Found in Translation

3 Things I Have Learned From the Translation Process

The week leading up to the February 25th deadline (when the document was to be handed over to the translators) really was a peak in the level of activity on Slack and Google Docs for Team 6. Even though we had been sticking to a schedule, and our work ethic was quite consistent, that week we seemed to become extra self-critical and began to notice all the negatives in our work.

By contrast, this week is relatively calm. The translators translated the document in jig-time (quickly) and they heightened my awareness of localisation in my writing.

What I Have Learned from the Translators

• Neutrality is important in an instructional document. We are writing instructions on how to use Google Forms. If we were writing the document for Google, we would try to promote the product as much as possible. However, our French team mates have drawn our attention to the fact that we are not writing for Google and that in certain parts of the document , it seems as if we are advertising the tool by overusing the term ‘Google Forms’. After many hours of editing, we did not see this error. However, it became blatantly obvious to us once pointed out by the translators. A fresh pair of eyes cannot be underestimated.
• Writers must think about the multiple meanings of words before using them. The word ‘simple’ became a discussion topic this week. It appeared in a heading; ‘How to Create a Simple Form’. The translators had some localisation issues with this. Again, they felt that this was influencing the user, which left the writers a tad confused. How could a ‘How to..’ heading influence the user. After some discussion, we realised that the translators equated the word ‘simple’ with ‘easy’, which is not wrong. However, the writers intended the word to mean ‘basic’ in this context, which is also not wrong.
• Sentences must be as complete as possible, so as to avoid confusion or misinterpretation. This is not new information, yet at times writers still presume the reader knows what we are talking about. The translators pointed out a few instances where sentences were not complete. For example, when describing how to create a form with multiple choice questions, our final step read, ” Repeat steps 1 to 4 until you have added all the questions required”. Our team mates suggested changing this to “…questions and answers…”. This may be stating the obvious to us, but perhaps not to a non-technical audience.

Localisation in the Virtual Project

The Virtual Project has entered the translation phase. After a busy week of editing, editing, and more editing, we finally handed our document over to our French colleagues for translation.

We were relieved with their initial report that the document seemed clear and straightforward to translate. However, the conversations currently happening in the Translation channel in Slack are sparking my interest.

We have explored localisation in a few lectures and readings. Until now it was still an abstract concept to me. I understood it but it was not something I had any hands-on experience with. I am excited to see this concept come to life in the translation phase, although it may add to our extensive to-do list.

The first query that arose was the phrase ‘pop quiz’. The translators interpreted this as a quiz on pop culture. As I researched the term pop quiz in order to give them a precise definition, it also dawned on me that ‘pop quiz’ is not a phrase commonly used in Ireland either. I know the phrase from American television, but I have never had a teacher who gave us a ‘pop quiz’. We were given tests or exams. Note taken: ‘pop quiz’ is not suitable for a global audience.

We began a step with the word ‘Continue’. For example, ‘Continue filling in all sections of the form’. In writing this document as a group, we overlooked this phrase and how it may not be the clearest way to instruct the user. The translators pointed out that this would not make sense if translated directly into French. They suggested we change ‘continue’ to ‘repeat steps ___ to ___’. This will make more sense in French and it makes the step clearer for English-speaking users.

The translators’ input will lead to some changes to the document. Some team members are reluctant to go back into the editing phase and I understand this reluctance. The editing phase took a long time and we realised the more we looked at the document the more we would change. It was a relief to hand it over to the translators. However, I have learned from the editing phase and from my previous post that it is essential that we have a strategy before we start making any changes. Formulating such a strategy is my goal for next week.