atw: Re: Greek, etc [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
- From: Howard.Silcock@xxxxxxxxxxx
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 15:22:04 +1000
Hi Warren
Yes, I see what you're saying. Perhaps I got the wrong idea from the
examples you gave. If the issue was just the abbreviations and
contractions you mentioned, I find it hard to see how there could be
ambiguity or any extra work for a translator unless he or she was really
ignorant of English and had to (for example) look up "can't" in a
dictionary. But maybe there were other examples where the shortening
could have introduced ambiguities.
I have a bit of an axe to grind here, having done a short stint as a
translator many years ago. In one translation there was a word that
completely defeated me until I realised that the author had taken an
acronym, removed the capitalisation and added a noun or verb ending (it
was an inflected language), turning it into a word that no dictionary knew
about. Also the original included references that would just make no sense
to an English-speaking audience (and which therefore were equally hard for
me to figure out). I had to put in footnotes to explain these. I suppose
these are the extras that bump up the cost - however, it was a
fixed-price job so I couldn't claim extra for the time it took me to
figure them out!
So I tend to expect a translator to be able to handle these kinds of
hurdles too. Nowadays people expect software translation packages to do
all this for them - and seem surprised when they can't!
Howard
Warren Lewington <Warren.Lewington@xxxxxxxxxx>
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atw: Re: Greek, etc [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Topic
TRIM File Ref
I was given those suggestions while in consultation with the translator
BEFORE I commenced writing the document. This consultation was to make all
our lives easier. The translator stated it would be easier to complete the
job if shortening was not done in the initial document. It would make it
more clear to readers of other languages because removing the shortening
removed potential ambiguities in translation.
It would also make it CHEAPER for the translation service to do the job -
a commercial reality that impressed the client enough to extend my time at
the site.
Technical writing is all about balancing commercial reality, art and
seeking the best outcome of stakeholders (note the order); not just about
enforcing the purism of writing.
I leave the freedom for creativity and purism in writing for doing my
novels or other authoring.
Warren Lewington
Technical Writer
Phone: 02 8572 3195
warren.lewington@xxxxxxxxxx
John Holland Water Projects
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