How time flies! June is already here.
#translatorsgonnatranslate
#keepgoing
#perlediunatraduttrice
June is already here.
Tag: work
[Repost] Clearing up the Top 10 Myths About Translation (by Nataly Kelly)
Clearing up the Top 10 Myths About Translation
Posted: 06/13/2012 11:06 am
1. Translation is a small, niche market. The global market for outsourced language services is worth more than US$33 billion in 2012. The largest segment of the market is written translation, followed by on-site interpreting and software localization. The vast majority of these translation services are provided by small agencies — there are more than 26,000 of them throughout the world. These companies coordinate translation projects in multiple languages simultaneously, often involving many different file types, processes, and technology tools. The words themselves are translated and interpreted by the hundreds of thousands of language professionals scattered all across the globe. Many translators and interpreters also have direct clients, but most are freelancers whose work comes from agencies.
2. The need for translation is fading away. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsestimates that there will be 83,000 jobs for interpreters and translators by 2020 in the United States alone. This job market is expected to grow by 42 percent from 2010 to 2020, significantly higher than the average of 14 percent for all professions. Data from Common Sense Advisory shows that globally, the market has a compound annual growth rate of 12.17 percent.
3. Most translators translate books; most interpreters work at the United Nations. Literary translation and conference interpreting are two of the most visible specializations, but they actually represent very tiny segments of the market at large. Who are the biggest translation spenders? Military and defense agencies spend the most on translation, with the United States routinely spending billions on language services for defense and intelligence initiatives. On the commercial side, some of the largest segments of the translation market are manufacturing, software, health care, legal, and financial services. As a result, freelancers often work in these specialty areas — as financial translators, medical interpreters, legal translators, and court interpreters.
4. Any bilingual can be a translator or an interpreter. The ability to write in English does not make a person a professional writer. The ability to speak English does not make a person a professional speaker. Likewise, the ability to write or speak two languages does not mean that a person can translate or interpret. Plenty of people who are perfectly fluent in two languages fail professional exams for translation and interpreting. Why? Being bilingual does not guarantee that a person will be able to transport meaning from one language and culture to another without inflicting harm in the process. Most translators and interpreters are highly educated, with advanced degrees and training in either translation, linguistics, or a specialty field. Also, while not mandatory, professional certifications are widely recognized and strongly encouraged. In the U.S., translators are certified by the American Translators Association, and a variety of certifications exist for interpreters.
5. Interpreters and translators do the same thing. The all-encompassing term that the general public uses to refer to language professionals is “translators,” but the reality is that translators and interpreters have very different job skills. Translation refers to written language, while interpreting refers to spoken language. Translators must have great writing skills and training in translation, but they must also be adept at using computer-assisted translation tools and terminology databases. Interpreters, on the other hand, have to develop their short-term memory retention and note-taking skills as well as memorizing specialized terminology for instant recall.
6. Translators and interpreters work in more than two languages. One of the most common questions translators and interpreters are asked is, “How many languages do you speak?” In reality, many translators work in only one direction — from one language into another, but not in the reverse. For translators and interpreters, it is better to have in-depth knowledge of just two languages than to have surface-level knowledge of several. Why? Of approximately one million words in English, the average person uses only 4,000 to 5,000 words on a regular basis. People who are “educated” know between 8,000 and 10,000 words. The professions with the widest vocabulary, such as doctors and lawyers, use about 23,000 words. Interpreters and translators who work for these specialized professions often use this kind of advanced technical vocabulary in two languages. Some translators and interpreters do work in more than one language combination — for example, conference interpreters often have several “passive” languages that they can understand. However, translators and interpreters are not usually hyperpolyglots.
7. Translation only matters to “language people.” The need for translation crosses both the public and private sectors. In the business world, executives at companies of all sizes are beginning to recognize that translation is a pathway to enabling more revenue and entering new markets. A recent study found that Fortune 500 companies that augmented their translation budget were 1.5 times more likely than their Fortune 500 peers to report an increase in total revenue. Also, government bodies are increasingly taking an interest in translation. Indeed, even those involved in development and non-profit work need to pay attention to translation. A report on translation in Africa conducted for Translators without Borders in May 2012 showed that greater access to translated information would improve political inclusion, health care, human rights, and even save lives of citizens of African countries.
8. Crowdsourcing puts professional translators out of work. As online communities have become more popular, so has something called “crowdsourced translation.” This phenomenon typically emerges when online community members get excited about a product and want to use it in their native languages. Sometimes, these customers and fans even begin creating their own translations and posting them in user forums. Instead of leaving their customers to pontificate on the best translations amongst themselves, smart companies are giving these communities the ability to easily suggest their translations. Are companies harnessing the work of these volunteers to obtain free labor? Actually, as the research shows, saving money is not a primary motivation — setting up these kinds of platforms can cost companies more time and money than just paying for traditional human translation. They typically pay human translators and translation companies to edit the group-translated content anyway, but they believe the collective approach gives power directly to customers and users, enabling them to have a say in which translations they like best.
