Let's Avoid Translationese, Shall We?

June 17, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

On June 5-7, 2015, I attended the 6th International Conference organized by the Brazilian Translators Association (ABRATES), which took place at the Rebouças Convention Center in São Paulo. On Saturday, June 6th―the first day of presentations―I spent most of my day in Room 5, where several presenters talked about literary translation.

The third session I attended was "Let's Avoid Translationese, Shall We?", presented by Ponte de Letras, a group formed by Petê Rissatti, Carolina Caires Coelho, Flávia Souto Maior and Débora Guimarães Isidoro, four book translators (and very good friends) who got together to write a blog about the subject.

They started the session with Petê reading a thank-you note to ABRATES and, at first, it all sounded very weird to those in the audience. At the end of his reading, we found out that the odd language and behavior had been intentional: the presenters wanted us to feel uncomfortable with how unnatural it all sounded. After all, they were there to talk about "translationese."

Petê then recommended Paulo Henrique Brito's A tradução literária as a reference book for those who wish to learn more about publishing. However, he warned us that "You translate for publishers, but readers are your end client." With this reminder, Petê went back to the subject of keeping a natural language in book translations in order to hold the reader's attention.

Here are some other reminders made by the group:

Translation, at its best, doesn't sound translated.
When someone thinks about the translator, it's because something went wrong.
The more translators work on a text ―making an effort to respect the original and, at the same time, make it sound natural in the target language― the least it will make themselves present in it.
The more invisible translators are, the more we can see them.

Still on the topic of sounding natural, Flávia talked about one of her book translation and how she tried to strike a balance between making it flow and keeping true to the space and time "atmosphere" created by the author. In this case, she was referring to a noir book written by James Elroy and set in 1040s Los Angeles. With that in mind, she had to adapt slangs and language of that space and time. Her tip? "Get as close as possible to what is really being said."

Petê then mentioned the “tapestry analogy” according to which Miguel de Cervantes said translations are like the back of a tapestry: people can see the knots in the plot, some threads hanging on the backside, but can't quite contemplate the beauty of the image created. "We must strive to make sure our tapestry isn't loose and comes apart; it must be tied together well, without knots and patches," he explained.

Carolina said that "translationese" happens when translators go into "autopilot," when the deadline is too tight, or when editors change something during the reviewing process. Débora complemented that thought saying that we must read and re-read our translation to make sure our final product will be as natural as possible. For example, she likes reading her translations aloud to check if they're "easy on the ears." "There are no rules and each one of us must find our own way to accomplish it," she assured.

Research In Literary Translation: Selecting And Interviewing Sources Of Information

June 16, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

On June 5-7, 2015, I attended the 6th International Conference organized by the Brazilian Translators Association (ABRATES), which took place at the Rebouças Convention Center in São Paulo. On Saturday, June 6th―the first day of presentations―I spent most of my day in Room 5, where several presenters talked about literary translation.

The second presentation I attended, Research in literary translation: how journalism techniques contribute to selecting and interviewing sources of information, was by translator and journalist Candice Soldatelli, who translated Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road (published in Portuguese as “Ghost Rider: a estrada da cura,”) written by Neil Peart, celebrated drummer for the rock band Rush. She talked about how this translation was, at the same time, a dream come true―she's a huge fan of the Canadian band―and a real nightmare―considering the amount of research required.

She highlighted some of the similarities between translation and journalism: being faithful to a statement and/or source text, being careful not to impose your own point of view as a journalist and/or translator, and selecting and interviewing reliable sources of information. "Writing news stories is like translating reality," she compared. "Among all qualities a good translator must have, being a researcher is crucial."

Before going into detail and telling the audience, in a very fun way, how the translation process was, Candice challenged those who attended the session: how many people there knew most of the professionals she had to resort to while trying to understand the variety of subjects mentioned in the book? Her list, which was quite extensive, included bikers and drummers―as expected due to the nature of the book, considering the author's occupation and the fact that he had gone on a lone motorcycle ride through the roads of Canada―as well as an ornithologist, who studies birds.

As an amateur bird watcher, the author mentioned several species and features observed during his trip, and these items needed to be translated precisely as not to attract negative criticism from readers familiar with the subject. "When I read the book in English, just for pleasure, I thought: 'Poor translator! He'll have to look up the name of all these birds!" she recalled, saying that she recommended the original book to Editora Belas Letras and ended up being hired as the Brazilian Portuguese translator after passing a test.

At first, she tried to look for bird names using Wikipedia, expecting to find a link to the Portuguese page on the original English page. Candice admits she often hoped to find at least a link in Spanish that could help her "see the light" and find the name of each species. However, after not finding any reliable sources, not even for the scientific names in Latin, she decided to call an expert.

"Can you imagine if an ornithologist reads it and it doesn't match?! I'd be ashamed of myself!" she explained, saying that she took her research with her when she found a specialist in the area, with whom she talked for over an hour. "When you work with an expert, you can't expect to get an education about the subject," she warned. "You must come in with a few solutions, so the two of you can have an exchange." After their conversation, she and the ornithologist ended up creating a name for a bird that only exists in Canada and, so far, hadn't made it into any Brazilian catalogs. Once they had made a decision, the expert even added the species to Wiki Aves, the Brazilian wikipage on birds.

