Lessons in Cool and Collected Writing
Do you want to get better at this writing thing? I can help!
I am convinced that better communication is the missing ingredient in what could otherwise be success stories.
In the age of tweets and meets, still, a lot of our communication is in writing. Hey, it's no coincidence that writing made history: it gives us all at once a trampoline to propel ideas from and a safety net to save ideas in.
But most people who were not English majors in college were never really taught how to write. So, you write by feel, as if navigating your way through a maze, in the dark. I can help you turn the light on! And get GPS--that works.
Writing clearly means that your readers can effectively locate, understand, and act upon the ideas you present to them. And of course, what better way to present them than in style?
I can help you write better for:
Technical Writing: sharing specialized knowledge. It could be among peers who share your lingo, with specialists in other fields who want or need your expertise, politicians who need to make policy decisions, students, interested laypersons, the public, and even unwilling readers who need to become informed for safety or other reasons. Whichever your area of expertise, I will help you write about specialized information in clear and concise language.
Business Communications: sharing operative knowledge. If you are in business, you write. You write emails, text messages, tweets, reports, briefs, summaries, proposals, specs, memos, training manuals. Did you know that there are international standards for clear communication? I will get you up to speed on those. And we'll go beyond formulas so you become the master of the page.
Creative Writing: sharing human experiences through storytelling and poetics. We share for fun, for catharsis, for redemption, we share out of love or fear, excitement or loss. Working through a piece means checking how a vivid setting is described, the development of your characters, your story's point of view, how the plot unfolds. All while paying attention to dialogue, anecdotes, figures of speech, and, of course, grammar!
Founder & First Acting Chair of Master of Arts in Translation/Localization Management in 2005
Founder & Education Chair of Spanish Editors Association
Need training that will spark an epiphany? I'm your gal!
Other topics in education I find exciting...
In the framework of AAIT 18, we discussed the level of awareness of T&I as a profession, I presented the idea that translators are mediators between clear communication and technology. 'Artifical Intelligence' is perhaps inadvertently omnipresent in our lives, from "intelligent' vacuum cleaners to Tolstoi write-alikes. And then there is the push for clear communication heralded by the Plain Language movement. Plain Language seems to suggest language that is machine translatable. However, I advocate for Plain Language 2.0: clear communication with style. Yes, machines can do a great deal but infusing communication with relevant flair and without sacrificing clarity is still a human endeavor, that's where sophisticated professionals come in.
T&I Outreach in a
4th Grade Classroom
What a blast it was to share this session with fourth graders from Gorrie Elementary School in Tampa, Florida--amidst preparations for a pretend 25‑year reunion!
I had the opportunity to prep before the children arrived, pinning to the board an upside-down map of the world, an ATA sign, and the words Languages, Translation and Interpreting.
The prompts sparked a rich conversation about different languages and perspectives. Although this class was mostly monoloingual, we quickly got into the difference between a native language and a second language, and talked about being bilingual.
This was the perfect springboard to talk about translation. As usual, the students mentioned speaking different languages, so I addressed the differences between Translation and Interpreting: translation is written and interpreting is spoken, and pinned images of a translator typing and an interpreter with a headset, as reminders. As a group, they came up with a definition of what they both do: help people who speak two different languages communicate.
Next, we discussed who translators and interpreters work for: hospitals, courts, the Olympics, videogame companies, book publishers, etc. I had images of Harry Potter in Italian and Dragon Ballz in Japanese to illustrate that you can work to or from a language. I also showed them books translated into English that they had read.
We also run a few “experiments.” First, we tried to translate words from French with visual aids. But the images prompted multiple words! They concluded that images are not enough.
Then, we tried a word-by-word translation from Spanish with the help of a glossary. It was horrible! They concluded studying the grammar of both languages is necessary.
After that, we run the same sentence through Google translate. It was much better, but still off. They worked as editors and adjusted the translation. They concluded that translation engines are not 100% accurate and that proper knowledge of your topic and audience is necessary.
Finally, we got to fun projects! We worked on a Gaturro comic strip (by Nik, from Argentina, with the author’s consent!). I provided a glossary and we also run the text through Google translate. Working as editors and with guidance, they came up with a correct an actually funny English version.
We also worked on a project as clients. We were US distributors of a “magic” toy that would teach kids about pneumatics created by a Spanish-speaking company. All materials for assembly and instructions with images were “delivered” to our classroom, full of eager toymakers. Of course, the instructions were in Spanish, and they knew that just following the images, using a glossary or running machine translation would not be accurate enough. They decided to hire a translator and sent the Spanish text out for translation. Once the translation was timely delivered, they reviewed it, duly asked for some clarifications, and paid for it with play bills! And on they went to assembling the pneumatic toys and even suggesting some upgrades!
For their “reunion,” some kids were considering returning as translators!
Hélène Wimmerlin and I (Romina) advocate for teaching the non-translation side of translation, i.e., business, technology, and project management, as a key component in training professional translators. This presentation emerged amidst a debate about translators skills, and here we share cases from our own teaching and professional experience. We address relevant issues for the classroom situation and discuss how to integrate the needs and expectations of the different players—businesses, academic institutions, and students. During the live presentation, we served as moderators in an interactive and very passionate discussion with the audience!