Do you think it is important to live in the source language country?
Maria Amorim Sweden Local time: 02:10 Member (2007) Swedish to Portuguese + ...
It depends ...
Nov 1, 2009
I think it depends on the source language, how far away it is from the target language, and how much diffused the source language is. Swedish and Portuguese are completely different languages. Cultural aspects play an important roll here. Swedish is a language based on synthesis while the Portuguese language is analytical, just to mention one difference. It is a difficult language spoken by just 10 million people but with a high and dynamic technological and social development.
I can live in Brazil or in Portugal as an English Portuguese translator. But I am not sure I could do that after having left Sweden for many years.
Contact with the target language is absolutely important and I solve this by travelling to Portugal and Brazil as much as possible, reading books in Portuguese, writing in my own language, and having a permanent contact with people in these Portuguese speaking countries.
Subject:
Comment:
The contents of this post will automatically be included in the ticket generated. Please add any additional comments or explanation (optional)
Cathy Flick United States Local time: 20:10 Member (2003) Russian to English + ...
depends on the subject area
Nov 2, 2009
It depends on the subject area - my areas, for instance, are purely technical (no correspondence or corporate reports etc.) and so it really makes no difference. We share a common culture in the laboratory (and not just the microbiologists....).
Other areas that depend on cultural nuances etc. may need a different approach. One solution is to try to plan large amounts of time (very long visits or frequent visits) in the other country. Of course, nowadays the net makes it easier to keep up with newspapers and videos and forums etc. in many languages, so there are ways to "keep up" both actively and passively even when far away.
Peace, Cathy Flick
Ph.D. Chemical Physics/M.A. Physics/B.S. Chemistry
Scientific Translator since 1978
Russian/French/German/Spanish/Italian into US English
Subject:
Comment:
The contents of this post will automatically be included in the ticket generated. Please add any additional comments or explanation (optional)
xxxNMR France Local time: 02:10 French to Dutch + ...
Yes
Nov 3, 2009
Of course it is important for the reasons mentioned above (good/better/perfect knowledge of the source language). In case of doubt, we can ask our friends or neighbours. The problem is that we have to find equivalents in the target language: this is difficult without proper training in translation techniques (how to avoid false friends, how to find relevant documentation).
But I think it is especially important from an economic point of view: we mostly work on export products... because manufacturers who have to translate stuff into five or twelve languages will generally ask this a local agency to do this. At the same time, these local clients and agencies often take expats for specialists, even if they aren't!
Subject:
Comment:
The contents of this post will automatically be included in the ticket generated. Please add any additional comments or explanation (optional)
Pablo Bouvier Spain Local time: 02:10 Member German to Spanish + ...
Do you think it is important to live in the source language country?
Feb 3, 2010
Elisa Noetinger wrote:
Good morning,
I am in the process of deciding on a topic for my MA dissertation and would like to know your opinion on the importance of living in the source language country.
Do you consider cultural awareness as important as linguistic competence?
What impacts did living in the source language country have in your work? If any?
Do you feel your approach and/or quality improved after spending xxx amount of time in the source language country?
I am all ears!!
Regards,
Elisa
I think it is far more important to live in the target country ( as your job will be evaluated in the destination countries ) and to trip for few month to the source country ( as language is a living entity that evolve with the time ) and some words will have been forgotten and some others will have been created.
[Editado a las 2010-02-04 02:41 GMT]
Subject:
Comment:
The contents of this post will automatically be included in the ticket generated. Please add any additional comments or explanation (optional)
Save time by automatically extracting terms. 15% off!
SDL MultiTerm Extract 2011 allows you to automatically create candidate term lists from your existing documentation. This removes the manual effort involved with traditional terminology creation, allowing you to rapidly add terms to SDL MultiTerm.
Start and finish your translations faster than ever with Fluency Translation Suite 2011. TMs, Terminology, and Online Resources are all fully integrated and only a click away. Download a free trial today!
The translation workplace 
Translation news