Editorial translation or translation for the publishing industry (outside literary and philosophical translation) again encompasses a variety of documents and materials yet, once again, the conditions are highly specific and subcategorizing is fully justified.
In fact, editorial translation includes anything that is translated for general publication and, more broadly, anything that is translated on behalf of a publisher and, in most cases, at his request.
Translators for the publishing industry are freelance translators. They include generalist translators (who may translate everything from the ABC of Accountancy to Zoology for Zealots, including biographies, children's books, cookery books, school text books, tourist guides, travel books, and books on many other subjects), literary translators, translators of works of philosophy, specialised or specialist translators, multimedia translators.
In most countries, translators working for publishing are neither employed by the publisher nor considered as 'standard' freelance translators on the grounds that they are paid on a different basis. The tax and contributions that apply are those of authors, not those of run- of-the-mill translators. Depending on the terms of the contract they sign with the publisher, they will either sell their copyright or be paid royalties. Selling their copyright means they forego all rights against payment of a given sum. When they are paid royalties, their remuneration generally includes an advance on sums due and they will not receive any extra money until the advance has been covered. In fact, unless the published translation itself is on the best-seller lists, the advance is usually deemed to cover the translator's royalties.
The special media concerned are video, film, and code. Their translation goes by different names according to the media and the product as well as the techniques used. The basic sub-categories are localisation (of software, Web sites, and videogames respectively), media translation (subtitling, overtitling, voice over, dubbing).
Localisation is the adaptation of a product/concept/process to the particular physical, technical, linguistic, cultural, ethic, religious, philosophical, commercial, marketing, etc. conditions and requirements of an audience or users belonging to a specific 'locale' defined as a the delimitation of a geographical- cultural area and the particular variety of language that the people concerned use. It is part of globalisation (abbreviated as g11n), which is the process of making a concept/process/product acceptable and usable the world over through internationalisation and localisation, in that order.
Internationalisation means getting rid of any specific cultural references - in the broad sense of the word including ideology, religion, ethics, etc. - as well as any peculiarities of such as taste, appearance, requirements for installation or use of machines, etc. Localisation means adapting whatever has resisted internationalisation - thus remaining 'strange' - to the conditions that prevail 'locally'.
Both globalisation and localisation have to do with cultural differences. Globalisation is cultural assimilation; localisation is cultural adaptation. And both impact the technical and the linguistic aspects of things. One will therefore talk of technical-cultural localisation (adapting the concept/product/process to the 'minds' and 'ways' of the target populations) and of linguistic-cultural localisation (adapting the messages and documentation to the language and usages of the target populations).
Technical-cultural localisation is generally carried out by technicians, designers, developers - possibly with the help of a translator in charge of pointing out whatever is not technically and culturally viable. Linguistic-cultural localisation is a variety of translation and is therefore carried out by translators (so-called localisers). Given that localisation applies to software (and its accompanying documentation), videogames (and all accompanying material) and Web sites, the difference is just a matter of medium. Basically, localisation concerns all 'instruments'. This includes all 'things' that people use and everything (mostly documents) that facilitates their use. Thus, localisation is basically 'instrumental translation' or translation that literally produces instruments. Failure to adapt contents, format, and form in any way carries the immediate penalty of non-understanding, non-acceptance and/or non-usability.
Be that as it may, localisation is technically a variety of translation. Yet, for reasons of marketing (the hope of getting more money for a high-tech translation) and self-appraisal, most translators do claim a different status for localisation. And this is in fact fully acceptable provided localisation is not simply a bigger name for translation - meaning localisation actually involves more than translating text or contents that come on new, and mostly hyper, media. As the following will show, most people wrongly use the term 'localisation' to cover the translation of anything related to software packages or Web sites or videogames when, in fact, very little of the 'transfer' activity would not qualify as translation. And many more make an untenable distinction between 'localisation' (which, they say, is adaptation) and 'translation' (which, the same say, closely fits the original). What it amounts to is tragic ignorance of the history of translation. A description of the three domains and cycles of localisation will help clarify matters and establish the true differences between translation and linguistic localisation proper.
