Recently a client–a native speaker of Japanese–complained about a translation. She pointed out several phrases and vocabulary choices, as well as a spelling error. The spelling error was truly an error, and there is no defense for that, but upon closer inspection of the other problems, the phrases and vocabulary she objected to seemed perfectly fine given the context. The reason the client was complaining was that these phrases were not part of her personal lexicon, and so she could not relate to them, hence, they must be wrong.
This is what makes translation so hard to judge. To be able to judge a translation, one must have a high level of understanding of both languages and the cultures that they come from. This Wikipedia article talks about language and culture being two parts of the same thing.
So, though it may not be possible to perfectly judge a translation, translations do have to be judged, and so they are, to the best of our (and our client’s) ability. It is an imperfect and sometimes frustrating process, but it is an unavoidable part of the translation business.
I will talk with the client, defend the defensible and take responsibility for the indefensible.
May was a ridiculously slow month at Honyaku Plus, which I attribute to the earthquake and companies reevaluating their situations and budgets. The earthquake occured at the end of the fiscal year for many companies, in March, and companies could not afford to stop everything at that time, but they could stop to catch their breath in April and May. June seems to be returning to business as usual, so I believe we’ll be back to normal by September at the latest. Though I wonder how the freelance translator is fairing, as he or she may not have the resources to overcome the slump, Bill Witherell says that natural disasters often have less effect on a country’s GDP than expected, and it is my feeling that this is going to be the case. Though everyone is shaken, either literally or figuratively, the wheels will keep turning. Those who push forward and continue to service their Japanese clients while reaching out to new clients will reap the benefits of the short hiatus of foreign interest in Japan created by the disaster.
This is a time of rebuilding and rebirth for my adopted country, Japan, as everyone pulls together to help those in need and to put the country back on its feet.
The tragedy is unimaginable, but it is also an opportunity for Japan to get a new start. I wish 0us all the best of luck in that endeavor.
I’ve been tracking the keywords “translation tools” and “translation” (in Japanese and English) via Google Alerts these past few months, and most every day there is something in my inbox. The hits are mostly press releases about new computer-aided translation (CAT) tools or translation systems, or news about statements that were translated (i.e. something along the lines of “a translation of Mgbo Ngaga’s speech said . . . “).
There are virtually no stories about translators themselves.
This illustrates a major misconception about translation in the general public, and that is that quality translation can be done by machines. The fact of the matter is that without good translators, you cannot get good translations. Language is, like people, imperfect. It is understandable only to other people, and even people cannot always understand each other. I can’t see how computers can be expected to translate.
The quality of a translation is a direct reflection of the quality of the translator. Good translators cost real money, but the product is worth it if you are serious about your business.
