Slavic Languages Division (American Translators Association)
In this episode of the SLD Podcast, Veronika and Ekaterina interview Evgeniy Bartov, successful translator, agency owner, and translation school founder. Evgeniy discusses the state of the translation market, issues with translation quality, and the nuances of translator training.
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In this latest episode of the SLD podcast, Elana Pick and Yuliya Tsaplina talk about the importance of professional interpreter training and the future of the profession. Both guests teach at the Master of Conference Interpreting program (MCI) at Glendon College, York University in Toronto, Canada.
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Catch the latest episode of the SLD podcast, in which Julia Thornton and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya talk about their experiences taking the ATA certification exam and the role certification has played in their careers.
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Check out the new episode of the SLD podcast, in which Elena Bogdanovich-Werner, a translator of 30 years, discusses how the language services industry has changed over time, what makes a great translator, and what areas of professional development are most important for translators and interpreters.
Good news! The SLD podcast is now available on iTunes and Google Play! Just search “ATA SLD” and be sure to subscribe. Note that it takes 12-24 hours for the newest episode to appear. The latest episodes are always available on the ATA SLD SoundCloud channel.
True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes.
– Daniel Kahneman
Image by The Found Animals Foundation (www.foundanimals.org) via Flickr
Whether you crave it or dread it, feedback is an essential part of the translation process (at least it should be). Depending on who you work for—agencies or direct clients—feedback can take a variety of forms. But even within those two categories the level of detail will vary.
And let’s not forget the fact that different types of materials require different approaches to assessing the quality. Rubric style tables and spreadsheets with predefined categories are perfectly suited for working with legal and medical documents where accuracy is paramount, but when it comes to assessing the quality of marketing translation, they can be misleading. Most marketing texts require a degree of linguistic and cultural adaptation, which could be viewed as mistakes within the rigid constraints of such forms. For instance, when translating English-speaking seasonal promotions into Russian, one has to modify all references to Christmas (firstly, in Russia it is not celebrated in December and, secondly, it does not have the same commercial impact on the Russian audience).
Agencies that adapt rigorous quality assessment are more likely to give detailed feedback compiled by an experienced professional editor. This might take a shape of an evaluation sheet, which clearly highlights all mistakes and their category (e.g. style, register, syntax, critical mistranslation etc.) or a Word file with comments, explaining all corrections. This type of feedback is greatly beneficial for both agencies and translators. It enables the former to assess the translation quality and hence decide whether to assign a particular translator future projects. The latter receives an important overview of areas that could be improved. And of course, there is the added benefit of providing clear, structured, documented comments on the quality of work submitted in case of any disputes.
This is, however, a time-consuming task, and under the constraints of tight deadlines, competing prices and a typically high turnover of PMs, some agencies choose to resort to a simpler system of rubric tables or even asking a reviewer to assign the quality of translation a numerical value between 1 and 10. Some agencies choose to dispense with reviewing translations and providing feedback altogether.
Similarly, feedback from direct clients tends to vary in quality. On one end of the spectrum, I have had clients who have a bilingual editor in house checking all the translations and giving feedback on inaccuracies, suggesting alternatives or trying to clarify localization issues. On the other end of the spectrum are those clients who accept and use translations as they come and have no processes in place to check their quality.
In between those two extremes are clients who choose to hire an editor in addition to a translator, and those who use online translation tools and back translation to spot check the final product (and who then panic when Google Translate produces a masterpiece like “deny the witches of motherhood and tours” as a back translation for a perfectly sound sentence in Russian—true story, by the way).
In general, direct clients appreciate receiving translations that do not require additional editing, especially if they do not have any in-house expertise in the language pair in question or are unaware of this step in the QA process. It is therefore beneficial for freelance translators to work with a trusted reviewer: not only does it add value to the service you deliver, but also provides you with valuable feedback that allows you to continue to hone your craft.
The areas that direct clients address in their feedback provide an interesting insight into what they value most. I found that direct clients are more likely to comment first on elements of their overall translation experience, such as work ethics, handling projects and offering helpful localization advice or tips on best practices, and then they turn to linguistic intricacies.
Despite such a wide spectrum of approaches to providing feedback amongst agencies and direct clients, I could not help but detect certain trends. Most agencies share a relative impartiality towards content and a focus on accuracy. Direct clients, on the other hand, tend to focus more on translation impact: nuances of meaning, tone of voice, copy sounding more interesting and engaging.
Receiving feedback on your work is critical. In her blog post How to ask for client feedback, Carolyn Yohn highlights the importance of asking for feedback and names some of the reasons to do that: it could help you create a better relationship with a PM or benchmark the quality of your work.
Feedback in translation has been covered before, although not as extensively as most other industry topics. Here are some helpful links for further reading:
https://www.thoughtsontranslation.com/2009/03/30/some-thoughts-on-feedback-and-the-translation-process/ by Corinne McKay
https://untangledtranslations.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/how-to-ask-for-client-feedback/ by Carolyn Yohn
Coming soon in Part 2: the challenges of responding constructively to feedback and solutions to try.
Anna Livermore is an English>Russian and German>Russian translator and former marketing specialist. With a linguistics degree from the Oxford Brookes University and a Professional Diploma in marketing, she came to specialize in translating marketing materials, corporate communications, website content and various components of SEM. She is a member of the Slavic Languages Division’s Social Media team. Contact: livermore.translations@gmail.com
SLD member Julia Thornton originally wrote this post for the Smartcat forum fresh on the heels of getting ATA certified in the summer of 2017. She kindly agreed to update the post, and it is published here with her permission. The original can be found here.
