The following text appeared in a widely circulated tourist magazine. This text was translated from Spanish into English by a Peruvian with some English speaking ability. This work of a "so-called" translator, was published by a client who believed that he received precisely what he was looking for to communicate his message.

Ind every space we find sympathelic places in every color as Purhuay, Ahuaycha, Pamuri and others, were wits a little art we can fead a delicious popular alcoholic beverage of the style of mother Eterlvina. This Pampas whit his shinning sky annoys blue with love reeived airs with his wide highway to Huancayo, Ayacucho, Cobriza, with his big typie January foty of 576 hours dancing without stop with many dancers in moon's nights, in the best time with the best time teacher a guitar Direct "Chusco" Gamarra, well leave back the Pamp with his farh full of redish and enchantment of their streets, and soy good by of the many and nice fusids, who made durinshortstay remember the swahlows and music nights in Snack Bar "103" where we receive a perfectly attention.

When viewing examples such as this, people tend to react in several ways:

Some are moved to laughter, Others feel that they would never produce such a poor translation, And still others think that this example is the exception rather than the rule.

Unfortunately, this is a typical example of what sometimes passes for translation and it is no laughing matter.

Most people that do not KNOW what translation is all about, produce translations similar to this one. This problem is quite prevalent throughout the world.

Given these facts, let's take a look at some of the things EVERYONE should know about translation.

The life of a translator revolves around theory and practice.

By theory I mean the set of rules and regulations that govern the process known as translating. By practice I mean the protocol that regulates the interaction between client and translator

For the purpose of this presentation, I will discuss the basic concepts relating to theory and practice that everyone should know before he or she attempts to perform work as a translator.

FIRST of all, let us define translation:

Translation is a process by which a text originally produced in one written language is rendered into a second written language. The original language is generally referred to as the "source" language and the second language is generally referred to as the "target" language.

This is an important point: Every would-be translator should know that translation involves a written process, as opposed to the interpretation process, which is the oral transfer of spoken words from the source language into the target language.

Furthermore, a translation can only be called a translation when the completed TRANSLATED TARGET-LANGUAGE TEXT:

* Creates the same information * Creates the same feelings, * Creates the same impressions, and * Creates the same atmosphere,

in the new reader, as was experienced by the reader of the original source language text. Anything short of this cannot be called a translation.

SECOND, every translation process presupposes an interaction between meaning and form. A translator must transfer the MEANING contained in the source language (i.e., the information and/or message contained in the source text) into the target language, and he must do it accurately. What most people fail to understand is that to have a good translation, the information must be rendered in the FORM of the target language using the xyntactic patterns typical of current usage of that language. The source language text provides the information; the translator must provide the appropriate form to make that information available to his target language audience.

If he fails to do that, if he allows the form of the source language text to show up in the target language text-(except in the rare instance where the source language and target language have similar forms)--then he has created what Alan Duff calls, ä third language;" that is, a text that could be as far off the mark as the examples viewed earlier in this presentation.

THIRD, if form is so important in a translation, then it stands to reason that a translator can perform better when translating into his native language.

This is the language FORM with which he or she is most familiar; This is the language he has grown up with.

The radical examples used at the beginning of this presentation illustrate what happens when a translator attempts to translate into a language other than his native language.

This brings us to point number FOUR: every would-be translator should know about his or her own limitations. Contrary to what many people believe, there is more to translating than acquiring the language skills developed in a foreign language program. To be a competent translator, one must be an expert in his own native language and have an almost equal command of the foreign language.

Being able to function in a foreign language is not the same as being able to produce a translation that is correct in both meaning and form. And yet, it is not preposterous to state that most everyone who has taken a foreign language course at one time or another felt that he or she could translate not only from the foreign language into his or her native tongue, but the other way around.

FIFTH, every would-be translator should know that there are four basic steps to the translation process:

1. Text analysis, 2. Documentation, 3. Translation, and 4. Revision.

Let us examine each component of the translation process: By text analysis we mean the process by which the would-be translator reads the entire text BEFORE attempting to translate it, with the purpose of obtaining information regarding; meaning, form, lexical peculiarities, tone of the text, and purpose of the text. This first analysis should also provide information concerning its intended target audience. To translate without doing an extensive text analysis is foolish in most cases.

Once the text has been analyzed, the translator does not begin his translation but rather goes about collecting all the materials necessary to resolve the problems he may have discovered in the text. This step is called documentation, or the gathering of all the tools (glossaries, dictionaries, other similar texts already translated, experienced collegues, grammar books, illustrated dictionaries, etc.) from which the translator attempts to develop a terminology file to use with that text. Now days, these files are most efficiently produced with the aid of the computer using a terminology manager program such as Lexiterm, among others.

The first two steps of every translation project--text analysis and documentation--require a great deal of time and effort and many would-be translators are not aware of how important it is to spend that time in preparation for a translation.

The third step is the actual translation process. (In this day and age, I hope no one handwrites a translation--except, perhaps, during an ATA accreditation exam.) Experienced translators use a word processor with a built-in terminology file. This terminology file is produced during the documentation stage of the project. If you do not have a terminology file, it may be purchased from the appropriate source if it is commercially available, or may be provided by the client himself if one has already been developed.

The translation thus produced, however, is rarely the finished product. It will go through many more drafts until the meaning and form merge into one cohesive discourse that no longer resembles the original text from which it came.

The fourth step is called revision. Every would-be translator should know that this is a vital part of every tranlation process, and that there is a system to it. First, no final revision should be undertaken immediately after completing the translation. The ideal situation calls for a 2-week interval between the completion of the translation and the revision process, if the revisor is going to be the translator himself. It is my experience that by the end of the two week period, the translator can read his work and spot "third language" problems more readily than if the source text were still fresh in his mind. Once he has checked the form, he can proceed to check the meaning. The real revisor, however, should be someone who has not read the source text and whose native language is the language of the translation.

This brings us to another point: Is there more than one good translation for a given text? The answer is YES. If a translation is an interaction between meaning and form, different translators may choose different forms to convey the same meaning.

From all of this we may derive that what a would-be translator should know about the theoretical aspect of translation is that there is more to it than language knowledge, and that a good dictionary alone does not make a good translator.

Let us say, however, that the would-be translator has learned the theory and is ready to go to work. What should he know about the practice of translation?

First, he must decide whether he wants to "free-lance" or "work in-house." Free-lancers have the option to work for themselves, or for an agency on a part time basis. In-house translators may work in the translation department of a company or at a translation agency. Regardless of where he works, however, he must be aware that translators need to specialize, and that no one should attempt to translate anything and everything for the sake of making some money.

Just because one has skills in the Humanities and can write well in his native language does not automatically mean that the same person can write well (translate well) in the fields of medicine, engineering, law, or business. Translation within these specialties require not only good language skills in the native language but also exceptional knowledge and/or experience within the specialized discipline(s).

Second, more and more clients are aware that there is more to translation than language skills, and therefore they may request official proof that the translator is competent. One such item may be a degree in translation from a reputable institution specializing in the training of translators and interpreters. Another is national accreditation granted by a professional organization. In the United States, the only organization granting accreditation is the American Translators Association.

Third, a would-be translator should have a good understanding of translator/client relations (interpersonal relations commonly known as bedside manners). It is not unusual for the translator to go through a process of educating the client concerning what a translator does, why he needs to hire a professional translator, and what services he is paying for.

In view of that, a would-be translator needs to be up to date on the latest developments of his profession, and be ever vigilant against unscrupulous practices. Matters such as contracts, retainer fees, hidden costs, pre-payment, deadlines, and the likes should be clearly understood and presented to the client in a professional bid (A class or two in basic business management is highly recommended). Furthermore, the translator should know how to make his translations available in camera ready form, and/or send his completed text to his customer via computer modem or FAX. He should also know how to make provisions to retain control over any changes that may be made in his text by well intending clients and/or his employees. The work you do is your reputation. I personally have had several of my translations ("changed" by well meaning secretaries that spent a few months in a Spanish speaking country. These well meant "helpful" changes reduced my work to the caliber of those examples which we have already reviewed. INSIST that if you are to do the work that you will also be responsible for any changes made to your text by änyone." It is your reputation that you are insuring, do not be afraid to take the necessary steps to insure it.

If the translator is working in-house, whether for an agency or a company, his job may be determined by the rules of the house. In that case, it will be in his best interest to ask for a set of rules--in writing--that must be followed while working for the firm. For example, some agencies hire translators as free-lancers, but they do not allow them to work for other clients who are not under their control.

Lastly, we should all remember that there is always someone willing to work for less money, and that sadly enough, a large percentage of clients will be attracted by the cheapest bids rather than by competency. In such cases, however, it is not unusual to find that a client lost to a cheaper bid eventually returns to you, on bent knees, asking you, the professional translator, to straighten out the mess. You see, someone who has knowledge of the target language has warned him that, in his opinion, the translation is, "just not quite right."

Ï have personally experienced this chain of events with several of my, NOW, best clients. These clients returned to me knowing that I charge double for my services when I am required to correct the "would-be translator's work" and re-do the translation correctly. These clients have learned the hard way that the least expensive way to get a job done, is to hire the most competent professional translator available.

It is at times such as these that one finds out that there will always be work for the PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR.

___________________
Marian B. Labrum is an Assistant Professor of Spanish and Translation, and the Director of the Spanish Translator Training Program at Brigham Young University. She is a member of the Translation Studies Committee and the Honors and Awards Committee of the American Translators Association. She is also an accredited professional translator and interpreter. Professor Labrum has recently been appointed Director of Spanish Language Instruction at Brigham Young University. She also teaches in the Spanish Language School-Summer Program, at Middlebury College, and holds a Doctoral Degree in Modern Languages.