Candice said that she followed the same researching method with bikers and a drummer. "I was able to bring arguments to the table when talking to my copy editor. How come? Because I did my homework," she pointed out, saying that she also needed precise terms for motorcycle parts and movements made by musicians who play the drums. She said it was a "total-immersion process" to understand what had been written by the author, so that she could interpret, adapt, and indicate each term with precision to a Brazilian Portuguese audience.

Once the book translation was completed, Candice had the unique opportunity of taking part in a book release event side-by-side with the author. "It's the best book about mourning that I've read in my entire life," she summarized how she felt about this rock star's story, who was pushed to the edge and decided to reflect about life and find himself again after losing his own daughter and, a few months later, his wife.

Interview on ATA's Source

June 16, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

The Summer 2015 issue of Source, the electronic publication edited by the Literary Division with the American Translators Association (ATA) features an interview with me (cover and pages 7-14) about the changing role of translators in the age of self-publishing.

That was also the subject of my recent talk at the 6th Translation Conference organized by the Brazilian Translators Association (ABRATES) on June 5-8, and two webinars hosted by Proz.com in November 2014 and February 2015.

Have you ever worked with self-published authors on a book translation? Have you ever translated a book in the public domain and/or self-published your own material? If so, I'd love to hear about your experiences!

CAT Tools In Literary Translation: What Are They Good For?

June 15, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

The first presentation I attended was the one by translator Reginaldo Francisco, who talked about the use of CAT tools in literary translations. Reginaldo highlighted the overall benefits offered by CAT tools, such as improved comfort and ergonomics, because translators don't need to use two screens or, worse, read the original straight from a paperback copy.

Another improvement is how previous translations can be leveraged, because your work is recorded in a database and reused at a later time. Glossaries can also be compiled, so that key terms will be suggested automatically whenever they show up in the original. Besides, many of these programs help with typing as well with "auto complete" or "auto suggest" features that guess what you're trying to type based on the first letters being entered and the words most commonly used in the project.

Reginaldo talked a little about some of the most popular tools, such as Trados and Wordfast, and explained that their classic version used to work within Microsoft Word by isolated segments on a document and providing a field where translators could type the respective translation. This combination of original segment and translation are then stored within a database to feed the translation memory.

RECOMMENDED READING:"Why I Use aCAT Tool toTranslate Books"by Rafa Lombardino — RECOMMENDED READING:
"Why I Use a
CAT Tool to
Translate Books"
by Rafa Lombardino

"These are good starting points, because the learning curve is less steep," he indicated when referring to the fact that many translators are already familiar with the Microsoft Word environment, and they'd only need to get used the additional menus and hotkeys that are particular to each tool. "However, the fact that they work within Word is the best and worst of advantages," he warned. "You may be used to Word, but you also get all the bugs that come with it."

When demonstrating Wordfast Classic, Reginaldo compared it to the rule many of us have already used on top of a sheet of paper to indicate the line we're translating. With a tool of this nature, we benefit from improved ergonomics, because we avoid discomfort and the literal pain in the neck caused by looking from paper to screen.

He then demonstrated Wordfast Pro, which is a stand-alone version of this tool and works within its own window, without resorting to an additional program. Reginaldo talked about looking up previous translations, be them at the sentence or vocabulary level, and how translation memories work.

When talking about literary translation specifically, he recognized that a translator will very rarely find matches and repetitions within a memory database while translating a book. One example he did mention, from an Italian-to-Portuguese book he translated and that was written in a diary-like format, showed similar dates that were identified as matches, and it only takes translating the first date for the tool to understand the syntax and simply replace the number, while keeping the translation for the month.

Still, he says that these tools are useful for consistency and quality assurance purpose, including character names, for example. Translators can also look up terminology by doing a search and finding all segments in which a given word was used, so that they can recall how it was translated throughout the book.

Finally, making it a habit to translate books using CAT tools is something healthy for a translator's production control, because this type of software generates reports that indicate the amount of words translated and what's still left to translate, thus helping professionals organize their schedule.

Translators Under The Spotlight

June 4, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

The fifth session I attended was a discussion panel entitled Translators under the spotlight, which was moderated by translator Petê Rissati and featured translators Carolina Caires Coelho and Candice Soldatelli and editors Alyne Azuma and Alessandra Ruiz. The subject of their discussion? The interaction between publishers and book translators.

Petê's shot out the first question: Is it true that there's a clic in the world of book translations?

Alyne, who acts as an Editorial Coordinator, confirmed that yes, there is a clic, but things aren't quite like that. “This situation exists, but it's way less affectionate than people imagine it to be,” she explained, saying that when an editor puts together a nice team that functions well, it's only natural that they'd keep working with the same people time and again.

