After yet another extended absence I am back with my blog. I keep promising myself I'll work on this with a certain regularity but it never seems to work out.
So just to re-cap the highlights of recent months:
I had a very busy pre-World Cup period, with clients trying to get everything put to bed before the "main event". The Brazilian national team were a flash in the pan, having struggled in the group phase against lesser opposition. The game against Germany was the wake-up call for Brazilian football. Look at the Brazilian championship - two teams, Cruzeiro and São Paulo, that's it. The others are poor supporting actors.
Little work during the WC, but if you go to Belo Horizonte and find a copy of the FIFA Supporters Guide, it's all my own work, although the name of the agency that hired me appears, not mine.
Things are kind of steadier now, but I still detect fits and starts. I don't see it changing much until after the elections.
Back in "the oul country", the Reverend Ian Paisley passed away last week. The firebrand, bible-thumping minister who swore never to share power with Nationalists(aka Sinn Fein) was a crucial figure in getting to a final peace agreement. When everyone had expected the moderate Unionists and the Nationalist SDLP to produce the goods, it was the more radical Sinn Fein and Mr. Paisley's radical DUP party that broke the deadlock.
Back to business, roll on PROFT 2014, where I'll be making a presentation and possibly running a workshop, too. The event takes place on December 12 and 13 at the Paulista Wall Street on Rua Itapeva 636. really looking forward to it.
Back soon.
Monday 15 September 2014
Sunday 23 March 2014
Hi folks
It's been a long time since I was last blogging, although I'm on-line everyday on FB. There's just not enough time for everything. But now I intend to move this blog to my website, as a means of advertising what I've been doing recently, especially in interpreting. So perhaps the next time you visit www.lagtrad.net.br, you'll see what I've been up to. I'm slowly updating the site, and intend to publish a photo gallery of the events I interpret at and a list of the main events I've worked on so far. So patience, please.
Last week I spent two days intermediating business meetings and factory visits involving a US company and a potential Brazilian acquisition. Exhausting but enjoyable, but I couldn't have done it on my own, so thanks go to my colleague, Beatriz Rose, for her support.
This week, my activities include a presentation to the visiting UK trade mission from the East Midlands. My presentation is a brief outline of the cultural aspects of doing business in Brazil.
More later.
Liam
It's been a long time since I was last blogging, although I'm on-line everyday on FB. There's just not enough time for everything. But now I intend to move this blog to my website, as a means of advertising what I've been doing recently, especially in interpreting. So perhaps the next time you visit www.lagtrad.net.br, you'll see what I've been up to. I'm slowly updating the site, and intend to publish a photo gallery of the events I interpret at and a list of the main events I've worked on so far. So patience, please.
Last week I spent two days intermediating business meetings and factory visits involving a US company and a potential Brazilian acquisition. Exhausting but enjoyable, but I couldn't have done it on my own, so thanks go to my colleague, Beatriz Rose, for her support.
This week, my activities include a presentation to the visiting UK trade mission from the East Midlands. My presentation is a brief outline of the cultural aspects of doing business in Brazil.
More later.
Liam
Saturday 1 June 2013
English neologisms in Portuguese
I know I've been away for a few weeks, but now I'm back with a vengeance. It's amazing how English has really come to dominate the party (balada) scene. Take this week's Veja São Paulo supplement: terms such as "drum n, bass", "big balada" and others. On the other hand, is Portuguese exaggerating in neologisms? It's difficult to know whether it's the IT market or the financial market which is hammering the local language.
I've already seen "interfacear", but this week's gold medal must go to the verb created by someone - a big thanks to my English language student, Lilian, for this one - in her words, her ears "bled' when she heard this - the verb "bypassear", the Brazilian Portuguese" adaptation of the English word bypass.
Which also brings me to MT (Machine Translation, to the uninitiated), be careful when using automatic suggestions from the Microsoft TM when using Wordfast, for example, especially with proper names, otherwise Pedro Chaves becomes Peter Keys. In fact there is currently a lot of discussion about the whole question of TM and MT. As algorithms become more sophisticated, will machine translation one day decree the demise of the interpreter? In my opinion, no. MT is a useful tool, and always has been, for gist translation, when we seek an understanding of the text, by it will never displace the sensitivity of a human translator, the nuances of when to use this verb/word instead of that one. Obviously there has to be peaceful coexistence between human translators and technology - today we use TM as a productivity tool. But I wonder how many translators/revisers have been asked to review and "touch up" texts translated using MT, because the owner of the project was too miserly or in too much of a hurry to contract a translator and have the job done properly. You can have a translation job done well, cheaply and quickly, but never all three at the same time. In recent exchanges of ideas with other professionals, the most common complaint is the elasticity of prices - there are companies paying a pittance to have files translated by "translators" who have no idea what they are doing, but see this is a chance to get their toe in the market.
