| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Wrong use of term? Thread poster: Cristina Heraud-van Tol
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Thanks to everybody who posted a comment, especially for those who supported me (Astrid, Buck, Attila, etc.). It was really interesting to read so many points of view. To put it to an end and reply to a few comments, let me tell you that:
1) The client and I agreed to make the change of word together, he chose for 'vivid' and he will not deduct anything from the total amount
2) Comments like "You should h... See more Thanks to everybody who posted a comment, especially for those who supported me (Astrid, Buck, Attila, etc.). It was really interesting to read so many points of view. To put it to an end and reply to a few comments, let me tell you that:
1) The client and I agreed to make the change of word together, he chose for 'vivid' and he will not deduct anything from the total amount
2) Comments like "You should have used" or "You should have chosen" ('alive', 'vivid', 'cheerful', etc.) is aftertalk. I will do so next time, I learned my lesson. At that moment, the word I used came quickly to my mind as something very natural. I often talk in English with relatives and we have used that word to mean 'cheerful'. Although I am in the 30s, perhaps I do form part of an old generation!!
3) This client of mine is not new and I have been working for him since the beginning of the year, mostly translating texts about glasses and eyewear. He is extremely happy with my translations and this is the first time something like this happens. OK, English is not my mother tongue, but I speak it at a near-native level; I have been to a bilingual school and lived for a while in Australia. I now live in Peru, but I use English every day with my husband: we both don't master/need too much concentration to use the other's mother tongue (Dutch & Spanish), so we meet halfway in English
Greetings! ▲ Collapse
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As much as I believe dictionaries to be right in this case and the etymology of any word remains that way no matter what social/historical period we're living in (and I add, societies can change the context of the meaning of a word, but NOT it's etymology), the best thing to do would have been to avoid any possible mix-up and find a plausible synonym.
Robert.
| | | | | Wise words... | Oct 9, 2007 |
Andrew Levine wrote:
And this is really a textbook illustration of the dangers inherent in translating into one's second language. Coming across a "loaded" term, a native speaker would notice the unwanted distraction caused by such a word immediately, and decide that it's not worth giving readers pause just for the sake of using a cognate as a translation when perfectly good alternatives exist. But a translator who feels he has to justify himself by saying, "Well, I looked the word up in a dictionary, which clearly showed that both meanings are acceptable, and I even Googled it and saw it was used that way in 10,000 pages etc. etc." is missing the point entirely.
In short, a language is not just a set of dictionary entries (nor just a corpus of published references) and it's not good professional practice for a translator to think of it as one.
I fully agree with this! Wise words indeed, and things all of us translators should keep in mind. Especially if you don't live in the target language country (even though it would be your native one), you can quickly lose sight of current usage, and internet is an invaluable tool in that.
Buck wrote:
If your client thinks gay only means homosexual, he needs to get out more.
I would say it's exactly the opposite - if a person thinks gay first and foremost means anything else than homosexual (or the new meaning, stupid), s/he definitely needs to get out more (or do more research!)
[Edited at 2007-10-09 15:10]
| | | | | Native-level proficiency | Oct 9, 2007 |
Cristina Heraud-van Tol wrote: I often talk in English with relatives and we have used that word to mean 'cheerful'. Although I am in the 30s, perhaps I do form part of an old generation!! OK, English is not my mother tongue, but I speak it at a near-native level; I have been to a bilingual school and lived for a while in Australia. I now live in Peru, but I use English every day with my husband: we both don't master/need too much concentration to use the other's mother tongue (Dutch & Spanish), so we meet halfway in English Greetings!
But Cristina, translating is about writing (not speaking) the target language at native-level proficiency. It shouldn't surprise you to see translators emphasize this point.
American Translators Association
Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices
I. As a Translator or Interpreter, a bridge for ideas from one language to another and one culture to another, I commit myself to the highest standards of performance, ethical behavior, and business practices.
A. I will endeavor to translate or interpret the original message faithfully, to satisfy the needs of the end user(s). I acknowledge that this level of excellence requires:
1. mastery of the target language equivalent to that of an educated native speaker,
2. up-to-date knowledge of the subject material and its terminology in both languages,
3. access to information resources and reference materials, and knowledge of the tools of my profession,
4. continuing efforts to improve, broaden, and deepen my skills and knowledge.
B. I will be truthful about my qualifications and will not accept any assignments for which I am not fully qualified.
[Edited at 2007-10-09 15:29]
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Tony M
France
Local time: 18:39
Member
French to English
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SITE LOCALIZER | Words have to be used in the light of the culture in which they appear | May 21, 2008 |
Others have already said everything there is to say, but I just wanted to chip in and add my voice to the discussion, especially in terms of the pitfalls of trying to translate into other than one's native language; this is just the sort of feeling issue that it really takes an in-depth knowledge of the target language culture to be able to answer unerringly.
Today, the word 'gay' is so laden with meaning related to current culture, it is bound to cause a momentary leap in the reade... See more Others have already said everything there is to say, but I just wanted to chip in and add my voice to the discussion, especially in terms of the pitfalls of trying to translate into other than one's native language; this is just the sort of feeling issue that it really takes an in-depth knowledge of the target language culture to be able to answer unerringly.
Today, the word 'gay' is so laden with meaning related to current culture, it is bound to cause a momentary leap in the reader's attention if one tries to use it in other 'hteoretically correct' meanings — and of course, it all depends on the register and target readership too.
Maybe the fact that a translator makes one such cultural gaffe could be indicative of other similar but perhaps less prominent mistakes elsewhere in their translation... I come across this all the time when proof-reading; you can always tell the work of a non-native speaker, and very often, make a reasonable guess at their native language.
Quite a good alternative to get round the 'gay' problem is to use 'cheerful', which still has a cute ring to it, and can be applied very well to colours. Snag is, some of my gay friends have begun using it as a euphemism for gay, particularly about someone who isn't 'out' — yet!
And please, don't suggest thay gay = homosexual is a 'negative' meaning — I personally find your casual remark extremely offensive, and would like to call upon the ProZ political correctness watchdogs to censor it in just the same way as they are all too eager to step in and censor racist or religious remarks. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Gay = Stupid! | May 21, 2008 |
Tony M wrote:
And please, don't suggest thay gay = homosexual is a 'negative' meaning — I personally find your casual remark extremely offensive, and would like to call upon the ProZ political correctness watchdogs to censor it in just the same way as they are all too eager to step in and censor racist or religious remarks.
I agree with what you said Tony, but unfortunately the word 'gay' does have a negative connotation, specially with young people who use it as a synonym for 'stupid'.
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