Bio

Inga Michaeli, founder of Wander Words, has translated over 220 titles – fiction, non-fiction and lots of DK and LP travel guides – as well as many hours of movies and TV shows, academic articles and marketing texts in need of some oomph. She ia former Chair of the Israel Translators Association (2008-2010), has taught subtitling, literary translation and creative non-fiction translation at Beit Berl College and is a regular speaker at conferences in Israel and abroad. Her main field of expertise (and true passion) is tourism and travel – she translates (English<>Hebrew) for major airlines, hotel chains, booking sites and other outfits, is regularly featured in Hebrew travel magazines (Masa Acher) and newspapers (Globes), as well as English-language travel mags (Holyland and Discover Israel), and is a member of the Israel Association of Periodical Press (IAPP). She neither bungee jumps nor swims with sharks (as yet), but she loves to visit haunted houses and rummage in flea markets.

A Rough Guide to Translating Guide Books

Presentation in:

The travel industry is big business in Israel, and most international publishers translate their travel guides into Hebrew - primarily Lonely Planet and Eyewitness. Yet, how important is it for the average Israeli to find vegemite in Italy, or get an updated list of border crossings into Iran? When translation leans towards adequacy, can the translation of travel guides be faithful to the original text, or should it be faithful to the target audience and adapt to its tastes and sensibilities?

In my presentation, I will survey the evolution of this small but important niche in the publishing market; elaborate on current trends; depict the work process and provide some practical tips on how to break into the market. I will present many enlightening and entertaining examples of intercultural transfer in this specialized niche, which is much more like transcreation than you might think.

  Share