- find out who will be responsible for making any corrections, and at what stage,
- specify the contents of any requested or required kit,
- find out who the end-result should be sent to (with names, addresses and coordinates).
9. Translators and information providers [10]
Relations with information providers will depend very much on the type of information or help required. Generally speaking, however, information providers tend to consider that they are technical experts addressing someone (i.e. the translator) who is by definition not an expert in their field and who is likely to be wasting their precious time - with the notable (but rare) exception of technical experts employed in the same firm as the translator and whose job contract stipulates that they must provide such information. The translator should abide by the following basic rules:
* Always keep the time required down to a minimum, by:
- doing some basic homework in the particular area concerned (do not approach the expert as if he were an "all-you-need-to-know" guide to the subject...);
- preparing and prioritizing questions;
- recording the answers (nothing can be more annoying for the expert than having to wait for the translator to write down what he has just said);
- if possible, sending the questions beforehand, by fax or by e-mail so that the expert knows what to expect and may even regroup answers to related questions.
* Question the experts about technical issues only, not about linguistic issues:
- a technical expert will not understand why a translator (who is supposed to be a linguist) would need to ask questions relating to language problems;
- answers to questions about technical issues and concepts will always provide the relevant terminology or phraseology on top of the technical explanations;
- the only way technical experts answer language-related questions is through literal translation. The chances are for their translation to be much in line with what any translation engine on the Web would offer. A technical expert should never be shown the text (which is what he will naturally ask for)... unless he happens to be a translator into the bargain.
* Make sure the experts never feel 'caught out' in their area of expertise. An
expert who loses face will be unlikely to want to co-operate in future.
* Always remember the rules of common courtesy, i.e.:
- Make appointments.
- Make sure the appointment still holds before turning up.
- When late, always warn the person you are due to meet and remember to apologize.
- Thank the information provider and, whenever possible (i.e. confidentiality rules permitting), forward a copy of the relevant pages or extracts translated thanks to the information provided.
* Keep the channels open for the future:
- offer to compensate the information provider for the help provided - on an hourly basis at the going rate for her/his profession.
clout to be able to have a say in the matter. Translators therefore often stand at the receiving end of a lot of flak which should not normally have gone their way. In order to avoid misunderstandings and grievances, they should:
- specify what minimum notice will be required for any work involving translation;
- spell out the specifications for any task to be carried out;
- stick to deadlines;
- ask for instructions, requests and observations to be delivered in writing - and do likewise.
11. Colleagues and fellow translators
Relations with colleagues or fellow translators are not generally a problem, because all translators know they are basically a fragile minority and that they are all in the same boat together.
Every translator may be an island, but there are bridges between the islands, so to speak. Professional solidarity stems from the fact that translators all share similar working conditions, statuses and potential problems, i.e. difficulties with work providers or prime contractors, lack of consideration, difficulties in accessing information, being considered outside the mainstream of business, difficulties in recovering payments due, ambiguities in status, increasing investment costs, new threats posed by a rapidly evolving market, etc.
The feeling of being on common ground is all the stronger when translators work in close-cooperation in the same department or company either on the same projects or by sharing resources (terminology resources or shared translation memories, for instance) via an intranet or by proof-reading and revising each other's translations.
Freelance translators may also develop this same spirit of co-operation to face increasing market pressure. Groupings of freelance translators are based on close co-operation between their members. But the same market pressures mean that freelance translators and translation companies are becoming direct competitors. All the more reason why translators should abide by strict ethical and professional rules and never, under any circumstance, criticize a colleague's work, offer to do a job for less than it is worth, artificially lower rates, gain contracts under false pretences (by pretending to do the work in-house while in fact farming it out at a lower rate) or do anything which amounts to unfair competition (see the chapter on The translator and professional ethics).
It must also be remembered that the world of translation is almost everywhere a particularly very small world, with no more than a few thousand professionals and a few hundred businesses, and that gossip gets around very quickly. Rumours about this or that company being 'in trouble' or about this translator who... or that translator who... are rife in every city or region. Most of the time, the information is absolutely unfounded, but the rumours keep on going the rounds for a few days or weeks. Translators should take the elementary precaution never to be a party to rumours of this kind.
