Translation Interpreting Programsfiles.ausit.org/intouch/2015_12.pdfinterpreting, and translation pedagogy and advanced technology. Professional practice strengthened by advanced theory

Quarterly publication of the

Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators

Volume 23, number 3 — Summer 2015

Member organisation Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs International Federation of Translators

Join the evolving global translation and interpreting

industry

Never Stand Still Arts Social Sciences

Dr Mira KimSenior Lecturer - Translation and Interpreting

UNSW Arts Social Sciences | Translation Interpreting Programs

The advanced theoretical framework of your degree will prepare you for professional excellence. You will critically examine contemporary thought that underpins the process of interpreting and translating, and learn to make informed choices and reflect analytically on your own practice as an interpreting and/or translating professional.

Pathways to researchHigh achieving students seeking a future in academic research are encouraged to pursue a Research Stream as a pathway to Higher Degree Research. Our program academics are world renowned researchers, authors and practitioners with global experience across academia and industry, and can guide you in your progression.

State-of-the-art technologyAs an interpreting and translation student, you will have access to the latest technological equipment including training stations, simultaneous interpreting booths, moot courtroom, translation memories, machine translation, audiovisual translation and corpus linguistics software.

Practicum and internshipsA range of exciting internship opportunities are available for our students, allowing students to gain work experience in organisations such as Hermès, L’Oréal , Australiasian Association of Language Companies, ChinaLink and a range of conference interpreting placements in international organisations such as Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

In demand graduatesOur graduates work in a variety of domestic and international areas including education and academia, tourism, business and economics, media and journalism, marketing, publishing, science and technology, health, law, and international relations.

UNSW is a national leader in the education of translation and interpreting professionals. Accredited by NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), we understand the needs of this evolving global industry.

We offer three translation and interpreting degrees that have been shaped by the needs of the individual and the profession:

Master of Translation Master of Interpreting Master of Translation & Interpreting (Professional Stream

and Research Stream)

Courses in all interpreting and translation programs are offered in English, with streams in the following languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Indonesian.

Our programs are NAATI approved in the following modes and levels:

- Professional Translator- Professional and Paraprofessional Interpreter- Conference Interpreter

Leading Academics Our programs are taught by NAATI accredited practitioners, experienced interpreters and translators, and leading researchers in the field, with recognised strengths in conference, legal and court interpreting, and translation pedagogy and advanced technology.

Professional practice strengthened by advanced theoryContinuous high-quality practical experience in authentic settings is embedded in our postgraduate degrees.

Commonwealth Supported Places now available for 2016

Translation Interpreting Programs

TRANSLATION CHALLENGED IN ALLEGED TERROR PLOT CASE

INTERNATIONAL: Interpreters’ liability if asked to sign contentious forms

AUSIT NSW MINI-CONFERENCE: Quality issues in T&I

Contents1. Translation challenged in alleged

terror plot case.2 AUSIT NSW mini-conference held

on 13 November at Macquarie University to explore the important issue of quality in translation and interpreting.

4. Catalina Natalini says US government forms that interpreters are expected to sign can put them in a legal quandary.

6. Georgina Heydon reviews Police investigative interviews and interpreting: Context, challenges, and strategies.

8. Wise words with Yael Balandrano. From work frustration to a career in translation.

9. Successful nominations for AUSIT student awards.

10. Jacqueline Buswell talks to Sarah Irving, co-editor of A bird is not a stone.

12. An insider’s view on the translating and interpreting industry.

14. Courtney Reid sees her published translation featured at the Frankfurt book fair in October 2015.

16. Business insurance: rarely are two businesses alike.

Editorial committeeEditorJeremy [email protected] Stephen Doherty [email protected] review editor Melissa McMahon [email protected] practitioners Tania [email protected] Cooke [email protected] Auslan Christy Filipich, [email protected] Translation practitioner Barbara McGilvray [email protected] Denise Formica [email protected] Vera Gu [email protected]

In TouchSummer 2015 Volume 23 number 3

Jeremy Gilling Editor 1901/148 Elizabeth St, Sydney 2000 [email protected]

Design and production Philip Coyte, The Graduate Connection [email protected]

The deadline for the Autumn 2016 issue is 19 February 2016.

The editor reserves the right to edit or not publish any item submitted for publication. Opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editor or those of AUSIT and its executive. Cover photos Sam Berner, AUSIT NSW mini-conference, 13 November, Macquarie University

AUSIT contactsPO Box 193, Surrey Hills Vic 3127Telephone 03 9895 4473Fax 03 9898 0249email: [email protected] [email protected]

A message from the editorIn Touch aims to be as open and collaborative as time and other constraints permit. The editor generally – if time allows – seeks the author’s approval of any edits before publication. This is not just because it’s fair and respectful; it also forestalls many post-publication disagreements between author and editor, especially when the editor is not a subject expert.There are a few points of style that can help writers and make the editor’s task a bit easier.• The optimum length is 500-1000

words (one to two pages). Shorter items are welcome as fillers; longer articles (up to four pages) can be accepted if the subject warrants it, but sustaining reader interest is paramount.

