TRANSLATION

(PBI 716)

MODULE 1
TIPS IN TRANSLATION

COMPILED BY
ALFIAN, M.PD.

UNIVERSITAS ESA UNGGUL

2020

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 TIPS IN TRANSLATION
A. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this course, students are expected to be able to:
1. Know tips in Translation
2. Use Translation Tips for EFL learners

B. EXPLANATION
1. 11 TOP TRANSLATION TIPS FOR EFL LEARNERS
a. Read through your piece carefully before you start
Read through your piece carefully before you start Image shows a
stack of books. Read through the piece several times and get your other
notes ready.
Before you start translating anything, make sure you read through
the piece a couple of times and understand first, exactly what the writer is
trying to say, and second, exactly how they’re trying to say it. Look at it
almost as though you were writing a literary commentary on it: pay
attention to every single word and phrase: to the purpose of your text, its
register (style and pitch), and the sort of stylistic tricks the writer uses.
Don’t be afraid to scrawl all over your piece: make notes on anything that
pops out at you as noteworthy, and highlight anything you think might be
difficult to translate. Finally, if you’re able to, research any idiomatic
phrases or even just ideas in the passage that you don’t fully understand.

b. Get your tools ready

A good bilingual dictionary is an essential tool for any translation.
Even if you feel you know a direct translation of an important word, look
it up and consider all the options, and think about which best matches the
sense and style of the original.

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 Interestingly, the English language contains far more words than
any of the Romance languages (for example French, Italian or Spanish) or
the Germanic languages (like German or Dutch). The reason for this is to
do with England’s Medieval history. Originally, English was a Germanic
language, close to German and Dutch, and for that reason it shares much
of its basic grammatical structure with those languages.
But after it was conquered by the French in 1066, Norman French
became the language of the rulers, and hugely influenced the native
language. Similarly, many words from Latin, the language of the Church
and scholarship, filtered into vernacular English. So modern English is
shaped by those three influences, and frequently, will contain synonymous
words that are identifiably from each. For example, English has a
multitude of ways of expressing the emotion of anger; out of these, ‘anger’
and ‘wrath’ can be traced back to Old Norse and Germanic stems, but ‘ire’
and ‘rage’ are from the Latin words ira and rabies. All this influences your
job as a translator because it makes it harder simply to equate words
between languages: there will often be many different options to choose
from in English, and it’s your task to make sure you pick the best. If you
learn any new words in the process, write them down and store them in
your vocabulary for later.
Similarly, before translating make sure you’ve got all the
grammatical materials you need to ensure technical accuracy, making sure
you get things like verb forms and endings, or syntax, spot on. Obviously,
a good understanding of grammatical rules is essential for translation, but
you can bolster your own knowledge with written tables, lists, and books.
Eliminate little mistakes by checking everything carefully: in a really
polished and good piece of work, spelling or grammar errors stand out a
mile and mar the whole piece, so make sure you correct these so that your
translation reads like a dream!

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 c. Translate the meaning, not the words
Some of the most comical translation mishaps occur when people
offer literal renditions of the words in a sentence rather than its meaning –
even when those words don’t make sense in the language they’re
translating into. For example, if a Spanish native speaker said to you: ‘To
another dog with that bone!’ you could be forgiven for thinking they had
gone completely (barking) mad. Of course, all they’d really be doing is
translating the Spanish phrase ‘A otro perro con ese hueso’- a figurative
way of saying ‘you’re pulling my leg’ – literally: but the sense of the
phrase is lost in translation (if you’ll excuse the second terrible pun in a
row). Here are some other phrases from around the world (Spanish has
hundreds of them) that produce simultaneously mystifying and hilarious
results when translated into English:
Avoir le cafard
Literally, to ‘have the cockroach’ in French – this phrase means to be
down in the dumps.
Es ist mir wurst
‘That’s sausage to me’ – a German phrase meaning that the speaker
doesn’t care.
Yo te conozco bacalao, aunque vengas disfrazado.
‘I know you, codfish, even though you wear a disguise’. Another madly
figurative Spanish phrase, meaning something along the lines of ‘I know
your game!’
C’est la fin des haricots
‘That’s the end of the beans’ – or in English, ‘that’s curtains for us’.
Un burro frota a otro burro
‘A donkey rubs another donkey’, meaning that people of similar character
get along well together.
Éramos pocos y parió la abuela.

