/6133% 79% 79% 21% 31%

English Italian Vezzoli Alessi Vedovati CCC Alvey


filming; computerized scenery andbackgrounds; and digitized specialeffects. Unfortunately, for those andother terms associated with the role ofcomputers in the filming industry, weare left to our own devices.

Notes1. Also layout artist and scene planner.2. Also scenographer, production

designer, and the more commonset designer.

3. Also architetto (?). Scenografo istranslated as production manager.

4. Also operatore di presa and oper-atore alla macchina.

5. Here, operatore da presa.6. Also operatore di ripresa.7. Translated as cameraman and

teleoperatore.8. As caposquadra costruttori.9. Also figurinista.10. Also produttore creativo (?).11. Under the same Italian heading:

Crowd marshall.12. But a comparsa is an extra

crowd artist.13. In 1952, it was a capo operatore,

primo operatore.14. Also listed under the same Italian

heading: Dolly pusher, dolly grip.15. Also camera dolly man.16. Under dolly operator and pusher.17. Dolly and dolly shot are offered.18. Under the same Italian heading:

Editor’s assistant, assistanteditor, and splicer.

19. Translated as assistente al mon-taggio.

20. Curiouser still, an editing orsplicing girl is a giuntatrice.

21. Also head gaffer, first electrician.22. Under the same Italian heading:

Independent filmmaker and free-lance producer.

23. Also head grip, grip’s master,first grip, and chief grip.

24. Also operatore delle lampade(??).

25. Also production coordinator, pro-duction office coordinator, andproduction secretary asCoordinatore di produzione.

26. There is management, and itapparently suffices.

27. Also operatore di giraffa as boomman or boom operator.

28. The listing includes instead:Outside broadcast and outsidebroadcast van.

29. Also casa di produzione (!).30. Also cassiere di produzione.31. Translated as segretario di

produzione.32. Also production accountant, pro-

duction comptroller is rendered asamministratore, contabile dellaproduzione.

33. Translated as amministratore diproduzione.

34. Translated as ispettore di produzione.

35. Translated as troupe cinema-tografica (!).

36. Under property man and props.37. Also property man and prop man,

prop handler, prop maker, andprops.

38. Only property man or attrezzista.39. Translated as macchinista.40. Scene-painter is included as

pittore scenografo.41. Only set designer is present as

scenografo.42. Also screenplay writer (?).43. Only script and screen play

are listed.44. Also scenarista, which includes

scenarist, screenplay editor, con-tinuity writer, and film writer.

45. Here, set dresser (?).46. Under the same Italian heading:

Unit production manager (UPM)and unit manager.

47. Instead: Audio engineer (= fonicodi sala).

48. Here, fonico.49. Translated as direttore di studio.50. Also responsabile delle scene di

acrobazie, coreografo delle scenepericolose.

51. Translated as consigliere (?) tecnicoand allenatore dello stunt man(one each?).

52. Also the more colloquial cascatore.

53. Also stuntperson and stunt double.54. Inexplicably, controfigura che fa

scene pericolose.55. Only as incaricata che trova nuovi

volti.

Elsevier’s Dictionary ofGeoenvironment and NaturalDisastersRussian→English, English→RussianAuthors:R. G. Dzhamalov and Yu. V. SafronovPublisher:Elsevier Science B.V.: Amsterdam,Lausanne, New York, Shannon, TokyoPublication date:1998 ISBN:0-444-82906-7Price:$147 (147 euros)Available from:Elsevier Science, Inc., P.O. Box 945,Madison Square Garden, New York,NY 10160-0757 (www.elsevier.com)

Reviewed by:Dr. Vadim Khazin


Jacopo Màdaro Moro is a technical trans-lator into Italian. He specializes in medi-cine, bioengineering, and optoelectronics.Contact: [email protected] or www.jmadaro.com.


Type of Work:Specialized dictionary in the fieldsrelated to natural disasters and thegeological environment, although itsexact scope is not announced.

Volume:Two parts in one book: 207 pages(Russian→English); 247 pages(English→Russian); Contains about7,000 terms (no illustrations).

Typographic Quality andArrangement:Hardbound, good paper, two columnsper page; bold typeface for the source-language entries and regular for thetarget-language translations.

Grammatical Information andPronunciation:None

Appendices:None

Evaluation:

Starting with the actual scope ofthe dictionary, it seems too vague.On the one hand, trying to

include everything related to the titleareas would probably require a volumeseveral times bigger. On the otherhand, trying to keep the volume as it iswould require strict criteria for termselection. And of course, there shouldbe no “filler” terms. However, both ofthese principles are violated in this dic-tionary. “Filler” terms are abundant,and no clear principles for selecting theterms are evident. And I am stilltalking about the source terms, not thetranslations. “Filler,” or irrelevantterms, can probably be found on everyother page. Some examples: civildefense (translated as cbcntvf vthjgh-bznbq gj pfobnt jn rfnfcnhja, not

as the well-known uhf;lfycrfzj,jhjyf); device (translated, quiteunpredictably, as bpj,htntybt); diffi-culty, humanity, improvement,meaning, mental state, method; ,tcr-jytxyjcnm> dtcrbq fhuevtyn> dtxyfzghj,ktvf> dpktnyj-gjcfljxyfzgjkjcf> j,kbr (translated, oddly, ashabit); gjghfdrf> gjnthz gfvznb>ghjnbdjhtxbt> cdjtj,hfpbt> cbcntvfwtyyjcntq> zdyfz ajhvf.

