ANDREI SHMATKOV | ENGLISH TO RUSSIAN TRANSLATIONS

Translators: tips and prompts

or some useful facts on how to find and work with interpreters/translators

Interpreters are in great demand in the current global climate. With people from all over the world participating in business meetings, conferences and events, overcoming the language barrier naturally becomes the key to ensuring all attendees contribute and benefit from such occasions. The interpreter is an integral cog in the wheel of cross cultural communication. Knowing how to hire and work with an interpreter is a must for international business personnel.

Hiring an interpreter is the easy part. Most agencies that provide interpreters will only work with qualified and experienced interpreters. In addition, they will ensure an interpreter is familiar with the subject matter, i.e. an interpreter specializing in medicine will not be used in an agricultural conference.

Working with an interpreter offers challenges. Interpreters on the whole have a stressful job. Unlike translators they do not have the luxury of breaks and time to think. Interpreters have to perform 'live' and in front of an audience. In order to ensure you get the best out of an interpreter, good communication is necessary.

By way of offering some tips on working with interpreters the following guidelines may be of some use:

Establish and agree ground rules with an interpreter. For example, try and communicate how you want a meeting run, the number of sentences to be translated at a time, the confirmation of jargon or idioms before they are translated, when breaks will be taken and seemingly trivial matters like seating arrangements.
Try and brief an interpreter prior to any face to face meetings. Familiarize them with the whos, whats and whys. If there is any specific terminology to be used ask them if they understand it. If you foresee any tricky issues or tense topics, prepare them for it.
If you plan to give a speech or read from a script, give the interpreter a copy. The more familiar they are with the subject matter, the better a job they will do.
While speaking through an interpreter always engage with your counterpart directly. Even though you cannot understand what is being said, show interest, keep eye contact and remain focused. If you start to converse through an interpreter you lose any chance of building trust, rapport or confidence.
Try and avoid humor. Most interpreters will agree that jokes do not translate well. If you are giving a speech and plan to start it off with a joke, it is advisable to consult the interpreter first to see if they think it will work.
Plan your time carefully. Conversing through an interpreter makes conversations twice as long. For example, if you are making a presentation remember that anything you say will first be translated, so the likelihood is that a one hour presentation will take two. Compensate for this by either cutting down your presentation or speaking in shorter, sharper sentences.
Do not rush. Interpreting is a taxing job and is mentally exhausting. To alleviate the pressure as much as possible, speak slowly and clearly. If you rush the interpreter is more likely to become stressed and the quality of the translation may drop.
Interpersonal communication, by its nature, involves emotion. An interpreter should never translate emotions. If the speaker is annoyed this will be obvious in their body language and tone. Never involve the interpreter at a personal level in any discussions and if you see an interpreter translating your emotions, ask them to stop. The interpreter is there to purely translate what is being said.
Make sure the interpreter is clear that they are never to answer questions on your behalf. Even if the answer is simple, the interpreter should still convey this to you. If an interpreter starts to speak on your behalf, this can have numerous negative consequences such as undermining your position or even losing face.
Ask interpreters not to change or alter what you say even if they think it may cause offense. If you plan to talk about a controversial issue let the interpreter know. Before discussing it with an audience announce that what will be said is not the opinion of the interpreter but your own. This then frees the interpreter of feeling uncomfortable and nervous.

These guidelines should enable you to get the best out of your interpreter and consequently your business meeting, presentation, conference or event.

Using a Translation Service

In a market full of translators, translation agencies and translation directories one is forgiven for feeling confused as to where to go and who to use. Finding a good translation service or translator is a key business decision that should not be taken lightly.

The need for reputable translation agencies and translators to take out professional indemnity insurance is in itself an indication that things can and do go wrong, sometimes with heavy financial consequences.

Financial losses may occur through using a poor translation service or translator in a number of ways. For example, a badly translated business document, such as a contract or proposal, can have a devastating effect if a business decision has been based on faulty information. A brochure or advertising campaign that has not taken into consideration local cultures can lead to a huge dent in an advertising budget with only negative PR as the result; The possibilities for something to go wrong are endless.

A good translation service or translator will be able to provide you with a solid background in translation, a good network of translators to provide proof-reading in addition to the straight forward translation and an understanding of the cultural impact of language and translation.

"Cultural Applicability" or "Linguistic Screening" is a process whereby the translation service will examine your text, brochure or advertisement and ensure that none of the words, images, photos or even brand name translate badly into the target audience.

The following translations are all examples of what happens when a good translation service is not used.

Clairol did not test market in Germany the name of its "Mist-Stick"-- a mist-producing hair curling iron. Mist translates in German as "excrement" and a "manure-stick" did not draw much interest.
A new facial cream with the name "Joni" was proposed to be marketed in India. They changed the name since the word translated in Hindi meant "female genitals."
In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into "Schweppes Toilet Water."
Scandinavian Vacuum manufacturer Electrolux translated the following in an American ad campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."
Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called 'Cue', the name of a notorious porno magazine.
Coors had it's slogan, "Turn it loose," translated into Spanish, where it became "Suffer from diarrhea."

..or when you take the D.I.Y. approach to translation:

In a Belgrade hotel elevator: To move the cabin, push the button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order.
In a Yugoslavian hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.
In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers: Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.
In an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.
In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.
At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

Although comical, the above examples perfectly demonstrate how easy it is for your translation to cause you problems. It is crucial one understands fully what their needs and requirements are when it comes to translating a piece of work.

Ask yourself the following before commissioning any translation service with a piece of work:

What is the nature of the document or text? Why does it need to be translated? Who will use it or read it?
Does it really need translating? Can it be summarized for gist instead?
Can diagrams, pictures or maps be used to replace text which may be too descriptive or complex?
Will it be used abroad or by people from differing cultures? Even if a piece of work is going to be used by American, Australian and British personnel ensure that a Cultural Applicability test is performed.

These basic measures can help avoid translation blunders and ensure your translation service provider understands fully the nature of the piece of work.

Source: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk