| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: "Translations can only be as good as the source text." Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question ""Translations can only be as good as the source text."".
This poll was originally submitted by Inga Pier. View the poll results »
| | | | Tim Drayton 
Cyprus
Local time: 00:56
Turkish to English
+ ...
At one extreme, legal translations must be very faithful to the source text, to the extent of reflecting any errors, while at the other extreme, in 'transcreation' the translator is at liberty to produce a fluid peice of writing that may well read better than the source text.
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 23:56
English to French
+ ...
that does not means that you can always allow yourself to make them better! Circumstances (patents, legal texts, for instance), clients and/or others may prevent you from doing so.
| | | | Anja Weggel
Local time: 23:56
Member (2007)
English to German
| (in most cases) it can be better | Nov 24, 2010 |
As long as the translator understands the meaning of the source text, he/she may have the liberty to create a fluent (and better) translation. It depends however on the customer and in the end on the budget. If I am paid a low rate, I will probably not make the effort to make it more than correct. After all, it can take a lot of time to improve a garbled source text.
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John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 23:56
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Generally... | Nov 24, 2010 |
Generally I'd answer yes to the question. In some cases, however, I'd say the translation can be better. I've had some of my clients for years and know their idiosyncrasies and typical textual oddities. I'm able to read between the garbled lines and clearly state in English a text that, in Spanish or Catalan, leaves something to be desired.
This, of course, comes from years of experience, and I certainly wouldn't recommend too much reading between the lines for every text. It could ... See more Generally I'd answer yes to the question. In some cases, however, I'd say the translation can be better. I've had some of my clients for years and know their idiosyncrasies and typical textual oddities. I'm able to read between the garbled lines and clearly state in English a text that, in Spanish or Catalan, leaves something to be desired.
This, of course, comes from years of experience, and I certainly wouldn't recommend too much reading between the lines for every text. It could have the opposite effect to that desired!
[Edited at 2010-11-24 11:26 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | in my opinion... | Nov 24, 2010 |
I agree with Interlanguage, and I think that the aim of a translation is to make a text seem like it has been written in that (target) language. So obivously this means it may be improved. And it requires effort and skills.
| | | | Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:56
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam | Can be better | Nov 24, 2010 |
I once translated a poem (for someone I got to know through ProZ) and the author told me he thought my translation was better than his original.
| | | | Silvia Schulz
Netherlands
Local time: 23:56
English to German
+ ...
| Sometimes it is worse | Nov 24, 2010 |
I am often dealing with English user manuals from Japanese clients and they insist on GUI rules of English (Translation). So in the end half of the German sentence is left in English and I have to adapt the rest of the sentence structure to the fixed GUI terms. The result is an unpleasant text, which is hard to read. But as long as the client is happy...
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| They *can* be... | Nov 24, 2010 |
... the question is, *should* they be?
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Some of source texts, which I'm getting from clients, are technical documents, which more likely were created very quickly or translated from other languages, and probably will be improved later. So it is impossible for me to create equally bad translations
| | | | Inga Jakobi
Germany
Local time: 23:56
Member (2006)
Chinese to German
+ ...
This poll came to my mind after having dealt with some texts in all my three source languages that were not very well written. Depending on the problems in the source text, it is easy to improve the text. Spelling errors (eg in terms that need to be left in the source language), wrong punctuation and inconsistencies can easily be corrected. And I think, they should (the inconsistency issue may, however, need to be discussed with the customer).
If the source text, however, contains v... See more This poll came to my mind after having dealt with some texts in all my three source languages that were not very well written. Depending on the problems in the source text, it is easy to improve the text. Spelling errors (eg in terms that need to be left in the source language), wrong punctuation and inconsistencies can easily be corrected. And I think, they should (the inconsistency issue may, however, need to be discussed with the customer).
If the source text, however, contains very complex sentences, repetitive information or is just difficult to translate due to strange wording and complicated expressions, it can be difficult to create a smooth text in the target language. ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:56
Spanish to English
+ ...
| No, they can be better | Nov 24, 2010 |
And I like to think that mine usually are. Although they say you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, we usually have a bash anyway.
The decent original texts that come my way are relatively few, so much so that I usually mention them to friends or colleagues. This is the case irrespective of the source language.
I'd forgotten about legal texts. Although in theses case we should stick to "what" they say, I see no reason to always preserve the "how" they do so, especially ... See more And I like to think that mine usually are. Although they say you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, we usually have a bash anyway.
