Real Voices: What translators do and why we need to keep doing it

Real voices: What translators do and why we need to keep doing it Nicholas Hartmann 611 N. Broadway, Suite 509 Milwaukee, WI 53202 nh@nhartmann.com Abstract Speaking both as an experienced independent technical translator and on behalf of the 11,000 members of the American Translators Association (ATA), the Association's presi- dent will explain the training, standards, ob- jectives and working methods of the people who convey meaning from one language into another as their chosen profession. The role of machine translation in that undertaking will be discussed, but the presenter's main objective is to give the translator's view of human transla- tion, describing a process that conveys authen- tic voices based on much more than words, that in order to be faithful cannot be merely generic and interchangeable, and that gives individual attention to every human utterance. The truth about translators will also be re- vealed: they are early and eager adopters of language technology when it serves their pur- pose, and they welcome any opportunity to advance the cause of communication. The goal of this presentation is to contribute to better understanding on both sides, and to help establish a productive and mutually beneficial relationship between MT professionals and the entire community of translators and inter- preters represented by ATA. 1 Introduction This presentation was written in response to an invitation, from Alon Lavie, Laurie Gerber and Mike Dillinger, to speak to the Ninth Conference of AMTA in Denver both as an experienced inde- pendent translator and as a representative of the American Translators Association (ATA). As an individual, I have made my living for the last 30 years translating technical and scientific material, mostly from German. My two specialties are patent applications, in which strict accuracy and adher- ence to the letter of the source text are paramount; and technical marketing, which often shades over into copywriting and demands an ear for tone and nuance. In the one case the principal purpose is to inform; in the other, to persuade. In the mid- 1980s—many generations ago in cyber-time—I replaced my Selectric with a computer, and shortly thereafter acquired a fax machine. Ever since then, like most other translators, I have kept up with technology that I believed would help me work faster or more productively. I am also halfway through my term as President of ATA, which was established over 50 years ago and now has more than 11,000 members in all 50 states and in 90 other countries. We are a broad church that embraces the entire spectrum of play- ers in the translation business: translators and in- terpreters, teachers of translation, researchers, private- and public-sector language professionals, in-house employees, translation companies and their owners, project managers, and many others. Approximately 70% of our members describe themselves as independent contractors or freelanc- ers. Many different specialties and levels of expe- rience are represented within ATA, along with almost a hundred different language combinations, but it is safe to say that we also have much in common. I propose …

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