12. Technical experts or linguists?
Translators are generally seen primarily as linguists. The fact that they are not readily considered as people with technical expertise is rather annoying when we know that work providers often assume that a technical translation should be done by no other than an expert in the field. To move beyond the common misconceptions and prejudices, one must be careful to make a distinction between the 'translator-with-technical-expertise' and the 'linguist who does translations' on the one hand, and between the 'technical expert-with-expertise-as-translator' and the 'engineer who has done languages' on the other.
Let us start with the premise that neither the 'linguist who does translations' nor the 'engineer who has studied languages' can really be considered as professional translators. The translations they produce tend to be equally inadequate if not altogether calamitous and there is not much to choose between the two. The other two types can both perfectly legitimately consider themselves as 'translators' and should not be viewed as rivals in the profession. Strangely enough, anyway, engineers never feel threatened by competition from the 'linguists'...
The 'translator-with-technical-expertise' has a perfect knowledge of two languages, has been trained as a professional translator and has (through university, through continuing education or, more often than not, through an ongoing self-learning process) acquired the necessary technical background in any area his translations refer to. The 'technical expert-with-expertise-as-translator' has a technical background, a perfect knowledge of two languages and adequate training - or experience - in professional translation. Both have similar approaches and similar interests to defend.
In fact, in most countries, both types of backgrounds (translators with technical expertise and technical experts with translating expertise) can be found in the profession in almost equal numbers. Translator training institutions happily take on both linguists and students with technical backgrounds, and if there are usually more of the former, it can be put down to the fact that an engineer or expert in a particular field can usually earn more by exercising her/his professional skills in a technical capacity than as a translator, except in countries where it is common practise for engineers to have a second job to make ends meet, or when rising unemployment in certain sectors means that a number of qualified engineers or experts in a given field suddenly turn towards translation as a way of earning a living, simply because it is still a relatively open profession. And there is unquestionably such a thing as unfair competition from some experts, who undertake to do translations for a fee without paying any of the normal taxes and contributions.
Under normal conditions, the ideal situation would be one where translators and technical experts work in partnership, with the latter checking and revising from a technical point of view the work done by the translators. In this case, both partners would be paid according to their respective shares of the work, and it is this kind of partnership which normally produces the highest quality translations by pooling skills and resources.
This kind of partnership, with the technical element 'intruding' in the translation process, has now become almost inevitable in areas such as localisation, where the translator works alongside the IT expert in charge of designing, implementing and/or testing the programme or Web site. The moot question is how much of the process (and of the proceeds) the translator can legitimately claim.
In some countries, the ideal of a mutually beneficial working partnership between translators and technical experts is still largely wishful thinking, but experience shows that this is the way forward, not only because the pooling of skills leads to optimal translation quality, but because each player is then no longer confronted with the difficulties encountered when working in isolation. Each partner can thus work more confidently and more productively, providing, of course, market conditions allow work to be shared out in this way.
It is by no means certain that market conditions will allow this kind of balanced partnership to endure, given the two major trends now under way:
- the markets (and the work providers) are now demanding more and more advanced technical skills and know-how, and tend to favour operators whose initial specialism is the relevant technical area of competence;
- a growing number of contracts tend to be sub-divided into two sub-contracts, i.e. the 'text translation' on the one hand, which is left to the translators or the 'linguists', and the more lucrative technical operations on the other, which are devolved to the 'technical experts'.
In this context, it is far easier for the 'technical expert' to restrict the share of the work devolved to the translator than for the latter to encroach on the 'expert's' domain. It is therefore not too surprising to find a growing number of translator training institutions in Western Europe choosing to take on applicants with technical expertise in a relevant field or, alternatively, translators with at least five years' experience and a confirmed and well-established 'specialism'.
