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The
Chronicle
A Publication of the American Translators Association
VOLUME XXIX • NUMBER 10
OCTOBER 2000
Focus on the Law and
Translating/Interpreting
Featured Language: Italian
The
Chronicle
Features
Proofreading Translations: A Checklist, not a Blank Check
A Publication of the American Translators Association By Dena Bugel-Shunra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Volume XXIX, Number 10 After a translation is completed, the next step is proofreading.
October 2000
Whether you commission your own proofreader or your client takes
care of that side of the transaction, you can spare yourself a lot of
grief if you put together a list of proofreading requirements and
submit it with the translation.
Wills and Estates in Italy
By Marica Pariante Angelides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
This article will answer the following questions: 1) According to
Italian law, when is an Italian will valid?; and 2) Can an American
citizen living abroad challenge an Italian will? At the same time, the
article will also give an Italian version of the most relevant legal
terms a translator is likely to encounter.
Concision in Technical Translations from English into Italian
By Roberto Crivello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A few methods and suggestions on pruning wordiness in technical
translations from English into Italian.
Focus on the Law and Fossil DNA, the Perfect Language, and the Internet
Translating/Interpreting By Roberto Arcangeli (English translation by Anne Milano Appel) . . . 20
Featured Language: The hunt for the fossil DNA of Indo-European languages: the nth
Italian attempt to exhume the “perfect language.” A fruitless endeavor since
linguistic diversity is not divine retribution, but the successful result
Photo: Occulus and dome of the Pantheon.
of human evolution.
The Challenges of Working as a Court Interpreter in Germany
By Barbara M. Mueller-Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Monthly Columns
The work of a court interpreter in criminal cases in Germany is
From the Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . 7
interesting, but can be very frustrating for beginners. One reason
From the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
for this is that in most of the Laender (states), there are few possi-
ATA Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
bilities available for learning or improving the skills interpreters
Upcoming Conferences and
need for the job. The article focuses on the situation in the state of
Educational Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Hessen. Topics include the qualifications and procedure for
Dictionary Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 becoming a court interpreter, the criminal courts (the players,
Translating Into Success. American
Translators Association’s Scholarly status, selection, and role of court interpreters, as well as the
Monograph Series, Vol. XI working conditions), and other employers of sworn interpreters.
Reviewed by Leland D. Wright, Jr. Finally, the role of the German Interpreters and Translators Asso-
The Translation Inquirer . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 ciation in providing forums for discussion, opportunities for fur-
Compiled by John Decker ther education, and trying to improve conditions for court inter-
Accreditation Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 preters and translators will also be discussed.
Humor and Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Italian Translations: To Edit and How to Edit—This Is the Question
By Mark Herman
By Carmela Pacchioni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Display Advertising Index . . . . . . . . . .. 64
Nowadays, editors are in big demand in the Italian translation
ATA Chapters and Regional Groups . . .. 60
market, and almost no translation company would simply take a text
Classified Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 62
from a translator and deliver it to the client without at least proof-
Accreditation Exam Sites . . . . . . . . . .. 62
reading or editing it. Nonetheless, editing is a very broad concept
New Active and Corresponding Members .. 62
worth discussing in detail so as to prevent misunderstanding and
unpleasant surprises.
Mission Impossible—Monty Python in Swedish?
By Monica Scheer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
What happens when an entirely new kind of humor, and foreign on
top of that, befalls Swedish television viewers? How does the trans-
lator cope in a subtitling country like Sweden where translation
already has two kinds of restrictions: limitations of space and time?
The
AN EASY REFERENCE TO ATA MEMBER BENEFITS
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counted programs and services available to you as an ATA member. Be sure to tell
Chronicle A Publication of the American Translators Association
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Walter Bacak
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be included in the table of contents.
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tion, and space limitations.
If you find that the information on the mailing label is inaccurate or out of date, please let us know. Send updates to: 9) A proof will be sent to you for review prior to publication.
The ATA Chronicle • 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590 • Alexandria, VA 22314 Standard Length
Fax (703) 683-6122 • Chronicle@atanet.org Letters to the editor: 350 words; Opinion/Editorial: 300-600 words;
Feature Articles: 750-3,000 words; Column: 400-1,000 words
4 ATA Chronicle • October 2000Features Continued
Need a membership Bond Clauses in Spanish Contracts: A Brief Overview
By Leland D. Wright, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
form for a colleague?
The article discusses the various types of bond clauses found in
Want the latest list Spanish-language contractual documents and the reasons for their
of exam sites? existence. It introduces the most commonly used Spanish terms and
phraseology and their English counterparts, illustrated by excerpts
Call ATA’s Document on taken from a number of Latin American texts that the author has trans-
Request line, available lated over the years. Finally, it offers suggestions on how to deal with
24-hours a day: different kinds of translation problems confronted by translators of
Spanish legal texts.
Legal Translation: A Personal Perspective
By Enéas Theodoro Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1-888-990-3282 This is a personal view of legal translation by someone with many
years of experience in this field who has learned many tough lessons.
This experience is reflected in some theoretical and practical musings
The Call is toll-free and user-friendly... which focus on the U.S. and Brazilian legal systems.
simply follow the voice prompts
and have the ATA documents Forensic Transcribing and Translating: Who should perform the work?
you need faxed to you. By Sandro Tomasi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
This article presents a brief case law history of how transcripts are
Here’s the current list of documents allowed into court procedures. Outlined in the article are the steps
that are available and
that have been taken by the courts to ensure accurate transcript/trans-
their document numbers:
lation documents. Conclusions are made, based on the case law
reviewed, as to who should perform transcript/translation work.
Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
What a Difference a Word Makes: Yiddish Connotation in Isaac
Membership Brochure . . . . . . . . . .20
Bashevis Singer’s ‘Gimpel the Fool’
Membership Application . . . . . . . . .21 By Lillian Schanfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Alternative Routes to Active or
This article compares the influential 1953 English translation by
Corresponding Membership . . . . .22 Saul Bellow to Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 1945 Yiddish text, which
A Guide to ATA Accreditation . . . .30 uses two different Yiddish words for the English word “fool”—tam
ATA Accreditation Practice Test and narr, arguing that the burden of the story lies in the distinction
Request Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 between these two connotative words. It suggests that Gimpel, the
ATA Accreditation Examination “fool” character, actually wills his own credulity by subscribing to
Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . .32
a non-empirical definition of reality—a Platonic or Kabbalistic
conceptualization of material and spiritual realms. This leads to the
Request for Accreditation Review . .33
conclusion that the story is about the nature of faith. Brief consid-
List of Publications &
eration is given to several differences that might have occurred in
Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 this translation as a result of the passage of 50 years, during which
Editorial Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . .50 time we have seen an increasing celebration of ethnic differences in
Chronicle Advertising Rates . . . . . .51 American culture and literature.
1994 Chronicle Index . . . . . . . . . . .52
1995 Chronicle Index . . . . . . . . . . .53
1996 Chronicle Index . . . . . . . . . . .54
1997 Chronicle Index . . . . . . . . . . .55
For Long-Term Planners...
1998 Chronicle Index . . . . . . . . . . .56 Future Annual Conference
1999 Chronicle Index . . . . . . . . . . .57 Sites and Dates
ATA Code of
Professional Conduct . . . . . . . . . 58
ATAware Order Form . . . . . . . . . . .60 Los Angeles, California Phoenix, Arizona
Chapters, Affiliated Groups & October 31- November 5-8, 2003
Other Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 November 3, 2001
Model Contract for Translators . . . .90 Atlanta, Georgia Toronto, Canada
November 6-9, 2002 October 13-16, 2004
Visit our Website at www.atanet.org
ATA Chronicle • October 2000 5About Our Authors...
Marica Pariante Angelides is an Italian lawyer teaches technical translation and general interpretation at the Isti-
who provides freelance legal consulting, trans- tuto San Pellegrino in Misano Adriatico, Italy. She can be reached
lating, and interpreting services. She is ATA- at mcp@tsc4.com.
accredited (English>Italian). She holds a Laurea in
Giurisprudenza from the Università La Sapienza in Lillian Schanfield is a professor of English at
Rome and a Master of Laws from the University of Barry University in Miami, Florida. She holds
Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. She now lives in Wash- degrees from the University of Miami, University
ington, D.C., and can be reached at marica@angelides.net. of Montreal, Barry University, and Oxford Univer-
sity. Her publications reflect a broad, frequently
Roberto Arcangeli, born in Rome in 1956, has interdisciplinary, interest in women’s studies, lan-
resided in Sweden since 1989. Authorized by the guage theory, anthropology, and literature. Her most recent essays
Swedish government to translate legal texts and have been about Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick, Susan Glaspell,
official government documents, he specializes in William Shakespeare, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Yiddish was her
translating from English- and Swedish-into-Italian first language. She can be reached at lschanfield@mail.barry.edu.
in the technical, mechanical, and automotive fields.
After law studies at Urbino University, he worked as a sales man- Monica Scheer has been working as a subtitler for
ager in an Italian textile company until 1989, and was co-owner of Swedish television since 1964, translating from
a Swedish stock firm in the import-export sector. He has been a English-, French-, Italian-, and Russian-into-
professional translator since 1993. He recently gave up his capital Swedish. Throughout the years she has been
shares in other activities in order to devote himself exclusively to teaching the techniques of subtitling to translators.
the art of translation. Since 1997, she has been giving lectures on subti-
tling abroad, for translation students in London and Dublin, and at
Anne Milano Appel specializes in commercial and literary trans- international language conferences in Helsinki, Barcelona, and
lations from Italian-to-English. Formerly a director of public Catania. She can be reached at monica.scheer@pi.se.
libraries, she has also taught English, Italian, and English as a
Second Language, and holds a Ph.D. in Romance languages and Enéas Theodoro, Jr. taught legal translation classes at the São
literature. She can be reached at aappel@aol.com. Paulo Alumni Association in Brazil. As a certified public trans-
lator, he was a partner for more than 10 years in a legal translation
Dena Bugel-Shunra has been translating and interpreting profes- firm in São Paulo with several attorneys who were also certified
sionally for over a decade. Her main activity is in the field of IT, public translators. His work as a translator over the last 20 years
with a sub-specialization in legal translation. Teaming up with a has concentrated almost solely on the legal field. He can be
Lantra-listmate, she’s been running the U.S. side of Bugel-Shunra reached at theodoro@attglobal.net.
