By Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes
Most people use the words accurate and precise as if they were synonyms. And they can be — in everyday language — but not in scientific and technical contexts.
Here are some examples of the two words used in a non-technical context.
We are very pleased to introduce our new Twitter administrator, Romina Marazzato. Romina has been tweeting about a wide range of fascinating science and technology news from the S&TD account since early 2019. Join the conversation at @ATASciTech. Read Romina’s complete interview>>>
We are excited to welcome our new blog editor, Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes. As you will read in this interview, Naomi’s education and experience span an impressive range of fields—we hope that you find her career thus far as fascinating as we have. Read Naomi’s complete interview>>> And please let us know if you would like to support Naomi as assistant editor or contribute to the STD blog.
by Steve Dyson Read how transcreating promotional technical journalism gave rise to a different type of Fr-En lexicon. This is the story of how it came into being. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, I set out to explore the world after completing a BSc in physics and math. I headed for Paris, France, via Africa, but took two years to get there. Just weeks after arriving, I was buzzing with excitement as I began picking up the language. Read Steve’s complete story>>>
by Evelyn Yang Garland and Aaron Hebenstreit Many liberal arts majors shy away from patent translation because it sounds intimidating. But is it really? Like a drama, a patent tells a story. The two presenters, both science majors, will explain the “storyline” of a patent and discuss what skills are required to retell the story in your target language. Some of these skills are the strong suits of liberal arts majors, while other skills need to be developed. Although a background in the natural sciences or engineering can be helpful in this field of translation…
Tapani Ronni, PhD, will be presenting “Genetically Enhanced Cancer Therapies” on Friday, October 26, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session is aimed at medical and scientific translators with some background in life science, either as translators or otherwise. I will provide attendees with cutting-edge information on cancer therapy using genetically enhanced cells. I will first give some background information on cancer on cellular level; this introduction will explain why cure for cancer has long been an elusive goal. Cancer is not just one disease but a cluster of multiple diseases…
Pablo Mugüerza, MD will be presenting “New Professional Options for Medical Translators” on Saturday, October 27, 2018 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In order to provide a complete picture of the field of medical translation, this review will begin with a brief look at 1) what medical translators have been translating for centuries, and 2) what medical translators were translating until the day before yesterday. The core of the presentation will be what medical translators are doing/translating today (and what we will be doing/translating in the short term)…
by Heike Holthaus, Nadine Edwards, Nicholas Hartmann and Karen Tkaczyk Interested in patent translation and how to deal with patentese and odd technical terminology? Don’t miss session 068 Patents: From draft to grant, and Tackling Terminological Nightmares on Friday, October 26, 2018, at 11:15 am to 12:15 pm. The prerequisites for every translation include understanding the subject matter, knowing the conventions of the source and target languages, and how to overcome linguistic challenges specific to the field. Patent translations are no exception…
by Françoise Herrmann, PhD What is the thread that brings together such disparate technologies as the snooze function on computers, Energy Star appliances, PV (Photovoltaic) panels, Nike Flyknit athletic shoes, EV (Electronic Vehicles), residential SMART thermostats such as NEST, agricultural robots, windmills, Carbon Trading, GURTs and TGURTs seed engineering, plus much more? Most people will agree that each one of these technologies, and the patents that disclose them, are “green”…
by Patrick Weill Today’s article is about being prepared. It is about having reserves or savings. I am not only referring to reserves or savings in the most common sense i.e. money. I am writing about things in general, for example emotionally, professionally, or socially. Tito Ortiz, a retired mixed martial artist, a former UFC champion, once said: “Be prepared for the worst, and the best will always happen to you.” There was another athlete, whose name escapes me, who had a terrible story and a resulting powerful idea. She was driving, and she and her boyfriend were involved in …