Papers by Ester Torres-Simon
Translation Spaces, 2023
This article addresses the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Econom... more This article addresses the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the lens of pivot template subtitling, a practice deemed logistically efficient by some and ethically suspicious by others. Drawing on (i) a critical review of 29 European codes of ethics promoted by professional translation associations and (ii) the answers to our online questionnaire on pivot subtitling (completed by 376 subtitlers based in Europe), we analyse the main concerns raised about pivot subtitling from the standpoint of access to decent work and economic growth in the AVT industry. Findings suggest that, from the professional subtitlers' point of view, current practices in pivot template-centred workflows may slow down the progress on SDG8, worsen working conditions and clash with professional codes of ethics. We end by suggesting ways to improve the use of indirect translation, so it does not hinder progress on SDG8 in the AVT industry.
Íkala, Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura, 2023
Given the increase of non-English audiovisual content, translating through pivot templates is inc... more Given the increase of non-English audiovisual content, translating through pivot templates is increasingly common. Yet, pivot templates have attracted scant scholarly attention. Several factors remain unclear. Among the first factors are the questions of who creates pivot templates, from what languages are they translated, into what languages are they translated, and what audiovisual products and channels are they for? Secondly, what are the challenges involved in the creation of templates? The third factor would be whether there is any training available for pivot template creators, and whether this training is effective. To provide more clarity on these issues, we distributed a questionnaire and elicited replies from 100 pivot templators and 75 subtitler trainers based in Europe. The results indicate that most pivot templators translate into English as L2. Because of this, diverse difficulties arise. Training in pivot template making seems rare, especially compared to training in subtitling in general. The training that is offered comes mainly from the industry and not academia. This is problematic for various reasons: (a) the former does not typically cover issues related to subtitler ethics or the sustainability of the profession, and (b) translator training and professional codes of conduct eye L2 translation with suspicion. Drawing on the respondents’ insights, we argue that much can be gained from teaching non-English-language native speakers how to create English-language templates.
Ocupaciones y lenguaje. Indicadores y análisis de competencias lingüísticas en el ámbito laboral, 2021
Para entender por qué la traducción automática neuronal ha abierto de nuevo la discusión sobre el... more Para entender por qué la traducción automática neuronal ha abierto de nuevo la discusión sobre el futuro da la profesión del traductor, es necesario conocer qué mejoras aporta respecto a sistemas de traducción anteriores, qué nuevas habilidades requiere para su integración en el ámbito de trabajo, y cómo su desarrollo ha rebajado a la categoría de mito algunas de las afirmaciones que tradicionalmente se han defendido respecto a la traducción automática.
Este estudio recapacita sobre el conocimiento previo y experiencia en el uso de las herramientas ... more Este estudio recapacita sobre el conocimiento previo y experiencia en el uso de las herramientas tecnológicas integradas y necesarias de los estudiantes del curso " Mooc sobre Moocs y otras tecnologías educativas " Las dificultades surgidas durante el curso, cómo se resolvieron y cómo los estudiantes reflexionaron sobre las mismas proporcionan propuestas de ayuda a los alumnos que menor capacitación tecnológica sobre las que reflexionar.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are viewed as one of the most recent opportunities for distanc... more Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are viewed as one of the most recent opportunities for distance learning. The growing demand for this type of training, usually informal, has been gaining momentum by maximizing equity in education and training. Although its apparent informality, MOOCs can be used in a formal context and approach, thus contributing to Teacher Education at a more global level. Teacher Education in Portugal is implemented throughout the whole school year and implies the attendance of training courses at a specific institution. MOOCs are therefore an alternative and easier way to implement continuous training. This paper presents a case study in which a MOOC was developed and implemented in order to attract teachers to this new way of sharing knowledge. The MOOC was called " A MOOC on MOOCs and other educational technologies " and had 17 teachers attending. Fifteen finished the training course and created their own MOOC on the Udemy platform. The participants were from various academic backgrounds and had different professional experiences. Nevertheless, their digital competences were quite homogenous in terms of using synchronous and asynchronous tools. This work aims at clarifying the contribution MOOCs can have in teacher education and at understanding the perception teachers have from their own evolution after developing and implementing their own MOOC. These objectives were assessed through questionnaires at three different stages: before, at the end of the course and four months after the end of the course. Apart from questionnaires, observation was also used as a means to understand the ongoing teacher's reactions to their learning process, since the three trainers were key elements in a participatory action research approach. The analysis of the questionnaires show that the participants considered the MOOC as a scientifically valid training course which has contributed highly to their continuous education. Throughout the paper the development of the whole experiment will be explained in its different stages, providing a clear analysis of the results and feedback of the participants and trainers confirming that MOOCs can be used in the context of Teacher Education in Portugal, where the experiment was a novelty, as well as in other similar contexts in other countries. MOOCs facilitate access to education for educators, eroding space barriers in a time where teachers need to be empowered for the 21 st teaching and learning process.