• We run edited academic articles from time to time, but we can’t include references and footnotes. However, we’re happy to include the author’s email address so interested people can request the full annotated version. Length

is especially important for these sorts of articles – most academic articles are far too long in their unedited form.

• Images add greatly to an article’s appeal. A head and shoulders of the author (minimum 0.5 MB) can be augmented by photos or graphics (at least 1 MB) illustrating the article. The best such image will often be used on the front cover.

• Avoid American spelling (verbs should end in –ise, not –ize). We suggest you set your language in Word to English (United Kingdom) – not English (Australia), which often tolerates American spelling.

• You’ve probably noticed that In Touch is parsimonious with initial capitals. In this we follow the style of most daily newspapers – even the tabloids! (We also tend to avoid exclamation marks.) A good rule of thumb is if in doubt, use lower case.

AUSIT – IN TOUCH 1

Translation challenged in alleged terror plot case

LEGAL

Omarjan Azari‘s lawyer says the conversation between his client and high-ranking Islamic State figure Mohammad Ali Baryalei (believed now deceased) on 15 September 2014 was originally translated as having Mr Azari urging Mr Baryalei to “abandon” the plan to kill a random member of the public, but a later translation had him calling on Mr Baryalei to “postpone” it.

Mr Azari’s barrister, Steven Boland, said in a written submission lodged with Central local court last month that his client warned Mr Baryalei that he was under close surveillance, and for that reason should not proceed with the plan.Mr Boland is seeking the court’s permission to cross-examine the three translators on a range of questions, including the circumstances in which each translation was performed, specific areas of inconsistency, the importance of intonation and forms of expression in the relevant languages when determining meaning, and the

circumstances in which two of the translators were asked to provide a second translation of the 15 September phone call.Mr Azari is being held in maximum security in Goulburn jail.

A Sydney man accused of plotting a random murder says translations of one of his bugged phone calls reveal worrying inconsistencies.

John Gare award

Freelance Indonesian-English translator John Gare has recently been honoured with AUSIT life membership.

The citation for the award by his colleague David Deck reads:

“John has been a member of AUSIT for 20 years, and in that time has made an immeasurable contribution to both AUSIT and the profession generally. He gave untiring service for many years on the Victoria/Tasmania branch committee of AUSIT, including the period when a new committee needed to be constituted following an extraordinary general meeting of the branch. “He has been a diligent and thoughtful contributor to both the general e-Bulletin and the Indonesian/Malay e-Forum. More recently his contribution to the profession has also been reflected in his hard work and strong support for the efforts of Professionals Australia, in conjunction with AUSIT, to seek

better remuneration and conditions for translators and interpreters. This history of unstinting service makes John a worthy recipient of life membership.”John is an inveterate campaigner, listing his causes as “campaigning for more respect for translators and interpreters through Professionals Australia, and campaigning for more respect for our environment and a safe future for the planet through the local group Lighter Footprints and the national research and information group Beyond Zero Emissions”. He was previously an airworthiness engineer in Indonesia.

2 AUSIT – IN TOUCH

Nearly 100 practitioners and scholars attended the AUSIT NSW mini-conference held on 13 November at Macquarie University to explore the important issue of quality in translation and interpreting.

AUSIT president Professor Sandra Hale opened the conference with her speech, “How can interpreting research inform the practice and lead to change?”. Academics and practitioners presented six papers in parallel sessions on identifying and implementing quality in T&I. An informative health care interpreting panel inspired a round of lively discussions in the afternoon. A group of excellent students were nominated at the student awards, with the winners being Yael Balandrano (UNSW) and Emiri Oishi (Macquarie University). Their certificates were presented by NAATI CEO Mark Painting.The event was sponsored by Macquarie University, NAATI and ATL, and was held in conjunction with the AUSIT national AGM. The 91 delegates comprised 47 members and 44 non-members.Papers were presented in parallel sessions.

Session 1: Practice• Machine translation quality: managing

expectations and mitigating risk, by Dr Stephen Doherty

• How to improve the quality of health care interpreting? Ethnographic study of interpreter-mediated medical encounters between Korean patients and English-speaking medical professionals, by PhD candidate Sophia Ra

• Reflection on practice and professional boundaries, by Nicolas Canadas.

Session 2: Pedagogy• The impact of training in quality and

professionalism, by Erika Gonzalez• “Put yourself in their shoes”: A

qualitative exploration of effective translation teaching in universities, by Zhi Huang

• Towards a model for analysing and assessing translation of Qur’anic idiomatic phrasal verbs, by Ali Yunis Aldahesh.

EVENTS

Conference explores quality issues in T&I


Health care interpreting panel discussion

In order to identify what constitutes quality in health care interpreting in relation to the different positions and roles, the discussion panel explored quality in health care interpreting from the following perspectives:

• What constitutes successful communication in a health care context?

