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How to write a report on a translation
Thread poster: Mariana Rohlig Sa
Mariana Rohlig Sa
Mariana Rohlig Sa  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:09
Member (2012)
English to German
+ ...
Aug 31, 2011

Dear all,

I am soon taking the ITI examination to hopefully become a member of the ITI. As some of you might know apart from the translation the candidate also has to write a report on the translation they have done. I've done this before and personally I would write down all the challenges I encounter in the process of translating the text and how I solved them to then summarise them in my report. Does anyone have more experience with this or does anyone have any suggestions they c... See more
Dear all,

I am soon taking the ITI examination to hopefully become a member of the ITI. As some of you might know apart from the translation the candidate also has to write a report on the translation they have done. I've done this before and personally I would write down all the challenges I encounter in the process of translating the text and how I solved them to then summarise them in my report. Does anyone have more experience with this or does anyone have any suggestions they can share with me or know what the examiner will be looking for?

Any help is most welcome!

Mariana ▲ Collapse
 
Teymur Suleymanov
Teymur Suleymanov  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:09
Russian to English
+ ...
Writing a self-report... Aug 31, 2011

Just make a little bulleted list divided in two parts: challenging factors and positive aspects.
Start honestly going through the challenging factors and list them, trying to stay as objective as possible.

Then proceed to listing what you liked about this translation and rationale behind choosing these and not other possibilities for various equivalencies, etc.

It is very important to craft this report in such a way that despite your objective efforts to analyze y... See more
Just make a little bulleted list divided in two parts: challenging factors and positive aspects.
Start honestly going through the challenging factors and list them, trying to stay as objective as possible.

Then proceed to listing what you liked about this translation and rationale behind choosing these and not other possibilities for various equivalencies, etc.

It is very important to craft this report in such a way that despite your objective efforts to analyze your own work, you still would finish it on an upbeat note, saying that you really enjoyed it and were up to the challenge no matter how labor-intensive it was.

The reason I am saying this is because I have tried it both ways before and while it may look very noble that a translator is almost crucifying themself, whoever reads it will perceive a wrong notion: primarily of lack of confidence, lack of professionalism and incompetence. Bending it to the extreme on the other side will sound like you are boasting.
Not a good way to go either... Therefore finding a balance is the most important part.

So, make sure you stress your challenges first, then proceed to the positive aspects, which will allow you to conclude the report in an overall positive mood.

HTH
Teymur ▲ Collapse
 
philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
German to English
+ ...
There's no right or wrong way of doing these... Sep 1, 2011

... and I don't think we can tell you much that's not on the instruction sheet.

The examiner is looking for evidence that you've thought intelligently about the nature of the text you're translating, its intended readership, any difficulties you encountered with particular words or phrases, and how you resolved these.

I don't know whether Teymur has any experience of applying for ITI membership, but the purpose is not to "finish on an upbeat note" or "say how much you... See more
... and I don't think we can tell you much that's not on the instruction sheet.

The examiner is looking for evidence that you've thought intelligently about the nature of the text you're translating, its intended readership, any difficulties you encountered with particular words or phrases, and how you resolved these.

I don't know whether Teymur has any experience of applying for ITI membership, but the purpose is not to "finish on an upbeat note" or "say how much you enjoyed it". It's a statement of facts about why you translated the document the way you did.

Good luck! I think you'll find that membership is well worth the hard work and expense.



[Edited at 2011-09-01 22:58 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 
Mariana Rohlig Sa
Mariana Rohlig Sa  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:09
Member (2012)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you both Sep 4, 2011

I will make sure to write a neutral report in which I address the challenges I encountered and how I went about solving them. The date for the examination is still to be agreed on, but I hope to pass the exam and become a member soon to benefit from all that the ITI has to offer. Wish me luck.
 


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