tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13091201185180058852011-07-28T14:01:54.964+02:00Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comBlogger131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-45048257879731547042010-09-06T09:29:00.004+02:002010-09-06T09:38:14.924+02:00Many non-translator friends have recently quizzed me about Google Translate. Some laud its ease of use and the respectable quality of its input (for a machine). But it has the nefarious effect of commoditising translation — which is something translation agencies have been doing for years, mind you.<div><br /></div><div>Translation becomes reduced to mere words or, thanks to Google, phrases. </div><div><br /></div><div>Top-quality translation will always look beyond the words on the page to achieve "equivalence". This entails using the most appropriate syntactic structures for the target language in question, editing out detail that would be superfluous in the mind of the target-language reader, and adding in extra information that may be needed to assist comprehension.</div><div><br /></div><div>Can't imagine Google ever achieving that... </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-4504825787973154704?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-12801119049242652032010-05-07T12:48:00.002+02:002010-05-07T12:49:45.469+02:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/S-PwOiXBR1I/AAAAAAAAABg/feDL9b-mags/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-07+at+12.41.04.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/S-PwOiXBR1I/AAAAAAAAABg/feDL9b-mags/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-07+at+12.41.04.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468478505090107218" /></a><br />More and more companies are realising English language communications are essential to tapping the Swiss market, whatever the industry.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-1280111904924265203?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-2097853984987168332010-04-29T10:41:00.001+02:002010-04-29T10:42:25.222+02:00Happening in Luxembourg this year, 7-9 July<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-209785398498716833?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-4401616480538200032010-04-29T10:40:00.000+02:002010-04-29T10:41:00.512+02:00I have been accepted as a official freelance translator for the IMF as from May 2010.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-440161648053820003?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-23509536643888734582009-11-14T12:03:00.003+01:002009-11-14T12:46:25.297+01:00Interesting book review (Googled: The End of the World as We Know It) in the Economist this week about Google's tendency to disrupt industries other than its own, traditional one of online search. <div><br /></div><div>One industry -- unfortunately not mentioned in the article -- is online translation. Google's service features a minimalist interface and is particular easy to use. If you don't like the translation it spews out, you can always contribute your own in the hope that, if everybody does the same, then eventually what we'll have on our hands is a reliable universal machine translator.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my opinion, this does not spell the death of the translation industry; rather, it heralds the demise of "information-only" translation services. It's no secret that rates charged for translation are falling sharply. Place the blame where you want to.* </div><div><br /></div><div>Out of the ashes, I believe, rises what is sometimes known as "premium translation". This is not a shabby excuse to charge customers more because we believe "we're worth it" (although many translators in this category actually are; and moreover, all we want in the current troubled times is to hold our prices steady). It is first and foremost a response saying "enough is enough". From my standpoint, it means that I want to continue offering writing services, whether sourced from a translation or from a communication brief, that are sensitive to the customer's image and compliant with their business.* <b>Constantly</b> falling prices will result, one day, in it being more lucrative to "take out people's trash" (to use Christine Durban's phrase) than to study translation for five years and then accumulate several years of in-house experience in order to operate as a freelance translator. When I called in an electrician to make some changes to my new (home) office, I didn't try to talk him down on price. Price wasn't the issue: the issue was having a safe, reliable electrical installation. </div><div><br /></div><div>With the right "connections" (in the building trade), I could have got someone round to do it illegally. If price was all I was worried about, then fine. But I would run the risk of melting wires and electrical fires. (After all, one-quarter of fires in the home have an electrical origin.)</div><div><br /></div><div>So, there will always be someone out there who is cheaper. But "premium" means not only a better quality text generally but also a service aligned to the customer's needs and deadlines.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the translators out there, make your choice: you can be a "machine" or a "person", with all the enhancements the latter can bring to a customer's business.</div><div><br /></div><div>* In translating investment research, a thorough knowledge of the underlying concepts is essential to avoid sending people scurrying the direction opposite to that desired by the original author. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-2350953664388873458?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-54180376228247823852009-08-18T15:28:00.001+02:002009-08-18T15:29:03.667+02:00The University of Geneva is running a Technical Editing course on 2nd October.