[...] Translators just didn't get recognition, they didn't expect to make much of a living, just get by. Very few people were actually trained as translators, but most had a solid college education and a solid knowledge of languages, at least their own language. I had a friend who fell exactly into that category and my circle of friends expanded to include other translators. I found them to be much more interesting as people, and discovered that we often had similar life experiences. I never had trouble making friends, but I always felt "different" and I'm sure they felt it too. When my friend retired, she recommended me as her replacement. I now entered the realm of Reinsurance, of which I knew nothing. I was also the only translator there, and didn't have much to fall back on. However, it was another notch up....
On my new job, I started looking through the files, asking questions and got the company to enroll me in Insurance courses. The College of Insurance was across the street, and I consulted fire codes, insurance policies and fire extinguisher catalogs in their library. I was learning what I had never had the luxury of being able to do before: research. The first time I had to translate a proposal for purposes of insurance of a nuclear plant, I got a call from the head man in that department, congratulating me on the job I had done. "Compares favorably with what we are used to," he said. What an upper! What happened was that I consulted a document in the files similar to the one I was tackling for guidance, but when I saw that my predecessor had used the word "nucleus" instead of "core", I realized that the files were useless to me. I went across the street to the library and looked up "nuclear plants." I immediately found all the terminology I needed.
It takes a great deal more than that to be a good translator these days, of course. [...] | [...] Anaghị ahụta ndị ntụgharị, ha eleghi anya inweta ihe ha ga-eji bie ndụ, were obere ha na-enweta na-ebi ndụ. Naanị mmadụ ole na ole ka a zụrụ ka ndị ntụgharị, mana ọtụtụ nwere agụmakwụwọ nke ụlọakwụkwọ zuru oke ma nwe amamihe zuru oke gbasara asụsụ, o pekata mpe n'asụsụ nke ha. Enwere m enyi nọ na ngalaba ahụ ma ndị enyi m gbawanyere ịgụnye ndị ntụgharị ndị ọzọ. Ahụrụ m ha ka ndị dị omimi ka mmadụ, ma chọpụta na anyị na-enwekarị otu ụdị ahụmahụ ndụ. O nwenubeghi mgbe ọ hịara m ahụ imeta enyi, mana mgbe niile ọ na-adị m ka mụ adị "iche" ma eji m n'aka na ọ dịkwazị ha etu ahụ. Mgbe enyi m chinyiri aka elu n'ọrụ, o wepụtara m dịka onye ga-anọchi ya. M bịa banye n'ụwa nke Nyefeụgwọchekwa, nke mụ amaghị ihe ọbụla na ya. Ọ bụkwazị sọ mụ bụ onye ntụgharị n'ebe ahụ, ma enweghi ọtụtụ ihe ndị ga-enyere m aka. Na-agbanyeghi, ọ bụ ọganiihu ọzọ... N'ọrụ ọhụrụ m, amalitere m ilezu anya na ndekọ ndị ahụ, na-ajụ ajụjụ ma mee ka ụlọọrụ ahụ denye aha m na nkuzi Ụgwọnchekwa. College of Insurance dị na ngafe okporoụzọ, ma elere m anya na usoro igboọkụ, iwu ụgwọnchekwa na nchịkọta omenyuọkụ n'ọbaakwụkwọ ha. Anọ m na-amụ ihe m na-enwebughi ike ime na mbụ: nchọcha. Mgbe izizi m mere ntụgharị nchịkọta ebumnuche maka ụgwọnchekwa nke igweike keụzụọkụ, e nwetara m oku ekwentị nke onyeisi na ngalaba ahụ, na-ekele m maka ọrụ ahụ m rụrụ. "Ọ dabara na ntụnye ihe nke mara anyị ahụ," o kwuru. Nke a ihe mbulielu! Ihe mere bụ na elere m anya n'akwụkwọ dị na nchịkọta akwụkwọ ndị nke yitere nke m na-elele ka o duo m, mana mgbe m hụrụ na onye m nọchiri anya ya were mkpụrụokwu "nucleus" kama iwe "core", achọpụtara m na nchịkọta akwụkwọ ndị ahụ agaghị abara m uru. Agafere m okporoụzọ jee na ọbaakwụkwọ jee chọọ "nuclear plants." Ahụrụ m mkpụrụokwu niile ndị nke m na-achọ ozigbo. Ọ na-ewe ihe karịrị nke ahụ ịbụ ezi onye ntụgharị ugbu a, n'ezie. [...] |