The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL APRIL/MAY The Linguist 25 OPINION & COMMENT Email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk Striding further I really enjoyed reading 'Making Strides' (TL61,1). I'm mentoring students through a scheme operated by my old university (Exeter), so it was interesting to see how these freelancers had fared over their first year in the profession. If I had some advice to offer my past self, it would include the following: Set aside a weekly time for bookkeeping. I find this kind of admin rather dull; I'd rather be translating. In my early months as a freelancer I'd leave it far too long to get to grips with chores such as updating my financial accounts. I used to aim for once a month, but that was too infrequent; the amount of paperwork that built up was a nightmare. I've learnt that half an hour once a week is often sufficient, and it means I'm in a better position to keep on top of time- sensitive tasks such as chasing invoices. Don't be afraid to ask your agency/client for explanations. There's a tendency when you're starting out to think you're expected to understand everything, and that asking for help will be seen as a sign of weakness or – worse – incompetence. Actually, the fault can lie in the source text. It might be badly worded, ambiguous, or there may be a typo. Sometimes there are inconsistencies that cause confusion and have not been picked up by the author. Rather than casting doubt on your skills, you can actually gain brownie points by raising these issues with the agency/client. It shows you're alert and thinking about the content of the source text. Learn to trust your instincts when considering accepting a project. It's much better to turn down a project because you feel unfamiliar with the subject matter than to accept it and find yourself bogged down in time-consuming terminological research, panicking about whether you'll be able to deliver a good piece of work on time. Accept that criticism is more freely given than praise. Despite all your care, there will occasionally be times when your work is questioned, rightly or wrongly. Keep calm, be polite, review what you've done, identify and learn from any mistakes, but don't be afraid to defend your work. It's often a question of style. Most importantly, keep things in perspective: for every dissatisfied customer there will be countless happy ones who haven't felt the need to tell you what a good job you've done. Matthew Butt MCIL of these was tricky because it was not very well written in the first place, which threw up a number of translation issues and careful consideration as to what extent we might, as translators, 'refine' a text that does not convince us in its original form. Other aspects to consider include the length of sentences and the layout of the text – is this important, has the author purposely constructed the paragraphs in a given way? The same goes for repetition: Italians are not known for their use of repetition, so if we come across it, is it a deliberate act on the part of the author, deserving of acknowledgement in the target text? Having the chance to (over?) analyse more imaginative language was a real change for me, considering my specialist areas include motorsport, technology, marketing and PR. Working in these fields, I rarely have the luxury of being able to linger over every word. This course gave me the chance to step back and carefully consider every nuance, every turn of phrase, every comma. And although I was aware that no two translators will ever come up with exactly the same solution, I was surprised by the scope of our contributions. The 2022 schedule also includes optional sessions on areas such as poetry, children's literature and theatre translation, which will really add value to the course. As for my experience, collaborating with the tutors and a small group of fellow translators from all backgrounds came as a breath of fresh air. Above all, the course left me dwelling on my own translation style – am I ever guilty of over-personalising the texts I translate? Perhaps we all favour certain terms and turns of phrase; can we ever truly avoid doing this? As I returned to my usual routine, requiring me to turn around a news article in less than an hour, I found myself questioning my translation decisions, hesitating over terms I wouldn't generally ponder. And surely this is what it's all about? Reflecting on every choice until we, as translators, are satisfied that our final version is as close to the original in sense and meaning as possible. Whether or not I move into the literary translation field in the future, I can safely say that the workshops have been of benefit to my current projects. A thoroughly enjoyable experience, and one I can highly recommend. Heather Watson MCIL S 1 A 2 N S 3 K R 4 I T 5 C 6 U B 7 A B I E E A E L 8 A S T A M P A S 9 U R D N A L S N D 10 E R 11 S P I E G E L O H A R F 12 A 13 N G O L A 14 F 15 L O R I N S D C L N J 16 O U R N A 17 L E S E D 18 L Y W A M 19 A L I L 20 E F I G 21 A R O R T I U E T P 22 I P E C 23 O L O N I S E Crossword solution Puzzle, page 11

• Cover