The IATIS Comp@ss :: New Publications

Type of Publication: New journal
Author/Editor: Dorothy KELLY & Catherine WAY, Universidad de Granada
Year of publication: 2007
Keywords:
Place of Publication & Publisher: Manchester: St. Jerome
Publisher URL: http://www.stjerome.co.uk
ISBN/ISSN: 1750-399X
Price and ordering information: Single Issue: 24.00
Annual Subscription: 85.00 (institution), 45.00 (individual)

Publication blurb: 'Editorial: On the Launch of ITT', pp 1-13
Kelly, Dorothy and Catherine Way (Universidad de Granada, Spain)

On the occasion of the launch of this new journal, the editors attempt to make explicit the reasons which led them to take this initiative, and to establish the objectives of the project. In attempting to answer the question of why training is important for translators and interpreters, they offer an overview of the state of the art in translator and interpreter training, reviewing the literature in broad terms and then focusing on the nature of research in the field. The authors stress that recent and ongoing research into training is carried out within quite diverse research traditions, from the most purely quantitative to the most qualitative, from the most positivist to the most interpretative or critical action research. The editorial ends with an outline of the structure of the journal (articles, reviews, features section), an overview of the contents of the current issue, and an extensive bibliography on the topic.

'Can Theory Help Translator and Interpreter Trainers and Trainees?', pp 15-35
Marianne Lederer (Universit Paris 3-Sorbonne Nouvelle (ESIT), France)

This paper starts with defining theory, translation and the type of training given in translation institutions. The trainers on whom the paper focuses are professional translators, and the trainees are advanced-level students. The question is raised as to whether trainers should also be translation scholars, and whether they should be cognizant with one or all of the various theories of translation. Several theories used in translator training are then reviewed. The paper finally discusses a number of theoretical principles (mostly based on the interpretive theory of translation, though some are common to several theories) and their implications for translator training. These principles enable trainers to explain to trainees the difference between language and discourse, and hence the reason why literal translation does not work at text level; the way understanding emerges from the merging of linguistic meanings with real world knowledge, and hence the necessity of documentary research; the way the text should be analyzed in order for trainees to internalize its sense; how trainees may detach themselves from the meanings and structures of the original in order to reformulate it idiomatically. Drawing on such principles, trainers can give their students a working methodology they are able to build up a didactic progression grounded on a rational grading of texts, and to assess the work of trainees on the basis of objective criteria.

'Economic Trends and Developments in the Translation Industry: What Relevance for Translator Training?', pp 37-63
Maeve Olohan (University of Manchester, UK)

This paper examines some of the features of the translation services sector, based on economic performance data, industry-specific surveys and developments in the formulation of international standards for translation services. A section of the paper is devoted to each of these aspects. The picture which emerges from the economic data is of a fragmented sector consisting of predominantly freelance translators on the one hand and ever-expanding international companies reaping most of the financial benefits on the other. Industry-specific surveys confirm what we learn from the economic data, and provide us with some additional information about the freelance translator֒s profile and training needs. An analysis of the new European standard for translation services brings into focus some possible future directions for translation companies and freelancers. In a final section, the paper reflects critically on the relevance of these issues for translator training, using intended learning outcomes as a means of formulating the connections between the current state of the language services industry and the professionalization element in university translator training programmes.

'A TQM Approach to Translator Training. Balancing Stakeholders Needs and Responsibilities', pp 65-77
Moustafa Gabr (Egypt and Kuwait)

This article is published as a tribute to its author, who was tragically killed in a car accident in June 2004. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of his wife, Manal Gabr.

Since the Bologna Declaration in 1999, quality has become a central theme and a pressing need in European higher education. In translator training programmes, factors such as the nature of the translation market and its requirements, the impact of accelerating and unpredictable changes in language technologies and evolving student needs have, however, constituted obstacles for the meeting and maintenance of quality requirements by university departments. To overcome these obstacles, this paper puts forward the idea that quality in translator training programmes can be maintained through adapting the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) to the processes of programme design, development and implementation. This approach leads to the conclusion that it is imperative for translator training programmes to be developed in accordance with proper assessment of three inextricably linked needs: the needs of the market, the needs of translation departments and equally important the needs of students.

