{"id":633,"date":"2013-06-25T12:51:44","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T12:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/?page_id=633"},"modified":"2013-06-27T10:54:30","modified_gmt":"2013-06-27T10:54:30","slug":"oliver-lawrence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/oliver-lawrence\/","title":{"rendered":"Oliver Lawrence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/div>
Clarity \u2013 serving our clients by serving their readers<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Translating a written text is all about conveying the message of the original in another language. The message may comprise factual information, persuasion to buy, a story as a work of art, etc. While it is important to reflect the author\u2019s style and the conventions of the target genre, it is also vital to actually get the message across effectively, often arguably more so than to preserve notions of \u2018authenticity\u2019. Our clients will not necessarily thank us if we provide a \u2018warts and all\u2019 translation of their business contract, marketing copy or public-information notice.<\/p>\n

To convey our client\u2019s message effectively, we need to avoid creating obstacles to the reader\u2019s comprehension. We can achieve this by focusing on clarity.<\/p>\n

Clarity means many things. Basic good writing, with a natural, flowing style eschewing clich\u00e9, to avoid tripping up or distracting the reader. Plain language, to convey the meaning with precision but without obfuscation. Awareness and avoidance of linguistic constructions that can be inherently ambiguous. Considering the needs of international and non-native readers.<\/p>\n

\n

This paper will discuss these issues and offer suggestions for how translators can produce effectively written, clear texts to serve our clients by serving their readers. Some relevant tools and resources will also be covered.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The presentation will cover some or all of the following issues …<\/p>\n

Basic good writing:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • flow, minimising distractions<\/li>\n
  • keeping jargon and clich\u00e9 under control<\/li>\n
  • knowing your readers (are they intellectual old sticklers or groovy young things?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Plain language:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • prioritising the purpose of a text, facilitating readers<\/li>\n
    • what plain language is, what it isn\u2019t<\/li>\n
    • the benefits of plain language<\/li>\n
    • plain-language principles\n
        \n
      • plain words<\/li>\n
      • plain structure<\/li>\n
      • vertical lists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • plain language in translation vs plain language in writing original texts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Avoiding ambiguity:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • ambiguity inherent in the text vs. ambiguity introduced by the translator<\/li>\n
        • ambiguous constructions and avoiding them\n
            \n
          • humorous asides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • to facilitate downstream translation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            International readers and non-native readers \u2013 making it clear for them:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • minimise use of locale-specific idiom (that they may not know)<\/li>\n
            • keep grammar straightforward, include verbal signposts, minimise elliptical constructions (keep relative pronouns and adverbs, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Approaches, tools and resources to enhance clarity<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Xbench<\/li>\n
              • Stylewriter?<\/li>\n
              • books<\/li>\n
              • plain-language consultants (training\/CPD)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                <\/div>

                <\/div><\/p>\n

                Oliver Lawrence translates from Italian to English (specialising in tourism, marketing and contracts) and edits texts translated from Italian or written by non-native speakers. He is an MCIL, a member of Plain Language Association InterNational (PLAIN), and an Associate of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders. He has been living and working in Italy since 2008 but is still partial to a nice cup of Darjeeling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Oliver Lawrence translates from Italian to English (specialising in tourism, marketing and contracts) and edits…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"template-full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/633"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":695,"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/633\/revisions\/695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iapti.org\/conferenceUK\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}