[...] 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 ọrụ ntụgharị enwetabeghị nnabata, ha atughị anya i nweta ọtụtụ ihe eji ebi ndụ, iji gabiga. Mmadụ ole na ole bụ ndị a zụrụ n'ezie dịka ndị ntụgharị,mana ọtụtụ bụ ndị nwetara agụmaakwụkwọ mahadum kwụ chịm nakwa mmụta asụsụ kwụ chịm, opekampe asụsụ nke ha. E nwere enyi m dabara n'ụdị a nakwa òtù ndị enyi m bawanyere gụnyekwa ndị ntụgharị ndị ọzọ. A hụ́tara m ha dịka ndị mmadụ na-akpali mmasị, ma chọpụtakwa na kwa mgbe anyị nwere ahụmahụ ndụ yiri. E nwebeghị m nsogbu na ime enyi, mana M nwere oge niile mmetụta dị iche ma o doro m anya na ha nwekwara mmetụta a. Mgbe enyi m kwụsịrị ịrụ, ọ kwadoro m dịka nnọchiteanya ya. M bịara banye n'alaeze ọrụ usoro mkpuchi, nke m na-enweghị ihe m maara. Abụ m naanị onye ọrụ ntụgharị ebe ahụ, ma enweghị ọtụtụ ihe m were ike ijide. dịka ihe nnọchiteanya. N'agbanyeghị, ọ bụ ọ here ị nweta ọganihu. N'ọrụ ọhụrụ m, e bidoro m lebanyewe anya na faịlụ, na-ajụ ajụjụ ma nwetakwa ohere ụlọrụ m ị debanye m n'ihe ọmụmụ usoro mkpuchi. Mahadum nke usoro mkpuchi nọ na okporo ámá, ma m chọpụtara n'akwụkwọ fire koodu, amụma usoro mkpuchi nakwa katalọgụ ịgbanyụ ọkụ dị na ọba akwụkwọ ha. N'oge ahụ, m na-amụ ihe m na-enweghị ohere na ikike ịmụta ka e si eme na mbụ: nchọcha. Oge mbụ m mere ntụgharị atụmatụ nke uru usoro mkpuchi akụmakụ nuklia (nuclear), m nwetara òkù sitere n'aka onyeísí na ngalaba ahụ, na-ekele m na ọrụ ahụ m rụrụ. "Atụ nyeere nke a nkeọma ya na ihe anyị na-eme na mbụ," ka o kwuru. Nke a bụ ọrụ dị ezi elu! Ihe mere bụ na m chọtara akwụkwọ n'ime faịlụ yiri nke m na-arụ ọrụ ya maka ntuziaka, ma mgbe m hụrụ na ndị bu m ụzọ rụọ ọrụ a ji okwu a bụ "nucleus" kama "core", a ghọtara m na faịlụ ndị ahụ a gaghị a bara m uru. M gafere okporo ámá gaa na ọba akwụkwọ chọọ banyere "akụmakụ nuclear (nuclear plants) " Ngwá ngwa ahụ, M hụrụ okwu n'usoro okwu niile m chọrọ. Ọ na-ewe nnukwu ihe maọbụ karịa nke ahụ iji bụrụ ezigbo onye ntụgharị n'ụbọchị ugbu a, n'ezie. |