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Subject:Bilingualism in TW From:avobert -at- twh -dot- nbg -dot- de (Alexander Von_obert) To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:12 May 00 21:48:02 +0000
Hello Rowena,
* Antwort auf eine Nachricht von rhart -at- xcert -dot- com an All am 05.05.00
rr> I'm wondering if there are other benefits to
rr> learning and using another language in the
rr> workplace.
rr> - Are there any trends in tech writing toward
rr> hiring bilingual writers, especially those who
rr> are bilingual in an Asian language?
here in the Europen Union much documentation must be produced in 11 languages.
Hardy any writer can translate all of that. So it is quite important to manage
translations. But it definitely helps so be fluent in one or more languages
besides your own.
rr> - How many tech writers do research in another
rr> language but write in English? What are some
rr> of the challenges you face?
The other way round: I sometimes translate IT manuals or telecommunications
standards from English to German. I could not do such things without research
in English. The last example was "baseline privacy" in a DOCSIS standard. It
is quite easy to find a few relevant pages using such unique terms. My problem
then is what to do in German: Use "New German" (simply keep the expression),
find the appropriate German term (impossible for an emerging technology like,
in this case, cable modes) or create a usable new term.
rr> These are just a few of the things I'm curious
rr> about.
Another one: During my first TW years an American translated by texts. It was
extremely helpful to check my translations: Sometimes the translator simply
forgot to translate a sentence. But most translation errors were mine and led
me to improve by texts and, in the end, my style.
Greetings from Germany,
Alexander
--
Alexander von Obert, Urbanstr. 2, 90480 Nuernberg, Germany
Free-lance technical writer (electronics, software)
Voice +49-911-403903, Fax -403904, BBS -403905 (FIDO 2:2490/1719)
avobert -at- techwriter -dot- de http://www.techwriter.de