Entries in both languages areeither nouns or (much more fre-quently) phrases. In the latter case,they are placed in alphabetical orderregardless of the main noun, givingan advantage to adjectives. There isno grouping of phrases around a keyword, which may appear inconven-ient to those accustomed to the oppo-site structure in dictionaries. Whenthere is more than one translation fora term, and they are not exact syn-onyms, no explanation is ever givento distinguish between them. In gen-eral, the only additional words in thedictionary, besides the terms them-selves, are rare and questionable indi-cations to the areas where the termsbelong (in Russian only). Forexample, measurement grid: ctnmyf,k/ltybq (utjabpbrf).

In a number of cases, inexplicably,the simplest terms are not given, whiletheir derivatives are. For instance, youwill find gjxdjuheyn> gjxdjpfobnystvthjgbznbz, but not gjxdf; you willfind environment reproductive capacityand some 40 phrases starting with envi-ronmental, but not just environment(the same goes for the title word geoen-vironment). Or, turning to the English,there are 13 terms with earthquake asan adjective, or 27 terms with soil as anadjective, like earthquake disaster(translated, quite ridiculously, asctqcvbxtcrfz lj,hjnyjcnm) and soil

fertility, but not just plain earthquake orsoil. By the way, the latter term has twomain renderings in Russian: uheyn andgjxdf. As I mentioned above, there isno gjxdf in the dictionary; likewise,there is no uheyn, although you can finduheyn> cgjcj,ysq yf,e[fnm (the cor-rect Russian term would beyf,e[f/obq uheyn.) And, a closeterm, gjhjlf (a.k.a. ujhyfz gjhjlf), isalso missing, although gjhjlf-rjkk-trnjh or gjhjlf-gjrhsirf are there.You can find ,tynjc f,bccfkmys[uke,by, but not just ,tynjc; ,thtu,e[ns, but not just ,thtu. And somerelevant terms are missing (e.g., per-mafrost and desertification).

Erroneous translations are numer-ous. Some examples: erosion is trans-lated as cvsdfybt, while the correctterm is 'hjpbz; the term in situ test istranslated as bcgsnfybt yf vtcntinstead of gjktdjt bcgsnfybt or gj-ktdjq jgsn; the term retrogressive slideis translated as crjkm;tybt d yb;ytqxfcnb crkjyf, while it is indeedhtuhtccbdysq jgjkptym. Stay is trans-lated as gjlgjhyfz cntyrf, while gjl-gjhyfz cntyrf is translated correctlyin the dictionary’s Russian→Englishsection as retaining wall (along withbulkhead, which is wrong, meaninggthtvsxrf). Dial reading is translatedas pyfxtybt ltajhvfwbb yfuhfabrf[, while it is indeed gjrf-pfybt !jncxtn@ gj irfkt !ghb,jhf@.

The term storage capacity is trans-lated as egheujtvrjcnm (compress-ibility of formation, according to mysources), not dvtcnbvjcnm or tvrjcnm,as it should be. There is no aquifer orits Russian equivalent, djljyjcysqujhbpjyn; likewise, there is no dj-ljegjh, while one of its English trans-lations, aquifuge, is there, translated as

Continued on p.63


O utpatient surgery as part of aprogram of learning English as asecond language? The Trans-

lation Inquirer rarely deceives himselfthat he has seen and heard everything,but he was taken greatly by surprise bythis news item coming from SouthKorea. It seems that baby-boomer par-ents want their preschoolers to get ahead start when the time comes tobegin learning English, an enterprisedescribed in the article as being closeto a national religion in that nation.Thus, in outpatient mouth surgery, thelittle tikes, whether they want to ornot, are being compelled by their ever-ambitious parents in increasing num-bers to undergo “frenectomies.” Thisprocedure involves snipping the tissueunder the tongue, which is believed bysome Asians to be responsible for dif-ficulties in pronouncing “l” and “r” inlanguages like English. There is con-troversy about these surgeries, withsome people saying that culture ratherthan biology is responsible for thesepronunciation problems. Therefore,they say, the surgeries make no sense,and the kids are being put through painand inconvenience for nothing (the lin-guistic equivalent of playing soccer—another yuppie plague which willcome into their still-innocent lives alltoo soon).

[Abbreviations used with this column:E–English; F–French; G–German;I–Italian; Li–Lithuanian; Pt– Portuguese; R–Russian; Sp–Spanish;Sw–Swedish.]

New Queries(E-G 9-02/1) Clearly, what is being

spoken of in the query phrase that fol-lows has much to do with “Reliabilitätder Untersucher,” but even so, it is dif-ficult to get to the essence of reliability

being compared and checked betweena minimum of two individuals, as thisProZ request puts it: Ten subjects whovolunteered to participate were exam-ined on two occasions to establishintra-examiner reliability. Not to men-tion the strong possibility that intra-could in fact have been more accu-rately rendered as inter-, given theoverall meaning of the phrase.

(E-G 9-02/2) Can “Solawechsel”be used as a German equivalent forsole bill of exchange? The sentencefragment reads like this: At April 7,2002, pay this sole bill of exchange tothe order of…. By the way, the sug-gested German equivalent is a syn-onym for “Eigenwechsel,” if thathelps any.

(F-E 9-02/3) In an engineeringcontext, a ProZ correspondent foundit difficult to deal with “un diagnosticxylophage” in this article on wood:“…il serait nécessaire de réaliser undiagnostic xylophage afin de déter-miner l’état parasitaire des bois…”What is it?

(G-E 9-02/4) “Leitender Ministeri-alrat” is a title in one of the Germanstate governments. It may be thatSenior Ministerial Director comesclose, as a ProZ correspondent foundin a 1992 report, but a suitableEnglish version, plus some back-ground on what is involved in thispost, would be appreciated.

(G-E 9-02/5) A difficult, blurred-fax pathology report worked on by aLantra-l correspondent included areference to a “Freipräparation.”Assuming that this is not one of theillegibles of the text, what might it bein this context?