ATA is a professional association with over 10,000 members in more than 100 countries. It promotes translation and interpreting professions.
One of the benefits of being an ATA member is taking the certification exam. The certification exam is widely recognized in the USA and is a widely-used credential. The exam is offered several times each year in different locations throughout the USA, as well as in Mexico, Canada, South America, and in Europe. Certified ATA members are listed as such on the ATA website.
Here are some questions you might have about the exam — and some answers!
Should I take the ATA exam?
I think being a certified translator sets you apart from other translators. It testifies to your ability to do the job professionally. While being certified does not guarantee that you will get more jobs or better jobs, it can make a difference.
Can anyone take the exam?
Yes, anyone can take the exam. The only stipulation is that the person needs to be a member of ATA (associate membership is $195 per year) at least two weeks before the exam.
How much does it cost?
In 2018 ATA certification exam costs $300. In 2019 the fee for the exam will go up to $525. You have to be a member to take the exam (associate membership is $195). You really want to make sure you prepare well!
What is the exam like?
The exam is 3 hours long. You are given three passages, and you need to choose two of them to translate. In other words, you get 1.5 hours per passage of 250-275 words. The passages are general in nature, but they can be on the subjects of finance, healthcare, politics, science, etc. The passages are designed to be hard to translate: they include idioms, proper names, punctuation and sentence structure that is not easily translated into another language. The translator needs to prove that he/she can produce a translation that sounds natural and is accurate.
Can I use my computer for the exam?
Yes, you can use your laptop or you can choose to write it out by hand. Most people opt for a computerized exam.
What reference materials are allowed at the exam?
All paper dictionaries and reference books are allowed. ATA has a list of approved online dictionaries for some languages. The key principle is that an online source cannot be interactive (a forum), where you can ask your question and have someone respond. Merriam-Webster online, for example, is allowed. ProZ forum is not.
How is the exam graded?
Each exam will be graded by two graders. Each text can have up to 17 mistake points and still pass (which is quite generous, in my opinion). The mistakes can be in grammar, terminology, syntax, understanding of the original text, etc. Each mistake is also graded on a severity scale from 1-16, depending on how it affects the translation: for example, a forgotten comma might be a “1” while missing a key word that affects the whole sentence would be more points. If the two graders disagree on passing/failing the translation, they will bring in a third grader. An encouraging thought is that graders are professional translators who are not looking for a perfect translation, because they realize there can be several ways to translate the same passage. They are looking for a solid precise translation.
What can I do to prepare for the exam?
ATA offers a practice test ($80 for members, $120 for non-members). It is a passage that was an exam text the previous year. You will get it back with your mistakes marked and commented on by a grader. I highly recommend taking a practice test: you can try to simulate the exam setting and see how you do. Some ATA language divisions have practice groups that are very helpful. If your language division has a practice group, join it! But most importantly, you can practice on your own. I practiced once a week for four months before the exam: I would take a text of 250-300 words, open online dictionaries and grammar references, and start the timer.
Where do I find texts to practice?
Any national publications, such as Newsweek, The Atlantic, etc. will prepare you well. Remember to translate articles on varied subject matter.
What can I do to improve my chances of passing the exam?
What are my chances of passing the exam?
Each language pair is different, but an average passing rate is 18%. Do not be discouraged if you do not pass the first time, a lot of people do not. If you decide to take the exam, give yourself enough time to prepare for it well.
How long is the certification good for?
As long as you maintain your membership at ATA and accumulate 20 credits in continuing education every 3 years, you do not have to take the exam again.
Is it worth it?
I think it is. Certified translators are listed on the ATA website. Some agencies only hire certified translators. It looks good on your resume, and it’s a proof of your professionalism.
Any final thoughts?
Preparing for the exam is a wonderful way to improve one’s quality of translation. It teaches you to be precise in word choice, to be mindful of grammar, and to learn punctuation rules that you never learned before (trust me, every language has those!). Overall, you will become more critical of your own work and therefore will be a better translator.
For more information, please visit the ATA website: https://www.atanet.org/certification/aboutcert_overview.php
Julia Thornton is an ATA-certified EN-RU translator. She grew up in Russia and graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. She then moved to the US and earned a Master’s degree in theological studies. Watching her two oldest children prepare for the SAT, Julia learned some test-taking skills that helped her pass the certification exam in 2017 after 4.5 months of preparation. She can be reached at julia.thornton@alterustranslations.com.
Check out the third episode of the SLD podcast, where the administrators and founders of SLD’s ATA exam practice group, Maria Guzenko and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, discuss how the group helps participants prepare for the ATA Certification Exam, their experience managing the group, and volunteering opportunities.
Get ready for Big Opportunities in the Big Easy! The ATA 59th Annual Conference will take place October 24-27, 2018 in New Orleans. ATA59 offers specialized opportunities for dedicated translators and interpreters to connect and collaborate while they shape the future of their profession. Join 1,600 of your colleagues to tackle current challenges and work with industry leaders to reach common goals.
The ATA59 conference website is now live! Find out more at: https://www.atanet.org/conf/2018/.
Check out the newest episode of the SLD podcast! Madalena Zampaulo, owner and CEO of Accessible Translation Solutions, answers member questions and shares tips about websites for translators.
This post shared on behalf of the ATA. Photo by david laws on Unsplash
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