Spanish

All presentations are in English unless otherwise noted.

S-1 (T, 1:45pm-3:15pm) - All Levels
Spanish Language Division Annual Meeting
Rudy Heller (Brookfield, Massachusetts), administrator, ATA Spanish Language Division, and deputy chair, ATA Divisions Committee

S-2 (T, 3:30pm-5:00pm) - Intermediate/Advanced
Reinventing the Senses: A Workshop in Spanish Literary Translation
Cindy Schuster (Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts), instructor and coordinator, Certificate in Spanish Translation Program, Department of Hispanic Studies, University of Massachusetts

This will be a hands-on workshop addressing the stylistic nuances in the translation of sensory perceptions and psychological states in literary texts. It will include a detailed analysis of various options the translator might consider when translating literary language that describes a fictional sensory experience. We will examine the ways in which this language functions, not only to evoke a particular scene, but also to metaphorically communicate an undercurrent of information about a character that is not explicitly stated (yet is crucial to the understanding of the text). After the formal presentation, participants will have the opportunity to grapple with similar problems in an exercise (Spanish®English) provided by the presenter.

S-3 (F, 10:15am-11:00am) - Advanced
Elementos conceptuales y terminológicos de los textos jurídicos en español
Graciela Hebe Maleh (Buenos Aires, Argentina), public translator and interpreter
Presenting Language: Spanish

El objeto de esta presentación-taller es analizar las particualridades del lenguaje jurídico en los sistemas codificados derivados del Derecho Romano sin comprometernos en un análisis comparativo de los sistemas jurídicos (Common Law versus Derecho Romano) se analizará un texto jurídico en español. El estilo jurídico tiene su propia estructura y terminología al punto de convertirse casi en una jerga técnica incomprensible para el lego. Esta presentación procurará facilitar y proveer algunos elementos conceptuales y terminológicos que permitan la interpretación de un texto jurídico. Esto proporcionará a quienes traducen al español algunas herramientas para abordar la tarea de transferir al español un texto de similar naturaleza redactado en idioma inglés.

S-4 (F, 11:00am-11:45am) - Intermediate
Enseñanza de traducción jurídica
Liliana Bernardita Mariotto (Buenos Aires, Argentina), sworn English«Spanish translator
Presenting Language: Spanish

Análisis de métodos de enseñanza de traducción como paso previo a la enseñanza de traducción jurídica. El rol docente, la relación que se debe construir entre docente y alumno para lograr transmitir el conocimiento, y la interacción resultante de la relación creada. A través de ejemplos, análisis de: calco, contextualización (polisemia), textualidad (cohesión, coherencia), factor cultural, relaciones funcionales (ampliación de la información, contraste de ideas, ejemplificación, generalización, especificación, rectificación, refuerzo), géneros discursivos y funciones del discurso. Breve análisis de herramientas informáticas a través de los procesos de jerarquización, selección, descarte, adopción, adaptación y ensamble de la información que brinda Internet.

S-5 (F, 1:45pm-2:30pm) - All Levels
Cultural Differences in Ethical Issues Regarding U.S. Models of Contracts, Codes of Conduct, and Similar in Latin America
Georganne Weller (Mexico City, Mexico), federally certified court interpreter and contract interpreter, U.S. Department of State
Presenting Language: Spanish

After close examination and discussion of various ATA and other professional association materials on ethical issues (Translators' Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices, Model Contract for Translators, and the Model Confidentiality Agreement, among others) with advanced students at the Universidad Iberoamericana and long-standing professionals in the field in Mexico, we have discovered many clauses and statements which might not be culturally appropriate. Such statements could even be considered aggressive in Mexico, and most likely in the rest of Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. This session consists of three parts: 1) presentation of polemic clauses and statements from the aforementioned documents; 2) discussion of why they might present cultural problems for professional relations in Spanish-speaking/culture countries; and 3) feedback from the audience regarding the ideas the presenter has provided, which would become the basic framework for a three-hour workshop in Phoenix in 2003 on this subject (in an effort to reach common ground for doing business with clients from a non-English-speaking cultural background, both in the U.S. and in Latin America).