The decent original texts that come my way are relatively few, so much so that I usually mention them to friends or colleagues. This is the case irrespective of the source language.
I'd forgotten about legal texts. Although in theses case we should stick to "what" they say, I see no reason to always preserve the "how" they do so, especially when the authors fall into what often seem deliberately obscurantist, tortuous and labyrynthine meanderings. Punctuation can be a thorny issue there too...
[Edited at 2010-11-24 11:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Definitely CAN be | Nov 24, 2010 |
Even legal texts!
I had the pleasure of proofreading for a colleague who has now retired, who specialised in law.
Her texts were as clear as they could be. We discussed them now and then, or she consulted the client when necessary, to be quite sure what was meant. She could analyse a sentence, take it apart and put it back together in English, and sometimes the result was definitely easier to read than the original Danish.
OK, you could say she had improved... See more Even legal texts!
I had the pleasure of proofreading for a colleague who has now retired, who specialised in law.
Her texts were as clear as they could be. We discussed them now and then, or she consulted the client when necessary, to be quite sure what was meant. She could analyse a sentence, take it apart and put it back together in English, and sometimes the result was definitely easier to read than the original Danish.
OK, you could say she had improved the source before translating it, but the final result in English might be better in that sense than the original version of the source.
It was ´legalese´ in both cases, but legal language is actually intended to deal with complicated issues clearly and concisely, and should not be used simply for the sake of sounding pompous.
I have sometimes deliberately improved marketing texts and been thanked by the client. In Danish, irony and playing down the message can be subtle and effective, but without the accompanying tone of voice and facial expressions, the written word may come across as hackneyed or inane. Here it is absolutely necessary to compensate in translation.
There are loads of other examples, and I simply do not subscribe to the Garbage in, Garbage out principle. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Evans (X)
Local time: 22:56
Spanish to English
+ ...
| sometimes there is plenty of room for improvement | Nov 24, 2010 |
Some writers express themselves poorly or carelessly in their own language. It would be absurd to reproduce this in your target text if you are a good writer (which, as a translator, you should be).
I frequently deal with poorly written articles, full of misspellings and sentences that lead nowhere. There may even be bits where I cannot work out what the writer was trying to say, in which case I always refer this to the client. I have to do a creative interpreting job with this kind... See more Some writers express themselves poorly or carelessly in their own language. It would be absurd to reproduce this in your target text if you are a good writer (which, as a translator, you should be).
I frequently deal with poorly written articles, full of misspellings and sentences that lead nowhere. There may even be bits where I cannot work out what the writer was trying to say, in which case I always refer this to the client. I have to do a creative interpreting job with this kind of text, and usually manage to produce something reasonably elegant, which is a definite improvement on the original text. In these cases it is my version that is going to be published, and the original unedited source text is not.
Having said that, it is always a joy to translate a well-written piece. If the original has been written in a good flowing style that is clear and concise, it is much easier to match in your target language, however different the languages are. ▲ Collapse
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I am quite shocked at the replies from you all. Unless a client asks me to edit as well as translate, I don't think it is up to me to change the intrinsic feel and context of the original, but rather leave it as it is. If it was of poor quality to start with, then that is an issue they have to address, not me. Of course I wouldn't leave the client with a poor translation, incorrect grammar or strange sentences, but I would never change the type of words used or the character of the original. ... See more I am quite shocked at the replies from you all. Unless a client asks me to edit as well as translate, I don't think it is up to me to change the intrinsic feel and context of the original, but rather leave it as it is. If it was of poor quality to start with, then that is an issue they have to address, not me. Of course I wouldn't leave the client with a poor translation, incorrect grammar or strange sentences, but I would never change the type of words used or the character of the original.
I am having an issue with a private client at the moment, where I have translated an article that he wrote as part of his Phd, which is supposed to be printed in an English periodical. The article is not particularly riveting, the language used is very simple and the point the author is trying to make doesn't get made. That is not my problem. The author's mentor is disappointed with the translation, thinks there should be more medical terms in the text and more emphasis on research and the conclusions to be drawn from that research. The mentor does not speak the source language, so never read the original. I am not prepared to invent medical terms where there were none to begin with, or to translate the text in such a way that a point is being made that was missing from the original; not if I am simply translating. I would be quite happy to work with the client to REWRITE the article, but as a translation, it is what it is.
I think sometimes a translation highlights the fact that the source material is of poor quality. I am more than capable and willing to remedy this, but not without express consent of the client.
If you were an interpreter, you wouldn't tell an audience what you thought they would like to hear either, would you? ▲ Collapse
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