It must also be remembered that translators will soon be, and are already, competing with monolingual Web site designers and creators and other such specialists and, more often than not, Web agencies. Translators are now faced with a clear alternative: either they try to corner this market (or a significant share of it) on the grounds that it is more rational to give a contract for multilingual Web site development to someone who has the multilingual and multicultural expertise and who is trained in Web site development - especially now that Web site development software, like any other kind of software, is becoming more and more 'user-friendly' - or they can simply sit back and let themselves be gradually squeezed out of this sector of the market on the grounds that it is better to trust a Web site designer when it comes to setting up a new Web site and then have translators translate the 'text' into the relevant foreign language. Unless, of course, the Web site designer is also prepared to do the translation himself (he probably can't see why he shouldn't, if you ask him!) before 'cloning' the site...
chapter 10
Professional ethics
Introduction
Any bona fide translator will tacitly comply with an ethical code. The one below is based on (a) a survey of agreements between translators and their business partners and (b) over 200 telephone and e-mail interviews conducted in 1998— 99 among translators in a number of European countries as part of a translation quality management project (MLIS3010 - 24928) and repeated on a larger scale in 2004.
i. Basic rules
Professional translators shall:
- never undertake any action or engage in any practice liable to throw the profession or professionals into disrepute;
- always show respect for other people and their opinions, especially when writing to mailing lists and Web forums;
- always comply with the laws and regulations relating to tax and social security or other mandatory contributions in force at the place of work;
- always make available and use all resources needed to carry out the agreed or contractual tasks in compliance with the required standards;
- never knowingly cheat a client (in particular, by concealing the fact that a source document is already available in translation);
- always resist any attempt to restrict their intellectual freedom and any pressures designed to make them knowingly produce a deliberately distorted, or inaccurate, or misleading translation;
- be prepared to admit full liability for any deficiencies, errors or failings in the translation, unless such deficiencies, errors or failings be the result of deficiencies, errors or failings in the source material, or of failure on the part of the work provider to carry out his contractual or commonly accepted obligations or duties;
Except where this might become an incentive for work providers to go to justice for no particular reason other than that 'the insurance will pay', this kind of liability should be covered by a third party insurance to be negotiated with the translator's insurance company.
- never undertake any task which is beyond their field of competence or where it is obvious that the necessary degree of competence cannot be achieved within the timescale allowed by the contract;
- never take on work they know will be impossible to carry out within the terms of the contract;
- always complete whatever task they have undertaken to carry out - given that commitments should be made in writing so as to avoid any subsequent misinterpretation or litigation;
- never in any way breach the confidentiality of any source material or of any translation for any reason whatsoever;
- never in any way breach the confidentiality of any information obtained during the course of a contract (e.g. information on the work provider's marketing campaigns, clients, tariffs, internal organisation, prototypes, research projects and contracts, tax matters, etc.) or act in such a way that such information is revealed, whether intentionally or unintentionally;
- never disseminate or make public any source material or translated material without the prior authorisation of the authors, copyright holders or their legal representatives;
- never deliberately convey a false impression to clients or third parties as regards their qualifications and competence (e.g. through misleading publicity, by using unwarranted titles or academic qualifications or by sub-contracting work to others without acknowledging the fact and getting prior agreement in writing from the client concerned);
- never use for their own personal benefit any information obtained in the course of a professional contract.
2. Vis-a-vis the work provider
Professional translators shall:
- never tolerate or practise any kind of discrimination towards the work provider or translation requester on grounds of social status, religious convictions, nationality, ethnic group or other;
- always remain impartial and refuse to let their own convictions interfere with the translation being undertaken (or, if need be, use a clause of conscience to withdraw from, or refuse, the contract);
- always be above board and honest with the work provider or prime contractor;
- always comply strictly with the contractual obligation to defend the work provider's interests, or, if this should prove incompatible with their feelings, or with their religious, ethical or moral convictions, use the clause of conscience to terminate the contract, in the knowledge that everyone is free to refuse a contract without having to justify the decision - with the exception of sworn translators and, to a lesser extent, salaried translators who may however, resort to a clause of conscience;
- always protect the work provider's interests - as long as the latter remain within the law and ethics - by making sure the translation shall have no adverse effects on such interests;
- always comply with the work provider's instructions and specifications, or indicate clearly whatever grounds there might be for disagreement and why;
- always inform the work provider as soon as it becomes clear that they may not be able to meet a commitment;
- always inform the work provider before sub-contracting any part of a contract.
