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Rubén de la Fuente (expert in localization and professor at Alfonso X University in Madrid, currently Spanish linguist at PayPal) talks about the translator's profession.
Reading discussions on translation industry forums I get the impression that we translators live in a different world: thinking about QUALITY, pursuing the perfect translation as if it was the holy grail. I’m all in favour of the crafts(wo)manship approach to translation (I like craftsmanship as a tag better than Art): polish your words, ensure a fluent reading, making enjoyable or at least bearable for the user, no matter what kind of text it is. But that should not be our only concern. We should step out of the Ivory Tower and think about other sides of our trade. We are part of an industry, we provide a service, and therefore we should switch gears from crafts(wo)men to business(wo)men. We need to look into the bigger picture. I read once that quality could be turned into an equation: Quality=Time+Money. Going a step further, I think those three parameters should be used to assess the services we are providing to our clients: time (prompt deliveries are essential: delaying time to market of new products might mean a huge revenue loss for your client), money (provide a cost effective process) and quality (fit for purpose translation: if you are translating a printer user manual, don’t deal with it as if it was Shakespeare’s stuff. Keep it as flawless as you can, make it sure it meets translation quality standards, like EN 15038, ASTM F2575-06 or LISA QA model). Long story short: don't get affected by the translator's Stockholm syndrome (being captivated and captive with the text) and go beyond the linguistic area to ensure you provide a good all-round service. |
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