Translation (was passive voice)

[ejray -at- OKWAY -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU]

 John Oriel <oriel -at- NTSC -dot- NAVY -dot- MIL>  said:
     ...


> Perhaps the translation of passive voice is actually more difficult,
> and therefore requires a more accomplished translator, who is less
> prone to make errors.  Misunderstandings in commerce are often very
> costly, and whatever can be done to avoid them is always wise.

>Anyhow, I'd still like to hear from someone who can comment author-
>itatively about what I heard.

     In my life as a translator I translated operator's manuals
     for a heavy equipment manufacturer from English into German.
     I can say that ease of translation is directly related to
     how well written a given sentence is. In other words, you
     couldn't pay me enough to take a crack at the sentence I
     just wrote. ;-). I don't remember ever having problems
     related to active vs. passive, except that the active voice
     was generally clearer to read (better written).

     Veering onto a tangent, I would be interested in knowing
     where you find translators and how you determine if they are
     qualified. I am a native speaker of English, and, while I
     did a good job translating into German, I would never hire a
     non-native speaker of the target language to translate into
     the target language. (Obviously I will do it myself to put
     bread on the table.) Do any of you have specific policies or
     rules of thumb for this?

     Eric
     ejray -at- okway -dot- okstate -dot- edu