'For a New Approach to Translator Training. Questioning Some of the Concepts which Inform Current Programme Structure and Content in Spain', pp 79-95
Roberto Mayoral Asensio (Universidad de Granada, Spain)

Theoretical approaches to translation have always conditioned the structure and content of the training of translators. The lack of clarity existing in the discipline has given rise to a programme structure in Spain which is based on poorly defined concepts, and thus leads to overlap between different course units, and to inefficient approaches to training. This article identifies some current areas of overlap and, in particular, calls into question the sequencing of translation courses on the basis of the degree of specialization or the subject area of the texts used as exercises in class. The article concludes that translator training should be based on didactic criteria, and organized around problem-solving, around the translation solutions available and the strategies which allow translators to select the most suitable solution, as well as around the analysis of texts and the social situation of translation.

'Enhancing Mental Processes in Simultaneous Interpreting Training', pp 97-116
Chuta Funayama (Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, Japan)

Trainees in interpreting courses tend to be concerned more about superficial linguistic expressions than the message, or what is conveyed by those expressions. This tendency stands out particularly in the mode of simultaneous interpreting (SI). This paper discusses the way we could direct our trainees֒ attention to the mental work needed for SI, based on a model which puts concepts, not lexical forms, at the centre of its schematic description. The model applied here gives on-line tracking of the concepts built, modified, and reconstructed during SI practice, which means that any unit of source language (SL) expression should be recorded and analyzed in terms of concepts. This model provides us with a new type of instruction tool as well as more detailed insight into specific components of SL comprehension and its rendering in the target language.

The Features Section (edited by Luis Perez Gonzalez)

'Translators and Localization: Education and Training in the Context of the Global Initiative for Local Computing (GILC)', pp 119-135
Reinhard Schaler (University of Limerick, Ireland)

Over the last thirty years, Ireland has consolidated itself as the Mecca of the localization industry. Nowhere else in the world has there been a higher concentration of companies involved in the linguistic and cultural adaptation of digital content in the widest sense of the term. This article explores the connections between the entrepreneurial bloom in the computing industry, the concomitant expansion of the localization business and Irelands outstanding economic growth in recent times. It also examines how the impetus of this unprecedented industrial and economic development has been harnessed by academics, researchers and practitioners in the field. Particular emphasis is placed on the emergence and consolidation of an extensive network for localization training and certification since 1997. In the second part, the article reports on the Global Initiative for Local Computing (GILC) and its ramifications for localization training worldwide. GILC proponents aim to draw attention to the economic implications of localization activities and the risk that current mainstream localization practices may promote western cultures and languages at the expense of their economically weaker counterparts around the globe. In the final part, the author discusses a number of localization training initiatives in Brazil, India and Egypt, where the Localisation Research Centre (LRC) has already entered into partnerships with government authorities and the educational sector. Drawing on these examples, he seeks to ascertain whether the so far largely Europe-centred training model developed in Ireland manages to cater for the needs of localizers in these countries.

Book Reviews (Review Editor: John Kearns)

Andrew Gillies: Conference Interpreting: A New Students Companion / T҅umaczenie ustne. Nowy poradnik dla studentw; James Nolan: Interpretation: Techniques and Exercises (Agnieszka Chmiel, Poland)

Kirsten Malmkjr (ed.): Translation in Undergraduate Degree Programmes (Arvi Tavast, Estonia)

David Katan: Translating Cultures. An Introduction for Translators, Interpreters and Mediators (2nd revised edition) (Marion Winters, Scotland)

Martha Tennent (ed.): Training for the New Millennium. Pedagogies for Translation and Interpreting (Maria Piotrowska, Poland)

Doctoral Thesis Abstracts

'The Multilingual and Multicultural Translation Classroom: Implications for the Teaching of Translation [El aula de Traduccion multilinge y multicultural: implicaciones para la didctica de la Traduccion]'
Dimitra Tsokaktsidou, University of Granada, Spain

'Curriculum Renewal in Translator Training: Vocational Challenges in Academic Environments with Reference to Needs and Situation Analysis and Skills Transferability from the Contemporary Experience of Polish Translator Training Culture'
John Kearns, Dubln City University, Ireland

'Bringing Professional Reality into Interpreter Training Through New Technologies and Action Research [La incorporacin de la realidad profesional a la formacion de interpretes de conferencias mediante las nuevas tecnologas y la investigacion en la accion]'
Jesus de Manuel Jerez, University of Granada, Spain