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 ‘There were only a few of us, and then grandma gave birth’. No, a miracle
hasn’t happened – this means ‘I had a few problems, and then this came
along’, similar to the English ‘it never rains but it pours.’
And of course, there are non-idiomatic examples too. The literal
translation of the Spanish word obtener is ‘to obtain’ – but often, ‘to get’ is
just as good and will sound less stuffy.

d. Maintain stylistic techniques

Stylistic techniques aren’t just for decoration; they’re an important
way that writers create meaning. So where possible, reproduce the surface
of the language of any passage you translate.
When reading a piece before translation, read through it and think
about the effects the author uses: note down any sayings, colloquialisms,
highly-stylised sentences, verbal rhymes or rhythms. Of course, the
frequency and use of these techniques will vary according to the type of
text you’re working with: a poem in verse, for example, might be more
elaborate than a formal letter.
See if you can find subtle ways to render these effects in English:
the most elegant translations imitate style without sacrificing the
naturalness of their version. To return to my example above, you might
translate the Spanish phrase ‘A otro perro con ese hueso’ as ‘You’re
pulling my leg’, maintaining both the sense of the phrase and its distinct
identity as a saying.

e. Be faithful to the register of the original

It sounds obvious but this is an area where students often slip up. If
you’re translating a text that sounds formal and clipped, mimic its tone and
register: use appropriate words and a similar style. If you’re translating
something looser and more colloquial, equally, find words that capture the
feel of the original.

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 f. Know your audience
A final consideration when choosing your words is the audience
your work is aimed at. Of course, if you’re translating a piece for a
language class, your audience will contain precisely one person: your
teacher. But it’s nonetheless a useful exercise to think about who the
original document is intended for, and moderate your language
accordingly: if it’s a poster aimed at teenagers, you’re likely to choose
different English words than in translating a newspaper article for adults.

g. Don’t get too bogged down in details

In setting you written translations to do, your teacher is assuming a
certain level of fluency in English: they’ve decided that you understand
(and to a certain extent know by heart) the grammatical basics of the
language, and you’re able to recall the rules and some vocabulary quickly.
Of course, it’s important to show that you do indeed possess those skills
by getting your vocabulary and grammar right as detailed above, but
remember that the exercise has been set to test you and your knowledge,
rather than what’s in your textbook – and have the confidence to follow
your intuition.
Don’t over-complicate the exercise by becoming so obsessed with
detail that everything takes too long and becomes confusing; make sure the
end result looks natural and easy rather than labored.

h. Take your time

With the pressure of a whole page, or even pages, of words to
translate into a new language, it can be tempting to race through and try to
get as much on paper as quickly as possible. It’s a slightly different
exercise, but I often make the mistake of starting translations from Latin
like this: covering entire pages in rough scrawl, and missing out entire
phrases or words that look too tricky to bother with.
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 Try to resist this impulse: having less-than-perfect work on the
page will create a sense of anxiety that there’s still loads to be done, and
later on, when you’re dying to clock off for the day and think about
anything but words, you’re likely to forget the little nuances you noticed
earlier, and put sentences into your final draft that were only meant to be
placeholders.
Instead, take a deep breath, go slowly, and try to think about every
single word in a slow, methodical, and even creative way. It’s better to
have four really solid sentences written than three pages that need to be
redone.

i. Reread, and make it flow

After you’ve produced your first draft, take a break – the longer,
the better. If you’ve got enough time to leave the piece, and return to it the
next day, then that’s ideal.
When you come back to your translation, read it through looking
for little slips in spelling and grammar, but also with an eye to style. Is it
elegant, and does it flow? Are the register and tone consistent throughout?
Does it capture both the meaning and the spirit of the original?
If you can, get a native speaker to read it for you and point out
what needs work. Look out for anything awkwardly phrased or messy, or
anything you gave up on in despair the day before: now that you’ve got a
complete draft, and the pressure of finishing the whole piece is off, it’s the
time to work on the little details.

j. Read it one more time

Have another break, and then read your work one more time after
you’ve fiddled with it, just to check you haven’t made any silly errors in
changing things.

