Words Matter

Adele Bassett recently interviewed CETRA‘s CEO and other leaders in the language industry to discuss the aims of the ASTM’s New Committee F43 on Language Services and Products. The article was published in ASTM Standardization News. Here is a brief excerpt:

“It’s difficult for clients to distinguish between good and poor translation if they don’t know the language or understand the skills needed to produce an accurate translation,” explains Stejskal. Examples of bad translations are rife. Several years ago, an infamous English to Spanish mistranslation of instructions for mixing baby formula could have caused serious illness or death had it not been caught and the product recalled by its producer.

“Being bilingual doesn’t mean you know how to be a translator or interpreter,” says Stejskal. “If you know how to cook, that doesn’t mean you’re a chef.” He advocates standards that will help manage terminology, compile glossaries, encourage certification and measure translation quality so purchasers are able to determine the level of services they require.

Read the entire Words Matter article.