Translation, Writing, and Consulting since 1997. She can be
reached at dena@shunra.net or www.shunra.net/dena.html. Sandro Tomasi is a certified court (New York) and medical
(Washington) interpreter (Spanish) and is currently working with
Roberto Crivello is a freelance technical translator. Born and raised the Office of the Bronx District Attorney in New York City as a
in Palermo, Italy, he lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. He holds graduate full-time interpreter, where he has performed extensive work as a
degrees in engineering in both Italy and the U.S., and has held engi- transcriber/translator. He is currently the chairman of the Profes-
neering positions in both countries. He is ATA-accredited from sional Development Committee for the Legal Interpreters and
English-into-Italian, and is administrator of ATA’s Italian Language Translators Association in New York City. He can be reached at
Division. He can be reached at roberto@rcrivello.com. yodro@aol.com.
Barbara M. Mueller-Grant interrupted her studies towards a Leland D. Wright, Jr. (called Lee by virtually everyone but his
Ph.D. in Germanics to spend a year in Germany. She began mother, a few recalcitrant relatives, and telemarketers who don’t
working for a language school as a teacher and translator. She know how to pronounce his given name) has been an accredited
passed the Hessian state examinations for translators and inter- (Spanish>English), active member of ATA since 1975, serving
preters in 1980, and has been working as a freelance translator and two terms as an ATA director and four years as editor of the
interpreter for 20 years, specializing in legal, business, and med- Chronicle, plus handling various other duties within the ATA and
ical translations. Her extracurricular activities include serving on the Northeast Ohio Translators Association over the years. After
the board of directors of the Hessian State Translators Association, working eight years as the in-house translator for a major interna-
as well as on a number of federal association committees. She can tional engineering and construction firm, he went freelance in
be reached at BarbaraMueller@t-online.de. 1982, offering his professional services to local clients and to a
number of translation companies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe,
Carmela Pacchioni graduated from the Scuola as well as assisting in the development and marketing of termi-
Superiore per Interpreti e Traduttori in Bologna, nology management software. Since 1990, he has been an adjunct
Italy, in 1986, and is an ATA-accredited (Eng- associate professor of Spanish translation at Kent State University
lish>Italian) freelance translator and interpreter (Institute for Applied Linguistics), where he enjoys teaching an
based in Modena, Italy. She also works as an editor annual M.A.-level course in commercial and legal translation. He
for Italian and foreign translation companies, and can be reached at LW1341204@aol.com.
6 ATA Chronicle • October 2000ATA Offers Retirement Programs
helps participants make the best decisions for
A
TA has just made it easier and cheaper
for ATA members to set up a retirement their specific situation.
program. ATA President Ann Macfar- • The plan is backed by the financial strength From the
lane recently signed an agreement with the of MassMutual, one of the country’s top
Washington Pension Center (WPC) to offer 401(k) providers and money managers. Executive
retirement programs to ATA members.
The programs are tailored for small busi-
Director
When shopping for an organization to offer
ATA members retirement plans, I was armed nesses, from independent contractors to larger Walter Bacak, CAE
with the knowledge and experience of setting translation and interpretation service compa- Walter@atanet.org
up the 401(k) plan for the ATA staff. In partic- nies. The programs offer something for every-
ular, I was attuned to the setup fees and admin- one, including simple IRAs.
istrative costs. And, just as I got a great deal And, if you already have a retirement program
through my membership in the American in place, it cannot hurt you to make the call and
Society for Association Executives, ATA mem- compare your plan to the ones being offered by
bers are getting a great deal with the programs ATA and WPC. For more information, please
offered by WPC. contact Harry Martens with WPC at (301) 941-
9179 or hmartens@washfinancial.com.
Here’s what WPC has to offer: By the way, this program was set up in
• Comprehensive enrollment support to assist response to member feedback. If there is a pro-
you to fully understand the plan. gram or service you would like to see ATA offer,
• Ongoing participant support through the toll- please contact me and I will see what we can do.
free Participant Information Center, a free
800-phone line staffed by highly trained Susan Dashiell Joins ATA Staff
retirement specialists. Susan Dashiell has joined the ATA staff as
• A high quality selection of top-rated mutual meetings and administration manager. She will
funds, including Fidelity, T.Rowe Price, be responsible for handling various aspects of
Oppenheimer, Morgan Stanley, and Janus. the ATA Annual Conference and for taking care
• Complete recordkeeping services, including of a variety of in-house administrative func-
all compliance testing and IRS forms. tions. Prior to ATA, Susan worked for several
• Internet access, which allows you to conduct years for a Washington, D.C. law firm before
transactions and see the status of your quitting to go back to school full-time. She
account 24-hours a day. recently earned her bachelor’s degree from
• Assistance in planning retirement via “The George Mason University.
Journey,” a complete interactive Website that
ATA’S DOCUMENT ON REQUEST LINE 1-888-990-3282
Need a membership form for a colleague? Want the latest list of exam sites? Call ATA’s
Document on Request line, available 24-hours a day. For a menu of available
documents, please press 1 at the prompt, or visit ATA’s Website at
www.atanet.org.