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 k. Learn from your mistakes
Nobody is great at written translation the first time they attempt it:
it’s one of the hardest parts of language learning, requiring that you’re
comfortable enough with the grammar of the language you’re translating
into, and that you have a wide enough vocabulary to get the basics down
on the page.
What’s more, it’s a completely new and slightly false exercise,
requiring a different set of skills than listening to or reading a language,
and far more precision and sophistication than speaking. So don’t be
disheartened if you don’t get it right the first time: practice really does
make perfect, and each time you attempt a written translation, even if the
exercise drives you mad, you’ll learn many new words and reinforce your
understanding of English grammar, as well as little things like spelling.
If you labour for hours over your translation, and you’re still not
happy with the result, make sure you make that work count anyway: learn
the meaning and spelling of any new words that you’ve found in a
dictionary or online, and learn and practise the grammatical rules you
found tricky this time around.

2. TIPS FOR TRANSLATING TO AND FROM ENGLISH

a. KEEP THOUGHTS BRIEF
If you or an employee is writing the content that will eventually be
translated into English, this is one small thing you can do that will make a
big difference.
Keeping your sentences short will make it easier to translate them.
That’s because short sentences often contain only a single thought, with
one subject and one action.
When you start adding additional verbs and nouns, translation
becomes more difficult. The translated materials become more confusing
and less polished.

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 If you didn’t write the material, but are able to edit it before
translation, do so. Keep the individual thoughts and sentences as brief as
possible.

b. SET A STANDARD VOCABULARY

While small differences in the vocabulary from one sentence to the
next might not seem like a big deal, when you translate that material to
another language, it can change the meaning of the text entirely.
For instance, imagine that you are going to translate an article
about dogs. You might call the dogs puppies, canine, pups, Fido, or any
other number of monikers.
The problem is that many of these are slang terms or nicknames.
They are only clear when written and read in English.
When you start translating these terms to a different language, they
become confusing.
“Pup” might become “puppy,” changing the meaning. “Canine”
could get translated to the name of a different member of the canine family,
like wolves.
“Fido” is a name, so it would be left the same. Readers of other
languages would have no context for this name; they may have no idea
that in English that’s a popular nickname for dogs.
The same goes for a sentence in another language that you translate
into an English sentence.

c. SKIP THE JOKES

Just as certain words may not translate smoothly from one
language to the next, humor and sarcasm often get lost or confused.
In some cases, what sounds like a joke could even get translated
into something offensive.

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 If you can edit the content that you’re planning to translate, get rid
of the jokes. Or, take the time to let a speaker who understands both
languages go through and adjust the content so that the jokes make sense
in the translation.

d. UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL

DIFFERENCES
Jokes aren’t the only things that can get lost in translation.
Cliches are also tough to translate, and will likely lose their meaning and
instead, sounding odd or out of place to your native readers.
Some words may not even have direct translations, or they
translate to words that don’t mean the same thing. For instance, while in
English the words “pastry,” “cake mix,” and “batter” all mean different
things. But in Portuguese, all three words translate to one term, “massa.”
When translating from Portuguese to English, a phrase that was
intended to mean that someone was eating a pastry could turn into
someone eating cake batter.
While this may not seem like a big issue, differences like this can
change the entire meaning of a piece of content.

e. MAKE IT ACTIVE
Passive voice, or voice that describes events that have already
happened, don’t always translate correctly between languages.
Because many languages treat passive voice differently, the
meaning of your words could change once translated. To avoid this, try to
always keep your voice active in the original content.

f. GET YOUR DATES RIGHT

In American English, we write our dates so that the month comes
first, followed by the day, and ending with the year.