9. Machine translation is crushing the demand for human translation. The opposite is true. Machine translation is actually expanding the demand for human translation and fueling the market at large. How? Machine translation — especially the free online kind — serves as an awareness campaign, putting translation squarely in front of the average person. Translating large volumes of information is never free — it comes at a cost, even with machine translation. Machine translation technology and related services make up a tiny percentage of the total translation market. Of course, machine translation can achieve some feats that humans cannot, such as quickly scanning large bodies of text and provide summaries of the information contained within them. However, as with most technologies, humans are needed to use machine translation intelligently. As Ray Kurzweil points out, technologies typically don’t replace whole fields — rather, they more often help fields to evolve.
10. All translation will someday be free. The translation and interpreting industry adds tens of thousands of new jobs to the global economy each year and there is no slowdown in sight. Translators and interpreters are extremely important members of this industry — in fact, they are the very heart of it. However, much like other professional service industries, the translation industry also relies on countless other professionals: project managers, account managers, vendor managers, production managers, schedulers, trainers, quality assurance teams, proofreaders, desktop publishing professionals, engineers, product managers, salespeople, marketers, technicians, and even people who work in procurement, human resources, billing, and IT. Research from Common Sense Advisory shows thatdemand for translation is outpacing supply — so if anything, human translators are becoming even more important. However, they are part of a much larger ecosystem, one that keeps global business churning and international communication flowing.
Follow Nataly Kelly on Twitter: www.twitter.com/natalykelly
[Repost] The 12 Types of Procrastinators (by Neha Prakash – pic by Angela Liao)
Original post by Neha Prakash on mashable.com
Greetings, fellow procrastinators. You’ve clearly stumbled across this comic because you’re avoiding something — unless you are perhaps a comics analyst. In that case, good job staying on track.
Procrastination is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone does it, but we each have a unique way of pushing off work to maximize time wasted.
In this comic, Angela Liao of 20px identifies the 12 types of procrastinators, including list-makers, nappers and snackers.
Which type of procrastinator are you?
Comic illustration by Angela Liao, 20px. Published with permission; all rights reserved.
[Repost] The Backstabbing Translator (by Konstantinos Stardelis)
Previously shared on twitter by Valentina Ambrogio (Rockstar Translations)
The Backstabbing Translator
Dream a Little Dream of Me (as a fish)
I recently had a dream that really freaked me out.
I was a fish, swimming in a stream running through a cavern. It was dark and the water felt strange to me. I couldn’t quite place it, but I didn’t feel comfortable being there. I knew that I entered the stream to get someplace, but I remember having a feeling of being stuck in it for a long time; longer than what I had believed when I got there.
Looking around me, I saw countless other fish squirming about, their movements screaming a lack of direction and purpose, their eyes filled with confusion and hostility. I could make out some of them sharing colours and patterns in their appearance, as if within the thousands that surrounded me, there were groups that belonged to the same kind. They were certainly not together, however, as each fish snapped at whichever one got close to it.
After hours and hours of swimming in the seemingly endless, dark stream, we reached an opening where we could move more freely; and up ahead, I could see a single point of light shining through the water. I instantly knew that it was the way out, but, apparently, so did the rest of them. We all swarmed to the exit, seconds away from escaping the illusory freedom of the never-resting body of water. Just as I reached the threshold and saw a wondrous, vast ocean stretching across the opening, promising a wonderful, joyous life without worries, I felt something pushing me aside and hundreds of tiny little teeth having a go at my scaly flesh.
Instead of working together to escape the stream, the fish began attacking and pushing each other out of the way, trying to get out first. The opening was not going anywhere and we certainly could all get through, if everyone remained calm and realized that there were no enemies amongst us. We were all after the same thing, and we could all get it!
I gasped my way out of the dream, sitting up on the bed, and left with the lingering, suffocating sensation of being stuck inches from my goal and unable to comprehend the aggressive nature of my fellow swimmers.
The Backstabbing Translator
Okay, you get my point with the metaphor, so I won’t bother with explaining the specifics.
In the past five years, quite a few times, I’ve had to deal with fellow translators acting like I’m out to pillage their home, rape their wife and mangle their sweet Persian cat.
I was recently contacted by a translation agency, dealing mostly with medical/pharmaceutical translations. They agreed to a pretty good rate (upwards of 12 eurocents) and requested a couple of samples from previous translators I’d performed.