ATA Chronicle • October 2000 7Gnutella Free Riders
presenting at conferences or regional events; or
T
he “Gnutella” of my title is not a new
kind of chewy, nutty candy bar, but an participating in listserves or other online forums,
From the Internet file-sharing system that has I find 20 percent a reasonable guess as to the
number of members who offer something to the
been much in the news. Gnutella is one of the
President systems whereby computer users can share their community of their peers. And it seems to me that
music files with each other for free by down- we are not quite in the lopsided Gnutella situa-
Ann G. Macfarlane loading from each other’s computers. An August tion, with one percent offering a two-fifths share.
president@atanet.org We are more fortunate in having many people
study on the traffic in Gnutella gave some
telling statistics. The system had been set up in making smaller contributions as they are able.
an Eden-like vision of generosity, with the idea So what about you, fearless reader, ATA
that music lovers everywhere would be able to member, participant in our professional associa-
share and share alike, taking pleasure in the art tion? Are you a “free rider,” or do you benefit
they possessed and offering it to peers. The from the efforts of your peers enough that you
reality is that 70 percent of those who connected feel called to offer something in return? We are
to the system during the 24-hour study period all volunteers, and we are all enriched by the
offered no files at all to download. In the words experience, wisdom, knowledge, and perspi-
of Economist magazine, “A mere 20% provided cacity that our colleagues provide through the
98% of the material. Indeed, the most generous ATA. If you haven’t yet taken the step of writing
1% served up about 40% of it.” for the Chronicle, serving on the Board of a
This led me to do a little freehand calculation chapter, or making a presentation at the ATA
of my own. Making rough estimates for the Annual Conference, why not step up to the
number of people actively involved as volunteers plate? You’ll get more than a candy bar’s worth
in their chapter or division; serving on an ATA of reward, I promise you, and you’ll be making
committee or in the accreditation program; the ATA a better place for all of us.
writing for the Chronicle or other newsletters;
"Innovations"
IJET-12@Monterey/2001
Twelfth International Japanese/English Translation Conference
Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, 2001
Monterey, California
Cost (includes dinner Saturday night at the Monterey Bay Aquarium)
Standard fee: $200, Student rate: $100
The twelfth IJET conference will be held in Monterey, California, an area of breathtaking natural beauty as well as world-class
sights, including the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pebble Beach Golf Course. Only two hours from San Francisco and
an hour from Silicon Valley, Monterey offers not only top-level conference facilities and accommodations, but a wide variety of
leisure activities as well.
This IJET conference will cover many issues of interest to Japanese and English translators, but will place special emphasis on
the technical innovations that have had such a powerful impact on the world over the last few years, especially on the translation
industry. A limited number of rooms is being offered at a special rate at the Doubletree Hotel, and early hotel reservations are rec-
ommended. (Doubletree Hotel contact information is on the IJET-12 Website.)
For further information and to register, visit the Website at: www.ijet.org/ ijet-12 or contact Alan Siegrist at: ijet-12@ijet.org.
8 ATA Chronicle • October 2000ATA Chronicle • October 2000 9
ATA ACTIVITIES
Accreditation Conference (Please see “From the Executive Direc-
• The new exam year started with two • ATA’s 41st Annual Conference took tor” in this issue for more information.)
sittings in Orlando, Florida. place in Orlando, Florida.
• An exam sitting has been added in Salt Public Relations
Lake City, Utah. Membership • ATA continues to work with the
• ATA Membership surpassed last American Foundation for Translation
Board year’s record of 7,278 members with and Interpretation, the Fédération
• The elections were held for the Board of 7,340 members as of September 1. Internationale des Traducteurs, the
Directors. (The results will be announced This is 7.9 percent ahead of last year ASTM Translation User Standards
in the November/December issue.) at this time. and Language Interpreting Projects,
• The Board met September 23-24 in and the Localisation Industry Stan-
Orlando. (The highlights of the meeting Membership Services dards Association.
will be in the November/December • ATA now offers retirement programs
issue.) through Washington Pension Center.
VISIT ATA’S WEBSITE
www.atanet.org
10 ATA Chronicle • October 2000Upcoming Conferences and Educational Programs
TRADOS Workshops schmitz@fh-koeln.de; or visit www.fbi.fh-koeln.de/DEUTERM/
TRADOS Corporation offers one-day training workshops ivsw2000E.htm for more information.
each month for Translator’s Workbench, MultiTerm, and
WinAlign at its site at 113 S. Columbus Street, Alexandria, Vir- Society for Technical Communication 48th Annual Conference
ginia. Attendance is limited. For more information, contact: Tel: May 13-16, 2001
(703) 683-6900; Fax: (703) 683-9457; E-mail: eva@trados.com Chicago Hyatt Regency • Chicago, Illinois
or www.trados.com. The Society for Technical Communication will hold its 48th
Annual Conference at the Chicago Hyatt Regency in Chicago,
Ninth International Technology, Meetings, and Incentives Illinois, May 13-16, 2001. The conference will feature more
October 26-29, 2000 • Bangkok, Thailand than 250 technical sessions covering technical writing, editing,
For more information, please visit www.cimpa.org/itmic.htm. management, Web page design, multimedia, and other subjects
of interest to technical communicators. For more information,
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Translation Seminar please visit the STC office Website at www.stc-va.org (from the
November 4, 2000 main page, select “What’s New”). The site also contains a recap
Arlington, Virginia of STC’s most recent conference, which will give readers a
Alicia Agnese & Associates will hold a one-day Spanish and sense of what the next conference will be like (from the main
English translation seminar on November 4, 2000, in Arlington, page, select “Conferences”). Detailed information on the next
Virginia. There will be concurrent sessions on terminology and conference will be posted on the site later this year. For more
context and contrastive grammatical structures in Spanish and information about STC, please visit www.stc-va.org or call
English. The English-Spanish workshops will be conducted by (703) 522-4114.
