Translating If - Essential learning for new and renewing translators

 

[world map on hands*]

Freelancer translators, as one-person businesses, must become multiskilled to one degree or another. They must be market- savvy, linguistically proficient and technologically nimble. Clearly, no newcomer to the profession can claim all three. Moreover, given that the rapid and constant evolution of the world of business, even successful and  experienced translators cannot rest on their laurels.  Thus, translators of all tenure must keep an open mind and actively learn. This continuing skill and knowledge education is an ongoing process throughout a translator’s career.

The price of having no boss or employee is that freelancers must wear all the hats. Since translation, like many online services, is a home-based industry, there is no storefront sign to bring in customers. Therefore, service providers must actively strive to get their name out to their public. They also must have thorough knowledge of their professional task. In the case of translators, that requires continual exposure both their target and source language. Finally, every year new technology enters the market. The current Chat-GPT hysteria is merely one example of a new technology that may affect an industry. Ideally, a freelancer would be expert in all three phases of the business.

In reality, newcomers to any field, including translation, may be quite proficient in one area but often are weak and/or uncomfortable in others. They may not even be aware of what they do not know, as I was when I started. For example, brilliant linguists often feel uncomfortable with marketing while savvy IT people may lack sufficient background in their languages. To clarify, lacking proficiency or knowledge in any of the fields is not a barrier to entering the translation field. Not only are these skills learnable but the reality of making living forces even the most reluctant to either improve or quit. Clearly, freelance translators have their own individual strengths, tasks they love, and weaknesses, tasks they try to avoid. However, successful freelancers are at least “good-enough” in all three to prosper.

Of a more troubling nature, at least to experienced translators, is that yesterday’s skill set can mean very little today. It is very disconcerting to discover that the financial certainties of the past, including their standard jobs, regular customers and established rates, are no longer to be taken for granted. The causes of this business earthquake include industry structural changes, in particular the purchase of boutique agencies by large agencies; technology changes that eliminate market niches, such as machine and neural translation; world market movements such as the Covid crisis and recessions; marketing trends, including the switch from physical to virtual sites and social media; language development as younger generations use different vocabulary and bend “iron” rules of grammar and syntax; and newcomers to the profession, who often arrive with more advanced skills in certain areas and greater openness to change. Many established translators experience a “what have you learned lately” syndrome.

The solution for this syndrome for “old” and new alike is continuing education and openness. Any freelancer that is interested can investigate countless free video and articles on any technological or marketing development and/or invest in affordable workshops on it. Information from all points of view is readily available if one searches for it. That said, depending on the person and market niche, many of these new trends may not be relevant for the meantime or ever. Given the learning curve involved in any change, slow and steady is a legitimate approach to change in many cases. For example, I personally do not see how Chat GPT can help me as a translator or even threaten my business although I could be wrong. Long-term players in this business keep aware of the latest developments without panicking.

In summary, to localize Kipling:

If you can continually strive to master all the needed skills

        while knowing that you cannot be great at everything,

If you can follow changes and trends with interest

        without being uncontrollably swept into the current,

If you can feel confident in your skills

        but know that you must always look to improve.

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

         And—which is more—you’ll be a translator, my son or daughter!

 

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

Picture credits

Tales of the unexpected (results of taxation)

 

[clay tax collector figure*]

What do Irish traditional houses, California avocados and Hungarian sausages have in common? They are all the unintended results of government tax policy. While those tax laws are long off the books, their impact is still visible.

[Irish traditional stone cabin]

A traveler in the countryside of Ireland immediately notices that the traditional cottages have tall doors and very few windows. While such a layout may be logical in terms of insulation, i.e., keeping in the heat during the cold winter, the actual reason is far more fiscal, specifically to avoid the heavy English tax on houses with more than six windows. The Irish referred to this levee as the “typhus tax” as the lack of air circulation created ideal conditions for the disease. This strange result demonstrates that what is convenient for the tax collector is not always beneficial for the taxpayer even beyond the financial element.

[avocados]

California is a major player in the world food production market, producing just about everything, including rice. Avocados are a more recent significant addition, dating from around 1970. The state now provides the vast majority of US domestic production, almost 140 thousand tons. While the tree does produce commercial amounts quickly and the product has a high commercial value, the actual trigger for the massive investment in this fruit was US income tax policy. Apparently, there was a closing of a loophole in the federal tax code for citrus and almond orchards, which had allowed the rich to avoid paying taxes for many years. Instead, in compensation, for seven years, from 1970 to 1976, the congress made it very worthwhile to invest in avocados. The government has long since eliminated this tax break but avocados have gone from being exotic to common. They are an example of a fruit of the IRS’s labor.

[Hungarian sausage with cabbage]

Finally, Hungary has hundreds of types of sausage, ranging in size, taste and spiciness. However, most of them are made from pork, not beef. Pork is often the preferred meat in counties where the land is insufficient or does not support cattle. In Hungary, the cause of this preference is actually tax, notably that not imposed by the Ottomans when they ruled the country from 1541-1699. As Muslims, they did not eat pork. Consequently, they did not tax pork, rendering it the least inexpensive meat. Even today, the tax is relatively low, at 5%. This preference shows that the belief that taxing a forbidden item is to recognize it and therefore encourage it is apparently incorrect.

