Report of the Practice in TISCO
From Mar. 29th to Apr. 16th .2010, I had been a translator in TISCO. Although it was a very short period, I had a further understand of TISCO and translation as a member of TISCO and a translator, and I also gained some useful experience and knowledge.
On Mar. 29st, after we arrived at TISCO, an engineer taught us how to protect ourselves from being hurt by the machines and materials. Then my classmates and I visited some workshops of TISCO, such as the cold-rolled workshop and the hot-rolled workshop. At last we went to a meeting room, and two engineers introduced the basic information about TISCO and answered some questions which we advanced there.
Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. (TISCO) is located in Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province, which ranks the front row in mineral resource reserves, including coal, iron, bauxite, gallium, etc. And it is an important industrial base of energy and raw materials in China. Taiyuan neighbors Beijing and Tianjin and locates within the Bohai Sea Economic Circle as well as Beijing and Tianjin Urban Economic Circle, enjoying the advantages of rich resources, energy and transportation.
As the biggest stainless steel enterprise equipped with global biggest capacity and most up-to-date technology and equipment, TISCO has developed into an extraordinary big iron and steel complex, which is integrated with iron mining, iron and steel production, processing, delivery and trading. And by 2010, TISCO shall reach the international highest level in terms of product varieties, quality, cost, research and development, energy conservancy, environmental protection, efficiency, services, etc. and ascend the Global Top 500; it will further improve the comprehensive competitiveness by streamlining and enhancing the principal businesses, carrying out merger and reorganization, pushing ahead the relevant diversified operation.
In order to supply the most delicate stainless steel products for the world and build TISCO into the most competitive stainless steel enterprise in the world, TISCO takes “relying on the people; putting the customer's need first; rejuvenating the enterprise through quality; opening fully to the world; keeping constant innovation” as its core views of value. During its producing, TISCO deems people as the foundation for its survival,
existence and development and place customer's demands first all the time. TISCO sticks to high quality, high value-added and excellent performance, so as to upgrade the general quality competitiveness；It sticks to explore the potential ability according to the standards, to involve TISCO into the international competition and cooperation at a higher level and in a wider area, so as to realize intensive management, internationalization；Its essence is to insist on the scientific views of development, take the new road to industrialization, and consistently improve the innovation ability in terms of thinking, management, technology and product. And therefore I believe that TISCO must achieve its aim in the nearest future.
And on Apr. 1st, my new life as a translator began, because I received my translation documents this morning. My work involved the translation of two pieces of business news and a Minutes of Meeting. The news was Cairo Award Major Contract for 15000 Tonnes of Steel for New Freighters and ThyssenKrupp Aerospace: 10-year Contract with EADS Subsidiary Premium AEROTEC, which was relatively easy, so I planned to translate the news first.
During the translation of the news, I almost did not encountered any difficult except the translation of the names of some companies, such as NRTC, Premium AREOTEC, and so on. Why I can translate the news opportunely? I thought there were two reasons. Firstly, the news did not conclude too many professional terms, and if I came across some strange words, I could look up it in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, its meaning would not change so much. Secondly, the news accorded with the code of language in our daily life. The purposes of the news were to deliver information and attract readers, its content and style of writing would be correspondingly easy, and therefore more readers would like to read it. The above were my experience on the translation of the news.
After I have finished the news, I began to translate the Minutes of Meeting, which was very difficult for me. During the translation, I encountered many difficulties. The biggest one was the professional terms, I looked up the words in the Oxford dictionary, but I felt that any of the meaning was correct. Then in the Minutes of Meeting, I found that there were so many “noun + noun” and some other strange structures, which were also difficult points for me. And another difficult was its sentences were too long for me to
translate them. I still remembered that once I planned to translate a paragraph in one hour, but two hours later I really did not know what it meant.
So should I give up or keep on? I have chosen the later one. Now that I could not look up the proper meaning in the Oxford dictionary, I can go to the library to find a professional dictionary. Therefore I went to the library, and I not only looked up the strange words in the professional dictionary, but also read some articles about steel industry. However, I realized that I can hardly find what I needed. So at last I had to ask the internet for help. And with the aid of the CNKI translation assistant and the Great Dictionary of Technological English, finally I finished the translation of the Minutes of Meeting, because the above two dictionaries can translate most of the strange terms professionally.
Certainly, during my translation, my tutor Ms. or Mr. and my three teammates also offered me great help. For instance, there were many abbreviations which I really did not know what it means in the Minutes of Meeting, such as TOP, VIP, and so on, Ms. or Mr. always gave me a hand to solve the problems. And after I finished my work, Ms. or Mr. looked my translation carefully, and pointed out the place which I needed to correct. And my teammates also help me to translate some very difficult sentences and proofread my translation. And therefore with their help, I can finish my work on time.
On Apr. 16th.2010, my life as a translator came to the end. And the following were my acquaintance and experience:
Firstly, translation was a very professional work, if you wanted to do it well, you should have certain professional knowledge at first, then you must accumulate relative words in long term.
Secondly, the Oxford dictionary, professional dictionaries as well as network dictionaries can always do you a fever. So when you encountered strange words, please look up it in the dictionary.
Thirdly, both your tutor and your teammates were potential treasures, when you came across difficulties, you can ask them for help, and it must be good for your work.
My practice in TISCO ended. In conclusion, I came with empty hands but left with riches.