Alicia Agnese, and the Spanish-English workshops by Terrence
McElhaney. For more information, call (703) 379-0653; e-mail: Critical Link 3: Interpreters in the Community
info@aagnese.com, or visit www.aagnese.com. May 22-26, 2001
Montreal, Canada
Translation Studies Conference: Recent Theories Critical Link 3: Interpreters in the Community will be held
and Applications in Montreal, Canada from May 22-26, 2001. The specific
University of Salamanca theme for this conference is Interpreting in the Community:
November 16–18, 2000 The Complexity of the Profession. As in the previous two Crit-
Salamanca, Spain ical Link conferences, participants will discuss interpretation
For more information, please contact diicext@gugu.usal.es; in the community (health services, social services, courts, and
Tel: +34-923-294-400 ext. 1174; www.usal.es/precurext (listed schools). The event will provide interpreters, users of inter-
as “Estudios de Traducción,” code number 00087-1). preter services, administrators, and researchers with an oppor-
tunity to share experiences, explore the complexity of the
Language Technologies for Dynamic Business in the Age of community interpreter profession, and learn about successful
the Media Conference strategies and models in this rapidly evolving field. The call
November 23-25, 2000 for papers and further information can be found at: www.
University of Applied Sciences Cologne • Cologne, Germany rrsss06.gouv.qc.ca/english/colloque/index2.html.
The 26th Annual Conference of the International Association
of Language and Business will focus on the use of language tech- Call for Papers: Canadian Association of Translation
nologies for customer-oriented services. The following topics Studies 14th Annual Congress
will be discussed: tools for in-company language support; May 26-28, 2001
Internet-based language resources; language as a vehicle for Université Laval • Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
communication in Internet services; multilingualism on the The theme of the conference will be "Translation and Cen-
Internet (as seen by the company); multimedia applications in a sorship." For more information, please contact Dr. Denise
company. The conference is aimed at: top management and Merkle at the Université de Moncton, Département de traduc-
leading figures in industry, commerce, publishing houses, admin- tion et des langues, Casier 30, Faculté des arts, Moncton (Nou-
istration, politics, law, and culture; scientists and academics from veau-Brunswick) E1C 5E6; Tel: (506) 858-4214; Fax: (506) 858-
various related disciplines; and technical writers, translators, 4166; e-mail: merkled@ umoncton.ca; or visit www.uottawa.ca/
interpreters, and terminologists. Please find the registration form associations/act-cats/index.htm for more information.
on our Website or contact: Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dirk Schmitz at Tel:
+49-221-8275-3272; Fax: +49-221-8275-3991; E-mail: klaus.
ATA Chronicle • October 2000 11Proofreading Translations:
A Checklist, not a Blank Check
By Dena Bugel-Shunra
teammates, the first thing we have to do is establish communi-
T
he proofreading issue is a
touchy one. It is hard to sum- cation and set goals.
mon up sufficient humility to This is obviously true if you hire the proofreader, and is less
admit that we not only make mistakes obvious if your client is the one doing the hiring. Is the proof-
while translating, but that it will be reader there to show you up? Well, no, not really. But you may
better, and more economical, if these have to put some effort into making the relationship one of
mistakes are caught by a second pair cooperation rather than mutual obstruction.
of eyes. “Did this text grow errors in My best tool for this has been a very polite letter, written in
the mail?” translators ask, “I really the spirit of humility, to let the proofreader know how much I
did go over it twice, and it had no appreciate their effort, and to suggest which aspects of the text
errors at all!” would benefit most from their talent. It’s a good idea to think
about the content of this letter before writing it, otherwise it
may appear that you are simply shooting off instructions. The
main message to convey in this letter is: “please remove only
...The problem seems to be one of errors; do not rewrite; do not rephrase; just keep out any errors
ego: ours and theirs. Translators like and put back in any omission—and that’s all.” This leads, of
to think their work is perfect, course, to an interesting question.
proofreaders like to prove their work What Is an Error?
is necessary... The proofreader’s job is to find and mark errors, but what is
an error? A spelling mistake is an error. The proofreader should
definitely mark these. But then, so should computerized spell-
Lighten up. To err is human, but to checkers, and you’ll generally run the document through a spell-
proofread well borders on the divine. checker before the proofreader ever gets to see it.
In the ongoing tug-o’-war between How about translations that sound un-English (or un-
translators and clients, the proofreader Hebrew, un-Greek, un-Dutch, or un-French)? How about a
often becomes a phantom to scold us, sentence that is unclear or ambiguous? And how about missing
instead of a benevolent improver of our pieces? Do you expect your proofreader to compare the source
good work. to the translation? Should he count up the number of para-
The problem seems to be one of graphs in the material and query a missing one?
ego: ours and theirs. Translators like to How about punctuation? Are you wedded to your commas?
think their work is perfect, proof- If so, let the proofreader know. Otherwise, let him know that
readers like to prove their work is nec- you won’t object to changes of this type. And how do you feel
essary. One good way to get out of this about translated idioms that sound flat? Would you like those
situation is by rephrasing the previous queried as well?
sentence, as follows, and adding a bit The answers are up to you—and your own particular
on at the end: strengths and flaws. However you answer, it is better that you
think about these issues and provide your proofreader with
Translators like to think their work clear instructions before he starts working.
is perfect, proofreaders like to prove An example of a problem area from my own particular lan-
their work is necessary, and both of guage combination is that nouns, numbers, and verbs have
these professionals can combine gender, and keeping the gender straight has always been partic-
their various skills and cooperate in ularly difficult for me. My proofreaders know this and, while
the creation of an excellent trans- I’ve gotten somewhat better at it over the years, love catching me
lated text. on this error. That’s why I employ them. They’re eager to find an
error—and I’m even more eager to have them find it, rather than
When phrased in this manner, we the client. And errors crop up everywhere, in everyone’s work.
can see ourselves as part of a team:
translator and proofreader working Errors, Errors, Everywhere, nor yet a Spot of Ink
together. And when we work with Once you’ve defined the list of issues you’d like to have
12 ATA Chronicle • October 2000your proofreader deal with, enumerate the items in a polite Getting into Damage Control
letter. You may have noticed I keep saying “polite letter.” What if the worst has happened?
