Tag Archives: english

Freedom, life, or reputation at stake: Accuracy in interpretation

One of the main reasons to have a translator or an interpreter in any given situation is to ensure communication and understanding between the two or more parties trying to engage each other. Due to the fact that the basic component of common language is missing during such interactions, people rely on a competent languageContinue reading “Freedom, life, or reputation at stake: Accuracy in interpretation”

The disservice of bad translations: A practical analysis

While doing research for this topic in my Judiciary Translation class, several translated documents from different agencies in Iowa were considered. At first, this writer thought that the translations available would be atrocious, yet the Spanish translations of many public agencies’ forms were not too bad. A pattern noticed was that, the older the formContinue reading “The disservice of bad translations: A practical analysis”

A bilingual existence

  “Language is a skin: I rub my language against the other. It is as if I had words instead of fingers, or fingers at the tip of my words. My language trembles with desire.” –Roland Barthes I. Idiomas/languages: Origins Little scraps of paper with small hands’ handwriting in Spanish and English hung along theContinue reading “A bilingual existence”

Ethics in interpretation & translation: Beneficence

* This is the third of a series of posts focusing on ethics in the field of interpretation and translation. The  book discussed in these posts is The Elements of Ethics for Professionals by W. Brad Johnson and Charles R. Ridley. I highly recommend it, especially if you are in a profession dealing with people.Continue reading “Ethics in interpretation & translation: Beneficence”

Ethics in interpretation & translation: Respect

* This is the second of a series of posts focusing on ethics in the field of interpretation and translation. The  book discussed in these posts is The Elements of Ethics for Professionals by W. Brad Johnson and Charles R. Ridley. I highly recommend it, especially if you are in a profession dealing with people.Continue reading “Ethics in interpretation & translation: Respect”

Ethics in interpretation & translation: Non maleficence

* This is the first of a series of posts focusing on ethics in the field of interpretation and translation. The  book discussed in these posts is The Elements of Ethics for Professionals by W. Brad Johnson and Charles R. Ridley. I highly recommend it, especially if you are in a profession dealing with people.Continue reading “Ethics in interpretation & translation: Non maleficence”

Cultural barriers to effective interpretation and translation

The organization Unite For Sight dedicates two modules to assist researchers in interacting and breaking through cultural barriers with the clients that they serve in other countries. “Interpreters often have a better understanding of the cultural norms of the community than the researcher,” module 5 of the research course states. This is an important implication,Continue reading “Cultural barriers to effective interpretation and translation”

Trust, and knowing your value as a language worker

In my Introduction to Translation class, we have been reading Becoming a Translator: An introduction to the theory and practice of translation by Douglas Robinson. The first chapter talks about “External knowledge” and what is defined as “the user’s view”, which I found was an enlightening and necessary discussion of the minimum expectations that bothContinue reading “Trust, and knowing your value as a language worker”