Alessandra said clics are inevitably created, but there's always a starting point: “It's a matter of acing your translation test or having a solid recommendation letter, because there are publishing houses that are more air-tight and have a set team.”

Petê completed that thought: “That's why it's so important to attend literary events, book releases, and get to meet different people...”

Carolina confirmed this idea saying that, in the beginning, things weren't easy for her, but recommendations helped her build her resume and, when an editor likes the job you're doing in a given genre, they'll most likely keep you around.

The second topic brought up for conversation was more directed to the translators on the panel: What do you expect from publishers?

READ MORE:Carolina and Petê, along with friends Flávia and Débora, talked about "translationese" in a session prepared by their blog Ponte de Letras — READ MORE:
Carolina and Petê, along with friends Flávia and Débora, talked about "translationese" in a session prepared by their blog Ponte de Letras

Carolina said that she'd like to see publishers paying more attention to translators, pointing out the fact that book editors sometimes take too long to answers questions and clear things up during the translation round, or when exchanging comments and suggestions during the proofreading round.

Alyne agreed with her, saying that communication is crucial, so everybody needs to establish a dialog, give feedback, and have a proper briefing session.

Alessandra added that, as a matter of fact, "nothing is set in stone; not even authors are always ready to go" and that the relationship between translators and book editors must be built.

Candice echoed that sentiment, reminding the audience that translators also need to go the extra mile and study a publisher's catalog if they wish to join the team, thus learning about the company's editorial philosophy. According to her own personal experiences, she said that, once the relationship between her and the publisher was created, their collaboration started to flow pretty well. "From then on, he [the editor] started to see me not only as a translator, but as a professional who truly understands his business," she explains.

Making the most of the segue, Petê asked the book editors on the panel to talk a little bit more about the editorial process in Brazilian publishers.

Alessandra said that, first of all, translators must sign a contract to give up their copyright. She justified this step as a way for publishers to minimize their expenses, paying only for services provided and avoiding long-term payments based on sales results.

"Publishers try to pay the least amount of money and make as much profit as they can while making minimal effort," she explained. "Publishers are companies; despite all the literary aura around it, they are corporations and don't do charity work. They want to get the best work and the best profit ―not only for readers, but for company executives as well." However, she warns businesses that, when they set out to pay very little, they won't attract the best professionals and, consequently, they won't get a good job in return, thus confirming that sometimes publishers give up working with a good translator due to lack of time and feedback.

Once these issues were brought to the table, Petê moved on to the next question: How could we improve the relationship between publishers and translators?

Candice shared her own experience, saying that translators could also make an effort to recommend competent collaborators to play other roles throughout the editorial process. "Our team worked together: editor, translator, and copy editor had a briefing session," she recalls. "We had problems with the proofreader, because he hadn't been part of the process from the beginning, so we changed the way we work since then."

Additionally, she emphasized that, since translators speak both languages involved in a book translation and can evaluate books that could potentially be translated, they are the ideal team member to help publishers in their capacity as scouts. That is exactly what she did at the Frankfurt Book Fair two years ago―when Brazil was the guest of honor―participating in the editorial process from behind the scenes in order to select authors and titles, negotiate translation rights, and bringing material to the publisher she was representing.

Candice left the following message to beginners: "Pay attention to these small publishers, because they're doing things differently and growing very fast."

Changing the subject, Petê asked the panelists to talk a little bit more about the editorial flow.

Alessandra said nobody can bring a book to life all by themselves and, if they try, they'll need to wear many hats. "If you have a big ego... We in the publishing business run away from vain people. If translators, proofreaders, illustrators, and editors want to be better than the rest of the group, they'll end up messing the project up," she warned. "It's great when you have a good final product, but the best professional isn't necessarily the one who has the most prestige in the business; it's the most humble people, those who communicate better. Sometimes your text is translated well, but there are so many questions and issues just because you didn't do your research."

Carolina agreed with the idea that translators must be humble and keep an open channel for communication. "This exchange [between translators and proofreaders] is an exercise in humbleness. When translators get the revised translation back, they end up learning valuable lessons," she added.

As a translator himself, Petê voiced his agreement as well. "It's an empathy thing. What kind of text would you like to translate, proofread, or copy edit? The least trouble you cause to the copy editor, the better. Hand in the kind of text you'd like to read for pleasure," he suggested. "We must remember that we're all working together towards the same goal."

Here's the last question that the panel was asked: After a book is released, are you concerned with what is being said about your work?

READ MORE:Candice Soldatelli talked about her dream and nightmare: translating a book written by one of her idols — READ MORE:
Candice Soldatelli talked about her dream and nightmare: translating a book written by one of her idols

Candice told the audience that she didn't have much choice. "In my debut, I had my feet held to the fire, because I was there for the book release event," she recalls, saying that she was face to face with readers of her very first book translation. "They asked very pertinent questions and I needed to be prepared to answer them. It seems to me that readers are more aware of translators now. When a publisher acquires publishing rights and announces upcoming books on their website, readers are now asking: 'Who's gonna translate it?'"

