| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Off topic: Where is Charlie? Thread poster: Viktoria Gimbe
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mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 06:38
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Whose fault? | Nov 24, 2006 |
'mouvements transfrontières' comes straight from the French versions of the official texts of the Bale Convention ( www.basel.int ). I imagine they were trying to find a suitable translation of 'transboundary movement' that respects the nuances - if there are any in this context... - of 'boundary' (not 'border').
Be that as it may, it's no excuse for 'mouvements transfrontali*ères*.
I'm ... See more 'mouvements transfrontières' comes straight from the French versions of the official texts of the Bale Convention ( www.basel.int ). I imagine they were trying to find a suitable translation of 'transboundary movement' that respects the nuances - if there are any in this context... - of 'boundary' (not 'border').
Be that as it may, it's no excuse for 'mouvements transfrontali*ères*.
I'm just wondering however whether a webmaster, a translator - or even a Minister in Her Majesty's Government of Canada - would be happy to stick his/her neck out and get it corrected. And in the meantime, I don't see how they - or anyone else - can avoid repeating the mistake.
MediaMatrix
[Edited at 2006-11-24 12:09] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Viktoria Gimbe 
Canada
Local time: 06:38
English to French
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TOPIC STARTER | Repeating mistakes | Nov 24, 2006 |
That is just one of the secondary problems with this example. Not only do we have a flagrant error here, but if it goes uncorrected, it WILL be repeated, if only because at some point, someone will probably use this translation unit in their TM or glossary. Government people are heavy users of TM. If we add to that that inexperienced 'wannabe' translators may come across this site (like I did) while looking for a term, it will make it into documents outside the government sphere. So, this is bas... See more That is just one of the secondary problems with this example. Not only do we have a flagrant error here, but if it goes uncorrected, it WILL be repeated, if only because at some point, someone will probably use this translation unit in their TM or glossary. Government people are heavy users of TM. If we add to that that inexperienced 'wannabe' translators may come across this site (like I did) while looking for a term, it will make it into documents outside the government sphere. So, this is basically like a virus - it spreads. Maybe we are looking at a great example of source of errors in the translations we sometimes correct as proofreaders or editors or correctors... ▲ Collapse
| | | | mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 06:38
Spanish to English
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| Sonia Dorais
Canada
Local time: 06:38
French to English
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| I understand your point mediatrix and I agree... | Nov 24, 2006 |
However, Canadian French differs from French from France (and Belgium). When I look up “transfrontières” in Le Petit Robert, it isn't there. At all. I think that that is a serious problem, don't you? Since I'm a new translator, I'd like to know your experiences opinion: would you 'make up' a word in a translation to suit a context?
In response to the rest, as a Canadian native myself, I truly sympathise with Viktoria on this issue. It is very difficult for a translator to get ... See more However, Canadian French differs from French from France (and Belgium). When I look up “transfrontières” in Le Petit Robert, it isn't there. At all. I think that that is a serious problem, don't you? Since I'm a new translator, I'd like to know your experiences opinion: would you 'make up' a word in a translation to suit a context?
In response to the rest, as a Canadian native myself, I truly sympathise with Viktoria on this issue. It is very difficult for a translator to get a job with the governement. They are extremely well-paid and have amazing benefits. As a person who would like to work for the governement (and who has applied incessantly) it is difficult to accept these kinds of mistakes (especially the 'cette' numéro...). Of course I am aware it may not be a translator's mistake.
On that same note, in our translations in Canada, we are strongly encourage to conform to the government's 'way' of saying things and to comply to its writing style and its wording.
Many translators here use these governement websites to back up our translations and as reference. It is difficult to give a website with such a mistake to a client as reference. In my opinion, it does not help make us credible.
I'm not saying that everythign should be perfect because I know that it can't. I would simply appreciate a little more vigilence from our beloved government workers.
That being said, please do not take offence, I know plently of government workers (including my best friend) who are extremely talented. ▲ Collapse
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mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 06:38
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Three problems. Three solutions | Nov 25, 2006 |
1 cette numero
A brief e-mail to the webmaster should be sufficient to get this one sorted out.
If that doesn't work, you could write to Stephen Harper suggesting that his recent statements about the status of Quebec in Canada are severely at odds with the second-rate status of French on the Government's websites.
2 transfrontier
Ju... See more 1 cette numero
A brief e-mail to the webmaster should be sufficient to get this one sorted out.
If that doesn't work, you could write to Stephen Harper suggesting that his recent statements about the status of Quebec in Canada are severely at odds with the second-rate status of French on the Government's websites.
2 transfrontier
Just because the word isn't in the dictionary doesn't make it wrong. I have a French dictionary in which I can't find dozens of the words used in my specialist area: television, magnétoscope, courriel, modem, for example. Why? - simply because the dictionary was published in ... errr, let's see ... 1925!
Before jumping to any conclusions as to the suitability of any existing French terms, it's perhaps worth reading the definition of "transboundary movement" ( from http://www.basel.int/press/glossary.pdf - available in English only, unfortunately)
transboundary movement - means any movement of hazardous wastes or other wastes from an area under the national jurisdiction of one State to or through an area under the national jurisdiction of another State or to or through an area not under the national jurisdiction of any State, provided at least two States are involved in the movement.
That, I think, is something different to 'transfrontalier', which would usually refer to movement across a single frontier, whereas the definition also embraces the transport of wastes through international waters and air-space. So little wonder they dreamt up a wierd new expression for it in English ("transboundary" is not in my English dictionaries, either) and tried to do likewise in French.
So, make a note of "transfrontier" in your personal dictionary, glossary, TM or what-have-you. It's not wrong - it's just new. And rest assured that your favourite dictionaries will catch up with the real world ... one day.
Incidentally, the Spanish documents on www.basel.int use movimientos transfronterizos - "transfronterizos" isn't in my (year 2004) Spanish dictionaries, either.
3 mouvements transfrontières (where we would presumably expect "transfrontiers" since mouvement is masculine)
This is a bit more complicated. As shown earlier, this expression is already in widespread use, not only on the website of the UN body that originated it but also on those of the highest administrative authorities in some of the world's major francophone nations, plus the EU, OECD, etc. And it's in the official legal name of the Bale Convention itself.
Questions:
Can they all have got it wrong?
Can they all be totally blind to this "mistake"?
And who are we - mere translators and self-proclaimed guardian angels of the written word - to complain?
If I were you (and I'm not, so I won't ...), I would be tempted to write to someone 'high up' in http://www.basel.int and, rather than complaining that they've made a stupid mistake, I would ask them - in my capacity as a professional translator with a requirement to familiaise myself with this important topic - how this translation was chosen and what the official French definition is. The response (if you get one ...) might make interesting reading.
MediaMatrix
[Edited at 2006-11-25 15:26] ▲ Collapse
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