The Professional Backgrounds of Translation Scholars. Report on a survey.
A survey of 305 translation scholars shows that 96 per cent of them have translated or interprete... more A survey of 305 translation scholars shows that 96 per cent of them have translated or interpreted “on a regular basis,” with translation/interpreting being or having been a main or secondary activity for 43 percent of the scholars. Translation scholars would also seem to be particularly mobile (71 per cent have spent more than one year in a country other than their own) and come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds (33
percent were not engaged in translation and interpreting in their mid 20s). These figures
indicate that translation scholars not only have considerable practical experience of translation but also come from a wide range of occupational backgrounds. Asked about
desirable relations between scholarly work and professional practice, respondents indicated benefits for both sides (although a slight majority stressed a unidirectional relationship
where scholarly work benefits from professional practice), and teaching is often indicated as the link between the two. However, about a quarter of the scholars indicated that there
need not be a relationship between scholarship and professional practice.
A bagagem profissional de estudiosos da tradução: relatório de uma pesquisa
Uma pesquisa com 305 estudiosos da tradução mostra que 96% deles já traduziram ou interpretaram “... more Uma pesquisa com 305 estudiosos da tradução mostra que 96% deles já traduziram ou interpretaram “regularmente”, com tradução/interpretação sendo ou tendo sido a atividade principal ou secundária de 43% deles. Eles também parecem mudar-se com frequência (71% passaram mais de um ano em outro país sem ser o seu) e trazem bagagens acadêmicas e profissionais diversas (33% não estavam engajados na tradução ou interpretação quando tinham vinte e poucos anos). Esses dados indicam que estudiosos da tradução não apenas têm experiências consideráveis na prática de tradução, mas também apresentam uma vasta gama de bagagens profissionais e culturais. Perguntados sobre as relações desejáveis entre trabalhos acadêmicos e prática profissional, os entrevistados indicaram benefícios para ambos os lados (apesar de uma pequena maioria salientar uma relação unidirecional em que o trabalho acadêmico se beneficia da prática profissional), sendo o ensino frequentemente indicado como a ligação entre os dois. No entanto, aproximadamente um quarto dos estudiosos indicaram que não precisa haver uma relação entre estudos acadêmicos e prática profissional.
Palavras-chave: estudiosos da tradução; relação entre pesquisa-atuação prática; tradução profissional; sociologia de pesquisa.
Os Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) consistem em cursos online abertos e, normalmente gratuitos... more Os Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) consistem em cursos online abertos e, normalmente gratuitos, que permitem a inscrição de um elevado número de participantes. A adesão a esta modalidade de educação, normalmente informal, foi o principal repto para propor uma oficina de formação, totalmente online. Com esta formação pretendeu-se fornecer as competências necessárias para que professores se sentissem capacitados para criar e distribuir os seus próprios MOOC. No presente trabalho recorre-se à metodologia de estudo de caso e procura-se inicialmente apresentar, através de pesquisa bibliográfica, a revisão de literatura relativamente aos MOOC. Posteriormente, com base nos dados obtidos pela observação participante e inquérito por questionário, evidenciam-se os principais resultados da oficina de formação online “MOOC: uma tecnologia educativa de futuro.