Carolina said each book she translated is like her own child to her, because translators are there from the project conception, even though they know that books are translated for the world. "We always follow up on it, especially on social networks, visiting blogs to learn about what readers think... We move on to the next project, but we always keep an eye on it to know how the book is doing."

As a publisher, Alessandra is of the same mind. "It's something that lasts forever. We go to bookstores and put our book on top of others... We may start working for another company, represent another publisher, but our books, like our children, will always be ours," she confessed.

Likewise, she also agrees with Candice's perspective about readers' reactions. "Brazilian readers, especially the young ones, are becoming very professional. They know what's happening in the world and, before we release a book, they're already asking, 'Will the cover stay the same? Will you change the characters' names?'"

Alyne also used the mother-and-child comparison. "We always get to the point where we think: We could have done things better. But, some other times we say: This is my kid, I love it just the way it is." As for the relationship with readers, she goes a step further. "Today, we can interact in the social media, and people go after you, but this exchange is always more intense and readers become our partners in the process."

After such an animated talk, there was only enough time for one question from the audience, but what a great question that was! What happens in the editorial world that exists away from books written in English?

Candice was the first to speak, saying that U.S. publishers have recently found out that there's literature in other languages, but they are still very "green" when it comes to literary translation. "They had so many questions," she recalls her interactions in Frankfurt. "It got me thinking: Wow, Brazilians have so much to teach them about it!" Consequently, she says that Brazilian publishers have seen that Americans are paying attention to other languages, so they started to be on top of international literature as well.

The same audience member who asked the question followed up saying that Brazilian publishers needed to invest and really value more those translations that are done directly from a foreign language―different from English―into Portuguese.

Candice recognized that many publishers in Brazil usually wait for the English translation to be released, so they can use it as a bridge, instead of translating straight from the original source language. Alessandra complemented that comment by suggesting something to translators working from other foreign languages: "Take a book that has been badly translated using an intermediate language, edit a chapter or so, and try to talk to a publisher about it."

Why should translators combine skills and technology?

April 11, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

For years now, translators have been worried that they may soon be replaced by computers. Personally, I hardly believe it will happen in our lifetime―or in my kids' lifetime―but that doesn't mean that translators should shun away from technology altogether. Once you see technology as your ally, you'll notice how much easier your job gets. By combining technology and your sharp translation skills, you can become the most efficient translator you could ever be!

For example, I've been using the same computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool since 2008. It's called Swordfish and the reason I migrated to it after using another tool for about four years was the fact that it's a cross platform solution. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it means that regardless of the operating system you use (Windows, Mac OS, or Linux) you can run this tool without the need for any “magic” (i.e. emulators to “trick” your computer into thinking it's something that it is not, just because some software may have been designed with a certain operating system in mind.) We use Linux in our offices by the way, or the Ubuntu distribution to be more precise, and Swordfish has eliminated our need to have a Windows computer, making our company's operations more reliable, virus-free, and with minimal bugs and downtime.

By using the same CAT tool consistently, I'm able to keep my translation memories (TMs) organized. These TMs are databases where you record your work, so you can use it later on―days, weeks, or years down the road―without the need to remember how you've done it before or go through old files to locate that same sentence you feel like you've translated in the past.

I decided to create different TMs, one for each client, in order to keep things separate. Should one of these clients ever request a copy of their dedicated TM, I could send it to them without breaching the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) we've signed. In other words, I could send Client A a TM containing past translations completed for them without disclosing any confidential information about Client B, because the latter's content won't be mixed up in the same TM.

THE CAT BASICS

Actually, let me take a step back to talk about how TMs work. First of all, it's important to say that no, CAT tools don't do the work for you. All a CAT does is separate a file into segments, which can be sentences, titles, headlines, photo captions, or any other complete line of text and have it ready for you to translate it. You basically see the original segment on the left (or on the top, depending on your settings) and then have a blank field on the right (or the bottom) where you'll type the respective translation. Once you're happy with this source + target combination, you save the translation unit (TU) to your TM.

If you work for the same client very often, or translate the same subject time and time again, you can “leverage” your past translations when working on new material. Think about legal translators who work with contracts that have very similar clauses, dispositions and wording. Once they translate a sentence and record it to the TM, they can use that same translation―with some adaptation, when needed―whenever a similar new sentence comes up.

MATCHES AND REPETITIONS

The best part of it is that good CAT tools actually highlight or somehow indicate exactly what needs to be changed while comparing the current segment to your legacy material. Then, all you have to do is use your past translation and change a couple of words to make sure your current translation is faithful to the source text.

When this wonderful thing happens, you have what we call a “match.” Using some complicated computer equations that we don't need to dwell on, these matches can be classified as having a 50-99% similarity between the source and target sentences. When you get a 100% match―jackpot!―that means the sentence you are about to translate is IDENTICAL to a sentence you've translated in the past, and the CAT found it for you.

Just to make it clear, that can only happen if you have been consistently working with the CAT and feeding your TM with your work. As I mentioned before, CATs won't do the work for you, but they'll remind you how you translated something in the past.

