July has been a rather busy month. Besides the holiday fever rush of clients trying to get things done and dusted before they head off on their annual breaks (in Spain some companies virtually shut down for the whole of August), I have moved, which as we all know is an extremely stressful and time-consuming process. Now posting from my new work set-up in Bournemouth (which is not quite as I had planned since my desk collapsed en route and one of my bookshelves is decidedly wonky), I am surrounded by piles of boxes and stuff that needs sorting. I fear it could all take me a while, and certainly longer than I had anticipated. This will, unfortunately, have a knock-on effect on my CPD plans. Still, I’m sure it’ll all be worth it in the end once I’m settled. And I’m especially looking forward to escaping with my laptop to the comfy armchair and footstool in the summerhouse for a change of scene.
translation
Posts of the Day – June 2014
The results of the Language Lovers competition, organised by Lexiophiles and bab.la, came out in June. Congratulations to all the winners, many of whose articles have already featured as a post of the day. However, a lot of my favourite blogs didn’t even make it to the nomination stage, something I’m planning on rectifying next year. These include Translation Wordshop by Marie Brotnov and Lines from a Linguist by Claire Cox. They both appear twice in this month’s list and had posts included in the May list as well.
Pay special attention to this translation or else
Don’t you just love it when the agency says in the very last email of the exchange about a job, when the conditions are supposedly already done and dusted: “Oh, by the way, the client says this translation is extremely important so please make sure you pay special attention to doing it well.” Even when they sweeten this a little by adding “We know you always do”, it still exasperates me no end.
Friendship and Laughter: Review of the BP14 Conference
A chance remark on Facebook just over a year ago made Csaba Bán realise that his colleagues would quite like him to repeat his earlier conference-arranging success in Budapest. A few hours later BP14 was born; the following day the venue was booked; and the rest, as they say, is history.
In this case, however, BP does not primarily refer to the two settlements, Buda and Pest, flanking either side of the River Danube (which we sailed down whilst having dinner on the first evening of the conference) forming today’s vast city of Budapest. It actually stands for Business and Practice because the conference was held over two days, the first devoted to improving how we relate to clients and portray ourselves, and the second to perfecting our craft. That’s also why BP15, which is already in the pipeline, will not be held in Csaba’s hometown but in Zagreb instead.
Books on My Shelves – The Bright Side of Freelance Translation
I can’t help it, really I can’t, but every time someone mentions the “bright side” I think of that Monty Python song at the end of the Life of Brian. This “bright side” isn’t quite the same, however. It’s not about finding the positives in a negative situation. It’s about sharing the experiences of colleagues who have realised “that the solutions to the ups, downs, bounties and challenges of life as a freelance translator are in their hands, and their hands alone, who buckle down, refuse to whinge and get on with the job”.
This bold statement, which for many is their philosophy of life, also sums up why it has not been well received in all corners of the translation sphere (especially as it seems many critics didn’t get much beyond the first paragraph of the introduction, which this quote comes from). It has inspired Herman Boel to write a series on his blog Alta Verba called The Reality of Our Profession.
It might also explain why the new slogan for the IAPTI conference in Athens in September is now: “Neither nihilist nor naive”. Because obviously things happen that are totally beyond our control and change our circumstances. The recent recession springs to mind, and let’s not even get started on machine translation and the impact it has and will continue to have on various segments of our industry.
Bite-sized Tips No. 6: Common Mistakes Part 2 – Data is or Data are?
Common Mistakes in Papers for Publication Part 2 – Data is or Data are?
This second instalment of common mistakes I encounter when revising and editing texts that have been written by non-native speakers of English kicks off with “data”. Should it be followed by a singular or a plural verb? I’ll base my response to this on the New Oxford Style Manual, as this is the style guide I use for my work, but I’ll also check The Chicago Manual of Style to see if it differs.
Bite-sized Tips No. 1: Common Mistakes Part 1
Common Mistakes in Papers for Publication Part 1
The services I offer include editing papers for publication. As most of these have been written directly into English by Spanish university researchers, more often than not they contain a number of errors. In this first of what I hope will be many blog posts on the subject, I have highlighted ten mistakes which crop up again and again. I base my work on the New Oxford Style Manual, but I have also indicated the preference of The Chicago Manual of Style where this differs.
Tranix Translation & Editing Services 