Carina Leticia Klemetz Aceves
The ASTM Standard Guide to Quality Assurance in Translation (the name has been shortened as of late) defines the process of translation, and explains among other things the concept of “translation specifications.” Those are parameters that have to be considered in order to ensure that the product resulting from a translation is such that satisfies all parties. The Guide defines a “quality translation” as one that meets the specifications previously defined and discussed by all parties, as opposed to the traditional concept of “one best translation.” There would, therefore, not be one best translation to any given text but there can be multiple good translations, at least as many as sets of specifications that could be conceived.
This Guide has not yet been published, and I have had the privilege of working together with the editing team (technical committee F-15, under the ASTM standards body) in order to try to improve it before its publication.
Of the plans I originally had, most of them were fulfilled.
I planned to interview Dr. Hague and Dr. Labrum, professors of Spanish translation, to obtain their feedback relative to the guide. I did so, and made a list of suggested improvements for Dr. Melby. Some of the suggestions were very valuable.
I had planned to interview about ten translation companies of the area. I called them up, introduced myself and the project, and most of them (about 80%) said they would be interested in participating. I sent them the Guide, but never heard back from them, even though I tried to contact them again. People seemed to be too busy, and so they stated, the few ones who actually got back to me.
Dr. Melby also asked me to contact a list of people who had shown an interest in reviewing the guide, and so I did, with equal bad success.
I was also able, during the summer, to discuss the specifications process with some of my clients and was fortunate to secure two larger translation assignments in which I could practise how it is like to put the whole specifications idea, and other concepts from the ASTM guide, into real-life translation work. The prettiest thing that came from that are three short chilDr.en’s storybooks, published by Dalmatian Press, in which my name appears as that of the Translator. The titles of these books are “Dios me ama (God loves me),” “Felices en la Granja (Happy on the Farm),” and “Mi libro favorito de historias de la Biblia (My Favorite Bible storybook).”
I have therefore put the Guide into practice to prove that following its advice the whole process of the translation is better, and I feel privileged to have been able to be part of the beginnings of this new era in the Translation Industry. For that is how I envision it: when all translators know about specifications and use them in their work, the final product in a translation will be of much higher quality, and all of the parties will be more pleased with the result, that will truly meet the needs of the requester.
I did several proofreadings of the ASTM Guide, also comparing it to the CEN Guide (its European equivalent) previous to the upcoming ATA conference in November. I found similarities and divergences, and reported them to Dr. Melby, as requested by him, to be considered when polishing the ASTM Guide.
I found some mistakes and incongruence in the ASTM Guide, or things that could be improved. I made comments and suggestions for improvements, and Dr. Melby submitted them for discussion with the Editing Committee during the endless hours of conference calls. I was allowed to listen in during those conference calls, rarely participating (other than indirectly, through Dr. Melby) but gaining valuable insights on the translation industry and the process of translation from the companies’ point of view, by listening to them. Several of my suggestions were accepted and included in the Guide. I am especially proud of having left my personal mark with a trilingual example in Swedish, English, and Spanish.
Another experience I’ve had related to this project was co-authoring the article “Quality in Translation: A Lesson for the Study of Meaning” with Dr. Melby and Dr. Manning, for Linguistics and the Human Sciences, a fairly new journal. I feel thankful to have been able to participate and have my name among the authors, even though my section is about 12% of the length of the paper. This experience also provided insights in the process of creating a scholarly paper, and how to handle peer reviewing.
As far as the planned conference presentation goes, I prepared a handout condensing in one page the eight pages the Guide devotes to Specifications. In the back I included two sample specifications, to better illustrate how the creation of a set of specification was to be done. This handout was intended as a clarification and example of the things which must be discussed before starting a translation project, in order to ensure all parties’ satisfaction. I discovered that no other handout was given at that session (the Saturday morning session about standards in the translation industry at the American Translators Association annual general conference, in Seattle, Nov 9-12) so my handout was the only tangible thing the participants could take with them. Dr. Melby also seemed pleased with my performance. I presented the handout during a few minutes in the middle of the session, in which members of the editing teams of the American ASTM and the European CEN standards were present. Both of the standards are in their final Dr.aft format.
I felt privileged to be able to attend this international conference in Seattle, and talk to translators from all over the world (how grateful I am that I speak 6 languages!) and obtain ideas for my professional life. I am planning to work actively as a translator (Swedish and English into Spanish, which is my mother tongue).
Now I can basically call the project completed. The ASTM Guide is in its very final Dr.aft format, awaiting publication, and therefore no more changes can be made in it. The article, likewise, is pending publication. And I’ve got a head start in my career as a translator!