interpreting blogs and a new interpreting newsletter

Just came across this nice list of interpreting blogs which may interest some of our readers. And the indefatigable Nataly Kelly has just launched The Interpreter's Launch Pad, an (apparently) free newsletter on interpreting matters which looks full of extremely useful content.

jobs in games localisation

For any enthusiastic gamers reading this blog, Testronic Laboratories in the UK are advertising for localisation game testers with a wide range of languages (must be native speakers): German, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese, Brazilian Mexican (a new one on me - possibly Brazilian Portuguese and Mexican Spanish? or has gaming in the Americas developed interesting new transnational articulations??), Czech, Polish and Japanese. They are also looking for a Japanese translation lead technician.

Translators without Borders

The volunteer translation organisation Translators Without Borders is expanding:

The mission of Translators without Borders (initially founded in France as Traducteurs sans frontières) is to translate knowledge for humanity. Translators without Borders has met that mission through quality humanitarian translations provided by a community of trained translators to vetted NGOs who focus on health, nutrition and education. On average,Translators without Borders volunteers translate millions of words per year, focusing on three types of humanitarian translations: crisis translations needed urgently to inform people in crisis, translations that support an NGO’s operations, and educational translations that directly support people in need. The non-profit organization’s vision is to expand its open digital platform to help make knowledge more accessible worldwide through humanitarian translations. The initial goal is to assist humanitarian organizations with two million dollars worth of free translations per year.

The organisation is currently seeking volunteer translators and proofreaders in any combination from or to English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

You can find out more about the clients TWB works with at the TWB Youtube channel.

places available for Use Your Language, Use Your English summer school

Hi all,
There are still some places for the Use your Language, Use your English Summer School, and I understand that Portuguese to English translators would be particularly welcome. This looks like a really great opportunity. The website also has details of free online courses for which I think anyone can register. And here's some feedback from a translator who has already taken part in one of the taster events.

Would be interested to hear from any of our students who give it a go!

EDIT: Sorry, broken link now fixed. 

Getting accreditation as a freelance interpreter for the European Institutions

I thought readers might be interested in this information about getting accreditation as a freelance interpreter for the European institutions. Please note that a qualification in conference interpreting is a requirement.

2010 William F. Sibley Memorial Translation Prize in Japanese Literature

The winners of the first (2010) William F. Sibley Memorial Translation Prize in Japanese Literature have been announced. The four winners were selected from amongst many strong submissions not only for the quality of the translations, but for the literary and historical importance of each work, which the selection committee feel will make valuable additions to the body of Japanese literature available in English. These translations are being made freely available for classroom and scholarly use. 

The 2011 competition is now open (deadline 2 December 2011).  

European Studies conference at Portsmouth: language as a barrier to Europeanisation?

The Centre for European and International Studies (CEISR) at the University of Portsmouth cordially invites you to a conference entitled:

Towards a European Society?
Transgressing Disciplinary Boundaries in European Studies Research
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday June 28th - Saturday June 30th 2012
 

Please note the language/translation strand of this conference, under the theme 'Is language a barrier to Europeanisation?' Proposals for panels on this topic or topics relating to translation and Europeanisation are warmly welcomed. 

Call for Panels:

In present-day Europe it is difficult to define any domain of life as purely national. There is an important European (and/or global) dimension to most contemporary economic, social, political and cultural matters. For researchers of the European Union and the wider Europe this is both an exciting and a challenging time. Recent research has moved past the original narrow focus on politics and policy-making in ‘Brussels’ to explore the manifold dimensions of the emerging European society. Thus, to give but a few examples, political scientists are conducting research into cross-border networks and the impact of EU policies on national legal and political systems; sociologists study elite formation, socialisation patterns and multiple identities in Europe; historians are exploring the comparative experiences of developing societies and states in the nineteenth century and their transnational legacies in present-day Europe; cultural studies researchers are increasingly interested in European dimensions of everyday culture as well as ‘high culture’ as a tool in the creation of shared history, memory and identity, and language scholars are interrogating communities of communication and the issues which caused, and continue to cause, language convergence and divergence in a changing European landscape.

