Using On-Line Translators

One of the questions I hear frequently is why we need human translators if we can use on-line translators. And, the nearby standing question: I can translate my text with the on-line dictionary - why I need books or lessons?

The answer is very easy. An online translator does not understand the sense of the text. It only translates the narrow quantity of words inserted in it's database. The human brain can't contain such quantity of the words but it can understand the sense of the phrase.

I normally use Word Reference and Яндекс online translators for my work. It's comfortable because I do not need to open books to look for possible translations of this or that word. Now, use one of them to translate the first phrase I found when I opened FB:

A simple Russian phrase without any "background"
Улыбайтесь: это заставляет людей ломать голову что же у вас на уме
we can translate so:
Smile! It makes persons rack their brains over your intentions.
Here is thee translation of one of my favorite on-line translators
http://translate.reference.com/
And smile: it makes people crush the head that same you have in the back of his mind

Why is it so? Let's take one of the words we needed to translate the phrase.

ум

Общая лексика Право 

муж.

mind; brains мн. ч. ; разг. ; (разум) wit, intellect

человек большого ума — man of great intellect; very clever man, person of keen intellect

человек выдающегося ума — master-spirit

от большого ума — in one's infinite wisdom

спятить, свихнуться, своротить, сбрендить с ума — разг. to go out of one's mind / head

вы с ума сошли! — are you out of your senses?

держать в уме — to keep smth. in one's head

перебирать в уме — to turn smth. over in one's mind

доходить до чего-л. своим умом — to work smth. by oneself, to come to smth. on one's own

раскидывать умом — разг. to think smth. over

жить своим умом — to think for oneself, to live his own way

жить чужим умом — to live as others tell one to

This on-line translator has not the word we need but we can take one word with more or less corresponding sense. According to our language experience.

Now, try to translate with on-line translator this one:

...and comment to it:
 В России сел в машину и поскакал....

Translator Is Important in Research

Everybody, even the great scientists need help of a translator! And, making this way part of the important researches, I'm proud that in my so modest little world, I can vaunt so GREAT (at least for me) participation:  a Russian scientist from Michigan State University offers his help and the most modern technology to the papirologists of Naples.

So, this time I had to work with passionate persons which are so much interested in what they are doing that forget everything else except it.

Thanks to this my work, I could visit Villa of the Papyri and the Neapolitan State Library where papyri are kept: an incredible, impossible fortune for a simple history lover such as me. :-)))

Translator Changes the Name to Linguistic Assistant

Once in all this time I have finally good news about the Translator's from to Russian Italian job. Once in I don't know how many months I have finally the kind of work I like.

First of all, I like to tell others about the history of this place, I like to work with curious persons, with those who come not to criticize everything and everybody and look only for bad sides. No. I work to have money, yes, but I do not allow every rude to treat me as a floor-cloth.

About a week ago, one woman writes me this way: "I need a translator with a Russian speaking guide to come with the car in my hotel to take me for the excursions during my vacation in Paestum". Point. Nothing more. How do you write to a person you need her service? "Hi,... Regards..." I write so even if I have to say something not very pleasant or to a not very pleasant person. Good education is something that is a about MY characteristics. It changes nothing if I have to ask or to offer.

In this case, the woman is oafish. This means, if I want her money soooooo much to go to serve her (because I accept to be subservient and not to work in this case), I will be wormed, I have to cringe. These are the rules of this game. And I do not accept such treatments. I'm not a fawner and can become very hard with similar persons. I know it and try to avoid such situations. As it was said: "I would like to serve, it's noisome to be subservient."

In any case, I answered this woman she has to call the manager of her hotel so that he organizes this service for her. She did not understand: "I need a translator waiting me near the entrance of my hotel with a car every day!" I need so many things in this life, I thought... And wanted to write her something like this... but did not want to soil myself.

Well, this time my clients are very educated and very interested in history persons. I'm even worried if I will be able to find answers to all their questions. And so I have to learn and learn and learn now. It's amazing! I will know much more after this experience! and I'll visit many new places! because they wanted to have great time full of interesting experiences. I even had to contact touristic government departments to satisfy their desire to know everything about the Antique Rome.

But I have a new "name" now. My job is "linguistic assistant" because translator is not exactly the same thing, you know. In any case, I'm excited and wait for them with impatience.

The Bad Days of the Translator

One of the most important qualities of every person is the capacity to say "No!" Yes, this way, directly, steadfast, without doubts. If you are not able to do it, you will live in constant troubles and with the feeling of dissatisfaction. The attendant qualities are pity and strong desire to help those who needs your help.

Let's speak openly: you need these qualities to be a person. But! You have to know turn them out when you see that others try to take advantage of these your good sides. Remember what Jesus Christ (or his father maybe, I'm not very brave in theology) said: wait till charity becomes sweaty in your hand. It means, you have to think many times before you give your charity. Because there are too many persons that live abusing honest people.

Yes, it's about the last case when I was called to translate an English-Russian Business meeting between two important businessmen which wanted to have a confident talk during a conference. I denied the invitation and explained that it's not MY field. I know English but it's written language. I do not have the possibility to speak English here. So, NO! decisively. They called me for 3 days. And, finally, I had to accept this work.