• What does the interpreter need to do to enable clients to achieve their communicative goals?

• What are the health professionals’ expectations of health care interpreters?

• From the perspective of professional interpreting practice, how does the interpreter maintain a balance between the different positions along the spectrum to achieve successful communication?

• What are the expectations of employers of interpreters and what standards should be applied to examine interpreter conduct?

The discussion was facilitated by Anna Kenny, professional development coordinator with NSW HCIS and a Polish medical interpreter with 22 years of experience.

Panel members were:• Helen Slatyer, a lecturer in the

Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University and a professional French translator

• Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward, community services coordinator for NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors

• Bakri Gabir, Sudanese Arabic interpreter with Western Sydney Health Care Interpreter Service (HCIS)

• Marlis Walther, French and German interpreter with Sydney HCIS involved in training and management of interpreters

• Vesna Dragoje, Hunter New England HCIS manager

• Anna Kenny (facilitator).

Interdisciplinary court interpreting practice with the UNSW law faculty

Court interpreting is a demanding and highly specialised interpreting role that requires extensive training and an excellent understanding of how things work in Australian courtrooms. Apart from having students go to different courts to conduct observations, interpreting and translating students at UNSW team up with the law faculty every year to conduct an interdisciplinary moot court practice.

Law students act as lawyers, and interpreting and translating students act as interpreters, non-English speaking background (NESB) defendants and witnesses to perform a mock trial. In some sessions, real judges come to judge the mock trial and share their experience.

This interdisciplinary collaboration started in 2012, with the most recent successful run in 2014. Students from both disciplines gained hands-on experience in a realistic moot court that is equipped with all of the facilities that are used in real courtrooms. Through interacting with law students and working through realistic legal proceedings, students gained a valuable insight into the discourse and challenges of court interpreting.


A few months ago, a colleague contacted me regarding what she considered an ethical question.

As she was preparing to serve as interpreter for the client of a non-profit organisation going through immigration procedures, she found among the documentation Form I-485, Application to register permanent residence or adjust status (uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-485.pdf), a standard form required by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

This form includes the following paragraph on the last page of the application under the section labelled “Interpreter’s statement and signature”:

I further certify that I have read each and every question and instruction on this form, as well as the answer to each question, to this applicant in the abovementioned language, and the applicant has understood each and every instruction and question on the form, as well as the answer to each question.

My colleague did not feel comfortable certifying that the applicant understood (her emphasis) each and every instruction and question on the form. However, as she mentioned to me, this was a standard form provided by the USCIS.I told her she was right. In my daily job working in court and school settings, it has become very clear to me that as an interpreter it is beyond my responsibility and scope of practice to guarantee or confirm whether any of the speakers has understood any information exchanged during the interpreting session.

My colleague told the attorney conducting this case that she was not going to sign the form and explained her professional position. The attorney was very unhappy about this and mentioned the fact that other interpreters before her had signed the form without any problem. He then went on to complain to the non-profit agency because my colleague was refusing “to cooperate with his case”. Needless to say, my colleague’s services were no longer required for this case.Coincidentally, a few months later I heard from another colleague in a similar situation. This time the question had to do with newly edited Form I-693, Report of medical examination and vaccination record (uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-693.pdf). The interpreter coordinator of a Wisconsin hospital voiced her concerns to my colleague regarding the wording of this form, which states on page 2 that the interpreter is to certify:

I have read to this applicant every question and instruction in part 1 of this Form I-693, as well as the answer to every question in part 1, in the language provided in part 1, item number 12; and

I have read the applicant’s certification to the applicant in the same language provided in part 1, item number 12.

Interpreters’ liability if asked to sign contentious forms

INTERNATIONAL

Catalina Natalini says US government forms that interpreters are expected to sign can put them in a legal quandary.


The applicant has informed me that he or she understands every instruction and question in part 1 of this Form I-693, as well as the answer to every question in part 1, and the applicant verified the accuracy of every answer, and

The applicant also has informed me that he or she understands the applicant’s certification.

Doesn’t this go against our code of ethics?My colleague asked me, “Doesn’t this go against our code of ethics?” She also had a question of a practical nature: “How does the signature component get completed when the interpreting services are provided by telephone?”I mentioned to her the case regarding form I-485 with similar language. As in the case of my first colleague, she also felt uneasy about signing such a statement.I have since consulted with other interpreters and the consensus so far is that interpreters cannot be held liable for the “understanding” of the applicant, but can only certify that he/she sight-translated all the questions and answers in the presence of the provider.This is not an issue of advocacy or cultural mediation; this is an issue of liability. When the applicant is an English speaker, who is liable for the applicant’s understanding?

