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31st translation contest: "A translator's life" » English to Shona

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Source text in English

[...] Translators just didn't get recognition, they didn't expect to make much of a living, just get by. Very few people were actually trained as translators, but most had a solid college education and a solid knowledge of languages, at least their own language. I had a friend who fell exactly into that category and my circle of friends expanded to include other translators. I found them to be much more interesting as people, and discovered that we often had similar life experiences. I never had trouble making friends, but I always felt "different" and I'm sure they felt it too. When my friend retired, she recommended me as her replacement. I now entered the realm of Reinsurance, of which I knew nothing. I was also the only translator there, and didn't have much to fall back on. However, it was another notch up....

On my new job, I started looking through the files, asking questions and got the company to enroll me in Insurance courses. The College of Insurance was across the street, and I consulted fire codes, insurance policies and fire extinguisher catalogs in their library. I was learning what I had never had the luxury of being able to do before: research. The first time I had to translate a proposal for purposes of insurance of a nuclear plant, I got a call from the head man in that department, congratulating me on the job I had done. "Compares favorably with what we are used to," he said. What an upper! What happened was that I consulted a document in the files similar to the one I was tackling for guidance, but when I saw that my predecessor had used the word "nucleus" instead of "core", I realized that the files were useless to me. I went across the street to the library and looked up "nuclear plants." I immediately found all the terminology I needed.

It takes a great deal more than that to be a good translator these days, of course. [...]

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Entries (3 total) — Expand all entries

[...] Vashanduri havana kuzivikanwa, vaisatarisira kuwana mari yakawanda, kungopfuura. Vanhu vashomanene zvikuru vakarovedzwa chaizvoizvo savashanduri, asi vazhinjisa vakanga vane dzidzo yakasimba yekoreji uye ruzivo rwakasimba rwemitauro, kanenge mutauro wavo vamene. Ndaiva neshamwari yakawira muchikamu ichocho uye shamwari dzangu dzakawedzera kusanganisira vamwe vashanduri. Ndakavawana vachinyanya kunakidza sevanhu, uye ndakaona kuti taiwanzova nezviitiko zvehupenyu zvakafanana. Handina kumbobvira ndanetseka kuita shamwari, asi ndaigara ndichinzwa "zvakasiyana" uye ndine chokwadi chekuti ivo vakazvinzwawo. Shamwari yangu payakaenda pamudyandigere, yakandikurudzira kuti ndimutsive. Ini zvino ndapinda munzvimbo yeReinsurance, yandaisaziva nezvayo. Ini ndaivawo ndega muturikiri ipapo, uye ndakanga ndisina zvakawanda zvokudzokera pazviri. Nekudaro, yaive imwe nhanho kumusoro ....

Pabasa rangu idzva, ndakatanga kutarisa mafaera, ndichibvunza mibvunzo uye ndikaita kuti kambani inyore ini muzvidzidzo zveInishuwarenzi. Koreji yeInishuwarenzi yakanga iri mhiri kwemugwagwa, uye ndakabvunza macode emoto, mitemo yeinishuwarenzi uye mabhuku ezvokudzimisa moto muraibhurari yavo. Ndakanga ndichidzidza zvandakanga ndisati ndambova neumbozha hwekukwanisa kuita kare: tsvakurudzo. Nguva yokutanga yandaifanira kushandura chirevo chezvinangwa zveinishuwarenzi yefekitari yenyukireya, ndakafonerwa nomukuru wedhipatimendi iroro, achindikorokotedza nebasa randakanga ndaita. "Tinoenzanisa zvakanaka nezvatakajaira," akadaro. Chii chepamusoro! Zvakaitika ndezvekuti ndakabvunza gwaro mumafaira akafanana nerandakanga ndichibata kuti rinditungamirire, asi pandakaona kuti akanditangira ashandisa izwi rekuti "nucleus" pachinzvimbo che "core", ndakaona kuti mafaera akange asina basa kwandiri. . Ndakayambuka mugwagwa kuenda kuraibhurari uye ndakatarisa kumusoro "nuclear plants." Ndakabva ndatowana mashoko ese andaida.

Zvinotora zvakawanda kupfuura izvozvo kuti uve mushanduri akanaka mazuva ano, hongu. [...]
Entry #35260 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
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[...] Kuva mushanduri raisava basa rinoshamisira, nekuti mari yaitambirwa yaiva shoma, kaingova kamariwo. Vainge vakanyatsodzidziswa basa rekushandura vaingova vanhu vashomanana, asi vazhinji vavo vaive vanhu vakadzidza, vaine ruzivo rwakakwana rwemimwe mitauro, kusanganisira mutauro waamai vavo. Ndaiva neshamwari yaive muchikwata ichi, uye shamwari dzangu dzevashanduri dzakawedzera kusanganisira vamwewo. Ndakatoona kuti vaive vanhu vainakidza, zvakare kakawanda kacho takanga tasangana nezvakada kufanana muupenyu. Handina kumbobvira ndanetseka nekuwana shamwari, asi ndaiwanzonzwa kunge "ndisinganyatsokwana kwana" pakati pavo uye ndinofunga kuti kana naivo vaitozvionawo. Shamwari yangu payakarega basa nekukura, yakanditsvagira basa payaishanda. Ndiko kupinda kwandakaita pabasa remaInishuwarenzi, iro randakanga ndisingatombozivi zvangu. Asi, ndakanga ndatoyambuka....

