Categories: germany, translation, trials, switzerland
Date: 22 April 2008 19:51:51
I had to translate some travel directions today. The project manager blithely said "It's *just* a small job; *just* translate these directions. You've seen worse..."
Well, it's true; I *have* seen worse but I've been paid better for it (There. That's that little grumble over with). These directions were not written with clarity in mind - or even with the idea that the wretched traveller might actually like to end up at the destination.
There were links to maps on the end-client's website: so I checked them to see if I was describing the route accurately (see below for more detail as to why this was necessary). Smack bang on top of every motorway junction, all of which were on the very edge of the map so you couldn't actually see which Autobahn number they were exiting, there were irritating adverts or useless "tips". **Just show me the darn junction with a few road numbers!!** Gah.
The reason I had to refer to the maps was because the directions were written in as roundabout a way as was humanly possible. [Like the little pun there? Huh? ;-) ] I'm not sure that I am feeling sufficiently robust to explain just why it was so complicated... suffice it to say, the problem lay with ill-thought out use of words and the glories of separable verbs in subordinate sentences. I contacted the project manager to query the wording. She agreed that the phrasing was somewhat unusual but yes, my interpretation was correct. I am not one to argue with a German native speaker over the complications of their grammar but it still didn't make sense to me. A couple of hours later, the project manager phoned back to say she'd sent an email to explain that she had been wrong... could I rephrase this bit (which came up four times as the same phrase had been used for directions from all four points of the compass) pretty pronto as the deadline was fast approaching.
Her email actually said that the scales had fallen from her eyes.... Just how clear are these instructions if a native speaker can misinterpret what is meant? It does not bode well if you are biffing along an Autobahn at 120kph and you need a five minute discussion to establish what the instructions mean as you zip past the required junction.
Whilst all the above was going on, I was doing a test translation for a new company. The instructions were *just* to translate the text into American English. I reminded the client that I am not a native speaker of American English and that to be completely authentic, it is not *just* a question of using a few 16th century spellings. The client was having nothing of it. *Just* get on with it - was the underlying message.
The text was talking about a new degree course supported by a Swiss company for their staff. This starts getting complicated because the Swiss education system follows the German system and neither has direct equivalents with the American system. I have some knowledge of the latter but had to strain my brain at points to think of an authentic sounding way of expressing certain terms.
At one point I felt quite pleased with myself because I managed to get a great play on words in a title where there hadn't been one in the original. (Not easy when you only have a max of 5 words...) The only downside of this of course is that if the end-client doesn't read German (or English, depending...), he won't appreciate the brilliance that has been bestowed upon his text. Wasted, I tell you. Just wasted!