There’s a reason for this repetition: it is very hard to maintain Your client’s aunt spent her junior year
the kind of politeness that will be needed in order to get in Paris or Amsterdam, and she thinks
around the proofreader’s two greatest professional deformi- you should change your translation.
ties. These are a tendency toward the extreme side on a scale She’s marked it all up, and your client
ranging from careless to pedantic, and a sense of doing a job gets back to you with a more-in-
that is mostly unappreciated. sorrow-than-in-anger question: “What
Pedantry is defined as “slavish attention to rules, details, do you have to say for yourself?”
etc.” In most parts of life, it is undesirable. In a proofreader, it which is often followed by “And how
is a virtue. And pedants, being pedants, are particularly aware much of a discount will you give me
of the tone of letters sent to them. for this appalling quality of work you
However, it is the second tendency that really requires great provided?”
attention to the niceties of niceness. Professional proofreaders First, don’t panic. This has hap-
acquire, over the course of their careers, a feeling born of error- pened to every translator, and if it’s
discovery. Verbalized, you’d get a stream-of-consciousness your first time, you’re just lucky.
something like this (with a tip of the hat to author Douglas Next, glance over the comments. A
Adams, of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame): first glance can help you assess the
kind of damage: are these mostly styl-
…they ask me to mark errors, and when I find them—do I istic or were there lots and lots of
get thanks? Not at all. I get ARGUMENTS! Here I am, brain typos? Can the reason for your original
the size of a planet, and the only appreciation I get is “do choice be documented using a dictio-
we really have to put that e in the potatoes?” Call that job nary (that’s best), a Web search
satisfaction? Cause I don’t. (second best), or a grammar book
(worst!)? If it seems to be mostly styl-
Of course, if you’re lucky enough to work with a proof- istic, keep reading. If you really have
reader who doesn’t feel like that—good for you. But if you produced an awful translation, skip to
write a polite letter, you’ll head off most of the bad vibes that the last paragraph of this segment.
could have otherwise appeared. Now, go over the translation with a
Politeness, in this case, means that you provide the list of fine-tooth comb. Take the first 15 com-
items to look out for and the sources and guidelines you ments and defend your original trans-
worked with, as well as the source document and translation. lation, armed with reference books and
The more information you come up with, the better equipped style guides. If there’s questionable
your proofreader will be to do a thorough job. phrasing, do a Web search for yours
and then for your proofreader’s. Which
What about Unpaid Proofreaders? is most frequent? Which is most likely
Over the years, I’ve seen many translators ask their parents, to come up in the same kind of docu-
roommates, and friends to proofread for them. In about half the ment? Use roman numerals to number
cases, this leads to disappointment. the comments (Page 3–error I). Do this
“But my mother speaks perfect French!” claimed a trans- on paper.
lator friend of mine who shall remain nameless. True, she did. After the rush of relief you get by
She also had no inkling of what was expected of her. She went discovering that you didn’t make 24
over the birth certificate and carefully changed the spelling of mistakes on every page, get yourself to
all the names (which had been copied from the English orig- a photocopier and copy the pages from
inal), ignoring phrases left in English by her daughter, who the reference books that uphold your
wasn’t entirely sure of the current usage in France. original decisions. Mark each copied
Strike that as one for experience. Make sure that if you do page as you did the proofread original.
use volunteer workers (and you may find yourself doing so, Make screen prints of the supporting
even though you know that this isn’t optimal), you let them
know what you want them to do. In detail. Continued on p. 14
ATA Chronicle • October 2000 13Proofreading Translations: A Checklist, not a Blank Check Continued
A Sample Letter to a Proofreader Web searches—and print them out and mark them up. The
result should be a pile of paper suitable for faxing or express
mailing to your client.
Dear Proofreader,
Write a SHORT letter to the client and proofreader, saying
something like this: “Thank you for your comments. I’d like to
Thank you for taking the time to
take issue with the type of comments. Please find enclosed the
proofread my translation. I’d like you
proofread pages and (whatever number) photocopied and
to know that I used the following
printed pages supporting my original choices. Since I’ve had to
glossary (e-mailed separately) and
reject the first 15 comments for the reasons I documented
information on the www.example.
below, and since your proofreader prefers a very different style
com Website.
to mine, I don’t feel that any discount should be made from my
I worked with the following style
usual fee. I look forward to hearing from you on this.”
guide (named), since our client didn’t
Enclose all the paperwork you’ve created, along with a
provide a specific one for this project.
typed letter with a table showing your version, the proof-
Since I dictate the document,
reader’s version, the reason for your disagreement (for
please look out for homophones (I
example, “the dictionary states this usage is obsolete”; “Bel-
once found “lettuce begin” instead of
gian usage—this document is for France”; “my version
“let us begin”…). Another issue I
appears 9,003 times on the Web while your aunt’s version
sometimes trip up on is numerical
appears only 93 times,” etc.), and a reference to your sheaf of
agreement between verbs and nouns.
paper documentation.
