The year 2007 has been a good year and I wish to thank all my clients for their business. Je profite de l’occasion pour remercier tous mes clients de m’avoir fait confiance en 2007.
Bonne nouvelle année!
Šťastný Nový Rok!
'С Новым Годом!
Alles Gute im neuen Jahr!
I started writing posts in April 2006 and implemented the counter in November of last year. One hundred and five posts later, there have been 1900 visits to my blog.
La majorité de mes lecteurs provient du
Il est intéressant de noter que le blogue a modifié mes habitudes. Je me sens plus attentif à l’actualité et aux sujets qui touchent la traduction, la communication et la culture dans un pays multiculturel. This exercise has made me more aware of language and communications issues and the challenges we all face when we speak to someone from another culture who uses another language.
The advertisers motto : “ Use what works. “ makes a lot of sense to me. The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business article on advertising in Quebec should remind us that one cannot apply the same rules everywhere.
Cela me rappelle l’histoire d’un fabricant automobile dont le siège social était aux États-Unis. Dans le cadre d’une revue destinée à ses employés de l’Amérique du Nord, un article avait été préparé sur une usine sise au Québec. L’auteur américain avait été particulièrement frappé (??) par la présence de pancartes en français dans l’usine. La situation est passée de mauvais au pire lorsqu’on nous avait demandé de traduire l’article pour la version française de la revue. Heureusement, une intervention accompagnée d’une explication en long et en large leur a fait changer d’idée. Un article sur un autre sujet apparut dans la revue.
Use of French expressions or coinages can also present problems. For example, the portable toilet bearing the name Pot-pourri was to be sold in Québec. While in English the expression can convey a bunch of sweet smelling herbs or flowers (to mask the odours in a bathroom, for example), and the expression pastille de pot-pourri exists (meaning a pot-pourri tart), applying the expression to a toilet is ludicrous. A recent Internet search for “Potpourri portable toilet” went unanswered. Maybe somebody got a better idea.
Le travailleur indépendant est quelque fois victime de son indépendance; il est donc salutaire de se ressourcer, de réfléchir sur son passé, et de prendre des décisions hardies pour améliorer l’avenir.
I am lucky to have my medical needs met by a nearby teaching hospital, the Sunnybrook Health Centre . In the last few years, I have noticed a number of postings on bulletin boards asking for volunteers to participate in medical studies. Intrigued, I tried one, a second one and find that I am hooked.
La plupart des recherches semblent axées sur les citoyens du troisième âge, ou âge d’or. Ainsi, une des études portait sur l’équilibre et la façon de le conserver si l’on trébuche. Le patient est installé sur une plateforme mobile qui s’arrête brusquement. On apprend alors à ne pas tomber ou à tomber avec le moins de dégâts possibles.
Another study dealt with spatial memory- fitted with goggles, the patient is taken on a video trip through an unfamiliar city . Again, the trick is to learn to navigate in unknown places.
Yet another study used MRI to evaluate memory. An upcoming one will use a driving simulator so that reflexes of “senior people” can be studied.
Certaines de ces études sont tout à fait bénévoles alors que certaines autres prévoient un paiement modeste versé au participant.
Je conseille vivement cette activité aux personnes intéressées dans les progrès de la médecine et qui demeurent près d’un important centre hospitalier.
Dans le cadre d’un important travail, j’ai eu l’occasion d’assister à une réunion d’une journée entière sur la fabrication des contenants en verre. Notre groupe avait précédemment étudié d’autres formes d’emballages – plastiques flexible et rigide et les emballages en carton ondulé, mais c’était mon premier contact avec le verre.
Basing my recommendations on my previous work, I was able to convince my employer to allow me to attend these meetings during which experts explained the various facets of their operations and processes. A translation well done is based upon the translator’s knowledge of the language but also on his familiarity with the subject matter.
Avoir l’occasion d’écouter les présentations et poser des questions représente une ambiance idéale pour un traducteur. Plus tard, il y aura également la possibilité de faire valider ma traduction par les gens sur place, les utilisateurs des processus et auxquels est destiné mon travail.