Furthermore, it is important that agencies contracting interpreters have a better understanding of the interpreter’s liability as a professional and seek ways not to compromise the ethics and standards of practice of professional interpreters.I think it is commendable that these two interpreters had the common sense to stop and think this over from the point of view of their professional scope of practice, and had the courage to question and even challenge such statements that compromise their liability and place them in a dangerous position. Have any of you run into a similar situation before? Do you have any ideas on how we could effect change? Obviously, the USCIS is not aware of the conflict the language of these forms poses to professional interpreters.

Catalina Natalini is a state-certified court interpreter (Spanish) and adjunct professor at Philadelphia’s La Salle University teaching the master of interpretation and translation course. This is a lightly edited version of an article that was originally posted on the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators website on 13 November 2015. She can be contacted at [email protected].

‘It is important that agencies contracting interpreters have a better understanding of the interpreter’s liability as a professional and seek ways not to compromise the ethics and standards of practice of professional interpreters.’


Bringing policing and interpreting practices onto the same page

This work represents an important contribution to both interpreter and police training, providing an introduction to the challenges of interpreting police interviews being conducted according to the major international training standards in investigative interviewing.

Through the introduction, the authors provide justification for the focus on police investigative interviewing as a specialisation in interpreter training. The authors draw on useful case studies, legislative requirements and academic literature to present a step-by-step approach to the complex background material. For instance, a section on police interpreting provides a helpful description of the role of the interview in the justice system, while the section on interpreter competence includes references to cases involving human rights violations relating to the inadequacy of police interpreter services.

In this way, the introduction provides an important context for the subsequent chapters and will assist policy-makers, educators and professionals seeking to understand the environment in which police interpreting takes place.There are five substantive chapters in the book, which are designed to provide resources for different audiences but can also be of benefit to the generalist interpreting student or police practitioner. The first two chapters provide essential information about interpreting and interviewing practice respectively such that professionals from either industry can quickly acquaint themselves with the environment in which the other operates and the key tasks each is trying to accomplish. This is a novel approach, given that research papers in the field – even those by the same authors – tend to be designed specifically for either a policing audience or an interpreting/linguistics audience, or are so academic as to be of limited value to either profession. The approach taken in this book, which is simply to provide each professional audience with their own introduction to the unfamiliar practices of the other, is a great advantage. Moreover, reading through the material on both professionals’ practice is not wasted time, since it is helpful to understand one’s own practice from the perspective of an outsider, especially an outsider with whom one must cooperate professionally.

The advantage of providing separate introductions for each of the two main audiences becomes clear in the remaining four chapters. Once the fundamental features and institutional objectives of each profession have been clearly described to both audiences, the authors can proceed with the assumption that “we are all on the same page”. Chapter 3 can then proceed with an engaging discussion of the key challenges for interpreters operating in legal environments that will be informative and useful to all readers. Similarly, Chapter 4 provides a detailed discussion of the specific challenges that professionals can expect to encounter in interpreter-mediated interviews, drawing on the basic understanding of different interviewing techniques covered in Chapter 2.As one of the few linguists researching police investigative interviewing, I am well aware that in both the general linguistics community and the interpreting and translating community there is a dearth of specialist knowledge about the interviewing and interrogation protocols used in police academies around the world. The modern police interviewing protocols used in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and to a lesser extent Canada are codified and structured, and utilise very specific questioning techniques designed to assist interviewees to recall details of an event accurately (see below). The North American Reid Method™, which the authors of this book rightly observe

BOOK REVIEW

Georgina Heydon reviews Police investigative interviews and interpreting: Context, challenges, and strategies by S Mulayim, M Lai and C Norma (CRC Press, Boca Raton, US, 2015).


has come under considerable criticism for its coercive techniques, is similarly structured and codified. Anyone attempting to interact professionally with police agencies in the countries mentioned (and many more besides) will encounter one of these dominant techniques, and will need to understand their principles and key features. In Australia, police and other law enforcement agencies are adopting the principles and protocols broadly referred to as Cognitive Interviewing, which, as mentioned, utilises language in very specific ways. It is critical that both police officers and interpreters understand how the language used in these techniques poses particular problems for interpreters and that their intended function can be considerably weakened unless they are rendered carefully into the target language. This represents a significant obstacle to both best practice interviewing and best practice interpreting in police interview settings, yet there is little research into the problem. In my experience, police officers are deeply concerned about the lack of empirical research into interpreter-mediated police interviews, since it is becoming an increasingly common circumstance of their practice. Fortunately, this book has the advantage that one of its co-authors, Miranda Lai, is one of the few scholars in the field to have conducted such empirical research, and so the treatment of this specific issue is as detailed and well informed as the present state of research permits.

The presentation in Chapter 5 of a range of linguistic phenomena related to police interpreting provides readers with valuable insights into the mechanics of turn-taking and the discourse-level features of interpreted police interviews. Again, this will be of value to practitioners from either police or interpreting fields and a helpful resource for teaching staff, as it explains the language structures that affect interviewing and interpreting performance with descriptions that are practical and explicated with real-life cases.While this book does not claim to present new research in the field of interpreted police interviews, the synthesis of findings to date is in itself a valuable new resource for professionals and scholars alike. It is not surprising that there has been so little research in this field, as it requires a collaborative effort from police officers, interpreters, forensic linguists and forensic psychologists in order to cover the relevant professional skills and academic disciplines.

