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Translation - art & business » Off topic »
Off topic: Today's Quick Poll
Thread poster: liz askew
liz askew
liz askew  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:02
Member (2007)
French to English
+ ...
Nov 28, 2012

Hi,

In light of today's Quick Poll, what do you do when you do not understand a phrase or word in the source text (English in this case) you are translating?

Liz Askew
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 16:02
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Ask the client Nov 28, 2012

1. Asking the client is my preferred option, if it is something really peculiar, but not always possible.

2. Poke around the Net and reference books if there is any chance of finding anything.

3. KudoZ. Don't believe all the stories I write as context... some of them are more or less fictitious, but people have come up with useful answers all the same.

4. I have few colleagues I sometimes ask - which one depends on the subject area. OK, I know about NDAs, ... See more
1. Asking the client is my preferred option, if it is something really peculiar, but not always possible.

2. Poke around the Net and reference books if there is any chance of finding anything.

3. KudoZ. Don't believe all the stories I write as context... some of them are more or less fictitious, but people have come up with useful answers all the same.

4. I have few colleagues I sometimes ask - which one depends on the subject area. OK, I know about NDAs, but so do these colleagues, and we help each other out. Sometimes others ask me...

5. Sleep on it if I can, or go for a walk and think of anything but work. Strange how sometimes the penny drops overnight, and suddenly it does make some kind of sense after all.

6. If all else fails, I give up and add a note that I don't understand it.

BTW, How precisely does this link with today's Quick Poll ?

Poll: As a translator, which skill would you prefer to improve the most?
http://www.proz.com/polls/7805 ▲ Collapse
 
liz askew
liz askew  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:02
Member (2007)
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
How precisely does this link with today's Quick Poll Nov 28, 2012

Hi Christine

It links in with regard to "improving the skill of understanding the source text"...

Thanks for your reply too!

BTW, I think one sure way of improving one's understanding of source text terminology is finding explanations of the terms in the source language - I have often discovered explanations of terms in English in English texts...

Liz

p.s.

an example t... See more
Hi Christine

It links in with regard to "improving the skill of understanding the source text"...

Thanks for your reply too!

BTW, I think one sure way of improving one's understanding of source text terminology is finding explanations of the terms in the source language - I have often discovered explanations of terms in English in English texts...

Liz

p.s.

an example today - "pentabody"....see

http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_spanish/biology_tech_chemmicro_/5026336-pentabody.html

[Edited at 2012-11-28 23:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 22:02
Chinese to English
Yes yes Nov 29, 2012

BTW, I think one sure way of improving one's understanding of source text terminology is finding explanations of the terms in the source language - I have often discovered explanations of terms in English in English texts...

I hate the practice of apparently only searching bilingual dictionaries. When you want to know what a word/phrase means, you search in that language. Only once you know what it means should you even begin the process of translation.
 
Giles Watson
Giles Watson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 16:02
Italian to English
In memoriam
But the worst bloopers... Nov 29, 2012

.. occur when the translator thinks he or she understands the original, but doesn't.

No dictionary can save the translation then, although a competent reviewer might

 
Usch Pilz
Usch Pilz
Local time: 16:02
English to German
+ ...
Group email Nov 29, 2012

If the expression is of the colloquial kind, I sometimes write a group email to all my native speaker friends, asking for help. And sometimes, if I get 10 answers, all 10 will be different!
Does this qualify as "fun with languages"?

[Edited at 2012-11-29 11:41 GMT]
 


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