Dear readers, nice to e-meet you! My name
is Klebiano Barbosa de Souza, and I am a professional translator from
English/French into Brazilian Portuguese. From now on, I invite you to join in
this journey that is about to begin. Welcome to the blog! Since many of you
don’t know me yet – the site has just come online –, I take this opportunity to
introduce myself and share some brief and punctual considerations about our profession
in this first post. Expressing our views on some aspects of the career can be a
way to introduce ourselves, can’t it? I will explore this blog to promote my
work and dialogue with my peers whenever I have the opportunity. Today, I will
talk about the relationship between a translator and his peers.
Then, let’s start outlining our ideas.
The first impulse that had come to my mind when I was thinking about this
publication was to explore my views on the relationship between a translator
and his peers – translators and customers. We are workers whose profession has
the word as its raw material. Moreover, as professionals, or if you prefer
freelancers, we establish interactions with each other in a wide range of ways
in our daily routines. These connections occur on different platforms due to
the coverage of digital media. That is what is happening right now! But before
exposing this insight, I will fall back on a question that has just emerged in
my thoughts and I will introduce it at this moment to help to elucidate what I
have in mind, that is, what is being a translator?
It seems to be obvious that my idea would
be not to outline a conclusive answer throughout the text while I present the
question. I take into account that I am in the course of the trajectory as many
of you are. In Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s words:
Perhaps the question of what is
being a translator? can only be lately appreciated, at the moment we will be
taken by the old age and by the time to speak concretely.
Thus, I show you one of my motivations in
this text: The offering of a subtle provocation. Have you ever asked yourself,
at any point in your professional career, what is being a translator?
Indeed, the question is pretty wide and a
possible answer would be as diversified as the number of translators in the
world. But, if we analyze our context, it would be possible to deal with it in
a narrower sense. Many of us who were born in Brazil have inherited the
Portuguese language as our mother tongue, which was introduced into our country
by the Portuguese in the context of the exploration of the New World. The fact
is already known. As time went by, the language was getting its outlines
characterized as Brazilian Portuguese. On the other hand, let us bear in mind
that, besides the Portuguese language itself, our country had already been the
land of other different languages cultivated by First Peoples, some of which
are preserved nowadays, even though many of them are seriously threatened by
extinction. In short, from the point of view of Lusitanian cultural heritage,
we share the Portuguese language.
Thus, translators have as their working
language Portuguese and one more language, if they are bilingual, in everyday
life. In my case, I am a translator in the English>Portuguese and
French>Portuguese language pairs. But this detail seems to be familiar to
us, as we spend part of our days translating, writing, researching, and – why
not? – studying, among other things. Despite the fact of having different
backgrounds – some of us are from the field of physical sciences; others, like
myself, are from the field of humanities, with a deep interest in several areas
of knowledge –, my existential itinerary has led me to the translation career
just like you.
We have the happiness of living together
with words in our translation practices. Sometimes, when the translation
process occurs, I think that this conviviality is calmer. There seems to be a
degree of easiness in determining their meaning when certain words are
familiar. In other moments, this conviviality seems to be more intense. I would
say even conflictive. Then, we experience the opposite process: we need to
concentrate more energy on research to elucidate the meaning of a term.
Therefore, the terminological research has relevance in the translation process. In my opinion, the research work is an enjoyable part of it, as it goes hand in hand with curiosity. However, the process becomes somewhat anguishing when it becomes difficult to determine the translation of the term we have been looking for. At times like this, and depending on the progress of the work – the deadlines need to be precisely followed –, I have the impression that translating becomes something like living an adventure: Firstly, we visit off-the-beaten-track places, exploring the unknown, without knowing what may happen; secondly, when we carry out the research, we put into practice the good usage of the words – this is the moment in which we can choose the most appropriate solutions for the term in question –; finally, when we conclude the journey, we are rewarded with the comprehension of the meaning from its usage in a specific context. This idea will be developed in the next posts.