CATs will also identify what we call “repetitions,” which are similar to 100% or exact matches. The only difference between them is that repetitions only exist inside the document you're translating. In other words, they don't refer to a TU that has been previously recorded to a TM; they refer to a segment that repeats itself several times throughout your current project.

GLOSSARIES GALORE

Everything I've talked about so far refers to the translation of the source text itself. TMs will recall TUs based on the sentences you've translated in the past, but they'll only be able to provide recommendations at the word level if you create a glossary, or terminology database (TB), and feed it as well. In my particular case, I have a single multilingual glossary to which I can add terminology in all my work languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian) and it allows me to cross-reference them in a central location.

Different CATs work differently, but what I do on Swordfish is pretty much highlight the source term, then highlight its counterpart in the target segment, and use a hotkey to record it to my TB. That way, I don't have to research the same terminology several times. When that same term shows up on a different segment, the CAT will display your glossary entry and―if it matches the context―you can use it again.

I don't know about you, but if I translate something during my first shift (let's say, between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.) then I get up, get lunch ready while watching some T.V., talk to my husband or discipline the kids... Well, my point is, when I go back to my second shift (between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.) I'll most likely have forgotten how I translated a particular term. And, because some expressions can be translated differently―very few translations are absolute!―keeping an updated glossary, sometimes with several options for the same term, saves me a considerable amount of time when it comes to remembering how I've translated it a few hours, weeks, or days ago.

THE CAT IN ACTION

So that these concepts won't be too abstract for people who have never used a CAT before, here's a more practical example. Because I've been using Swordfish for 90% of my translations since 2008, keeping a very organized TM and recording every single sentence I type in the target language, as well as updating my TB with key terminology after proper research and context verification, my CAT helps me reuse my translations whenever needed.

The other day, I was able to complete 9,652 words on an English-to-Portuguese technical manual in only three hours of work―all before lunch time! And how did that happen? Swordfish identified several repetitions inside the same manual, as well as some matches to what I had previously translated in other manuals for the same client.

Besides translating everything that was considered “new” material―segments that I had never translated in the past―my job in this particular translation was to make sure that matches were aligned with what I had translated in the past, given the changes needed, and all repetitions were uniform across the document.

In a different scenario, had I not been using a CAT, I'd have to go back and forth through the pages of this document, and possibly have opened several other documents I previously completed for this client, so that I could cross reference everything and make sure my translation was consistent throughout the document and the length of my collaboration with this client so far. That would have taken me hours (maybe a couple extra days!) were I following a purely manual system.

THE TAKEAWAY MESSAGE

The takeaway message here is: Having sharp translation skills is a given for anyone who intends to become a professional translator. But, if you want to become efficient, effective and accurate, having the ability to improve your average output (how many words you translate per hour, day, week, or month) you must take advantage of the resources that technology makes available to you.

If you're interested in learning more about Swordfish,
check out my class at the University of California San Diego Extension

RAFA LOMBARDINO is a translator and journalist from Brazil who lives in California. She is the author of "Tools and Technology in Translation ― The Profile of Beginning Language Professionals in the Digital Age," which is based on her UCSD Extension class. Rafa has been working as a translator since 1997 and, in 2011, started to join forces with self-published authors to translate their work into Portuguese and English. In addition to acting as content curator at eWordNews, a collective blog about translation and literature, she also runs Word Awareness, a small network of professional translators, and coordinates Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories (CBSS), a project to promote Brazilian literature worldwide.*

Looking at the Translation Industry with Fresh Eyes

March 9, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

Today I had the opportunity to sit with my dear friend and fellow Brazilian translator Cris Silva and have an online conversation about the translation industry. Cris teaches at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and invited me to talk to her students―who are working towards their Master's Degree in Translation & Interpretation―about what it is like to be a professional translator. This informal interview was intended to give students some guidelines and ideas on how to interview a translator in their language combination in order to learn more about the reality in their market for that segment of the industry.

Among so many things, we talked about getting your foot in the door as a beginner translator, the main challenges translators have to face, how to seek continuing education opportunities and find a specialization, using social media to establish contacts in the industry, networking with clients and colleagues, building a sustainable translation business, and work-life balance (i.e. having kids and working from home.)

Even though the purpose of our conversation was to shed some light on the profession so that students could have a better idea of what's in store for them, I greatly benefited from our talk because it gave me an opportunity to look at the translation industry with fresh eyes.

Having worked as a translator for the past 18 years―first as a more sporadic activity to complement my income as a language instructor, then part time while in college, until the complete transition to full-time translator and business owner―I sometimes forget what it was like to learn the ropes and explore a new professional territory. The little things I take for granted nowadays, because I've been doing them for so long, are the same things that looked like insurmountable obstacles I was unsure whether I'd be able to overcome.

The learning curve is indeed steep, but when you're passionate about what you do, you are able to come out on the other side wiser and with a few scars you can be proud of.

How to Self-Publish Your Own Translations ― Or Your Original Content

February 20, 2015 Rafa Lombardino

A few days ago, I presented my second Proz.com webinar. It was called How to Self-Publish Your Translations. If you unfortunately missed the live presentation, a recording is now available for purchase at the website.

There were about 40 attendees and we talked about what, how, and where you can select the material you'd like to translate and publish all by yourself. We discussed copyright issues, how to put an attractive book cover together, the interactivity provided by ebooks, and how to market the finished product.

At the end of the session, I was able to answer a few questions, but would like to expand on them here, adding links to some resources, and also address questions I've received after the presentation.

~ CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF BOOKS I'VE WORKED ON ~

How do I know if a book is in public domain?
Public domain laws are different in each country, so the first thing you need to do is study your target audience to learn about the local legislation. One good place to start and learn about the subject in relation to the U.S. market is a webpage maintained by the Cornell University, which summarizes different publishing categories. There is also more in-depth information on a dedicated Wikipedia page, and an article about The Great Gatsby, which as of 2013 was NOT in the public domain, despite the fact that author F. Scott Fitzgerald had died 73 years earlier.

How can I find public domain material to translate?
The main place you want to go is the Gutenberg Project. If a book is available there, it's because the author has passed away quite a few decades ago and their work is now open to the public. There is also a website called Translationum, which is kept by UNESCO and compiles all translations published worldwide. Other sources include FeedBooks, OpenLibrary, and Internet Archive.

Where can I go to publish my own books?
Keep in mind that there are several book-publishing websites out there, so browse through your options and weigh in your costs, as in whether you'd have to order a proofing copy, and how much each website keeps as commission on each book sold. Once you find an arrangement that works for you, go ahead and submit your work to start going through the self-publishing process. The most well-known options are Amazon Createspace and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for print-on-demand and digital books, respectively, followed by Lulu, Smashwords, Book Baby, and iBooks for Mac users.

Where can I find copyright-free images to use as book covers?
You may be aware that you cannot use any image you find online in your websites, marketing materials and books. So, in order to be safe and not violate someone else's copyright-protected work, make sure you find images that are free to use for commercial purposes (i.e. selling your own books) while mentioning the original author in the credits. Here are some websites you can browse for copyright-free images: Public Domain Archive, Unsplash, MorgueFile, ISO Republic, PixaBay, Death to Stock Photo, New Old Stock, Super Famous Studios, PicJumbo, Gratisography, Free Refe, ImCreator, Jay Mantri, Magdeleine, Foodie's Feed, Picography, PikWizard, and Raumrot.

Jost Zetzsche: "We Are Doing A Great Job In Telling Poor Stories About Ourselves As Translators"

December 19, 2014 Rafa Lombardino

During the 55th Annual Conference organized November 5-8, 2014 by the American Translators Association (ATA) in Chicago, I attended a session entitled Why We Need to be Good Storytellers, presented by Jost Zetzsche, tech-savvy English-to-German translator, editor of The Toolbox Journal, and co-author of Found in Translation (read review here).

Jost started out by highlighting the power of translators and translations in worldwide communications, mentioning two fascinating examples:

the Inuit people needed to create a word for Internet, considering their lack of technology use, and came up with ikiaqqivik, which means “traveling through layers”
the Chinese had to create a special character for “God” that would be a gender-neutral and match their all-encompassing philosophical interpretations

The speaker then moved on to point the finger at the translation community: “We are doing a great job in telling poor stories about ourselves as translators,” he pondered. “Disagreements are fine, and there are great reasons to have disagreements, but we don't do it in public. We're not helping each other when being so critical.”

He was referring to discussion forums and social media posts in general, in which translators seem to be always complaining and being negative about everything related to our industry―from prices to competition and especially technology.

Jost then highlighted a couple of headlines that support his idea that we must tell better stories about ourselves as professionals, and as the translation community as a whole. “Success demands that we harness the power of telling a killer story,” he read from Psychology Today. “Telling stories is the best way to teach, persuade, and even understand ourselves,” he read another headline.

"We need to present ourselves well and be aware of who we are.
We identify ourselves with St. Jerome, who wasn't really
tech-savvy when he translated the Bible."

For more positive stories about translation, check out "Found in Translation," Jost co-wrote with interpreter Nataly Kelly — *For more positive stories about translation, check out "**Found in Translation**," Jost co-wrote with interpreter Nataly Kelly*

He moved on to talk about how the media is covering stories related to translation. For example, he mentioned the first Skype translator demo and emphasized that it was kind of a fiasco. “But the press loved it, so the story was positive,” he stated. “The press was really interested in translation; maybe not just the type of translation that we want to talk about.” As a contrast, he indicated that for 350+ articles found online about the Skype translator demo, there were only 13 articles on the International Translation Day. “The latter is not an attractive story,” he concluded.

“We are right now in the process of a supernova”

The speaker reminded those who attended his session how there wasn't much of a translation industry before the 1980s. Back then, there were mostly individuals offering their services, but then translation technology came along and things really changed.

