Terry Thatcher Waltz, Ph.D.
Translation and Conference Interpretation: Chinese, Spanish and English

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Light, camera, put it into Chinese!
Annual conventions are an interesting contrast to the usual conference fare.


Will you do a short unpaid test for us?
Sorry, no. You can't ask your dentist to "just fill one tooth to see how you work" or a lawyer to "just write a short letter" for you. I'll be happy to take on a short job so you can feel comfortable with "taking a chance" on my qualifications.
Will you "clean up" this translation for us?
Only if the original translator was a qualified native speaker of English. I will not "fix" files translated by non-native speakers of English. Translation professionals work only into their native languages.
Can you provide interpreting equipment?
Sure! I have a complete set of wireless simultaneous equipment, including two interpreter's units and ten delegate units. Great for site visits and small venues.
Can you help me with a Chinese tattoo?
Sorry, no. I do not advise people to tattoo unknown languages on their bodies! Chinese is lovely, but why not appreciate it on your wall instead of permanently (and possibly wrongly) on your body?
Can you recommend a good college program?
From a professional point of view, you won't learn Chinese by doing a 4-year degree no matter how good the program. Pick a school with a good overall education and plan on living abroad for a considerable period of time to achieve a good level.
How many words will this be in English?
There is no one formula to convert wordcounts in Chinese>English work. I can bill on source character count if you need a firm price up-front, but it's usually more expensive than using the final English count.
Do you offer discounts for jobs using Trados?
Did your company pay for my legal copy of Trados? If not, any gain in productivity logically should go to return on my investment. But feel good about the higher level of consistency you'll get. Sell better quality to your client, not cut-rate pricing.
Can you translate into Chinese?
Sure, but I don't do it professionally for good reason. My written Chinese is not what I would call "native-like". If you have a specific text or audio material that is very difficult for a native Chinese speaker to understand, I would consider doing the translation on a case-by-case basis. I did this for a television station in Taiwan, for example, when they had a weekly interview show with heavily accented English interviews which the local translators couldn't understand. The client was however fully aware that they were not receiving a polished translation.
Can you work from Chinese to Spanish?
In cases where a client absolutely cannot find a qualified, native Spanish-speaking translator to work from Chinese to Spanish, I can provide what I would characterize as "workmanlike" translations into Spanish. I do this only for technical or medical fields and with the understanding that the finished product is not guaranteed to be native-like. My written Spanish is said to be good but it is not native-level.
Can't you charge me hourly for interpreting?
Sorry, no. Like most conference interpreters, I do have a half-day minimum charge for all interpreting jobs. Any time I am not available to serve other clients is time I must charge to your firm, and this includes travel time (within reason) to and from interpreting jobs, waiting time, and so forth.
Are you ATA-certified?
No. This is primarily because there is no ATA certification exam for work from Chinese into English. Be aware of this when reading resumes; any translator who claims certification in this direction is "puffing"! I have not pursued certification in Spanish to English work because I am firmly against the recent rules change by the ATA requiring continuing education credits in order to maintain certification status after successfully passing an exam. I'm not against continuing to learn -- I probably study more than most translators -- but I do not agree with the available options for obtaining CE credit through the ATA.
 Just wanted to know that the client thanked you profusely for your honesty! As do we!! [Located and informed client of existing English translation.]

Michele B.
Project manager

Terry Waltz in Brief:












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