3. In the course of a translation job
Professional translators shall:
- make a true and honest translation in all circumstances and resist any pressure to the contrary;
- never make a choice of translation that might turn out to be detrimental to the work provider's interests, without consulting the work provider beforehand;
- never try to interpret the meaning of a source document or modify the content or structure of a source document without consulting the work provider;
- never attempt to translate anything they do not understand;
- never try to pass off what is mere guesswork in translation as certain and validated;
- always notify the reviser or the work provider of any unresolved problems or difficulties;
- never ever compromise on the quality of a translation in terms of meaning, technical accuracy or factual accuracy;
- never knowingly compromise on the quality of a translation with regard to the agreed standards without having discussed the matter with the work provider and explaining why the originally agreed standards cannot, or will not, be met;
- if incapable, for whatever reason, of fulfilling an assignment within the terms of the contract, ask for the contract to be terminated and hand over any resources that have already been prepared for the translation;
- unless sub-contracting has been discussed and authorised under the terms of the contract, never resort to sub-contractors without having previously notified the work provider;
- on completion of a contract, always hand over any documents or resources provided by the work provider;
- always assume that - unless otherwise specified in the contract - the quality required is 'deliverable' quality as agreed with the work provider;
- unless otherwise agreed, always abide by recognised professional quality criteria, i.e. compliance with the principle of identity of document type and functions and convergence of meaning and discourse between source and target material, clear marking of structure, consistent use of standard and homogeneous terminology and phraseology, absence of unintentional ambiguity of meaning, absence of unwarranted cultural discrepancies, compliance with all applicable standards;
- always get a third party to proofread the translation, and failing that, indicate that the translation has not been proofread.
4. With regard to payment
Professional translators shall:
- always expect fair and honest payment for any work completed;
- never accept payment clearly below the going rate for any job;
- never deliberately reduce the rate for a job with a view to cutting corners on quality in return;
- never cheat on quantities (i.e. on the volume translated or on the time spent translating).
5. Vis-a-vis colleagues or fellow translators
Professional translators shall:
- always be loyal to colleagues or fellow translators, providing they themselves comply with all the recognised ethical and regulatory duties of the profession;
- never aid and abet anyone who deliberately disregards the rules and obligations of the profession;
- never resort to unfair competition against a colleague or fellow translator, and in particular, never deliberately undercut a fellow translator to win a contract;
- never accept lower payment on the grounds that the work provider has provided resources (e.g. glossaries or translation memories) compiled by another translator (and, in such circumstances, always notify the translator concerned since the work provider may not, without due acknowledgment and compensation, use any item or product for which he has not acquired the copyright);
- never publicly pass judgement on or criticize a colleague or fellow translator, unless this is part of a duly recognised audit or assessment process;
- when involved in professional audits or assessments of work carried out by fellow translators, always demand that the people concerned be duly informed of the process and of the results and be given a fair chance to defend their case whenever appropriate;
- undertake to ensure that any third party sub-contracted to do work complies with professional rules and ethics and with the specifications as set by the work provider. This clause or any clause to the same effect should be written into any contractual agreement between any work provider and any translator as a matter of routine.
6. Vis-a-vis partners
Professional translators shall:
- ensure that any person providing significant assistance with the translation without being bound to do so by contract or otherwise with the work provider or with the translator, receives due compensation (in whatever form) and, as the case maybe, is duly mentioned as having provided such assistance;
- ensure that the intellectual property rights of any person contributing to the translation are duly enforced;
- acknowledge and thank any person having contributed to the translation process, in whatever capacity;
- always return books, documentation, tools and any other resources lent by third parties.
chapter 11
Certification
ISO, DIN, CEN and more
The translation industry and profession are being swept along on the global tide of quality assurance and quality control. Many companies are now walking down the path to certification, which is seen as the best way to promote quality assurance.
Unlike the quest for quality, which has been around for a long time in the translation industry, certification as such is relatively new on the scene. The trend has gained momentum as those work providers who have themselves obtained quality certification in their areas of competence become more and more reluctant to work with any partners who cannot offer the same formal level of guarantee.
