A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team

Mengqiu Liu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team

Mengqiu Liu

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 8, Issue 1)

Received: 24 February 2022 Accepted: 11 March 2022 Published: 18 March 2022

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Abstract

The language barrier is the first impediment that most companies confront when selling their products abroad. Products trying to convert their content into a new language will often settle on two options: translation and localization. Although similar — both are about converting messages into a new language to reach a new audience — translation and localization are two distinct procedures. Therefore, this paper adopts methods of literature analysis and corpus-based research to study how localization differs from translation, in terms of work content, process and skills required for practitioners. Based on literature analysis, the paper concludes that translation is a subset of localization, a broad term encompassing several strategies for adapting information to a new audience. Localization is a more profound and complex conversion procedure than translation. Localization is done with specific target market needs in mind; therefore, it is not only about content, but also a significant aspect of marketing. This article demonstrates through corpus analysis that, while traditional translations place a premium on the literary quality and accuracy of the translation, localized translations place a premium on the translation's fit with the local language idiom and ability to reach a broader audience for the product. Thus, this article summarizes that while freelance translators place a premium on bilingual abilities, self-management, and marketing capabilities, localization group translators place a premium on their ability to flexibly use their cultural background knowledge to adjust translation content to customer tastes.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 8, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
Page(s)	31-34
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Localization, Translation, Professionalism, Translation Strategies

References

[1]	Schäler R. Localization and translation. Handbook of translation studies. 2010 Oct 28; 1: 209-14.
[2]	Sandrini, P. (2008). Localization and translation. MuTra Journal, 2, 167-191.
[3]	Jiménez-Crespo, M. A. (2010). The intersection of localization and translation: A corpus study of Spanish original and localized web forms. Translation and Interpreting Studies. The Journal of the American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association, 5 (2), 186-207.
[4]	Freidson, Eliot (1994) Professionalism reborn: theory, prophecy, and policy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
[5]	LISA. (2003). Localization Industry Primer, 2^nd ed. Debora F. (ed.) Geneva: Localization Industry Standards.
[6]	González, Luis Pérez (2003) Speaking in tongues: language across contexts and users. 2. Universitat de València.
[7]	Chandler, Heather Maxwell (2011) The game localization handbook. 2^nd ed. edition. Sudbury, Mass.: Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
[8]	Ramadani, Kujtim (2014) Translation–A Showdown between Languages and Cultures. JoLaCE 2/2: 291.
[9]	Pym, Anthony (2012) On translator ethics: principles for mediation between cultures. Amsterdam Philadelphia: Amsterdam Philadelphia: John Benjamins Pub. Co.
[10]	Feng, H. (2019). Sue Wright, Language policy and language planning: From nationalism to globalisation. 2^nd edn. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. Pp. vii, 385. Pb.€ 29.99. Language in Society, 48 (2), 309-312.
[11]	McKay, Corinne (2006) How to succeed as a freelance translator. Two Rat Press.
[12]	Gouadec, Daniel (2010) Translation as a profession. Corrected ed. edition. Amsterdam Philadelphia: Amsterdam Philadelphia: J. Benjamins Pub. Co.
[13]	Jiménez-Crespo, M. A. (2013). Translation and web localization. Routledge.

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APA Style

Mengqiu Liu. (2022). A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 8(1), 31-34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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ACS Style

Mengqiu Liu. A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2022, 8(1), 31-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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AMA Style

