Simon Wong's Translation Checking presentation

Extracted text from Translation_Checking.pptx:

Adapted from: Translation checking Outline of types --- Simon Wong (Global Translation Advisor)Outline Types of translation projects New translation Revisions (major / minor) Study Bibles Types of checking strategies Direct checking vs. Indirect checking Live checking vs. Distance checking Special checking Question for discussionNew translation Our clients expectation, i.e. local church What kind of translation? -- formal, meaning-based, liturgical Translation Policy/Document Translation principle Model text Orthography Key-terms (church tradition) . . . Revision Factors affecting extent of revision Base text Orthography, spelling Style, exegetic issues, corrections Minor revision Major revision Base text; model text(s) Areas of revisionStudy Bibles Base text Paratext new or translated What to check?Indirect checking vs. Direct checking Indirect checking Via back-translation text Literal but sensible translation PT Project Interlinearizer Direct checking TO can read the target language Who should do what? What of PT checking should TO perform?Live checking vs. Distance checking Live checking Oral back-translation (face-to-face) Written back-translation Spot-checking Distant checking Screen-sharing devices: Skype, Paratext Remote Support (InstantVNC), Mikogo, Team Viewer etc. Written back-translation (PT back- translation project); PT Live Paratext (?)Special checking Wordlist Biblical Terms Parallel passages OT quotations in NT Others: formats, punctuations, etc.Question for discussion ** How to avoid linguistic interference of the model translation? How can a TO who does not read the target language make sure that the style of the translation is natural, rather than, say, Sinicizied / Burmezied Wa translation? (Wa being an ethnic language spoken in China and Myanmar)?Whats the role of the reviewer committee? How would training in creative writing help sharpening stylistic awareness?But, if the English back translation is the same as the original English version, this doesnt mean a thing. And if the English back translation is different from the original English version, this doesnt mean a thing either.

• (Simon Andriesen, Benefiting from Back Translations, International Clinical Trials (ICT) Summer 2008) Use of back-translation Distance checking More on checking sessions --- Simon Wong (Global Translation Advisor)Use of Back-translationsTwo different situations: Translation Officer reads the target language Direct checking Translation Officer does not read the target language Indirect checking: (written) back- translationWhats a back-translation? Back Translation is the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back to the original language - preferably by an independent translator Widely used in medical field, esp. Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) documents (such as questionnaires), widely promoted by WHO, as a translation review method for the original author to verify... in Bible translation Back-translation involves translating a Scripture text backinto a language of wider communication from the indigenous language, word-by-word or phrase-by- phrase. This will reflect as closely as possible the meaning and grammatical structure of the indigenous language, so that a consultant who doesnt have an intimate knowledge of the indigenous language can evaluate how accurate and adequate the translation is. (http://www.wycliffe.org/go/careers/typesofwork/languagework/tr anslation/bibletranslationstepbystep.aspx)Media of back-translation Oral (Skype/MSN/phone/video/audio) what it says (very literal, stilted) vs. what it means (uncontrolled variance) Written word-for-word literal (interlinear); sensible literal WORD file: track changes, insert notes and comments Paratext: Project Interlinearizer; Back- translation projectWho should be the back-translator? Another member of the translation team? A member of the review committee? An uninitiated native informant? The translator him/herself? Really useful back-translation needs trainingDrawbacks and pitfalls of back-translations Inaccurate representation of the working text Over-dependence of an existing translation as a reference in back-translation Interference of the language of the back- translation the translation is too smooth!, i.e. thus not reflecting the structure (or problem) of the target text Difficulty in determining contextual consistency of key terms Difficult to assess discourse structural issuesA back translation is when a translated document is translated (back) into the original language. The idea is that the author ... can verify whether the translation covers all aspects of the original. But, if the English back translation is the same as the original English version, this doesnt mean a thing. And if the English back translation is different from the original English version, this doesnt mean a thing either.
• (Simon Andriesen, Benefiting from Back Translations, International Clinical Trials (ICT) Summer 2008)Check prayerfully! BUT Training for back-translation is needed Awareness of the problems allows us to compensate Active dialogue and interaction (e.g. clarification) is essential Thorough-checking of the team is a pre-requisite ... Very importantly, ...Distance Checking of a back-translationWhy use distance checking ? Preparation for visit to team Follow-up after visit to team Unable to visit team Time pressure for publication .... all of the aboveWhat media might be used to communicate? Handwriting/typing and post/email Video or audio recording PT back-translation project; Live Paratext (?) Screen-sharing devices: Skype, Paratext Remote Support (InstantVNC), Mikogo, Team Viewer etc.Advantages of distance checking In advance of a visit, allows the visit to concentrate on problem or strategic areas Provides rigorous follow-up on issues discussed during a visit Allows some projects to proceed which would otherwise not Speeds up translation project by decreasing the consultant-checking bottleneckCautions!! Lack of face-to-face interaction, so: Trivial issues take as much time as important ones Major issues cannot be worked out without active dialogue and cooperative effort TO may easily let go some issues without further clarification or discussion with the team Less control over quality of back-translationSome further thoughts Adequate distance checking relies on more than just back-translation, it involves communication, relationship, key terms discussion etc. Distance checking should try to reproduce a checking environment as close to face-to-face checking as possible, e.g. Screen-sharing devices What is the impact of an increased amount of distance checking on a TOs workload and time management?Questions for discussionWhat kind of draft quality is expected for a TO checking session? Must the team first go through 2x, 3x, or more? Must the draft first go through some kind of Paratext checking? What are they? How can we make sure that the TOs time of presence is fully utilized? When should a checking- session take place?