Social Networking And Professional Development for Translators/Interpreters

President Obama is doing it. The White House is too. Why not you? Social networking is a cultural phenomenon stretching across the globe. Tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are enabling forms of communication, collaboration, and learning never seen before. One way to use social networks is for your own professional development. They can be a great way to connect with colleagues or to find new people who share your interests.

Using these tools, you can keep in touch with colleagues and establish more professional contacts. Networking can also help you build your online reputation and find a new job or establish business contacts. Also, the internet brings individuals from all around the world together on social networking sites. This means that although you are in the United States, you could establish an online contact with someone in Spain or Russia. Some of the tools that the California Healthcare Intepreting Association (CHIA) is currently using include:

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site with members from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals. Job seekers can review the profile of hiring managers and discover new employment opportunities. CHIA has created a group on LinkedIn as a way of promoting the professional development of our membership. Click here to create a profile and request to join CHIA on LinkedIn.


Facebook has taken hold as undisputable leader amongst social networking sites. CHIA now offers a Facebook group for our members to keep up-to-date with CHIA events and interpreting related news. This is an opportunity to combine your personal and professional interests on one site. Click Here to find CHIA on Facebook!

CHIA is now on YouTube, the leader in online video sharing. CHIA has been accepted into YouTube's non-profit program and has developed a YouTube Channel named InterpretersTube. You can either register or search our videos for free. We offer clips of our annual educational conferences and regional educational seminars. Click here to check out CHIA's InterpretersTube.

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. So get the latest interpreting news by following CHIA on Twitter. Simply join twitter and look up our Twitter profile named CHIAInterpreter and start tweeting. Click here to find CHIA on Twitter

Social networking can offer many benefits, however the Internet can be a dangerous place to post personal information. All of the previously mentioned social networks provide the ability to set profiles to private. Additionally they have the ability to report and block users. So join CHIA and the rest of your colleagues and let’s stay up-to-date on the latest technological innovations.

Check out the latest issue of CHIA Insider!

Take on the Idiom Challenge

Sometimes it is difficult to find the right words to express our thoughts, so we use a set phrase or word that conveys an idea that is unique to native speakers of a particular language and culture. According to Wikipedia, “an idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use.”1 Idioms often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible, so that we can make our point as effectively as possible. For example, “in a nutshell” suggests the idea of conveying a lot of information within very few words. (A Spanish equivalent would be en pocas palabras.) Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken language, rather than written.

Idioms pose a particular challenge for translators/interpreters working into their B-languages. For example, if a translator is unfamiliar with the expression “to kick the bucket,” he or she might incorrectly offer a literal target-language rendition. In the English expression “to kick the bucket,” a non-native speaker who is familiar only with the meaning of kick and bucket would be unable to determine the expression’s actual meaning (“to die”). Although the expression can refer literally to the act of striking a bucket with a foot, native speakers rarely use it that way because of its culturally accepted figurative meaning. Ideally, an interpreter/translator should find an idiomatic expression in the target language that equivalently conveys the same message as the source idiomatic expression. For example, if translating this phrase for a primarily Mexican readership, two possible Spanish equivalents of “to kick the bucket” include petatear or estirar la pata.

Using idioms effectively generally requires the translator/interpreter to have some localized foundational knowledge or experience regarding the culture where they are used. Idioms are not so much part of a language as they are a part of a culture. Since idioms are typically used as colloquial metaphors within a particular culture, they are often difficult to decipher outside of that local context. Some idioms can be more universal than others, however, and can be easily translated so that the metaphorical meaning can be more easily determined.

It is especially important to be aware of the context in which a phrase is used. According to Holly Mikkelson, a seemingly simple idiom like “make out” could mean: to decipher (as in “I can’t make out his handwriting”); to pretend (“She is making herself out to be much more important than she really is”); to fare (“How did you make out?”); to prepare (“I am making out my will”); or to fondle (“They were making out in the back seat”). The same English phrase can be interpreted in multiple ways based on the context in which it is used. Context sets the stage for the words we use and we must pay particular attention to it if we intend on finding an idiom that is of true semantic equivalence.

Idioms can be very difficult to translate, yet they are a vital and dynamic part of language and culture. Interpreters/translators should never omit an idiomatic expression when it is used in the source language. Instead, they should be prepared to conduct linguistic and cultural research until they find an appropriate equivalent in the target language. The best way to learn idioms is to select and actively incorporate them into your speech. Select idioms that are useful to you. Write them in a relevant and practical sentence so that you will be able to remember their meaning easily. Every time you encounter a new idiom, enter it in a file, along with other words and idioms that have similar meanings, and have it handy on your computer for easy reference.

