“As a professional French-English interpreter working in the criminal justice system, I can be a different person’s voice every day. I’ve translated for murderers and suspected terrorists.”
Read the full story on The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/20/experience-i-am-a-translator-for-terrorists-and-criminals
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Reunion
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Features https://www.proz.com/profile/1021189
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English to Afrikaans
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Features https://www.proz.com/profile/1021189
FWIW, she's an oral translator (i.e. "interpreter"), and sometimes her end-client is the criminal justice system, not the terrorists and murderers whose words she translates. I suppose I could say "I am a translator for Bill Gates" if I translate anything that Bill Gates had ever written or said. Wait, I just did that. I am now officially a translator for Bill Gates. (-:
I have great respect for colleagues who work in industries where the translator's rendition of what was said is assumed to mean exactly what the source text said, to such a degree that the source version of the text becomes irrelevant for all purposes and from that point onward the text in the client's language is assumed to have been the language of the original.
A translator's first duty is to his client, but for translators who work for the criminal justice system, the oppressor (i.e. whose actions will be to the detriment of the terrorist or murderer) is the client, and the translator is much "closer" (physically and mentally) to the victim (i.e. the terrorist or murderer) than e.g. a translator who translates an eviction order on behalf of a lawyer or a newsletter giving bad news to clinical trial participants.
In addition to translating "for" murderers and terrorists, she also translates "for" people with whom she feels an emotional connection (e.g. a tourist who did something wrong by mistake, or a victim of abuse whom she is not allowed to comfort but only interpret for), and she has to try to remain objective during the translation/interpreting sessions. This is a skill that many translators need to pick up, but I believe it can be far harder for oral translators, and particularly those who work with people whose words are life-changing. (At other times, her duty allows her to provide assistance that goes beyond translating, e.g. for an immigrant who needs assistance during a matter that she has additional knowledge of, and that can be rewarding as well.)
[Edited at 2019-12-21 09:26 GMT]
Ukraine
English to Russian
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So, it's ok to translate for alcohol and tobacco companies to attract more victims; it's ok to translate for weirdo politics and warmongers to foment hatred; it's ok to translate for sociopaths, misanthropes, and other minorities to belittle the majority; it's ok to translate for military interventions to increase the civilian damages and death tolls; and it's ok for lawyers to represent and protect the suspects and criminals, yet it... See more
So, it's ok to translate for alcohol and tobacco companies to attract more victims; it's ok to translate for weirdo politics and warmongers to foment hatred; it's ok to translate for sociopaths, misanthropes, and other minorities to belittle the majority; it's ok to translate for military interventions to increase the civilian damages and death tolls; and it's ok for lawyers to represent and protect the suspects and criminals, yet it's no good to translate what all those people do and say so others could understand them better in spite of the ostrich policy...
A translator/interpreter--whether agrees or not--just renders somebody else's words into a different language. ▲ Collapse
Portugal
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Your post in my opinion is rather ambiguous. It might be taken as a criticism (that’s what I thought at first) when, on the contrary, you’re just drawing our attention to an article published by another Prozian on a British newspaper space dedicated to unique experiences.
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I am now officially a translator for Bill Gates.
Did he pay you?
Netherlands
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English to Afrikaans
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I am now officially a translator for Bill Gates.
Did he pay you?
No, and I'm also still waiting for the money he should have sent me after I forwarded that e-mail (you know the one) and shared that Facebook post...
United States
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Romanian to English
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I am now officially a translator for Bill Gates.
Did he pay you?
No, and I'm also still waiting for the money he should have sent me after I forwarded that e-mail (you know the one) and shared that Facebook post...
.... plus interest ....
United Kingdom
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English to Hindi
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I'm a translator for criminals and the voiceless.
[Edited at 2020-01-17 15:18 GMT]
United Kingdom
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Serbian to English
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As usual with most journalists (with apologies to the few honorable exceptions ...) someone who is interpreter FOR the justice system and happens to have occasionally terrorists and criminals amongst the speakers/audience involved (mixed with TV licence non-payers, speeding motorists and similar "dangerous criminals") doesn't sound nowhere near as "clickbaity"... See more
As usual with most journalists (with apologies to the few honorable exceptions ...) someone who is interpreter FOR the justice system and happens to have occasionally terrorists and criminals amongst the speakers/audience involved (mixed with TV licence non-payers, speeding motorists and similar "dangerous criminals") doesn't sound nowhere near as "clickbaity", so as usual "don't let facts spoil a good story".
It's this same kind of journalism (make it "attractive" to read - who cares about details / nuances) that makes people believe that Machine Translation is good enough to be some kind of "authority". ▲ Collapse
Ukraine
English to Russian
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Not only most so-called journalists work off their pittance abusing partisan/sponsored articles and comments with certain agenda in mind, but also many translators censor unprejudiced pieces as if for third-rate weak-headed.
With media moguls commercialization, the information turned into an adulterated junk food, whereas the "Audiatur et altera pars" idea (let the other party be heard as well) was conveniently transformed into a "Muffle up all not approved" eye-candy.
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