[...] 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. [...] | [...] Ndị ntụgharị enwetaghị nnabata nnọọ, ha atụghị anya na ha ga-enweta ọtụtụ ihe na-enyere ndụ aka, nwụfọọ nnọọ. A zụrụ ndị mmadụ ole na ole dị ka ndị nsụgharị, mana ọtụtụ n'ime ha nwere agụmakwụkwọ mahadum siri nke na ezi ihe ọmụma banyere asụsụ, opekata mpe asụsụ nke ha. Enwere m otu enyi nke dabara kpọmkwem na nkewa a, na otu ndị enyi m mụbanyere na-ịgụnye ndị nsụgharị ndị ọzọ. Achọpụtara m ka ha bụrụ ndị mmadụ na-amasị m, ma chọpụtakwa na anyị na-enwekarị ụdị ahụmahụ ndụ ndị yirinụ. Enweghị m nsogbu na-ịme enyi, mana a na m enwekarị mmetụta "dị iche" ma m ji n'aka na ha nwekwara mmetụta dị o tua. Mgbe enyi m lara ezumike nka, ọ tụrụ aro ka m bụrụ onye ga-anọchi ya. A banyere m n'ime ogbe mkpuchi ọzọ nke m na-amaghị ugbu a. Mụ onwe m bụ naanị onye ntụgharị nọ ebe ahụ, ọ nweghịkwa ọtụtụ ihe m ga-adaghachi azụ n'elu ya. Agbanyeghị, na ọ bụ ihe ọzọ e nwetara .... Maka ọrụ ọhụrụ m, amalitere m ilepụ faịlụ ndị ahụ, na-ajụ ajụjụ ma mee ka ụlọ ọrụ debanye aha m na nkuzi mkpuchi. Mahadum nke mkpuchi dị n'akụkụ okporo ụzọ, m nyochakwara iwu ọkụ, atumatu mkpuchi na ọmenyụ ọkụ na-ere ere na ọba akwụkwọ ha. M na-amụta ihe m na-enwebeghị ike ime tupu: Nnyocha. Oge mbu aghaghi m itughari nzube nke mkpuchi nke ihe agha nuklia, enwetara m oku sitere n'isi nwoke na ngalaba ahụ, na-ekele m n'ọrụ m rụrụ. Ọ sịrị, "Tụlee nke ọma na ihe maara anyị ahụ. Nke elu elu! Ihe merenụ bụ na m tụgharịrị akwụkwọ na faịlụ ndị ahụ m na-achọ maka nduzi, ma mgbe m hụrụ na onye m nnọchitere anya ya ji okwu "nuklia" kama "isi", Achọpụtara m na faịlụ ndị ahụ abaghịrị m uru . Anọ m na-aga n'okporo ama gaa n'ọba akwụkwọ ahụ wee nyọchaa "igwe nuklia." Achọpụtara m okwu niile m chọrọ ozigbo. Ọ na-ewe nnukwu ọrụ karịa nke ahụ maka ịbụ ezigbo onye ntụgharị ụbọchị ndị taa, n'ezie [...] |