{"id":2105,"date":"2019-06-20T04:36:03","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T02:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mstranslationteam.rs\/en\/?p=2105"},"modified":"2019-07-10T05:46:39","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T03:46:39","slug":"the-translators-charter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mstranslationteam.rs\/en\/blog\/the-translators-charter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Translator\u2019s Charter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The\nTranslator\u2019s Charter <\/strong>was\napproved by the World Congress in Dubrovnik in 1963 and amended in Oslo on 9\nJuly 1994. The International Federation of Translators (FIT) noted \u201cthat\ntranslation has established itself as a permanent, universal and necessary\nactivity in the world of today; that by making intellectual and material\nexchanges possible among nations it enriches their life and contributes to a\nbetter understanding amongst men; that, in spite of the various circumstances\nunder which it is practised, translation is now recognised as a distinct and\nautonomous profession\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wishing \u201cto\nlay down, as a formal document, certain general principles inseparably\nconnected with the profession of translating, particularly for the purpose of\nstressing the social function of translation, laying down the rights and duties\nof translators, improving the economic conditions and social climate in which\nthe translator carries out their activity, and recommending certain lines of\nconduct for translators and their professional organisations, and to contribute\nin this way to the recognition of translation as a distinct and autonomous\nprofession,\u201d FIT established the Translator\u2019s Charter<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the fourth\ncongress of the International Federation of Translators organised in Dubrovnik,\nthe Nobel laureate Ivo Andri\u0107 described translation in his own way,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBordering\nwith magic and resembling a true feat is the work of a good translator. What is\ntranslation actually? The skill and the ability to take the reader by the hand,\nlead them through the landscapes and the areas that they would never have passed\nthrough, and show them the phenomena and the objects that they would never have\nseen otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this\nrequires, apart from talent, hard work and knowledge, an infinite amount of\npatience, strength, wisdom and sacrifice. Both the author of the translated\nwork and the reader reading the work should always be aware of that. This\nbecause it is easy to find mistakes or imperfect segments even with the best of\ntranslators, but much harder to grasp all the complexity and importance of\ntheir work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about\nusefulness? It in particular should not require talking very much about.\nTranslators are the best interpreters and mediators in this ever-divided world.\nTranslators, among others, are to be thanked if and to the extent that nations\nand people are close to one another nowadays. Who of us has not had use of\ntheir work and sweat? What would millions of people know about Homer, Dante or\nGoethe were it not possible for them to read their translated work, and what\nabout Euripides, Shakespeare, Racine or Gogol were it not possible for them to\nwatch their plays at theatres in their own languages? Nothing. If, however, we\nknow or at least sense something, that is owing to translators. And all of us,\nhow many there may be, are in their debt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, every time you read a book by a foreign author or operating instructions for a household appliance, remember that someone has put in a lot of hard work to make the source text closer to you and translate it into your language. You may read the full version of the Translator\u2019s Charter below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRANSLATOR\u2019S CHARTER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section I<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Obligations of the Translator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Translation,\nbeing an intellectual activity, the object of which is the transfer of\nliterary, scientific and technical texts from one language into another,\nimposes on those who practise it specific obligations inherent in its very\nnature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. A\ntranslation shall always be made on the sole responsibility of the translator,\nwhatever the character of the relationship of contract which binds him\/her to\nthe user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The\ntranslator shall refuse to give to a text an interpretation of which he\/she\ndoes not approve, or which would be contrary to the obligations of his\/her\nprofession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Every\ntranslation shall be faithful and render exactly the idea and form of the\noriginal \u00ef\u00bf\u00bd this fidelity constituting both a moral and legal obligation for\nthe translator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. A faithful\ntranslation, however, should not be confused with a literal translation, the\nfidelity of a translation not excluding an adaptation to make the form, the\natmosphere and deeper meaning of the work felt in another language and country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. The\ntranslator shall possess a sound knowledge of the language from which he\/she\ntranslates and should, in particular, be a master of that into which he\/she\ntranslates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. He\/she\nmust likewise have a broad general knowledge and know sufficiently well the\nsubject matter of the translation and refrain from undertaking a translation in\na field beyond his competence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. The\ntranslator shall refrain from any unfair competition in carrying out his\nprofession in particular, he\/she shall strive for equitable remuneration and\nnot accept any fee below that which may be fixed by law and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. In\ngeneral, he\/she shall neither seek nor accept work under conditions humiliating\nto himself\/herself or his\/her profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. The\ntranslator shall respect the legitimate interests of the user by treating as a\nprofessional secret any information which may come into his\/her possession as a\nresult of the translation entrusted to him\/her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Being a\n\"secondary\" author, the translator is required to accept special\nobligations with respect to the author of the original work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. He\/she\nmust obtain from the author of the original work or from the user authorization\nto translate a work, and must furthermore respect all other rights vested in\nthe author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section II<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights of the Translator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Every\ntranslator shall enjoy all the rights with respect to the translation he\/she\nhas made, which the country where he\/she exercises his\/her activities grants to\nother intellectual workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. A\ntranslation, being a creation of the intellect, shall enjoy the legal\nprotection accorded to such works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. The\ntranslator is therefore the holder of copyright in his\/her translation and\nconsequently has the same privileges as the author of the original work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16. The\ntranslator shall thus enjoy, with respect to his\/her translation, all the moral\nrights of succession conferred by his\/her authorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17. He\/she shall consequently enjoy during his\/her lifetime the right to recognition of his\/her authorship of the translation, from which it follows, inter alia, that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 his\/her name shall be mentioned clearly and unambiguously whenever his\/her translation is used publicly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 he\/she shall be entitled to oppose any distortion, mutilation or other modification of his\/her translation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 publishers and other users of his\/her translation shall not make changes therein without the translator's prior consent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 he\/she shall be entitled to prohibit any improper use of his\/her translation and, in general, to resist any attack upon it that is prejudicial to his\/her honour or reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18.\nFurthermore, the exclusive right to authorize the publication, presentation,\nbroadcasting, re-translation, adaptation, modification or other rendering of\nhis\/her translation, and, in general, the right to use his\/her translation in\nany form shall remain with the translator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19. For every public use of his\/her translation the translator shall be entitled to remuneration at a rate fixed by contract or law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n