| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5] | Poll: If you were a "generalist", which hard core niche (broad) would you choose? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
| Specialists are overrated | Mar 11 |
I always go to a general practitioner for brain surgery. They can always Google what to do if they're not sure.
| | | | Zea_Mays 
Italy
Local time: 00:34
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I always go to a general practitioner for brain surgery. They can always Google what to do if they're not sure.
There's quite a difference between being able to understand and explain and actually doing something.
Or are you an art critic after translating 100,000 pages of art texts?
(btw, surgery is well done by robots...)
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:34
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| This is not what I was trying to say | Mar 11 |
Liena Vijupe wrote:
The way you are making it sound though is as if those of us who specialise are just too lazy for proper research or don't know how to use internet. Kind or like saying anyone can translate, if they just care to look up the right words...
My point is kind of the opposite: not everybody can translate, despite their theoretical knowledge. My point is that translation skills are the core and theoretical knowledge a plus but not a necessity.
No reason to feel offended. I can see my point proven how dangerous it is to try to read between the lines. 😉
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:34
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Liena Vijupe wrote:
On the other hand, if I just say "sorry, it's not my field of expertise", they accept it immediately, no questions asked, and even appreciate it as a sign of professional attitude. Win-win!
There are more types of win-wins. I'm regularly asked "Can you do it?". Then I say "Yes". After that I deliver the translation and my client is happy about the work. Win-win. Endless repeat for over 18 years.
[Bijgewerkt op 2024-03-11 19:08 GMT]
| | |
|
|
|
Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:34
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| General practitioner | Mar 11 |
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I always go to a general practitioner for brain surgery. They can always Google what to do if they're not sure.
I go to a general practitioner because he has a degree to help me with my medical problems. If I need a medical translation, however, I would never go to my general practitioner, but to a professional translator who knows all about language and translation. Chances are high that my GP can't translate 3 sentences in a row correctly, although he knows all the terminology.
| | | | Liena Vijupe
Latvia
Local time: 01:34
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
Lieven Malaise wrote:
No reason to feel offended. I can see my point proven how dangerous it is to try to read between the lines. 😉
I am not offended, just trying to make sense of your words. And not reading between the lines is what MT is for.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:34
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Liena Vijupe wrote:
And not reading between the lines is what MT is for.
How so?
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 00:34
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
It seems that reading between the lines is being overestimated here. Everybody with critical reading skills can read between the lines (this training/skill is taught at translation studies).
You need training to know that forum posts are not the place to accuse someone of being or not being able to read between the lines. Forum post format is too limited for such projections.
Real experts should be in practice doing their jobs (architects designing houses, doctors treat... See more It seems that reading between the lines is being overestimated here. Everybody with critical reading skills can read between the lines (this training/skill is taught at translation studies).
You need training to know that forum posts are not the place to accuse someone of being or not being able to read between the lines. Forum post format is too limited for such projections.
Real experts should be in practice doing their jobs (architects designing houses, doctors treating people, etc.), at least that’s my opinion. This way their studies will make most sense and they will most contribute to the society. How would a busy doctor have the time for translation? And why would they study medicine for 10 years to end up being a translator? IMO, it doesn’t make sense and it’s a waste of time.
[Edited at 2024-03-11 21:03 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Gianni Pastore
Italy
Local time: 00:34
Member (2007)
English to Italian
Lieven Malaise wrote: Liena Vijupe wrote:
And not reading between the lines is what MT is for. How so?
MT and all IA engines use internet as a massive database for mechanically researching the right translation/answer, they are not sentient entities who rely on experience, they borrow intellectual property left and right. Without internet, ChatGPT is nothing. Also, this is why MT still fail miserably on subtitling, it can’t understand context (the movie scene), nuances, irony i.e. can’t read between the lines.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:34
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Gianni Pastore wrote:
MT and all IA engines use internet as a massive database for mechanically researching the right translation/answer, they are not sentient entities who rely on experience, they borrow intellectual property left and right. Without internet, ChatGPT is nothing. Also, this is why MT still fail miserably on subtitling, it can’t understand context (the movie scene), nuances, irony i.e. can’t read between the lines.
