Translation as a Profession (Benjamins Translation Library)

Chapter 3. The translation process from A to Z 69if the work provider has certified that the material is up to standard beforeforwarding it to the translator, as is normally required,andb) that the material is in fact translatable either by human means or bymachine translation.This ‘translatability assessment’ will differ according to whether thematerial is due to be translated by human translators or by machinetranslation, but it should always cover every aspect of the source material,including:– physical aspect,– subject,– format,– readability,– usability without risk of damage,– contents,– organisation and structure,– type of discourse,– ancillary and related material,– appendices and ‘non text’ material.61. The translator analyses the source material.This will include:a) identifying any anomalies or real or possible errors,b) making a note of any questions that – circumstances permitting – will beput to the author or designer of the source material or the work provideror information providers,c) identifying any item which is not fully understood or which requiresfurther documentation – and creating an index of such items,d) identifying any items calling for special attention, in particular all thosewhere several options may be open to the translator (for instance: shouldmeasurement units be converted?),e) listing all the terminology and phraseology requiring specific treatment,i.e. where the translator knows that:– equivalent items in the target language will have to be researched;– specific in-house terminology or phraseology will need to be provided(or validated) by the work provider;– homogeneity or consistency may be at risk;– multiple variants may give rise to disagreement, either among translatorsor with the work provider.