JosTrans
The professional status of a translator is traditionally indicated by a set of social signals inc... more The professional status of a translator is traditionally indicated by a set of social signals including previous experience, academic qualifications, professional accreditation and membership of associations. When those signals shifted from print and word-of-mouth to electronic media, some degree of market disorder resulted with respect to globalization of translator-client contacts, the growth of volunteer translation, access to free online machine translation, and the corresponding motivation to steal the identities of professional translators. Three case studies of websites and forums that have been associated with market disorder (ProZ.com, a comparison of aRGENTeaM and GrupoTS, and the Translator Scammers Directory) indicate that the initial disorder has been challenged and in some cases significantly corrected, with new forms of signalling appearing within the electronic environments. ProZ.com has instigated its own accreditation system, the volunteer subtitling communities have developed elaborate internal hierarchies of control, and the stealing of translators’ identities has been challenged through more sophisticated use of the same electronic media that allowed the thefts. In the new configuration of signals, however, it would seem that academic qualifications have less market value than does verifiable professional experience, while professional accreditation still has value but can be forged. For many segments of the translation market, the return to market equilibrium will require greater attention to new signalling mechanisms, with more sophisticated uses of electronic communication.
The professional status of a translator is traditionally indicated by a set of social signals inc... more The professional status of a translator is traditionally indicated by a set of social signals including previous experience, academic qualifications, professional accreditation and membership of associations. When those signals shifted from print and word-of-mouth to electronic media, some degree of market disorder resulted with respect to globalization of translator-client contacts, the growth of volunteer translation, access to free online machine translation, and the corresponding motivation to steal the identities of professional translators. Three case studies of websites and forums that have been associated with market disorder (ProZ.com, a comparison of aRGENTeaM and GrupoTS, and the Translator Scammers Directory) indicate that the initial disorder has been challenged and in some cases significantly corrected, with new forms of signalling appearing within the electronic environments. ProZ.com has instigated its own accreditation system, the volunteer subtitling communities have developed elaborate internal hierarchies of control, and the stealing of translators’ identities has been challenged through more sophisticated use of the same electronic media that allowed the thefts. In the new configuration of signals, however, it would seem that academic qualifications have less market value than does verifiable professional experience, while professional accreditation still has value but can be forged. For many segments of the translation market, the return to market equilibrium will require greater attention to new signalling mechanisms, with more sophisticated uses of electronic communication.
Literary translation from Korean into English has developed in many ways since the first tentativ... more Literary translation from Korean into English has developed in many ways since the first tentative translations of folk stories carried by missionaries in the early twentieth century. The difficulties of translation might be similar now to those early times, but the selection, subvention, publishing and marketing processes have changed, and with them, the way those topics are tackled by translators and other agents in the translational paratexts. This study locates and classifies the references to translation and the translation process found in the paratexts of literary translations from Korean into English distributed in the American market from 1951 to 2000. The most commonly approached topics are defined bottom-up, and the importance placed in the resulting categories (technical decisions, untranslatability, free vs. literal translation, quality of the output, process of translation, social role of translations and representation of translation) is organized chronologically. By looking into the change of approaches to translation and the translation profession, an overview of the Korean into English literary translation field is provided. This overview is considered in relation to the change of the profile of the translators, the internationalization of the Republic of Korea and the growing commercial aim of translated work.
Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 2015
Interaction between images and cultural references can make illustrations, and especially book co... more Interaction between images and cultural references can make illustrations, and especially book covers, become more than mere supplements to texts. In this study I analyze the topics, paratextual presentations and covers of Korean literature translated into English and published in the USA after the Korean War. I organize topics, discourses and images into four categories of analysis (Modernity, Tradition, Religion and Struggle) and I look into the relations between the four. I aim to discern, first, the main image presented of Korea in this corpus of publications. Second, I want to uncover to what extent these three categories, which may correspond to the three stages of the creation of a literary translation (selection – translation – marketing), have a common focus. Third, based on the results, I draw conclusions regarding the different visions of Korea and the agents involved in the translation of Korean literature. The results show contradictory presentations of the different agents involved with a common hidden discourse: Struggle.