But how is that relevant? MT is supposed to be edited, not used as it is.
| | | |
Lieven Malaise wrote: Gianni Pastore wrote:
MT and all IA engines use internet as a massive database for mechanically researching the right translation/answer, they are not sentient entities who rely on experience, they borrow intellectual property left and right. Without internet, ChatGPT is nothing. Also, this is why MT still fail miserably on subtitling, it can’t understand context (the movie scene), nuances, irony i.e. can’t read between the lines. But how is that relevant? MT is supposed to be edited, not used as it is.
Because human translation is supposed to be used as is.
The idea of a generalist is that they can do simple texts in most fields, not that they can take on anything.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:34
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Christopher Schröder wrote:
Because human translation is supposed to be used as is.
A human translation is the result of a good post-editing. It's only achieved faster in many instances.
Christopher Schröder wrote:
The idea of a generalist is that they can do simple texts in most fields, not that they can take on anything.
Yes, that's the idea, but reality is way less straightforward.
| | |
|
|
|
| Had to work as a generalist for a long time | Mar 12 |
And it's hard; maybe a translator who is way better and has way more generalist experience than me can actually translate anything with non-exorbitant research workloads, but I surely cannot. Quite some time ago, I mentioned here a phrase from an industrial transformer manual, "Transformer tap/phase ratio/position schedules" (no more context, it was just a section title), and I'd really like to hear a generalist explain to me in plain English what exactly these words mean. Even though I don't re... See more And it's hard; maybe a translator who is way better and has way more generalist experience than me can actually translate anything with non-exorbitant research workloads, but I surely cannot. Quite some time ago, I mentioned here a phrase from an industrial transformer manual, "Transformer tap/phase ratio/position schedules" (no more context, it was just a section title), and I'd really like to hear a generalist explain to me in plain English what exactly these words mean. Even though I don't really specialize in electrical engineering and would like to specialize more, I can give such an explanation and translate the title into Russian, while all the legacy translations we had in our TM when I first came across this tap/phase thing were utter and complete nonsense. My point is that if you have to dive deep into a pool of knowledge, you're likely to encounter things that will take forbidding amounts of research to understand. Again, I have to keep in mind that maybe some language pairs already have everything translated properly and fed to MT databases, so my work probably makes a poor reference source
[Редактировалось 2024-03-12 11:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 17:34
English to Russian
+ ...
| Problem with extending Uni approach | Mar 13 |
to the future translation career and real life is that not only the grading, but the graders are all the same. With all due respect, from the height of my current experience I now understand that Uni professors, however brilliant they might have been as linguists, couldn't possibly be masters of all subjects. Either the translation exercises in technical fields have been pre-translated a long time ago and verified by the specialists, or... subjective and at times snobbish attitude of academician... See more to the future translation career and real life is that not only the grading, but the graders are all the same. With all due respect, from the height of my current experience I now understand that Uni professors, however brilliant they might have been as linguists, couldn't possibly be masters of all subjects. Either the translation exercises in technical fields have been pre-translated a long time ago and verified by the specialists, or... subjective and at times snobbish attitude of academicians, rarely stepping into the real world from their comfy, softly lit studies, could have been false friends of a future practicing translator, convincing h/h/t of their omnivorous abilities as something that is natural and also is, and should always be an integral part of their skills. It may come later to the most talented but definitely not right after getting a degree.
Pretty written does not equal properly said and, say, an expert engineer shall always detect a non-professional language and zero true knowledge in a highly specialized text. That is why yours truly, maybe not the worst translator in the world dealing with very serious subjects, have never accepted serious technical translations without a guarantee that it will go to the desk of a professional technical editor first. I knew all my editors, with time less and less corrections were required but the range of technical subjects was still limited to certain major fields and related disciplines, and I spent decades next to the specialists as an interpreter, listening to them and learning first-hand.
Soviet translation and linguistic school was absolutely superb but one of such chest-puffing professors once lowered my friend's grade for using "satisfaction" in a technical text, actually ridiculing her and claiming that such thing can only be achieved in bed...
[Edited at 2024-03-13 08:00 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: If you were a "generalist", which hard core niche (broad) would you choose? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
