BB

I’ll try to track down that influence-peddling event in the ATA. It’s right there in the minutes of one of the meetings of the ATA Board. However, I make no promises as regards undertaking such labor (or labour), since anything that has to do with ATA doesn’t engender too much inspiration in me.

Finally, confession time: I am a 100% pure dinosaur. There is not a single CAT tool within 10,000 kilometers of me. This of course means that my destiny in the translation business will doubtless replicate that of my four-legged “ancestors” as depicted in one of the segments of Walt Disney’s (original) “Fantasia”, i.e., the segment set to the music of Igor Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps”. However, as Edith Piaf said and sang, “I don’t regret nuthin’”, for I can wish those currently laboring (or labouring) in our unruly industry just ONE-HALF of the material and intellectual success that I have achieved, knowing full well that they would be most happy to have that 1/2 share. Oh, yes, one more wee comment. I have been called upon on several occasions in the past couple of years to review, et le cas échéant, edit translations produced with CAT tools. Since I promised you that I would refrain from making any comments about undergarments needing laundering, I shall merely say to you in respect of the aforementioned CAT-produced translations that were placed before my eyes, “Para bom entendedor meia palavra basta”. Keep the faith, ol’ buddy, keep the faith.

Bernie Bierman
Certified & Registered & Beatified Translation Dinosaur

I don’t know Ms. Greenfield nor have I had any occasion to follow ATA politics much, so I’ll have to defer to you, Jill and others on that one. I certainly don’t think Mr. Filkin should be let off the hook professionally for trying to defend this ridiculous advert from SDL, but it really is just one in a long series of insults from SDL. I personally thought the “amnesty” campaign was the worst of all; the implication that I was a criminal for waiting to upgrade my Trados licenses does not dispose me kindly to that bunch. I tend to think of SDL’s upgrade policies as a form of criminal extortion anyway and feel thoroughly screwed over my MultiTerm Extract and Passolo licenses (total value over 5,000 euros) which cannot be upgraded now.
However, AFAIK Mr. Filkin was not involved in any of those actions, but he has been involved in clearing up other SDL messes both publicly and privately. Let’s hang, draw and quarter him where appropriate in a sober, factual manner but keep comments like “…Paulie, your soiled underwear is showing” out of it if we can. Direct quotes from the official records of the ATA revealing the attempt of SDL to buy influence would be far more interesting to this old curmudgeon and less personally petty. Of course, I’m a fine one to talk given some of the pet names I reserve for certain ProZ censors But hey, what’s business without a healthy dose of hypocrisy?

First, allow me to cite one of Trados’ more well-known advertising blurbs: “You’ll never have to translate the same phrase ever again”. Please correct me if I am mistaken, but does that mean that if I were working with Trados and saw the phrase “Unser Vader, der Du bist in Himmel…” and translated it into English as “Hey Daddy, youse up there in the big sky…”, I would never have to translate it (manually and/or cerebrally) ever again? Now, could you enlighten me on this: If my English translation of that phrase contained as it does in fact contain nine (9) words, and I translated those 9 words in one (1) minute, and the phrase is repeated 27 times in the SL document, could I say that I translated 243 words in one (1) minute? Next question, which admittedly might be irrelevant: When I submit my invoice to the client, do I, in accordance with the new pricing protocols that have been wrought in the wake of CAT tools, bill my client for nine (9) words or two hundred forty-three (243). OK, in line with the foregoing, allow me to quote the precise words of SDL’s august and learned spokesman, Paul Filkin (who helps little old ladies cross the road, donates to the Boy Scouts and eats his porridge):

“This quote is based upon the translator working on a large Excel file that contained many repetitive segments. A large percentage of these segments became Context Matches in the Translation Memory as the translation progressed and because of the additional checks that Studio makes to ensure the accuracy for these types of matches the translator was able to accept them without question as they were automatically confirmed as a result of Auto-Propogation. This means that only a smaller number required attention and as it was possible to add terms to the Termbase on the fly, that were also repetitive, the AutoSuggest feature was able to use these in addition to other strings offered in this way and reduce the amount of typing and as a result complete the work faster”.

Does this mean that with all dem dere repetitions (“You’ll never have to translate the same phrase ever again”), the translator still gets “credit” for translating every single one of ‘em, or gets “credit” for those which he or she actually converted from the SL into the TL?

“.the translator was able to accept them (the repeated translations) WITHOUT QUESTION as they were automatically confirmed as a result of Auto-Propogation…”? Does this mean that even though the translator doesn’t have to get off his or her tush to translate or even look at the TL product just to make absolutely certain that all is cricket, he or she can take full “credit” for translating every single word?

Finally, and here again I would ask you to correct me if I am mistaken, if there were 30,501 actual words in the subject SL document, and 50% were repeated words and therefore automatically translated and TYPED by the Trados program, as clearly stated by the august and learned Mr. Filkin, can the translator claim (and perish the thought, invoice for) 30,501 wordees or only15,250.5 wordees? And suppose the repetitive percentage was 75%, or 85%, or even 90%.

Now then, I am troubling you with these earth-shattering questions because the august and learned Mr. Filkin does not appear disposed to engage in discourse with a boor like me, and Ms. Greenfield (former ATA president and certified Trados trainer) is well-known never to discuss nuttin’ with nobody.

Bernie Bierman
Registered Translation Dinosaur and Boor.

But let us not forget that this will very soon all blow over and few if any will remember it or even give it a second thought. I’ve seen similar events occur in my many years in this unruly business. They come in with the fury of a Florida summer thunderstorm and disappear as quickly. And that is the way the cookie crumbles in the translation industry. Keep the faith, ol’ buddy, keep the faith.

Bernie

However, as a long-Time TransLator, I do find it somewhat strange that People Who aRe in the writing business (and translation once upon a time was about writing) not only have difficulty writing but readily admit that they are not experts in language. Ah, but alas and alack, my dinosauric brain is dictating my dinosauric thoughts, for after all, in this new world of automated and quasi-automated translation, who needs to bother learning those annoying and boring grammatical, orthographical, etc., etc. points about language. The program taKes Care OF ALl that so that you can be free to Watch youR crickeT Game. Jolly good, you know. jolly Good. Good Show.

Bernie Bierman T.U.U.D.
(Trados Unlicensed & Uncertified Dinosaur)