I sincerely hope that this book will inspire further empirical research that draws on established models of practice from both professional fields. In the meantime, this book will serve admirably to inform and enlighten police and interpreting practitioners and might also find a home in law faculties, where legal practitioners can apply this knowledge to their own practice and better inform their clients who are interviewed by police through an interpreter.

Georgina Heydon is a senior lecturer in the school of global, urban and social studies at RMIT University. Contact her at [email protected] for references to this review.

‘There is a dearth of specialist knowledge about the interviewing and interrogation protocols used in police academies around the world.’


POSTGRADUATE

Yael’s life changed when his best friend became deaf overnight.

As someone intrigued by signs, linguistics and methods of communication, Yael decided to leave his international pharmaceutical career to pursue a master of interpreting and translation at UNSW.

“Two things happened that pushed me to explore study options and follow my plan B,” says Yael.“I was on a business trip and woke up in the hotel. It was yet another birthday where I was working day and night. I sat there blowing out birthday candles, surrounded by hotel staff with no one I actually knew or who cared for me – this was unsettling.”“Around the same time my best friend woke up and lost his hearing. Within a week I found a postgraduate interpreting and translation program at UNSW and decided to make the move,” says Yael.

But even for an adventure-seeker like Yael, student life has been an adjustment.“The hardest part about being a student again at 36 is starting from scratch. I used to be an expert in my field, but now in my studies, I have so much to learn. This can make you depressed or excited. I choose to be excited.”This passion and excitement did not go unnoticed by his tutors.Yael was put forward as a candidate to work at the World Parks Congress in a conference-interpreting role alongside organisations like NASA and National Geographic.

From work frustration to a career in translation

Wise words with Yael Balandrano.

Among the students nominated for excellence awards at the AUSIT NSW mini-conference held on 13 November at Macquarie University were winners Yael Balandrano (UNSW, left) and Emiri Oishi (Macquarie University, second from left). Their certificates were presented by NAATI CEO Mark Painting (second from right, next to AUSIT national president Sandra Hale).


Successful nominations for AUSIT student awards

Yael BalandranoYael Balandrano is an international student from Mexico. His case is an unusual one because, having completed a bachelor of business administration at the prestigious Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico in 2001, he has been working for many years in large companies dealing with medical research and clinical trials. He worked in Mexico, the USA, South Korea and India.Yael’s desire for a career change has brought him to Australia, where he became a masters student of Interpreting and translation at UNSW. The combination of motivation, hard work, advanced bilingual skills and natural ability helped him achieve success in translation and interpreting , including NAATI accreditation as a translator (in both directions) and interpreter. He has equally excelled in conference interpreting and even had the opportunity to work professionally at a conference. Yael is a deserving candidate for the AUSIT student prize, and we congratulate him on his success.

Emiri OishiEmiri Oishi first thought about becoming an interpreter and translator in junior high school in Japan. But on completing school she decided to choose a more practically relevant pathway than linguistics and enrolled in commerce for her bachelors degree. After completing her undergraduate studies, she worked as a sales representative for a manufacturing company in Japan. However, during this time, she hardly used her English skills, wishing instead that she could have spoken Chinese to communicate with clients. The turning point came when she had the chance to work with an interpreter on a business trip to Taiwan. Emiri noted that “it was very interesting to see how her interpreting between Chinese and Japanese helped business negotiations go smoothly”. This experience made her realise that there is more to professional interpreting than language ability and this realisation set her on the path to pursuing her early interest in a career in translation and interpreting.Emiri enrolled in the master of translation and interpreting studies at Macquarie University in 2014 as an international student. She has been an outstanding student throughout her studies at Macquarie, achieving high grades in both theoretical and practical studies. As her graduation is around the corner, she is planning to apply for a graduate visa to stay in Australia to gain some work experience in the interpreting and translation field as a way of enhancing her knowledge and skills. Even though there is much more work for interpreters and translators in Japan, she considers that this is a unique opportunity to gain experience working in a foreign country that will be beneficial to her future career. The translation and interpreting section staff at Macquarie had no hesitation in nominating Emiri for the AUSIT student awards and couldn’t have hoped for a more worthy recipient of the 2015 AUSIT student award.


A bird is not a stone is the first major collection of contemporary Palestinian poetry translated by Scottish writers and poets. Editor and bridge translator Sarah Irving was in Sydney for a presentation of the book in August, and poems were read in Arabic, English and Scots. Sarah talked to In Touch about the making of this fascinating multilingual book, prepared in Palestine and Scotland.