Every country has had its own style of taxation weirdness. Some of the results were temporary and disappeared upon cancellation of that policy. Others have impacted a nation long after the knowledge of the law disappeared from people’s memories.  In any case, the results of taxation policy can be very surprising.

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

All pictures via Pixabay

Coming out smelling like roses – Successful selling to the reluctant in Los Angeles

 

[red rose*]

My bi-annual trip to Los Angeles to see my aging mother does also lead to marketing insights as I have written about before. This time, I discovered how a successful chain actually caters to a customer that does not even want to enter their shop and thus created loyalty. I will also add a few actual humorous street signs just in case the tone of the material is too heavy.

I begin with a confession: As long as I can remember,  I cannot stand entering the perfume area of department stores. The cacophony of odors create a mélange that is far heavier and more unpleasant than that of my garden compost pile, at least in my opinion. 

Therefore, it was with heavy heart and nose that I entered the world of scent to purchase a perfume for my beloved daughter. Ah, what parents are willing to do for their children! An employee at the first department store pointed toward a vague wall where someone told they were out of the product. The salesperson at the second department store also said the product was missing but had the “gentilesse” to tell me that I may find it at Sephora. As I approached the door of my last chance, the overly fragrant breeze emanating from the store was already starting to get me to regret my decision to try it out. Fortunately, two sales people standing strategically at the door immediately smiled at me and asked what I was looking for. After hearing the name of the perfume that I needed, one of them immediately proceeded to enter the store, without me, and returned saying that they also were out of the product. She then suggested that I could have it shipped for free and it would arrive within three days. Two minutes later, I had provided my delivery and payment information and was back into the fresh air of the mall (everything is relative). My trip was Sephora was successful in terms of both finding the product and not suffering unduly.

I would even say that I would return there to buy more perfume for my daughter because their service matched the requirements of this unwilling buyer.  First, they had enough trained staff to efficiently handle my transaction. The employees were familiar with both the store’s inventory and procedures. Third, they treated me with respect although I am far from representing their target audience. It went from “Ca pue! to “Ca peut” [“it stinks” to “it is possible”]. My experience reinforced my opinion that service, not price, is the dominant factor in customer impression. Sephora came out smelling like roses.

On a less serious note, I present two pictures from actual, long-standing signs on the street near my hotel. There are no marketing lessons in implied but still they are somehow worthy of note:

 

[street for axe-throwing store]

This is called having a narrow niche!

 

[hotel sign "color TV]

What is the last year you could even purchase black and white purchases?

 

Lastly, since it’s my blog and I can post any picture I want to, here is my 95-year-old mother in whose honor I travel to LA twice a year:

 

my mother

For those going on vacation this summer, enjoy.

 

*Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit: Rose

                          

The sound and the fury? Interpreting foreign pitch and volume

 

[multiple converations*]

Consider these two scenes: (1) I remember hearing my ex-neighbors, of Iranian and Tunisian background with four kids, always speaking very loudly, giving me the impression that they were screaming all the time. In fact, I came to understand that was their normal tone of voice; they reserved a much louder tone for their fights; (2) My wife and I are enjoying a delicious goulash in a Budapest restaurant and sitting at a table just outside the party hall of the restaurant where some 30 Hungarians are busy drinking. I have heard more heated discussions at a funeral.

I bring up these examples, maybe extreme, to illustrate how difficult it is to interpret the pitch, linguistically referred to as the intonation, and volume of foreign cultures, not to mention to imitate them. Normal conversation tone varies from culture to culture and language to language and defies any universal rules. One person’s argument is another person’s small talk. A person wanting to correctly interpret the mood of a discussion has to be acquainted with the pitch and volume patterns of that language and culture. Over time and with enough practice, it is sometimes possible to adopt and apply those patterns.

Changes in pitch vary from language to language. On the one extreme are the flat languages where no vocal emphasis is placed on any specific word or phrase. For example, normal Russian conversation typically has no ups or downs and disappears into the sunset at the end, often running out of gas before the last word. People add emotion and interrogation through even minor pitch changes. By contrast, Latin languages, including Spanish and French, involve multiple peaks and valleys with the exact pattern depending on the local variant. Natives often interpret flat speech as either angry or non-native. Language has a song ranging from rap to opera but its meaning is contextual.

Furthermore, some countries are louder than others. Some people by nature and convention naturally speak at a high volume than others. Of course, listeners from other countries may consider this level screaming. On the other hand, those used to high decibels find the relative quiet of English conversation, to name one example, a bit disconcerting as it seems so lifeless, even disinteresed.  Curiously enough, in some cultures high volume expresses anger while in others it is normal excitement. When abroad, wise travelers should avoid jumping to conclusions about the emotion behind the speech. It could be just a normal conversation or a pleasant chat. Your native language reference may be completely irrelevant.

If a person is planning to spend any significant time in a country and wants to effectively interact with the locals, it is good idea to listen and learn. There is no sin  in asking someone about the exact content and specific tone of a conversation. Within a short time, it become increasingly easier to interpret the situation. As for speaking like a native, that is a far longer process. To apply a foreign intonation, the learner must practice saying common phrases with the correct intonation. Overtime, the throat learns to modulate as a native speaker does but such training does take time and effort. Then, and only then, can a person truly speak a native.

Based on a person’s native tongue, it may seem that people in a foreign country are constantly furious or bored. However, as Sporting Life said in Porgy and Bess, it ain’t necessarily so. Conversational tone and volume are not universal.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

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