ipcc conference in limerick 10-13 july, 2005

IPCC Conference in Limerick 10-13 July, 2005

Learning Localization Through Trans-Atlantic Collaboration

Birthe Mousten - [email protected] Aarhus School of Business

2Birthe Mousten - [email protected] Aarhus School of Business

The Danish-American case:

Mediation in translation – a neglected issue!

Dilemma

≠

Mediation

The requested adaptation to avoid offending or estranging people in the target country market

The fidelity of the translator towards the source text and commissioner


Text travel and process in a monolingual setting:

Engineer/technician Technical writerSalesman

and/or user


Text travel and process in a multilingual setting:

Globalised text

Local source text

Linguafranca

Engineer/technician

Technical writer

Translator/localizer

Translation/localizationDiscussion/mediation

processes

Salesman/User


Globalism/ global market Accommodation

and adaptation

Local market

Local market

Local market

Communication of action, process and procedure

in a multilingual setting


Accommodation and adaptation in multicultural text travel

Accommodation and adaptation in multicultural text travel

Change of text

Addition of text

Deletion of text

Mediation in the text travelling process

Professional responsibilities in general

Source text proponent

(engineer/technical writer)

Target text proponent

(translator/localizer)

”the process of transforming information into knowledge is often difficult, and always contextualized. When you change the context, you change the meaning” (Burnett)

=>knowledge manager, organizer, designer

“translators are first and foremost me-diators. They are the medium by which texts from one culture and language are transmitted to another. Translation is a subset of the larger sets of transmission and mediation. In this respect translation has similarities to other forms of mediation and transmission in our society” (Cronin/18)

=> filterer, mediator, translator, localizer


Two cases of mediation in translation/localization

Issue: Calculating body mass index (BMI)

Case 1: Successful mediation

Case 2: Problematic mediation

Issue: Ironing clothes


Ironing clothes

Parties in mediation:

Translator – Danish Anne, approx. 24 years old, past experience odd jobs and school/university

Technical writer - American Peter, betw. 35-45, 15 years’ experience in industry, now taking a degree at university

Danish translator/localizer – first letter:

Hi, my name is Anne Larsen. I am a student at the Aarhus School of Business and I have chosen to translate your text "How to Properly Iron a Shirt". Would you please send me your instructions?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Anne

Technical writer in the US – first letter: Good morning Anne! My name is Peter Smith. I thought I"d tell a little about

myself first – I"ve been married for 12 years to Linda + am the father of a boy and a girl.

I’ve worked in the entrepreneurial industry for the past fifteen years and will graduate UW-Stout with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management in May 2003.

If you have any problems with my Word Document for your translation, please let me know…

Danish translator/localizer – second letter:

Hi Peter I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. I have been working with your text now and I would like to say that it has been very easy to work with! It is written in a clear and easily understandable language, so I only have two questions that are important for the translation. I do, however, have a few comments on your text – these comments are really minor details!

Nevertheless, I would like you to look at them and see whether you agree with me or not. I enclose a copy of your original text and I have marked and numbered the passages or words that I am going to comment on now.

1) Finished product: Can you call an ironed shirt a "finished product"? The product in this case is the ironing more than the shirt – is it possible to find a better word/phrase? (Maybe "the result" or a similar expression).

3) Constructed of: Do you construct a shirt? I would prefer "made of".

4) This will often help determine: I would suggest "this can/will help determine (it will always help you if you look at it).

6) Surface: Is there a more precise term in English? I have found a technical term in Danish which is still easy to understand for non-experts. I prefer this term to the Danish equivalent to "surface".

7) Affected areas: If I translate "affected" directly to Danish it sounds like a disease/an infection or at least something dangerous.

8) This was the sentence that I did not completely understand the first time I read it. I do understand what you are saying, but maybe it is possible to make it a bit clearer?


Parties in mediation:

Translator – Danish Mette, betw. 40-50, past experience teaching at high-school and translation for the industry

Technical writer - American Eve, betw. 35-40, some years’ work experience as a dietrician, now taking a degree at university

Calculating body mass index (BMI)

Response from US Eve to Danish Mette

Hi! I am glad that you had a couple of questions. I will try to answer them as well as I can.

