Taking matters on the fly – the trials and tribulations of an incidental traveler

 

[airport hall*]

Due to a personal situation, I had to fly to the United States from Israel on a moment’s notice, not an easy matter during the current war. Small courtesies and inconveniences make a great impression on a traveler especially for those occupied by difficult thoughts. In particular, I saw how differences in flight class, airline sites/applications and airports can affect the whole travel experience.

First, the luxury of business class goes well beyond the actual seats. Of course, it is wonderful to sleep properly on cross-Atlantic flights, allowing the traveler to arrive fresh and alert, just like in those old Pan Am commercials, not to mention to reduce the probablity of getting Covid. However, beyond the immediate comfort is the peace of mind that from arrival at the airport of departure to retrieval of the luggage at the airport of destination, the service staff is friendly and helpful. I do not have figure out those self-check-in machines; I can wait in a lounge that is quiet, has clean bathrooms, serves good coffee and meals and even has quiet rooms and showers in some cases. These relative peace and quiet calms the nerves significantly. Of course, business and first class get on and off the plane first, reducing the stress of crowding. For me, not having to worry about overhead space is an additional relief as I am worrier when I travel. For me, travelling business class on cross Atlantic flights , depending on the price, almost makes flying pleasurable.

However, to get a flight, it is necessary to order a ticket. That process has become quite complex due to the lack of complete information on any given route and the presentation of the existing information. People forget that some airlines have a policy not to list their flights with the certain sites, notably PSA in the United States, meaning that these sites do not show more convenient or less expensive options that may exist. Sometimes, it may be possible to find less expensive rates on another application or the actual airline site. Knowing that no site is totally comprehensive, I know to search widely for travel solutions. However, it is very distressing to discover that many airlines post one-way prices only, creating the impression that the flight is inexpensive. It is only several clicks later that one discovers that the desired route is no less expensive, if not more expensive, than the alternatives. This is annoying at minimum and, in my opinion, deceptive advertising at maximum. As one agent said, if seems too good to be true, it probably is. Booking tickets online can be a confusing and trying experience.

As I flew through three different airports, I could directly compare their user friendliness. I discovered that, regardless of size, the factors that influenced my impression of their design were access, signing, layouts and bathrooms To be specific, certain airports require long hikes to even get to the check-in point (LAX) while others are a hop, skip and jump (Athens). I really don’t want to get tired before I even get through security. I discovered the importance of signing as deplaning in an unknown airport is very confusing. I learned to appreciate omnipresent gate displays and arrows indicating the direction of distant gates. This element is related to the general layout of the airport. I felt at ease in the “market” atmosphere of Athens as compared to the open industrial clamor of Amersterdam. I have to mention that I regretted having a full breakfast when I saw that Greek fluffy pastry by the gate in Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. Still, bathrooms are the one single factor that make airport layovers easier. Plentiful and clean bathrooms are vital for mental health. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is a disaster. Reaching them requires going down stairs, not exactly a pleasure when carrying bags. Upon entering them, there were flooded or dirty. Given the longer and longer time between connecting flights, the airport experience has a great impact on the flying experience.

Alas, it is not always possible to afford business, easily identify the best flight and choose airports. Travel will always remain an adventure for better or worse. I do my best to roll with the situation and cope. Still, not all flights are created equally pleasant, alas.

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Shooting the moon – My mother’s life

 

My mother, who just died peacefully at the age of 96, would quote her grandmother, who said that a person needed luck in birth and death. It could be understood that, in between, a person made his/her own life. My mother succeeded in playing her cards and living a full, rich life all the way to the end (and even was lucky in death). More than that, she influenced not her only family but inspired friends of all ages and even their children by the force of her character and personality.

Born in 1928 to an immigrant Jewish family in Paris, her childhood was rich in family warmth but poor in financial and social stability. The Great Depression left a mark on all those that endured it, making them appreciative of money and food. World War II saw her lose her father to the Germans, have her mother’s health deteriorate and have to take on the responsibility of raising her younger sister, all at the age of 14. The cancellation of her engagement by her fiancé’s family right after the war was the final blow. She was without hope, education or future in France.

