In the on-site translation course last year, we presented seven steps to the translation process. Now, as we focus on the specific types of translation you’ll be doing, we’ve streamlined this into a five-step process. While it may be tempting to make translation a two-step process in which you read the source text and then directly create a final draft, following these steps will help you to create more accurate and readable translations. We will take a look at each of these five steps and apply them to a section of one of the letters you were asked to translate on that same exam. a) Step One : Read the source text closely Before beginning any translation, you should read the ST at least twice. The first time you read it could be a quick scan in order to understand the nature of the message, while the second time you might read each sentence more carefully and identify any words or expressions you don’t understand or are unsure how to translate. Example 3.2a - Source Text
La que subscirbe, María García Gómez con dirección de 123 Gopher Way Miami Florida 33172 y madre y custodia de los niños Alberto Ramírez Gómez y María Ramírez Gómez comunico por este medio que he leído, comprendido y estoy de acuerdo con el aviso de responsabilidad financiara para la manuntención de los niños y también con el fallo propuesto. Agradecería no fuera divulgada mi información personal y que también fuera protegida la información de los niños involucrados por razones de seguridad.
Use both a bilingual and monolingual dictionary as well as online translation sites and dictionaries to help you identify the intended message of each part of the source text. Take notes on words or phrases that might have several possible translations into the TL. Sometimes this step might include research into a part of the ST that isn’t clear or requires further explanation. Example 3.2b - Confirming Meaning Here I’ve underlined the words or phrases I thought might cause me some trouble translating. La que subscirbe, María García Gómez con dirección de 123 Gopher Way Miami Florida 33172 y madre y custodia de los niños Alberto Ramírez Gómez y María Ramírez Gómez comunico por este medio que he leído, comprendido y estoy de acuerdo con el aviso de responsabilidad financiara para la manuntención de los niños y también con el fallo propuesto. Agradecería no fuera divulgada mi información personal y que también fuera protegida la información de los niños involucrados por razones de seguridad. After I identify the words or phrases I’m not sure about, I use several resources to determine how I will translate them. Following are my thoughts for each:
c) Step Three: Create a first draft of the translation Remember that your goal is to: transfer the message of the source text into the target language. Break the text down into smaller units, usually sentences, to translate at once (though sometimes you might choose to split one sentence into two or more or to combine several sentences into one). Don’t let yourself get stuck on a difficult part; if a section is causing you problems, make a note to come back to it and keep moving through the text. After you’ve finished the rest of your first draft, go back to any spots you’d found particularly challenging. Example 3.2c - First Draft I, María García Gómez, with the address of 123 Gopher Way, Miami Florida 33172, and mother and custodian of the children Alberto Ramírez Gómez and María Ramírez Gómez am communicating through these means that I have read, understood and I agree with the notice and finding of financial responsibility for child support and also with the proposed order. I would appreciate if my personal infomation as well as the information of the involved children were not discolsed for security reasons.
If you have time, take a break and then come back to your translation. Read your translation without looking at the original text and evaluate how it sounds in the target language. After re-reading your translation and reflecting on the areas that need to be expressed more naturally, work on editing your text, changing it as needed to most accurately and naturally reflect the message of the ST in the TL. Example 3.2d - Editing After re-reading my first draft I decide there are several parts that don’t sound very natural in English. Here I’ve underlined the words or phrases I want to improve from my first draft, and italicized the spelling errors I found. I, María García Gómez, with the address of 123 Gopher Way, Miami Florida 33172, and mother and custodian of the children Alberto Ramírez Gómez and María Ramírez Gómez am communicating through these means that I have read, understood and I agree with the notice and finding of financial responsibility for child support and also with the proposed order. I would appreciate if my personal infomation as well as the information of the involved children were not discolsed for security reasons.
e) Step Five: Create a final draft and check If you’re handwriting the translation this will most likely be a whole new written version of your translation. If, however, you’re working on the computer you will probably have saved the changes you made in editing and already be near a final draft. It’s a good idea to copy and paste your first draft so you can have refer to your first ideas while making changes to what will be your final draft. Make sure to check all of the details: spelling, grammar, punctuation, format, names and dates, etc. Use spell check if working on the computer but beware that it can’t catch all errors, and some words may be spelled correctly but used incorrectly (for example: their/ there, its/ it’s). Before submitting your final draft, make sure to carefully read it through one last time checking for errors, message, and readability. Example 3.2e - Final Draft I, María García Gómez, residing at 123 Gopher Way, Miami Florida 33172, mother and custodian of the children Alberto Ramírez Gómez and María Ramírez Gómez, am writing to inform you that I have read, understood, and am in agreement with both the “notice and finding of financial responsibility for child support” and the “proposed order”. I would appreciate that my personal information not be disclosed and also that the involved children’s information be protected for safety reasons.
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