Treeleaf transcribing and translation project - be a contributor! ;-)

[Kyotai]

Thank you for taking this on Marcus

Gassho, Kyotai
Sat today

[Mp]

Hello Marcos,

First off, nice to hear that you are doing well. Second, thank you for your help in making these wonderful teachings available to others. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday

[Dylan]

Hello mpdalles!

I've actually been working on this on and off in my free time for a while without having ever known of this thread. I have a bit of material in Arabic (I'm not a native speaker, just a student with a few years practice under my belt, and I work as an Arabic translator for the US Military.) I would love to see the English transcripts as that would definitely help me out! (My knowledge of proper spelling of Latin transliterated Japanese and East Asian religious and philosophical terminology is lacking, lol). But yes, I would love to translate into Arabic!

Gassho, Dylan, Sat Today.

[Kyosei]

Welcome Dylan, thanks for joining!

I'll send you a PM soon.


----

Thank you Kyotai, Shingen!

Gassho

[Jundo]

Hi Guys,

I appreciate so much all your efforts and energy. Thank you for the whole Sangha. I did not ask him, and Marcos just took this on from his heart, but it is a good project.

One concern, perhaps, is about the translations. I speak as a translator myself for the last 20 years (my day job, Japanese to English). Any translations should be done by native speakers into their native languages for best result or, at least, the translation should be checked and edited by a native speaker. For example, when I translate from Japanese to English (the work I undertake is almost exclusively so), the result is usually quite accurate and well expressed (if I may say so. ) But, because I am not a native Japanese, when I translate from English into Japanese, the result is very rough and unnatural generally. Native speakers should always translate only into their native languages for proper result and best quality, with the only exception being the minority of translators who are truly "bi-cultural" individuals raised in both languages to the level of being native in both.

One work-around, however, is to have a high-level bilingual native speaker (high level in both English and their own language) proof, correct and polish a translation by a non-native. If that is done for the final product, then many of the problems can also be avoided. Maybe we can work that way?

Sorry to be so sensitive to the matter, but it is my work and I read unusual translations from and into Japanese every day. Here are a few funny ones from Japan and surrounding places, and some are roll on the floor funny:

http://www.engrish.com/page/4/

http://www.engrish.com/page/5/

Gassho, Jundo

SatToday (also did lots of translation today)

[Kyosei]

Hi Jundo, and thanks again, Sensei, for your kind words.

I understand your concern. Yesterday I was just thinking of it! How, for example, can I guarantee that a translation not done by me, in another language I don't know, is correct?

Initially, I thought on the process of those translations including several phases; I'll explain: first, I asked native english speakers to send me a transcription (in english) in a plain-text file (like a windows notepad ".txt" file), where each sentence spoken by the "narrator" is separated line by line. I asked the transcribers to indicate between square brackets "[ ]" when there's noises, or something relevant to the comprehension of the narration by hearing-impaired folks. For example: "[blender stops]".

Then, I download the original video from Youtube through some specific website, usually in the "mp4" format.

So, I use a specific software to open the video file and the "raw" transcription file. Watching the video in real time, I assign the timing on which each sentence have to appear. So why don't I just transcribe it by myself? I don't feel secure to do so, as I have some proficiency in english but I'm not a native speaker...

Finishing this phase, I have the first subtitle (*.srt) file, the english subtitle, which contains the "timing" above each originally transcribed sentence, separated in lines.

That first subtitle file is the material I give to the other translators, whose translates only the phrases (without touching the timing) in their own native (or so) language. So, they´re all translating from english into their own languages.

Usually I do the first translation to Brazilian portuguese (pt-br) following the same process, but I agree sometimes is not so easy to keep the "flow" of the narration translating word-by-word exactly, so I have to find similar words to convey the message (still I don't use slangs) on a way I know brazilian or portuguese speakers will understand better. So, kind of an adaptation occurs. But technical words, explanations and the like are kept the way they are. Of course I translate some words, like "Buddha" to "Buda" (which is the way we speak the historical name of the Honored One here).

After people sent me the translation files, I just upload them to my personal account on Youtube along with the subtitle files, just to show you. But to show you the results I have to keep the video as public in my account... hope there's some way to workaround this. But for now... technical issues!

