New to translation! Question re. the demand for FR-EN translation of orthopaedic clinics' websites Thread poster: Emiliana Sarra
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Hi all! I am completely new here, and am currently a MA student in Translation (University of Birmingham). My question may seem like a bizarre one, but I thought I'd try my luck here
I have a keen interest in the medical field, and for one of my university projects I wish to translate (from French to English) the website of a Parisian treatment centre/clinic specialised in knee and hip surgery.
... See more Hi all! I am completely new here, and am currently a MA student in Translation (University of Birmingham). My question may seem like a bizarre one, but I thought I'd try my luck here
I have a keen interest in the medical field, and for one of my university projects I wish to translate (from French to English) the website of a Parisian treatment centre/clinic specialised in knee and hip surgery.
In order to create a realistic hypothetical 'brief', I was wondering if anyone here has experience translating websites for these types of centres before? My question would be regarding the Target Audience for such translations, i.e. whether the English translations of such orthopaedic centres are often aimed at medical tourists (from either the UK, USA, or other non-French speaking countries), or whether it would be more likely targeted at non-French speaking expats living in France?
From my understanding, orthopaedic surgery is an area which is attracting a growing number of foreign medical 'tourists', however my understanding on the scale and type of audience is limited and any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks for your time!
Emmi ▲ Collapse
| | | | | From what I understand... | Nov 3, 2021 |
Welcome to Proz and good luck with your masters!
To write convincing prose, you need to know what you're writing about. Some specialist knowledge of a field or a closely-related field is necessary if you are going to be able to ask yourself the right questions and track down relevant sources. So orthopedic clinics are probably as good a source as any in light of what you have explained.
I think the only way to find out is to track down private clinics with that specialt... See more Welcome to Proz and good luck with your masters!
To write convincing prose, you need to know what you're writing about. Some specialist knowledge of a field or a closely-related field is necessary if you are going to be able to ask yourself the right questions and track down relevant sources. So orthopedic clinics are probably as good a source as any in light of what you have explained.
I think the only way to find out is to track down private clinics with that specialty and contact them directly. The American Hospital in Paris springs to mind, although not all the staff there do actually speak English, for example. Indeed, why not simply target major hospitals and clinics in major urban centres that have a reputation for the specifc field of interest. A number of hospitals have an English version of their site.
Off the cuff, it might be a good idea to contact those doing research in the field too. They may need help with their research publications which almost always aim for publication in English. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:46
Member (2008)
Italian to English
It's good that you have a specialisation - we get so many neophyte translators in these forums who only aspire to become translators but who have nothing specific to offer.
Contrary to what you may think, there must be a very good worldwide market for translations that relate to orthopaedics and related areas- assuming that English is your mother tongue.
As a first step I would suggest that you make your portfolio 100% complete, emphasising that you are a specialist in ... See more It's good that you have a specialisation - we get so many neophyte translators in these forums who only aspire to become translators but who have nothing specific to offer.
Contrary to what you may think, there must be a very good worldwide market for translations that relate to orthopaedics and related areas- assuming that English is your mother tongue.
As a first step I would suggest that you make your portfolio 100% complete, emphasising that you are a specialist in that field. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emiliana Sarra
France
Local time: 16:46
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Hi Nikki and Tom,
Thanks for your replies. I have found some contacts and I will try reaching out to them, too.
As someone new to the industry, and networking itself, I am slowly realising that it is ok to reach out to people for help
Thanks again for your messages and advice, it has been really helpful!
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Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
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| You're overthinking it | Nov 4, 2021 |
Unless it is in the hundreds of pages or compensated in truly lavish fashion, a website translation is a short, generic cheap trick.
If you overthink small jobs, you will burn out quickly.
University project? Doesn't matter (unless you're about to fail out or lose a scholarship). Doing things extravagantly in school that you never intend to give much thought to in real life (and you shouldn't!) is just odd.
