| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Poll: Does translation memory software jeopardize creativity? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Hi
About one third of my work is manually correcting Trados jobs done by other translators, I probably could retire as a translator and live from very funny books with their blunders. I was hoping this was Trados fault, but this pool's results seem to indicate otherwise!
Cheers
Antonio
| | | | | Why jeopardize creativity? | Mar 2, 2010 |
I don't understand why a question like this is in the poll. Or does the asker simply doesn't know anything about translation memory software? The software itself does not do the translation; it assists translators translate documents and notifies the translator if there are no matches, fuzzy matches or repetitions in each segment. The translation memory software has nothing to do with the translator's creativity.
| | | | Michael Harris 
Germany
Local time: 01:59
Member (2006)
German to English
Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
The software itself does not do the translation; it assists translators translate documents and notifies the translator if there are no matches, fuzzy matches or repetitions in each segment. The translation memory software has nothing to do with the translator's creativity.
dito, why should the CAT tool be responsible for non-creative translations?
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 01:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Nay nay and thrice nay | Mar 2, 2010 |
Glad to see that I am in the majority with the "no" voters here.
I've never given it any thought, taking it for granted that "creativity" in translation simply concerns finding the best way to express the text in question... although I must admit some clients do demonstrate great creativity in making excuses not to pay on time/enough...
| | | | | No, it stimulates it... | Mar 2, 2010 |
Finding workarounds for when the CAT crashes, finding smart solutions to get round the way the CAT works and make it do what I want...
Ways to remember how it was one joined segments or split them up,
... Or even excuses for not doing a job in a CAT when the job is unsuitable for CATs, or the PM has just been on a course and is enjoying playing with the new toy 
I read through my source text firs... See more Finding workarounds for when the CAT crashes, finding smart solutions to get round the way the CAT works and make it do what I want...
Ways to remember how it was one joined segments or split them up,
... Or even excuses for not doing a job in a CAT when the job is unsuitable for CATs, or the PM has just been on a course and is enjoying playing with the new toy
I read through my source text first and do any creative work required before I start typing the translation in, so the CAT makes no difference there. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:59
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
| Segmentation can affect visualisation | Mar 2, 2010 |
Although I voted no... particularly in literary translation and especially for poetry, the segmentation imposed by Trados et al can impair proper visualisation of larger text groups, which COULD hinder creativity when it comes to redistributing concepts to meet target language requirements. In other words, the source text paragraph or stanza structure might be maintained where it might benefit from being changed. Obviously this can be mitigated by working on the text before and after the CAT too... See more Although I voted no... particularly in literary translation and especially for poetry, the segmentation imposed by Trados et al can impair proper visualisation of larger text groups, which COULD hinder creativity when it comes to redistributing concepts to meet target language requirements. In other words, the source text paragraph or stanza structure might be maintained where it might benefit from being changed. Obviously this can be mitigated by working on the text before and after the CAT tool is used. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Wil Hardman (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
| A bad workman blames his tools | Mar 2, 2010 |
I'd be interested to know if the poster thinks that it does jeopardise creativity and, if so, why?
It's an interesting question, the way I understood it was that if a particular phrase or term came up in a TM, the translator would automatically go with the TM without questioning it, thus limiting the number of different ways a particular term would be expressed. So, there could be a hypothetical situation where a translator who is tired, in a rush, unimaginative, apathetic, etc. may... See more I'd be interested to know if the poster thinks that it does jeopardise creativity and, if so, why?
It's an interesting question, the way I understood it was that if a particular phrase or term came up in a TM, the translator would automatically go with the TM without questioning it, thus limiting the number of different ways a particular term would be expressed. So, there could be a hypothetical situation where a translator who is tired, in a rush, unimaginative, apathetic, etc. may rely on a TM and only think of new translations when absolutely necessary.
However, I answered "no" to the poll for several reasons.
1) Technical translations and the like often require consistency rather than creativity (especially when translating into English). Here the TM helps the translator reproduce the text with consistency and enables the translator to focus their creative energy on the previously untranslated text.
2) Personally, and I expect the same is true for all successful translators, I don't just blindly follow a TM, but rather assess it and then decide whether it is accurate or needs any fine-tuning. This process, although not from scratch, is a still creative process.
3) A TM is just a tool that needs a human to use it, the creativity (and quality) of the resulting translation depends entirely on the user and not the CAT tool itself. It's like saying that the use of a calculator hampers creativity in maths. It doesn't, it just enables proficient users to get to their solutions more quickly and with fewer mistakes.
Simon makes a good point about visualisation, but again as long as the translator is aware of this issue and the text is proof-read outside of the CAT tool, I don't see a fundamental problem with using one for poetry. ▲ Collapse
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Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 20:59
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| Yes, they can interfere with creativity | Mar 2, 2010 |
Simon Bruni wrote:
Although I voted no... particularly in literary translation and especially for poetry, the segmentation imposed by Trados et al can impair proper visualisation of larger text groups, which COULD hinder creativity when it comes to redistributing concepts to meet target language requirements.
CAT tools are a hindrance in literary translations without a doubt. When you're limited to looking at a little closed-in line of text, instead of seeing an entire paragraph or page, this has an effect on creativity. I have had this experience and have found it to be true.
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 20:59
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| Yes... kind of | Mar 2, 2010 |
It's a question I've been mentally asking myself for a long time, i.e. every time I tab to an electronic dictionary or to an outsourced website or a TM or an MT resource or whatever: 'am I using my own brain or am I just flicking between dozens of resources in order to find the best result?'
Yes, it jeopardises creativity, but in the sense that tools are made for perfecting translation work and for making the quality as high as possible. I don't consider myself an artist, but as a t... See more It's a question I've been mentally asking myself for a long time, i.e. every time I tab to an electronic dictionary or to an outsourced website or a TM or an MT resource or whatever: 'am I using my own brain or am I just flicking between dozens of resources in order to find the best result?'
Yes, it jeopardises creativity, but in the sense that tools are made for perfecting translation work and for making the quality as high as possible. I don't consider myself an artist, but as a technical assessor - someone who is paid to make sure it's right, but not to expand on that too much.
I don't feel the need to be defensive about technology. Like washing machines and calculators, for example, it's there to save us from repetitive labour and improve the quality of the result and the quality of our lives (I hope).
Cheers ▲ Collapse
| | | | Valeria Fuma
Argentina
Local time: 20:59
English to Spanish
+ ...
| I agree with Simon | Mar 2, 2010 |
Simon Bruni wrote:
Although I voted no... particularly in literary translation and especially for poetry, the segmentation imposed by Trados et al can impair proper visualisation of larger text groups, which COULD hinder creativity when it comes to redistributing concepts to meet target language requirements. In other words, the source text paragraph or stanza structure might be maintained where it might benefit from being changed. Obviously this can be mitigated by working on the text before and after the CAT tool is used.
As regards creativity in itself, sometimes you just have to follow TM as per instructed; otherwise, you're penalised!
| | | | Heike Kurtz
Germany
Local time: 01:59
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
| CAT tools were not developed for creative work | Mar 2, 2010 |
Of course, CAT tools support consistent terminology (i.e. dull use of the same translation for the same word) and narrow the view to just one segment at a time.
This poll compares apples with pears (as we say in Germany). CAT tools have been created to cope with large amounts of repetitive texts. Literature and poetry are written to be anything but repetitive. So there's no use in translating literature or poetry with a CAT tool. And there is no use in not using it on a highly repet... See more Of course, CAT tools support consistent terminology (i.e. dull use of the same translation for the same word) and narrow the view to just one segment at a time.
This poll compares apples with pears (as we say in Germany). CAT tools have been created to cope with large amounts of repetitive texts. Literature and poetry are written to be anything but repetitive. So there's no use in translating literature or poetry with a CAT tool. And there is no use in not using it on a highly repetitive technical or financial text where the same words and phrases need to be translated the same throughout the whole thing. ▲ Collapse
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m_temmer
Local time: 17:59
English to Dutch
+ ...
If you get started with CAT tools, you indeed have to be careful not to translate every sentence in an isolated way. But once you're used to working with e.g. Trados, I don't see the problem.
When you say that in Trados "you can't see the wider paragraph or text", I don't really understand. As long as it's a Word file you're translating, you can see everything in its context.
TagEditor is a bit more tricky, but that's why I always have a print-out of the source document in its origi... See more If you get started with CAT tools, you indeed have to be careful not to translate every sentence in an isolated way. But once you're used to working with e.g. Trados, I don't see the problem.
When you say that in Trados "you can't see the wider paragraph or text", I don't really understand. As long as it's a Word file you're translating, you can see everything in its context.
TagEditor is a bit more tricky, but that's why I always have a print-out of the source document in its original lay-out right beside me.
CAT tools can never be an excuse for less creative translations (whatever that may be). You just have to pay attention while translating. It's not because you work with a CAT tool that the core task of translating (rendering the message into the target language) becomes easier... ▲ Collapse
| | | | m_temmer
Local time: 17:59
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Trados doesn't deliver bad translations, translators do | Mar 2, 2010 |
Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral wrote:
About one third of my work is manually correcting Trados jobs done by other translators, I probably could retire as a translator and live from very funny books with their blunders. I was hoping this was Trados fault, but this pool's results seem to indicate otherwise!
Antonio
I don't think Trados is to blame. There are a lot of "less skilled" translators out there and it seems that translators are accepting more and more projects that really are more than just a step above their abilities.
These days, even people who have worked a couple of years in an international company consider themselves translators...
| | | | S. Draschitz (X)
Austria
Local time: 01:59
English to German
+ ...
| Professional line-by-line translations? | Mar 2, 2010 |
Amy Duncan wrote: Simon Bruni wrote:
Although I voted no... particularly in literary translation and especially for poetry, the segmentation imposed by Trados et al can impair proper visualisation of larger text groups, which COULD hinder creativity when it comes to redistributing concepts to meet target language requirements. CAT tools are a hindrance in literary translations without a doubt. When you're limited to looking at a little closed-in line of text, instead of seeing an entire paragraph or page, this has an effect on creativity. I have had this experience and have found it to be true.
A professional and responsible translator would never even consider doing a translation (and in particular a literary translation!) line by line - if he/she translates like that it clearly shows that this person does not have the slightest idea of what translation is about.
The answer is a clear "NO", as translation memories only help with things that I have already translated in some previous text (and are therefore still a product of my own creativity), and they do not, in any way, create new translations!
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