<div><br /></div><div>More details: <a href="http://www.unige.ch/eti/enseignements/formations/formation-continue/formations-qualifiantes/TechnicalEditing.pdf">http://www.unige.ch/eti/enseignements/formations/formation-continue/formations-qualifiantes/TechnicalEditing.pdf</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-5418037622824782385?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-28286586225922799782009-06-23T16:13:00.002+02:002009-06-23T16:15:42.951+02:00ASTTI, the Swiss association of translators, interpreters and taxidermists, is holding its summer translation conference in Spiez this year. For more info, go to: http://www.astti.ch/fr/collegues/formation/universite-dete<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-2828658622592279978?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-27949866912145797302009-04-30T16:24:00.001+02:002009-04-30T16:25:56.018+02:00Many moons ago seasoned translator Christine Durban produced a useful guide to buying translations.<div><br /></div><div>It can be consulted by visiting: http://www.atanet.org/docs/Getting_it_right.pdf</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy reading!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-2794986691214579730?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-75617989457670602252009-04-08T11:22:00.003+02:002009-04-08T18:42:36.192+02:00My new website can be consulted by going to <a href="http://www.michael-dever.com">www.michael-dever.com</a><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-7561798945767060225?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-89570682019433589512009-04-05T16:12:00.002+02:002009-04-05T16:14:45.860+02:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/Sdi8pLWYCgI/AAAAAAAAABU/8xkOFV3pK1w/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/Sdi8pLWYCgI/AAAAAAAAABU/8xkOFV3pK1w/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321210375345539586" /></a><br /><div>Call for papers for an interesting conference scheduled in Geneva this November.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-8957068201943358951?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-89500633038112638712009-03-10T19:14:00.003+01:002009-03-10T19:19:47.790+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavK69yDGI/AAAAAAAAAAs/B5NGiL-eez8/s1600-h/2572_56136732085_827772085_1389236_212259_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavK69yDGI/AAAAAAAAAAs/B5NGiL-eez8/s320/2572_56136732085_827772085_1389236_212259_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311625412692020322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavKe5ZnCI/AAAAAAAAAAk/RtKiFUeo1yI/s1600-h/2572_56136722085_827772085_1389234_4487493_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavKe5ZnCI/AAAAAAAAAAk/RtKiFUeo1yI/s320/2572_56136722085_827772085_1389234_4487493_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311625405157448738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavKYHaqnI/AAAAAAAAAAc/CDl1veBCdHo/s1600-h/2572_56136707085_827772085_1389231_973757_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavKYHaqnI/AAAAAAAAAAc/CDl1veBCdHo/s320/2572_56136707085_827772085_1389231_973757_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311625403337190002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavKIUDGoI/AAAAAAAAAAU/LVfaxZr5xuM/s1600-h/2572_56136697085_827772085_1389229_741432_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/SbavKIUDGoI/AAAAAAAAAAU/LVfaxZr5xuM/s320/2572_56136697085_827772085_1389229_741432_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311625399095204482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/Sbau7Q6_pOI/AAAAAAAAAAM/q0yU8rVgJe8/s1600-h/2572_56136717085_827772085_1389233_1775900_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_llaodUYvMO4/Sbau7Q6_pOI/AAAAAAAAAAM/q0yU8rVgJe8/s320/2572_56136717085_827772085_1389233_1775900_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311625143708001506" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-8950063303811263871?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-62220921416503970192009-03-06T23:07:00.004+01:002009-03-09T20:39:04.008+01:00News<br /><br />The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has recommended that English be adopted as a semi-official language in Switzerland to accommodate the growing number of expats seconded medium-term to the country for whom learning French, German or Italian would be a futile exercise -- by the time they reach proficiency, it’s often time to leave. See <a href="http://www.snf.ch/F/NewsPool/Pages/mm_fev17f.aspx">http://www.snf.ch/F/NewsPool/Pages/mm_fev17f.aspx</a> (in French).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-6222092141650397019?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1309120118518005885.post-1112901734786287242009-03-06T16:35:00.000+01:002009-03-06T16:41:48.818+01:00Well, it comes from Saint Paul: "Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me".<div><br /></div><div>This blog is all about communicating wisely to an audience. Its focus is commercial, coz that's what I do... y'know. I want to promote best practices in English-language communication --either texts translated from other languages or written starting from a creative brief.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a look around but mind your head...</div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br /></div><div>m!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1309120118518005885-111290173478628724?l=achtungbarbarians.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michael Deverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13582125133771169269noreply@blogger.com