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 This is true when you write out a date, like October 2, 2018, and
when we abbreviate dates, like 10-2-18. But in other languages, this same
order is not used. Many countries and languages throughout the world
write the day first, followed by the month and then the year. So the
abbreviated date above, 10-2-18, would actually be February 10, 2018.
When dates are written out, the day is still listed first and the comma is
dropped, like 2 October 2018.

g. CHECK YOUR SPACING

When you’re translating content for the web or for print, it’s
important to check your spacing and layout before you print or publish it.
Simply translating your content and repasting it in the same text box can
cause all kinds of issues.
Once your content is translated, read through it and adjust your
paragraphs and spacing to make sure that it looks as good as it did in its
original form.

3. 12 TIPS FOR TRANSLATORS TO PROVIDE QUALITY

TRANSLATIONS

1. Make sure you review the document(s) and files before starting a
translation. Read all the instructions that come with the job: they
show you the way in which the translation must be approached.
You wouldn’t call a plumber to repair a leak and leave your house
without a shower. Ensure that all the files and documents that the
client needs are the ones you have received.
2. Make sure that you are comfortable with the subject matter and
language style and confirm this with the Translation Project
Manager. Whilst you may take on translations in fields in which
you are not an expert for the sake of expanding your business, it
will take you more time to master the terminology and you will
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 have to invest time in doing so. There is nothing wrong with it, but
be aware that your own quality checking and revision become even
more important. Sadly, there may be some subjects for which you
are simply not qualified or that you are not good at. It is OK.
Professional translators specialize in a few subjects and, in time,
they become so good at them that they hardly take on anything
outside their sphere of expertise.
3. Make sure you are familiar with the file format. If you are working
for a translation company, the files should be sent in a translation-
friendly format and with a translation memory. Do not change the
CAT tool your client has specified. There is no worse feeling for
Translation Project Managers than receiving a file that they have to
restructure because of bad formatting. You may have saved some
money using a tool that promises full compatibility with this and
that format, but if you have not tried it yourself and the original
format is heavily formatted, you end up wasting the Project
Manager’s precious time and ruining a good relationship. They will
have to reconstruct the whole file and no matter how good your
translation was, wasted time can never be recovered. You risk
losing a client.
4. Use all reference materials, style guides, glossaries and
terminology databases. Never ignore a glossary that has been sent
to you. If the client has created a database, use it. If it is a simple
excel file, you know all tools can import this format into a CAT
tool and CSV can create a glossary file in seconds. It is essential
that you are consistent with the terminology and style of previous
jobs. Quite often, you will not be the first translator involved in a
publication process. One-time translation buyers are few and far
between and if you want to succeed in business as a translator, you
want regular, paying clients and a regular income. It may be the
first time you are translating a particular piece or set of files. It may
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 be the first time you are translating for a particular client, but they
are sure to have bought translation services before and they expect
consistency in style and terminology.
5. Contact your Translation Project Manager immediately if you find
any problems with the translation memory or the glossary.
Previous translators may not have followed it or perhaps they had a
bad day. If there are any quality issues with the material you have
been provided with and you do not know whether to follow the
translation memory or the glossary, contact the Translation Project
Manager and let them know there is a problem with the source. If
this is not possible because of time constraints, follow what has
been done before, even if your personal style and personal
preferences are different. Take note in a separate file of any
terminology issues and comments while you are working. You will
not feel like doing that or going over the errors once you have
finished the translation. Let the Translation Project Manager know
what has happened. Remember, feedback is always appreciated
and it helps to build on quality and improvements in the process.
You will score many points in your Translation Project Manager’s
eyes and you will build a reputation for yourself as a serious,
quality-conscientious translator.
6. Contact your Translation Project Manager or client immediately if
you encounter or foresee any problems with the document, format,
wordcount or delivery time.
7. Identify relevant reference sources on the Internet for the subject
you are going to translate. If you are going to translate technical
documentation for bicycles, find the brand’s website in your
