The Federal National Council passes draft law on translation

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Werner Maurer
Werner Maurer  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 00:50
Spanish to English
+ ...
dumb Feb 8, 2012

Abu Dhabi has just shot itself in the foot. From now on it and its businesses will have a devil of a time finding competent translators inside their own country. Jailtime for mistakes? No domestic translator will touch it with a barge pole, IMHO. Businesses will now feel forced to look abroad for translators.

 
Vadim Kadyrov
Vadim Kadyrov  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 10:50
English to Russian
+ ...
This is ridiculous Feb 9, 2012

In case I translate a story for my son - will it be a crime?

 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:50
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Rates tripled! Feb 9, 2012

Well, if I were a translator in Abu Dhabi I would triple my rates immediately, to cover the cost of the two, three, or more reviewers needed to be absolutely establish that no mistake is present in the translation.

Indeed as suggested by the colleague, this is the end of the profession in the UAE and companies will have to find translators elsewhere. Knowing about this law passed, I think I will never accept a translation job from the UAE unless they pay me in gold bars.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:50
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Reminds me of Catch 22... Feb 10, 2012

Any translator who agrees to those terms must be certifiable - and not as mentally sound.

 
Catherine GUILLIAUMET
Catherine GUILLIAUMET  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:50
English to French
+ ...
In memoriam
This is an outrageous scandal ! Feb 10, 2012

And nobody at the international level, within the international administrations/organizations and/or intellectual societies denounced it !!!????

I can't believe it.
Catherine

[Edited at 2012-02-10 17:57 GMT]


 
Gennady Lapardin
Gennady Lapardin  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 10:50
Italian to Russian
+ ...
Price of wrong translation Feb 11, 2012

Mistakes [that ruin the life of an individual or a corporate organisation] be a jail term of six months to two years and fines of Dh50,000 to Dh100,000.
If compared to medical, law enforcement, judiciary criminal liability?

[Edited at 2012-02-11 11:55 GMT]


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:50
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
I have professional liability insurance Feb 11, 2012

Gennady Lapardin wrote:

Mistakes [that ruin the life of an individual or a corporate organisation] be a jail term of six months to two years and fines of Dh50,000 to Dh100,000.
If compared to medical, law enforcement, judiciary criminal liability?

[Edited at 2012-02-11 11:55 GMT]


I make every effort to ensure that my translations are correct, and I know that my work is often proofread by the agency or the client as well.

Considering how a technically tiny error can cause disaster nevertheless, I have an insurance that covers quite a lot of damage, if I should forget the word 'not' somewhere, or slip a zero too many in some critical figure, or make some similar error.

I have never had to claim on my insurance, and I would feel awful if I really ruined someone's life or business in spite of my precautions.
But I would not feel a six month jail sentence was reasonable. Human error sometimes has tragic consequences, but it is not a crime.

Luckily, where I live, the claimant has to prove fault or negligence before I can be punished by prison or a fine. A genuine mistake is covered by my insurance.

Draconian punishments do not make better translators. But they could ruin a good translator's business for a technically very tiny mistake. And nobody in this world is perfect...


 
George Hopkins
George Hopkins
Local time: 09:50
Swedish to English
No mistakes? Feb 11, 2012

Perhaps they've never heard of the one man ever who was never wrong?

 


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The Federal National Council passes draft law on translation







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