MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Localisation training for translators and the professional field of translation: The Dutch connection Marcel Thelen & Han van de Staay

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting (MSTI) Outline of presentation: 1.General characteristics of MSTI 2.Mode of instruction and types of learning 3.Subject areas and specialisations 4.Basic IT programme 5.Localisation programme 6.Skills lab (general) 7.Workshop 8.Detailed description of skills lab

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting (MSTI)  University of professional education  4-year fulltime programme  objective: Training students to become professional translators Languages:Dutch + English* Either: German French or Spanish possibly 3 rd language * English: compulsory in years 1 and 2 optional as major foreign language in years 3 and 4

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING  Close collaboration between University and professional field  Committee of external advisors from the professional field  Collaboration with /participation in (International) professional bodies

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Mode of instruction and type(s) of learning:  Periodical instruction and feedback + immediate application to concurrent and future projects/ assignments  Integration of IT in all parts of programme  Integration of language and subject field  Semi-autonomous learning (in sub-groups / individually) + use of electronic learning environments + formal lectures + workshops  Shorter (repetitive) assignments and longer projects

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING  Emphasis on: quality complying with instructions meeting deadlines speed working under stress  Instruction by: language specialists translation / interpreting specialists working translators / interpreters subject field specialists guest lecturers

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING  3 subject areas: Economics Law Science/Technology/IT  5 specialisations: Subject field specific translation (liaison) interpreting technical writing subtitling localisation

Basic IT programme for all 5 specialisations: Years Localisation programme Year 4 Selection of 2 subject areas for year 3 Selection of 1 subject areas out of these 2 for year 4 MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING

Basic IT programme for all five specialisations: Year 1:  General computer programmes: - Windows XP - MS-Office products (Outlook, Word, IE) - Searching techniques Year 2:  Translation tools  HTML  Tools for text analysis at word level  Tools for web translating Year 3:  Internet for translators  Advanced searching techniques on the Internet for translators  Advantages/disadvantages and problems of types of Internet

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Internet for Translators: Working with communication toolsInternet Locator Server (ILS) + Netmeeting Instant Messaging clients: ICQ + MSN Messenger FTP Newsgroups Discussion Boards Year 3 (basic IT programme)

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Advanced searching techniques on the Internet for Translators  Search engines  Search indexes  Meta Crawlers  Typical mistakes  Quality assessment:  Dictionaries + Glossaries  Term banks  Parallel Texts  Background Texts  Translated Texts  * Corpora Year 3 (basic IT programme continued )

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Advantages/disadvantages and problems of types of Internet connections Non-permanent connections Permanent connections Security and encryption Viruses, trojan horses, hoaxes, worms e-commerce Internet standards Year 3 (basic IT programme continued )

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Year 3 (Localisation for translators ) Year 4 (Localisation/IT specialisation ) Passolo Choice from: Active Server Pages Visual Basic Workspace Wordfast Web design (Flash, Frontpage) MultiTerm (developing/adjusting databases) XML Programmes for Project Management Localisation programme

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Skills lab MSTI = University of professional education  vocational training: close co-operation between University and professional world 3 rd - year placement, career preparation, 4 th – year placement, 4 th -year skills lab

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Student objectives: Organisation: Bring into practice knowledge and skills acquired during training, get feedback from the profession and MSTI, and test c.q. adjust own performance on the basis of the feedback Similar to that of a professional translation agency, i.e. with professional tools, job handling, administration and filing systems, etc Skills lab (continued)

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Workshop (Now it is your turn) Set up your own ideal skills lab for English, German, French, Spanish and Dutch

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Leading questions: 1.Technology, facilities: 2.Translations and revisions: What are the minimum requirements (equipment, software, workplace, resources, etc.) to guarantee optimal and smooth job handling? What are the minimum requirements (resources, internal organisation, quality control, staff, etc.) to guarantee optimal quality of work delivered?

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING 3. Filing / administration: 4. Relation between training and the professional world: What are the minimum requirements for optimal filing / administration of: jobs, revenues and expenditures, relations (e.g. customers, freelancers), etc.? What are the minimum requirements to guarantee an optimal link between training and professional practice (e.g. types of jobs, number of words to be translated / revised per day with(out) the help of localisation tools) etc.? Leading questions (continued):

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI General: Duration of skills lab and minimal production per translator/ reviser (in ): Introduction:1 day (8 hours) Translation:Min words p/day* = 28,000 words 23 days (184 days) Revision:Min words p/day* = 20,000 words 5 days (40 hours) Meetings with coach:4 days (32 hours) Total:33 days (264 hours) in period of 9 weeks

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) General: Income per translator/reviser (in ) - fictitious: Translation: € 0.09 p/word (x 28,000)Min. € Revision: € p/word (x 20,000)Min. € Total:Min. €

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) General: Conditions on income: 1.For every translation assessed with 6 or more out of 10 pts 2.For every revision assessed with 6 or more out of 10 pts 3.For every translation/revision assessed with 5 out of 10 pts 4.For every translation/revision assessed with 4 out of 10 pts 5.For every translation/revision assessed with less than 4 out of 10 pts 1.€ 0.09 p/word credited to (fictitious) account of translator 2.€ p/word credited to (fictitious) account of reviser 3.1/3 deducted from total amount earned for translation/revision 4.2/3 deducted from total amount earned for translation/revision 5.€ 0.00 credited to (fictitious) account of translator/reviser

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) General: translations/revisions in area of:  subject field specific translation,  subtitling, and  localisation translation/revision jobs come from (situation of ):  MSTI lecturers (ca.87%)  MSTI/Hogeschool Zuyd as an organisation (ca. 2%)  cooperating translation bureaus (ca. 10%)  other (ca. 1%)

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) technology, facilities: Hardware:  Local computer network  Peripherals: printer, telephone, scanner, etc. Software:  MS Office products  Translation tools (Trados products, Passolo)  Tailor-made administration and filing system Other:  Subtitling facilities  Internet connection, etc.  Office facilities (overhead, whiteboard, etc.)

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) translations and revisions:  Organisational structure General Management Language Leads Translators Assistant Office Manager Office Manager Revisers Coaches

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) translations and revisions:  Workflow in skills lab: Customer General Management Office Manager Assistant Office Manager Reviser Language Lead Translator

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Skills lab in action

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Skills lab in action

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING

Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) translations and revisions:  quality control: - work checked - rules and regulations - real-life application procedure - selection committee - refreshment courses - 1 or 2 students set free (ca. 20%) to spot and register problems

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Detailed description of skills lab at MSTI (continued) translations and revisions:  relation between training and the professional world: number of words to be translated/revised established in consultation with external translation bureaus jobs:  (given by MSTI lecturers) as realistic as possible;  (from MSTI/Hogeschool Zuyd as an organisation and from other sources) real-life jobs;  (from translation bureaus) real-life jobs accepted and finished by translation bureaus regular consultation with translation bureaus external audit of programme as a whole

MAASTRICHT SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPETING Localisation training for translators and the professional field of translation: The Dutch connection Marcel Thelen & Han van de Staay