(I-E 9-02/6) This technical excerptcontains the troublesome “ribattuto arifiuto,” as a ProZ member presents itwith the following context: “Per sfila-

menti di giunto; nella produzione delletubazioni di ghisa si sono succeduti duetipi di giunti. Il primo, realizzato con ilsistema a corda catramata e piombocolato e ribattuto a rifiuto, è stato uti-lizzato fino agli anni ’70.” Any hints?

(Li-E 9-02/7) The TranslationInquirer is happy to welcome Lithuanianto this column for what he believes to bethe first time. This education-relatedquery is about “kandidatinis mini-mumas,” and the sentence posing theproblem goes like this, as a ProZ’erreports it: “Jis islaike lietuviu lit-erat_ros ir anglu kalbos.”

(Sp-E 9-02/8) A Lantran corre-spondent discovered that in Spanish, a“macla” in the world of architecture isa form resulting from the intersectionof two planes or two volumes. What isthis in English?

(Sw-E 9-02/9) In the phrase “Ensocial marknadsföring i det godastjänst,” the first part is clear enough (acommunity marketing campaign) butthe second part, “i det godas tjänst,”caused problems for a Lantran corre-spondent, not of meaning but of aproper English rendering. Certainideas like on the side of right and onbehalf of the good things in life cameto mind, but none seemed perfect forthe English version. The campaignwas to get people to use alternatives tothe automobile. Any suggestions?

Replies to Old Queries(E-Sp 10-01/4) (sundowning): The

Translation Inquirer regrets the mis-spelling on page 48 of the June ATAChronicle: “Empeora al atardecar”should be “Empeora al atardecer.”Thanks to Renato Calderón for thecorrection.

(E-Sp 4-02/7) (chapter, as in sub-division of an organization): MirthaKaufman suggests “organización

Address your queries and responses to The Translation Inquirer, 112 Ardmoor Avenue, Danville, Pennsylvania17821, or fax them to (570) 275-1477. E-mail address: [email protected]. Please make your submissions by the25th of each month to be included in the next issue. Generous assistance from Per Dohler, proofreader, is grate-fully acknowledged.

The Translation Inquirer By John Decker


local.” She did not like “capítulo” atall, because it is too literal, andfrankly wrong in this context.“Organización local” is simple andconveys the meaning accurately.

(F-E 7-02/4) (“rhombe-oiseau”):Literally, Pete Benson says, this is arhombus-bird, conjuring up to himimages of an origami bird. Each seg-ment of the folded paper is a triangleor rhombus. It fits in nicely with var-ious things described in the contextsentence that kids could enjoy makingin a brief period of time. An educatedguess on his part, he cautions.

(G-E 7-02/5) (“verauslagte umlage-fähige Betriebskosten”): Melissa Fieldunderstands the phrase to be realizedapportionable operating expenses.Examples of this are utility bills that arepaid directly to the service providersand then divided up by the landlord andbilled to the renters, thus categorizedby the property management companyas receivables. The second sentence ofthe query, found in full on page 58 ofthe July ATA Chronicle, describes theopposite of the above: “Vorauszah-lungen der Mieter auf Betriebskosten”are pre-paid expenses by renters, andthese become liabilities for the propertymanagers, because funds received fromthe renters become expenses that willlater have to be paid to the utility.

Terry Hill renders it as dispersedallocable operational costs. The trans-lation of the entire passage enclosed byTerry goes like this: The ‘real estateadministration charges’ listed underthis itemization category headingincludes dispersed allocable opera-tional costs of 43.5 million Euros andrental charges in excess of 7.2 millionEuros. Advance payments made by therenter toward operational costs of 41.7million Euros are listed under itemiza-tion category heading V.3: ‘Obligations

arising from real estate adminstration.’(R-E 6-02/4) (hftiybr): Evi-

dently this one interested manypeople. Christina Finotti discoveredzobr c gthtldb;ysvb rfhnbyrfvb>gjrfp rjnjhs[ cjghjdj;lfkcz hfp-kbxysvb rjvbxtcrbvb ghb,fenrfvb(i.e., funny and sarcastic commentsand remarks on daily news). ViktorShevelyov defines hftiybr as a cou-plet performed during a rare (peep)show. Michael Ishenko states that atpopular fairs in the Russia of old, thehftiybr was a box which spectatorscould observe through magnifyingglasses; what was presented weremoving pictures accompanied by face-tious rhymes or couplets.

Yuri Machkasov defines thehftiybr as a crudely improvisedstreet-performed show, using simplevisual gags with a set of charactersfamiliar to the audience: Petrushka(Punch), Pop (the priest), etc. Thehftiybr style is one of extreme sim-plification, playing for a cheap laughand appealing to the lowest tastes.

Apologies for delaying theresponses of Viktor Gutman, TimSergay, Irina Knizhnik, and Zippy tothe October edition of this column.Their insights were just as good asthose presented here, but why throwall the good stuff out at once?

(R-E 7-02/9) (gjlcktgjdfnsq): Inthe context of the outward appearanceof a rural dwelling, Irina Knizhnikstates that this does not mean blind, butrather, characterized by poor vision,kind of slightly blind. In reference to thehouses, it means that they did not allowa lot of sunlight in, and so were, inessence, dark. If they had had large win-dows, they would have been far too coldon windy days. Pete Benson goes forsmall-windowed in describing the vil-lage huts. If a similar metaphor is

wanted in English to describe the effect,he likes myopic. To translate the entirequoted phrase that appears on page 58of the July ATA Chronicle, he offersstone houses with large glazed win-dows, rather than myopic village huts.

(Sp-E 6-02/5) (“motor de encen-dido provocado”): Graciela Mestroni,a new contributor and recent joiner ofATA, believes this to be simply acombustion engine, whatever the fuel,where each cycle is “assisted” by aspark generated by the spark plugs, asopposed to a diesel engine where thespark plug is associated only with thestartup, and plays no further role.