My Sitemeter statistics never cease to amaze me. The number of visitors has reached 1600 today and here is a picture of the nationalities involved:
Il est extrêmement intéressant de remarquer la variété de mes lecteurs et les rubriques qui les attirent à mon blogue:
La musique, la médicine, les expressions idiomatiques et les articles sur la traduction semblent venir en tête.
Reading the on-line issue of the
The French did something unusual – they criticized themselves. Yearning to learn more, I went on the Internet and found on the Le Monde website a series of videos of the artists that had been involved in putting together the various elements of the museum.
Just came back form a very interesting and mind expanding evening celebrating the above event. As in previous years, it was held at Glendon College from where I graduated in 1972. It did not have a translation school then, just a comparative translation course, but judging by the some 100 attendees of tonight’s meeting, the school is successful and doing well.
Le thème de la réunion était “Ne tirez pas sur le traducteur! “– qu’on développé trois collègue interprètes:
La nouvelle présidente de l’ATIO,
Deux autres collègues de vieille date sont venus me parler: Charlez Metz, qui m’avait aidé dans mes premiers pas dans la traduction à
A bit of old, a bit of new and all those eager young faces of aspiring linguists!
A recent project presented an interesting challenge: the manufacturing processes resembled those of processes in an allied industry but dealt with a different form of product. I am referring to packaging made from flexible and hard plastic, paper and now metal.
En plus de l’apprentissage que j’ai du faire dans chacun de ces matériaux, j’ai dû en plus “apprivoiser” les techniques particulières aux emballages faits de matériaux différents.
J’ai réussi à faire valoir au client qu’une série de visites dans les usines correspondantes serait d’une grande utilité. J’ai eu donc l’occasion d’observer la fabrication de sachets (pour poudres alimentaires, par exemple), puis de bocaux ou de flacons rigides et finalement d’emballages en carton ondulé.
L’accumulation de ces connaissances a porté ses fruits: ce matin, lors d’une visite d’une conserverie, j’ai pu observer les mêmes éléments et les mêmes étapes qu’avec les autres matériaux. Des expressions qui m’avaient semblé opaques sont devenues claires et nettes. Je pourrais les utiliser en toute confiance avec les destinataires de ma traduction.
Translation requires several pieces of knowledge: the language, of course, but also the field or area of expertise that is being described. Thanks to this understanding client, I will have both.
I mentioned Michael Hughes on this blog last February, after hearing him talk about Networking at an AIC meeting. His approach is fact based and really has substance. I told him how much I appreciated his presentation.
J’ai pu aujourd’hui constater que Mike ne m’a pas oublié. Il m’a demandé de traduire une de ses présentations, ce qui a été un plaisir immense. En effet, me souvenant de ses paroles et de ses conseils, je n’ai eu aucune difficulté à traduire son message (comme si je venais d’y assister moi-même). J’espère que ses clients saisiront immédiatement l’importance de ses paroles et de ses conseils.
Yes, indeed, one can visit his website and read about his programs and the resources he uses. But in my experience, it is best to listen to him speak in person because no written material can give the tone and feel that Michael does.
As Michael signs his ebulletins:
“Now, go work your network.”
A recent visitor from the town of
The troops are from the 22nd Royal Regiment, called by their English speaking colleagues the Van Doos (from vingt-deux, with an English accent).
I recently wrote of an unexplained increase in hits on my blog page and could not quite explain it. When I shared my concern with a specialist, it was suggested that maybe the reader had set up my blog as his/her home page. This would explain the regular visits, of only one page at a time. The hit count would therefore be affected and erroneously show a large number of visits (instead of repeat visits).
It certainly is flattering to know that some of my readers think highly enough of me to set up my blog as their home page but they may find that it is handier to use the RSS function which would notify them each time a new post appears on the blog. In Blogger, this is the Subscribe to Posts caption at the bottom of the page.
It is amazing how much there is to learn out there! Et moi qui pensais avoir tout compris sur les blogues!
