Abstract
The web is a vast and disorganised language resource which is often accessed too naively or superficially by students or inexperienced translators. In this paper, bachelor's students enrolled in a course in translation studies are challenged to translate an extract of a legal document. To complete their translation task, they consulted the language resources they felt comfortable with. Some of them asked for advice to external experts. This helped make the translation task real-life. Despite the language tools used, the students' shortcomings and mistranslations were several. In particular, formulaic expressions were neglected and too many literal or “fanciful” translation candidates were proposed. Afterwards, the students took part in a 2-h lesson where they understood how to consult the web effectively to find reliable information. This paper will highlight that a systematic approach to Google search is necessary in order to deliver high-quality translation work. In particular, advanced search must be performed, together with an accurate consultation of legal documents and of authoritative sources, such as experts' forums or sites.
Appendix Challenges of the translation task
For reasons of clarity and logic, the phrases reported in the following table are disposed according to their appearance in the source text.
| Source text | Students' mistranslations | Back-translations | Number (and percentage) of students mistranslating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier Agreement | Accordo di fornitura, contratto con il fornitore, condizioni generali di fornitura, condizione del fornitore, contratto del fornitore | Supply Agreement, Contract with the supplier, General Supply Conditions, Supplier's Condition, Supplier's Contract | 10 (37%) |
| Interest will be added to and payable on all overdue amounts | Interesse, ulteriori interessi, interessi annuali esigibili, interessi versabili, interessi aggiuntivi | Interest, further interests, payable annual interest, payable interests, additional interests | 19 (70%) |
| Interest will be added to and payable on all overdue amounts | Vi saranno degli interessi aggiuntivi, interessi verranno addebitati e erogati, interessi pagabili insieme all'importo dovuto, verrà aggiunto un interesse pari a. | There will be additional interests, interests will be added and distributed, interests payable together with the due amount, an interest equals to will be added | 6 (22%) |
| Interest will be added to and payable (…) at x% of total charges | x%… dei costi totali, degli oneri complessivi, degli oneri totali, delle spese totali, dell'addebito totale | x%… of the total costs, of the overall charges, of the total expenses, of the overall debited amounts | 19 (70%) |
| In addition to any other right or remedy provided by law if Customer fails to pay (…) | Diritto o ricorso, quanto previsto dalla legge, diritto o tutela, strumenti cui ricorrere, diritto o provvedimento, diritto o risarcimento, diritto o garanzia, diritto o mezzo di tutela, diritto o azione, diritto o misura | Right or petition, what is foreseen by law, right or protection, tools to resort to, right or provision, right or liquidated damages, right or guarantee, right or means of protection, right or action, right or measure | 14 (52%) |
| If Customer fails to pay for the Goods when due, Supplier shall treat such failure to pay as a material breach of this agreement | Potrebbe considerare, deve trattare, è tenuto a considerre | Could consider, must treat, is bound to consider | 4 (15%) |
| If Customer fails to pay for the Goods when due, Supplier shall treat such failure to pay as a material breach of this agreement | Violazione effettiva, violazione concreta, violazione grave, rottura di fatto, violazione sostanziale, causa di rescissione, causa di risoluzione | Effective violation, concrete violation, severe violation, factual break, substantial violation, reason for rescission, reason for cancellation | 17 (63%) |
| And may cancel this agreement | Cancellare, chiedere il recesso, annullare, rescindere, recedere, disdire, invalidare, sciogliere | Cancel (erase), ask for recession, annul, rescind, recede, call off, invalidate, dissolve | 22 (81%) |
| Supplier will arrange for delivery by carrier chosen by Supplier | Corriere, mezzo di trasporto, modalità di trasporto, metodi di trasporto | Courier, means of transport, transport modality, method of transport | 20 (74%) |
| Unless a notice of termination is sent per post within 15th of the month preceding termination | Avviso di conclusione, termine di preavviso, avviso, avviso di risoluzione, comunicazione di interruzione, notifica di rottura, preavviso di disdetta, notifica di cessazione | Conclusion notice, notice term, notice, cancellation notice, interruption communication, break-up notification, termination warning, cessation notice | 10 (37%) |
| Within 15th of the month preceding termination | Alla fine della consegna, precedente la conclusione del contratto, prima della rescissione, antecedente la risoluzione, precedente il termine | At the end of the delivery, preceding the contract end, before rescission, before cancellation, before the end | 11 (41%) |
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