Now, if you have WEB DESIGN and branding skills (o... See more Unless it is in the hundreds of pages or compensated in truly lavish fashion, a website translation is a short, generic cheap trick.
If you overthink small jobs, you will burn out quickly.
University project? Doesn't matter (unless you're about to fail out or lose a scholarship). Doing things extravagantly in school that you never intend to give much thought to in real life (and you shouldn't!) is just odd.
Now, if you have WEB DESIGN and branding skills (or partner with web designers and marketing people), you could try to sell TRANSCREATION/REBRANDING packages to medical facilities with sad, sad foreign language placement and content. But that's 95% design and marketing, not translation.
[Edited at 2021-11-04 14:22 GMT]
[Edited at 2021-11-04 14:32 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 16:46
French to English
It is indeed important to know the target audience of your translation. It's one of the questions you should always ask of your client before tackling the work, if it isn't perfectly obvious.
In the case of a medical establishment, both the audiences you mention could well be targeted.
There might not be much difference, unless they go into great detail about healthcare plans and social security and mutuelles and how to go about getting your expenses reimbursed. English spea... See more It is indeed important to know the target audience of your translation. It's one of the questions you should always ask of your client before tackling the work, if it isn't perfectly obvious.
In the case of a medical establishment, both the audiences you mention could well be targeted.
There might not be much difference, unless they go into great detail about healthcare plans and social security and mutuelles and how to go about getting your expenses reimbursed. English speakers living in France will probably have French social security and their information needs would barely differ from those of French patients. I imagine you could maybe simply add a "For patients living in France" heading when information is irrelevant to the medical tourists, and point out to your client that the medical tourists might appreciate their own little paragraph in such cases. If I'm being paid well enough, I might just suggest something for the client, along the lines of "For patients coming from abroad, please contact your health insurance provider to check whether this procedure might be covered". Some might consider this transcreation, but it really wouldn't take much time at all, unlike real transcreation where you might end up rewriting the entire text. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emiliana Sarra
France
Local time: 16:46
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Hi Adieu,
Thank you for your reply. Indeed, I may be overthinking it, but took it as an opportunity to delve into the TA and the demand that there is for this type of translation job, seeing as it is an area I am looking to target. I appreciate your advice, and will definitely keep this in mind going forward!
Hello Kay,
Many thanks, also. I appreciate your insight, and will take this on board. I was con... See more Hi Adieu,
Thank you for your reply. Indeed, I may be overthinking it, but took it as an opportunity to delve into the TA and the demand that there is for this type of translation job, seeing as it is an area I am looking to target. I appreciate your advice, and will definitely keep this in mind going forward!
Hello Kay,
Many thanks, also. I appreciate your insight, and will take this on board. I was considering this type of 'light transcreation' for this project, as of course the aim is to make it as suitable a text as possible for its TA. That being said, I understand that in the real world this would depend on the project specs and budget I like your suggestion, too, so thank you for that. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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Do NOT do transcreation/branding/marketing/design jobs for customer facing stuff at generic translation prices.
These things are supposed to cost 10-20-even-50x more.
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Emiliana Sarra
France
Local time: 16:46
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Hi Adieu,
Of course! But what I meant here was incorporating this as if it were part of the hypothetical brief given to me by my client
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 16:46
French to English
Adieu wrote:
Do NOT do transcreation/branding/marketing/design jobs for customer facing stuff at generic translation prices.
These things are supposed to cost 10-20-even-50x more.
The clients who are prepared to pay that much more, are much bigger fry than a hip-replacement centre. And they'll expect much more than a couple of headings or an asterisk leading to a footnote.
What I'm suggesting is barely transcreation, just a small suggestion. And I did specify that I would only make suggestions *if I'm being paid well enough*. It takes me five minutes and goes a long way to fostering a relationship of goodwill with a client. It always makes people happy when they think they're getting something extra for free! And it amply demonstrates that I'm thinking carefully about their project, and that I'm well aware of cultural differences.
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