[CANCELED] S-6 (F, 2:30pm-2:50pm) - All Levels
On Circus Acts, Language Cops, and Linguists
Verónica Albin (Bellaire, Texas), freelance translator and lecturer, Department of Hispanic and Classical Studies, Rice University
Presenting Language: English, with some Spanish examples

[CANCELED] S-7 (F, 3:05pm-5:00pm) - All Levels
Context, Culture, and Cognition
Verónica Albin (Bellaire, Texas), freelance translator and lecturer, Department of Hispanic and Classical Studies, Rice University; Pimpi Coggins (Houston, Texas), freelance technical translator; and Robert Allen Hawke (Houston, Texas), Spanish teacher, Episcopal High School
Presenting Language: Spanish

Every time we see a word certain cognitive schemas are automatically activated, and we subconsciously think of other related words and ideas. Thus, every word has a complex system of ideas behind it. For example, the whole system of kinship is the background against which the meaning of the noun father first gets characterized. On a deeper level, however, the word father reminds us of certain personal experiences or of phrases to which we have been exposed repeatedly (Our Father, father knows best, our forefathers, etc.) In short, every word a translator faces is subject to a cognitive processing that includes not only fixed concepts, but also intellectual conceptions and sensory and emotive triggers. (Father: donor of the X or Y chromosome; father of our country; mother and father; etc.). Each word is also delimited by the words or ideas, sometimes not explicitly expressed, that surround it (context). The correct interpretation of a specific word also subsumes a translator's cultural awareness, both generally and related specifically to the word, whether explicitly (the Ides of March; the Founding Fathers) or implicitly (Bataan; Chronos). In this presentation, conducted in Spanish, we will attempt to solve difficult translation problems by turning the stones of culture, context, and cognition.

S-8 (S, 8:30am-10:00am) - All Levels
Translating Spanish Companies' Financial Statements
John J. Rynne (Aranjuez, Spain), ATA-accredited (Spanish®English) translator and founder, Versalia Traduccion

The translation of Spanish financial statements (and annual reports in general) is discussed on a broad level followed by an examination of specific pitfalls. Standard translations are given for the principal line items and concepts. Sources of information and inspiration are identified.

S-9 (S, 10:15am-11:45am) - Intermediate
Taxation in Latin America
Silvana Debonis (Buenos Aires, Argentina), certified public English«Spanish translator and instructor, Universidad del Museo Social
Presenting Language: Spanish

Tax planning has become a critical area of study for multinational companies intending to invest overseas. Companies tend to spend valuable time weighing the tax benefits and drawbacks of prospective business locations. In fact, tax considerations have been decisive in determining whether an investment plan will eventually get the green light. This presentation is intended for English«Spanish translators working in the business field. Its purpose is to analyze key taxation concepts in the major capital-importing countries of Latin America, and to discuss the translation (into English) of specific terminology in the absence of an equivalent tax in English-speaking countries.

S-10 (S, 10:15am-11:00am) - Intermediate
Spanish Translation in Telecommunications
Ury Vainsencher (Tel Aviv, Israel), translator
Presenting Language: Spanish

Even with its present difficulties, telecommunications is a key industry and the Spanish-speaking audience is still one of its most important targets. When the industry comes back, the demand for Spanish translation will presumably burgeon. This presentation will cover aspects of Spanish translation in the telecommunications field while addressing the following issues: a) making sure the register suits your audience; b) established terminology sources (Microsoft, ITU) and electronics manufacturers (when should each be used?); c) the Internet as a terminology source (whom do you trust?); d) translation, neologism, or adoption?; and e) cultural and political aspects of translation in telecommunications.

S-11 (S, 11:00am-11:45am) - All Levels
Ambiguity and Translation
María Barros (Astoria, New York), translator, United Nations

Ambiguity is a frequent problem encountered during the first step of the translation process (e.g., the decoding of the source-language message). The speaker will define the concept of ambiguity, describe the main features of ambiguous messages, analyze the most common causes for ambiguity in the English languages, and offer several techniques for decoding them. The examples used will be English®Spanish.

