Customer Name: GOPA Danışmanlık
Customer Sector: Business Consulting and Services
INTRODUCTION
GOPA is a global business consulting firm and has implemented over several thousands of both national and international management, training, and consultancy projects in more than 100 countries for over 50 years. As part of the ongoing projects undertaken by GOPA, we were commissioned to translate various National Qualifications and National Occupational Standards published by Vocational Qualifications Institution (MYK) from Turkish into English for a number of occupations in a wide variety of sectors from automotive, forestry, hairdressing to building industry. During the preliminary review phase, the source texts were sorted out into two aspects (i.e., “national qualifications” and “occupational standards”) and carefully analyzed to create industry-specific translation strategies for the target audience. In general, this initiative is part of a more comprehensive action with an aim to strengthen the national qualifications system and implement the Turkish Qualifications Framework (UYEP-II) in line with EU Framework and other national and international regulations. Other key aspects include employment, lifelong learning, and education. After determination of the general scope of the translation task, various reference and procedural documents, including those related to International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO), were reviewed.
CHALLENGES
- The source texts included industry-specific terminology for various occupations in different sectors. Although some occupations such as CNC Machine Tool Operator and Metal Working Operator shared similar terminology, others like Hairdresser or Forestry Production Operator had completely different glossary. Therefore, sector-based terminology on each industry and occupation must be determined.
- A number of source texts related to forestry were particularly challenging since it was extensively based on an older version of a Turkish regulation. In source texts, some elements required a more contemporary equivalent in English (one example is “emval,” which means “forestry products” in general).
- Each source text had a “Terms & Definitions” section, which included most of the key terms used throughout the text. This section can be considered one of the most crucial part of the translation process and a source of reference for further research. Particular attention was given to providing the most accurate equivalents in English to ensure minimal margin of error for deviations from the original context. Some terms required quite a detailed study of specific glossary and resources.
- Other than technical terminology, the source texts also contained a number of references to various national and international laws and regulations, ILO, ISCO, and EU Framework, among others. Regulatory aspects called for studying parallel texts in the target language to ensure consistency.
SOLUTIONS
- Terminology specific to each sector and occupation was determined based on reference documents. For instance, Glossary of Forest Engineering Terms published by the United States Department of Agriculture was used to cross-check certain forestry terms and their consistency with the definition.
- Turkish words that required a more contemporary equivalent were identified and used in line with the terminology. In order to ensure this, Turkish regulatory documents referring such terminology were reviewed to ensure precision in the target text.
- “Terms & Definitions” section was read carefully and each term was cross-checked with an original glossary item for confirmation. Particular attention was also given to using this terminology throughout the text to ensure consistency.
- Since reference to ISCO was made in connection with the “occupational standards” aspect of the source texts, EU regulations and working group documents related to these standards were reviewed to find the equivalent name of each occupation in the reference texts.
SOLUTION ELEMENTS
- Competence and comprehensive industry-based terminology knowledge.
- Technical and semantic analyses of source texts for preparation to translation process.
- Identification of “national qualifications” and “occupational standards” aspects in each text to ensure consistency with the international framework.
BENEFITS
- Contributing to the implementation of the Turkish Qualifications Framework (UYEP-II) in line with GOPA requirements by taking into consideration key aspects such as employment, lifelong learning, and education.
- Since these national qualifications and occupational standards will also be published in the official website of Vocational Qualifications Institution (MYK), it will help stakeholders who are interested in participating in the national certification procedure or otherwise contributing to the initiative as a trainer, sector committee member, or a subject matter expert.
- Providing a uniform framework and terminology for various market segments and industries in line with both national and international standards.
