Mox the translator...
"Mox the translator" is a comics book that describes a translator's life. Mox has also an official blog, which you can find by clicking http://mox.ingenierotraductor.com/
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Monday 26 December 2011
Sunday 25 December 2011
Is Machine Translation a Machine Gun for Human Translators?
From: Medical Translation Insight
Our recent article on understanding translation memories and how they work once again raised the question of who owns a translation memory (TM) database.
In the translation industry, misinformation and urban myths surround the topic of TM ownership. One point of view holds that the database is a result of work contracted for and paid for by the client, so the client has a right to receive the memory files once the project is complete. The opposing view point is that without the creative work of the translator, the TM files would not exist at all.
And it's not just in theory that these questions come up. We regularly encounter this question when starting to work with new clients. In a surprising number of cases, new clients tell us that they don't have/own their old TMs.
The question is important enough that SDL stated their position on Copyright protection for Translation Memories [PDF link]. The upshot: If you care about who owns the TM, make sure you have an agreement.
Still confused? Ross Smith collected a great list of resources on intellectual property, copyright, and translation tools.
To resolve the question of TM ownership, at ForeignExchange we incorporate this in all of our agreements with clients and subcontractors. Everybody involved in medical translation - client, translation company, individual linguist - should review these resources and formulate their own policies and legal framework so that they can answer the question "who owns the TM" once and for all.
Before you go, here are some additional resources around TMs and intellectual property:
Additional stimuli; listen to the following online interview on the particular topic:
http://blogproz.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/proz-com-podcast-2011-12-16.mp3
Our recent article on understanding translation memories and how they work once again raised the question of who owns a translation memory (TM) database.
In the translation industry, misinformation and urban myths surround the topic of TM ownership. One point of view holds that the database is a result of work contracted for and paid for by the client, so the client has a right to receive the memory files once the project is complete. The opposing view point is that without the creative work of the translator, the TM files would not exist at all.
And it's not just in theory that these questions come up. We regularly encounter this question when starting to work with new clients. In a surprising number of cases, new clients tell us that they don't have/own their old TMs.
The question is important enough that SDL stated their position on Copyright protection for Translation Memories [PDF link]. The upshot: If you care about who owns the TM, make sure you have an agreement.
Still confused? Ross Smith collected a great list of resources on intellectual property, copyright, and translation tools.
To resolve the question of TM ownership, at ForeignExchange we incorporate this in all of our agreements with clients and subcontractors. Everybody involved in medical translation - client, translation company, individual linguist - should review these resources and formulate their own policies and legal framework so that they can answer the question "who owns the TM" once and for all.
Before you go, here are some additional resources around TMs and intellectual property:
- When TMs jump the shark
- Trademarks and translation
- Primer: Translation memory vs. glossary
- 100% text repetitions: To review or not to review
Additional stimuli; listen to the following online interview on the particular topic:
http://blogproz.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/proz-com-podcast-2011-12-16.mp3
Sunday 11 December 2011
Translation and Taxonomy
By Content Rules
Which Came First: The Taxonomy or the Translation?
Another interesting session I attended at the Gilbane Conference in Boston last week was called Creating Multilingual Taxonomies. The speakers, Heather Hedden and Ross Leher, were clearly experts in the field of taxonomy development. I enjoyed hearing their thoughts about multilingual taxonomy and seeing some of the workflow that they use with their customers.
As my readers know, I have a special interest in terminology, particularly how it relates to translation and localization. Taxonomy in the linguistic sense is the practice of organizing and classifying terms. I think that the discipline of multilingual taxonomy is growing, as more companies translate more content (terms) into more languages every day.
Read full article at: http://www.contentrules.com/blog/which-came-first-the-taxonomy-or-the-translation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Blogger's Note: Taxonomy...has nothing to do with tax (as economic term) ;)
Which Came First: The Taxonomy or the Translation?
Another interesting session I attended at the Gilbane Conference in Boston last week was called Creating Multilingual Taxonomies. The speakers, Heather Hedden and Ross Leher, were clearly experts in the field of taxonomy development. I enjoyed hearing their thoughts about multilingual taxonomy and seeing some of the workflow that they use with their customers.
As my readers know, I have a special interest in terminology, particularly how it relates to translation and localization. Taxonomy in the linguistic sense is the practice of organizing and classifying terms. I think that the discipline of multilingual taxonomy is growing, as more companies translate more content (terms) into more languages every day.