I continue to argue that there is no room for half-measures. Serious translators, freelancers or agencies must make this clear to clients. I wonder how many companies have skimped on a project, only to have to pay twice to have it re-worked. I know because I was asked to do this recently.
I would welcome comments on these and other points. Help me keep this blog alive and contribute to the debate within our industry.
And just to finish ... the idea of "importing" Cuban doctors to make up the shortfall in professionals throughout Brazil. I wonder, will they also hire interpreters to ensure proper communication? Come on ...
I've already seen "interfacear", but this week's gold medal must go to the verb created by someone - a big thanks to my English language student, Lilian, for this one - in her words, her ears "bled' when she heard this - the verb "bypassear", the Brazilian Portuguese" adaptation of the English word bypass.
Which also brings me to MT (Machine Translation, to the uninitiated), be careful when using automatic suggestions from the Microsoft TM when using Wordfast, for example, especially with proper names, otherwise Pedro Chaves becomes Peter Keys. In fact there is currently a lot of discussion about the whole question of TM and MT. As algorithms become more sophisticated, will machine translation one day decree the demise of the interpreter? In my opinion, no. MT is a useful tool, and always has been, for gist translation, when we seek an understanding of the text, by it will never displace the sensitivity of a human translator, the nuances of when to use this verb/word instead of that one. Obviously there has to be peaceful coexistence between human translators and technology - today we use TM as a productivity tool. But I wonder how many translators/revisers have been asked to review and "touch up" texts translated using MT, because the owner of the project was too miserly or in too much of a hurry to contract a translator and have the job done properly. You can have a translation job done well, cheaply and quickly, but never all three at the same time. In recent exchanges of ideas with other professionals, the most common complaint is the elasticity of prices - there are companies paying a pittance to have files translated by "translators" who have no idea what they are doing, but see this is a chance to get their toe in the market.
I continue to argue that there is no room for half-measures. Serious translators, freelancers or agencies must make this clear to clients. I wonder how many companies have skimped on a project, only to have to pay twice to have it re-worked. I know because I was asked to do this recently.
I would welcome comments on these and other points. Help me keep this blog alive and contribute to the debate within our industry.
And just to finish ... the idea of "importing" Cuban doctors to make up the shortfall in professionals throughout Brazil. I wonder, will they also hire interpreters to ensure proper communication? Come on ...
Wednesday 13 February 2013
So after a quiet Carnaval it's (hopefully) back to business as usual. Over Carnaval I managed to watch some TV series and films on cable television and it's shocking the artistic license that people take with sub-titles. Of course sometimes it's difficult to really understand what someone is saying, but there is no exuse when people confuse words because they don't understand the meaning of a common word in a given context. They go for the most obvious meaning. Want an example? I was watching a police movie, and at a certain moment an officer says that the suspect had gone downtown to see a fence. And of course, the agency that did the sub-titles translated it as "Ele foi ao centro da cidade para olhar uma cercadinha." If they had done their homework within the context of the film they would know that a fence is someone who deals in stolen goods.
And here's another "pearl" that my son noted. It was a film starring Gerard Butler, as a criminal. Two police detectives are talking about him and one says to the other: "I put him away." In Portuguese, "Eu prendi ele." And the sub-title said .........."Eu liberei ele." Precisely the opposite. These things almost drive me up the wall, but one has to laugh. I mean, doesn't anyone do a quality check on this kind of work? Enough said. I wonder how much people get paid for this. It can't be very much and probably proves the old adage: if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
What else? Well back in Ireland, in the Republic to be precise, the whole debate about abortion has come to the surface again. It appears that an Indian lady died while giving birth. Apparently she screamed for the doctors to help her abort, but the situation apparently wasn't covered by the law, the doctors' hands were tied, so to speak, and she died.
Also, it appears that the government has finally got shot of the Anglo-Irish Bank, which was a big albatross around its neck, as Irish treasury was banking around 3 billion Euros in the bank's promissory notes. They say the economy is steadily improving, and of course tourism continues to provide important revenues.
In the North, the IRA dissidents continue to make a nuisance oif themselves, as if the hard-core loyalists with their flag-flying protests wasn't enough. There is an atmosphere of fear right now and it's hurting business, just as the local government is on a big drive to bring investment and jobs. Burnt-out cars are not exactly the ideal visiting/welcome card. Gerry Adams has been talking to the Continuity IRA, trying to get them to buy into the peace process. The country has come along way, and good, ordinary decent people have no wish to go down the dark lane to the bad old days. As usual a small minority on both sides wants to see the whole thing come apart at the seams. The French have a saying: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." Many people might agree with them, but I am sure the people of Northern Ireland will not allow this to prevail.