I sent them two samples; a part of a clinical trial protocol I had recently translated, and a part of a SPC I had translated (AND performed the final QC), quite some time ago. Keep in mind that the SPC has been published by the EMA and is currently running wild in the market!
I heard back from them a couple of days later, and to my surprise, the vendor manager informed me that the SPC sample had been found wanting. She sent me the evaluation copy with the proofreader’s comments (one of their long-term freelance translators in my language pair) included.
I was nine parts mad and one part amused, as I opened the file and immediately had to cover my eyes to avoid (permanent) blindness, from the sheer amount of bright pink tracked changes in the file. Apparently, the person responsible for evaluating my sample changed pretty much every single word that could be expressed in a different way. Even standard QRD terms and formatting instructions specific for that template version couldn’t escape his/her mighty, pink, digital marker.
Having the aforementioned analogy completely reversed in my head, I wished the agency good luck and didn’t break a sweat.
In the past, when a similar event occurred, I chewed down on the proofreader so hard that the vendor manager apologized to me and ensured me that they would never use their services again. I guess I’m way cooler and more mature nowadays! Okay, maybe not.
Plenty of Fish in the Pond
Okay, we all know that translators pop out left and right every day. Portals that welcome translator profiles are filled with thousands of linguists actively looking to obtain new clients. Certainly, the supply must have outweighed the demand in the LSP market by now, right? Not even close.
There is, and will be for the foreseeable future, enough demand to feed every single translator out there. Actually, we need an influx of new linguists if we’re to avoid all those big companies not being able to deliver their products in a worldwide fashion. [link to article]
So, why all the hostility between one another? Why must we, under the pretense of being best buddies in social media networks, stab each other behind the back when it comes to sharing work? Work that’s more than enough to cover everyone’s needs!
Apart from the ridiculous notion that we need to drive prices down to receive any work at all – because, let’s face it, you know that when the supply doesn’t match the demand, the supplier can pretty much sell his services at a higher price than black market organs sell for these days -, there is absolutely no reason to bother getting in the way of another translator, as long as they cannot be held professionally or ethically accountable. If they’re bad at their job, feel free to rip them apart; if they’re doing a good job, give them a pat in the back and welcome them to your team.
As with many of the problems translators face nowadays, the whole issue has its roots deep within the linguist’s psyche.
Instead of adding obstacles in every step we take, how about we have a look around and try to benefit from the given advantages of our profession?
By Konstantinos Stardelis
Cf. original: “http://greek-translator.com/blog/the-backstabbing-translator/”
Quote of the Day.
QOTD:
Have a good weekend everyone!
Get inspired!
🙂
Repost: Cómo trabajar desde casa sin volverse loco (by Isabel Garzo)
La guida perfetta per chi lavora da casa (come me!).
Riposto l’articolo segnalato da “Las 1001 traducciones“.
Cómo trabajar desde casa sin volverse loco
La euforia inicial ante las ventajas de tener la oficina en casa (libertad de horarios, comodidad…) deja paso, a menudo, a la decepción tras el descubrimiento de las desventajas: soledad, falta de concentración, monotonía… Te enseñamos cómo manejarlas.
- by ISABEL GARZO
- (@isabelgarzo)
- February 18, 2014
Fotos de Marc Samsom
Licencia CC by 2.0.
Tags:AutónomosCoachingFreelancefreelancesProductividadTrabajartrabajar desde casa
Trabajar desde casa es, para algunos, la solución perfecta (por ejemplo, para conciliar la vida laboral y familiar o para llevar a cabo varios proyectos de forma simultánea) y, para otros, un resultado involuntario de su búsqueda de empleo o una situación temporal.
Es innegable que ser productivo en casa tiene algunas dificultades añadidas con respecto a serlo en una oficina. Ese es el motivo de que muchos estudiantes llenen las bibliotecas antes de las pruebas de Selectividad y durante sus cursos académicos: en casa no se concentran igual.
En casi todos los casos, la euforia inicial ante las ventajas de esa situación (libertad de horarios, comodidad, ahorro del tiempo empleado en desplazamientos, etc) se ve rebajada por el descubrimiento de las desventajas: falta de concentración, interrupciones, monotonía, carencia de contacto con otras personas, necesidad de un cambio de aires…
Hay algunos trucos para que trabajar desde casa sea más llevadero, tanto si eres de los que tienen intención de mantener esa situación en el tiempo como si eres una víctima pasajera de las circunstancias. Estos consejos sirven para ser más productivo pero, sobre todo, más feliz mientras se trabaja en casa; y pueden valer también, por ejemplo, para quien esté buscando empleo, escribiendo un libro o gestando un proyecto empresarial.
1. Distingue los espacios en casa
Si tienes una mesa alta para el ordenador, intenta no trabajar desde la cama o el sofá. De lo contrario, tu casa al completo se convertirá en tu oficina y no tendrás dentro de la misma ningún rincón para desconectar. Distinguir el espacio de trabajo es crucial para ser más productivo y aprovechar más tu tiempo de descanso. Si no, el trabajo se convierte en un compañero de piso detestable que no respeta tu privacidad. Y recuerda que, en el rincón que conviertas en tu «oficina», debes estar cómodo, pero no demasiado, si no quieres «apalancarte».
CC by 2.0 (Author: gibsonsgolfer)
2. Procura salir de casa y ver personas ajenas al trabajo también entre semana
Es una de las desventajas en la que coinciden casi todas las personas que trabajan desde casa: el desgaste que supone seguir en pijama a las 16:00 h, no oír otra voz humana en las primeras ocho horas del día, no acicalarse para una reunión… Si eres de los que se sienten mal por pasar tantas horas solitarias en casa, trata de cerrar citas con amigos o familiares también entre semana. Aprovecha para ello la hora de la comida, las últimas horas de la tarde… Tu mente te agradecerá un cambio de aires. También es útil comprometerte con alguna actividad que te obligue a salir de casa con regularidad (un curso, un deporte…).
3. Levanta una muralla contra las interrupciones de otros…
Desactiva los avisos de correos electrónicos y mensajes de WhatsApp: que seas tú quien decida cuándo consultarlos. Más de lo mismo con los chats de Facebook o Gmail: si quieres aprovechar el tiempo, mantén todo cerradito y apagado. Si recibes una llamada personal que no es urgente, explica que estás trabajando y que podrás hablar más tarde: lo mismo que harías si estuvieras en una oficina.
4. ¡…y también contra las interrupciones voluntarias!
Y es que estas son las peores. De repente se te ocurre que podrías consultar el WhatsApp, ya que tienes desactivados los avisos, por si te han escrito algo importante. O que vas a darte una vuelta rápida por Facebook y Twitter, solo por si tienes algún mensaje directo. O que te apetece un poco de chocolate. O que hace diez minutos que no consultas tu correo electrónico. Y en cuanto se te ocurre cualquiera de esas cosas, ya no puedes evitar detener el trabajo para llevarlas a cabo. Al final, una jornada de cuatro horas se convierte en una serie de pequeños momentos si eliminamos el tiempo dedicado a todas estas tareas. Por eso hay que ponerse serio: por ejemplo, puedes poner el móvil en un sitio cercano, pero al que no alcances sin levantarte (así no perderás ninguna llamada importante, pero no cederás a la tentación de consultarlo con frecuencia).
5. Evita posponer en exceso
Ya lo decía Larra en su conocido artículo «Vuelva usted mañana». A veces tendemos demasiado a posponer. Y muchas veces no es por ningún motivo de peso, sino simplemente por pereza. Es más cómodo pensar «lo haré luego» que hacerlo. Pero, a menudo, hacerlo más tarde quita más minutos que hacerlo ahora. Pensemos, por ejemplo, en la respuesta a un correo electrónico. Si acabas de leerlo, tardarías X en responderlo. Pero si lo dejas para más tarde, además de tener que anotarlo para que no se te olvide, tendrás que emplear un tiempo en releerlo antes de responder. Siempre es mejor solucionar las cosas cuando las tienes frescas en la cabeza.
6. Motívate con «premios» y momentos de descanso
Es más fácil ir alcanzando pequeñas metas que mantenerse activo y concentrado durante seis u ocho horas seguidas. Por eso, es positivo que establezcas tus propias normas y construyas tu «juego» de esfuerzos y recompensas. Por ejemplo, si te apetece un café, fuérzate a no levantarte a prepararlo hasta que termines la página en la que estás trabajando. O tómate un descanso de cinco minutos cada hora en punto para jugar un poco al Candy Crush. Una fragmentación disciplinada del tiempo es positiva y te ayudará a rendir más en tus momentos activos.
CC by 2.0 (author: Britt Selvitelle)
7. No seas un «7- Eleven»
No trabajes las veinticuatro horas del día ni los siete días de la semana. Es crucial que te olvides del trabajo durante un par de días al igual que hacen las personas que trabajan en una oficina. Si estás siempre disponible para tus clientes o aprovechas cualquier momento libre para avanzar, serás más susceptible de verte superado por el trabajo. Ponte una hora límite por las tardes y respeta los fines de semana: verás como, cuando llegue el lunes o la mañana siguiente, lo agradecerás.
8. Haz listas y planifica tus jornadas
Aunque suene a consejo de «técnicas de estudio» del cole, apuntar las tareas pendientes es la única forma de no olvidar nada y es una de las principales reglas de coaching personal y profesional. Y, para que las tareas pendientes no se arrastren eternamente de unas listas a otras, es útil hacer, al menos, dos: una lista con las tareas inmediatasque se podrán solucionar en las próximas jornadas de trabajo y otra con las tareas atemporales o a medio plazo, las que no se van a solventar inmediatamente.
Al empezar cada jornada, dedica unos minutos a repasar tus listas y ponerte objetivos realistas sobre las tareas que completarás ese día. Así no te frustrarás cuando queden cosas por hacer al final de la jornada.
9. Apunta las horas que dedicas a cada proyecto
Si tienes varios clientes o proyectos, no está de más que lleves un registro del tiempo que has empleado en ellos. Sí, sería como «fichar» en tu propia casa. Te vendrá bien a la hora de ajustar mejor los futuros presupuestos, ya que te servirá para valorar el coste real de un trabajo o para replantear el proceso de los que te quiten demasiado tiempo.
10. Consulta a colegas de trabajo
Es otra de las carencias que señalan los freelances: echan de menos poder pedir opinión a un compañero para reafirmar una decisión o simplemente charlar unos minutos para comentar algo que les ha ocurrido con un cliente. Solvéntalo, si es posible, contactando con personas de tu ámbito (antiguos compañeros de trabajo o de clase, autónomos que se dedican a los mismo que tú…) Es un alivio sentirse comprendido y escuchado. El contacto humano te da energía para seguir.
CC by 2.0 (author: Tom Baugis)
The bitterness of poor quality remains…
Gentile Cliente, se per i Suoi progetti sta cercando traduttori con “migliore tariffa/tariffa più bassa” , si ricordi sempre che: “Il retrogusto amaro di una scarsa qualità rimarrà a lungo, anche dopo che il dolce sapor di un prezzo ridotto sarà stato dimenticato”. [Ditto!]
Here’s an useful quote to use with your clients:
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Watch the animated version of this cartoon
Do you enjoy Translator Fun?
Frozen: Sing-along (multilingual session)
Watch “Let It Go” From Disney’s ‘Frozen’
Performed In 25 Different Languages
JAN. 22, 2014
How they managed to get the tones so similar and so lovely is pretty impressive (it almost sounds like they’re all performed by the same girl) — which one is your favorite singer? 
Errori di adattamento, traduzione e doppiaggio (I)
Il post di oggi è un po’ più leggero rispetto a quelli dei giorni scorsi. [ ndr: ma estremamente più lungo AHAHAHAHAH -.- ]
Nel titolo ho addirittura messo tra parentesi un “I” per darmi un tono. (O tirarmi un po’ su di morale…! Onestamente non ne ho idea!) 😀 😀 😀
Non so se farò altri interventi del genere, ma mi piace pensare che avrò tempo e modo di scrivere anche post divertenti e inserire altre chicche del mondo del cinema, dei telefilm o della letteratura straniera.
[NB: uno l’ho già pronto, forse lo lascerò nelle bozze ancora per un po’…]
Non tutti sanno che sono particolarmente fissata con la saga “Pirati dei Caraibi“. Infatti, ai tempi dell’Università (*sigh* come passa il tempo…) volevo inserire la trilogia (nel frattempo mutata in tetralogia) nel comparto scientifico che avrei utilizzato per l’analisi della mia tesi di laurea triennale sugli errori di traduzione ed adattamento degli script originali nel cinema e nelle serie tv. Purtroppo, l’argomento era troppo vasto e riguardava una materia non curriculare (ndt: “traduzione audiovisiva” era una materia della specialistica e quindi non era attinente al mio piano di studi della triennale), perciò la Professoressa dirottò il mio diabolico piano su altro.
Infatti, qualche anno dopo, ho “ripiegato” su una tematica diversa. {però questo ve lo racconto un’altra volta…}
Nonostante ciò, non mi sono arresa e ho continuato imperterrita a seguire le mirabolanti peripezie di Captain Jack Sparrow e di quei poveri adattatori che non hanno saputo proprio rendere giustizia alla saga.
La cosa che maggiormente mi ha perplessa e sconcertata – presumibilmente prima sconcertata e poi perplessa – è stata la scelta dei titoli dei vari film che, fin dal primo (datato 2003), ha puntualmente lasciato intendere che NESSUNO si fosse preso il gusto di visionare la pellicola prima di fare l’adattamento.
Ma andiamo con ordine.
Ora, capisco che il genere possa non piacere a tutti e che magari Johnny Depp o Orlando Bloom non siano il prototipo del vostro uomo ideale, così come Keira (biondina e segaligna) non lo sia della vostra “immortale amatissima”; posso anche passare sopra al fatto che, non sapendo dell’avvento del “2” e del “3” (e poi anche del “4” a cui, si vocifera, dovrebbe fare seguito un “5”), per il primo film sia stato omesso il riferimento alla serie “Pirati dei Caraibi”, MA (c’è sempre un ‘ma’) non si può tradurre “[Pirates of the Caribbean:] The Curse of the Black Pearl” (chiarissimo!) con un raffazzonato “La maledizione della prima luna“. Cosa c’era di difficile nel tradurre con un semplice “La maledizione della Perla Nera“? Perla Nera sapeva troppo di soap opera? Lo so, non era abbastanza EPICO. Just for the record: è il nome della nave.
Qui, si potrebbe aprire una parentesi di una 20ina d’anni in cui riprendere concetti trattati e stratrattati sul perché e per come si debba scegliere di tradurre letteralmente un testo oppure cercare di mantenere il senso di ciò che si intendeva nella lingua di partenza, portando il messaggio sullo stesso livello cognitivo dell’audience della lingua di arrivo con scelte linguistiche parzialmente o completamente differenti da quelle di partenza.
Io, personalmente, il film l’ho visto almeno 200 volte e di quella “prima luna” non c’è traccia. Barbossa dice “La luce della luna ci rivela per ciò che siamo in realtà. Siamo uomini maledetti: non possiamo morire, per cui non siamo morti, ma non siamo nemmeno vivi“. Eh. La ‘luna’ c’è (e non ci piove). E la ‘prima’? Mistero!
Nel 2006, la storia si ripete. Qui un po’ mi ha pianto il cuore, lo ammetto. Il titolo originale è struggente e al tempo stesso epico nella sua semplicità (once again). Il secondo capitolo della saga, infatti, si intitola “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead man’s chest“. L’adattamento italiano non è riuscito nuovamente a rendere giustizia all’originale. Il film da noi è uscito con il titolo “Pirati dei Caraibi: la maledizione del forziere fantasma“.
Ovvio.
Perché cercare di riprendersi un minimo dal precedente scivolone? Giammai! Meglio continuare con ‘sta storia della ‘maledizione’ che ci piace assai! 😀 E va bene… Dietro a quel “chest” c’è un bellissimo gioco di parole volutamente scelto in inglese per collegare il fantomatico “uomo morto” al “forziere” (e/o al suo “petto”). Nonostante l’adattamento non mi piaccia tantissimo, devo ammettere che il senso della storyline è mantenuto. Il forziere c’è, non è proprio ‘fantasma’, ma Jack Sparrow è alla sua ricerca, perciò lui non sa dove sia e questo è grosso modo il plot del secondo film.
Una chicca estratta da questo capitolo è un errore di adattamento (e doppiaggio). Da quando l’ho individuato, lo posto ovunque.
Errori di (traduzione e) doppiaggio:
[eng/orig. version] Hammer-head shark Pirate: Five men still alive, the rest have moved on.
[trad/doppiaggio] Pirata Squalo Martello: 15 rimasti vivi, il resto è trapassato.
La domanda sorge spontanea: se sullo schermo ci sono 5 attori pronti per essere giustiziati, un dubbio non ti viene?
No, evidentemente no. 😀
Devo dire che della [vera] trilogia questo è il capitolo che mi è piaciuto meno, forse perché lascia lo spettatore con moltissimi buchi temporali nella storia, molti interrogativi, qualche intuizione abbozzata a causa dei nuovi personaggi introdotti e, in più, non ha una vera e propria conclusione. [ndr: doveva essere un film “ponte”; un collegamento tra il primo film, di cui non ci si aspettava un così grande successo, e il successivo, la conclusione della saga, su cui c’erano altissime aspettative. Effettivamente è così ‘ponte’ che quando appaiono i titoli di coda non riesci ad alzarti in piedi perché pensi ci sia ancora altro da vedere.]
Veniam perciò al III capitolo uscito nel 2007. L’unico che EFFETTIVAMENTE non ha subito grossi sconvolgimenti a livello di adattamento. Voci che erano trapelate prima della sua uscita avevano dato, come probabili, due titoli differenti, cioè “At World’s End” e “At Worlds End“. Non proprio lievissima la differenza tra le due opzioni. La prima si presta ad un più sottile gioco di parole, mentre la seconda lascia solamente intendere che il capitolo finale vede la fine dei “mondi” [ndr: quali mondi?]. La scelta è poi ricaduta sul primo titolo, che gioca sulla fine del mondo intesa come atto finale di un’Opera, quindi una sorta di resa dei conti, ma anche come luogo ben preciso dove REALMENTE i protagonisti si recano durante il film. [WARNING: major spoiler!!!]