As everyone is volunteering I feel I can't (and I wouldn't) push people to send the videos faster, but it surely should be nice to have people volunteering, commiting themselves and establishing possible goals (like 2 videos per week, I guess).

Hope we can work together to achieve this.

Gassho

[Jundo]

After people sent me the translation files, I just upload them to my personal account on Youtube along with the subtitle files, just to show you. But to show you the results I have to keep the video as public in my account... hope there's some way to workaround this. But for now... technical issues!

Thank you again, Marcos. It sounds like a plan!

I would just comment on the technical Youtube point here. It is possible to go into the video manager/edit for each video and select "unlisted" (which is halfway between "public" and "private"). That means that if you send us privately the URL we can see and use the result, but it is not generally searchable on youtube.

Gassho, Jundo

SatToday

[Kyosei]

Thank you, Jundo. Will do this.

Searching here, I found these "guidelines" I made (and sent) to people willing to help with transcriptions.

"Guidelines for transcription:
------------------------------------

1 - Transcribe every spoken sentence or relevant sound in the order that the same happens in the same line of the text file. When there is a pause, transcribe the next sentence on the next line.
eg:
Line 1: "This is how we must practice Shikantaza."
Line 2: "Shikantaza is the type of meditation we practice ..."

PS.: By "relevant sound" I mean the ones directly related to the teaching being teached. eg. "[sound of hammer being putting down]", this applies to the next item.

2- Transcribe noise, relevant sounds into brackets ( [] ), describing them as precisely as possible. This will serve as a description of the soundscape for those who have hearing impairment.
Ex: "[blender noise]" "[laughs]" "[birds chirping]" "[whistle]" "[car honking]."

3- If the noise happens concurrently to a sentence being spoken, display it next to the phrase. If the sound persists, keep it next to the phrase being transcribed.
Ex: "[blender noise] Can you hear?" "[blender noise] This is what goes on in your mind."

4- When finished, review the contents for any errors, typos, etc..

5- Save the contents into a text file in the format: "[videoname]_[language]_[today's date].txt".
Ex: zazenforbeginners1_english_08282013.txt

6- Attach the file and send in an email to mpdalles@gmail.com, indicating in the subject "[tttp]" and the file name mentioned in the previous step.
Ex: "SUBJECT: [tttp] zazenforbeginners1_english_08282013.txt".

7- Notify me via PM, please.

Thank you!"

What do you think, should we continue like this?

[Jundo]

Great Marcos,

Lovely.

I would also like to add something that all translations by non-natives will eventually be proofed by a highly bilingual native speaker, if at all possible.

I just would like to avoid ending up on that Engrish page! Here is a good one ...

http://www.engrish.com/2014/12/the-eightfold-path-to-vengeance/

Gassho, J

[Kyosei]

Friends,

Translators are most welcome, but we are in need of more TRANSCRIBERS (preferentially native english speakers) to help us finish the transcription of the videos series, which (seems to me) is the most sensitive part of the work.

Is anyone interested? please PM me or manifest here.

--

Jundo: what do you think if I send you the raw transcription files so eventual mistakes be corrected before translation?

Gassho,

Marcos

[Jundo]

Hi Marcos,

You can send them to me, but I don't need to be the one to listen and check them. I would just slow down the process. Maybe ask me if there is some unclear word?

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Byokan]

(.... manifesting...)

Hi Marcos,

I can help transcribe. I'm PMing you. Thank you for taking on this project!

Gassho
Lisa
sat today

[Josan]

Hi folks,
I have transcribed one of the episodes for Marcos and found it to be a wonderful experience. I found that listening to Jundo's teaching repeatedly in 3 sec bursts, writing the words down by hand, then typing them up on the computer was very, very enriching. I can highly recommend this samu . Thank you to Jundo for the teaching and to Marcos for his selfless endeavour.
Gassho,
David

sattoday

[Kyosei]

Thank you Lisa (already PM'd you, many thanks!) and David (thank you for your efforts here).

thank YOU for your selfless endeavour!

Thank you my friends, let's keep going.

Gassho,

[Jundo]

Thank you all. Quite a spontaneous coming together.

Gassho, J

SatToday