ATIA Translation Day Symposium 2020 Poster

Free Events for Translation Day 2020

Translation Day is celebrated internationally. This year, many of the events to mark the occasion are being held online – including those offered by the ATIA. Below is a week’s worth of free online events for Translation Day 2020, enjoy!


The ATIA’s Translation Day 2020 Symposium

Saturday, October 3rd

 

Go to www.atia.ab.ca/events for more information on each session or to register.


Please note that the below are not endorsed by or in any way affiliated with the ATIA. Please follow the links for more information about each event, including how to register and the time. 


East meets West Learning Club presents Poetry in Translation featuring George Elliott Clarke and Anna Yin

Friday, September 25th

This event features reading and discussions of original poems and translations between poets and translators. The myth of “lost in translation” and the art of re-creation and mutual exchange will be discussed. See here for more information or register here on Zoom  (meeting ID 871 3466 4583). Past sessions can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN8-qpOlzk4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXu8g7fQWxo. 


Great Weather for Media presents Spoken Word Sundays Series: A Celebration of National Translation Month featuring Kristina Andersson Bicher, Mi Jialu, and Anton Yakovlev

Sunday, September 27th 

This event will stream here on Facebook Live. 


Archipelago Books and Maison Francaise present Machines a écrire: Scolastique Mukasonga in conversation with Laure Adler (in French)

Monday, September 28th

See here for more information.

BP’s Translation Day Conference

Wednesday, September 30th – Thursday, October 1st

This 30-hour continuous conference offers many short talks in a number of languages. See here for more information.


MAPA Translations & Language Solutions’ International Translation Day

Wednesday, September 30th 

Four sessions include an interpretation panel, a translation panel, a voice-over panel, and a social hour. See here for more information and to register.


 

International Translation Day

The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta is looking forward to recognizing and celebrating the essential role that our members play as professional translators and interpreters in the community on International Translation Day 2020 next month.

In the meantime, have you ever wondered why we celebrate Translation day, where it comes from, or why it’s important to language professionals both locally and around the world? Read on.

In 2017, the International Federation of Translators achieved a historical milestone with the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration of September 30th as International Translation Day, recognizing the central role of language professionals in the international community. The date of September 30th is of historical significance for the language professions because it marks the feast of St. Jerome, a Christian theologian, translator, and saint lauded for his Latin translation of the bible (382-405 CE).

International days are marked by the UN because they present occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. International Translation Day, as described by the UN, is meant as an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security. Transposition of a literary or scientific work, including technical work, from one language into another language, professional translation, including translation proper, interpretation and terminology, is indispensable to preserving clarity, a positive climate and productiveness in international public discourse and interpersonal communication.

Beyond an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of translators, interpreters, and other language professionals, International Translation Day is an occasion to shed light on globally relevant themes that impact our communities – both locally and internationally. The International Federation of Translators has declared the theme of International Translation Day 2020 to be Finding the Words for a World in Crisis. This timely theme at once unites us with the international community of language professionals tasked with confronting the global health crisis of COVID-19 and the inequalities that have been amplified by it; and sets the stage to address some of the more localized challenges being faced in North America, including in Albertan cities.

The ATIA will be guided by this year’s Translation Day theme as we host a variety of social, professional development, and informative events in recognition and celebration of the professional translators and interpreters that serve Albertans in all different contexts. Stay tuned to the ATIA Facebook, LinkedIn, and Events pages for event announcements as they arise.

Regina Landeck, Certified Translator (German-English), Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA)

Introduction to Legal Translation – ICYMI

The ATIA’s own Regina Landeck, C.Tran presented an Introduction to Legal Translation Webinar, made possible by the Canadian Translators, Terminologists, and Interpreters Council (CTTIC). The webinar was free to members of CTTIC’s affiliates, including members of the ATIA and other sister-associations across Canada. In case you missed it, here’s a brief summary of some highlights.

 

Regina is a certified translator (German to English and English to German), an ATIA board member, and a corresponding member of the ATA. She holds a law degree from Germany, a post-graduate diploma in adult education, and a master’s degree in translation. She taught legal translation in the online Translation Certificate Program at New York University for 10 years and continues to operate her own translation business, ProLingua Consulting. Regina teaches translation webinars and is also active as a mentor and tutor to new translators.

 

So what does it take to be a legal translator?

 

Like for all translators, there is a base set of competencies required to accurately translate the meaning of a text from one language to another. More than just the native- or native-like bilingualism and writing skills required to perform the language transfer, translators must also have strong research, editing, and proofreading skills.

 

Then there are specialized translators, who need the additional technical knowledge of their particular field. This includes being bilingual in that field, as Regina reminds us: “Technical writing is its own language,” which often comes with its own writing style and set of conventions.

