101 things a translator needs to know

101 Things a Translator Needs to Know é uma obra voltada para tradutores iniciantes, mas pode ser de grande utilidade para profissionais, estudantes e professores.

Trata-se de uma compilação de dicas de tradutores com um bom tempo de experiência na área, abrangendo diversas experiências tanto no tempo técnico quanto literário.

Leia alguns dos excertos da obra aqui (em inglês) e a crítica feita pelo tradutor Joseph Lambert.

via Tradutora.

Understand
what the source text doesn’t say

Unless you’re truly proficient in your source language, you’ll never have the confidence to make your target text sound authentic. If you don’t detect the weak signals – that rather odd wording, for example; is it committee writing or a sign that your remarkably diplomatic authors have something to hide? – chances are you’ll play it safe and end up with something even odder in the target language.
Living in the country where they speak your source language is the best way to stay on top of things, but that’s obviously not an option for everybody. If it’s been years since you set foot in the country, you need to plan a trip. Maybe even a sabbatical. Or find another way to get back into the conversation before it’s too late.
[...]

Professional ethics: clients

Most of the precepts behind professional ethics apply to everyday life: only occasionally does something arise which relates specifically to your job as a translator.
For client relations you must build trust by:

• being honest about your qualifications, capabilities and responsibilities, and working within them;
• negotiating agreed terms of business, and abiding by them. Most professional organisations offer model terms and conditions that can serve as a basis for your own;
• keeping confidential information confidential.