I’d appreciate it if you pay a little extra
Chances are that the time it took to prepare your case will
attention to those as well.
pay off. You will make it clear that you are a serious
You probably won’t find any out-
craftsman, who takes time to consider issues pointed out by
and-out spelling mistakes, since I
clients—and one who knows how to use the tools of his or
used the MS Word spell-checker
her trade. The proofreader will have to come up with some
before sending you the document. I
reason for the changes, and when addressing a purely styl-
also counted the number of bulleted
istic issue, that’s hard to do. The final product will be as
items in the three bulleted lists, and
good as the client wants it, but your fees are much less likely
they seem to match, so there are
to be jeopardized.
probably no oversights.
What if your original really was as faulty as the proofreader
I’ll be glad to give you the rea-
said? Write a short thank-you note to the client and proofreader.
soning behind any translation choices
Something along the lines of: “Thank you for your interesting
I made, and hope to learn from your
and insightful comments. I’ve studied them and taken them to
comments if I did make any mistakes.
heart. Of course, I cannot charge my full rate for a translation
I’m glad this project was important
that turned out to be as faulty as this one. What percentage of
enough for our client to budget for a
my bill would you like me to discount?” It is important to honor
second pair of eyes to improve it. I look
whatever the client says. This approach will surprise and prob-
forward to seeing this project success-
ably mollify the client, and maybe you won’t lose them. And
fully completed!
make sure you really DO study the comments—they’re worth
the time you spend comparing dictionaries, current usage, and
grammar. Language changes constantly, and all a translator can
Translator’s signature
do is learn, learn, and keep learning.
Moving
?
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14 ATA Chronicle • October 2000Wills and Estates in Italy
By Marica Pariante Angelides
italiana), after the will has been
T
his article will answer a few of the most common ques-
tions I am asked regarding wills and estates in Italy, and written, the testator must give it to a
at the same time give an Italian version of the most rel- notaio in a sealed envelope (in una
evant legal terms translators are likely to encounter. busta sigillata) in front of two wit-
Imagine an American citizen who has various estate (il com- nesses (alla presenza di due testi-
plesso dei beni e dei diritti del defunto aka l’attivo ereditario) moni). The notaio will then write all
questions regarding his grandfather, an Italian citizen who lives the formalities he witnessed on the
in Rome and who is in very poor health. The grandfather has two envelope and signs and dates the
children: a girl and a boy, born in Italy and brought to the U.S. envelope together with the testator
by their American mother, who then divorced her Italian hus- and the two witnesses.
band, who later remarried an Italian woman. Just coincidentally
this happened after his ex-wife passed away.
Neither of the children went back to Italy to live, but they ...This article will answer a few of the
are in touch with their father and often visit him in Rome.
However, the one who visits most and has grown very fond of most common questions...and at the
his grandfather is the grandson. He has gone to Rome several same time give an Italian version of the
times in the past few years to visit him. During one of these
trips, the Italian grandfather tells him he has chosen him to be
most relevant legal terms translators are
his heir (erede) as well as executor (esecutore testamentario). likely to encounter...
The grandson does not know if his grandfather has a written
will (testamento), and if he has, if it is valid under Italian law.
So the questions are: 1) According to Italian law, when is an Here is what is likely to happen in
Italian will valid (valido)?; and 2) Can an American citizen our case.
living abroad challenge an Italian will?
a) There is no will. The succession is
1) According to Italian law there are only three kind of called successione legittima familiare
valid wills: because it gives the relatives of the
deceased the right to inherit the estate
a) A holographic will (testamento olografico) regulated by when there is no written will. In our
Article 602 of the Italian Civil Code. This is a will case, the heirs are the surviving chil-
written, dated, and signed completely by hand (una scrit- dren, who are globally entitled to
tura privata interamente autografa) by the testator (il te- two-thirds of the assets (each is enti-
statore). It may have addenda. However, the will and cod- tled to one-third of the estate), and the
icil with the latest date (il codicillo con la data più wife, who is entitled to another one-
recente) is the valid one. third. If the wife is no longer alive
when the grandfather dies, the two
b) A public will (testamento pubblico) regulated by article 603 children split the estate equally. If the
of the Italian Civil Code. This is a will written by a notaio1 children die before the wife, she
(regato dal notaio) under dictation from the testator. After inherits everything (eredita tutto il
the dictation is finished, the notaio reads the will aloud to patrimonio), as long as the grandfa-
the testator and the witnesses (i testimoni) and writes the ther does not have any living brothers
place and date (il luogo e la data). Then the notaio puts his or sisters. The grandson only inherits
signature together with that of the testator and the witnesses the estate if all the above family mem-
and also writes the time of the signatures. bers are deceased. If, however, the
wife survives the grandfather and
c) A secret will (testamento segreto) regulated by article 604 of then passes away without living close
the Italian Civil Code. This is a will that could be written by relatives and without a will, her pos-
a person different from the testator and it could be typed (bat- session goes to the Italian State.
tuto a macchina) or handwritten (autografo). However, in
order for it to be valid under Italian law (ai sensi della legge Continued on p. 16
ATA Chronicle • October 2000 15Wills and Estates in Italy Continued
b) The grandfather has a valid will. This is a bit complicated
because under Italian law certain portions of the estate go to
the testator’s relatives regardless of what the will says. The
succession is called successione necessaria, and the part of
the estate that goes to the various relatives depends on how
many relatives survive the testator and how numerous they
are. If the wife is the only survivor, she is entitled to one-
half of the estate regardless of the content of the will. The
other half of the estate will go to whomever the will desig-
nates. As matters currently stand in our case, the two chil-
dren are entitled to one-half of the estate and the wife to
another one-fourth. The wife also has the right to live in the
house where the family resides. This is after all the
expenses and debts, and all the estate taxes are paid. How-
ever, the grandson is entitled to receive the equivalent of a
specific legacy (un legato testamentario) according to
Article 588 of the Italian Civil Code, if the grandfather has
mentioned it in his will. If the legacy is not written in the
will, then he will not be entitled to any assets.