 

Finally, the legal translatormust be an excellent all-around translator, a specialist translator, and be well versed in the legal systems of both their working languages.

 

Regina gave a number of examples of cases where she has had to rely on these interlocking competencies to complete a contract. In one instance, she was hired to translate the texts in a legal case in which a farmer who sold his dairy operation was being sued over the technical properties of his milking equipment. “I became a tiny little bit of an expert on dairy equipment […] being a legal translator means being everything else as well!”

 

Considerations and Concepts in Legal Translation

 

When we translate between two legal systems, it can be very difficult to find equivalents that work 100% in both languages. With many legal systems sharing the common ancestor of historical Roman law, there are many false friends and near-false friends out there! When there is no perfect conceptual match for legal terminology in the two working languages and systems, the functional equivalentapproach settles on a term that, at the very minimum, matches the function in the context of its occurrence. When taking this approach, the translator must use functional equivalents with caution until they have become used frequently enough to be used as such; and use a communicative approach to maximize clarity.

 

Another factor to keep in mind is the target text’s purpose. In cases of contract translation, texts may be scrutinized by lawyers in a dispute, resulting in complications from translated contracts being interpreted in a different legal system from the one in which it was created. These situations would make a good case for foreignization, that is, to integrate certain graphic, stylistic, and linguistic markers of the source language into the target text. Foreignization signals to the reader that the text in question comes from a different legal sphere that may not be able to be interpreted in the same conceptual framework as the target language and legal system.

The issue of ambiguitypresents another significant challenge to the legal translator. While it is often the case in legal texts that ambiguity is written into the text on purpose, it is best, whenever possible, to contact the drafter to clarify any ambiguous statements. If that’s not possible, the ambiguity should be made known in a translator’s note. Pro tip: always get the client to clarify in writing – consider it your insurance policy!

 

Because technical language is its own language, legal language has its own features that often do not translate easily. Here are some features of legal English discussed in the webinar:

 

  • Latinisms: because of our legal system’s ancestral roots in Roman law, there are still many occurrences of Latin borrowing in legal English. Unless the target language shares these borrowings, these latinisms must be translated as well.
  • Intentional Redundancies, or more specifically doublets and triplets, are a common convention in legal English (example: “null and void”).Is there a genuine distinction between the seeming-synonyms in these sets? Is it tautology for emphasis’ sake? In the end it is the translator’s choice.
  • Performative verbs, that is, things that come into effect by the simple act of stating it (example: “I now pronounce you husband and wife”). Care must be taken to capture the act executed these performative verbs’ in the target language as well (not “I now call you husband and wife”).
  • Euphemisms: while increasingly less common, there are still some euphamisms that stand in the language of Canadian law (example: “indecent exposure”). Attention must be taken to avoid literal translations in these cases.

 

As some of the webinar’s attendees noted, it is well worth it to invest in a good, printed legal dictionary to help with legal language concepts and finding the best way to translate them.

 

Thank you Regina and CTTIC for this fantastic introduction to legal translation!

Regina Landeck, Certified Translator (German-English), Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA)
Regina Landeck, Certified Translator (German-English), Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA)
Freelancers Unite! An Interview with CFU's Paula Kirman

Freelancers Unite! An Interview with CFU’s Paula Kirman

Many ATIA members may have met Paula Kirman of the Canadian Freelance Union (CFU) last year at the AGM in Edmonton, as she gave a presentation to our members on the benefits of joining the CFU. Thank you for joining us, Paula!

 

Q: Why don’t you start by telling us who can join the Canadian Freelance Union.

 

A: The Canadian Freelance Union is a community chapter of Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union. Membership is aimed at freelancers working in the media, communications, and information fields, and this can include interpreting and translating. Our members also include writers, graphic designers, website designers, social media consultants, photographers, and videographers.

 

Q: As you know, many associate and certified members of the ATIA do freelance or independent contracting work. Can you tell us about the benefits of joining the CFU for Translators and Interpreters?

 

A: Membership in the CFU offers group rates on insurance: health, home, auto, and liability. As many of us who are self-employed know, insurance can be hard to get – and very expensive. The CFU also offers grievance support, so if you have a client who isn’t paying, you can discuss the situation with someone at the union to decide the best course of action. As well, the CFU has a member’s directory that is available to potential clients who want to hire someone who is unionized. There is also the potential to connect with and socialize with other freelancers. Membership in the CFU helps build solidarity for freelancers in the labour movement. We’re stronger together.

 

Q: Many are drawn to freelancing because it affords translators and interpreters the independence and self-determination of being selective of projects and clients, allowing us to pursue work that we are passionate about. However, this independence can have its downside when it comes to clients’ non-payment of fees or deceptive contracts. How can the CFU support freelancers with problematic clients?

