Translation as a Profession (Benjamins Translation Library)

4 Translation as a Professionto plan the translation time into the work schedule and always forgotten tobudgetforitanyway,makeslastminutechangestothesourcedocument(suchchanges being usually referred to as ‘improvements’), changes his mind half waythrough the translation, forgets to give the translator the vital documentation orinformation needed to carry out the job properly and in time, never has time totalk to the translator or approve the translation, considers translation, at best, as anecessaryevilandbegrudgeshavingtopaythetranslator’sbillorfee...tomentionjust a few of the grievances!Whatever the reasons for such obviously serious misunderstanding, there is agood case for making sure that everyone has a better understanding of the nature,challenges and complexity of the whole process of translating.2. The aims of translationTranslators may be called upon to translate just about anything. Any text, message,fragment of a message or code element may need to be translated. A comprehensivelist of materials that are commonly translated would include softwareprograms, video games, software on-line help systems, insurance contracts, extraditionproceedings, film sub-titles, songs, film dialogues, all kinds of soundtracks,drug dosage instructions, obituaries, mail catalogues, mobile phone instructions,marketing certificate applications, sales contracts, health certificates, user manuals(millions of them), parts lists, commercial statistics, registry office certificates,educational qualifications and certificates, confidential diplomatic memos, advertisingleaflets, adverts, magazine and newspaper articles, alarm system documentation,customer complaints, the faxed minutes of a meeting before the next sessionstarts, poems, novels, short stories, biographies, bills of lading and customs forms,post card titles, medical files, extradition requests, technical memos, annual reports,letters to the shareholders, DNA analysis reports, machine user instructions,patents, and many more.Nor is language-based material the only type of material that comes upfor translation: graphic images, alphanumerical data, videographic material orpictograms, computer code or other types of code, sound, noise, signs, coloursand signals, may also have to be “translated” into other codes or languages. Thetranslator may for instance have to inform the client that a colour which is asymbol of happiness and optimism in European cultures is a symbol of death incertain Far-Eastern cultures, and that it may be worth changing the graphic chartfor the documentation accordingly. The list of materials that the translator may becalled on to “translate” is endless.