I passed a terrible week. First, because I had not time neither theme of that conversation. And I did not know the words I needed to use during the meeting. So, my translation was a horror. The client knew my problem and he wanted I come there. But his interlocutor was really furious. He is accustomed to be served by the best servants. 

I could not calm for some days after it. I could not sleep, I could not work. 

Never! Never more! I will never give up when the task is not about my expertise! I have to learn to say NO! determinedly!

Translator's Melancholy

Is the life of a translator from to Russian and Italian so sad o it's my personal propensity to describe only the sad events in my translator's life? Well, my Friends, I don't know what to say. I'll tell you my last story and you decide...

My working activity was concentrated mostly here, in internet, after the New Year feast. I was too tired to climb all the local "mountains" with the tourists in those last weeks, honestly, and enjoyed sitting for the notebook working for one Italian Group that produces different foods such as macaroni, sauces etc. I worked very hard and, with my great  satisfaction, developed a very interesting strategy that can help them to conquest Russian Market with relatively limited investments.

In the mean period, my ex-boss called me, and I told him about this my new idea, my personal "invention". He was very enthusiast of it and, with his friend, decided to create a Ltd to take advantage of this huge money making possibility. He called his friend to join us and, now, his son, too.

I was happy. The credibility and the relations of my boss are enormous. I would never arrive at such picks even if I would do impossible.

I know that business is business, and it's a stupidity to share own ideas with anybody. You have only sell them. But, stupid old baby that is not able to learn from own and other's errors, I continue to believe in the honesty and good sides of the persons. What can I say you? I gave him all the important information of my project.

Now, they do not need me as a part of the project more. So, my role -if requested- will be limited to simple and low-paid translations...

There was a short episode in an old Italian movie, where the father makes his 4 years old son fall down from the table and says him
Nella vita non ti devi fidare di nessuno, neppure di tuo padre!
You have never trust anybody in the life, even me. It's my biggest gift to your birthday.

Translator - Universal Specialist

Translator is a very strange job, I have to say you.

I was very busy as a guide in the last period. You know just that many persons think you are a tourist guide if you speak this or that language. My guests are suret I know everything about all the Italy - not only I am able to guide them in every interesting place of Campania where I live. They ask me to go with them in Rome, in Apulia, in other places... I explain that I don't know tourist information about these places but they do not want to hear anything about it.


«Мыслитель» на Яндекс.Фотках 

Fortunately, I had to walk with them in Naples and Pompei, in Herculanum and Oplontis. But I worked all the feasts, even the New Year's eve I was in Pompei... They ask me sometimes: aren't you tired to tell every time the same things? If you think about it, I'll tell you the secret. I am never tired to visit the same places of Naples, of Campania for different reasons:

1. I like the history of Campania and read much about it. So, I know every time new information about every tourist object and it's interesting for me to tell what I know to the interested persons. It's not difficult because the scientists write many articles about the discoveries they do during the excavations in sites and in libraries. 
2.  The situation with the interesting sites in Campania is bad enough: the government does not find money to pay persons which could open all the objects. So, I find every time something new open.
3. Campania is beautiful and I like to walk here. 

And I could not relax after the stream of the tourists finished for some time. Because, after a period of the oblivion, my other clients, Italian industrialists, remembered that they would like to have Russian clients. So, they called me to the arms and I had to prepare new strategies of promotion of their goods.

Finished my work yesterday, I finally enjoy a day when I can to wwrite something for my pleasure... and to clean the house, too. :-)))

Translator means Investigator, too

If you think, I told you everything about the strangeness of translators' job, you are on the wrong way. The requests a translator living in a foreign country receives from time to time, would perplex anybody. So, about two weeks ago, an unknown man called me by cell and asked me to help him to find a missing person.

The young man argued with his girl-friend, she escaped in Italy, and he is worried she will not turn home to him.

We have strange behaviour with the persons we love. We do not respect them, we do not care enough about them. More close is our relation, worse are our conduct. We begin to understand something when the person we love is gone we think that forever.

In the case I write about, the woman probably went in Italy to visit her friends. But since she did not say anything about the voyage to her boyfriend, he thought, her cousins from Ucraina could advice her to remain there as a clandestine.

Source: keep.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Now, what was MY role in this story? I had to look for her.
He called me different times a day with every time new instructions and I had to speak with them trying to relax, to calm him for hours.

First, he asked me to call an organization she visited years before to see if she is in the same place.
Than, I had to call the cousin of the woman to send a message because the cousin could know where the woman is (and in fact she did).
Than, he asked me to hire an investigator
but after some hours he changed the idea and asked me to go personally in the town the woman probably is and to visit that just mentioned organization.
...
No, it was the last I could stand after more than a week.
I had to renounce.
I think, it's unpossible to earn all the money of the world. And prefer to avoid doubtful ventures.
Was I right?
I don't know.
But I like to sleep calm and relaxed without thinking more about this love story