FOR A KEY PART OF OPTIMAL TRANSLATION WORK IS REACHING OUT

In previous blogs I’ve gone on at length about how examination of the very way you think / introspection helps if you’re serious about being a good translator (which is what I do for a living, of course). And why not? Especially when one could, in my opinion, quite easily argue that we’re limited by what we don’t know – and at least as much by what we mistakenly think we do?

The thing is, ignorance and complacency can prove costly, and not just to the culprits. You see, however intelligent you may be in the “in a bubble” sense, it also pays to be properly acquainted with the world around you if you are serious about convincing people that you are a “good” translator. What is the real purpose of an education, anyway? Now, lots of people speak multiple languages these days, including the multitudes who speak more than me. Good for them, but if we all spoke the same language, that would never have been a possibility. Then again, it is said that “He who knows no foreign language, knows nothing of his own”. For a key part of optimal translation work is reaching out.

I imagine that a lot of people who claim to be fond of foreign languages simply because they like the idea of being able to talk in a different language – as I once was, come to think of it – would be amused by literal translations (the more nonsensical the better, in my case) like what follows here:

French: “Monsieur, vous êtes droit, et si les français pensent que nous allons donner en ils ont une autre pense venant. Votre sincèrement, …”
English original imagined by me: “Sir, you are right, and if the French think that we are going to give them any they have got another thing coming. Yours sincerely, …”

English: “Misters, I refer myself at your French letters and if you think that the French tongue is less important that the English, your put the finger in the eye up to the elbow! Agree, Misters, the expression of my feelings the most distinguished.”
French original imagined by me: “Messieurs, Je me réfère à vos lettres françaises et si vous pensez que la langue française est moins importante que l’anglaise, allez mettre le doigt en l’œil jusqu’au coude ! Agréez, messieurs, l’expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués.”

…But so what?

You know, throughout history people have risked dying for things, and maybe some have knowingly also risked becoming insane for something while wondering if there are some things that people can only understand while borderline insane or after they have had a touch of insanity. But if you are one of these people, what do you hope achieve by letting your emotions speak for you – even if they are one of the very things that make us human? To be too comfortable doing translation means to run the risk of writing translation text in the new language which is against your better judgement – even if you could “justify” it.

I am indeed a self-employed translator. And that’s all very well. And those who know this may wonder how I stand (or would stand) in the professional translation community (if one actually exists); certainly if they feel for the saying “it’s lonely at the top”. When I took the plunge and actually became a self-employed translator – something I should have done several months before I actually did do it, but that’s another subject – I never really intended to become or end up a part of any such community. But if I did, what of it? What would I be most known for, whatever my reputation? And how likely would it be that the truth of it could end up distorted over time? And would I be typecast in any way over time for my ideas and attitudes?

I’m going to mention that I am the person who invented the terms vorning and COTHED / COTHEA (Confirmation of the Definite / Abstract) when it comes to the field of translation. This is what “vorning” means: when someone advertises a translation project, people respond to it, and the person who advertises it then has those who express an interest in it “do a sample”, or rather, gives all the people who express an interest in doing the project a different part of it so as to trick them into doing the whole thing for free while they may never find out; I call that “vorning”. Meanwhile, I would define COTHED and COTHEA like this: when you write something COTHED, the content of the point in question is already demonstrated and that’s what you point out, while COTHEA is explaining something intangible, like pointing out a concept, with no example given. I think writing COTHEA stuff is harder for people with but simplistic and functional writing skills in any given language. In a job interview, inexperienced people are, in my experience, more confident about proving their COTHED claims than their COTHEA claims. A good example of a COTHEA claim in this regard might be good conversation skills, where they may be a strict requirement but the interviewer is unlikely to be especially sure of what a candidate will do or say to prove them if they really have got them. Basically, it’s anyone’s guess, rather than an underlying readiness to compare whatever’s coming with anything that’s essentially, in some sense, pre-defined or typical. Consider when you’re writing COTHED content in translation work and when what you’re writing is COTHEA content.