Thanks very much for theresponses, but this column needsmore fresh, original queries! Haveyou ever presented one? Thanks inadvance if this little blurb causes youto do so for the October column.

6. Lotman, Yuri M. 1984. “OSemiosfere.” In: Trudy poznakovym sistemam, 17, 5-23.Tartu.

7. Nida, Eugene A., and Ch. R.Taber. 1969. The Theory andPractice of Translation. Leiden:E.J. Brill.

8. Schneider, David M. 1968.American Kinship: A CulturalAccount. New York: Prentice Hall.

The Concept of Equivalence Continued from p.36


M ore evidence that translation,if alive, is not well comes fromJim Jones, who submitted the

two items included in this column.They are both from Italy, one from amajor candy manufacturer that pre-sumably would like to sell its productsin the English-speaking world, and theother from an official guidebook forthe area around Modena.

A card inside a box of candy man-ufactured by the Italian companyCaffarel reads:

Our products are subject to con-stant and accurate tests in order toguarantee their freshness and per-fect conditions. Chocolate is a par-ticularly delicate product and,therefore, must be kept cool, dryand away from alien odours…[Call the Italian INS!]

Then there is the official guide-book to the city of Mirandola:

Mirandola is situated at the centreof the wide triangle circumscribedby the Po, Panaro and SecchiaRivers. It is situated in the lowModenese plain and borders withMantua’s and Ferrara’s districts.The origins of Mirandola are cov-ered by mist and also the hypoth-esis on the etymology of its nameare uncertain. A first, fancifultheory draws it back to the RomanImperator of Orient Costanzo II’snotorious ejaculation “Oh resMiranda!” at the sight of his tenwonderful children…

…Thanks to the Picos, who gov-erned the city for such a longtime, Mirandola became the nest

of a magnificent artistic and cul-tural development… [and, JimJones points out, a nest of thieves,when the next paragraph is takeninto account]

…The greatness of Mirandola ismeasured by the fact that the citywas given the privilege of forgingcoins…

When officials of Mirandola wereinformed about the English transla-tion, their “investigation” revealed thatthey did not commission it and had noidea where it came from. Consideringthe translation, maybe the storkbrought it. In any event, it is indeed“Oh res Miranda” when ejaculationfollows rather than precedes children.

Herman is a librettist and translator. Submit items for future columns via e-mail to [email protected] or viasnail mail to Mark Herman, 5748 W Brooks Rd., Shepherd, MI 48883-9202. Discussions of the translation of humorand examples thereof are preferred, but humorous anecdotes about translators, translations, and mistranslationsare also welcome. Include copyright information and permission if relevant.

Humor and Translation By Mark Herman

Laugh Until You Cry

When we called, a company repre-sentative told us that the site was cur-rently being reviewed. She confirmedthat all translations are supplied byParis-based Tectrad.

Errors creep into texts for manyreasons, at many levels: translator,agency, end client, programmer, web-master…the list is endless, and buck-passing widespread. In this case, itseems likely that a last-minute rushand overconfidence on the part of anonnative speaker of English, com-pounded by someone’s misplaced“feel” for English spelling rules, werethe causes (“sure looks English”).

Tectrad, which prides itself onworking only with qualified profes-sional translators, confirmed that theerror was inserted after its delivery ofthe document and speculates that acomputer might be the culprit. But forThe Onionskin, this one has a definitehuman touch.

The reader who flagged thisexample promptly unbluckled abottle of whisky and had a drink to“yet another anonymous colleaguewho has brightened up my day.”

With thanks to Kevin Hendzel andPhilip Mac Donald.

The Onionskin Continued from p.47

Visit ATA’s website at www.atanet.org for an overview of member benefits.

It pays ...to keep your listings updated in ATA’s online Directory of Translation and Interpreting Services and Directory ofLanguage Services Companies

(www.atanet.org)


Plan now to attend ATA’s Annual Conference. Join your colleagues for a rewarding experience in Atlanta, Georgia.

ATA’s 43rd Annual Conference will feature:• Over 150 educational sessions offering something for everyone;• The Job Exchange where individuals promote their services and companies meet translators and interpreters;• Over 50 exhibits featuring the latest publications, software, and services available;• Opportunities to network with over 1,600 translators and interpreters from throughout the U.S. and around the world; and• Much more!

The Registration Form and Preliminary Program will be mailed in July to all ATA members. The conference rates are listed below.As always, ATA members receive significant discounts.

Conference Registration Fees ATA member Nonmember Student Member

Early-Bird (by October 1) $245 $335 $110 One-day $125 $170 n/a

After October 1 $305 $420 $130One-day $160 $220 n/a

On-site (after October 26) $380 $525 $150One-day $195 $270 n/a

Note: Students and one-day participants do not receive a copy of the Proceedings.All speakers must register for the conference.

Hotel Accommodations

The Hyatt Regency Hotel, the host hotel, is conveniently located in downtown Atlanta at 265 Peachtree Street, NE. Thehotel is 20 minutes from Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport.

Conference attendees can register at the discounted rate of $160 single, $165 double, $175 triple, and $185 quadruple plustax per night. (Regency Club accommodations are offered at an additional charge of $35 per room based on availability.) Thisrate is good until October 15, 2002. The availability of guest rooms or the group rate cannot be guaranteed after that date.

To make your hotel reservations, contact the Hyatt Regency at 1-866-333-8880 or 404-577-1234. Be sure to specify thatyou are attending the ATA Annual Conference.

Travel Arrangements

ATA once again offers the services of Stellar Access to help you with your travel arrangements. Through Stellar Accessconference attendees are eligible for discounted air travel and rental cars.