 

A: As I mentioned before, the CFU offers grievance support when it comes to non-paying clients. The situation will be discussed with the member, and an action plan created. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call from someone at the CFU to your client to convince them to pay up. CFU members are welcome to submit questions concerning contracts. Something the CFU is currently working on is more comprehensive contract advice, and contract templates.

 

 

Q: Freelancing also has many draws in terms of lifestyle: building your own schedule, choosing your workload, flexibility, and independence. Unfortunately, this can also mean precarious labour, lack of access to health benefits, and loneliness. What services does the CFU offer to combat these commonly-faced hardships for freelancers?

 

A: Joining the CFU helps build solidarity among freelancers. You can be connected to other freelancers in your area. Here in Edmonton, there is an Edmonton Freelancers Facebook group that I moderate, and we have regular meet-ups. Meet-ups have happened in other cities as well. The union also offers group rates on health, home, auto, and liability insurance, which can be hard to get (and expensive) for precarious workers. Finally, the CFU gives a voice to freelancers in the labour movement, and advocates on behalf of us by standing up for issues affecting us as precarious workers. If you check out our website (canadianfreelanceunion.ca) and social media, you will see articles and information posted to help inform freelancers about pitfalls to avoid and issues of concern, such as the persecution of journalists, shady websites that “hire” freelancers at low rates, and related issues.

 

Q: Certified members of the ATIA must carry errors and omissions insurance, as it is one of the critical ways that the ATIA protects both its members and the public. This insurance does not come cheap, and can be particularly unaffordable for freelancers or independent contractors. Can you tell us a little bit about insurance plans tailored for freelancers?

 

A: The Errors and Omissions insurance offered via the CFU includes Misrepresentation, Professional Negligence, Inaccurate Advice, Libel and Slander, and lost documents. It is an individual plan, not a group one, which means each person would have to get their own quote to see what best suits their needs.

 

Q: Thanks again for joining us to inform the ATIA’s members about the Canadian Freelance Union! Do you have any closing messages for the translators and interpreters of the ATIA?

 

A: More information about the Canadian Freelance Union can be found on our website: canadianfreelanceunion.ca. Also, remember that union dues are tax-deductible as a business operating expense (not on the union dues line on our taxes because we’re not a bargaining union), and the benefits of joining are well worth the annual dues.

ATIA Perspective on Pre-signed Translator Statements

Recently, ATIA became aware that some agencies are asking translators to pre-stamp and/or pre-sign blank translator statements. The request is often accompanied by an offer that if the translator chooses to do so, they will be given priority when translation jobs come through the agency.

While ATIA does not have a policy that prevents its membership from taking this action, it is not something that we condone as you could be opening yourselves to the potential for fraud. Your stamp(s) and seals(s) are your responsibility. Agreeing to this practice could result in your stamp and/or credentials being used on a translation that you did not author. This could put you at risk of future litigation.

It is important to remember that your stamp and seal remains the property of the Association and that you are its caretaker and are therefore responsible for how it is used.

Protect yourself from scams and fraud

Regularly, the Administrative Assistant and Development Coordinator receive notices regarding suspicious emails and questionable requests for services. It is important that you exercise vigilance when considering any new client.

Tips on how to protect yourself:
Do not accept any overpayments. If a client has sent you too much money, refuse to accept it. Do not cash the cheque under any circumstances. Return it to the sender and report the incident to the authorities.
Do not accept payment by cheque, especially from unknown or first-time clients. There are more reliable methods of payment including Interac e-transfer that can be used.
Do not begin any work until you have received payment and it has officially cleared your account. Note: the bank can come back many months later and tell you a cheque was actually fraudulent. 
Do not feel pressured to “act now”. Fraudsters will use pressure tactics and quick turnaround times against you. 

If you received an email from a sender exhibiting the following behaviour, be aware it may be a scam:

Their email address contains the words “no-reply”.
Their “reply-to” email address does not match the email from which it was sent.
They insist on an unreasonably urgent timeline.
They do not provide self identifying contact details.
They insist you begin the work before agreeing on payment.

What to do if you have received an email you suspect is an overpayment scam: 

Don’t respond to the email.  
Report the email to the Canadian Government’s Spam Reporting Centre and/or the Anti-Fraud Centre. Spam isn’t just “annoying, unwanted” emails. It is also defined as “false or misleading electronic representations.”

The names, emails, stories and excuses the fraudsters use for various scams are always different and ever-evolving. The stories may even seem elaborate and convincing. But while the stories change, the motive of the fraudster does not: they just want your money. 
 
If you believe you have already fallen victim to a scam, please report this to the following authorities: 

Your local police’s non-emergency line. 
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

If you’re aware of any other fraudulent schemes where translators and/or interpreters are targeted, please let us know.