By Ana Clara Teixeira Caribé

Transcribed in July 2018 during the author's Modlingua internship, from a Modlingua Live interview with terminology expert Dr. Gabriele Sauberer (TermNet) recorded during her first visit to India. Titles and affiliations are as stated at the time of the interview.

Source video: Watch the interview on Modlingua Live (YouTube)

First Visit to India

Interviewer: Gabriele, you have come to India for the first time?

Gabriele: Yes, indeed. I must admit it's a shame actually, that it is only my first time.

Interviewer: You had plans on initiating some activities in India through cooperation with the Indian Translators Association and Modlingua. How do you feel your plans are taking shape, and in which direction?

Gabriele: Well, our main aim was to visit our new member, which we are very proud of welcoming - our member from India, Itaindia, the association for translators. We are very confident that together with all these partners we will succeed in raising awareness of the crucial importance of quality and of the existing international standards, to further optimize quality translations in India. Together with our partners in India, we have had a fundamental start - a very fruitful and good start - into this awareness-raising campaign.

Interviewer: While you were here in India, which kind of motives did you have in your mind?

Gabriele: That is a difficult question. When we went to Agra to see the Taj, I was so impressed - it was the most wonderful experience to admire this beautiful building with all the Indian tourists in their colorful, wonderful suits. But mainly I wanted to visit my friends and colleagues and the new member, Itaindia. This was my first motivation to come here.

Interviewer: After having interacted with people in India, has there been some change in your thought process compared to the image you had before arriving?

Gabriele: I wouldn't put it like that. I now have a better understanding of, let's say, the Delhi region - I wouldn't say India, because as I mentioned, it is my first time in India and it was mainly Delhi I saw. I knew that it is a fascinating culture and a booming, international, globalized market, and all the good and promising images I had in mind were confirmed.

The Three-Day Conference and Workshop

Interviewer: You were mentally preparing yourself for the three-day interactive conference and workshop, in which you actively participated as a trainer on terminology and quality standards. How did you find the response to these three days of activities?

Gabriele: The feedback was excellent. The audience was just a pleasure. It was a perfect combination, to my mind, between theory and practice, so we could really bridge certain gaps between the academic world and the business world - and the translators, be they freelancers or small and medium-sized enterprises. I think it was very rewarding for everybody to share this knowledge and experience. Many people addressed me and expressed their interest in further cooperation, their need to have training on a regular basis, and their need for more insights about how to get certificates and how to improve the quality of translation. That is the best feedback you can get from an audience.

Terminology Needs in India

Interviewer: Having interacted with many industry people from translation, government, technology and literature, do you feel that TermNet, as a leader in terminology management, has a promising future in India?

Gabriele: Definitely. Many people said that it is very interesting for them to get a better understanding of terminology and terminology management, because terminology is crucial in practically all subject fields - be it technical or literature, and think also about legal terminology. The pharmaceutical industry was a real focus of discussions: there is a big need for correct terminology for medication in the various Indian languages, because there is a real risk if you do not have the appropriate quality in the translation of such sensitive texts. That was one of the most often quoted needs - to make the pharmaceutical industry aware of the importance of terminology and quality in translations.

Comparing Translation Markets

Interviewer: After interacting in India with so many translators, government people, technocrats, scientists, sociologists, journalists and communication managers, how do you feel about the Indian translation industry, and how would you compare it with the scenario you have in Austria?

Gabriele: I always see it from an international perspective. We are based in Austria, but we are international, and I am a quality auditor auditing translation service providers all over the world. Austria is a very small market from that global perspective, and there are many similarities. In many countries, you have the twenty percent of most successful - and in many cases big - translation service providers dominating the market and earning eighty percent of the turnover. On the other hand, the eighty percent - the freelancers, what we call one-person enterprises in Europe - are in many cases very much aware of the need for quality translations. They are very committed to providing high quality, and they have followed the requirements of international quality standards in translation for years, because it is their way to survive in a highly competitive market.

In India I made the experience that it is like everywhere: if you play the game only via prices and fees, at the end of the day everybody loses, because the quality is then not appropriate to the purpose - the clients are not satisfied and the translator cannot survive. It is very good that we now have many quality standards - in China, in Canada, in Europe, in the US - which give concrete guidance on what to do in the translation process to improve quality, following the logic of ISO 9001, the general international quality management standard. The big ones as well as the very small translation service providers now have guidance on how they can improve quality and deliver high-quality services to their clients. That is a benefit for everybody, and in this respect the Indian translation market was no exception for me. This is promising - it is good news.

A Starting Point for Cooperation

Interviewer: After the time, money and resources you invested to come to India and create awareness, have you been able to achieve a breakthrough in the intentions and motives for which you came?

Gabriele: Definitely. I see it as a starting point. It will take quite a long time - many additional meetings, discussions and trainings on a regular basis. We intend to come to India, not only to Delhi but also to many other regions, to find out who the right local partners are, to share this language industry certification system and to share trainings, all together to boost the market for high-quality translation, localization and terminology services. It more than fulfilled any expectations in terms of resources and good investment, let's put it like that.

Interviewer: So you feel the memories and the benefits will create an everlasting relationship for the future?

Gabriele: I am very much against stereotypes. I tried to have no fixed picture at all - to go there in a neutral way, without expectations of how it should be or will be. I just tried to be open-minded, to look forward to visiting our new member in India and to kick-start a long process of joint and hopefully fruitful cooperation.