La traduzione in italiano è abbastanza fedele ed infatti il film esce in Italia con il titolo “Pirati dei Caraibi: Ai confini del mondo” che riesce a mantenere parzialmente intatto il messaggio voluto con il titolo inglese. Potrei stare a parlare per dieci ore solo di questo film. E’ in assoluto il mio preferito. 🙂
[*FANGIRLING TIME*]
A distanza di 4 anni (è il 2011), esce nelle sale italiane, poi in quelle americane, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides“. Il film è liberamente tratto dall’omonimo romanzo di Tim Powers noto in Italia con il titolo “Mari stregati“. Un lettore/Uno spettatore attento a questo punto ha già fatto 2+2, vero? Il titolo italiano è quindi “Pirati dei Caraibi: Mari stregati“.
Questa volta il titolo è stato tradotto con “Pirati dei Caraibi: Oltre i confini del mare“. Evidentemente, un più letterale “[PdC:] Verso acque straniere” o “Su maree sconosciute” avrebbe interrotto la continuità delle scelte linguistiche già applicate alla traduzione ed utilizzare lo stesso titolo del libro avrebbe implicato l’infrazione di qualche diritto d’autore (?). Dunque, la mossa più appropriata è stata – di nuovo – seguire la scia del capitolo precedente. Nasce perciò un collegamento con gli ex “confini del mondo”, con l'”Aqua de vida” segnata sulla mappa, che porterà Jack Sparrow a navigare su acque straniere, più lontane. Ok. La domanda resta: PERCHé?
Per la mia gioia – e per quella di chi come me si è appassionato alla saga non solo per gli attori e i personaggi, ma anche per le vicende linguistiche che le gravitano attorno – è in preparazione il V capitolo della serie, il cui titolo sarà “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales“. Letteralmente possiamo tradurlo con “[PdC:] Gli uomini morti non raccontano storie” oppure, parafrasando un po’, con “[PdC:] I morti non mentono“. In verità “dead men tell no tales” è un modo di dire anglosassone che significa “dead people will not betray any secrets” e che in italiano suona più o meno come “I morti non tradiscono alcun segreto“.
Sono veramente curiosa di vedere che cosa tireranno fuori dal loro cappello gli adattatori . 😉 L’uscita è prevista per luglio 2015, manca solamente un annetto.
Vi lascio con un video STUPENDO in chiave ironica in cui vengono evidenziati, scena per scena, tutti gli errori in “POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl“. Io sto ancora ridendo…
P.S.: grazie Wendy per avermi fatto capire che le .gif possono essere estremamente utili! 🙂
Repost: Tips for setting your translation rates, for professional translators.
Tips for setting your translation rates, for professional translators.*
PEEMPIP January 21, 2014 Articles in English, Επάγγελμα: μεταφραστής
One of the first difficulties that a professional translator has to face is deciding their rates. Personally, I started researching what the current market rates were before I even finished my studies, and I still believe it is the best strategy. I used to contact other colleagues, my professors, research any available agency website at the time, and ask around, trying to compile a list of what other translators out there were charging for their services. This has proven to be very effective, and it is the strategy I would suggest to you today. Not to mention, I’m still doing it, 10+ years later, just to have a general feeling of the market, and be able to expect client’s reactions.
Nowadays, with the extensive use of the Internet, the use of social media and the massive networks of professionals, it is much easier to do such a thing, and here are a few tips for new professionals who wish to understand better how we charge, and what we charge.
First of all, you have to think of yourself as a small business. Not only will you be charging for your professional services, but what you earn should also cover all your expenses, including living costs, taxes, accounting fees, subscriptions to professional associations, promotion and advertising of your business, computer software and hardware, etc. At the end of each month, you should be able to have something that could be considered a salary, which will cover all your needs. Find out which hourly rate would help you achieve that. Yes, it is not a steady income, being a freelance professional involves that risk unfortunately, but it is an income nevertheless, and only treating it as one will help you evolve.
Most new professionals think that offering lower rates will bring them more clients, which may be true, but what they fail to see is that offering lower rates also diminishes the value of their time and efforts. Furthermore, constantly working with a handful of clients with low rates might prevent you from finding other clients with higher rates. Not to mention that always working with lower rates will most probably make it hard for you to make ends meet. Always keep an eye in the future, and evaluate your relations with your clients based on the long-run. Is booking all your time worth what you might be losing from trying for new clients with higher rates? Are you going to burn out yourself whilst working for low rates, when you could have been working less hours and earning more money? Think about that beforehand.