Her reaction exemplifies her approach to life. In the early 1950’s, she immigrated to the United States, alone and without knowing a word of English. From then on, she made her life. She became a top perfume seller in New York (helped by her French accent), met my father there and got married. They moved to California, began a family at the age of 27, raised two boys, bought and created an elegant house, traveled the world and even owned at various times a house in Brittany and an apartment in Paris. She even survived cancer in both breasts. She even was far better read than most of her supposedly educated contemporaries. As she would say, not bad for a poor girl from the shetl [the Yiddish term for the Marais, the then poor Jewish area of Paris].

If I try to understand how she did it, I see three characteristics. First, she knew what she wanted. As most women of her generation, she wanted to raise a family, keep an elegant and orderly house (be a proper balabusta), eat well, travel the world, but she also dreamed of having  an apartment in France and eating strawberries in winter. She succeeded in all of them, working with my father to gradually attain her goals. If the conditions were not right, she waited for  a better moment. It took a least a decade to fully furnish her house but she bought items piece by piece as the budget allowed until she built the elegant home that my parents loved to their last day, all without getting into debt. The apartment in Paris was only a dream until relatively late in life when the stars lined up and allowed it to come true, giving them 10 years of great pleasure. Having a clear vision of what she wanted, she eventually lived her life as she wanted.

This determination was properly tempered by logic and reason. She freely expressed all emotions from joy to anger. Yet, she quickly analyzed and understood the reality of any situation, came to terms with a situation and sought a pratical solution. She was quick to forgive and admit her own error while adjusting her approach to the reality. This flexibility served her well both in her youth and old age, when she had to cope with ever growing limitations. She did not waste her energy on  getting angry at her difficulties but instead worked with them and was a proud, independent woman, even driving, till her last days.

Her most important strength was optimism. She believed that she would survive and succeed. She knew that she would not be picked up by the Germans, would survive the war, learn English, raise successful children, learn tennis and golf (despite derogatory comments from her teachers), playing to the age of 89, overcome cancer, live a long life and have a quick death. She was right. Not only that, she shared her optimism with others, including her nieces and nephews, the children of her friends and even inspired my childhood friend to become an artist. She not only sought the positive in her life but also in others. For that reason, I had the pleasure of speaking to so many people, old and young, after she died who remember what an inspiration she was for them.

My mother once asked my dad why he married such an uneducated girl. His answer, jokingly if you will, was that he saw that she had potential. There is a saying that God does not judge you for what you do but for what you do with the cards you have. If life was a round of hearts (a card game), my mother shot the moon and won the game. She lived with style and elegance. I hope that she has rejoined my father somewhere up there and they they are drinking the best champaign with their French bread and brie. My mother knew how to live. 

Chutes and ladders -Thoughts about 2023

 

[tree with clouds in background*]

2023 has not been a simple year, including for the residents of the Middle East and translators. To be blunt, it has been a year of earthquakes of the existential type. Collecting my thoughts, the two must powerful forces have been artificial intelligence and, for too many of us, the Gaza War. They have tested the faith in the future but I have also seen a much quieter but no less powerful force: the ability of the human mind to focus on a problem and improve reality.

ChatGPT in its many forms has hit the world like a sledgehammer. I will not even claim that I fully understand the techniques and manner of using it but I do have some, if limited, comprehension of the effect. The capacity to allow an algorithm to create a reality according to custom-made requirements is an amazing tool. Millions of people, including professionals, use it as an active tool. However, as a translator, I do not feel threatened because, while it creates a virtual reality, a verisimilitude, its outcomes may have nothing to do with reality. I suggest asking an IA engine of your choice to provide details of your life. You will discover some amazing facts. To be fair, fantasy is a powerful engine for creating reality. Think about how many gadgets on the Star Trek series have become everyday products, including cell phones and universal translators. However, this year too many people forgot how it is not human. Think about how often people accept doctored pictures as proof. In the courts, almost amusingly, Michael Cohen invented some legal cases sympathetic to his case using AI and sent them to his lawyer, who cited them. The judge was not amused. Even in translations, it is sad to say that a few so-called translators believe that unedited machine translation is actually how people write. My wife just spent seven hours rewriting a Google-translate text that should have required some 2 hours to edit if the translator had actually done the work. Children understand that Wile E. Coyote cannot actually survive having a rock fall on him. Their parents should be aware that artificial intelligence is just that, artificial.