language. The manufacturer’s competitors are often a source of
good terminology and style. If you are translating medical devices,
you are sure to find some relevant material on related websites.
Have all this ready before you begin to translate. It is called
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 “background work”. And it pays off, in the short and long term. It
is like doing a reference check. Would you accept work from a
client who you know nothing about? Would you meet someone in
real life that you know nothing about without delving a little bit
into who they really are? Don’t companies do a reference check on
freelance translators and staff that they want to employ? So, have
other online resources specific to the topic you are translating at
hand for easy reference. And, more importantly, become a
researcher of the topics you specialize in as a freelancer. Prepare
yourself for those days without internet when you have no
connection to the online sources of information but you still have
time to deliver.
8. When you have finished your translation, run your spellchecker
and correct any misspellings and typos. Now is the time to become
your own editor and read over the document, comparing it to the
original. Read again without looking at the source text to make
sure that it makes sense. Readers will not have access to your
source material and, frankly, they do not care that the text was
translated or how it was translated. They want to read in their
native language and you, the translator, are the link that allows
them to do so. Your version has to read as if it had originally been
written in your language, free of literal translations and
cumbersome expressions that are directly transferred and without
any errors.
9. Check your translation against the source for any missing text or
formatting issues. Most CAT tools include QA features as the
standard within their software. Each tool offers different features,
but they all are good at detecting untranslated segments, source
same as target, and even missing or wrong numbers. If your CAT
tool only offers basic checking procedures or you want to run more
in-depth checks, my recommendation is to use XBench. You can
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 even load translation memories and check their consistency,
formatting, coherence across files, missing translations and
“suspect translations” where different source segments have
generated the same translation (perhaps an error accepting a
translation memory match), or vice versa, when a single source file
has generated multiple translations. Your clients will certainly
appreciate this.
10. Do not be literal. Translation buyers and readers never appreciate
translations that sound “corseted”, a word-for-word carbon copy of
a foreign language. It is not acceptable unless you are translating
technical material, as expressions and idioms seldom translate
literally from one language to another. Technical material may
include pharma translations, engineering, translations for the
automotive sector, medical translations, software translation,
patents, etc. Accuracy and precision take priority over style in legal
translations. Many examples and references may seem very
relevant and clear to the original writer, but not to the target
audience. Some years ago, the British Prime Minister put Japanese
translators on freeze mode when he announced on a visit to Japan
that he was prepared to go “The Full Monty” on his economic
policies. The film had not been released in Japan. Website
translations, any type of books and literature, news clips, CVs, all
require a beauty of expression and flow that only come with a
“neutral approach to translation”. You have to distance yourself
from your work, edit and proof it from a critical point of view. You
should always look at your translation as if it were the final product.
You offer a professional translation service and each one of your
clients is unique. Do not count on editors or proofreaders to fix
your unchecked work and your mistakes. Nobody likes to correct
other people’s lack of care.

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 11. Be sure to run your spellchecker again. It will take a couple of
minutes if everything is fine. A small typo may have been added
during your revision stage and it would destroy all of the quality
steps you have carried out until now.
12. Remember to include any notes or comments for your client or for
the editors about your translation in your delivery file. A blank
delivery with your signature, or a “please find files attached”
shows little interaction with your client. It may be a sign that if you
do not have time to write two lines about the delivery of the project
then you probably did not have time to do a quality check at all.
Thank the Translation Project Manager for the job and look
forward to the next one. If there are simply no issues to raise, say
that the job went smoothly. Perhaps the translation memory was
very good or in the absence of it, you felt very comfortable and
enjoyed doing a translation in your field of expertise.

C. REFERENCES

https://www.argotrans.com/blog/7-tips-
translatingenglish/#:~:text=1.,it%20easier%20to%20translate%20t
hem.
https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/english-translation-tips-
efl/#aId=d4d1fac7-75db-4767-8288-cb35f0bb4e09

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