Translating in style (and delivery)

We see our unnamed protagonist walking down the street and into the front door of a large skyscraper in an otherwise undefined city. He takes the elevator to the tenth floor and exits to his right where the generically named translation company he works for is situated. He's been working there for a few years now, and is experienced with the busy workload that will follow that day.

He gets to his office and sits at his desk before reviewing the projects that needed to be acted on. The first up is a children's book that needs to be localized for world-wide distribution. upon opening the book, the protagonist reads through the short story and gains an understanding of the context used here. He then pulls up a typing program and begins to separate the context, page by page. Some

sentences translate very easily into it's counterpart. Others require more indirect translation, and our translator is sure to use rhetorical evidence so that the children will understand the story regardless of the idiomatic differences. He is also sure to maintain middle style and simple words throughout the piece, thereby insuring the book's entertainment value will not be hindered in its translated form.


With that project finished in under an hour, our protagonist then turns to a bill currently in the works at congress. Since the bill will deal with the purchase of foreign products, a copy has been requested in that specific language. The protagonist cracks his fingers and gets to work, splicing the document piece by piece. This assignment is much more complex and our hero is only given the first number of pages to translate today. The judicial form of the document isn't as stingy about idealistic phrasing as the children's book was. Thus, the translator chooses to make as direct a translation as possible, focusing on clarity for the official status of the document. He makes sure that correctness is also applied and that nothing is worded improperly. The process is much slower and the translator occasionally peers into a dictionary designed for governmental phrases. Each sentence must be put into a low style as well and inform the foreign party of the matter at hand. It is a long, arduous process.

After a lunch break, the translator completes his section of the document as three o'clock rolls around. Noting the time, he leaves the office and heads to his car. He is acting as interpreter for the mayor this afternoon during a ceremony with a visiting foreign official. He drives to town hall where the meeting is being held. During the ceremony, the foreign official gives a prepared speech. the Protagonist stands next to him and becomes the mouthpiece for the audience. Since the event is joyous, the translator has to maintain a cheerful and respectful tone to fit that of the actual speaker. He also is sure to emphasize ornateness within the epideictic literature, displaying the necessary ethos that his client needs. It isn't all a walk in the park however. On more than one occasion, the official gets off topic as well and the interpreter finds himself using his quick thinking to accurately portray the sudden ad-lib. Fortunately, everything goes smoothly and the ceremony is a success. The Mayor even comes after to thank him for his diligent work and give a few more job requests for his company in the upcoming weeks. This is discussed respectfully, but with good heart and light jargon is equally involved.

The day is finally over. Our protagonist returns home where his wife is busy making dinner. He helps finish preparations and the two of them sit down to eat. Starting off the conversation, he begins to discuss with his wife all of the things he had done that day and the varying factors of rhetoric that were displayed that day.

The End