On a more tragic note, the Gaza War, or whatever name it will receive in the history books, has created an enormous human tragedy and still is at the time of writing. The number of dead, wounded and traumatized  victims in Israel and, yes, Gaza, Syria and Lebanon is heartbreaking. The economic damage will have an impact for a decade. On an even sadder note for me, the intensity of pure, unbridled hatred that the war has unleased has shaken the belief in the essential goodness of human beings. It is, again, okay to wish the death of anybody that disagrees with you. This wave of hate goes far beyond the borders of the Middle East and is impacting most of the world. It makes it appear that human beings have made no progress and maybe regressed over the centuries. I find that destructive urge, whether in words or acts, extremely distressing.

On the other side, through conferences I have attended, I have encountered, physically and virtually, so many people that dedicate their lives to solving small problems and find beautiful solutions. There are countless academics delving in the intricacies of fascinating processes not because of the money but because they want to enrich their mind and the world, although they do not reject money, of course. I have seen the work of so many translators who invest disproportional time to find the absolute translation not because it matters to the customer but because they believe that translation is an art and, thus, is worthy of the effort to reach people and perfection. It is this ability to ignore the macro and focus on the micro that gives me hope for a better world as complicated situations are solved one step at a time.

With a bit of a heavy heart, I try to look optimistically to the future. Artificial intelligence will not disappear but people hopefully will learn how to apply its usefulness and recognize its limitations. The Gaza war will end at some time, one way or another. People will rebuild their lives, albeit as different people than they were before the war. What will not change is that the silent majority will continue to find solutions to small problems and, knowingly or unknowingly, make the world a better place. In short, let’s hope for a gentler 2024.

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The peaks and valleys of translation quotes – what does it all mean for translation buyers?

 

                                                                [Mountain and foggy valley*]

Anybody that has ever asked for a quote for translation of documents probably was rather surprised by the price range. The highest proposal can easily be two times or more than the lowest one. The reasons for this high variance include both personal situations and market conditions. For the translation buyers, I present some ways to process and interpret the rates in order to identify the most appropriate translator.

Both individual considerations and market realities affect specific proposals. Since translators operate on the Internet, including email and professional sites, geography does not play a major role in limiting potential customers. Translators in Germany and India compete for the same buyers. However, the local standard of living creates a minimum level of effective income. In simple terms, translators have to know how many hours at a certain rate they have to work to pay the rent and buy groceries. In that sense, low and high are also relative terms in relation to the local standard of living. Of course, many freelance translators choose low rates as the consider it as a side-occupation, closer to a hobby than an occupation. On the other spectrum, other linguists need to make a living from their work and demand commensurate rates as they wish to live at a certain standard of living. On a more conscious level, many translators deliberately choose a strategy, including low- or high-end pricing. To explain, if income is defined volume multiplied by rate, some prefer to increase volume by opting for lower rates while others opt for rate by seeking deep-pocketed buyers. Experience level  often influences this choice. With experience, it is natural and healthy to demand higher rates while new translators are hesitant or nervous about demanding upmarket rates.

All these issues are overshadowed by a major market force in translation: nobody knows what the market rate is (see post). Freelancers and even some agencies rarely post translation rates. National laws may even prevent it as some countries consider rate discussion as price fixing. Even among colleagues, most translators considerate it “indelicate” to ask how much the other is charging. This fog leaves everybody in the dark. Even with years of experience, it is often unclear whether a given rate for a given job in a given year is high or low. Thus, aside from individual choices, translation quotes can vary greatly simply because nobody knows what the market rate is.

The issue is how should a translation buyer process the proposals and identify the most appropriate. The usual policy of automatically eliminating the highest and lowest is not relevant as the price does not necessarily reflect quality or base cost for the service provider.  It is important to keep in mind that agency quotes generally do not specify the actual cost of the translator. This rate, especially for the some of the larger agencies, can be rather low. The ideal buying process is to first identify the level of specialized knowledge required for the translation, the level of quality required for the actual use of the translated material and the budget. For example, if an attorney needs translation of a foreign court decision to submit to a local court, such a translation requires thorough understanding of the concepts, must be completely accurate in terms of content and should be stylistically appropriate for court use. Otherwise, the translation is defective or useless. By contrast, staying in the legal field, the translation of a series of legal documents for purposes of firm-level identification of issues requires far less expertise and polishing. The message must be clear. In the first case, it may be worthwhile choosing the high bid as the resulting translation will be “less expensive” than that produced a translator with less expertise. In the second case, even a translator with little experience at a commensurate price but sufficient knowledge may be able to provide a “good enough” result at a lower price. The key is to identify (as much as possible) the most appropriate translators for a specific job and then take the budget into account.