Early publications of manga in Spain translated or adopted Japanese cultural items and inverted v... more Early publications of manga in Spain translated or adopted Japanese cultural items and inverted volumes. On authors, Japanese publishers and Spanish readers’ request, most publications currently keep the original format and transcribe Japanese references. Assumedly, readers believe that domesticating translations hinder the target culture while foreignizing strategies are more respectful. In this study, we want to test if there is a difference in reading behavior depending on the two strategies by analyzing the attention shifts between image and text. That is, can we really prove that different translation strategies create different reading patterns? To test these approaches from the audience’s perspective we have selected real passages of published manga books translated into Spanish, which contain food-related words either kept in Japanese (e.g.. ramen) or adapted into Spanish (e.g. fideos “noodles”). We asked 18 manga consumers to read the selected fragments and their gaze movement was collected using an eye-tracker. Results provide initial data on the effects of different translation techniques on the reading patterns of frequent manga readers indicating that foreignizing strategies generate more complex reading patterns, while domesticating strategies might cause longer mean fixations when reading the text.
Typologies of translation solutions have been used in translator training at least since the 1950... more Typologies of translation solutions have been used in translator training at least since the 1950s. Despite numerous criticisms, some of the oldest versions are still held to have pedagogical value as the toolboxes of the trade. Here we report on class activities in which two classical typologies –Vinay and Darbelnet (1958) and Loh (1958) – were learned, applied, and critically evaluated by four classes of final-year Masters students translating into a variety of European and Asian languages. It is found, as expected, that students working with European languages prefer Vinay and Darbelnet, while students working with Chinese prefer Loh. The students’ evaluations of the solution types nevertheless reveal surprising lacunae in both, evincing the need for some careful redefinitions. The pedagogical value of the solution types thus lies not in their capacity to describe actual translation processes, since there is strong linguistic relativity involved, but in the way their imperfect metalanguages allow students to reflect critically not only on their own practice, but also on the difficulties of theorization.
Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 23-1, Jan 2015
Typologies of translation solutions have been used in translator training since at least the 1950... more Typologies of translation solutions have been used in translator training since at least the 1950s. Despite numerous criticisms, some of the oldest versions are still held to have pedagogical value as the toolboxes of the trade. Here we report on class activities in which two classical typologies – Vinay and Darbelnet and Loh – were learned, applied, and critically evaluated by four classes of final-year Masters students translating into a variety of European and Asian languages. It is found that students working with European languages prefer Vinay and Darbelnet, while students working with Chinese prefer Loh. The students' evaluations of the solution types nevertheless reveal surprising lacunas in both, and evince the need for some careful redefinitions. The pedagogical value of the solution types thus lies not in their capacity to describe actual translation processes, since there is a strong linguistic relativity involved, but in the way that their imperfect metalanguages allow students to reflect critically not only on their own practice but also on the difficulties of theorization.
Priests, Academics, Writers: Professional Development of Korean Translators
And Translation Changed the World: And the World Changed Translation., Jan 2015
Korea was known as the Hermit Kingdom for very good reasons. In 1947, when Western and Soviet sol... more Korea was known as the Hermit Kingdom for very good reasons. In 1947, when Western and Soviet soldiers entered the peninsula to rescue it from the Japanese occupation, they were for many inhabitants of the Korean peninsula the first “foreigners” they had ever seen. Who carried out the translations of Korean literature into English that began flourishing after the Korean War, some years later?
This paper looks into the main activities of the translators of Korean literature in English published or distributed in the United States after the Korean War (1950) and
until the end of the century (2000). By looking at the main activities of literary
translators throughout these 50 years, we aim to draw a picture of the translation scene.
The main activity of translators might hint at their reasons to go into translation and might indicate their connections to Korean literature.
