| "[An] interesting piece I did was a script for a | | | | something new with each project," says Janine |
| docudrama on Internet romance."- Yohanna Valdez, | | | | Libbey, a Spanish specialist who operates her own |
| French Translator | | | | company. |
| Translators and Interpreters work in many different | | | | Jen Westmoreland Bouchard, a French translator and |
| fields and industries, including business, culinary, | | | | interpreter, has had some unique opportunities to use |
| marketing and public relations, science, education, | | | | her skills within the film industry. The term "film |
| academia, film, visual arts, music, history, engineering, | | | | translation" encompasses many types of work. It can |
| health, legal, social sciences, and non-profit work. | | | | include the conversion of articles or other written |
| There are several unique areas of specialty. Often, | | | | materials that will help in the making of the film, film |
| these specialties will expand over time, meaning that | | | | subtitles, and synopses, reviews, or marketing |
| one could become an expert in multiple fields. While | | | | materials. |
| one could easily imagine a translator working on a | | | | "I have done all types of film translations - I've |
| business contract or an interpreter assisting on a | | | | worked through interviews for documentary films, |
| conference call, there are lots of other unique | | | | done subtitles (French to English), and even worked |
| opportunities out there in literature and the arts. | | | | on publicity materials for a film that went to the |
| Typically, literary translators work very closely with | | | | Cannes film festival. It's exciting to be involved in the |
| the author of the source text to make sure they are | | | | process. One of the most interesting projects I did |
| capturing the style and literary nuances as accurately | | | | was interpreting interviews and doing subtitles for a |
| as possible. Interestingly, many multilingual authors | | | | documentary on rap in Dakar, Senegal," says |
| even prefer a third party to convert their work, | | | | Bouchard. |
| since this is a very special skill set that many authors | | | | Academic translation usually involves working on |
| do not even possess. After an author has worked | | | | academic articles, abstracts, essays, and manuscripts. |
| once with someone and the collaboration has been | | | | Many academic writers work exclusively with one or |
| successful, it would be rare that the author would | | | | two specialists throughout their career, since the |
| ever have anyone else translate his or her work. | | | | language interpreter becomes very comfortable with |
| There are many examples of literary translators | | | | and efficient at translating that writer's particular |
| working in pairs to complete a longer manuscript. This | | | | style. While workers in this area of focus don't need |
| could be done in a variety of ways - each person | | | | to hold a degree specifically in the field in which they |
| could take one half of the manuscript, interpret it | | | | are working, some experience is necessary. It is |
| individually and then come back together to smooth | | | | more important for the interpreter to be a strong |
| out transitions, or one collaborator could simply act as | | | | academic writer in the target language and to be |
| a "second pair of eyes" on the text, checking for | | | | familiar with the lexicon and general frameworks |
| consistency, clarity, authenticity and tone. Typically, | | | | (theoretical, argumentative, etc.) of the field. Most |
| literary translators only specialize in one or two | | | | academic translators translate into their native |
| genres (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, etc.). Most | | | | language. |
| people in this field translate into their native language. | | | | "I've done quite a bit of academic translation - |
| Interpreters are often used in conferences or | | | | manuscripts, articles, abstracts, etc. Sometimes |
| interviews with famous authors. | | | | scholars of literature will contact me to work on |
| For example, Janine Libbey, who started out doing | | | | previously un-translated texts (written by someone |
| business translations, had an interesting interpreting | | | | else) so that they can use this information in their |
| experience in the literary world. "I worked on an | | | | research. The most interesting project like this I have |
| interview with William Kennedy, who won a Pulitzer | | | | done was a year-long project during which I |
| Prize for his book Ironweed, for one of Spain's | | | | translated articles from 1800s Parisian arts journals |
| leading newspapers. To be honest, I find almost | | | | from French to English for an art history scholar," |
| every job to be interesting because I learn | | | | says Bouchard. |