Professor Barry Olsen and Professor Laura Burian demonstrate the power of human cognition as they explain the subtle but important differences between professional translators and interpreters with assistance from Miguel Garcia (French), Weihao Zhang (Chinese) and Beatriz Rodriguez (Spanish). Click here to watch the video clip.
On February 23 at 12pm, Richard Korn will be guest speaking in the Irvine Auditorium as a part of The Monterey Institute’s Spring Lecture Series. Mr. Korn will also be a member of the Career Fair panel. His lecture is titled, “Medical Device Localization: The Day in the Life of a Localization Manager”.
The world of a localization manager at a medical device company is exciting and diverse. Products that diagnose or treat life threatening conditions require heightened quality and a focus on procedures and regulations. The growth of international markets for medical devices in recent years emphasizes the importance of exploring creative localization and testing techniques. Regulatory, marketing, technical and quality goals all play a part in the day of a localization manager.
photo: http://aomid.comThe juggling act continues as the regulations shift, at times, on a weekly or daily basis. Please join Richard Korn as he discusses the unique nature of medical device localization and how he formed a localization unit at St. Jude Medical from the ground up.
In addition to teaching Court Interpretation here at MIIS, Holly Mikkelson works as a count interpreter and a freelance translator. In 1974, Professor Mikkelson came to the Monterey Institute as a student and studied interpretation. Take a look at her interview to learn how she went from being a student to being a respected translator with people looking to her to write articles and book chapters.
In her interview with Anthony Pym, Professor Mikkelson discusses the current state of court interpretation, education about court interpretation in the U.S. and internationally, and research being done in the field. Professor Mikkelson also talks about the need for more replication of research in the field and the limitations that come with working with legal language and court proceedings.
For more interviews by Anthony Pym with our T&I faculty, the European Society for Translation Studies video page has lots to keep you entertained and learning.
The 9th lecture in the Found In Translation series
When: Tuesday, November 23. 12:15 – 1:45 in McGowan 102
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Murakami-Smith, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Language and Culture at Osaka University.
After graduating from Claremont McKenna College, Andrew Murakami-Smith worked as a translator in a lawyers office in Tokyo. A Ph.D. in Modern Japanese Literature from Princeton University was followed by a year and a half translating in-house for a patent lawyer in Osaka. Currently an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Language and Culture at Osaka University, he teaches English to Japanese undergrads, a course in modern Japanese Literature in English translation to international students, and an introductory course on translation to graduate students. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on Japanese dialects (regional varieties) in modern literary works, and he has a continuing interest in regional dialects and cultures in Japan, especially the dialect, culture, and image of Osaka.
Lecture Title: Translating Culture: The Case of Regional Culture in Japan
In literary translation, written representation of local dialects (regional varieties) in characters speech, like humor, may be something that is lost in translation. However, just as translators of Lewis Carroll cannot ignore the untranslatable bits of humor and wordplay, translators of Huckleberry Finn, for example, must somehow attempt to translate local dialects. What are some strategies that might be used? And what of other bits of local color? References to a specific region may include geographical names, names of restaurants and shops, local dishes, cultural practices or concepts, and (stereo)typical temperaments and personalities.
Photo: New York Public Library
In Japanese Literature, works set in or relating to Osaka may include (written representation of) local dialect and all or some of the above local color. What strategies have been used by translators of such works into English? Have they had some idea of translation of culture in mind as they translated the words and sentences of the source texts? Attempting a richer translation of the nuances of local color and regional culture will admittedly result in a foreignizing translation that will place a greater burden on the reader of the target text. On the other hand, what are some benefits that might justify such an attempt? These are some of the questions this talk will investigate, with specific examples of Osaka literary works and attempts at English translation.
The 8th lecture in the Found in Translation series
When: Tuesday, November 16. 12:15 – 1:45 in Irvine
Speaker: Dr. Benjamin Zeng, Professor of the College of Foreign Languages at Zhejiang Normal University.
Lecture Title: The Translation Industry and University Translation Programs in China
The lecture will give an overview of the status quo of the translation industry in China (company structure, technology use, content domain, pricing, etc.), the plight of the translator, and university translation programs.
In September, MIIS Professor Anthony Pym interviewed MIIS Professor Zinan Ye, who teaches Chinese translation and Chinese site translation. The interview discusses Zinan Ye’s popular column in the Chinese Translation Journal in China, as well as his books: The Theory and Practice of English-Chinese Translation (published in Taiwan and Beijing), A Dialogue on English-Chinese Translation (published by Beijing University), and Introduction to Chinese-English Translation (published in New York and to be published in Taiwan — coauthored with Lynette Xiaojing Shi).
Photo: amazon
The interview also discusses how Professor Ye got from being a freelance translator in China without formal training to where he is today at MIIS. In the latter part of the interview, Ye discusses the current situation of translator training in China, as well as the recent increase of Masters in Translation and Interpretation Programs in China, and he also gives his views on translation studies and translation research in China and his opinion on the Eurocentricity of the translation field.
The 7th Found in Translation lecture series
When: Monday, November 8, 6:00 – 7:30 in McGowan 102
Speaker: Dr. David B. Sawyer, Chief of the European Languages Branch and Senior Diplomatic Interpreter for German in the Office of Language Services at the United States Department of State. Previously, Sawyer was a freelance conference interpreter and Associate Professor of interpretation and translation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he was head of the German program. He was on the faculty at the University of Mainz in Germersheim, Germany, where he earned graduate degrees in conference interpretation, translation, and a doctorate. He is a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters and the author of Fundamental Aspects of Interpreter Education: Curriculum and Assessment.
Title of Lecture: Interpreting for the United States Department of State: History and Current Practice
The mission of the Office of Language Services (LS) of the United States Department of State is to facilitate communication with non-English speaking governments and people by providing high-level interpreting and translating support to the Executive Office of the President, the Department of State, and other agencies of the United States Federal Government. The Office of Language Services carries on a tradition of language support for the conduct of foreign policy that dates back to 1789, when it was founded by Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State of the United States of America. This presentation outlines the history of LS, looking in particular at the development of diplomatic interpreting and its current practice. The views and opinions expressed are strictly those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Government or the U.S. Department of State.