2) Can an American citizen living abroad challenge an
Italian will?
If the testator has excluded (ha pretermesso) the above-men-
Buy or Sell tioned living relatives, they can sue with a lawsuit named
azione di riduzione, regulated by articles 553 to 558 of the
Translation Company Italian Civil Code. An Italian will can be challenged only in
Italy. However, a foreign party does not have to travel to
Register Now Italy in order to sue, since an Italian attorney can appear in
court on his behalf (in suo nome e per suo conto).
No retainers - No Search Fees
Buyer Pays Finders Fee On Closing I would like to thank my husband Peter A. Angelides for his
help and support.
Katyusha, Inc. Notes
Mergers and Acquisitions 1. A notaio is a lawyer, similar to the British solicitor, who has
Serving Translation Industry Nationally passed a special state exam different from the Italian equiv-
and Internationally alent of the bar exam, but of similar importance, focused,
Integrity, Diligence & Confidentiality among others things, on estate and probate matters.
References
Register by email: gz1@home.com 1. Black’s Law Dictionary Fifth Edition, (St. Paul, Minn.:
West Publishing Co., 1979), by Henry Campbell Black.
Or write to:
Mr. Gregory Zaretsky 2. Diritto Civile, Le Successioni, (Milan, Italy: Giuffrè Edi-
Katyusha, Inc. tore, 1981), by Massimo Bianca.
200 W. Chapel Ridge Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15238 3 Law Dictionary, English–Italian (Milan, Italy: Giuffrè Edi-
tore, 1996), by Francesco de Franchis.
USA
16 ATA Chronicle • October 2000Concision in Technical Translations
from English into Italian
By Roberto Crivello
4. “Lock the seal in position.”
R
egardless of translators’ technical writing skills, they
cannot take one of the most important steps needed to Wordage-reproducing translation:
streamline a prolix, poorly organized document: “Bloccare la guarnizione in posi-
improving the basic structure of the original document. In zione.”
order to streamline, translators must accomplish the difficult If the writer does not specify a par-
task of applying general principles of economy, such as ticular position or way to lock the
deleting meaningless words, avoiding redundancies, etc., in seal, the last two words say nothing.
technical contexts by slogging through a document, identifying In such cases, you can delete in
and rectifying the problems in each sentence, and cutting down posizione.
the wordage wherever possible. (For an excellent discussion of
this subject, see reference 1 at the end of this article.) Only
through such endeavors can one assure the highest level of ...This basic principle is: If the
clarity for the intended reader. In this article, I will show how
to apply general principles of concision in translating technical
opposite of a modifier creates an
materials from English into Italian. (Note: Although the scope illogical or absurd sentence, then the
of this article is limited to English and Italian, many of the sug- original modifier is not needed...
gestions may also be useful for translators of other languages.)
As you most likely know, in order to achieve the objective of
concision, you need an excellent background in technical Eng- Watch for every occurrence of
lish and Italian in your field of specialization (especially for the words like any, specific, particular, and
most technical problems of wordage), as well as the highest current. Two examples:
level of fluency in Italian. Often times, however, your chief
asset lies in the ability to apply principles of logic. The fol- 1. “The value entered for a particular
lowing examples may help you a bit in learning how to proceed. parameter is not acceptable” (from
I have used italics to highlight the terms under discussion. a troubleshooting section).
Wordage-reproducing translation:
Redundant Modifiers “Il valore immesso per un partico-
The basic principle is: If the opposite of a modifier creates lare (or specifico) parametro non è
an illogical or absurd sentence, then the original modifier is not accettabile.”
needed. A few examples follow. Try deleting particolare (or speci-
fico) and re-read the sentence. The
1. “Check for proper operation of the device.” meaning has not changed.
Wordage-reproducing translation: “Verificare il corretto
funzionamento del dispositivo.” 2 In software translation, you may
Since you would never direct someone to verify that the find countless occurrences of cur-
operation of a piece of equipment be improper, write rent. Consider this sentence: “Save
instead “Verificare il funzionamento del dispositivo.” the current setup using the Save
button in the upper right-hand
2. “Verify that the system is properly installed.” corner of the screen.”
Wordage-reproducing translation: “Verificare che il sistema Before writing “Salvare la corrente
sia installato correttamente.” configurazione mediante...” ask
See above. Simply write “Verificare l’installazione del si- yourself if the software gives the
stema.” user the possibility of saving
another setup (temporarily stored in
3. “For support call your local authorized dealer.” an appropriate memory location)
Wordage-reproducing translation: “Per richiedere assi- without displaying it. Most likely
stenza rivolgersi al più vicino rivenditore autorizzato.” the answer is no, so in the majority
Look it up in the dictionary. A dealer is an authorized of cases you should delete current.
person/organization, thus dealer implies authorized. There-
fore, you can delete autorizzato. Continued on p. 18
ATA Chronicle • October 2000 17You can also read