S-12 (S, 1:45pm-3:15pm) - All Levels
Topics in Spanish Lexical Dialectology: La ciudad y los fueros
Andre Moskowitz (El Cerrito, California), hispanist, lexicographer, dialectologist, translator of Spanish- and Portuguese-language business and legal texts, federally certified court interpreter (Spanish/English)

This presentation will provide information on the regional variation of Spanish-language names for items relating to urban existence, such as sidewalk and shantytown, and to bureaucracy, such as slang terms for influences (i.e., pull or clout). The terms that are used in each of the 20 Spanish-speaking countries will be presented, and the audience will be asked to share its knowledge of regional Spanish terminology.

[CANCELED] S-13 (S, 3:30pm-4:15pm) - All Levels
Written Communication in Mexico: Do's and Don'ts
Claudia Hernandez (Tempe, Arizona), financial translator; and Gabriela Rodriguez (Tempe, Arizona), Spanish major, University of Albuquerque
Presenting Language: Spanish

Mexico... an exotic land of beaches, mountains, and magnificent sunsets. In recent years, however, it has become an economic haven for investors, as more and more foreigners wish to acquire land, invest in a company, or simply rent a condo. Too often, horror stories come to mind, and are a great factor in stopping people from investing in what is rated as a risky market. In Mexico, where the Napoleonic system is used, the mass of paperwork might seem like a tangled web, but it doesn't have to be. There is a certain way written communication must be worded, especially when addressed to high officials, lawyers, and trustees, but good communication between the bureaucracy and foreigners is possible, provided the right tools are used.

New S-14 (F, 2:45pm-5:00pm) - All Levels
How to Translate for the Healthcare Consumer 
Maria A. Cornelio (New York City), director, Hispanic Research and Recruitment Center, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center

What do we need to keep in mind when translating documents for the consumer of healthcare services? Knowledge of medical terminology is important, but other features that are just as crucial tend to receive less attention. This session addresses frequently overlooked issues such as: taking into account audience literacy levels; how register and format affect comprehension; why it is important to know the purpose of the translation; and the impact of government regulations. The focus will be on the criteria used by major hospitals and research institutions in reviewing translations intended for their patient populations.

(Related Sessions: Preconference Seminars (Seminar A), Strategies for Sight Translation, Consecutive Interpretation, and Note Taking; Preconference Seminars (Seminar C), The Equity Market: Fundamental Versus Technical Analysis; Preconference Seminars (Seminar D), La evolución del lenguaje químico: del carbono a los dinosaurios; Preconference Seminars (Seminar F), EnglishÕSpanish Translation of Standard and Nonstandard Contract Clauses; Preconference Seminars (Seminar L), Translating Debt: Spanish to English; Preconference Seminars (Seminar M), Cómo evitar anglicismos (Avoiding Anglicisms in Spanish); Preconference Seminars (Seminar O), Understanding Argentina: What Led the Third Largest Economy in Latin America to Default?; German (G-4), Aus dem Nähkästchen der Überredungskünstler: Translation as the Art of Persuasion; Interpreting (I-1), The Time Factor in Interpreter Training; Interpreting (I-4), The Use of Compromise and Compensation for Translation Problems Involving Cultural Issues; Interpreting (I-7), Guides to Telephone Interpreting; Interpreting (I-11), The Third Interlocutor: The Visible Language Interpreter in a Healthcare Setting; Interpreting (I-15), Teach Your Client (How to Work with an Interpreter); Literary (L-3), The Challenges of Translating Antonio Skármeta's La Boda del Poeta; Literary (L-10), Spanish Literary Translation Workshop (Drama and Poetry); Literary (L-11), Translating Dr. Seuss: Two Texts Not Published in Spanish; Social Sciences (SOC-3), Hispanic/Latinos in Census 2000: Numbers to Count in Business and Public Health; Social Sciences (SOC-4), Effects of Latin American Immigration on U.S. Spanish Population; Social Sciences (SOC-6), Problems of Translation in the Social and Natural Sciences (SpanishÕEnglish); Terminology (TERM-2), Firearms Terminology in English, French, Spanish, and German; Terminology (TERM-3), An Analysis of Contemporary Terms in U.S. English Referring to the Ethnic Groups and Their Spanish Equivalents; and Training and Pedagogy (TP-3), An Adventure in Online Learning: Introduction to Medical Interpreting)