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News, links and tips
Welcome to our news and tips page. Please call back regularly to check for the latest translation news updates and announcements.
Critical Link Conference 11-15 April 2007:
Critical Link, the fifth since 1995, was held for the first time in the southern hemisphere from 11 to 15 April 2007 in Parramatta, Sydney, Australia, with Parramatta situated in the heart of multicultural Sydney. The theme for the Congress was “Quality in interpreting: a shared responsibility”.
Workshops:
Anyone with an interest in translating and interpreting is invited to attend workshops offered by the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT). For details please visit the training section of the AUSIT website.
German Translation Online is also able to arrange individually tailored translation and intercultural communication presentations, workshops and training programs to fulfil your specific business or personal needs (or a standard '0815' version if preferred). Please call Michael Grunwald to discuss the various options - including personalised translator training.
German-Australian links:
for German-Australian business inquiries, visit the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce website at www.germany.org.au
for Swiss-Australian business inquiries visit the website www.sacci.com.au
for Austrian-Australian business inquiries visit the website www.austriantrade.org
for German cultural activities in Australia visit the website of the Goethe Institute at www.goethe.de/australien
for cross-cultural assistance/training/preparation, especially when relocating staff between Germany and Australia, visit RADIUS Communication and Intercultural Cooperation at http://www.radius-team.com/english/home.
to read an insightful article in English on the results of a survey into the work and income of German language freelance interpreters, visit the ADÜ Nord webpage.
Translation tips:
"erfolgen":
--> is often used in German in combination with a nominalised action (e.g. 'die Datenübertragung erfolgt durch ... XYZ'); in most cases it is best to simply verbalise the German noun in English (e.g. '(the) XYZ transmits the data' or 'the data is transmitted by the XYZ').
"damit":
--> is often used in German to indicate the consequence of an action or state described in the first part of the sentence - or even in the previous sentence (e.g. Die Steuer trägt nur noch 35 Prozent und ist damit eine der niedrigsten Körperschaftssteuern der Welt.). In many cases this function can be rendered in English using the construction "... , making it/them ....".
re "be"
--> Linguist John D. Gallagher has established that the German language consistently employs around 40 (!) different words/constructions corresponding to various forms of the English verb "be", e.g. "Die Schwierigkeit besteht darin, dass ..." --> "The problem is that ...". This imbalance often leads to German translations of English texts that sound awkward as the translator has simply translated the English "be" form into "sein", "ïst", "sind" etc.
Being a freelance translator:
Invited to speak as a panelist at the March 2006 AUSIT NSW Professional Development workshop entitled "Attracting non-government clients", GTO Manager Michael Grunwald focused on the need for translators to demonstrate commitment to the provision of professional services (subject to being a good translator in the first place). As a freelance translator you must be committed to:
'taking the plunge' (and try various micro and macro business strategies)
taking well-researched business / personal risks
making a financial investment - for advertising, memberships, subscriptions, equipment
analysing your market / competitors
looking 'serious' to potential clients - website, formal quotes, business stamps etc.
responding (flexibly) to inquiries ASAP
communicating with customers - e.g. re customer needs (whole document, deadline, meaning, original document etc.)
communicating with 'competitors' (who may well become allies --> see Plan B below)
never making assumptions - don't be scared to ask questions and clarify - builds rapport - form of market analysis
always allowing for a 'Plan B' (plan ahead, have strategic translating contacts) - e.g. for contingencies such as power failure, cancer diagnosis in family
constantly reflect on and improve communication skills
keep learning + monitoring/upgrading your skills - esp. non-translating skills (e.g. PC, business promotion) - only way to win/retain clients in long run
maintaining longterm focus on 'business and self-improvement'
'recycling' / developing business 'memory' (e.g. templates, glossaries, terminology databases)
working very long hours at times
meeting all deadlines (or liaise alternative options)
'going the extra mile' (e.g. do research on non-translation aspects for clients, occasional freebie for established clients) but ...
charging realistic prices (i.e. at least as much as your local mechanic!) based on a comprehensive analysis of business and opportunity costs
maintaining health and sanity (OH&S) - incl. office/file management, recreation plan, separating work/private in HO and maintaining balance
If you are planning to 'get serious' about translating as a career or wish to take your current activities to the next level, feel free to call Michael (see Contact page for details) to arrange a meeting to help you achieve business success in Australia's unique translating and interpreting market.