Call Stellar Access at 1-866-929-4242, and ask for ATA Group #505. Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 858-451-8150; fax:858-485-7321. A $30 ($35 from outside the U.S. and Canada) transaction fee will be applied to all tickets purchased by phone.Reservation hours: Monday-Friday 6:30am-5:00pm Pacific Time.

A $15 transaction fee will be applied to all tickets purchased online. Go to www.stellaraccess.com and book your reservations from the convenience of your home or office anytime! First-time users must register and refer to Group #505.

American Translators Association43rd Annual ConferenceHYATT REGENCY HOTEL • ATLANTA, GEORGIA

NOVEMBER 6 – 9, 2002

Mark Your Calendar Today!November 6–9, 2002



ytghjybwftvsq djljegjh (however, neithergjkeghjybwftvsq djljegjh nor its translation,aquitard, can be found). You can find nz;tksq ceu-kbyjr (although no kturbq ceukbyjr), but not just ceuk-byjr, and the same goes for cegtcm and ukbyf. You canfind end-bearing pile as cdfz-cnjqrf, but not the muchmore frequently used friction pile (dbczxfz cdfz). Ornot just pile as cdfz, although there are nine deriva-tives of this term. Ghjabkfrnbrf pfuhzpytybq is trans-lated as pollution prophylaxis, where prophylaxisobviously belongs to medical terminology (the correctrendering is contamination/pollution prevention meas-ures). Amazingly, I found the term delft (which,according to my Merriam Websters, means a certainceramic ware of the Dutch Delft origin) translated aslhtyf;yfz cbcntvf d nskjdjq xfcnb yf,tht;yjq.The term shock wave is translated as crfxjr egkjnytybz,and not elfhyfz djkyf as it should be.

In the preface, the authors claim that they “worked formany years in the fields of engineering geology,” butsome essential engineering-geological (or, one may say,geotechnical) terms referring to soil properties aremissing: e.g., dkf;yjcnm = moisture content; gjhbcnjcnm= porosity; c;bvftvjcnm = compressibility; cohesion =cwtgktybt (although cohesionless soil is there); and eujkdyenhtyytuj nhtybz = angle of internal friction.

Typos are also present. Examples: cjkzysq regjk(should be cjkzyjq…); erratic oil instead of erraticsoil; shipreck instead of shipwreck (also irrelevant, ofcourse); environmental econimic capacity insteadof…economic…; mediterranian sea as a translationfor dyenhbvfnthbrjdjt vjht (the proper translations,also given in the Russian→English part, are conti-nental sea and inland sea; for the proper nameChtlbptvyjt vjht, the spelling is obviouslyMediterranean.)

Of course, most of the terms are translated properly,and the dictionary will be useful for translators dealingwith not too specific texts related to the geological envi-ronment and natural disasters. Speaking of disasters, thevolcanic ones seem to be covered more thoroughly thanothers. But the above shortcomings, and especially thelack of a clear approach to the selection of terms,diminish, in my view, the value of this dictionary.

Dictionary Reviews Continued from p.57

Vadim Khazin, Ph.D., works at the International Center forEnvironmental Resources and Development at the CityUniversity of New York, and as a freelancetranslator/editor/interpreter for various agencies, mostly inEnglish, Russian, and Ukrainian. He has published a number oftranslations of novels and other fiction writing, as a well as atrilingual dictionary, in the former Soviet Union. He is ATA-accredited (English>Russian). Contact: [email protected].


offer readers after they arrive atyour site determines how wellyour search engine efforts willpay off. Make it well worth theirclick, and you’ll be richlyrewarded on a global scale!

Increasing Web Visibility for theChinese Market Continued fromp.46

5 THINGS TO AVOID WHEN BUYING OR SELLING A TRANSLATION COMPANY

I want to share with you some of the hazards and advantagesof my 12+ of experience in the translation industry.

Get help from someone who has been there.

Call or e-mail me and we’ll discuss how my 5 tips canimprove your chances for success.

Valuations, financing, consulting

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248-288-5900 ext. [email protected]

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See me in Atlanta at the ATA conference.

Looking for a freelance job or a full-time position?Need help finding a translator or interpreter for afreelance job or a full-time position?

Check out ATA’s online Job Bank in theMembers Only section of the ATA website at www.atanet.org/membersonly

Superior Court of Arizonain and for Maricopa County

Court Interpreters

The Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County, the fifth largest general jurisdictioncourt in the country, seeks seasoned Court Interpreters. Representative duties com-prise of simultaneous and consecutive oral interpretation as well as written translation.

If you are an experienced Court Interpreter looking to contribute to a court system witha nationwide reputation for innovation and excellence, please call Raul Roman,Manager, The Office of the Court Interpreter at Superior Court of Arizona in MaricopaCounty at 602-506-0220 or e-mail [email protected]. Minimumqualifications include paid, professional experience interpreting in English/Spanish asa Court Interpreter. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical/den-tal and vision, 15 days vacation/yr., 10 paid holidays and state retirement. This is amerit-selected position in accordance with Court policy. Salary is dependent upon can-didate qualifications and expertise. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

AssociationsMake A BetterWorld


ATA Accreditation Exam Information

Upcoming Exams

GeorgiaNovember 9, 2002AtlantaRegistration Deadline:October 25, 2002

TexasDecember 7, 2002AustinRegistration Deadline:November 22, 2002

CongratulationsCongratulations to the follow-ing people who have successfully completed accreditation exams:

French into EnglishPeter C. HartikkaSeattle, WA

Ann L. WilesCanton, MI

Italian into EnglishRenée B. TannenbaumWashington, DC

Portuguese into EnglishStefanie R. CooperPhiladelphia, PA

English into ChineseWei Sheng WuMonterey, CA

Kathy YenSalinas, CA

English into GermanUwe M. SchroeterAlbuquerque, NM

English into PortugueseSuely M. ChangPotomac, MD

Lillian M. Jiménez-RamseyFort Wayne, IN

English into RussianYulia ColePalm Harbor, FL

English into SpanishManuel F. AlvarezCambridge, MA

Susan CahillLittleton, CO

Ines ReynalLexington, MA

Diego A. MansillaNorth Attleboro, MA

Please direct all inquiries regarding general accreditation information to ATA Headquarters at (703) 683-6100. Registration for all accreditation examsshould be made through ATA Headquarters. All sittings have a maximum capacity and admission is based on the order in which registrations arereceived. Forms are available from the ATA website or from Headquarters.

An effort is underway to investigate the possibility of establishing accreditation for the above language pairs.The first step is underway; that is, forming a “volunteer committee” to work on this project. Then we mustdemonstrate that there is a desire on the part of the membership to establish these language pairs. Therefore,we would like to hear from anyone who would take this accreditation exam if it were available, and especiallyanyone interested in participating in this long and arduous (and, in our case, perhaps a little more complicatedthan usual) process. Please write to Paula Gordon—[email protected]—if you would be willing to join thisinitial committee. Even if you are not, a message simply stating your language pairs and interest in accredita-tion would be greatly appreciated.

All Serbo-Croat, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian↔English Translators and InterpretersProposal for a new New Language Pair for ATA Accreditation

Attention


ATA ChaptersAtlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT) P.O. Box 12172Atlanta, GA 30355Tel: (770) [email protected] • www.aait.org

Carolina Association of Translators and Interpreters (CATI)318 Bandock DriveDurham, NC 27703Tel: (919) 577-0840 • Fax: (775) 244-2746 [email protected] • www.catiweb.org• Local group meetings held in Asheville,

Charlotte, and Research Triangle Park,NC; Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg, SC.

• Membership directory, $12; CATIQuarterly subscription, $12.

Florida Chapter of ATA (FLATA)P.O. Box 14-1057Coral Gables, FL 33114-1057Tel/Voice: (305) 274-3434 Fax: (305) [email protected] • www.atafl.com

Mid-America Chapter of ATA (MICATA)6600 NW Sweetbriar LaneKansas City, MO 64151Attn.: Meeri YuleTel: (816) 741-9441 • Fax: (816) [email protected] • www.ata-micata.org

National Capital Area Chapter of ATA (NCATA)P.O. Box 65200Washington, DC 20035-5200Tel: (202) 255-9290 • Fax (202) [email protected] • www.ncata.org• The Professional Services Directory of

the National Capital Area Chapter of theAmerican Translators Association(NCATA) has gone online. It lists NCATAmembers and the services they offer,together with additional informationthat enables translation and interpreta-tion users to find just the right lan-guage specialist for their projects.Bookmark www.ncata.org and checkout the NCATA directory. If you maintainlanguage-related webpages, you maywant to include a link to the directory.NCATA is always interested in comments and suggestions.

New York Circle of Translators (NYCT)P.O. Box 4051, Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163-4051Tel: (212) [email protected] • www.nyctranslators.org

Northeast Ohio Translators Association (NOTA)1963 E Sprague RoadSeven Hills, OH 44131Tel: (440) 526-2365 • Fax: (440) [email protected]

Northern California TranslatorsAssociation (NCTA)P.O. Box 14015Berkeley, CA 94712-5015Tel: (510) 845-8712 • Fax: (510) [email protected] • www.ncta.org• Telephone/online referral service. See

searchable translator database on website.• NCTA Directory of Translators and

Interpreters available on CD-ROM ordiskette for $15. Accept MasterCard/Visa.

Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS)P.O. Box 25301Seattle, WA 98125-2201Tel: (206) [email protected] • www.notisnet.org

Southern California Area Translators andInterpreters Association (SCATIA)P.O. Box 34310Los Angeles, CA 90034Tel: (818) 725-3899 • Fax: (818) [email protected] • www.scatia.org

Affiliated GroupsMichigan Translators/Interpreters Network(MiTiN) P.O. Box 852 Novi, MI 48376 Tel: (248) 344-0909 • Fax: (248) 344-0092 [email protected]

Upper Midwest Translators andInterpreters Association (UMTIA)Coordinator, Minnesota Translation Laboratory218 Nolte Center315 Pillsbury Drive SEMinneapolis, MN 55455Tel: (612) 625-3096 • Fax: (612) [email protected]

Utah Translators and InterpretersAssociation (UTIA)3617 S 1400 WestSalt Lake City, UT 84119Tel: (801) 973-0912 • Fax: (208) [email protected] • www.utia.org

Other GroupsThis list gives contact information for translation and interpretation groups as aservice to ATA members. Inclusion doesnot imply affiliation with or endorsementby ATA.

American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)The University of Texas at DallasMC35, P.O. Box 830688Richardson, TX 75083-0688Tel: (972) 883-2093 • Fax: (972) [email protected]

Austin Area Translators and InterpretersAssociation (AATIA)P.O. Box 13331 Austin, TX 78711-3331Tel: (512) 707-3900 [email protected] • www.aatia.org

The California Court InterpretersAssociation (CCIA)345 S Hwy 101, Suite DEncinitas, CA 92024Tel: (760) 635-0273 • Fax: (760) [email protected] • www.ccia.org

Chicago Area Translators and InterpretersAssociation (CHICATA)P.O. Box 804595Chicago, IL 60680-4107Tel: (312) [email protected] • www.chicata.org

ATA Chapters, Affiliated Groups, and Other Groups


Colorado Translators Association (CTA)3054 S Xanthia StreetDenver, CO 80025Tel: (303) 743-7719 [email protected]• For more information about the online

directory, newsletter, accreditationexams, and professional seminars,please visit www.cta-web.org.

