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The work of the translator at DGT. December, 2009 Rusana BARDARSKA. Content. Profile and competences of the translator Job opportunities Work environment Work and work-related activities Norms of productivity Professional development Flexibility Conventions and innovation
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The work of the translator at DGT December, 2009 Rusana BARDARSKA
Content • Profile and competences of the translator • Job opportunities • Work environment • Work and work-related activities • Norms of productivity • Professional development • Flexibility • Conventions and innovation • Quality control
Content • Workflow and internal sources of information and terminology • Document and data workflow in the Commission and DGT • Pre-processing • Translator’s workload • Dossier Manager • Translator’s Workbench – TWB • Euramis • Elise • Information sources at department level • Information sources at DGT/Commission level
Content • Most important external sources of information and terminology • EUR-Lex • IATE • Interinstitutional Style Guide • National sources NB! There are separate ppts presenting: • information and terminology sources • free-lance translation
Profile of the Commission translators http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/workingwithus/recruitment/translator_profile_en.htm Perfect command of your main language / mother tongue Very sound knowledge of English or German or French Very sound knowledge of a second source language Knowledge of any additional languages is an asset Grasp problems of all kinds, often of a complex nature React rapidly to changing circumstances; Communicate effectively Insert the date
Competences for professional translators-EMT http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/programmes/emt/key_documents/emt_competences_translators_en.pdf
Job profile of the Commission translators Traduction, en principe, vers la langue maternelle ou principale et révision, relecture, évaluation de traductions … exécution de toute autre tâche relevant du domaine linguistique et/ou de la gestion… notamment en matière de communication interne et de gestion de l'information, de l'utilisation des outils d'aide à la traduction et de formation. Educational background – philologists, but as well economists, lawyers, engineers… Two-way development Job-related annual objectives: Productivity Quality Horizontal activities Professional development Conduct
Job opportunities Permanent employment Temporary agent Contract agent AD, AST Translator, assistant, lawyer-linguist/legal reviser, editor, interpreter, proof-reader Freelance Traineeship
Work and work-related activities • Translation and revision • Translation from at least 2 source languages (one procedural) into main language/mother tongue • Revision of internal translations • FL workflow - preparation of dossiers to be externalised, revision and evaluation of external translations, giving feedback • Written or oral summaries (usually from 1st source language into main language/mother tongue) • Reverse translations (usually from 1st source language into main language/mother tongue) • Horizontal activities • Terminology research while translating, contacts with experts, feeding IATE, building thematic packs, ELISE and other platforms for interinstitutional exchange • Coordination, project management, knowledge-sharing Correspondents (training, library and documentation, language, IT, FL, etc.), lead translators, DGT working groups, presentations • Training Annual training paths, ad hoc dossier-related, thematic, language & IT training
Internal norms of productivity Translation into 1st language – appr. 6-7 pages/day Translation into 2nd /3rd … language – appr. 3-4 pages/day Revision internal translation – appr. 15-20 pages/day Revision external translation – appr. 15 pages/day Translation written resume into 2nd /3rd … language – appr. 10 original pages/day Only indicative figures!! Actual output depends on many factors!
Professional development • Training • Internal thematic specialisation • IT skills • Language competences • Competences through horizontal activities • Annual evaluation, promotion system
Flexible work environment • Mobility (transfer to another post in DGT, Commission, another institution) • Flexitime, Teleworking, Part-time • Flexible workload sharing - within and across language departments and interinstitutional • Trans-Ardennian dimension
Conventionsin terminology, phraseology and layout SOURCES Existing EU legislation – the acquis translated before the accession (app. 100 000 pages), court decisions Existing EU legislation – since 2007 Other official documents/acts – some translated, others - not Other reference documents – Interinstitutional Style Guide, internal Style Guide National sources – legislation, official documentation, experts PATTERNS Form of acts (phraseology of legal drafting, layout) Hidden or explicit textual citations Referrals – form and content Terminology
Innovation More freedom and linguistic mastery: New notions – CAP health check, neighbourhood policy, low-carbon economy/prosperity – sense, language paradigm, consultation Press releases Political speeches/strategies, etc. Explanatory and/or consultation texts (memoranda, green/white books)
Quality control Peer review (revisions) Revision, evaluation, feedback for FL Ex-post quality review (HoU, quality circle, outside partner) Feedback – from commitology committees (national experts), DGs, national authorities, DGT TELLUS, other institutions (linguists, other officials) Total Quality Management at DGT
The European CommissionInternal categorisation of translation requests Political priorities and/or new legal obligations Existing legal obligations Communication priorities Non-core documents Rules on • language regimes • maximum volume • externalisation • quality assurance • indicative deadlines
Document workflow in the Commission Interservice Consultation consistency with other policy areas, political aspects, technical substance,legal basis and certainty, legislative drafting quality ? Language, correctness, consistency ? Unit(s)->Dir. responsible for the drafts Legal service Unit(s)->Dir.->DG responsible for the drafts Other institutions Publication State authorities Companies Citizens, etc. Adoption By The Commission Secretariat General DGT Action 2 -> app. 88% in EN or FR because… -> Editing service, lead translator… -> Documents normally come after, but as well during Interservice consultation -> For Action 2 documents DGT has the sole responsibility for the quality -> More than half of the documents have one or more versions
Document workflow at DGT Directorate General for Translation - DGT Planning Unit Pre-Processing Translation Units Planning Unit Requesting DGs Secretariat General
Data workflow at DGT TWB memory Euramis segments, alignments SGVista DGTVista Pre-processing
Translation unit Composition and tasks Workflow Name of event/occasion
Euramis • All institutions • Alignments • Acquis and after 2007 for BG and RO • Information presented; operational options • First appears normative memory • Sentence management
DGT LIBRARY Directorate-General (DGT) Directorate D - Transversal linguistic services Unit DGT.D.3 - Library, Terminology & Translation Support Brussels (G12 00/45) & Luxembourg (JMO B0/10) Reference works in all Community languages Paper: books, periodicals, newspapers Electronic: CD-ROM, on-line databases etc. Reading room Loans Contact with the European Commission's Central Library VM18 - Rue Van Maerlant, 18 http://ec.europa.eu/libraries/doc/index_en.htm