Summer 2017 Meeting Report
The summer meeting of Ohio Honyaku was held on Saturday, August 19, 2017, at JASCO headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. Twelve members attended, including six new members from HLS (Honda Language Services) from as far away as Indiana.
After brief introductions, we followed our usual practice of 5-minute presentations followed by open discussion. The content of the presentations was as follows.
(1) Art of Checking and Proofreading
Despite the trend for quality control certification in the translation industry, an interesting counter-trend has been the minimizing or removal of translation check work by the translator within the translation workflow. More than 20 years ago, it was commonplace for a translator to receive a copy of his or her translated work after DTP for a final check, or proof. Due to short deadlines, this type of request is now almost unheard of today. Moreover, there is a growing trend for “partial deliveries” (delivery in parts as job is completed) to clients, which makes it difficult for a translator to conduct this type of check even if he or she wanted. The presenter explained how he conducts this “old” type of check within his own quality control process under different types of job conditions.
(2) Dicregate: Translation tool
The presenter showed how the search tool Discregate can be used to provide simultaneous search results for a given term from frequently-used search pages, including online dictionaries. She also showed the note taking software that she is currently using in her interpreting work for dramatically improving work efficiency.
(3) Mistranslation in Japanese Media
An example was presented of how Trump’s remark of “You’re in such good shape” was mistranslated by the Japanese media. This led to discussions on how far an interpreter should go to faithfully translate the meaning versus the intention and whether to convey nuances or use more natural language.
(4) Study of Interpreter Workloads
This presentation provided research results and standards for interpreter workloads from various agencies (including the U.N.) and companies. Many members were also able to give their personal experience as further data points. Interpreter workload was discussed specifically in terms of how long interpreters can be expected to interpret without a break, how long and how often to take breaks, what types of breaks (working and non-working breaks) are taken, and also the work-related ailments and stress that interpreting work entails. From this data, the presenter plans to submit this to her company for establishing guidelines for interpreter workloads and the interpreting work process including breaks.
(5) Ergonomic tools
The presenter, who works as an in-house translator, talked about his use of various ergonomic tools for dealing with persistent back pain. He discussed his experience with use of a balance ball chair, standing desk (“Varidesk”), kneeling chair, and their effects on his work efficiency. It was also discussed whether the providing of these tools is the responsibility of the employer or the employee and come under “reasonable accommodations” for employees.
(6) Nira
This presenter brought some home-grown potted nira to share with group members. Although nira is quite versatile and can be used in foods such as gyoza and chijimi, as a plant, it can flourish and even take over outside areas, and so caution was advised.
The fall meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 4th, at JASCO headquarters in Dublin. We welcome all J<>E language professionals and other interested persons who enjoy a rather relaxed atmosphere and stimulating discussions about our two beloved countries.
Report prepared by C. K.