Like a statistician facing too much outlier data, translation buyers are sometimes confused by the lack of any industry standard rate range. The key to dealing with this variance is to focus on the solution, i.e., an appropriately knowledgeable translator as demonstrated by previous exposure to the genre, formal or informal, regardless of the level of experience, for the quality required of the job and then compare prices, obviously taking into account budget limits. It is important to remember that, in translation, to a certain degree, but only for a certain degree, you get what you pay for.

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These are a few of my favorite things - The Braude College of Engineering 16th Research Conference

 

[candies*]

Multi-disciplinary research conferences create certain feelings - among them ignorance and wonder. Researchers in many different fields present their ongoing projects to colleagues in non-related fields. The curious result is most of the audience doesn’t fully understand some or all aspects of the presentation. At the same time, the listeners, or at least I, gain an appreciation of new topics and, no less important, the brilliant minds of their colleagues.

As a mere English lecturer without a science background, all of the topics were new to me with quite a few being quite incomprehensible except for the main idea, partly because my knowledge of math is rather limited. Still, these presentations opened previously unknown worlds and perspectives and gave me hope for practical solutions for important current problems in the foreseeable future. Among those presentations that I was able to follow, I wish to highlight several that especially piqued my interest, notably those discussing developments in health care and environmental solutions as well as a few that related to more obscure but still potentially relevant issues.

In the area of health, Dr. Iris Weitz discussed the use of copper oxide nanoparticles as a tool in healing and preventive health. Similar to gold and silver, she and her colleagues discovered that copper has certain properties even in a nanoparticle form that can help the body fight illnesses. At the same particle level, Prof. Sarit Sivan presented research on how nanoparticles containing pain killers can be used to ease eye pain and allow proper rest for patients in the first 72 hours after laser surgery. In the both of these lectures in TedTalk form, both the science and implications were quite clear and thought-provoking

In regards to environment issues, Associate Prof. Essam Sabah, in conjunction with several European colleagues, presented research that shows how it may be possible to use jelly fish mucus, which the animal uses to clean the water around it, to capture and bind nanoparticles of plastic and improve water treatment systems. In another lecture, Dr. Lilach Lasur Kruh explained how the search for the original DNA in wild humus plants may help fight mushroom infections in cultured plants and the challenges involved in implementing the solution. These lectures reinforced the notion that science does not always have to reinvent the wheel, only find where it is buried.

On a more esoteric but no less useful note, Dr. Anat Dahan presenting findings on research demonstrating how cooperation synchronizes brains. The testing involved monitoring brain activities when two individuals worked on the same task together. The implications of such development could be far reaching. Dr. Elad Denenberg discussed creating algorithms that would allow satellites to automatically avoid the rapidly-increasing quantity of space garbage floating around the earth. The major challenge is to make the calculation simple enough that the satellite can make the calculations autonomously and minimize waste of fuel in maneuvering. The need for research in these fields seem obvious now.

The pleasure of college research conferences is the magnificent combination of incredible knowledge with the ability and experience in expressing this knowledge. All the presenters expanded and enlightened the minds of the listeners. I merely presented a few of my favorite things. I wish to thank the College and the conference organizers for the event. I am looking forward to next year’s session.

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Linguistic false cousins or the danger of a little knowledge

 

[cat with lion in mirror*]

Through historical events, languages encounter each other and leave linguistic marks. Specifically, foreign roots enter a language, often providing a term for a concept that needed a word. However, the meaning of foreign words sometimes takes on a twist. This modification can confuse natives of the original language, who think that they understand the meaning. I will give some examples of this phenomenon, citing sentences in French-English and Hebrew-English.

Let’s start with a nice marketing sentence in French:

J’ignore que vous réussirez à commercialiser et vulgariser le produit.

An English speaker unfamiliar with business French would find this sentence slightly confusing even though the words seem understandable. First of all, why would someone ignore a future event? Second, it is not clear what the concept of commercialization refers to. Is private usage the opposite status? Finally, the purpose of marketing is to add status. Therefore, why would a company want to make it seem vulgar, of low quality? For clarity’s sake, the proper translation of this sentence to English is “I don’t know whether you will succeed in marketing and popularizing the product”.