As I was just in the throes of discovering blogging, I said yes and the article was published on page 8 in the July copy (Volume 36, Number 2) of Informatio
Le lien ci-dessus devrait vous mener directement à mon article, qui a été publié dans les deux langues.
My blog statistics underwent a radical change: in the last three days, instead of the 2,3 or 4 hits and reads of one page or two, I have had page views of 7, 9, 15, 22, and 41 pages, lasting anywhere from 2 minutes to 41 minutes. Obviously, more people are learning about my blog and spending a longer time reading my posts.
Des lecteurs si assidus sont rares et je suis certain que cette activité va augmenter ma présence sur Internet.
I do not know at this time whether the meter can tell me what posts were more popular than others as there are 92 of them all together. I will look into this.
Nous avons également rencontré, sur la même rue, un abreuvoir pour chiens, qui nous en dit beaucoup sur les animaux domestiques à SF et le soin qu’en prennent leurs propriétaires.
À quelques pâtés de maisons de là, le nom d’un restaurant nous a surpris. Il doit exister également des gens qui mangent pour vivre et la façon dont ils font cela est très bien illustrée par le verbe “gobble”.
Both people and animals are well served in the
Whether you are in the construction business or packaging food products, retailing or web design, you all have a jargon that is used daily to communicate with your customers and suppliers.
In bilingual
Words have a life of their own and may change meaning in time and in different settings. It is therefore important when defining a word to provide a context, an example, and give the equivalent expression in the other language. A mechanic can use a lead to connect electrical components of an engine, but he will check on the presence of lead in the gasoline if the malfunctioning engine is run on lead-free gas. Two words, same spelling and two totally different meanings.
Does your translator use a standard, uniform terminology? What are the sources of this information and how reliable is it? If a word needs to be created, how does he go about it? It is not as simple a pulling rabbit out of a hat.
Some concepts are easily created in English but present a challenge in French. In some cases, it is the other way around. An experienced translator will perform the necessary research to find the best equivalent. In some cases, he will tell you that the task is impossible and that it would be better to use another tack. Take his advice; it will save you from problems later.
The Globe reports that the Mayor of Paris is urging locals and tourists alike to enjoy each other. The article ends by stating that there were 15.3 millions visitors in France in 2006.
Translation can be a tricky thing sometimes. Here is a mandatory textile label that has an extra French message (Nous sommes desoles que notre president soit un idiot. Nous n'avons pas vote pour lui).
A recent translation of a presentation prompted me to describe some aspects of this type of work, of which a unilingual person may not be aware. A conversation with the client revealed that the presentation might be presented in English but with the French version projected at the same time so that the participants (mostly French-speakers) would be able to follow.
Dave Paradi, a fellow Canadian has been sending me in the last few years his informative newsletter on ¨PowerPoint”. I have also used his book “Guide to PowerPoint” extensively. I would recommend it to any English PPT writer and to any translator.
Recently encountered the expression "Farm to Fork" referring to the various steps that foods go through. The text was written from the point of view of a packaging manufacturer.
The first thing that struck me was the strong alliteration, i.e. the repetition of a consonant (F) at the beginning of two consecutive words. To find the equivalent French, one has to find words that have the same meaning than the English and start by the same consonant. My muse was inspired: I found
« De la culture à la consommation »
2) De la ferme à la table (European Commission)
La dernière expression est mise à toutes les sauces mais c'est quand même elle qui semble la plus complète, exception faite de l'allitération. Dans le contexte de ma traduction, c'est elle que j'ai utilisée dans mon projet. Autres suggestions?
A recent HPCA networking session covered the very interesting topic of articles that customers/readers can download. They may be informercial or explanatory types or they may be case studies. I decided to poll you, my readers, to find out whether you would be interested in reading articles on translation such as the one I recently wrote on “Culture in translation”.
L’utilité des articles d’information est évidente mais c’est la façon dont les clients/lecteurs les obtiennent qui m’intéresse. Mes démarches pour trouver la façon de le faire sur mon blogue n’ont rien donné jusqu’à présent. Je demande donc aux intéressés de m’envoyer un courriel au translationbeyondwords@sympatico.ca avec leurs coordonnées et je leur ferai parvenir mon article.
