04/01/2009 by stefi.

What makes a good translator?

Preparation, patience and determination are essential qualities in any sectors and are fundamental for a translator.

Acquiring competence
You cannot turn yourself into a translator in a matter of days; even if you possess a good knowledge of foreign languages (source languages) and a perfect competence in your mother tongue (target language) - you need to be prepared in the fields of your specialisation as well as being aware of the strategies behind each translation. For this reason it is important that a translator holds also a university degree (see the indications of the Directorate-General for Translation of the European Commission http://ec.europa.eu//dgs/translation/workingwithus/recruitment/translator_profile_en.htm).

Patience
A good translator never stops learning, and continues to work patiently, day after day; each translation represents a chance to deepen your knowledge and a new challenge to face. With patience.

Determination
This is a fundamental skill: the capacity not to give up when faced by the difficulties and perils which each text inevitably brings.

The job of a translator is like a true marathon, a permanent challenge. Stefania Williams of Williams Language Solutions took this metaphor literally, taking part and successfully completing the Lausanne Marathon 2008 with the time of 4h 20min. A fantastic achievement.

Congratulations!

By Morena Nannetti
(www.traduzionitaliano.eu)

Morena Nannetti is a freelance translator from English, German and French into Italian. For her the best way to maintain a keen language sense is… to keep studying literature. This makes you aware that in a written text even a comma can make a great difference.

Download the video of Stefania crossing the finishing line at http://www.translate-it.org/english/academy.html

Stefania competed in the Lausanne Marathon 2008 (www.lausanne-marathon.ch) and she hopes to finish under 4 hours at the Edinburgh marathon on 31st May 2009. Watch this space!

For the Directory of Marathon races worldwide, visit http://www.42k195.com/ or http://www.marathon-world.com/index.php

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06/11/2008 by stefi.

Hello!

I am writing today to present a new, exciting service offered by WLS. As you know, WLS works with highly qualified translators to offer the best services to our clients. An essential part of our translations is the EDITING Process.

We have now secured an association with a team of editors to offer our clients Proofreading/Editing of English documents, presentations, scientific publications.

Proofreading, editing, revising is a challenging job (see Morena Nannetti’s article on our website www.translate-it.org). “Proofreading traditionally means reading printer proofs marking any errors. Editing is the task of preparing written material for publication, as by correcting, revising, or adapting it. Revising means to reexamine and make alterations to a written text.”

Are you about to give a presentation to a business meeting, and would like a “four eyes” check on your spelling, style, and terminology? Is English your second language, and would like your text to be reviewed by an English mother tongue expert in the field? We know your challenges, because we know the language and the subject. Simple faux pas can sink you, and few pounds are well spent to avoid you any embarassment. We treat all documents confidentially, and we will polish your text adding a “smart code” which can open doors!

(”smart code” is the revision + service offered by WLS - call for details).

Stefania

PS: my blog article has not been edited by WLS experts… Can you spot that English is not my mother tongue? If I had to publish this article on a magazine, I would certainly have it edited by WLS!

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