What is On Traduit?
“On Traduit” is a yearly training event held in different locations – hence the full name Translate In X/On Traduit En X – for French into English and English into French translators. It focuses specifically on translation skills rather than writing, editing or general business skills. This year it was held online and I, along with attendees from all over the world, seized the opportunity to attend.
The training sessions were held over two afternoons and included (for each language direction (FR>EN, EN>FR)):
- a “translation slam”
- two sessions on specific translation issues
- two sessions on particularly tricky words or phrases.
We also had the opportunity to attend a panel session with all the trainers and post-training networking sessions.
Pre-event Preparation
As far as I’m concerned, how you prepare for a training event is almost as important as the event itself. I read up on the trainers, filled in my profile and, most importantly, had a go at translating the FR>EN slam text (more on that below). I also read through the EN>FR slam text, but in all honesty I was not remotely prepared for that slam!
The Workshops
The two FR>EN workshops covered two aspects of comparative stylistics. The first, “Pop the question”, was presented by Martin Hemmings and highlighted ways to embed questions into our English writing to make it more idiomatic. Martin is a fantastic presenter and trainer (he used to be a teacher after all) and he used a lot of examples and exercises to get our brains working.
Making the workshops interactive was key to their success in my view, as I often find myself disengaging from webinars where information is only passively received. However, this session came right after the EN>FR translation slam and I was not on my best form; I felt like I barely had time to process the French before the answers were popping up. Perhaps that should be taken as a lesson to better manage my energy levels at training events (by not working the morning before an afternoon event, for example).
The second workshop, “Taming the Savage Sentence”, presented by Lillian Clementi, sped through a number of translation issues that arise due to the different ways French and English speakers structure their sentences and arguments. This session was a whistle-stop tour of comparative stylistics, but the speed was a welcome trade-off for the sheer volume of tips and tricks gained. Again, this session was interactive and an enjoyable challenge. Lillian’s examples perfectly illustrated how the two languages differ in approach and why translation involves far more than mere word replacement.
The Tips
In between the “main sessions”, attendees were directed to pre-prepared YouTube videos on specific words and phrases that are difficult to translate. French into English translators were given suggestions for “lieu de vie” (e.g. “eat, play, live”) and “solidarité” (e.g. “community”, “outreach”, “social”). I found the session on “solidarité” particularly useful as I come up against it and its Spanish counterpart “solidaridad” regularly.
The Slams
Each translation slam* lasted two hours, much longer than any translation slam I’ve previously attended. The EN>FR slam kicked off the whole event, right at the start of the first day. While I had read the English text in advance, I found taking in the different translation approaches and the discussion in French in real time a challenge. By the end of the session I was exhausted and if I had my time over I may have watched the recording instead, so I wasn’t so dazed for the next session. I will watch the recording anyway, so I can pause it and give myself time to process what was being said.
I was better prepared for the FR>EN slam, given that I had translated the text myself and all the discussion was in English. This time, I was able to participate when the audience was asked for comments and suggested translations. The two translation slammers had drastically different approaches and used different variants of English, so there was a lot to talk about. The discussion even got a little heated when we got to the topic of gender-neutral language and translators’ responsibilities in that respect.
Both of these slams highlighted that different translation approaches can be perfectly valid and there are many correct ways to translate a text. It also underlined the importance of working with others to spot any issues with the translation and clarify or improve anything that needs it.
The Trainers
The formal part of the training rounded off with a Q&A panel with all the trainers. Topics included tricky words, client relationships and business practices. The trainers were:
- Chris Durban (USA-France)
- Dominique Jonkers (Belgique)
- François Lavallée (Québec)
- Grant Hamilton (Québec)
- Laurence Cuzzolin (France)
- Lillian Clementi (USA)
- Marc Lambert (Québec-France)
- Martin Hemmings (UK)
Networking Sessions
Both days ended with networking via Zoom, either in English or French. I was fairly chicken and opted for the English networking on both days (in my defence I was so mentally exhausted that I could barely string a sentence together in English, let alone French). For the networking sessions we were given prompts to get the conversation flowing, though some had us stumped (best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given...). Even so, I met some wonderful, interesting colleagues who shared great advice and experience.
Overall this was a superb training opportunity and one I would certainly repeat when the event next comes to the UK or Europe.
*A translation slam is in no way a competition between translators. Two translators translate the same piece of text and then come together for a moderated discussion of why they chose particular solutions. Alternative (less combative) names have been suggested, e.g. translation huddle, translation jam.