At the same time, researchers with an interest in the EU and the wider Europe need to cooperate even more closely across disciplinary divides to better understand what is now frequently but loosely referred to as the ‘Europeanisation’ of Europe. To this end, this conference sets out to respond to these challenges, to foster transdisciplinary dialogue and to define new agendas for research on the EU and the wider Europe, bringing together researchers from political science, sociology, linguistics, history, cultural studies and other fields.
We propose discussion of the following broad themes in contemporary and historical perspective, but we also welcome proposals for panels with a different focus which nevertheless – importantly – transgress disciplinary boundaries:

Liberté, egalité, fraternité: society and state formation in Europe
Governing Europe: transnational fields and networks
Europeanisation? Changing national and sub-national polities
Language: barrier to Europeanisation?
Inclusion and exclusion: Immigrants and minorities in national and European societies
Unity in diversity? The local and regional in Europe
Contact and convergence: popular culture as banal Europeanisation?
Museums, theatres, cinema: transnationalizing high culture in Europe
Changing the Other: Europe in the world

Panel proposals should include the panel title and a short panel abstract (200 words max), a list of panellists (3-4) with their names and institutional affiliation, paper titles and short paper abstracts (150 words max).
Please send panel proposals to donna.ferrand at port.ac.uk (CEISR secretary) no later than 31st July 2011. More details will be available in due course from http://www.port.ac.uk/europeanstudiesconference/.

Deadline approaches for Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize (29 July)

Just a quick reminder that the deadline is approaching for the Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize. This year the language pair is Arabic-English. The deadline is 29 July (postal entries only). It will be interesting to see whether this year's competition betters the 230 entries received last year!

Speaking of literature in translation, anyone considering their summer holiday reading could do worse than check out this guide to good translated fiction featuring nominees for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and other good reads (large file, takes a while to download). Or you could have a dekko at the shortlist for the CWA International Dagger. Or you could peruse the shortlist for this year's Weidenfeld Translation Prize. Or you could check out Andotherstories. Or if sf is more your speed you could contemplate the shortlist of the first ever Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards. (On a related note, allow me to put in a shameless puff for A Polish Book of Monsters: Five Dark Tales from Contemporary Poland, translations by Michael Kandel. The first story by Marek S. Huberath is very good stuff indeed - see this excerpt at Words Without Borders). 

Image courtesy of quinn.anya on flickr, with thanks

Translation traineeships and an in-house post

These look like great opportunities for qualified graduates with the right language pairs:

Trainee Translator Vacancies (Translation into English from German /Italian /Spanish /Russian /French)

Temple Translations Ltd currently has two vacancies for trainee translators to join our in-house translation team. Temple Translations Ltd provides legal, financial and commercial translations to law firms and businesses operating in the City of London as well as nationally and internationally from our offices in London and New York. We are looking to expand our in-house capabilities to facilitate greater turnaround in our prime language combinations. The legal and financial sector is a fast paced and dynamic environment in which to work; consequently we are looking for candidates with:

• an ability to grasp varied and often complex issues
• a high level of motivation and ability to use own initiative where appropriate
• a capacity to work consistently and under pressure, both independently and as part of a team

In addition to the attribute listed above we require the following:

• a post graduate qualification in Translation
• the ability to translate into English from at least two of the following source languages: German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and French,
• English to mother-tongue standard.

Previous translation work experience and familiarity with legal and financial terminology would be beneficial but not a pre-requisite. Full mentoring and training will be provided for the first 12 months, with the aim of progressing to staff translator level. The position is located in our central London office. If you would like to apply for this position or to receive further details, please e-mail your CV and covering letter to Woodie Dormandy: edward.dormandy at templetranslations.com.

Staff Translator

(Translation into English from German/Italian/Spanish/Russian/French)
Temple Translations Ltd provides legal, financial and commercial translations to law firms and businesses operating in the City of London as well as nationally and internationally from our offices in London and New York. We are looking to expand our in-house capabilities to facilitate greater turnaround in our prime language combinations.

The legal and financial sector is a fast-paced and dynamic environment in which to work; consequently we are looking for a candidate with:

• an ability to grasp varied and often complex issues
• a high level of motivation and ability to use own initiative where appropriate
• a capacity to work consistently and under pressure, both independently and as part of a team

In addition to the attributes listed above we require the following:

• A postgraduate qualification in translation
• English to mother-tongue standard
• 2 years' experience as a professional translator translating into English from at least two of the following languages: German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and French,
• The ability to consistently translate a minimum of 2500 words per day
• A willingness to assist with the training and mentoring of trainee translators

If you would like to apply for this position or to receive further details, please e-mail your CV and covering letter to Woodie Dormandy: edward.dormandy at templetranslations.com.

MATSnews Twitter feed!

Hello all,

Just to let you know that MATSnews now has its own Twitter feed, @MATSnews. Follow us on Twitter for forthcoming events and translation news. 

United Nations Language Outreach Portal

 

Any of you interested in a career as a linguist with the United Nations might be interested to see their new Language Outreach Portal, which gives details of what kinds of language posts are advertised (translators, interpreters, verbatim reporters etc.), how the competitive examinations work and how to prepare for them. They have a summer internship programme (see also here); recruitment for this year closed in April.