Reflections on translating a tourism text:
Below is an excerpt I chose from my translation of the 2011 publication of the Zurich Guide, a small tourism brochure. I chose this excerpt to present and reflect on because I changed it quite a bit throughout this translation process and I think it demonstrates a few key things that I learned. In this translation I learned the value of one major tool-- research. When translating for tourists, I realized how important it is for me to be familiar with the location in general as well as the specific place or event I was writing about. I visited the website for the music festival to get a feel for what it was like. I also used Google Maps to look up what exactly "Kreis 4" is. Without doing any research I couldn't be sure whether or not I should translate "Kreis" because I didn't know that it was a popular, central location. I discovered that in this instance it would be more valuable to a tourist to have the proper title of the district than for it to be "over-translated."
Another aspect from this particular excerpt that was challenging for me was getting the style of the piece to match with the genre. It is easy to get stuck focusing on the German words without taking a step back to make sure the translation reads smoothy for the English reader. While in German the verb "gastieren" might sound natural, in English it is odd to say that a festival "guested" somewhere. The German "zudem" can be translated as "moreover;" however, for a tourism text this translation of the word might not fit quit right and "additionally" seems to be a smoother, better choice. These are examples of some decisions and changes I made that helped me to learn about the importance of style and genre in translation.
Below is an excerpt I chose from my translation of the 2011 publication of the Zurich Guide, a small tourism brochure. I chose this excerpt to present and reflect on because I changed it quite a bit throughout this translation process and I think it demonstrates a few key things that I learned. In this translation I learned the value of one major tool-- research. When translating for tourists, I realized how important it is for me to be familiar with the location in general as well as the specific place or event I was writing about. I visited the website for the music festival to get a feel for what it was like. I also used Google Maps to look up what exactly "Kreis 4" is. Without doing any research I couldn't be sure whether or not I should translate "Kreis" because I didn't know that it was a popular, central location. I discovered that in this instance it would be more valuable to a tourist to have the proper title of the district than for it to be "over-translated."
Another aspect from this particular excerpt that was challenging for me was getting the style of the piece to match with the genre. It is easy to get stuck focusing on the German words without taking a step back to make sure the translation reads smoothy for the English reader. While in German the verb "gastieren" might sound natural, in English it is odd to say that a festival "guested" somewhere. The German "zudem" can be translated as "moreover;" however, for a tourism text this translation of the word might not fit quit right and "additionally" seems to be a smoother, better choice. These are examples of some decisions and changes I made that helped me to learn about the importance of style and genre in translation.
The Original
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My Translation
Events Helvetiaplatz & Kasernenareal Info www.caliente.ch Caliente! Latin Music Festival 1-3 July 2011 After its visit to the Enge Harbor in 2010, where Caliente first appeared at Züri Fäscht, the Latin Music Festival is returning this year to its previous location, Kreis 4. The gigantic fiesta with live bands, DJs, and dance performances is taking place all around the Helvetiaplatz and the Volkshaus, as well as at the Kasernenhof. Lovers of salsa and Brazilian music, merengue, bachata, cumbia, timba, reggaeton, and Latin rock will get their full money’s worth. Additionally, colorful booths offer a range of culinary specialties, exotic drinks, and handcrafts from all over South and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa. |