Gaining true certification (proof, by an external body, of compliance with certain predetermined standards) is a long and expensive process and cynics will be quick to point out that it is also no insurance against poor or disastrous translations, given that a poor translator can fare quite badly while adhering strictly to the procedures.
Translation companies can, and do, apply for the relevant certification under one of the ISO 900X/9000+ standards. This has now become a must for any translation company and is expected to become mandatory for all translation agencies and brokers. Translation companies and agencies can also apply specifically for certification under the EN-15038 standard (European Quality Standard for Translation Services).
There are also a number of simple solutions open to all translators (as individual translators do not have the time or money to go through the process of getting full-blown certification the ISO or CEN way):
1. Translators may consider that the qualification obtained at the end of a vocational course by way of credits or a diploma or a degree is in itself some sort of quality certification, and that applying for further certification would amount to recognising that the course is in some way below standard. They consider that they are already fully qualified and that 'certification' is inherent in the qualification awarded, which is in fact quite true in some university courses where specifications are harshest than any standard would warrant, but not so true in other cases. And that is precisely where the problem lies.
2. Translators can produce their own personal quality assurance 'kit', which should at least include the following:
- a full description of the standard translation process and typical variations (under the name of general conditions of sale and/or general conditions of translation service provision),
- a full description of the standard procedures for carrying out each of the actually planned or possible operations,
- a standard set of contractual agreements and negotiation procedures taking into account all the possible options for the client,
- a list of all the quality controls applied to each translation.
This type of kit has a number of advantages for all concerned:
- the translator and the work provider can reach an agreement with reference to a documented list of critical areas and options;
- the translator can specify in detail how the work will be carried out;
- the work provider knows exactly what is actually going to be done, how it will be done and what guarantees can be expected;
- the translator can spell out what type of co-operation would be appreciated, if possible, on the work provider's part.
This may be seen as a kind of 'poor man's certification process', but at least it lays down the basis for what might progressively grow into a full quality control system. It can lead to more 'official' certification at a later stage. Its simple merit is that it makes everything clear for any work provider who cares to know.
The DIN 2345 standard is a German quality standard which, to all intents and purposes, is not much more than a code of good practice. The standard sets out the rules that translators should follow in their everyday professional practise, and which are in fact common sense recommendations rather than technical standards per se. They include the rules that the work provider should also apply or, more precisely, the rules that translators think work providers should apply to themselves.
Any translator who abides by the said rules can claim to be in compliance with the DIN standard and is entitled:
- either to indicate, on all contractual documents or on the actual translation, that the translation has been carried out "in compliance with DIN 2345" (if challenged, it is then up to the translator to prove that the work effectively complies with the standard);
- or to ask for DIN CERTCO[11] registration, which will enable him to back up his assertions with a DIN registration number.
7. Translators can apply for certification as per a given standard. This means that they have to demonstrate compliance with what the standard requires. It is a complicated, lengthy and costly process but well worth the trouble in terms of goodwill.
Certification may be obtained from an external body or individual, in which case, its acceptability will depend on the reputation of the external assessor.
Certification may also be obtained from an accredited body (a body certified by the relevant standards organisation to deliver certifications), in which case it is an accredited certification and has absolute credibility.
Among the existing standards for translation are the Italian UNI 10574 standard, available at www.unicei.it, the Austrian Onorm D 1200/1201 standard available at www.on-norm.at, the ASTM standard available at accu- rapid.com/journal, the EN15038 European Quality Standard for Translation Services at www.euatc.org, the German DIN 2345 standard at www.fask.uni- mainz.de and the IFAC (International Federation of Accountants) policy statement on translation at www.ifac.org. Many more are being issued, among them a Chinese standard.
chapter 12
Recognition
Qualifications, titles, status and regulations
Introduction
One of the major issues discussed by translators the world over (with a few notable exceptions) is whether or not there should be a legally recognised professional status for translators so as to regulate access to the profession in order to ensure better quality for the clients by making sure candidates have the required skills. The debate is generally clouded by the fact that several issues (professional status, professional titles, regulated access to the use of the professional 'title') are rolled into one.
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