Marouane Ahdeid

Having a final translation project was nothing like the usual translation assignments we did in class or at home, this was different, a real job that could be a real assignment in the localization or translation field. As we were given the chance to choose our project and get it approved by Dr. Pelletier, I have chosen once again my favorite topic which is tourism in Morocco. I have found online three articles that deal with the touristic industry and its impacts on the country, in addition to two news videos that deal with the same topic.

Using “dotsub.com” was not a good help for me as it was for the rest of my classmates, they found videos in the website and just started translating it as it was already uploaded and transcribed and ready to be worked on. In my case, I could not find any videos related to my subject. I had to import the video from “youtube.com” that was originally in French and transcribe it which took a very long time. I have never expected the verbal speech to have those many words I have found on this video, they were speaking so fast and I had to keep back wording the video and forwarding it to get exactly what they were saying, and at times I was confused if it is this word or that word, especially when they are different accents of speakers. I finally got all the speech typed on a word document, and started working on uploading it to the video which was a real challenge trying to keep the script going along with the audible speech. At times they spoke fast and at others they spent 3 to 4 second only mumbling one word. After transcribing the video which took hours and hours I went back to my word document with the typed speech and started translating it as a whole, sentence by sentence.

The third article of the newspaper that talked about the impact of tourism on the Moroccan society was a very hard material, it was a very complex writing style that did not respect the regular French sentence structure. Some words were new to me, the whole article was irregular, I have spent hours on it, reading it again and again to first understand the idea but still could not get the message through, I do not know if it has to do with me as a beginner in this field or the original text itself was not a standard French text. I tried to keep some of the original words to avoid coming up with a complete different article than the original one, but overall I am not happy with it, I think on one side that it was a bad choice but on the other side it was a good self training for a hard text like this.

            As I mentioned regarding the process I use to get my translation done through a machine translating tool and then correct the mistakes and translate the cultural parts of some of the words in both the videos and the articles, I ended up facing the same issues as in other assignments given through the semester like the example of “nous voulons exploiter jusqu’au bout” that the machine has given me “…to the end” but it did not make any sense, and it did not flow with the rest of the sentence. I was forced as usual to change a whole paragraph with complete new words or structure from the one given to me by the machine. I have been challenged also by some of the words that were not French; I did not know what to do in that situation especially in transcribing the text of the original language. The accent of the speaker made it very hard at times to determine the exact word they were trying to say.

Finally, the software used to transcribe and translate the videos was not the perfect tool that could have been used because of the issue of the 3 seconds rule that is applied to all the videos, while we know that some people speak faster than others, which made the translation seem to be poor at times when it mismatched the image. All in all, I am very glad to have taken this class, and I enjoyed the final project the most because it allowed me to use what I have learnt, it made the class look like a training with hands on the real job at the end and not just a regular way of testing us. Translation and localization is truly a real key of connecting cultures, languages and religions to communicate with each other.

 Publié le : 24.07.2009 | 12h21 sur: Source 1

Touristic Strategy

Morocco has made a step ahead

Morocco has a made a  huge step ahead in the context of the implementation of its Vision 2010 to promote the sector of tourism as the French newspaper of Economics and Finance “La Tribune “mentioned in its edition on Thursday.

Launched in 2001, this project that called for 10 million tourists per year in 2010 and that aimed to make tourism a priority sector to support the economy, has doubled the number of visitors to 8 million people so far in 2008, as published.

Similarly, hotel capacities have multiplied by two to reach 153,000 beds between 2001 and 2008, the newspaper said that tourism is the first resource of revenue for the country, with 5 billion Euros in 2008, representing 9% of GDP.
In terms of job creation, the newspaper said that a total of 130,000 direct jobs have been created in that period, contributing, in part to the sorption in unemployment.

“The Tribune”, which also puts forward the efforts deployed for the liberalization of the Moroccan sky, indicates that not less than twenty airlines serve the international Moroccan airports, in addition to the national carrier Royal Air Morocco (RAM).
But the most surprising part of this plan committed to forming the touristic industry is, according to the newspaper, creations of new resorts intended valuing the 3,500 kilometers of Mediterranean and Atlantic seaside, which include (Saïdia) that has inaugurated last June.

For the newspaper, one of the challenges to the Moroccan tourism would be maintaining its price positioning and face competition from other destinations, offering competitive prices.

To find every year millions of  needed travelers to the activity of its touristic industry, the newspaper reveals that Morocco is getting ready to pick up guests from far away, especially in countries East such as Russia and Poland.

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Publié le :27 juillet , 2010 sur : Source 2 

Saïdia: how culture saved the tourism industry

June 2011, the Oriental region of the Kingdom of Morocco will host the first edition of “Maghreb Culture” festival which annually celebrates the North African region arts: movies, music, theater, culinary arts, plastic arts, fashion, etc… A meeting that initiators want trans-Maghreb. An event that came to support the promotion of beach tourism that is in trouble in this part of Morocco that is less known.