If such an article is of interest, please send me your contact information at the above address and I will gladly e-mail it to you.
This is an instance when knowing English idiomatic expressions helps you to understand a Québecois expression. I chanced upon this item in the Canoe news and was struck by the formulation which was not familiar to me.
Indeed, one of the English meanings of “to be in the hole” is to be in debt and that is exactly the situation the city of
The author of the piece (notre journaliste mobile??), has a very French sounding name, so how do we explain this apparent Anglicism? Reading further, one finds the expression
“Le conseil a exprimé un grand nombre de préoccupations sur la gestion des fonds publics.”
Let us look at another example:
“La ville a fait 82 millions de dollars de revenus et en a dépensé 94 millions.
Does it sound like an English echo: “The city made $82 millions in revenue and spent 94 millions.”
It would be interesting to find out whether the readers of Canoe Infos have noticed this piece and how they reacted to the way it is written.
I did a Google search for “faire le trou” and found a completely different meaning in the jargon of the
Etre "dans le trou" : Se dit lorsqu'un machiniste a pris beaucoup de retard par rapport au bus qui le précède. Cette situation aura pour conséquence une charge plus importante (donc une prise de retard qui ne cessera d'augmenter). Au métro on parle de tassée (prendre la tassée). A la sncf un train en retard est qualifié de "coulé".
During a recent jaunt to
Nous sommes d’habitude de petits mangeurs, c’est donc avec plaisir que nous avons découvert que les plats que sert A16 sont relativement petits et que l’on peut composer un repas respectable d’hors d’oeuvres, de salades et de desserts.
Les brochettes de lapin grillé dans un four au bois accompagné de carottes et de pois grillés étaient d’un goût exquis. Le vin rouge des environs de
This link to the Fork & Bottle article provides photographs of some of the foods. We literally fell in love with A16 and …. came back for three more meals! It is possible to leave more than one’s heart in
Almost immediately after I learned of my friend’s daughter’s trip to Vimy, I started an Internet search about Vimy and WWI. Because of my fluency in both English and French, I was able to access and study websites in both languages. Very quickly, I realized that stories abounded on the various aspects of WWI and not all agreed. Michael Valpy’s article in the Globe & Mail on the myth of Vimy Ridge
I will definitely watch the proceedings in Vimy on Canadian television as there are always new things to learn, but as the saying goes – I will take the rhetoric “avec un grain de sel”.
It is rather interesting that there is an organisation in
Maybe our young Canadians might be interested in this as well?
Read what they think in Ottawa.
Shopping in the local Canadian Tire store, I chanced upon the bathroom section, which showed various tub accessories: showerheads, soap caddies, etc. One package caught my eye: It was called Corner Caddy – it was triangular, had suction cups and allowed the user to store soap and shampoo on a little shelf wedged in the corner of the bath wall.
I guess a golf caddy can be a server, a helper, but it is not human – serviteur is. As for angle – a corner can indeed be an angle, but it usually protrudes. Let us look as specific equivalents:
Un coin d’une boîte - a corner of a box
Un coin d’une table - a corner of a table
Devices that support something may be described as follows:
Porte-bouteille - bottle caddy
Porte-clés - key chain
Porte-bagages - luggage rack
Porte-cartes- (business) card holder
So to convey the idea that the item fits in a particular way and performs a specific action, we could say:
Porte-savon en coin (in the shape of a corner)
Why do you think French-speaking customers get upset when they see this kind of communication?
I was listening to the 4:30 p.m. Radio-Canada news today where is it was announced that Prime Minister Harper had ordered corrections to be made to the mistakes found on signs at the Vimy Monument in France, before the official ceremonies start on Monday.
Un peu plus tôt dans la journée, le logiciel de visiteurs de mon blogue me signalait qu’un lecteur du gouvernement fédéral avait lu mon blogue – coïncidence? Je suis persuadé que c’est surtout l’article de Radio-
