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Editors & Translators - Chronicle of a Feud Foretold
The document discusses the roles and challenges faced by translators and editors in the field of translation. It emphasizes the need for collaboration, mutual respect, and communication between translators and editors to ensure high-quality translations. It also highlights common faults that both translators and editors may encounter and offers guidance on how to improve their working relationship.
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Editors & Translators - Chronicle of a Feud Foretold
- 1. Yael Sela-Shapiro, Hebrew-English Translation& Editing, Content & Public Talks Yael@transela.com www.TranSela.com
- 2. The translators investtheir mind and soul into the translation The editors enter this minefield, armed with nothing but a pen… The pen is also metaphorical… Mortal Enemies?
- 3. Editors and Translatorsare freelancers working from home They may not know each other at all Clients often keep them divided and separate and avoid establishing on-going teams No long-term relationship = no mutual trust and / or respect The Customary Divide and Conquer
- 4. Translation Editing Proof-reading, Typesetting, Printing TheTranslators receive the final text, and their hearts sink… The Customary Editing Process
- 5. Translators get toknow the text better than anyone, sometimes even the writer Translators’ in-depth understanding of the text leads to some overall choices: Relative registers Lexical choices that are not obvious Translating in light of implicit context Translators 101
- 6. Editors read withfresh eyes, like the end user Translators, often too “caught up” in the source text, may translate literally, ambiguously or just wrongly. Editors are there to save us from our mistakes. Editors have meta-considerations Client dictates, constraints, terminology Target audience considerations (age, culture, background, previous knowledge) Editors 101
- 7. Poor grasp ofsource language Ignorance of the subject matter Over-literalism / “translationese” Raising register / over-unification of source Awkward / ambiguous phrasing Overlooking allusions / wordplay / alliteration Not adapting translation to target audience You dare call yourself a Translator?! Some common translator faults
- 8. Poor grasp ofsource language Ignorance of the subject matter Over-literalism Raising register unnecessarily Over-unification of multiple-voice source Overlooking intertextuality You dare call yourself an Editor?! Some common editor faults
- 10. Define guidelines /style-guide, terminology, expectations, target audience, constraints Convey the above to both translator and editor Introduce translator and editor Arrange to send edited translation to translator Arrange for the translator and editor to communicate regularly and with mutual respect Project Manager / Publisher, Pre Translation:
- 11. Explicitly explain ingeneral and specific comments: Reasons for picking register / term / idiom Reasons for picking a non-obvious solution Point out literary vehicles (alliterations, allusions, quotes, parallelisms etc.) Point out implicit context / constraints Translator
- 12. Ask translators howthey perceive the text, what were their concerns in translating it Use Track Changes Make a short editing “sample” Discuss sample with translator to formulate a mutually-acceptable “editing policy” Return edited text to translator for review before submitting to client Editor
- 13. Review edited text,even if you’re not getting paid for your time Your translations are your portfolio; have them represent who you really are Avoid editor mistakes being attributed to you Respect your editors: they make your text better for your sake as well as your client’s Do not get emotionally attached to your text Notify PM or publisher if editor sucks Translators, Please Note:
- 14. Respect translators: theyoften cherish their work. Communicate with translators regularly Don’t be judgmental; act diplomatically Give translators some credit: what looks like a mistake may in fact be a well considered choice Make your inquiries ordered and to the point Notify PM or publisher if translator sucks Editors, Please Note:
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