“We tried to make the bridge translators not so invisible. There were 12 of us, mostly coming from postgraduate Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Edinburgh,” she said.“Henry Bell initiated the project after a visit to the Palestinian House of Poetry in Al-Bireh by a group of Scottish and English poets, including the Scottish poet laureate or Makar, Liz Lochhead, in July 2012. “Bridge translators prepared literal versions in English of the poems, which were then sent to the Scottish poets, along with notes about style (such as rhyme and rhythm patterns), nuances of meaning, the sound of a poem, resonances of words (cultural references, historical contexts, layers of meaning), and sometimes even lists of possible words that could be used to transfer the meaning of a word or phrase.“The poets chosen for the project were well-known poets writing in Scotland today, and none of them said no to our invitation. As they worked on their poems, they were in contact with the bridge translator and sometimes with the Palestinian poets.

“At the request of some of the Scottish poets, we organised a workshop in Glasgow, attended by several bridge translators, poets and some native speakers of Palestinian Arabic. This was found to be very useful by the Scottish poets, who learned for example that Arabic poetry had a strong sense of rhythm, even when it was in free verse.“I was kept busy herding 50 poets, not an easy task! I coordinated the Arabic to bridge translations and Henry Bell organised the bridge translations to poetry versions. I assigned one bridge translator to one to three Palestinian poets. The Scottish poets were sent all the bridge translations and invited to do what they wanted. This led to several versions of some originals – for example, English, Scots, Gaelic and Shetlandic – where poets decided to work into any of these languages.”

Scottish and Palestinian poets collaborate in bringing Palestinian poetry to a wider audience

Jacqueline Buswell talks to Sarah Irving, co-editor (with Henry Bell) of A bird is not a stone (Freight Books, Glasgow, 2014).

POETRY TRANSLATION


Thus, some poems appear in the book in three or four languages, and in the case of Shetlandic, poems written in a language spoken in 22 countries were transferred to a language spoken on a remote island!“There were resonances on the political level for the Scottish poets and translators with the Palestinian situation, with parallels between Scottish demands for independence and Palestinian demands for territorial and political rights. The book came out two months before the referendum on Scottish independence from the UK, and preparation of the book coincided with the Israeli bombing of Gaza in July and August that same year. Many of the poets lived in the West Bank but some were in Gaza, one of whom had his home destroyed. All of this was shocking for the Scottish poets.”In A Bird is not a stone, you can read poems in Arabic, English, Scottish Gaelic, modern Scottish and Shetlandic. Audio versions of some poems in different languages can be accessed online, along with blogs from the poets and the translators.The book, so interesting in itself, extends beyond its covers to provide rich multi-media experiences while it introduces us to contemporary poets and translators from both Scotland and Palestine.

Links to some of the material in A bird is not a stone:“In love” in Arabic, English and Shetlandic at https://abirdisnotastone.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/watch-maya-abu-al-hayyat-and-christine-de-luca-in-love

Liz Lochhead and Abla Oudeh reading Tareq al-Karmy’s poetry at https://vimeo.com/97415517. This video begins with Liz Lochhead talking about her experience of the initial meeting at the House of Poetry in Palestine which gave birth to A bird is not a stone.An excerpt from “haudin the kenmark o hairst” in Arabic and Scots at https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/sarah-irving/palestinian-poetry-performed-scots-and-english-watch-and-listen. Here, a poem by Faisal al-Qarqati is read by Scots poet Harry Giles and Palestinian translator and educator Abla Oudeh.

Instead of the usual format of the original poem read in Arabic followed by the translation (or vice versa), Giles and Oudeh alternate short sections, emphasising the strong rhythms of this long, atmospheric piece. Harry Giles’s translation is in an old form of literary Scots which he felt suited the formal Arabic of the original.

Jacqueline Buswell is assistant office manager of Sydney-based T&I company Language Professionals. She is a NAATI-accredited Spanish-English translator and interpreter, who has worked in that capacity for many years in Australia and Mexico.

There were resonances on the political level for the Scottish poets and translators with the Palestinian situation, with parallels between Scottish demands for independence and Palestinian demands for territorial and political rights.


I have to be honest: I’m a newbie to the world of translation and interpreting. More than that, a couple of months ago I didn’t even know that the industry existed. Sure, I knew what the words “translation” and “interpreting” meant, but my understanding of the profession came solely from clichés – the busy people concentrating in the background of news footage at a UN conference or the local in some foreign town who knows a small amount of broken English and communicates comical cultural breakdowns in a classic Hollywood film. I knew that people could use translation and interpreting services, but I had never really thought about the people who provided these services or exactly what was involved. I had never had reason to consider it, so I naïvely just thought it happened.

My first contact with the T/I world came through a final-year journalism project in which I produced a student publication about languages. We chose the topic with a communal goal of changing the perception of language learning and acquisition from a novelty to a necessity for our not-so-monolingual nation. The more we unpacked it, the more we realised the massive scope of the initially narrow topic that we thought it to be. As journalism students, this meant more story possibilities, so we were keen to get to work. I landed on translation and interpreting as story potential after following a convoluted Google trail that began with the search term “subtitles” and found me in a back corner of the internet reading a report about the recommendations presented to NAATI. I suspected that there would be a story about government policy, or training programs or something straightforward (and potentially dry) that would get me past my deadline and see me one step closer to my graduation. What I didn’t expect was the story that did reveal itself to me.