Meta, Jan 1, 2008
In any study of translations one must first decide what is to be counted as a “translation” and h... more In any study of translations one must first decide what is to be counted as a “translation” and how such things are to be found, usually through recourse to bibliographical databases. We propose that, starting from the maximalist view that translations are potentially everywhere, various distribution processes impose a series of selective filters thanks to which some translations are more easily identified and accessible than others. The study of translation must be aware of these prior filters, and must know how to account for them, and sometimes how to overcome them. Research processes then necessarily impose their own selective filters, which may reduce or extend the number and kinds of translations given by prior filters. We present three research projects where the play of prior and research filters is very different. For one-off large-scale relational hypotheses, the Index Translationum is found to be relatively cost-efficient. For more detailed objects such as translation flows from Spanish into French in a specific period, a book-industry database offers significant advantages. And for a study marked by a paucity of texts, as is the case of translation from Korean into English following the Korean War, a combination of databases is necessary, the most useful turning out to be Amazon.
Translation Research Projects 3, Jan 1, 2011
The question of “Who came first?” seems to have an obvious answer: volumes before 1975 precede vo... more The question of “Who came first?” seems to have an obvious answer: volumes before 1975 precede volumes after 1975, therefore volumes before 1975 came first. However, paratexts from two different periods in the Korean-American translation flow (the first stage covering 1951 to 1975 and the second stage covering 1976 to 2000) do not seem to confirm this apparently straightforward correlation. Actually, more volumes in the second period are presented as “first translations” than in the first period. We claim that the purpose of the translation and the stability of the profession are two basic factors that model such claims for “novelty”. On the one hand, pioneer translators seem unaware of their characteristic originality. They usually rely on previous works to legitimise their efforts. On the other hand, later works are already legitimised. However, they need to look for differentiation from the previous works and therefore claim to be “the first”. This research looks into the paratexts of translations from Korean into English published in the United States between 1951 and 2000 as a case study for these claims.
Non-Standard Translation Practices in Post-bellum Korea
Forum, Journal of Translation and Interpreting Studies, Jul 2008
On dit souvent qu’une bonne traduction ne peut être produite que par un traducteur seul, lequel t... more On dit souvent qu’une bonne traduction ne peut être produite que par un traducteur seul, lequel travaillerait directement d’une langue étrangère vers sa langue maternelle. En dépit de quelques voix qui se sont fait entendre et qui défendent la traduction indirecte, la traduction de groupe et la traduction vers des langues autres que la langue maternelle, un traducteur biculturel et bilingue travaillant seul reste encore l’idéal prédominant. Cependant, une recherche effectuée sur les traductions de la littérature coréenne en anglais dates, montre que les pratiques de traduction non standard forment une part importante dans l’amorce d’un flux de traduction.
Puertas a la lectura, Jan 1, 2012
El cómic coreano, el cómic japonés y el cómic chino comparten, entre otras cosas, caracteres (漫畵)... more El cómic coreano, el cómic japonés y el cómic chino comparten, entre otras cosas, caracteres (漫畵) y una creciente presencia en el mercado mundial del cómic, aunque, no nos engañemos, a diferentes niveles. En castellano, a menudo estas palabras no solo representan la nacionalidad de la ilustración sino que también implican una serie de características que provocan que se considere el manhwa (o el manga) como un género en sí mismo. Esta visión dista mucho delsignificado que se le da a la palabra manhwa en Corea.
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Papers by Ester Torres-Simon
percent were not engaged in translation and interpreting in their mid 20s). These figures
indicate that translation scholars not only have considerable practical experience of translation but also come from a wide range of occupational backgrounds. Asked about
desirable relations between scholarly work and professional practice, respondents indicated benefits for both sides (although a slight majority stressed a unidirectional relationship
where scholarly work benefits from professional practice), and teaching is often indicated as the link between the two. However, about a quarter of the scholars indicated that there
need not be a relationship between scholarship and professional practice.
Palavras-chave: estudiosos da tradução; relação entre pesquisa-atuação prática; tradução profissional; sociologia de pesquisa.
This paper looks into the main activities of the translators of Korean literature in English published or distributed in the United States after the Korean War (1950) and
until the end of the century (2000). By looking at the main activities of literary
translators throughout these 50 years, we aim to draw a picture of the translation scene.
The main activity of translators might hint at their reasons to go into translation and might indicate their connections to Korean literature.