Going the opposite direction, English to French, we have this fine academic phrase: evolution of a formidable society. A French person with minimal knowledge of English would be unsure of this context here and may misunderstand it. First, evolution in French can also refer to conscious development as compared to evolutionary probability. Second, formidable in French generally means wonderful (see song), which is not true in English where it means strong. Finally, society in French can also refer to an organized business unit, a corporation in English, creating an ambiguity. Therefore, a French person could understand the phrase to indicate the plan  to create a wonderful company. The actual context could be the development of a city state such as Sparta over time, which was a major power at its peak.

Hebrew has also adopted English expressions quite freely over the last 100 years or so but not always retained their original meaning, thus creating a bit of confusion to visitors with minimal Hebrew. Let’s consider this Corona period statement:

לבקש ללבוש פוטר בזמן הסטאז' הוא שאלת קיטבג.

[levakesh lilbosh futer b’zman hastaj hu sha’alat kitbag]

Three words are of interest. What is footer (third word)? In practice, it is a fabric but refers to sweat pants. The stage (fifth word) is not a stage in the context of the theatre or planning but refers to an apprenticeship, as in some parts of Europe. The last term is completely obscure (and admittedly a bit slangy). It does mean a kit bag but refers to a stupid question that one should not ask, as in “Sargeant, do we need to bring our kit bag?”, which leads to all the soldiers having to carry one. So, the phrase means it is not a good idea to ask to be allowed to wear pajamas when you are an apprentice. Clear, right?

It is convenient to know some roots in a foreign language when you need to decipher meanings. However, it is risky to assume that the resulting words have the exact same meaning. A little knowledge can be very dangerous.

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The BP Winter Translation Forum – a feast for the mind

 

[salad ready for preparation*]

This past week, I had the great pleasure of participating both as a speaker and listener in the online BP Winter Translation Forum. With more than 50 lectures in several languages over three days, there was plenty of food for thought for any translator. If one definition of success of a conference is that the participant leaves with one new perspective and one concrete tehcnique to apply, this event far exceeded expectations. Among the various themes, one of the most interesting ones was the active choice to follow one’s passion and choose small niches. The speakers showed that it is possible to combine work and pleasure.

Examples of passion motivating translator choices were Gabriela Kouahla and Jennifer Case. Ms. Kouahla identified and focuses on aspiring academics in North Africa that require assistance in preparing articles for publication. Correspondingly, she actively caters to their needs and payment conditions. She feels part of their long-term success while ensuring her own long term financial stability. In her case, social activism and making a living go hand in hand. Likewise, Ms. Case, an Arabic to English translator, relishes to go where most translators fear to tread, political and social causes. She attempts to fully express the idea, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for some parties in the translation cycle, while challenging public stereotypes. She does not fear criticism and, thus, channels her personal passion into her professional work. For these translators, their belief system fuels their work.

Two of the speakers dissected two large markets and showed the various submarkets that exist. Eman Abdu showed the fascinating and diverse world of Arabic from Morocco to Iraq, highlighting the other languages that influence its modern vocabulary, including Amazigh (Berber), French, English and Italian. She noted that, given the wide range of forms of spoken Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, a constructed language, serves as a bridge between cultures, a bit like English in India. Also breaking monolithic myths was Heddwan Newton, who illustrated how many types of English exist. These forms include UK and US English but also Australian aborigine and Italian, to name just a few. She highlighted the importance of being aware of the local variances by noting several terms that have rather different meanings depending on the culture, such as tabling a motion and root. From these lecturers, it became clear that each of these language subgroups are potential niches for qualified translators.

Of course, the conference treated many other translation-related topics, including, but fortunately not focusing on, AI. The more “practical lectures” included Chris Durbin’s advice to new translators (once in English and once in French, WOW!), Uri Bruck’s explanation of TM matches and my lecture on email communication when translators make errors. See the program for a complete list of all the lectures. To those whose names I did not mention, it is because I was unable to either attend the presentation or ran out of room in this post. Please do not be offended. I wish to thank Csaba Bán and his staff for an amazingly smooth experience.

Overall, the BP Winter Translation Forum was well organized, informative and wide-ranging. Almost without exception, the lecturers were organized and knowledgeable (the first is not a given taking into the account the introverted nature of many translators). There was a plenty of food for thought for one and all. I look forward to attending more such conferences.

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