| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you accept translation jobs containing explicit/vulgar language? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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| whatever strong or explicit, it's still language | Mar 25, 2017 |
No prob, the only question is about audience--should it be translated as is or allegorically.
Quite often I translate or am to do not 'politically correct' interpreting--as is, including rather harsh expressions; if the clients know what they want, why not?
| | | | Rebecca Garber 
Local time: 15:21
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
| I translate the same kinds of things as Julian, | Mar 25, 2017 |
Julian Holmes wrote: But I would love to. I translate only technical stuff which is, unfortunately, full of boring terms such as screws (lots of screwing in and out, in fact), male and female mating parts, lubrication, hardness gauges, probes, sliding surfaces, and grease nipples. Not very scintillating, is it? 
but in German to English.
btw, you missed "in-stick" and "out-stick".
I haven't been offered any texts with vulgarities, but I think it would be kind of fun.
[Edited at 2017-03-25 18:32 GMT]
| | | | Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:21
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam | What have they got to do with it? | Mar 25, 2017 |
I was once asked to translate a booklet with a Russian title meaning "What Have Hitler's Testicles Got to Do With it?" As it happened, I was too busy at the time, but I remember it had one chapter on everything Eva Braun had ever said on the subject.
| | | | | It can be difficult to translate | Mar 25, 2017 |
I had a term in one of my translations years ago and I would never have used the term in question myself and really did not know the perfect equivalent (which is basically never a direct translation of the word(s)). It took numerous discussions with other people (all of whom had different suggestions...) to figure out a proper equivalent in my context.
I prefer formal, legal language
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 16:21
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Yes, and also... | Mar 25, 2017 |
As professionals, we should not choose the type of text we translate, unless we specialize in speciific areas and do not work outside them. However, I think most of us are pretty versatile in that aspect.
I have clients who send me Catholic, Jewish, Islam and Evangelian religous texts; things that range from scientific articles to popular surveys; enterviews with all types of people; legal documents and illegal documents; etc.
Does a doctor or dentist choose what kind of patient they... See more As professionals, we should not choose the type of text we translate, unless we specialize in speciific areas and do not work outside them. However, I think most of us are pretty versatile in that aspect.
I have clients who send me Catholic, Jewish, Islam and Evangelian religous texts; things that range from scientific articles to popular surveys; enterviews with all types of people; legal documents and illegal documents; etc.
Does a doctor or dentist choose what kind of patient they'll assist? Does a lawyer? Does a restaurant owner choose their customers? Why should we?
Translating something we don't agree with or don't like is but a professional conduct, provided you deliver an accurate translation as if it were the area you love most.
You are either professional AND impartial, or you're not either one.
[Edited at 2017-03-25 21:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 21:21
English to German
I translated something earlier this year that tried to be sexy, but was just WTF (something about needing a computer network that was just as strong as your manhood). I translated it faithfully, innuendos included, but politely pointed out that it might not be appropriate for its target market.
That said, I positively enjoy well-crafted indecencies just for the fun of finding the right words for them. Far more of a challenge than the "buy our software, it's better than the other gu... See more I translated something earlier this year that tried to be sexy, but was just WTF (something about needing a computer network that was just as strong as your manhood). I translated it faithfully, innuendos included, but politely pointed out that it might not be appropriate for its target market.
That said, I positively enjoy well-crafted indecencies just for the fun of finding the right words for them. Far more of a challenge than the "buy our software, it's better than the other guys' software" babble I do all day. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 21:21
French to English
Mario Freitas wrote:
As professionals, we should not choose the type of text we translate, unless we specialize in speciific areas and do not work outside them. However, I think most of us are pretty versatile in that aspect.
I have clients who send me Catholic, Jewish, Islam and Evangelian religous texts; things that range from scientific articles to popular surveys; enterviews with all types of people; legal documents and illegal documents; etc.
Does a doctor or dentist choose what kind of patient they'll assist? Does a lawyer? Does a restaurant owner choose their customers? Why should we?
Translating something we don't agree with or don't like is but a professional conduct, provided you deliver an accurate translation as if it were the area you love most.
You are either professional AND impartial, or you're not either one.
[Edited at 2017-03-25 21:11 GMT]
I don't think there's any should or should not on this topic. You accept the texts you are comfortable with and refuse any you don't want to handle for whatever reason, that's the point of being a free-lancer, you're free to do what you want. As an employee at an agency, I once had to translate a text for a company investing in GMOs, this gave me a terrible headache and I decided shortly afterwards that I would be better off as a free-lancer so that I could refuse this kind of work.
Regarding swear words, they wouldn't bother me particularly, but I don't think I've ever really had to deal with any. I do remember being very embarrassed when at the agency I had to proofread a screenplay translated from Dutch into English. There was a masturbation scene, and I didn't know the term the translator had used. Not speaking Dutch, I couldn't exactly check it, and given that it was slang in the first place, it didn't give any translations that made sense. In the end I asked my boss, who was Dutch, and she too was very embarrassed because she didn't know the expression in Dutch either. Internet searches brought up some rather graphic explanations!
I've also had some embarrassing moments searching for terms to describe parts of panties and bras, being specialised in lingerie. I mostly put -sex in my Internet searches otherwise all sorts of exotic sites pop up.
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