Here's the time line Jost presented to the audience:

1980s ― Translations (Documents, paper) > 10 languages
1990s ― Localization (Software, digital) > 25 languages
2000s ― Globalization (Simship, static web) > 40 languages
2010s ― Integration (Integration in enterprise systems, dynamic web) 6 < > 60 languages
2020s ― Convergence (Embedded in every app, on every screen, personalized) 150 < > 150 languages

“We, individual translators or small business owners, can't offer what large corporations have to offer, because we're using different technology,” he explained. “But the demand for boutique-style specialist translation businesses could grow. We're no longer an industry; we're a supernova!”

Where do we tell stories?

In the last part of his session, Jost listed a few ways translators can tell better stories about themselves and our collective activities.

Professional websites and blogs
Social media posts: “You can create a good on-line persona with 100 tweets; but it only takes 1 tweet to kill that persona!”
Other forms of electronic outreach: podcasts, YouTube channels, Tumbler, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
Industry-specific engagements: conferences such as the ATA's
Not-for-profit engagements: Translators Without Borders's take on how translators have helped spread news about ebola
Talks: sharing your knowledge with peers or educating potential clients
Publications articles, books, etc.
Any kind of communication with potential clients

Jost's Recommended reading on positive stories that shed a light on the translation industry:

Translators and Self-Published Authors ― A Partnership for the New Digital Publishing Age

November 13, 2014 Rafa Lombardino

Today I presented my first webinar session at Proz.com. It was called Translators and Self-Published Authors ― A Partnership for the New Digital Publishing Age. If you unfortunately missed the live presentation, a recording is currently available for purchase at the website.

There were about 30 attendees and we talked about the steps you can take to reach out to self-published authors and find a collaboration opportunity to translate their books. We also talked about some specific challenges that I myself had while working on some books, from language-related issues to title choices and touchy subjects.

We ran out of time in the end of the session, but I received a copy of all the questions that were asked by attendees during the live presentation and am answering them all in length here.

~ CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF BOOKS I'VE WORKED ON ~

How do you usually approach a new author?
I use the many channels mentioned in the presentation. Basically, I believe translators need to educate themselves about the author's work before initiating contact. This way, you can find out if you're a good fit―that is, if the author writes about things you're interested in, and whether the material has the potential to be successful in the target market, according to market trends you've been observing among readers of the target language.

Do you have any advice for what to say or not to say? Should I just ask very briefly if they would be interested first and then go into details?
I have a cover letter template that I use when I first contact authors for a potential collaboration. I introduce myself, tell them where I found out about their work, and what potential I believe their work has in the target market. From then on, it's all about discussing how we can work together and moving on with the negotiation process.

What is the most common fees/royalties model you negotiate with authors?
It really depends on the agreement you have with the author. Some will release all rights to you, so you keep 100% of royalties. Most of them are more comfortable with a 60-40 or 55-45 percent split. Some will put for something closer to 70-30 or even 80-20 percent. It's all a matter of analyzing your comfort level and whether the arrangement will be beneficial to you. Keep in mind you can always ask for 2/3 or 1/2 of your regular rate up front, and a less equal royalty split of 80-20 percent.

Based on your experience, is it better to work for a good pay up front, or a low pay plus royalties?
It's always great to be paid up front, or at least set up installments for your clients―in this case, a self-published author―to make payments as you work on the project. That way, you know exactly how much you'll be paid for your efforts, as in the traditional sense of all other translation projects. However, if you decide to use a lower rate + royalties approach, you have to keep in mind that you're "gambling" a little bit. What I mean is that you'll most likely not make your desired rate per word or per hour and hope that the book sells several copies and you can collect royalties on your translation. Simply put, some authors make it big; others don't. If you find that rough diamond, your royalties will well exceed what you would otherwise have been paid if you went the conventional way. So, as long as you're aware of the risks, a + royalties option could make more sense.

If you are working for royalties, how do you find out about sales numbers?
You must indicate in your contract that you need a copy of quarterly reports, so you can see how many book units were sold and calculate your share of the royalties according to the rates you've agreed with. Authors have access to this report, which is provided the publishing platform of their choice, so make sure you're both on the same page and have created a solid collaboration based on mutual trust.

When publishing a translated book to the Kindle market, do you generally publish the translated book through your own amazon account or through the author's account?
It all depends on the arrangements you have made with the author. In the rare cases when authors release all rights to the translation, the translator would be responsible for releasing the book to the market. Otherwise, whether the author is paying your full rate or splitting royalties with you, the author will be in charge of that.

What would you suggest to get good sales on the book? Are there any options besides free promos?
It's all about word of mouth, really. Think about how things work the other way around: Aren't you more likely to buy a product (i.e. a book) if someone you trust recommends it to you? The same is true in this case, whether you translated or wrote the book. Offering a book for free for one weekend, for example, is a good tactic to drive downloads and, consequently, put your book on a more visible place of best-selling books. You should also encourage readers to leave a review about the book and, in the specific case of Amazon, readers can also suggest genre classifications, which increases the chances that your book will be highlighted in a given genre other readers might be interested in. We'll be covering more hands-on approaches in Part 2 of this webinar session, when we focus on self-publishing your own books and/or translations.