Delaware Valley Translators Association (DVTA)606 John Anthony DriveWest Chester, PA 19382-7191Tel: (215) [email protected]

El Paso Interpreters and TranslatorsAssociation (EPITA)1003 Alethea PlaceEl Paso, TX 79902 Tel: (915) 532-8566 • Fax: (915) [email protected]

Houston Interpreters and TranslatorsAssociation (HITA) P.O. Box 421343Houston, TX 77242-1343Tel: (713) 202-6169www.hitagroup.org

The Kentucky Translators and InterpretersAssociation (KTIA)P.O. Box 7468 Louisville, KY 40257-0468Tel: (502) 449-4499E-mail: [email protected]

Metroplex Interpreters and TranslatorsAssociation (MITA) 712 Cornfield DriveArlington, TX 76017Tel: (817) 417-4747www.dfw-mita.com

National Association of JudiciaryInterpreters and Translators (NAJIT) 2150 N 107th Street, Suite 205Seattle, WA 98133-8704Tel: (206) 367-8704 • Fax: (206) [email protected] • www.najit.org

New England Translators Association (NETA) 27 Wachusett AvenueArlington, MA 02476Tel: (781) 648-1731 • Fax: (617) [email protected] • www.netaweb.org

New Mexico Translators and InterpretersAssociation (NMTIA)P.O. Box 36263Albuquerque, NM 87176Tel: (505) 352-9258 • Fax: (505) [email protected]/~nmtia• Membership Directory available for $5.

Please make check payable to NMTIAand mail your request to the addresslisted here, or contact us by e-mail.

The Translators and Interpreters Guild (TTIG)962 Wayne Avenue, Suite 500Silver Spring, MD 20910Tel: (301) 563-6450 • (800) 992-0367Fax: (301) [email protected] • www.ttig.org

Washington State Court Interpreters andTranslators Society (WITS)P.O. Box 1012 Seattle, WA 98111-1012Tel: (206) 382-5690www.witsnet.org

International GroupsFITFédération Internationale desTraducteurs/International Federation ofTranslators (FIT)2021 Avenue Union, Bureau 1108 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2S9Tel: (514) 845-0413 • Fax: (514) [email protected]

AUSTRALIAAustralian Institute of Interpreters andTranslators, Inc. (AUSIT)P.O. Box A202Sydney South, NSW 1235 AustraliaTel/Fax: +61 (02) 9626 7046 [email protected] • www.ausit.org

CANADAAssociation of Translators andInterpreters of Alberta (ATIA)P.O. Box 2635Station MCalgary, Alberta, T2P 3C1 Canada Tel: (403) 243-3477(Alberta office) or(780) 434-8384 (Edmonton office)www.atia.ab.ca

Association of Translators andInterpreters of Ontario (ATIO)1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1202Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 7B7Tel: (613) 241-2846, Toll-free: 1-800-234-5030Fax: (613) [email protected] • www.atio.on.ca

Ordre des Traducteurs, Terminologues etInterprètes Agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ)2021 Union, Suite 1108Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2S9 Tel: (514) 845-4411Toll-free: (800) 265-4815 Fax: (514) [email protected] • www.ottiaq.org

Society of Translators and Interpreters ofBritish Columbia (STIBC)Suite 514, 850 W Hastings Street, Box 34Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 1E1Tel: (604) 684-2940 • Fax: (604) [email protected] • www.stibc.org

ENGLANDInstitute of Translation & Interpreting (ITI)Exchange House494 Midsummer BoulevardCentral Milton KeynesMK9 2EA EnglandTel: +44 (0) 1908 255905Fax: +44 (0) 1908 [email protected] • www.iti.org.uk

Note: All announcements must be receivedby the first of the month prior to the monthof publication (For example, September 1for October issue). For more informationon chapters or to start a chapter, pleasecontact ATA Headquarters. Send updatesto Mary David, ATA Chronicle, 225Reinekers Lane, Suite 590, Alexandria, VA22314; Tel: (703) 683-6100; Fax: (703) 683-6122; [email protected].

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Arabic, French <> English

ATA TCD members: Partner with Transco and get astanding team of more than 30 full-time translatorsfor your Chinese projects! We translate into Chineseso you needn’t. Visit us at www.Transco.com.cn oremail to [email protected]

English > Chinese

Professional Services

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Small Interpretation/Translation company isrecruiting for a position of DIRECTOR OFBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. You will beresponsible for a new business development salesto generate revenue source for interpretation/translation business. This encompasses leadingthe marketing and sales, providing strategic andtactical marketing direction, and managing mar-ket-related operations. Responsibilities includeresearch, PR, proposal support, marketing plandevelopment and execution. Candidates musthave a minimum of 3 years experience in the cor-porate business development. Respond to:[email protected]

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• Established 1991 • Current Sales $500,000 and growing• Business nets owner approx. $125,000 per year

• Offering price: $261,000 • Seller financing of 50% of selling price


American Translators AssociationOfficersPresidentMr. Thomas L. West IIIIntermark Language Services Corp.2555 Cumberland Pkwy, Ste. 295Atlanta, GA 30339Tel: (770) 444-3055Fax: (770) [email protected]

President-electMr. Scott Brennan10005 Cairn Mountain WayBristow, VA 20136-3009Tel: (703) 393-0365Fax: (413) [email protected]

SecretaryMs. Courtney Searls-RidgeGerman Language Services2658 48th Avenue SWSeattle, WA 98116Tel: (206) 938-3600Fax: (206) [email protected]

TreasurerDr. Jiri Stejskal7312 Oak AvenueMelrose Park, PA 19027Tel: (215) 635-7090Fax: (215) [email protected]

Directors Committee Chairs Division AdministratorsMr. Kirk Anderson2455 Flamingo Drive, #401Miami Beach, FL 33140Tel: (305) 532-7252Fax: (305) [email protected]

