AUTHOR: MARIA CHRONOPOULOU | PHOTOGRAPHY: VASILIS KOUROUPIS
– How did you come up with the idea of The Language Project?
Nikos – The initial idea was Violetta’s; she applied to the Robert Bosch Foundation in 2015 to an open call for original ideas by Greeks. The ideas were about culture and were to be implemented in Greece. Then, during the Ashoka Hellas Impact 2017 programme, we began to discuss what our needs were, which people we had (on board) and what we could do with them in order to respond to one of the major problems that Greece is currently facing—the refugee issue—by using our own skills. Somehow like this, this non-profit organization was created.
– What does The Language Project focus on?
Violetta – The Language Project is an organization that uses translation, interpretation and foreign languages with the aim to help specific groups of people find jobs more easily. This is achieved through the educational programmes we provide, both in the topics I mentioned and in intercultural mediation. At the same time, we are holding some cultural events aimed at the recognition and promotion of translation, interpretation, and intercultural communication among the general public.
– In addition to your contribution to the social inclusion of groups—such as refugees and immigrants—through your programmes, are you open to collaborating with other companies and organizations?
N. – Of course, an organization or company may have some specific internal needs and would like us to run a specialized seminar, workshop or event—such as the training session “Translation and Interpretation Techniques” we held at the Danish Refugee Council for their mediators, or some events and workshops we ran at the Goethe-Institut Athen and the Institut Francais D ‘Athenes.
– In addition to these activities, you also organize some Translation Slams. What exactly are these?
V. – Translation Slams are translation battles and they are a way to bring translation, interpretation, as well as contact with literature and books, closer to the general public, who generally believe that these things are boring. Likewise, in our seminars—such as those for comic translation, subtitling and translation of video games—we always try to give them original, innovative characters.
– How innovative does a translator have to be?
Ν. – There is a perception that translation is something static and something that you cannot develop further, but this is far from reality. It takes a lot of creativity. Translation is an industry that is experiencing tremendous growth. Speaking purely for the speculative part of translation and localization in general, it is an industry that now reaches 40 billion dollars.
– What is localization?
N. – Localization is basically the adaptation of products and services to target markets. It is called localization rather than translation, because it includes the overall adaptation to the civilization and culture of a market, not just the text. When a business wants to be active in a foreign market, it must take into account all the cultural parameters in order to have greater market penetration. To achieve this, it needs to know how to communicate what it provides, what it offers, and what it does, and in order to do this it needs someone who knows the culture of the people they are addressing. Here is where the role of the professional translator comes into play. For example, in video games, the design of a character might have to be adapted in order to “pass” to the audience of a country. A very distinctive example from cinema is Disney’s Inside Out movie. There is a scene where the dad gives a baby a broccoli, and of course, the baby grumbles. In Japan, broccoli has been replaced with peppers, because broccoli is considered to be something very delicious in this culture, as opposed to peppers.
– Big challenge. What other challenges does a translator or an interpreter face?
N. – Especially in the case of an interpreter – intercultural mediator, adapting what they hear to another social reality is a great challenge. A very good example is a case of an interview in the Asylum Services where a woman said she left her home country because a curse had been put on her. This is something very serious in her own culture and something that she really believes it exists. This may seem funny to a third person, so the interpreter, who is in the middle, has to explain to the other side that if someone feels threatened by magic in their country, this is a threat that this person really feels and that does not mean that they are lying.
V. – Οne of the challenges for a translator is also the translation of onomatopoeias.
– I had to bring my scratchpad with me because there are words I don’t know. What does onomatopoeia mean?
Β. – These are the words formed by the imitation of a sound, such as slurp or smack, and which are translated differently into each language. Namely, the sound of a kiss is translated into an English comic differently than in a Greek one. In addition, in comic translation, another issue that arises is how we fit meaning into a particular bubble, because a comic is not like a book that we can enlarge or diminish. If the font is changed, for example, or if the meaning passes from one bubble to another, it is considered to be an intervention in the artwork, so there has to be prior communication with the artist.
– As regards books, do you think people are reading more or less nowadays?
N. – I believe that while reading books may have decreased, reading has increased because we live in an era when we use mobile phones and computers a lot, and the interaction through them is mainly through reading. Furthermore, when we want to express our thoughts through social media, we write, so the production of writing is growing, text is everywhere.
V. – On this topic I would like to say that the world is now “omnivorous” in reading terms. What is important to me is that if someone reads something, they think about it a bit later and discuss it, they don’t just swallow it. Therefore, for me, slams are important. When you are in a room where there are 80 people and everyone can raise their hands to make a comment and the conversation moves forward, you feel that you have also achieved something yourself, either with something you said or with the feedback you received from someone else.
– Violetta, what did you notice that made you want to create The Language Project?
V. – What I have noticed is that as a translator you are always the intermediary, thus linking the translation to the studies I later did in Cultural Management, I tried (what is called) translation and the translator—who is an invisible professional—to be visible. It came from a personal need and finally I realized that the sector needed it too. Until then, there were no companies or NGOs in Greece dealing with the part of translations and at the same time, being concerned about the social impact. That is why I think we are covering a significant gap.
– Thank you very much.
– Thank you too!
