Caron Bailey, our exceptionally capable Certification Program manager at ATA Headquarters, fields all kinds of questions from prospective exam candidates. One of the most frequent is about language varieties: Brazilian or European Portuguese? Peninsular or Latin American Spanish? Like Caron, I’ve often been asked, “I’m from country X. What if all the graders are from country Y and they think my translation solutions are incorrect? Will the exam feature obscure regionalisms I’m expected to know?” This month’s column will attempt to answer those questions.
Some languages, like Hungarian or Japanese, are the official language of only one country, whereas others are either the official language, or one of several, in multiple countries. For example, English, Arabic, French, and Spanish are each official or co-official in at least 20 countries. The latter two have official academies that govern grammar and usage, whereas English is notoriously lax about enforcement.
Novice translators are often puzzled about which rules they should follow when their clients are scattered all over the world, and some target audiences are quite exacting. (An old quote, variously attributed to George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, or Oscar Wilde, is that England and America are two countries separated by a common language.) Distinguishing between a standard language, regional variety, and dialect is also politically fraught. In light of disagreements among linguists, the Yiddish-speaking sociolinguist Max Weinreich popularized the quip that a language is simply a dialect with an army and a navy.
Fortunately for translators who work into English from one of the 17 languages in which certification exams are available, ATA specifies that U.S. English must be used and has published the Into-English Grading Standards to provide further guidance. The grader workgroups for the “English into” languages are also required to adopt language-specific guidelines, some of which specify an authoritative resource such as an academy or dictionary that candidates can refer to when in doubt. The list of permitted resources in the Certification section of ATA’s website contains links to these and other trustworthy references for each language.
But to get back to the questions mentioned at the beginning of this article, I thought it would be useful to ask the language chairs (LCs) of some key grader workgroups how they respond when candidates ask about their expectations with respect to regional varieties. I also asked if their workgroup members are broadly representative of the countries where their language is spoken. Below are the answers I received. (Many LCs who may be on vacation or otherwise occupied might not have had a chance to answer before my admittedly tight deadline.)
Arabic: According to English>Arabic LC Elias Shakkour: “For English into Arabic, we require (Modern) Standard Arabic (MSA), otherwise known as fusha. While MSA/fusha is mostly standard from country to country, there are some regional differences. For example, different countries use different names for the months of the year, and there are a few spelling differences across countries as well. We accept any regional variety as long as the candidate is consistent in their translation within the same passage. In other words, if a passage includes two names for months, the candidate should not mix varieties, and the same for spelling variants. We strive to have diverse regional representation among the graders so we can consult each other if there are doubts about differences.”
French: Ellen Sowchek, LC of the French>English workgroup, said that although French is spoken in many places outside France, “our French>English test passages are always in Parisian French. Also known as Metropolitan French, it’s the ‘standard’ version of French used in France and by international organizations.” The Académie Française, which is responsible for maintaining, promoting, improving, and regulating the French language and determining standards of acceptable grammar and vocabulary, is the final authority on language. “Our passages conform to their requirements. If there are any specific regionalism or local expressions, we’ll indicate how they are to be translated in the translation instructions (TIs) for the exam.”
Portuguese: According to Julia Pedro, LC of the English>Portuguese workgroup: “Portuguese is an official language in many countries besides Portugal and Brazil, and there two norms: Portuguese—Portugal (pt_PT), used in Portugal, Timor-Leste, and African countries whose official language is Portuguese, and Portuguese—Brazil (pt_BR), used in Brazil.” Portuguese is a single language with two standards, as European and Brazilian Portuguese are mutually intelligible. Julia explained that, “while there are variations in grammar, vocabulary, and spelling between the two standards, pronunciation is what differs the most,” stressing that graders are well acquainted with both.
“Usually, we identify the norm the candidate has used in the first sentences and grade accordingly. What’s not acceptable is to use both standards in the same text. … [W]e refrain from using target audience nationalities in the TIs.”
Spanish: Mercedes De la Rosa Sherman, LC of the English>Spanish workgroup, replied that there is good geographical representation among graders, who come from all over the Hispanic world. “When a word sounds ‘strange’ to one of us,” she said, “we first ask in the group if someone knows that word.”
To avoid the problem of regionalisms, the TIs for each passage specify that the target audience is “educated Spanish speakers from all Spanish-speaking countries in the world.” Mercedes also pointed out that the dictionary of the Real Academia Española usually includes regional differences in meanings.
Conclusion
I hope the foregoing has made it clear that ATA’s Certification Program strives to be as transparent as possible about language standards. Graders who represent a variety of countries where their respective languages are spoken are well aware of regional differences and consult others when questions arise. In addition, ATA’s language divisions often address differences in usage and standards, so candidates should pay attention to their publications and activities. At ATA’s Annual Conference, many graders wear a ribbon identifying them as such, so if you have questions about matters not covered here, you can ask them directly.
About the Author
Holly Mikkelson, CT is professor emerita of translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is a federally certified court interpreter and an ATA-certified Spanish<>English translator with four decades of professional experience. She has taught classes and workshops all over the world. She has written many articles and books on various aspects of interpreting and is the author of the Acebo training manuals for court and medical interpreters. She serves as deputy chair of ATA’s Certification Committee. hmikkelson@gmail.com