European Parliament - translation traineeships

For those of you who are interested in a paid or unpaid traineeship in the European Parliament.

Para os interessado em estágios remunerados e não remunerados para tradutores no Parlamento Europeu.

Certified translations in Portugal

This is a situation that has always puzzled me: In Portugal if one needs a certified translation, one has to pay first to the translator/translation company for the translation itself, then one takes the job to the notary public and pays them to get a sheet saying that the person who goes there with the documents (supposedly the translator) swears on it's honour that the translation is correct, faithful to the original bla bla bla and gets the sheet attached to the original and the translation. Then if you need that certified translation for say an application for a foreign University, you need to translate the Apostille and pay for it, of course.
There are several things that bother me here: first one needs to pay a large sum of money; second one need to waste infinite and precious time; third the people working at the notary public offices know absolutely nothing about translation and you might as well send the mechanic to do that for you because all they do is ask if your are the translator and all you need to do is say yes and give them your I.D.
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but if we have BA's, MA's, PHD's in Translation studies in Portugal, and if it is a relevant and fast-growing profession shouldn't there also be a regulation? In Norway they have the Statsautoriserte translatørers forening a State authority which allows the certified translators to sign and stamp their work after they are done. The same person does everything and it is an accredited person too. In the USA and in the UK also there are rules and different organisms which make translation a serious and honourable profession and help and protect translators.
The problem in Portugal is that the process, as it is now, (to me at least) makes no sense and makes the profession no more credible. "Anybody" can be a "translator", at least they can say they are one, and costumers usually don't mind paying less for a less than good translation.
If doctors, lawyers, nurses even have a regulator(Ordem), why can't there be one for translators too? I think it would make things a lot easier, for everybody! Translators would have a professional personal number, they would be able to certify their own work and this notary charade would end. Also, i believe it would make translation more credible too, by implementing and using rules and a Code of professional conduct, etc...
Not least important, customers would have someone to complain to in case things went wrong (as they often do!).
Don't you think? :)

Lost in Translation!

Now, that is a lot more frequent than one might think, but sometimes it turns out to be quite funny too!

If you want/need/ like to have a good laugh, I recommend these two books: Lost in Translation, Misadventures in English Abroad and Still lost in translation, More Misadventures in English Abroad by Charlie Croker.


http://www.lostintranslationbook.com/

Interesting and informative interview!

Anyone interested in translation and/or anyone working in the field, you should read this interview:
Sarah Dillon, a professional translator, interviews Renato Beninatto on his view on translation. He "offers us a business consultant’s view of freelance translation practitioners, and language service providers (LSPs) in general."

http://www.dillonslattery.com/2008/10/220.html

Enjoy it! :)

Why is it so important to hire professional translators/interpreters?

The whole world must have heard/read the news about the recent Hillary Clinton incident in Congo. I am not too concerned with her reaction, but with another issue: well, apparently the interpreter made a mistake and misunderstood a student's question to the US Secretary of State. According to CNN, the student wanted to ask President Obama's and the Secretary Clinton's opinion/position, but the interpreter got it wrong.
I have seen the video (where you can hear the interpreter's voice/translation), but unfortunately the student itself is not heard, so it is still unclear who's fault is it.

My point is, it is important to always hire professionals, specially in situations like this, in order to avoid this sort of embarrassing moments. Now, I have no information on this person's professional background, but it seems to me she was just a little too confused. I mean I was confused just hearing her! I'm not sure the person hired for this job is a professional interpreter, though.

I am going to use a question from a previous post , "Would you approve of a medical student performing minor operations to pay their way through medical school? (Would you describe your brochure/letter/annual report/speech as "minor"?)". My guess is you wouldn't!

You can check the video from the incident here:

Paid translation traineeships / Estágios Remunerados para Tradutores

For those of you interested in a paid traineeship in the European Parliament/Para quem estiver interessado aqui fica a dica de Estágios Remunerados para Tradutores no Parlamento Europeu

translator's lament

To be a translator, believe me it’s sad,

To be a translator, you have to be mad-

Who else would sit in a room

Encased in loneliness more like a tomb?



Who else would fondle a microphone cable

Or typewriter keyboard when perfectly able

To fondle some better more pliant device?

(It happens to others, they say it’s quite nice.) :-o



Who else would apply so much love, care, devotion

To something that is another man’s notion?

Who else would spend hours to seek out one word

Just to ensure he writes nothing absurd?



Who else would read carefully through some epistle

Produced by a half-wit who had better whistle

Than write rotten copy that doesn’t mean much,

Yet expects a translation in, say, perfect Dutch?



Who else would accept that every job’s hot

When he knows that it’s probably not

And flog himself silly to see the work through

Then wait for three months not collecting one sou?



Who else would put up at social occasions

With statements like: “Oh, you do translations.-

There’s not much to that, after all it’s your lingo,

So where are the problems, why labour that thing so?”



Who else would be willing each day of the year

To sit exam where the pass-mark’s a mere

One hundred percent or perhaps just below?

If you think that’s easy, why not have a go?



And yet it’s a challenge which on reflection

Provides enormous job satisfaction.

Those who enjoy it will never desert

The odd fascination of the “foreign” word

-Wort, oh what the hell…

J.H. Hayes