Ndiri pabasa rangu idzva, ndakatanga kuongorora mafaira aivamo, ndichibvunza bvunza zvakare kambani yakandiitisa kosi dzeInishuwarenzi. Koreji yeInishuwarenzi yaiva mhiri kwemugwagwa, saka muraibhurari yavo ndakaverenga mitemo inoshandiswa kana zvinhu zvatsva nemoto, mapolicy einishuwarenzi, nemabhuku ezvinoshandiswa kudzima moto. Ndakatanga kudzidza chimwe chinhu chandisina kumbobvira ndaita, chinoitwa nevagoni zvavo: kutsvakurudza. Pekutangisisa ndakashandura pepa raitsanangura kuti sei inishuwarenzi ichidiwa pamuchina wenyukriya, ndakafonerwa nemukuru wedhipatimendi iroro, achindikorokotedza nekushandura kwandakanga ndaita. Akati, "Zviri nani chaizvo pane zvatinomboshandurirwa." Kusimudzirwa kwakadii! Zvakaitika chaizvo ndezvekuti ndakaverenga rimwe pepa raiva mumafaira kuti rindibatsire. Pepa iri rakanga rakada kufanana nerandaishandura, asi pandakaona kuti vakarishandura vacho vainge vakashandisa shoko rekuti "nyukriya" paida kunzi "pakati", ndakabva ndatoona kuti mafaira aya hapana kana zvaaizombondibatsira. Ndakaenda kuraibhurari yaiva mhiri kwemugwagwa ndikatarisa pakanzi "nuclear plants." Ipapo ipapo ndakabva ndaona mashoko ese andaida.

Mazuva ano zviri pachena kuti zvine basa rinopfuura ipapo kuti munhu ave mushanduri akanaka. [...]
Entry #35809 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
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[...] Vagadzirisi havakudei kuratidza, havasi kunzwisisa kutsigira kwemoyo, kuchinja kwenyika chinotambirwa. Vane vanhu vakawanda vanga vari kushandiswa sei nevagadzirisi, asi vanhu vasingakwanise kurasika mumoyo uye vachingoti kwaakuda kukanganwira. Vakawanda vanga vachishandiswa zvakanaka nekutsvaga gwayi dzakawanda uye kukwanisa kuziva maitiro enyika dzakawanda nezvino, maitiro enyuwo chete. Ndaive nechikwata chekuti vakawandani kune, nechiratidzo changu chave chevaratidzi vakawanda. Ndakafunga kuti vave kudya vatiri nguva dzose, uye ndakataura kuti tavave nezvaitirwa zvikuru zvave nematambudziko echengetedzwa. Handaizvizive kukanganwira, asi ndakakanganwira zvakawanda, uye ndaita zvikuru kuva nedzimwe nguva. Handakwanise kugadzira nzira yekutambura, asi handakwanise kuzviita nhema zvakakwana, asi ndakarongeka kuti vakambogona kufunga kune vane zvakanakisa. Pakugadzirisa nhema, ruregerero rwandakambogona kurangarira, kune imwe nyika. Ndakambosvikira pasi pemigomo yepaviri chairo kuvafudza kuparadzanisa, ndakakosha kukanganwira, kugadzirisa vachikadzi nenhunzi, kune chido changu chinochinja.

Kupikisana nemunyika yangu yanga, ndakanzwa kutora dzidzo dzavari mumigomo yavanga. Chikoro chekupihwa chidzerechedzo chichi kuchikwata, uye ndakakundurudzira kune maitiro emutengo wechekupihwa kwemabasa arikudai. Kuchikwata kwechikoro chechekupihwa kuuraya, ndakarara chekunzwisisa chimwe chinhu. Panemazuva angu akazara, pamusoro pekugadzirisa chemachikoro, ndakanzwa kuzadza nekubvuma kuchikoro chavari mumigomo yavanga. "Rinodyi rakanaka sezvataitiwa kwedu," akabva akumbira munhu akabatwa nechikoro chevanyori chawakandudzo. "Chisawurika nematambudziko anotikanganwira," akabvumidza. Kukosha kwemashoko! Kune zvakaitika ndokundisunga, ndakapikisana nemucherechedzo wakandudza akandipa chirevo chekuzviita zvakakwana. Nokuti pakanga pasina kumbopiwawo pangu, ndakange ndatanga kumirira murume akasiyana nomunhu achandibvuma kuvakura, kunoita kwezviito zvamunoda nezvino.

Kunyanya kwemakanzo, hakusisina kunzwisisa izvozvo kwekutadzirisa nokuti vanhu vachangamuka kuvashandisi, nekuchinja kwemaoko kwake uye kugadzirisa nezvino. [...]
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