Not Buying a Commodity, Especially not on Credit

The most iconic translation error 
in video game history: Zero Wing
"All your base are belong to us."

If you read my latest blog post, you know that I changed my topic from today’s credit dogma to today’s translation dogma but you may not clearly understand what “translation dogma” even means. Although many Americans don’t have a constant need for translation, those who do need to understand that translation cannot be bought as a commodity (Inspired by an ATA publication). When I say “translation,” what I really mean is any language service; be it sign language interpretation, literary translation, medical interpretation, etc. And when I say it’s not a commodity, I mean that translation services cannot be compared solely by price. Not all translations are created equal and they should not be bought with that mentality.

From:Guff

In my first blog post, I explained that credit does not have the same value as money. Many people believe that credit, in some circumstances, actually has more value than money. But it doesn’t. Translations are not created equal either; the value of a translation can change depending on the situation. If you want a translation meant for a Chinese audience, you aren’t going to want to pay a French translator. Not because Chinese translation is more valuable per se, but because French translation is more relevant in this situation. This reminds me of men like Martin Luther and William Tyndale who spent years working on translations of the Bible. They did more than render text in new languages, they took the power from the preachers and put it in the hands of the people. If they had translated into Chinese instead of English or German, they would have been unsuccessful. This call for change is about shifting power from the banks to the people, from the priests to the people, or giving power to the people in general.

From: Favim

It wasn't until I had already changed my topic that I considered the origin of credit. Just as the invention of the printing press made access to texts available to all people (when coupled with translation), industrialization made things available to them as well. Once things became readily available, people started wanting them more and more and credit simply became a means to attaining those things with growing consumerism mentalities. But the problem is that consumers can rarely set their own boundaries when it comes to credit. When countries began to set out of line due to elitist and nationalist views, governments came together to protect the global community in groups like the League of Nations. Unfortunately, credit users get into way too much trouble before finding their boundaries, which adds to the need to change current credit dogmas.

Columbus "discovers" America

In my second blog post, I wondered how you can change a dogma. Columbus sailed the ocean blue in search of a route to India. After landing in the Caribbean, he believed, until the day he died, that he had accomplished his goal. Many people decide to buy on credit because they've been told that it is beneficial but they don’t take a minute to analyze what is actually going on. They believe in geocentrism without taking a moment to see the heliocentrism around them. The same thing happens in translation. Many clients of translation believe that any bilingual can perform a translation task. The biggest problem with this is that the clients can’t actually gauge the quality of a translation product, if they could, they wouldn't have needed a translator in the first place.

From: Favim

What I realized as I prepared my video for my call for change is that all people need is for you to show them how to break the dogma. In the basement of a library, Petrarch discovered some ancient Latin texts and realized that he was speaking his own native language wrong. From then on out he dedicated his life to perfecting the way that he lived basing it on “pure” sources. What clients of translation can do is go to the pure source: certified translation. Petrarch didn't know he wasn't speaking correctly until he found that “pure” source. Those who are looking for translation services should find their providers through official translation associations or hire certified translators for the job. Although clients can’t really gauge a translator’s ability, they can trust official organizations to ensure that they are provided with “pure” Latin and not that “knock-off” stuff as Petrarch would call it.

In Response to Comments:

I realize that my two topics don't relate very well. When we began working on the final call for change, I didn't know that we were supposed to continue with the same topic and I wanted to work on a project that had more to do with my major (Spanish Translation). So I changed my topic but that change had nothing to do with the development of my idea. Unfortunately, the prompt asked us to talk about the development from the beginning even if our topics were changed. 

I did write a blog post that was more focused on the call to change I presented today, but because it did not correctly address the prompt of the assignment, I rewrote my post which is written above. The old blog post is on my personal blog, which I started because I was enjoying writing the blogs for this class.