Mengqiu Liu. A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2022;8(1):31-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15,
  author = {Mengqiu Liu},
  title = {A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {31-34},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20220801.15},
  abstract = {The language barrier is the first impediment that most companies confront when selling their products abroad. Products trying to convert their content into a new language will often settle on two options: translation and localization. Although similar — both are about converting messages into a new language to reach a new audience — translation and localization are two distinct procedures. Therefore, this paper adopts methods of literature analysis and corpus-based research to study how localization differs from translation, in terms of work content, process and skills required for practitioners. Based on literature analysis, the paper concludes that translation is a subset of localization, a broad term encompassing several strategies for adapting information to a new audience. Localization is a more profound and complex conversion procedure than translation. Localization is done with specific target market needs in mind; therefore, it is not only about content, but also a significant aspect of marketing. This article demonstrates through corpus analysis that, while traditional translations place a premium on the literary quality and accuracy of the translation, localized translations place a premium on the translation's fit with the local language idiom and ability to reach a broader audience for the product. Thus, this article summarizes that while freelance translators place a premium on bilingual abilities, self-management, and marketing capabilities, localization group translators place a premium on their ability to flexibly use their cultural background knowledge to adjust translation content to customer tastes.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team
AU  - Mengqiu Liu
Y1  - 2022/03/18
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 31
EP  - 34
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
AB  - The language barrier is the first impediment that most companies confront when selling their products abroad. Products trying to convert their content into a new language will often settle on two options: translation and localization. Although similar — both are about converting messages into a new language to reach a new audience — translation and localization are two distinct procedures. Therefore, this paper adopts methods of literature analysis and corpus-based research to study how localization differs from translation, in terms of work content, process and skills required for practitioners. Based on literature analysis, the paper concludes that translation is a subset of localization, a broad term encompassing several strategies for adapting information to a new audience. Localization is a more profound and complex conversion procedure than translation. Localization is done with specific target market needs in mind; therefore, it is not only about content, but also a significant aspect of marketing. This article demonstrates through corpus analysis that, while traditional translations place a premium on the literary quality and accuracy of the translation, localized translations place a premium on the translation's fit with the local language idiom and ability to reach a broader audience for the product. Thus, this article summarizes that while freelance translators place a premium on bilingual abilities, self-management, and marketing capabilities, localization group translators place a premium on their ability to flexibly use their cultural background knowledge to adjust translation content to customer tastes.
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Mengqiu Liu

Postgraduate Study Abroad Department, Palmdrive Education Technology Co., Ltd, Chengdu, China

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mengqiu Liu. (2022). A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 8(1), 31-34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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ACS Style

Mengqiu Liu. A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2022, 8(1), 31-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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AMA Style

Mengqiu Liu. A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2022;8(1):31-34. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15,
  author = {Mengqiu Liu},
  title = {A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {31-34},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20220801.15},
  abstract = {The language barrier is the first impediment that most companies confront when selling their products abroad. Products trying to convert their content into a new language will often settle on two options: translation and localization. Although similar — both are about converting messages into a new language to reach a new audience — translation and localization are two distinct procedures. Therefore, this paper adopts methods of literature analysis and corpus-based research to study how localization differs from translation, in terms of work content, process and skills required for practitioners. Based on literature analysis, the paper concludes that translation is a subset of localization, a broad term encompassing several strategies for adapting information to a new audience. Localization is a more profound and complex conversion procedure than translation. Localization is done with specific target market needs in mind; therefore, it is not only about content, but also a significant aspect of marketing. This article demonstrates through corpus analysis that, while traditional translations place a premium on the literary quality and accuracy of the translation, localized translations place a premium on the translation's fit with the local language idiom and ability to reach a broader audience for the product. Thus, this article summarizes that while freelance translators place a premium on bilingual abilities, self-management, and marketing capabilities, localization group translators place a premium on their ability to flexibly use their cultural background knowledge to adjust translation content to customer tastes.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Comparison of Professionalism Between Freelance Translators and Translators in a Product Localization Team
AU  - Mengqiu Liu
Y1  - 2022/03/18
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 31
EP  - 34
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220801.15
AB  - The language barrier is the first impediment that most companies confront when selling their products abroad. Products trying to convert their content into a new language will often settle on two options: translation and localization. Although similar — both are about converting messages into a new language to reach a new audience — translation and localization are two distinct procedures. Therefore, this paper adopts methods of literature analysis and corpus-based research to study how localization differs from translation, in terms of work content, process and skills required for practitioners. Based on literature analysis, the paper concludes that translation is a subset of localization, a broad term encompassing several strategies for adapting information to a new audience. Localization is a more profound and complex conversion procedure than translation. Localization is done with specific target market needs in mind; therefore, it is not only about content, but also a significant aspect of marketing. This article demonstrates through corpus analysis that, while traditional translations place a premium on the literary quality and accuracy of the translation, localized translations place a premium on the translation's fit with the local language idiom and ability to reach a broader audience for the product. Thus, this article summarizes that while freelance translators place a premium on bilingual abilities, self-management, and marketing capabilities, localization group translators place a premium on their ability to flexibly use their cultural background knowledge to adjust translation content to customer tastes.
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download