TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Translation From:Richard Lippincott <rlippinc -at- BEV -dot- ETN -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 12 Dec 1994 09:03:35 EST
Karen Kay talked about translation from Japanese to English:
>often it's perfectly fine Japanese--but I end up using a lot of
>passive constructions in my translation because it's unclear who the
>actor is.
Ah, that would suggest that my original question may have been valid. If the
original Japanese was -clear- who the actor is, you'd have less problem with
the passive voice.
But I think you're right also about the other point: the translator should be
a native speaker of the target language. I think most of us can pick out
quickly the documents that were translated by persons who's native language was
English, and those who's native language was Japanese.
Rick Lippincott
Eaton Semiconductor
Beverly, MA
rlippinc -at- bev -dot- etn -dot- com