My first phone call was with a working interpreter/translator. The purpose of my call was to get a feel for the day-to-day life of someone working in the field. I had pictured many longwinded legal documents and uninspiring government offices. This was the call that made me sit up and take notice. This interviewee spoke with such passion, not only about his job, but also about the industry that he presented to be struggling under various pressures. Every word was underpinned by an unrelenting sense of fighting – a sense that he wanted me to realise how dynamic and unique the work he did was and why it mattered to protect and continue it. Instantly, I was compelled to meet the characters and possibilities that the T/I industry presented.

PROFESSIONAL

They do what exactly?

Tara Blancato offers an outsider’s perspective on the translating and interpreting industry.


Crucial role of translators and interpreters With every person that I spoke to, I increasingly realised the utterly crucial role of translators and interpreters in society. As one of my interviewees stated, community interpreters “give people access to life”. She was right. What struck me was that I was dealing with a group of people and a profession that gives an already potentially marginalised person within society the ability to visit a doctor, or claim financial assistance or, worse, legal representation. That type of work deserves more than a passing thought sparked by a 30 second piece of news footage or a cheesy, Hollywood film. I also discovered the nuanced and specialised skills required to be successful in the profession. Before starting the story, I believed that if you spoke two languages, you would be able to translate or interpret. That seemed logical to me. My interviewees forced me to consider the power of words and language when it comes to creating meaning. An interpreter or translator must not only know the literal words in both languages but have the ability to detect tone, intonation, irony, sarcasm … the list goes on.

Basically, the purpose of this reflection was not to preach about the profession but rather to appreciate it.

Thank youI want to say thank you to an industry that maybe doesn’t hear that enough. While a large part of the population (myself included) may not have come into direct contact with an interpreter or translator in their day-to-day life, with over 200 languages spoken in Sydney alone, you would be hard pressed to find someone who couldn’t name one person that they have encountered that could potentially require these services. So merci, danke, gracias! I feel lucky to have peeked into the T/I world, if just for a second. To view Tara’s video of her interviews, go to the AUSIT home page, www.ausit.org

Tara Blancato completed her combined degrees of bachelor of international studies and bachelor of communications, majoring in journalism in 2015. After studying French for nine years, she spent 2014 studying abroad in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. She currently works in video production and editing at Bauer Media.

What struck me was that I was dealing with a group of people and a profession that gives an already potentially marginalised person within society the ability to visit a doctor, or claim financial assistance or, worse, legal representation.


POSTGRADUATE

An unexpected request

In this article, Courtney recounts the events surrounding the rather unexpected request to translate an Indonesian book, Temanku Teroris?, written by Noor Huda Ismail, her contact with the author and the publisher of her English translation, and her trip to the Frankfurt book

fair where Indonesia was chosen as “guest of honour” country.

When I first met Noor Huda Ismail in mid-June this year, I could never have imagined that I would be translating his book Temanku, Teroris? (‘My Friend, the Terrorist?’) within six weeks for the 2015 Frankfurt book fair. It all started with an Indonesian friend of mine saying “Courtney, my friend’s book has been chosen for the Frankfurt book fair and he wrote on Facebook today that he’s looking for a translator.” So of course, I as a young and upcoming translator jumped at the opportunity and said “I’ll do it!”I have been very fortunate to be able to work closely with Huda and ask him why he wrote this story in a particular way, why he chose particular words and, most important, why he wrote this book. Through his literary journalistic style he provides us with an insight into how easily young men can be swept into the web of terrorism. He also reminds us to be empathetic towards all the victims of terrorism, including the families of the perpetrators and the children who become orphans in either the real or social sense. This memoir highlights the fact that many of us take different paths in life. For some of those with whom Huda went to school, they were intoxicated by and drawn to the idea of waging a holy war in the name of Islam.

Courtney Reid, a Monash University master of interpreting and translation studies student, had the rare opportunity of translating a book during the course of her postgraduate studies, and to see her published translation featured at the Frankfurt book fair in October 2015.

Courtney (left) with Pangestu Ningsih, CEO of Noura Books, which published the English translation of the book.


This memoir focuses on the story of one of Huda’s closest schoolfriends, Fadlullah Hasan, sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the first Bali bombings on 12 October 2002. They went to an Islamic boarding school, Al Mukmin Ngruki, in Solo, Central Java. The founders of this school, Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir, were also the founders of Jama’ah Islamiyah.