German sentences beginning with a preposition
--> e.g. "Aus solchen wirtschaftlichen Überlegungen können gesellschaftliche Konflikte entstehen". Due to the flexibility of German word order (and a subsequent 'love' of passive constructions), a surprising number of German sentences begin with a prepositional clause. One translation solution is often to simply jettison the preposition, begin the English sentence with the 'remaining' noun, and form an active construction, e.g. "Such economic considerations can generate social conflicts."
More prepositions
--> Where German often uses a prepositional phrase, English may employ a participle, a gerund, an infinitive or even a subordinate clause. Here are some examples taken from Wolf Friedrich (1969):
G: Er ging zu der Ausstellung in Begleiting seiner Frau.
E: He went to the exhibition accompanied by his wife.
G: Du fängst am besten mit der Lektüre dieses Artikels an.
E: You had better begin by reading this article.
G: Sie schauderte beim Gedanken daran.
E: She shuddered to think of it.
G: Bei hohem Fieber kann dieses Mittel nicht verabreicht werden.
E: This medicine cannot be administered if the patient has a high temperature.
The translation involves recognising the untenability of maintaining the grammatical form and then in the first three cases, searching for a corresponding verbal construction.
"with + participle"
--> is a very common construction in English to express contemporaneous events, for instance:
With the army reeling from the blow, General Patton issued an order of the day.
The Arab proposal was rejected, with the US among those countries voting against it.
There has been a large increase in public spending, with several million dollers devoted to numerous projects.
Good translators will choose appropriate functional equivalents in German, such as:
wobei / wenn / jetzt / heutzutage / wo / damals als / da / und / während / a relative clause
"involve / involving"
--> The use of this word often provides problems for translators in both directions as the translation solution involves so much more than just looking up the word in dictionaries, where translations provided include: verwickeln, beteiligen, enthalten, erfordern, ins Spiel bringen etc.
Examples:
The monitoring process now involves setting up quarterly targets in such areas as the public sector deficit ...
The plan would be unwelcome if it involved a transfer of risk from private to public sector.
In many cases a good German translation can employ a construction with either "Dabei geht es um ...."or "Bei ..... geht es um ...". Accordingly, the reverse applies for German>English translations.
News updates:
Working as a translator/interpreter from home
Featured Article from The ATA Chronicle (January 2006)
This is an outline of all the things to be considered when running a business from home by M. Eta Trabing. To read the article go to the ATA webpage: http://www.atanet.org/chronicle/feature_article_january2006.php
Cross linguistic barriers
A passion for languages can help you become a professional interpreter and translator, writes Paul Norris in today's multicultural society there are many situations when doctors, judges, lawyers, teachers and business professionals can find themselves...
Source: The Weekend Australian, 29-04-2006, Ed: 5 - Travel, Pg: 009, 1236 words , REVIEW
This article can be purchased from The Australian online at http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/index/0,,5003763,00.html
A perfect German translation?
Is there such a thing?
The 'About: German Language' portal examines the current state of machine translation at: http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa042400a.htm
and includes links to other articles on translating German.
Found in translation
By David Adams February 1, 2006
Copyright © 2006. The Sydney Morning Herald.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/employment/found-in-translation/2006/01/31/1138590501532.html
[...] According to the 2001 census, more than 3000 Australians are employed as interpreters or translators, with more than 800 in Victoria. [...] A professional-level translator typically earns between $25 and $45 per 100 words, with a normal work flow of 150-200 words per hour. Jobs can range from big tasks such as translating a technical manual, to something small such as a driver licence, and the internet has opened new possibilities with work now available via international translating agencies. [...]
Speaking in tongues
Drawing on his experiences with translators, Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee identifies some of the practical difficulties involved in the craft of translation at:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17924843%5E5001986,00.html
NB: Please note that these are the views of J.M.Coetzee and do not necessarily reflect the views of German Translation Online (Webmaster)
Translator Compensation Cases Could Rock Market for German Licenses
Source: Hannes Hintermaier, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), January 11th 2006
Agents, authors and publishers should brace themselves for complex legal developments in the world's largest market for books translated from English that could both reduce proceeds and restrict demand in the future. [...]
To read a copy of article go to: http://www.statsaut-translator.no/website.aspx?displayid=1752
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