Read full article at: http://www.contentrules.com/blog/which-came-first-the-taxonomy-or-the-translation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Blogger's Note: Taxonomy...has nothing to do with tax (as economic term) ;)
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Software Localisation
Bridging language barriers between doctors and patients via technology
Universal Doctor is an application developed for smart phones and tablets with the purpose of facilitating communication and understanding between healthcare providers and patients of various origins. Translated in different European languages (English, Spanish, Slovak, French, Norwegian and soon in Greek) it is a project-initiative of a Spanish Doctor to watch out for, since it is about to occupy the EU medical market.
Regarding the process of localising such a software, it could be said that it is a great experience because it involves the combination of different disciplines such as language studies, software developing and online content editing. The process is simple as long as a log in user name and password is provided to the translator, who afterwards accesses the online platform, uses Spanish as a source language and creates linguistic content in his/hers target language (in this case Greek). Eventually, consulting reference material, such as translations in English, or any other already existing target language, becomes essential in order to achieve an accurate transfer of meaning.
You certainly do not want a patient to answer "My name is Richard Wright" to the question: "Do you have a headache?"
In a later stage, all phrases in source and target languages will be recorded and implemented in the software, so the operation system (PC, smart phone, tablet etc.) will not only display the dialogue on screen, but it will also "speak it out" to both counterparts (healthcare specialists and patients/visitors).
If you want to find out more about the Universal Doctor Project you can visit the links below in order to receive a better understanding of how this functions.
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Translating and the Computer Conference
Translating and the Computer Conference
"Join us at the 33rd Translating and the Computer Conference! The conference is a meeting point for translators, researchers and students in the translation and localization field".
"This year we have presentations from speakers from a wide range of organizations including the European Commission, WIPO, NATA, Google Localisation, and W3C".
17 - 18 November 2011, London.
For the full program please visit:
Conference Program
Sunday 30 October 2011
On the Translation of Video Games
Miguel Bernal Merino, Roehampton University, London
Since the development by the MIT of the very first video game called Spacewar in 1962, the video games industry has evolved dramatically to become a worldwide phenomenon worth billions. Although most games are developed in English and Japanese, the new global market and the great investment required have pushed developers and publishers to translate their games into many other languages. This has brought about a new field of specialisation in translation, commonly known in the industry as 'game localisation'. Without much debate on the topic, terminology has spread in all directions, with new terms being coined, and old terms being appropriated by the industry to convey new realities. The aim of this article is precisely to explore the terminology and clarify terms to help future research in this area of translation studies.
1. Introduction
The twentieth century saw the emergence and popularisation of a new branch within the leisure industry: the electronic and interactive entertainment. Great technological improvements have taken us from the early pinball machines in the late 1920s, to today's third generation consoles. The simple off-hour recreations of computer engineers in the 1960s have now developed into a very complex and lucrative industry. ESA, the Entertainment Software Association in the US, states in its consumer survey published in may 2006 many interesting results, for example: sales were over 7 billion dollars, the average game player age is 33, and 38% of players are female. This is a very different image to the stereotypical image of the teenage male gamer. Video gaming is now a global phenomenon capable of producing as much revenue and anticipation as the film industry. Translation has played a key part in the exponential revenue increase, so much so that, according to McArthy (2005:146): the localization process, which has historically been a simple matter of tacking on a few quick text translations at the end of the development process, has become an integral part of the development cycle, and so needs to be addressed form the outset.
Entertainment software is designed nowadays to accommodate different languages and cultures, allowing, on the one hand, the simultaneous release of titles, and on the other, the interaction in real-time of thousands of online gamers. Globalisation has influenced all economic sectors and has increased the demand for translation services like never before. Globalised industries seem to require a variety of different services from translators, which is opening up new specialisations within language transfer itself. We hear terms like 'localisation' (Chandler, 2005) and 'transcreation' (Mangiron and O'Hagan, 2006) associated with the translation of utility and entertainment software. The terms are not actually new but they have been revamped by economy and marketing professionals due to the new nature of our globalised market. The adoption of these terms by translation vendors points at two important issues: the need for a review of translation studies terminology, and, perhaps, a shift in the role that some translators and translated products are expected to play within a globalised 21st century world.
This article will try to analyse and clarify some of the terms used in the industry with a view to locating the translation of video games within translation studies.
Read full article at: http://www.jostrans.org/issue06/art_bernal.php
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