MEASUREMENTS

Yes! There is a reason that I incorporate the metric system. In my profession we DO use the metric system. Whenever I calculate someone’s BEE it is always done this way. All other calculations that I do on a patient including Body Mass Index, etc. are done using kilograms. The instructions are written as such because unless you are in a professional setting, scales do not show weight in kilograms, only in pounds, and the people completing the instructions would have to convert. You are right about the 2.2 pounds = 1 kilogram, words in the wrong spot, my mistake.….

Thank you for your questions. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Enjoy your weekend. Eve

Mette to Eve:

I take it that your calculations are "do-it-yourself" instructions for a lay audience.

Therefore I am more than a little undecided as to how I tackle the measurements in connection with the Hamwi method.

I believe that most Europeans trying out this formula would give up if instructed as follows:

Use the Hamwi method to determine you IBW.

a) Separate your height into the first 152.4 cm and the number of additional 2.54 cm.

b) For males, use 48.12 kg for the first 152.4 cm and add 2.72 kg for each additional 2.54 cm.

c) For females, use 45.4 kg for the first 152.4 cm and add 2.27 kg for each additional 2.54 cm.

Perhaps this suggestion – although inaccurate – might go down easier:

Use the Hamwi method to determine you IBW.

a) Separate your height into the first 150 cm and the number of additional cm.

b) For males, use 48 kg for the first 150 cm and add 1 kg for each additional cm.

c) For females, use 45.5 kg for the first 150 cm and add 0.9 kg for each additional cm.

Eve to Mette

The first revision that you suggested is correct and I would prefer that you use that one for your translating.

My profession uses the metric system a lot, and you are probably right that I am more than used to using the both of them. Oftentimes when I see a patient or a client I am given the height in feet and inches and the weight in pounds and have to convert them to cm and kg to complete any of the equations that I use on every patient. I….Eve

Mette to Eve

Thank you for answering me. You are the master, and I shall humbly obey your instructions.

I could, of course, keep the feet, inches and pounds and then write the instructions for converting the figures into metres and kilos, but somehow I do not think that would be a good idea either.

Just to make sure: the instructions are intended for lay people aren’t they? (unless I am mistaken in this assumption you won’t have to reply to this question). ….Mette

Eve to Mette

Mette – Yes you are correct, they are for lay people.

I do not think that it is necessary to keep the feet, inches, and pounds considering the European audience….…Eve

Mette to Eve

Thanks for your help and assistance. It has been great fun working with you.

I attach the final result – I guess you would like to see how it has turned out in gobbledygook (you may have problems printing out some Danish letters which are non-consistent in the "normal" alphabet) …Mette

Mediation?

Why was the mediation successful the first time (ironing)?

Why was the mediation unsuccessful the second time (BMI)?

Communication mode: e-mail

Expectation: simple behavioral

and cultural misunderstandings,

but these were surprisingly few.

Experience: problems almost always related to the task at hand.

Mediation process: the core issue.

Mediation in case one – Roles:

He: Open, straightforward, respect, friendliness, common project

She: Responds to openness and straightforward attitude, gives credit for writing, asks for permission to change

He: Sees changes as suggestions, comments on them, open-ended result (take it or leave it)

She: Makes the final result and sends it to him.

Consensus was reached. Nobody lost face.

Mediation in case two – Roles:

US/DK: Open, straightforward, respect, friendliness, common project,

but subtle controversies arose:Problems: Foot-pound or metric system

Who decides?Communication only possible at surface level!

US: Assertive, ’I know better’ attitude, no open ends

DK: Assumes the role of underdog, creates ironic distance, waives responsibility for the result

DK: Makes the final result and sends it to the US.

Consensus was not reached. Who lost face?

Open questions:

1) Is this project a replication of the work situations of people in trade, industry and organisations?

2) Do we teach our students the art of mediation in relation to other professional groups?

At all?

Sufficiently?

3) What can we do to improve the situation?


Burnett, Rebecca E. (2005): Technical Communication, sixth edition, Wadsworth, Thomson

Michael Cronin (2003): Translation and Globalization. London and New York: Routledge

Sources for the presentation:

ipcc conference in limerick 10-13 july, 2005

Documents