Friday, 4 November 2005: 15.30-16.45
METM 05, Barcelona, Spain

Cover-to-cover bilingual publication of scientific journals—new challenges for translators and editors

Mary Ellen Kerans, freelance author’s editor and translator, Barcelona, Spain. Current projects include forming the translation team for Archivos de Bronconeumología and developing an online writing course focusing on biomedical research articles (funded by the Fundación Española para la Tartamudez). Until recently she coordinated an English program for health sciences students at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. mekerans@telefonica.net

Cover-to-cover translation of scientific journals is a growing trend. Spurred by the open access movement, it is an enterprise of scientific societies bidding to join mainstream academic discourse—without abandoning their local educational and clinical languages. Besides Spain, leaders are China and Brazil. However, full bilingual translation complicates editorial processes, and few publishers or translators have experience managing it in a way that assures quality and allows simultaneous bilingual posting on databases and the web. This talk will consider the challenges and name process adjustments that freelance project managers, editors, and publishers need to plan for. Based on the experience of translating Archivos de Bronconeumología, the talk will also consider similar projects elsewhere.