It’s been alarmingly quiet on this forum for quite a while now.

Perhaps our profession is really doomed by MT and AI.

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A sign of our times, perhaps, but this weekend a client sent me a shortie that was part TM and part MT, and wanted me to complete a form rating the quality of their MT as well.

Now if your translating program shows you segments from both sources, it can get impossible, difficult or just a plain bore to pick out and assess the MT segments.

That’s what happens if the agent wants to cut cost by requesting MT editing at half the rate for human translation.

Personally, I use both DeepL and Google where possible (MT is simply another translating tool, like dictionaries and TMs, and the usual caution is needed).

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But I digress.

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To return to the state of Denmark:

The source document contained three errors, two of which I corrected in translation.

I informed the client accordingly, and then it occurred to me that tampering with originals used to be considered a capital crime – Trados didn’t allow correcting source segments for that very reason (you can now). So I added the following note to the translation I returned:

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“With my more than 39 years of translating, I am quite aware that some clients almost get a heart attack if their texts are criticized.

So I’m not suggesting that you inform the client of the points I raised and then find yourself with an apoplectic patient on your conscience. But consider the following:

1??????????????????? [Agent] is serious about delivering translations of the best quality.

2??????????????????? A translation that perpetuates errors cannot be called a good translation, and therefore SL should obviously not return such a translation.

3??????????????????? The client then disseminates the (defective) translation, which attracts criticism.

4??????????????????? It will NEVER occur to a client that a translation that gets criticized is simply the result of the “garbage in, garbage out” rule.

5??????????????????? So he will direct his anger to the translation provider

6??????????????????? who will pass his ire on to the translator – THAT’S ME –

7??????????????????? and will never give me another job

8??????????????????? and probably caution his fellow golfers on the links next Saturday never to contact me.”

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There’s a lovely saying among some South American Indians that goes like this:

Don’t curse the crocodile’s mother-in-law before you’ve crossed the river.

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In our technically more advanced world, we would adopt an engineering perspective and say:

Don’t burn your bridges before you’ve crossed them.

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At my age I don’t want to cross any more bridges and would give my pyromanic urges free rein at the mere sight of any bridge.

In other words, If I see an error, I’ll deal with it and inform the client.

But if any of you are faced with this Denmark issue, you’re welcome to embark on my train of thought and see where it takes you.

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Well said, Tony!!

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