Ms. Beatriz Bonnet7465 E Peakview AvenueEnglewood, CO 80111Tel: (303) 779-1288Fax: (303) [email protected]

Mr. Robert A. Croese204 Neely Crossing LaneSimpsonville, SC 29680Tel: (864) 967-3955Fax: (864) [email protected]

Ms. Marian S. Greenfield2619 Holly AvenueSouth Plainfield, NJ 07080Tel: (908) 561-7590Fax: (908) [email protected]

Prof. Alan K. Melby1223 Aspen AvenueProvo, UT 84604Tel: (801) 422-2144Fax: (801) [email protected]

Mr. Robert E. Sette109 Biddle AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15221Tel: (412) 731-8198Fax: (412) [email protected]

Ms. Ines Swaney6161 Harwood AvenueOakland, CA 94618Tel: (510) 658-7744Fax: (510) [email protected]

Prof. Madeleine C. Velguth2608 E Newport AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53211Tel: (414) 229-5968Fax: (414) [email protected]

Mr. Timothy Yuan89-33 Pontiac StreetQueens Village, NY 11427Tel: (718) 776-8139Fax: (718) [email protected]

AccreditationLilian Novas Van VrankenSpring, TXTel: (281) [email protected]

Active Membership ReviewLeland D. WrightKent, OHTel: (330) 673-0043Fax: (330) [email protected]

BudgetJiri StejskalMelrose Park, PA Tel: (215) 635-7090Fax: (215) [email protected]

ChaptersRobert A. CroeseSimpsonville, SC Tel: (864) 967-3955Fax: (864) [email protected]

Dictionary ReviewBoris M. SilversteynVenice, FLTel/Fax: (941) [email protected]

DivisionsDorothee RacetteSaranac, NYTel: (518) 293-7494Fax: (518) [email protected]

Education and Training(Non-ATA Programs)Gertrud Graubart ChampeSurry, METel: (207) [email protected]

EthicsVacant

Honors and AwardsJo Anne EngelbertSt. Augustine, FLTel: (904) 460-1190Fax: (904) [email protected]

Interpretation PolicyAdvisoryChristian DegueldreSan Diego, CATel: (619) [email protected]

Mentoring Task ForceCourtney Searls-RidgeSeattle, WATel: (206) 938-3600Fax: (206) [email protected]

Professional Development(ATA Programs)Marian S. GreenfieldSouth Plainfield, NJTel: (908) 561-7590Fax: (908) [email protected]

Public RelationsChris DurbanParis, FranceTel: 33(1)42935802Fax: 33(1)[email protected]

Kevin S. HendzelArlington, VATel: (703) 516-9266Fax: (703) [email protected]

Special ProjectsAnn MacfarlaneSeattle, WATel: (206) 542-8422Fax: (206) [email protected]

TerminologySue Ellen WrightKent, OHTel: (330) 673-0043Fax: (330) [email protected]

Translation and ComputersAlan K. MelbyProvo, UTTel: (801) 378-2144Fax: (801) [email protected]

Chinese LanguageFrank MouPittsburgh, PATel: (412) 767-4788Fax: (412) [email protected]

French LanguageMonique-Paule TubbChevy Chase, MDTel: (301) 654-2890Fax: (301) [email protected]

German LanguageDorothee RacetteSaranac, NYTel: (518) 293-7494Fax: (518) [email protected]

InterpretersHelen D. ColeSilver Spring, MDTel: (301) 572-2855Fax: (301) [email protected]

Italian LanguageMarcello J. NapolitanoMilpitas, CATel: (408) 422-7008Fax: (425) [email protected]

Japanese LanguageIzumi SuzukiNovi, MITel: (248) 344-0909Fax: (248) [email protected]

LiteraryClifford E. LandersNaples, FLTel: (941) [email protected]

NordicEdith M. MattesonBallwin, MOTel/Fax: (636) [email protected]

Portuguese LanguageTereza d’Ávila BragaDallas, TXTel: (972) 690-7730Fax: (972) [email protected]

Slavic LanguagesNora Seligman FavorovOrlando, FLTel: (407) 679-8151Fax: (646) [email protected]

Spanish LanguageRudolf HellerBrookfield, MATel: (508) 867-8494Fax: (508) [email protected]

Translation CompanySteven P. IversonMilwaukee, WITel: (414) 271-1144Fax: (414) [email protected]

To International Federation ofTranslators (FIT)Peter W. KrawutschkeKalamazoo, MITel: (269) 387-3212Fax: (269) [email protected]: www.fit-ift.org

To Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL)Christophe RéthoréHarrisonburg, VATel: (540) 568-3512Fax: (540) [email protected]

To ASTM Translation UserStandards ProjectBeatriz A. BonnetEnglewood, COTel: (303) 779-1288Fax: (303) [email protected]

ATA Representatives

Get on the fast track: Transit XV.

Transit XV has a unique file based

structure. It means that large projects

stay small, rarely larger than 10 Kbytes.

Transit is the best solution for today’s

translation managers. The translation

memory and the translation projects

themselves consist of simple text and

formatting tags. This is why Transit XV

gives you the extremely short pretrans-

lation times as well as faster access to

proposed translations (fuzzy matches).

Transit XV also has a unique feature:

the Report Manager. It optimizes project

evaluation, costing and billing. It is a

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the time you spent on management by

at least 50% – that means real savings!

www.star-transit.com

AmericanTranslatorsAssociation43rd AnnualConference

Hyatt Regency Hotel

Atlanta, Georgia

November 6-9,2002

See page 61for registrationdetails.

Documents

September 2002 Volume XXXI Number 9 The Chronicle€¦ · in this issue September 2002 Volume XXXI Number 9 Features 17 International Certification Study: Japan By Jiri Stejskal 20