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Translating from mother tongue into second language
Thread poster: dcanossa
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 23:06
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
It is not cheating if everyone knows what is going on Feb 25, 2013

René Stranz-Nikitin wrote:
Why do they cheat in a global economy? Is it really necessary?
Thomas Rebotier wrote:
Agencies using non native speakers are just cheating their clients.


This is exactly what I think, but it also means, that most Czech agencies (90%) are cheating. ...


They are not cheating if everybody knows what is going on.

One agency I used to work for says it only works with native speakers of the target language who live in the country where their native language is spoken.

When they introduced that rule, I had to stop working for them. But OK, everyone knew their stand on the issue.

Other clients find my setup ideal - regular visits to the UK and surrounded by my source language with all its quirks, as well as able to get (almost) all the English I want in the media...

Other agecies use native subject experts with a good command of the target language and native proofreaders. The results are definitely fit for purpose.

There is even an article in the latest issue of the CIoL magazine The Linguist questioning whether the native speaker of the target language principle always applies, and pointing out that it is most widespread in English-speaking countries.

While I think it is an excellent principle, it must not be allowed to become an unshakable dogma that takes precedence over all other considerations, like accuracy.



[Edited at 2013-02-25 09:52 GMT]
 
René Stranz-Nikitin
René Stranz-Nikitin  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 23:06
Czech to German
+ ...
On the websites of Czech translation agencies the native speaker principle simply doesn't exist Feb 28, 2013

Dear Christine,

Christine Andersen wrote:

René Stranz-Nikitin wrote:
Why do they cheat in a global economy? Is it really necessary?
Thomas Rebotier wrote:
Agencies using non native speakers are just cheating their clients.


This is exactly what I think, but it also means, that most Czech agencies (90%) are cheating. ...


They are not cheating if everybody knows what is going on.



Thank you for your hint. After reading it I had a short look at the updated Czech versions of the websites of 3 large Czech translation agencies.

They simply don't mention the native speaker principle!!! So I don't think that everybody knows what is going on in this country. We have to assume that most clients don't realize that a native speaker of the target language should translate, although it is very logical. The result is that via these agencies always the cheapest translator will translate, in my main combination (from Czech into German) in 99% of the cases Czech native speakers. Last Saturday I held an advertising flyer in my hand that was translated from Czech into German and English here in this country. It was horror! They weren't even capable to put spaces at the right place. They used entirely non-existing words and the meaning of the text was totally gone.

1 of the agencies that I checked writes on it's website that it is operating in line with ISO 9001 and EN 15038, but as you know even these norms don't contain the native speaker principle.

3 out of the 3 agencies offer proofreading by a native speaker of the foreign language (not even necessarily a translator). And this is very typical for Czech price policy. Nationalities asking for an only a little bit better rate get only the poorly paid proofreading work.

They are acting as if the native speaker principle simply doesn't exist. They do not inform!


P.S.: Please note that English is neither my target language nor one of my source languages.

[Edited at 2013-02-28 10:33 GMT]
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 23:06
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Native speaker principle in EN 15038 Feb 28, 2013

René Stranz-Nikitin wrote:
[A]s you know even [EN 15038] contain[s] the native speaker principle.


This is true. The closest it comes to that is in section 3.2.2.b, where it says:

[Translators shall have] linguistic and textual competence in the source language and the target language, [and this means] the ability to understand the source language and mastery of the target language.
 
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