In addition, do not be afraid to negotiate. Negotiating is generally expected in all types of business, and negotiating does not make you look unprofessional. Rather the opposite. You should charge what you think you are worth. Not too high to drive yourself out of the market, but not too low either. You can leave a margin, for example to be competitive, but you do not want to look cheap either. Because, let’s face it, some professionals who charge too low make most clients suspect that they do so just because their services are not good enough to justify a higher rate. Or, that they will finish the project they are assigned very quickly and sloppily, just to get more work, because their rates are so low. On the opposite side, charging too high might make your potential client think that you are over-reaching, and unless you are one hundred percent sure of your abilities, they will find some flaw in your work that will make them question you and your professionalism. Discuss with your client the rates you would like to receive and you will see that with dialogue you might earn more than you initially thought to ask for.
One more thing you can do is develop rates for each client individually. Not all clients can offer the same, and not all clients demand the same, so adjust your rates based on who your client is and how much you think they can pay. Offering discounts for steady workflows or large volumes is a good strategy too; negotiate with your client and ask them to send work exclusively to you for a lower rate, but remember that your quality must remain as high as it would be for a higher rate, otherwise you will appear unprofessional and they will not want to work with you again. Also, in that effort, try not to harm your colleagues by offering an extremely low rate, thus “breaking” the market. Even half a cent is a decent offer; think about the general conditions of the market before making your bid.
Also, remember to always ask for the details of a project. Learn before you start working on a project what it involves, try to determine the amount of effort that will be required on your part, the time you will have to spend on it, the difficulties it might present, and then you can set your rate according to what you think is fair. You can even ask for a sample, if there is one available. Remember that, most clients have a background in this industry and are well aware of how much your services will probably cost them, so do not try to be sneaky, just be honest. And, of course, negotiate!
Keep in mind that you do not have to have a set pricelist. You can increase or decrease your rates depending on the client, the project, the type of work you are required to do. But always be honest, it is the best policy. Telling a client that you can lower your rates if they send you more work is not something to be embarrassed of. It’s just good business tactics. Lowering your rates because you are simply afraid is not. Do not ask for a rate change in the middle of a project, it is unprofessional, even if you found out that the project is more difficult than expected. You can mention it to your PM, but simply asking for a higher rate is not polite. And on the flip side, do not be afraid to ask for more, from before beginning the project, if you see that it requires more than what your usual rate covers.
Finally, know that you can either charge by the hour, or the word, per source or target word, or per 16 pages or any way you want. The parameters vary, the methods vary, and the negotiations between you and your client can influence your decisions. Do some research, decide what you want, ask colleagues and professional associations (like www.peempip.gr, for example, the Panhellenic Association of Professional Translators Graduates of the Ionian University, or any other professional association in your country) about their methods, and you will find what you need.
In general, rates vary significantly. Lately I heard of agencies in Greece offering to freelancers as low as €0.015/source word to translators, which is simply ludicrous and, I dare say, unprofessional. €0.035 is a good place to start, if you are a student and need the experience. From there, you can go as high as you can convince your client to give you, based on your quality, professionalism and experience. A good translator will not easily lower their rates just for the sake of working, because they have put a lot of time and effort in becoming what they are: Good translators. In Greece and in the current market (unfortunately), €0.04 is a decent rate to start and work your way up. Anything lower than that is just a waste of time if you are a professional who values their time, and in my opinion, it only puts a crack in the foundations of what we all want and strive for: fair rates for our good work.
Some examples of methods of charging that I have seen in this industry are listed below. Note that this list is not exhaustive, nor can it be considered a standard, the volumes can vary significantly:
- Simple Translation -> Per source word, or per page (1 page ≈ 250-300 words).
- Technical Translation -> Per source word
- Technical Translation, Software strings -> Per source word or per hour
- Literary Translation -> Per 16 standard book pages
- Glossary translation -> 30-35 terms per hour (medium difficulty terminology)
- Editing (or “Review”) -> Mostly per source word (on the total of words), but sometimes per hour, at a rate of approx. 1000 source words/hour
- Proofreading -> Per hour, at a rate of approx. 2000 source words/hour
- QA checks, engineering -> Per hour
LSO (Linguistic sign-off), LQA (Linguistic Quality Assurance), FQA (Formatting Quality Assurance), etc -> Per hour, at a rate of approx. 2500 source words/hour (or 15 pages/hour)
*This is only an informative article. The writer assumes no responsibility for any misunderstandings
Popie Matsouka is currently the Senior Project Manager and Lead Medical Translator and Editor of Technografia. She also holds the position of Quality Assurance Specialist, having specialized in translation and localization QA software technology. She is the resident tech/IT expert, and after having worked as a localization tools trainer, she recently also became a beta tester for SDL Trados Studio. Her education includes being an Apple trained Support Professional, plus a PC/MAC and LAN technician, apart from being a CAT tools expert. She also volunteers for the Red Cross, and is a firm believer that if we all work together we can make a great difference in this world, combining our professional and our personal strengths.
One Sec Translations di Chiara Bartolozzi 