Now for sport. After beating the Welsh in their opening game, the Ireland's rugby team lost a dour battle against the English.
And briefly back to politics. I have it on good authority that the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland will be in Brazil on or around Saint Patrick's Day (March 17, for those of you who don't know). I wonder will I get to shake the hand of Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister and former commander of the Derry battalion of the Provisional IRA. We've come a long way indeed (even the Queen shook his hand last year on her visit to Belfast).
Ok. That's it for today. I'll be back (in the words of the Terminator).
And here's another "pearl" that my son noted. It was a film starring Gerard Butler, as a criminal. Two police detectives are talking about him and one says to the other: "I put him away." In Portuguese, "Eu prendi ele." And the sub-title said .........."Eu liberei ele." Precisely the opposite. These things almost drive me up the wall, but one has to laugh. I mean, doesn't anyone do a quality check on this kind of work? Enough said. I wonder how much people get paid for this. It can't be very much and probably proves the old adage: if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
What else? Well back in Ireland, in the Republic to be precise, the whole debate about abortion has come to the surface again. It appears that an Indian lady died while giving birth. Apparently she screamed for the doctors to help her abort, but the situation apparently wasn't covered by the law, the doctors' hands were tied, so to speak, and she died.
Also, it appears that the government has finally got shot of the Anglo-Irish Bank, which was a big albatross around its neck, as Irish treasury was banking around 3 billion Euros in the bank's promissory notes. They say the economy is steadily improving, and of course tourism continues to provide important revenues.
In the North, the IRA dissidents continue to make a nuisance oif themselves, as if the hard-core loyalists with their flag-flying protests wasn't enough. There is an atmosphere of fear right now and it's hurting business, just as the local government is on a big drive to bring investment and jobs. Burnt-out cars are not exactly the ideal visiting/welcome card. Gerry Adams has been talking to the Continuity IRA, trying to get them to buy into the peace process. The country has come along way, and good, ordinary decent people have no wish to go down the dark lane to the bad old days. As usual a small minority on both sides wants to see the whole thing come apart at the seams. The French have a saying: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." Many people might agree with them, but I am sure the people of Northern Ireland will not allow this to prevail.
Now for sport. After beating the Welsh in their opening game, the Ireland's rugby team lost a dour battle against the English.
And briefly back to politics. I have it on good authority that the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland will be in Brazil on or around Saint Patrick's Day (March 17, for those of you who don't know). I wonder will I get to shake the hand of Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister and former commander of the Derry battalion of the Provisional IRA. We've come a long way indeed (even the Queen shook his hand last year on her visit to Belfast).
Ok. That's it for today. I'll be back (in the words of the Terminator).
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Well, it now appears that many sectors of the economy are finally waking up to the need for English, what with the Confederations Cup this year and the World Cup next year. Besides taxi drivers, hotel employees and restaurant staff, it is the turn of somewhat less obvious professional categories, like the prostitutes in Belo Horizonte, to learn their "survival English". I'm even thinking about creating a glossary.
Veja magazine and the "Jobs and Careers" supplement of the "Estado de São Paulo" newspaper recently carried good articles about the whole question of English language teaching/learning in Brazil. I also recently read an interesting comment by another English teacher and blogger who referred to English language schools as his sworn enemies, saying that they are only interested in charging too much for a service of questionable quality, showing little concern for the students, their progress and so on. I feel it takes all sorts, and like interpreting and translation, you get what you pay for. Someone once said that you can have something done quickly, cheaply and well, but never all three at the same time. One of the three will always be sacrificed. And as their is an old addage: "If you pay peanuts you get monkeys." There is no miracle solution, which is why the translation market in Brazil is so price-elastic. You see, those who quote translation work are quite often the same people who quote for office material or whatever. To them it's just another "insumo" (Portuguese for 'input'). Even today, with few exceptions, there is still little understanding of the skill and the work involved in producing top-quality translations, yet the agencies are fighting a tooth-and-nail war to get/hold on to their customers. And when prices begin to dictate the rules of the game, quality gets sacrificed on the altar of saving a few Reais.
In the case of English language teaching I am always wary of claims like "English in 18 months" and sometimes even less. Also, I often ask myself whether companies that invest in English language courses for their employees actually monitor the return on their investment. There are consultants who provide a good service here, but I am convinced that many companies treat this like a "fire and forget" missile. The employee is entitled to a course, so he gets one. And of course, when the company's finances get squeezed in hard times, one of the first victims of the cuts is English classes. Once again because corporate myopia sees this kind of spending as an expense, rather than an investment. I've lost account of the number of students I've met whose experience of English language classes has been "stop-go-stop-go" throughout their career. And I could go on all day, but I'll be back soon with other ideas.
