Translation as a Profession (Benjamins Translation Library)

60 Translation as a Profession15. A manager maybeassignedtothejobonthework provider’s side, as the casemay be. He will be responsible for supervising the translation, and will startby negotiating with the translator.The job manager (or file manager or contract manager) on the workprovider’s side will be referred to below as the work provider.16. The translator decides whether the translation is relevant, by confirming that,to the best of his knowledge, the material has not already been partly or totallytranslated.17. The translator examines the work provider’s request, with a view to providingan accurate (realistic) estimate for the job.To do this, the translator will request all the explanations, information, anddetails that the work provider can supply, in order to determine as precisely aspossible whatthesourcematerialconsistsof,and the full and precise nature of thework required, unless of course, this has already been specified in full. The workprovider will, as a rule, provide the translator with one or more representativesamples of the material, so the latter can get a fair idea of the task involved andofthetimeitwilltake.Inthecourseofthisexchange, the translator may also ask the workprovider to check that the material can be exported/imported into the targetcultural, political, cultural environment (the context in which the translationwill be received and put to use). This may in particular involve asking whetheranything that is likely to be affected by various national laws and regulationshas been considered and the appropriate authorisations have been applied for.The work provider should also be asked to take account of all the mandatorywarnings and disclaimers which will apply in the given national context. Atthis juncture, the translator should also, if relevant, make the work provideraware of possible misunderstandings that might arise in the target culture.18. The translator studies the request and analyzes the work provider’s needs andrequirements. This may involve:– asking for additional information;– checking that the material has not already been translated, in part or inwhole;– looking up related material (documents in the same family, previous translations,etc.)– deciding, with the work provider, what type of translation is best suited tothe particular needs and situation and how best to carry out the job;– sizing the material to precisely determine the volume of the translation,being careful to inform the work provider of the method and tool used.19. The translator then makes a rough estimate of how long the job will take by: