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Poll: How often do you translate into one or more of your source (non-native) languages?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 16:12
Member (2012)
English to French
+ ...
KiddoZ Nov 23, 2015

writeaway wrote:
AmateurZ.com a bit too often nowadays, as we see in Kudoz, which a colleague of mine often refers to as KiddoZ.


Excellent! That sums up just why I stopped taking part altogether...


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 16:12
French to English
Never Nov 23, 2015

except once for a client who couldn't understand a text he had received in English. Turned out to be the synopsis for a kid's cartoon, and since the main characters were fictive animals, it's not surprising that they didn't "understand" the vocabulary.
I told them it would take longer, the quality would be inferior to what they usually got from me and they'd have to pay more (because of it taking me longer). They said OK. It was good fun and I did feel very proud of myself when they showe
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except once for a client who couldn't understand a text he had received in English. Turned out to be the synopsis for a kid's cartoon, and since the main characters were fictive animals, it's not surprising that they didn't "understand" the vocabulary.
I told them it would take longer, the quality would be inferior to what they usually got from me and they'd have to pay more (because of it taking me longer). They said OK. It was good fun and I did feel very proud of myself when they showed me their proofread version in which they had only made a few minor subjective alterations.
Next time it happened I was able to refer them to an EN-FR translator I had met in the meantime.
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564354352 (X)
564354352 (X)  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 16:12
Danish to English
+ ...
Leading question Nov 23, 2015

I'd say that I translate into my main source language about 10 % of the time.
The fact that my main source language is my native language sort of goes against the premise of this question.

I am an expert user of my main source language = my native language, which is why I consider myself qualified to translate out of this language into foreign languages that I have studied, lived, experienced and worked in for many, many years.

Just another question that takes its
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I'd say that I translate into my main source language about 10 % of the time.
The fact that my main source language is my native language sort of goes against the premise of this question.

I am an expert user of my main source language = my native language, which is why I consider myself qualified to translate out of this language into foreign languages that I have studied, lived, experienced and worked in for many, many years.

Just another question that takes its starting point in something that is not a given: that all translators ought to translate into their native language only.

Some of us work in a different way. Get over it.

[Edited at 2015-11-23 13:54 GMT]
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Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:12
English to Spanish
+ ...
Those words ending in zed Nov 23, 2015

Catherine De Crignis wrote:

writeaway wrote:
AmateurZ.com a bit too often nowadays, as we see in Kudoz, which a colleague of mine often refers to as KiddoZ.


Excellent! That sums up just why I stopped taking part altogether...


I remember coming across a website run by one or more South American translators titled Translationz or something like that.

I love the zed in other words, like Si Zentner, zodiac, zest, etc., but I can't take anything serious with names like Kudoz or translationz.

[Edited at 2015-11-23 23:20 GMT]


 
Barbara Carrara
Barbara Carrara  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 16:12
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
'Fairly regularly' and 'All the time' answerers Nov 23, 2015

Thanks for voting and for commenting on this.

I'd like o hear from the 6.6% and the 16.1% from a total of 685 voters (2:50pm GMT+1) of voters for whom translating into a language they are not native in appears to be the norm and how they handle quality issues, for instance.

Also, I would like to hear from those who selected 'Other' (1.9% o the above). Care to share your opinion?


 
Angela Dickson (X)
Angela Dickson (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:12
French to English
+ ...
Never Nov 23, 2015

Never.

But I work in a very major language pair in which there is an ample supply of translators working in both directions, so I don't need to.


 
Kristina Cosumano (X)
Kristina Cosumano (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 16:12
German to English
Seldom Nov 23, 2015

But very, very rarely and only in collaboration with my partner, who is a native speaker (and excellent writer) of my source language, for quality control. Cover letters, that kind of thing.

 
Al Zaid
Al Zaid
United States
English to Spanish
+ ...
More often than some would think Nov 23, 2015

Mario Chavez wrote:
I translate into English certain technical texts by client request, and the client knows well that English is not my mother tongue. Some translators and academics consider this unethical. I say, that's a feeble attempt at claiming some moral superiority over others.


Even if I normally translate into my native language, I often translate into my source language in some subjects in my fields of expertise that I feel veeeery comfortable with.
My most regular client receives documents in English which I translate into Spanish and then they have to issue some information in English. I'm so familiar with their work and all its specifics (I do both translating and interpreting for them) that translating their documents is easy-peasey and besides they use a very controlled language. I'm basically part of their staff, one would say.
Now, do I consider myself able to translate any other type of stuff into English?
Of course not!! Cobbler stick to your last.

[Edited at 2015-11-23 14:26 GMT]


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 16:12
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
I write quite a lot directly into my non-native language Nov 23, 2015

As I mentioned above, my my main source language is my language of habitual usage, so I write letters to the newspapers, messages to friends, all sorts of things directly in it without translating. Apart from anything else, it is a very healthy exercise.

Danes grow up with English in the background, so if they are trained translators as well, many of them really CAN translate both ways. I came to Danish as an adult, but to all intents and purposes, I feel as if it is a second native
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As I mentioned above, my my main source language is my language of habitual usage, so I write letters to the newspapers, messages to friends, all sorts of things directly in it without translating. Apart from anything else, it is a very healthy exercise.

Danes grow up with English in the background, so if they are trained translators as well, many of them really CAN translate both ways. I came to Danish as an adult, but to all intents and purposes, I feel as if it is a second native language.

Apart from that there are simply not enough English natives who really can translate from Danish professionally. I have turned down a week's work already today... Which is why I do not have time to translate much into Danish, so I don't get enough practice. Therefore, if clients want a professional job, I send them to a 'real' Dane.

The native language thing is a principle I practice, but don't preach.
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P.L.F. Persio
P.L.F. Persio  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 16:12
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
Other Nov 23, 2015

Barbara Carrara wrote:

Thanks for voting and for commenting on this.

Also, I would like to hear from those who selected 'Other' (1.9% o the above). Care to share your opinion?



I got my first paid translation assignment by one of my teachers of Russian, when I was 20 y.o. It was a RU>IT text, which is the right direction for me, but soon after this first job, and for quite a lot of years afterwards, I had to work almost exclusively in 2 of my source languages – Russian and Polish, not only from Italian, but also from English. (Don't ask...)

Back then, in the early 80's, the world wide web was still a twinkle in Sir Tim Berners-Lee's eyes, therefore I was stuck with local agencies, which, in their turn, were pretty much stuck with local translators. Though in Turin – thanks to the omnipresent FIAT, there was no shortage of excellent Russian and Polish native-speakers/linguists – translating in languages, other than one's own native, was common practice.

I was still inexperienced and God only knows how many ‘pearls’ I left behind me. Nonetheless, a Polish proofreader was amazed to know that Polish was neither my mother tongue, nor that of my parents, and that I hadn't a single drop of exquisite Slavic blood in my Southern veins. I took it as a huge compliment.

Luckily, I started translating from English and all my other languages into Italian, quite a breeze in comparison to my early jobs. Nowadays, I occasionally translate from Italian, Russian and Dutch into English, mostly in my contributions as a UN volunteer translator. Once, I was asked by a good client of mine to work on a RU>EN assignment, because all their other translators were unavailable. They promised me they would pay more, which they did, and their own clients– a US company – surprisingly for me, in the end were so satisfied that they asked my agency to hire me again for their next project.

In short, I'm not 100% comfortable translating into English or whatever, and I don't think I'll ever do that again, because the amount of work required is way heavier, and the self-editing is painstakingly exacting.
Having said that, I know some people who can and do that properly, so why not? Horses for courses.


 
Triston Goodwin
Triston Goodwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:12
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not as often as I used to Nov 23, 2015

I worked in-house where I translated from English to Spanish every day. I have translated a video game or two into Spanish, as well as some interfaces for other programs. I am certain that the majority of you have used one of my Spanish translations at least once, but NDAs prevent me from saying which one.

As far as QA is concerned, I work with a native Spanish speaker that goes over my translations before delivery. I do the same for her translations (English and Spanish).
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I worked in-house where I translated from English to Spanish every day. I have translated a video game or two into Spanish, as well as some interfaces for other programs. I am certain that the majority of you have used one of my Spanish translations at least once, but NDAs prevent me from saying which one.

As far as QA is concerned, I work with a native Spanish speaker that goes over my translations before delivery. I do the same for her translations (English and Spanish).

Oh, and don't get me started on interpreting into my B language
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Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:12
English to Spanish
+ ...
Translating into my non-native language Nov 23, 2015

Barbara Carrara wrote:

Thanks for voting and for commenting on this.

I'd like o hear from the 6.6% and the 16.1% from a total of 685 voters (2:50pm GMT+1) of voters for whom translating into a language they are not native in appears to be the norm and how they handle quality issues, for instance.

Also, I would like to hear from those who selected 'Other' (1.9% o the above). Care to share your opinion?


Allow me to separate two distinct and different issues: writing competence in a given language and the so-called quality issues. Since translators are writers of a unique kind, asking for or demanding from them any type of quality control is, at the very least, preposterous. All those norms, standards, made-up rules to try to shoehorn translation into a series of metrics are a big waste of time and distract from the job.

The job of writing, that is.

I write exceedingly well in Spanish and very, very well in English, the former being my native language and the latter, my not-so-native one. In the School of Languages I had my translator education for 4 years, the emphasis is to teach students to translate from their language B (and/or C) into their language A. Why? Local market conditions. I studied in Argentina, and looking for German, English, Chinese or French translators who reside there to be called for official duties (sworn translators) is somewhat utopian. So, the students learn about comparative grammar and phonetics, among other things.


 
Laureana Pavon
Laureana Pavon  Identity Verified
Uruguay
Local time: 12:12
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...

MODERATOR
Why do you assume every country is the same as yours? Nov 23, 2015

Barbara Carrara wrote:
I'd like o hear from the 6.6% and the 16.1% from a total of 685 voters (2:50pm GMT+1) of voters for whom translating into a language they are not native in appears to be the norm and how they handle quality issues, for instance.


I replied "all the time."

The country where I was born (Argentina) and the country where I now live (Uruguay) require a specific university degree for translating official documents (Traductor Público). This means that one must have competed this 4- or 5-year degree to translate, for example, public tenders.

I have one of those degrees.

When I translate non-official documents my clients prefer my technical expertise (i.e., I know exactly what I'm talking about).

Two explanations for the price of one.


 
DorothyX (X)
DorothyX (X)
France
Local time: 16:12
Fairly often Nov 23, 2015

I also have a translation degree allowing me to translate in both directions + passive C and D languages.

Some of my clients say that I am doing better than native speakers. Although they always have an eye on it. (no they are not translation agencies, I only work for direct clients).


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:12
English to Spanish
+ ...
Direct clients Nov 23, 2015

DorothyX wrote:

I also have a translation degree allowing me to translate in both directions + passive C and D languages.

Some of my clients say that I am doing better than native speakers. Although they always have an eye on it. (no they are not translation agencies, I only work for direct clients).


You just reminded me the reason why one of my regular clients contacted me and invited me to translate medical reports from Spanish into English 3 years ago.


 
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Poll: How often do you translate into one or more of your source (non-native) languages?






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