Poll: What describes best what you do? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | megane_wang 
Spain
Local time: 08:59
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Not only art and business... other :) | Apr 9, 2007 |
Let me think...
It's a sort of mixture of those:
1. The art of translation
2. Ah, yes...!! The business of translation (from time to time)
3. The art of teaching your customers that a contract will not harm their valuable health
4. The funny life of computer support for anyone who-knows-where-you-are
5. The absolutely delightful life of computer support for translation customers (nice bonus, absolutely poor investment)
6. The art of being ... See more Let me think...
It's a sort of mixture of those:
1. The art of translation
2. Ah, yes...!! The business of translation (from time to time)
3. The art of teaching your customers that a contract will not harm their valuable health
4. The funny life of computer support for anyone who-knows-where-you-are
5. The absolutely delightful life of computer support for translation customers (nice bonus, absolutely poor investment)
6. The art of being a freelancer and survive
7. The art of project managing your team of supporters (admin, proofing...)
8. The exhilarating art of combining 1 + 2 + ... + 7 + nappy changes and other distracting "activities"...
What did parachutists say? ... JERONIMOOOOO!!!!
Ruth @ MW
[Edited at 2007-04-09 14:39] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Reed James
Chile
Local time: 02:59
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
| Art before business | Apr 9, 2007 |
As with most of these poll questions, the answer is usually a combination of several options. Nevertheless, for me, the art of translating is first and foremost. The techniques and qualities that a translator possesses are his or her greatest asset.
Quality and accuracy are what keep clients coming back for repeat business, which means that proper research, tools and working conditions are the best investment that a freelance translator can make.
In no way do I me... See more As with most of these poll questions, the answer is usually a combination of several options. Nevertheless, for me, the art of translating is first and foremost. The techniques and qualities that a translator possesses are his or her greatest asset.
Quality and accuracy are what keep clients coming back for repeat business, which means that proper research, tools and working conditions are the best investment that a freelance translator can make.
In no way do I mean that a translator should not concern him or herself with the business side of translating such as advertising, marketing and other mundane tasks. However, I see these activities as auxiliary rather than primary.
[Edited at 2007-04-09 15:36] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Art or science? | Apr 9, 2007 |
While translation can never be called an exact science (good thing too -we might definitively be out of a job), neither is it always much of an art... Think of all those engineering process descriptions.
Business it must be though, because "el amor al arte" doesn´t pay the electricity bill.
But I still like to strive for a well-turned sentence!
[Edited at 2007-04-09 15:42]
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| "Industrial translation" | Apr 9, 2007 |
I reckon what I do is what I tend to describe to my friends as "industrial translation", i.e. translation with an industrial approach: lots of words, specialisation, search for a low variability, and a quest for the highest quality possible.
It is a craft alright, but it has the scent of a well-oiled machine. That's how I like to see my daily work.
| | | | | Translation as craftsmanship | Apr 9, 2007 |
To me translation is of course a business. Very rarely it's an art. But it's always craftsmanship. In the end it's always you against the language, working it, moulding it and measuring yourself against it.
Cheers,
Béa
| | | | | The Pleasure of Translation | Apr 10, 2007 |
Yes, translation is a business and I do think of myself as a professional. But for me translation is still a pleasure. I might earn my living doing it, but boy do I enjoy it!
| | | | John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 08:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
| The best of both worlds | Apr 10, 2007 |
I, like most people, voted both. Here’s why…
Art is defined as follows:
• noun: the creation of beautiful or significant things.
I think as translators we all have that “artistic” desire to create something. Even though we’re sometimes re-creating what someone has already produced, there’s an inherent sense of creativity in translating. I’m sure I’m not the only one here who has even had the feeling that what I created was somehow better... See more I, like most people, voted both. Here’s why…
Art is defined as follows:
• noun: the creation of beautiful or significant things.
I think as translators we all have that “artistic” desire to create something. Even though we’re sometimes re-creating what someone has already produced, there’s an inherent sense of creativity in translating. I’m sure I’m not the only one here who has even had the feeling that what I created was somehow better than the original : )
Business is defined as:
• noun: the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money.
Forgive my slightly altered quotation but, in the end, “Man does not live by art alone”.
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