I consult a wide assortment of sources
both online and offline while researching the terminology. As I said earlier,
the technological resources are diverse, and there are numerous ways to obtain
a piece of information. As a last appeal, when I have exhausted all
possibilities of investigation, I ask for a colleague’s help who is always kind
and considerate. However, I take special care to avoid disclosing any
confidential content – don’t forget that the project manager must be the first
person to be contacted. Note that it may be important to cultivate good
relationships at this time; we will never know what our next difficulty might
be. In such a moment, the help of a more experienced professional can be of
great value. The practice of translation involves certain risks, and we must be
prepared to face them, after all, by assuming certain risks, we will be able to
propose certain solutions that meet our customer’s desires and needs. On the
other hand, the dictionaries and the grammar stay here on the table. I always
keep in mind that I can accommodate new samples in my modest library, and
although I have a great amount of them stored on my laptop, the pleasure of
having a book in the hands is unspeakable. Certainly, one of the most enjoyable
experiences in the world is the reader’s meeting with the book.
These are some of the fundamental skills
that permeate the translator’s profession. Nevertheless, being a translator is
not only about exercising these skills. The relationship between a translator
and his peers also needs to consider the cultivation of contacts. Good
professional relationships can generate fruitful partnerships. Imagine the
following situation. A young translator is at the beginning of their career
and has no professional experience yet. The young professional begins to
outline the first steps by making the first contacts – with possible customers
and other professionals. In other words, the talented young translator has just
graduated, but the number of translated words is low. Under these
circumstances, the young professional will find it more difficult to get jobs
because the CV does not have a significant number of words translated. On the
other hand, a possible partnership with a more experienced professional could
be useful, as long as it is satisfactory for both parties and well established;
on one hand, the young professional accumulates words in the CV; on the other
hand, the more experienced professional, in difficult hard work moments, can
receive punctual support and become calmer since the deadlines will be
respected. But how could that be possible? One of the solutions could be the
practice of referring.
But most of a translator’s jobs will come
from their clients, whether they are translation agencies or direct clients.
The translation agencies are in Brazil and overseas. I have been exploring the
foreign market through international translation agencies. My career has been
guided in this direction, but this path is not the only one, since there are
local markets and direct clients. Up to now, I have had working experience
neither with direct clients nor Brazilian translation agencies, even though I consider
the possibility of providing my services to them. They can be a source of
revenue for a translator’s career as well.
I maintain a relationship guided by
professionalism with my customers considering that translation agencies are a
great source of income. Being responsive through clear and fluid communication
is essential in the daily routine. Besides, I fairly charge for my services
when I negotiate the rates with new clients. Here, it is important to consider
both parties. On one hand, translation agencies do work hard to conquer their
clients, and they heavily invest in this. In other words, they maintain all the
structure to succeed in their missions. On the other hand, many years of my
life have been devoted to studies – I would say that the habit of studying will
be constant in my life because I cultivate a love for wisdom. And I also had
the possibility of experiencing professional activities in diverse areas
throughout my career. This background provides me with the appropriate
resources so that high-quality jobs can be delivered to my customers. The
language has become a philosophical dimension of my life. So, the translation
agencies have their role and importance in the market, and no less important is
the translators’ role. They represent a workforce that generates economic
exchange and cultural wealth. We promote the strengthening of commercial and
cultural bonds among peoples by communicating.
In this context, and here I show you the core of my argument, the way I understand how a prolific professional relationship among translators surfaces. I understand that it is fruitful for the relationship between a translator and his peers to establish cooperation with colleagues rather than a relationship purely based on competition. We are human beings and interdependent. I think that building collaborative bonds can be edifying in the long term. Therefore, based on these views, I will seek to build up my path. I will continue to work daily. In addition to translating, I have a goal to continue conquering new clients – it is common when we contact a new translation agency to be evaluated through tests so that we can start translating – but I will not neglect to consider the possibility of establishing new professional partnerships. After all, the translation market is ample, and everyone can conquer their position.
Thank you very much for your attention,
and I hope you enjoyed the reading. See you in the next post!
About the painting:
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906)
Les Joueurs de
cartes
Between 1890 and
1895
Oil on canvas