Poll: Which do you think happens more often in the world of translation: fame or infamy? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which do you think happens more often in the world of translation: fame or infamy?".
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:58
Spanish to English
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Good or satisfactory translations go largely unsung, whereas poor or screamingly bad ones immediately draw attention.
And on the business side, there seems to be more chatter and awareness of bad agencies than of good ones. Or software/CAT tools.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6BJJe9JV_A
[Edited at 2018-10-13 08:56 GMT]
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Personally I don’t want infamy and, on the other hand, I have zero desire for fame! So, neither…
[Edited at 2018-10-13 10:18 GMT]
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| Kenneth Williams was it? | Oct 13, 2018 |
Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me
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| I don't know. IMHO neither. | Oct 13, 2018 |
Supposedly the good translator is invisible, while the bad translator struggles to be invisible, or at least remain nameless.
Some translators get famous in our milieu, they are considered "stars" among and by their peers, but not beyond. The good translation agencies they serve want to dim their visible brightness, so that they'll remain ever available. The bad translation agencies simply don't care at all about the brightness these stars shine, as long as they own a specific brand... See more Supposedly the good translator is invisible, while the bad translator struggles to be invisible, or at least remain nameless.
Some translators get famous in our milieu, they are considered "stars" among and by their peers, but not beyond. The good translation agencies they serve want to dim their visible brightness, so that they'll remain ever available. The bad translation agencies simply don't care at all about the brightness these stars shine, as long as they own a specific brand of CAT tool and/or accept low rates and long payment terms.
Nowadays infamy in most endeavors involves the incumbent's sex life more than their actual competence or delivery. As an individual's sex and sexual preference may or not influence the way they express themselves in writing, smart translators are advised to downplay this facet in order to avoid arousing any kind of prejudice - be it justified or most often otherwise. The fact is that a translator's sex life is never put in evidence, so there is no infamy there to show in our trade. ▲ Collapse
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| Infamy for sure | Oct 13, 2018 |
When I tell people I'm a translator (after disabusing them of the idea that I'm a simultaneous interpreter), the first thing I start to hear is the classic mistakes.
[Edited at 2018-10-13 13:50 GMT]
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Mario Freitas 
Brazil
Local time: 17:58
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| I don't know = none | Oct 13, 2018 |
I had to choose "I don't know" because there was no "neither" option.
Both things are so rare in our profession, it's hard to answer this one.
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| Which happens more.. | Oct 13, 2018 |
It makes me think of those outsourcers who offer indecent fares, and translators who accept them..
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It's work. You get a text. You translate the text. We're not actors or politicians who get to be famous. We're in the backdrop, translating text. (I clicked: "I don't understand the question).
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Joshua Parker
Mexico
Local time: 13:58
Member (2016)
Spanish to English
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| Translators are like binmen... | Oct 13, 2018 |
Nobody pays any notice to them until they don't do their job properly, or at all.
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