Since I haven't translated any books before I find it difficult to estimate how long it will take. How long did it take you to finish the translations?
It's all relative. Do you know your output for regular translations in terms of how many words you're able to translate in a given hour or day under ideal circumstances? It can be quite similar to that. It also depends on whether you've read the entire book in advance and already have clear images in your head, which you'll now need to put into words in the target language. Or maybe you like reading the book as you're translating it, so you're really in the reader's shoes and will react the same way a reader would as you find out about all the plot twists, which is an approach that helps you be more spontaneous in your translation and not over-analyze everything until you get started on the proofreading round. Sometimes a book is so well written that translating it comes easy to you; other times, the author's writing style may be so different from what would be expected in the target language that it will slow you down when you try to reproduce that same style in your translation. If you're translating a book about a subject or genre you're familiar with, it may come very easily to you as well; however, some books may have subplots or settings that take you out of your comfort zone, so you may find yourself investing more time into research in order to make sure that your translation rings true to readers familiar with those activities.

Do you set a deadline with the author beforehand?
We do, but it's somehow informal. I talk very honestly about how the technical translations I do will take precedence over the book translation projects I take on, simply because businesses usually work with a very tight deadline, which the translation of self-published books don't have a set agenda, as it would be the case in a traditional setup, when a publisher needs your translation done at a certain date because there are other people involved in the process who need the output of your work in order to move forward with the project, including editors, proofreaders, designers, and marketing staff. Besides, if an author is unable to pay your full rate, you'll only be hurting your business if you turn down better-paying projects in order to meet a certain deadline on projects of this nature. The best thing is to keep an honest, open communication with the author, so you're both on the same page.

What would you recommend if I wanted to translate a Portuguese-to-English book that has already been self-published in Brazil by a small publisher? Should I seek legal advice? (Scenario: the author is family, but he passed away last year.)
First of all, you need to double check the arrangements made with this small publisher. In other words, whenever there's a publisher involved in the process, they most likely have signed an agreement with the author and hold some, if not all the rights to that book. When books are truly self-published, authors are the ones in charge of making their books available to the public, so they are the only ones who hold the rights to the material and you can negotiate with them directly. In the specific scenario you mentioned, if the author is your relative, check if his/her estate is in charge of copyrights and royalties and negotiate with them. Laws are different in each country, but I believe in Brazil a book only becomes part of the public domain 70 or 75 years after the author's passing. In other words, until then, you could not translate the book and publish it yourself, because you'd be violating the author's estate, which is usually operated by a spouse, child, or someone else who was appointed in a will.

Has any of the books you translated been published physically (not as an e-book, I mean)? If so, did you or the author pay for it?
Self-published authors are usually in charge of making publishing decisions. I believe most of them have put the translation up as both an ebook and print-on-demand paperback copy. As a matter of fact, authors have the option of not paying for anything upfront during the self-publishing process, unless they decide to order a proof copy before they finalize the process or hire the publishing platform staff to work on other items, such as cover design, ebook conversion, marketing, etc.

How about copy editing? Of course we edit ourselves, but a book needs another set of eyes to go from great to excellent.
I completely agree with that! For my into-English book translations, I hired a dear friend who is also a copyeditor, so she could review my work and serve as a test reader. However, when that's not in your budget, one valid approach is for you to step away from the book for maybe a couple of weeks, so you can get some distance from your translation and review it with the eyes of a reader.

What do you do about cover design?
If the author is in charge of redesigning the cover with the translated title, and quite possibly with the addition of your name, all you need to do is provide the respective information. However, in the event that all rights are released to you and you're the one responsible for all publishing aspects, you'd need to redesign it yourself or hire a designer to do it for you. We'll actually talk a little bit about cover design in Part 2 of the webinar, when we focus on some specific details, such as how to choose cover art and design something that will grab the attention of your target readers.

What were the specific challenges you had to face when translating through BabelCube?
I personally wanted to try the BabelCube platform to find books written in Italian and expand my resume to the Italian-to-Portuguese and Italian-to-English language pairs. However, I was well aware that their format allows for royalties only, so I had to manage my time and see this project as more of a hobby than a guaranteed source of income. It's the "gambling" thing I mentioned above. If these books make it big, you get a steady revenue from your royalties; otherwise, it's a valid experience. You can read more about how BabelCube works on an article I wrote back when the platform was launched.

Is your work with self-published authors a significant portion of your workload?
Unfortunately not at this point. I try to sign contracts with self-published authors that allow me to be somewhat flexible. My technical translation work is still what really pays the bills, so I have to work about 6 hours per day on material that comes from recurring clients, and reserve about 2 hours a day to work on literary projects. On slower weeks, I can increase my literary translation hours, but I am still looking forward to having books as the main chunk of my schedule.

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