Yeah Howard, That is exactly my axe too. The thing is, I could have created a drama for the translator, yeah who gives a faecal matter if its off my desk. But the faecal matter always comes back. Eventually. My principle is to make it as easy as you can for everyone else involved, especially if the price is a quote. Like today... 14:20: "I need a diagram done, can you do it?" "Sure, send it to me" "Need it by 16:30" 15:15: "Have you got it yet" "No, you were going to send it to me." "I did, I faxed it to the main office number, without a cover page, it wasn't addressed to you." "When?" "Oh, ten minutes ago? I think." The main office number means two floors down, to people who don't know I exist. So I have got to go chasing now... Maybe. Bottle brunettes... The intelligence is all artificial. Warren Lewington Technical Writer Phone: 02 8572 3195 warren.lewington@xxxxxxxxxx John Holland Water Projects Howard.Silcock@xxxxxxxxxxx Sent by: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 08/05/2007 03:22 PM Please respond to austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx cc Subject atw: Re: Greek, etc [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED] 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> Sent by: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 08/05/2007 10:29 AM Please respond to austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx cc Subject 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 ______________________________________________________________________ This email and any information transmitted with it are confidential and for use by the intended Addressee only. The confidential nature of the information is not waived, lost or destroyed by being sent to you. Use or dissemination of this information by a recipient other than the intended Addressee may cause commercial loss or damage for which you may become liable. If you are not the intended Addressee of this email please immediately contact the Sender and destroy this email. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ This email and any information transmitted with it are confidential and for use by the intended Addressee only. The confidential nature of the information is not waived, lost or destroyed by being sent to you. Use or dissemination of this information by a recipient other than the intended Addressee may cause commercial loss or damage for which you may become liable. If you are not the intended Addressee of this email please immediately contact the Sender and destroy this email. ______________________________________________________________________