Language breakout: interactive translation session (IT<>EN)

Early on Saturday morning, creative energy was already flowing freely in Salle 4 of the Espace de Convention Saint-Nazaire in Carcassonne. Small groups of super-concentrated translators working between Italian and English huddled over a notepad to exchange ideas and suggest ways to tackle the snippets that appeared on the screen. These interactive translation sessions have become a staple of METM conferences and something to look forward to (I know I do!). To add to the fun, this year we got to translate in both directions for the first time. The programme promised “a selection of wickedly tricky texts”, and our hosts, Laura Bennett and Livia Nocera, delivered!

We started the session with an excerpt from an Italian blog about fitness that highlighted the importance of distinguishing between sports based on specific movements (esecuzione di gesti specifici) and “situation sports” (sport di situazione). The conversation that followed mainly focused on “sport di situazione”. It was fascinating to see how some suggestions were along the same lines, while others were slightly different but equally interesting.

The second snippet – our first into Italian – was from a perfume brand’s website and told the story of William H. Penhaligon, who, at some point in his life, “concocted his grand plan to pursue success as an olfactory entertainer and dab-handed barber”.

Was it challenging? Indeed it was, especially if you consider that about 99% of the people in the room usually translate into English. However, every suggestion managed to maintain the original’s fun, witty tone of voice, so kudos to these fantastic translators!

Next up was the conclusion of an academic research project about migration in Switzerland, which proved quite tricky for everyone because of the convoluted structure of the original.

Time was flying swiftly, and before we knew it we were back to translating into Italian. This time, it was a passage from The Royal Road to Romance by Richard Halliburton about “a magical moonlit city of walls and towers and battlements”, which turned out to be Carcassonne, no less.

After this stop in Carcassonne, we were catapulted into the countryside of Trentino with an excerpt from a tourist brochure on this northern Italian region. Again, the ideas swirling around were as juicy as the delicious apples of that area.

Unfortunately, we only got to read the last snippet – a passage from an article on one-euro homes in Mussomeli, Sicily – as clocks were ticking, and it was already time for the METM24 group photo.

What makes these interactive sessions so stimulating and enjoyable?

Well, for one, the variety of topics, styles, and tones of voice we get to work with. And then there’s the spirit of collaboration, which is probably the best thing. Many suggestions were met with cries of “Ooh!”, “Oh yeah!” and “I hadn’t thought about that!” from every corner of the room, proving how powerful and inspiring teamwork is.

Finally, these sessions show that human translators still have an edge over machines because, unlike machines, we can play with nuance, vocabulary, and metaphors; we can inject warmth, empathy, and humour; we can spice things up or dial things down as appropriate.

Thank you, Laura and Livia, for this stimulating session. And thank you, translators in the room, for the healthy dose of inspiration!

This METM24 session was chronicled by Elina Ilaria Nocera.

Featured photo courtesy of MET.