Questions that invite thought and debateHuda brings to light an exciting, honest and moving story. However, as the title suggests, there are still questions surrounding Hasan’s story that invite thought and debate. The author dwelt on this question in an expository way. He focused on his close relationship with Hasan during his school days, and how he looked up to Hasan until they were reunited, with Huda working as a journalist for the Washington Post covering the first Bali bombing. By this time, Hasan was locked behind bars. Huda makes it very clear that he does not consider the trajectories of these young people’s lives to have been predetermined. He firmly believes that “no one is born a terrorist”.During the translation process there were instances of implicitness where the meaning would be clear to an Indonesian reader but not to an anglophone reader. An example of this was when Huda was talking about his childhood memories in the village with his friends where they would fish in a local drain; he reminisced: “We dammed up the drain and drained it out with a bucket to find the fish. During that process all of my friends would cry because they knew that their fathers would beat them up.”

I was confused when I translated this section and asked Huda why he was talking about his friends’ fathers beating them up. Huda then clarified this for me and said: “Their fathers would beat them up because they would come home covered in dirt; being dirty is bad in Indonesia as it suggests misfortune and a lack of care on the part of the parents.” Therefore, in the translation, I added “if they came home covered in dirt” to the end of that section.I was also lucky enough to be invited to attend the Frankfurt book fair, where Indonesia was selected as the guest-of-honour country: the fair affords a privileged and prominent position to the literature of that particularly country and to writers writing in the national language(s) of that country. The theme was “17,000 islands of imagination”, with a focus on presenting the diverse cultural and literary landscape of Indonesia. There were events on poetry, short stories, fiction, non-fiction, history, politics, children’s books, comics and cookbooks. There were also traditional musical and dance performances, tea and coffee tastings, spices, photographic exhibitions and films shown at night. As a rule, the fair seeks to facilitate the exhibition of 500 to 1000 titles of translated literature from the guest-of-honour country. The Indonesian pavilion was enchanting, intriguing and inspiring.

With the vast array of Indonesian culture and Indonesian literature in Indonesian and translated into other languages, as well as the presence of prominent Indonesian authors, the fair was an unforgettable experience. It has introduced me to the world of literary translation, and to the processes of working with the author, publisher and marketing staff to see a translated work presented at a major international forum.

In preparation for the 2015 fair and for the role of guest-of-honour country, the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia established the Indonesian Literature in Translation program in 2014 and approved grants of US$1 million for the translation of Indonesian literature into other languages and for its promotion worldwide. Further details can be found at: www.buchmesse.de/en/guestofhonour/about/

Huda makes it very clear that he does not consider the trajectories of these young people’s lives to have been predetermined. He firmly believes that ‘no one is born a terrorist’.

Noor Huda Ismail


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Australian Institute of Interpreters and TranslatorsJoin the evolving global translation and interpreting

industry

Never Stand Still Arts Social Sciences

Dr Mira KimSenior Lecturer - Translation and Interpreting

UNSW Arts Social Sciences | Translation Interpreting Programs

The advanced theoretical framework of your degree will prepare you for professional excellence. You will critically examine contemporary thought that underpins the process of interpreting and translating, and learn to make informed choices and reflect analytically on your own practice as an interpreting and/or translating professional.

Pathways to researchHigh achieving students seeking a future in academic research are encouraged to pursue a Research Stream as a pathway to Higher Degree Research. Our program academics are world renowned researchers, authors and practitioners with global experience across academia and industry, and can guide you in your progression.

State-of-the-art technologyAs an interpreting and translation student, you will have access to the latest technological equipment including training stations, simultaneous interpreting booths, moot courtroom, translation memories, machine translation, audiovisual translation and corpus linguistics software.

Practicum and internshipsA range of exciting internship opportunities are available for our students, allowing students to gain work experience in organisations such as Hermès, L’Oréal , Australiasian Association of Language Companies, ChinaLink and a range of conference interpreting placements in international organisations such as Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

In demand graduatesOur graduates work in a variety of domestic and international areas including education and academia, tourism, business and economics, media and journalism, marketing, publishing, science and technology, health, law, and international relations.

UNSW is a national leader in the education of translation and interpreting professionals. Accredited by NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), we understand the needs of this evolving global industry.

We offer three translation and interpreting degrees that have been shaped by the needs of the individual and the profession:

Master of Translation Master of Interpreting Master of Translation & Interpreting (Professional Stream

and Research Stream)

Courses in all interpreting and translation programs are offered in English, with streams in the following languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Indonesian.

Our programs are NAATI approved in the following modes and levels:

- Professional Translator- Professional and Paraprofessional Interpreter- Conference Interpreter

Leading Academics Our programs are taught by NAATI accredited practitioners, experienced interpreters and translators, and leading researchers in the field, with recognised strengths in conference, legal and court interpreting, and translation pedagogy and advanced technology.

Professional practice strengthened by advanced theoryContinuous high-quality practical experience in authentic settings is embedded in our postgraduate degrees.

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Translation Interpreting Programs

Commonwealth Supported Places now available

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Translation Interpreting Programsfiles.ausit.org/intouch/2015_12.pdfinterpreting, and translation pedagogy and advanced technology. Professional practice strengthened by advanced theory