Veja magazine and the "Jobs and Careers" supplement of the "Estado de São Paulo" newspaper recently carried good articles about the whole question of English language teaching/learning in Brazil. I also recently read an interesting comment by another English teacher and blogger who referred to English language schools as his sworn enemies, saying that they are only interested in charging too much for a service of questionable quality, showing little concern for the students, their progress and so on. I feel it takes all sorts, and like interpreting and translation, you get what you pay for. Someone once said that you can have something done quickly, cheaply and well, but never all three at the same time. One of the three will always be sacrificed. And as their is an old addage: "If you pay peanuts you get monkeys." There is no miracle solution, which is why the translation market in Brazil is so price-elastic. You see, those who quote translation work are quite often the same people who quote for office material or whatever. To them it's just another "insumo" (Portuguese for 'input'). Even today, with few exceptions, there is still little understanding of the skill and the work involved in producing top-quality translations, yet the agencies are fighting a tooth-and-nail war to get/hold on to their customers. And when prices begin to dictate the rules of the game, quality gets sacrificed on the altar of saving a few Reais.
In the case of English language teaching I am always wary of claims like "English in 18 months" and sometimes even less. Also, I often ask myself whether companies that invest in English language courses for their employees actually monitor the return on their investment. There are consultants who provide a good service here, but I am convinced that many companies treat this like a "fire and forget" missile. The employee is entitled to a course, so he gets one. And of course, when the company's finances get squeezed in hard times, one of the first victims of the cuts is English classes. Once again because corporate myopia sees this kind of spending as an expense, rather than an investment. I've lost account of the number of students I've met whose experience of English language classes has been "stop-go-stop-go" throughout their career. And I could go on all day, but I'll be back soon with other ideas.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Hi folks,
After just over two years of inactivity I'm back. I hope to use the blog to deal with subjects involving interpreting, translation and Business English. Of course from time to time I'll comment on matters affecting by beloved Northern Ireland, where I hope to be in April.
For those of you who don't know, in June last year I graduated in Interpreting from PUC São Paulo and was quite active last year in several events organised by UKTI, the commercial wing of the British Consul-General in São Paulo. I am working with a colleague, Beatriz Rose. UKTI also arranged for me to accompany groups of UK visitors to Brazil as part of the increasing Brazil-UK bilateral relations. September 2012-March 2013 is the Brazil-UK season, so there should be lots of other events to come.
And still on interpreting, I have also been active accompanying visitors at the request of Enterprise Ireland, the commercial arm in São Paulo of the Irish Embassy in Brasilia.
Like I said when I began this blog 2 years ago, I will try as far as possible to keep the posts bilingual. So watch this space.
After just over two years of inactivity I'm back. I hope to use the blog to deal with subjects involving interpreting, translation and Business English. Of course from time to time I'll comment on matters affecting by beloved Northern Ireland, where I hope to be in April.
For those of you who don't know, in June last year I graduated in Interpreting from PUC São Paulo and was quite active last year in several events organised by UKTI, the commercial wing of the British Consul-General in São Paulo. I am working with a colleague, Beatriz Rose. UKTI also arranged for me to accompany groups of UK visitors to Brazil as part of the increasing Brazil-UK bilateral relations. September 2012-March 2013 is the Brazil-UK season, so there should be lots of other events to come.
And still on interpreting, I have also been active accompanying visitors at the request of Enterprise Ireland, the commercial arm in São Paulo of the Irish Embassy in Brasilia.
Like I said when I began this blog 2 years ago, I will try as far as possible to keep the posts bilingual. So watch this space.
I'm back
Faz mais de dois anos que eu não atualizo meu blog. Agora, voltei. Pretendo usar o blog para tratar, principalmente, de assuntos ligados a meu trabalho - tradução, interpretação (sim, me formei na PUC em julho do ano passado) e aulas de inglês. De lá para cá, já trabalhei em alguns eventos com minha colega, Beatriz Rose, todos eles organizados pelo braço comercial do Consulado-Geral Britânico em São Paulo. Também a pedido do consulado, venho acompanhando grupos de executivos ingleses em visita ao Brasil (na maioria das vezes, missões comerciais). Também já fiz esse tipo de trabalho a pedido da Enterprise Ireland, o braço comercial em São Paulo da Embaixada da Irlanda. Espero estar muito atuante nessa área ao longo dos próximos meses.
De tempos em tempos, talvez publique também umas palavras sobre a terrinha querida para onde espero estar por alguns dias em abril. Abraços.
De tempos em tempos, talvez publique também umas palavras sobre a terrinha querida para onde espero estar por alguns dias em abril. Abraços.
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