I’m not going to go out of my way to focus on the history that led to their invention just for this – sorry if I’ve disappointed anyone – but I swear that I thought of both of these. Was it worth it? I will make this point in support of the idea that it was: aiming to make sense of what you’re reading is not strictly speaking the same as looking for the truth in it. A case in point: in this video labelled “the world’s worst rap video”

what’s the guy talking about when he says “don’t try to understand me, girl” (3:03)? By all means try to find some reasoning why in the lyrics (much as I believe that this would be in vain and a waste of time).

So what’s my point? Well, as far as I see it, I believe that an interest in observational and social psychology, as well as cognitive psychology, can play a role in learning how to translate effectively and confidently. I recently saw Inside Out and found it an interesting possible starting point for looking at human psychology and how it inevitably impacts our lives and those of others (at least, we all know how fond children are of Disney films, aren’t we?). I like that film.

Speaking of psychology in translation – for my work as a professional translator this time – when you’re self-employed, especially if you “want more”, there’s a very good chance that you will soon end up afraid to be dismissive of anything, and quite possibly attribute a stigma to dismissive attitudes (the particulars will depend from person to person, of course). And with the long hours I work doing this job, I already feel that I have a love-hate relationship with it. Still, I would say that I am very articulate when I write, and ALWAYS mindful of writing intelligent translations which work while being on my guard against leaving anything to chance which I can’t and don’t expect anyone to point out for me. And this surely shows in the times when I just can’t help writing something in the translation language which, while correct and in perfect grammar and all, I feel in my heart sounds odd to read, and it leaves me afraid that the project manager who gave me the project, during proofreading of it, would suspect that I had had a machine translator do the work for me when this simply wasn’t the case. Here’s a couple of examples from a recent project which I just had to take note of at the time:

German original: “Da vorliegend nicht nur 15% p.a. vereinbart sind als Zinssatz – bereits diese würde daher zu einem auffälligen Missverhältnis führen – sondern zusätzlich 5%, die dazu rechnen sind, in das auffällige Missverhältnis, kann gar nicht strittig sein, dass ein Verstoß gegen § 138 BGB.”

English translation: “Given that, at the moment, the conspicuous disproportion recognizes an agreed interest rate of not only 15% p.a. – for this alone would result in a conspicuous disproportion – but also an additional 5% which must be taken into consideration, it cannot be disputed that a violation against § 138 BGB has taken place”.

German original: “Das sollte ursprünglich auch im Sinne der aeris verhindert warden, da dies die amerikanischen Finanzbehörden auf den Plan rufen kann.”

English translation: “Allegedly, this was, originally, also prevented by aeris, for aeris can involve the American financial authorities in the matter.”

Indeed, if you agree that an interest in psychology can play a role in learning how to translate effectively and confidently, I would say that it’s not wise to focus only on what might be termed responsive psychology. For example, cultural elements are meant to be understood in writing, really; especially if the language of the writing is the language that any given cultural elements were originally expressed in! And the fear of them ending up lost when they are to be expressed in another language might induce xenophobia, or is that just me? But, getting back to the topic at hand, depending on the circumstances I have to deal with in any given translation work, is it really a question of the questions I should be answering, or a question of the questions I should be asking? Anyone can write a sentence and later include an add-on which specifies / reveals more information about a given situation, which may be something as simple as an adjective or an adverb or a whole subordinate clause – but you see, in translation work, some of the most important information that should be recognised lies in these add-on bits (like modal particles in German). And while I believe that text proofreading exercises involves the exercise and development of key skills for improving one’s translation abilities, but that’s far from the sole most “important thing” as far as that is concerned. And I have a habit of proofreading my own work (as opposed to others’ work) anyway, so…

Good translations are efficient as well as correct, right? Given that I’m reluctant to leave clients guessing after I’ve done a translation job for them, maybe that’s where I learned to consider how likely it is that someone wants someone else to understand something without stating it directly; and it probably does overlap with the subconscious to a certain extent (talking of which, Joy and Bing Bong explore the girl’s subconscious in Inside Out, that film I mentioned earlier).

What is the most important thing you would say – not pending any conditions? How about me, you probably wonder. That’s a good question. But things are different when you’re reckoning with the confines and challenges of translation work (especially if it’s professional, most likely). Even so, is it unreasonable to fight for more choice with regard to what you write when you’re doing a translation of something? I do hope not! But, as self-confident as I am about what I do, I’m not interested in regaling other people with what I am able to write in translation “all by myself”… for a key part of optimal translation is reaching out.