For a searchable compilation of idioms, visit The Free Dictionary by Farlex (www.thefreedictionary.com).

Notes
1. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioms)

2. Mikkelson, Holly: The Art of Working with Interpreters: A Manual for Healthcare Professionals (http://www.acebo.com/papers/artintrp.htm)

Related Links and References

Dictionary of British Slang
www.peevish.co.uk/slang/a.htm

Idiom Connection
www.idiomconnection.com

Lexscripta Dictionaries of Slang
www.lexscripta.com/desktop/dictionaries/slang.html

Weibel, Peter. The Big Red Book of Spanish Idioms (McGraw-Hill, 2004)
www.amazon.com

The World of Literary Translation: An Interview with María Teresa Gallego Urrutia

If you think technical translation is difficult, try literary translation! The translation of fictional literature is by far one of the most difficult forms of translation that goes beyond learning technical vocabulary and the contrastive analysis of two languages. Unlike technical translators, most literary translators have an educational background in comparative literature and creative writing. Currently, the Instituto Cervantes is offering a brilliant interview online with María Teresa Gallego Urrutia, an award-winning Spanish-French literary translator. María Teresa Gallego Urrutia has been awarded the 2008 Premio Nacional a la Obra de un Traductor (National Translation Award) by the Ministerio de Cultura (Spanish Ministry of Culture). She has a degree in French from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and has worked as a translator since 1960. She teaches at various universities and is currently the head of the French department at the Instituto Gregorio Marañón de Madrid. In this interview, María Teresa Gallego Urrutia offers us wonderful insight to the world of literary translation and contrasts it with technical translation. She also discusses the inherent creativity that is required to translate literary text and the translation of literary masterpieces that have already been translated.

Click Here To See Interview

About the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is the largest organization in the world concerned with the teaching of Spanish, and it maintains a presence in over twenty different countries throughout 54 centers devoted to the Spanish and Hispanic American culture and Spanish Language. The mission of Instituto Cervantes is to promote the teaching, study, and use of Spanish as a second language and to contribute to the advancement of the Spanish and Hispanic American cultures throughout non-Spanish speaking countries.

Cost In Translation

Cost in translation
Money is no object when it comes to the ‘right to a fair trial’

They say that one of the greatest of all human rights is the right to have a fair trial, and ‘equality before the law’ is seen as one of the key defining characteristics of any democratic country.

But with many countries becoming increasingly multicultural, language barriers can make the communication process that little bit trickier, thereby hindering an individual’s chances of receiving fair and equal treatment.

In 2007, British pop star Amy Winehouse was arrested in Norway on drug-possession charges and, despite the presence of police offers who could speak fluent English, her attorney argued that the lack of a qualified interpreter during the interrogation process meant that she was unable to receive fair counselling.

And in England, Lincolnshire Police recently revealed that they are currently spending more than £300,000 a year on translation services, covering almost fifty different languages.

Of course, this is a vital service that ensures alleged offenders receive fair treatment within the legal system and is now a standard service across most countries’ police forces.

In the UK alone, national police translation costs have increased from £13.5 million to £22 million in the past four years, with some constabularies using an international translation service called ‘Language Line’, which enables police officers to hold three-way conversations with interpreters by telephone; this is particularly useful when specialised real-time interpreting is required at very short notice.

But ultimately, this expenditure not only demonstrates the increasing requirement for translation services within the UK legal system, but also a real commitment from the powers that be to offer equal access to a fair hearing, irrespective of language or culture; it is, after all, a fundamental human right.

Article Contributed By: © Lingo24

Translators and World AIDS Day

As translators, World AIDS Day is an opportunity to be inspired to respect and protect the health and well being of ourselves and those around us through knowledge, action and consideration.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children. The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world.

Besides observing this day as concerned global citizens, as interpreters and translators we should make it a point to familiarize ourselves with the specialized terminology of AIDS and HIV research. Whether you specialize in medical, legal, business, or scientific translation, AIDS affects all facets of our society and all people, regardless of culture and language. This is a global epidemic which requires the attention of all people and as linguistic liaisons we have the responsibility to ensure the dissemination of AIDS research in all languages.
In order to expand our knowledge of HIV/AIDS related terminology, the following are links to relevant multilingual resources:

Treat HIV Globally Multilingual Glossaries
European Multilingual Thesaurus on AIDS and HIV infection
UNAIDS: 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic