Переводческие частушки - смешно, очень даже, но иногда такое и в действительности бывает - очень даже часто (:

Олег уволился из жэка устал засоры прочищать хочу 5К не напрягаясь и в переводчики пошел воткните слева там где сзади

потом не смейте подождать инструкция от пылесоса привет китайские друзья женева вашингтон гаага я скоро я уже лечу марина в выпускной кричала теперь available* кричит *или как там «свободная касса»? ваш перевод мы не оплатим эксперт ошибки в нем нашел ирина гадьевна из кадров три раза в лондоне была вот это очень срочно надо до завтра сорок шесть страниц какая разница что шведский ты переводчик или кто?

Работа переводчицы и роль матери в семье

В последнее время мне стало труднее находить время для работы над переводческими проектами, занимающими довольно много времени, поскольку я ращу дочь, а она требует почти постоянного внимания. И еще, если она видит ноутбук поблизости, то просто не может сдерживаться и начинает плакать, так, как хочет, чтобы эта "игрушка" оказалась в ее владении. Переводы, которые занимают максимум 2-3 часа я еще брать могу, поскольку когда дочь засыпает, у меня появляется возможность продуктивно проводить время. Но иногда начинаю задумываться - совместима ли профессия мамы на полном графике и переводчицы на неполном? (:

Literary translation

I`m a big fan of literature translation - whenever I translate fiction I feel like I`m not just working on a text, I feel as a regular reader - just paraphrasing every word in a written way. It`s similar to retelling a story to a friend. The other day I got an order from a client to translate a novelette by a young female author. He brought me the print-out of the first 10 pages to work on. I`ve passionately translated all of them in one sitting because the topic was very close to me - existence in a foreign country, doubts and inner struggle of a person searching for herself etc. And then, upon reading, the client concluded that it seemed kind of plotless to him, hence in his opinion there was no need to translate the rest, maybe just the last several pages - to see how the story ends. I felt like I missed out not just on the main bulk of the payment but on the captivating story written in a sincere and spontaneous way that I kind of got to develop an interest in by the time I finished the initial translation... Oh well, I guess this time the story gets interrupted. (:

Formatting of the original + translation or JUST translation - what is your responsibility as a translator?

Do you have to provide both or just the translation? I always try to be clear about it in the very beginning with my clients and ask straightforwardly - will there be any special formatting requirements, because if there are any, then I`ll have to charge extra. Somehow, a lot of clients think that if they hire a translator, they automatically hire an editor and proofreader. It is not so and who knows this better than us, translators? All the major translation companies have both but small size businesses are trying to economize on editing expenses. Therefore, I always state in my response, that I provide basic formatting, nothing else. Also, occasionally I run into a bit of misunderstanding, because the original`s layout is far from perfect and I keep it as it is in my translation but the client then asks me: why are there all these various indentations throughout the text, why the script and size are different? My answer is I worked directly into the original. All the complaints to the author of the source text, not to me.

On the importance of signing a written contract with the client...

Around two weeks I got contacted by a certain firm that needed a rather bulky translation performed with short turn-around time. So I agreed but (having had some bitter lessons throughout my translator`s career) and with some sixth sense whispering in me I knew I had to sign an agreement that would secure my rights and guarantee the payment. And yes, it came in handy, because after I sent the first half of the translation (never send the whole text because there is always a chance you will not see that money ever - and you cannot take every client to the small claims court, agree? It`s just not worth the time and effort), the client told me - "OK, now send us the other half- the remaining part and after we review it, we`ll send you the rest of the payment". But I said - "Nope, in the agreement it is clearly stated that the client sends the FULL amount and then the translator sends the rest of work". What could they do but agree to my terms?

An interesting article about a Russian interpreter... You don`t have to be born and raised in Russia to interpret Russian (:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/02/zdravstvuite_ru.php

Future of Translators - will there be a need for us at all in 15-30 years?

One, of more immediate interest to translators is the impact and significance of machine-assisted translation systems. Technology which keeps track of terminology, neologisms, and specialized vocabularies is just around the corner. Reliable dictation software is here, though still not reliable enough in my opinion. Translation management software has arrived. All these products, plus others will make a translator more productive, but will also require translators to learn more and invest more. Two, many computational linguists and MT software researchers and developers consider viable machine translation systems to be at least 25 years in the future. Some consider it essentially impossible with today's technology. They are not referring to the speed or storage capacity of current systems, but to the digital and Boolean nature of 1990's computing. They believe that analog neural-based technology which companies like Intel are just starting to develop will be essential to creating any viable MT system. Few such experts are optimistic about the next ten years, saying that the current technological barriers and knowledge makes a reliable MT system impossible. So, the future of the translator is uncertain. Whether the profession is suddenly wiped into oblivion by computers in 20 years or becomes more and more automated over the coming decade remains to be seen. The translation profession is constantly changing in so many ways that dwelling on an uncertain future some 15 or 30 years away is not terribly productive.