In fact, editorial translation includes anything that is translated for general publication and, more broadly, anything that is translated on behalf of a publisher and, in most cases, at his request.
Translators for the publishing industry are freelance translators. They include generalist translators (who may translate everything from the ABC of Accountancy to Zoology for Zealots, including biographies, children's books, cookery books, school text books, tourist guides, travel books, and books on many other subjects), literary translators, translators of works of philosophy, specialised or specialist translators, multimedia translators.
In most countries, translators working for publishing are neither employed by the publisher nor considered as 'standard' freelance translators on the grounds that they are paid on a different basis. The tax and contributions that apply are those of authors, not those of run- of-the-mill translators. Depending on the terms of the contract they sign with the publisher, they will either sell their copyright or be paid royalties. Selling their copyright means they forego all rights against payment of a given sum. When they are paid royalties, their remuneration generally includes an advance on sums due and they will not receive any extra money until the advance has been covered. In fact, unless the published translation itself is on the best-seller lists, the advance is usually deemed to cover the translator's royalties.
The special media concerned are video, film, and code. Their translation goes by different names according to the media and the product as well as the techniques used. The basic sub-categories are localisation (of software, Web sites, and videogames respectively), media translation (subtitling, overtitling, voice over, dubbing).
Localisation is the adaptation of a product/concept/process to the particular physical, technical, linguistic, cultural, ethic, religious, philosophical, commercial, marketing, etc. conditions and requirements of an audience or users belonging to a specific 'locale' defined as a the delimitation of a geographical- cultural area and the particular variety of language that the people concerned use. It is part of globalisation (abbreviated as g11n), which is the process of making a concept/process/product acceptable and usable the world over through internationalisation and localisation, in that order.
Internationalisation means getting rid of any specific cultural references - in the broad sense of the word including ideology, religion, ethics, etc. - as well as any peculiarities of such as taste, appearance, requirements for installation or use of machines, etc. Localisation means adapting whatever has resisted internationalisation - thus remaining 'strange' - to the conditions that prevail 'locally'.
Both globalisation and localisation have to do with cultural differences. Globalisation is cultural assimilation; localisation is cultural adaptation. And both impact the technical and the linguistic aspects of things. One will therefore talk of technical-cultural localisation (adapting the concept/product/process to the 'minds' and 'ways' of the target populations) and of linguistic-cultural localisation (adapting the messages and documentation to the language and usages of the target populations).
Technical-cultural localisation is generally carried out by technicians, designers, developers - possibly with the help of a translator in charge of pointing out whatever is not technically and culturally viable. Linguistic-cultural localisation is a variety of translation and is therefore carried out by translators (so-called localisers). Given that localisation applies to software (and its accompanying documentation), videogames (and all accompanying material) and Web sites, the difference is just a matter of medium. Basically, localisation concerns all 'instruments'. This includes all 'things' that people use and everything (mostly documents) that facilitates their use. Thus, localisation is basically 'instrumental translation' or translation that literally produces instruments. Failure to adapt contents, format, and form in any way carries the immediate penalty of non-understanding, non-acceptance and/or non-usability.
Be that as it may, localisation is technically a variety of translation. Yet, for reasons of marketing (the hope of getting more money for a high-tech translation) and self-appraisal, most translators do claim a different status for localisation. And this is in fact fully acceptable provided localisation is not simply a bigger name for translation - meaning localisation actually involves more than translating text or contents that come on new, and mostly hyper, media. As the following will show, most people wrongly use the term 'localisation' to cover the translation of anything related to software packages or Web sites or videogames when, in fact, very little of the 'transfer' activity would not qualify as translation. And many more make an untenable distinction between 'localisation' (which, they say, is adaptation) and 'translation' (which, the same say, closely fits the original). What it amounts to is tragic ignorance of the history of translation. A description of the three domains and cycles of localisation will help clarify matters and establish the true differences between translation and linguistic localisation proper.
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