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Thread poster: Valeria Burova
Valeria Burova
Valeria Burova  Identity Verified
Indonesia
Local time: 20:35
Member (2014)
English to Russian
TOPIC STARTER
Apr 23, 2017



[Редактировалось 2017-04-23 18:49 GMT]


 
Valeria Burova
Valeria Burova  Identity Verified
Indonesia
Local time: 20:35
Member (2014)
English to Russian
TOPIC STARTER
Why not Apr 23, 2017

ILAN RUBIN wrote:


Why not write all ginger-headed translators are bad? It makes just as much sense.


to stop giving advices when not asked? And naming any opinion nonsense?

I shared EN>RU situation as this is my general scenario, so probably it makes no sense to dicuss even.
Some employers in my industry do prefer to hire people for translation into their native language and to avoid working with expats saying how would they know what modern Russian is, or unless they are the best for certain project and they are covered with good editor.

[Редактировалось 2017-04-23 21:39 GMT]


 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 22:35
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
I second it Apr 23, 2017

ILAN RUBIN wrote:

This is total nonsense and to disseminate it is irresponsible. I've lived in Russia for 19 years and in my subject areas you'll be hard pressed to find a better person to translate into English. Living in one's source country gives you in many respects an understanding of the source language that you can't get living in your native country.


[Edited at 2017-04-23 14:55 GMT]


Perhaps, it was true for pre-Internet era, although I met a lot of Russians who've never even been to Russia (born and raised in China and then moved to Australia) and their Russian was just perfect, but certainly not today! There are good and bad translators but it has nothing to do with the geography.

I am often asked to edit translations done by Russian translators living in Russia, and unfortunately, many of those translations have major syntax, spelling and punctuation problems.


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 13:35
French to English
I third it! Apr 24, 2017

I've been living in France for over 30 years but my English is up to date. I read and watch plenty and I'm in contact with lots of native speakers, it's easy to keep your native language up to date nowadays. Living in France gives me extra insight into my source language, I know I catch references and nuances better than translators who don't live in France and that's important when culture features prominently in your source texts.

 
Valeria Burova
Valeria Burova  Identity Verified
Indonesia
Local time: 20:35
Member (2014)
English to Russian
TOPIC STARTER
Nevertheless Apr 24, 2017

I got my own experience and own opinion and have absolute freedom to express it. Thanks to everyone for your time and attention to this post.

 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
killing the darlings mindset Apr 24, 2017

It appears that some people take it too personally for granted.

FIRST, in spite of the means of communication, living in a foreign country for a long time has quite a lot to do with one’s language skills, and here comes some plain math:
1) a working day is usually no more than 12 hours (a time limit);
2) though practice makes perfect, one can partially choose how to use the time better, yet one activity is *always* at the expense of the others (including quality-wise)
... See more
It appears that some people take it too personally for granted.

FIRST, in spite of the means of communication, living in a foreign country for a long time has quite a lot to do with one’s language skills, and here comes some plain math:
1) a working day is usually no more than 12 hours (a time limit);
2) though practice makes perfect, one can partially choose how to use the time better, yet one activity is *always* at the expense of the others (including quality-wise);
3) a language activity involves five components–speaking ↔ listening, reading ↔ writing, and thinking–which are also subject to a condition of practicing and sacrificing (degradation);
4) the same is about the language competence and culture awareness, especially when there’re more than four languages;
5) in a foreign country one doesn’t use the native (there foreign) language actively–with *different* contacts, topics, and situations, let alone he *must* use foreign languages at the expense of the native one;
6) in a corporate life, if one is out of practice for more than a month, he is obliged to go to refreshment courses or prove his qualifications; if the period in question is more than two or three months, then a comprehensive examination is a must; about every six months a foreign specialist has to return home for a while to refresh his native language (to lose the acquired/foreign accent and manners);
And so on–slicing the life time pie.

The point is a specialist in a foreign country is physically and mentally handicapped for he has much less time and motivation for practicing other languages, and if he cannot compensate it somehow, then eventually he will meet the failure. I don’t state it’s impossible to maintain and improve one’s skills in a foreign country, just that it would surely require more efforts and persistence. It’s not a matter of pros vs. newbies, CAE vs. TOELF vs. IELTS, natives vs. foreigners, or something, but rather self-discipline. On the other hand, I can’t help smiling, when I remember some ‘eloquent authentic’ speakers “even better than natives”.

SECOND, although translating and editing require rather different skills, languages interference or under-education is a big no-no, especially for an agency. Valeria hasn’t provided specific examples, so no specific undertakings. However, I did encounter similar cases with such agencies at no-win: if they do acknowledge their mistakes, it’s allegedly about their image damage; if they don’t, then it’s still the same–“fake it till you make it” to let them come.

THIRD, many agencies outsource projects to freelance editors/proofreaders, so it may be just a question of their biz practices and interrelationships, not to mention mere corruption, blatant cheeseparing, and niggardliness. Whatever the reason, there’s always place for a second opinion and peers’ review, but what is the purpose?

FINALLY, we still return to the same big question: Is it really worth it?
I think it’s unlikely that an unpleasant beginning would result in a good ending, let alone for both parties; a slim chance–for better or worse. I’m one, they are many, and the time is priceless, so I would surely find something else more useful to do than that)
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