While announcing the creation of this festival in a ceremony held June 19 in the new seaside resort of Saïdia (about 35 miles from Oujda, in the north-east), the Chairman of the Regional Council of Oriental Ali Belhadj said this: “The Maghreb Culture is not a substitute for the Arab Maghreb Union, hopelessly stalled. This festival is devoid of “political motives” and “not a prelude to solving the problems of borders with Algeria,” he says in the quarter-hour interview that preceded the official announcement.

A quick tour of the new town of Saïdia has already been enough to confirm that. Covered by forest and swamp just three years ago, the region’s ambition is to become a touristic hub with its brand new hotels with a capacity exceeding 2 000 beds, its summer residencies, medina, its marina (one of the three largest of the Mediterranean), shopping center and golf course. All this resulting from the Royal Initiative for the Development of the Oriental region launched by King Mohamed VI in a keynote speech in March 2003.

The metamorphosis

Since a long time ago, the town of Saïdia saw its face changed dramatically. From a village status, it moved to a seaside city status-driver for the construction of which the institutions of the kingdom are associated with large Spanish groups. Returned to first create and develop basic infrastructure, and secondly to provide the expertise in the field of tourism. The Moroccan government had to establish communication networks: a split bypass Saïdia and the construction of all access roads to the city, development of a network of sewage collection and storm water from its dikes for protection, its treatment plants, pumping and its seaside along its 15 km beach. All for a total amount of 369 million dirhams (1 Euro = 10 DH) under the terms of an agreement for the upgrade of the city. The Iberostar and Barceló hotel chains will also rely on help from the state and region for the launch of their institutions.

In this way, the Oriental region expects to seduce and attract every year a few thousand Spanish tourists of course, but also British, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and those Gulf countries and countries of Eastern Europe. 50 000 new jobs and gains of around 5 billion dirhams as the newspaper said of the North African Economist.

Forcing

Except that for now, hotels are far from rejecting clients while the summer homes that are along the roads of Saïdia are still empty. The paint marks on the windows tell us that most of them were not yet taken.

The vacant housing stock, the silent marina and the shy commercial activity of Saïdia threaten not only the future of tourism in the East but also the success of the entire project. Ultimately, it is the integration of the region to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The immediate concern is to bring the crowds to this new tourist attraction, as the authorities have undertaken to do so. The two Iberian hotels were 5 stars worked last season for two months, according to the Economist. In this season, the Barceló mainly receives clients from the Iberian Peninsula.

Hence the idea of the Maghreb Culture Festival. The event is thought to drain the crowds to this site and make it live, as explained so prosaic by Ali Belhadj, “It is an approach to promoting economic development.”

As for the name “Maghreb,” it is meant to recall the ties that bind Oujda to its environment. Mr. Belhadj argues that “one feels deeply Maghrebian in this border region.” It is ideal to bring together artists and scientists of the Maghreb. That is to say that the organizers of Maghreb Culture 2011 evacuate a backhand that all concerns could be designed as to its credibility. It is believed that the political obstacles are not resistant to an identity deeply rooted in the Maghreb region. Which moreover is already home to several festivals stamped undoubtedly as Maghrebian: the festival of oases, the festival of Rai, the music festival gharnati, or the alaoui music one.

The North African identity and culture have made for now the center of the festival program. It is more of a willingness to implement an economic development policy and the event is not yet really thought about it. Before his presentation last Saturday before the press and a few guests like Deputy Consul of Algeria in Oujda, none of the members of the local press had heard about it. Before leaving the room, the representative of Algeria, Mr. Bashir Belatrache said he would continue listening.

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 Publié le : 26 Mars 2008 sur: Source 3

Impact of international tourism on the Moroccan society  

Author: Mohamed Rifka 

Before addressing that question, the answer on the impact of international tourism on the Moroccan society appears to be very attached to describing even a bit of about the different stages of its evolution through history, the different roles that it played and still playing and their impact in a way or another.

Although the explosion of tourism based on its democratization in rich countries, its internationalization confirms its character, and the humanist discourse of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), its liberal option. Relaters from North-South disparities, tourist flows are digging the map: tour operator instead transnational share a growing share of profits and the first world is still strong as the principal director of recreational migrants.

 
However, tourism has become the first source of foreign exchange for one third of developing countries but to what social, environmental and cultural cost? Privatization of assets, looting of ecosystems, trivialization of society, consumption habits of the monoculture of mass tourism and diversification of it and to offer something else than inducing a new use of Western world. 
Contents of the initiatives in tourism ethics that we like to believe. Still, the reality of the relation between visited and visitors and the more comprehensive non equivalent between the promoters of the tourism industry and local communities need new regulations. Expansion of international tourism plantar due to the liberalization of the market Arian companies. 

Its democratization is related to the level and quality of life favors by the explosion of communications. Formerly exclusively for exploration and holiday resort of aristocratic privileges fist, the luxury travel garment had gradually expand until reached the poorer classes. Global tourism is a major contemporary social phenomenon, not only as a leading economic fact but also as a global socio-cultural reality. The tourist activity supranational, long under-value, has become one of the most powerful levers of globalization and assumes a central role in the evolution of the international economy and reports.

This is the promotion of new forms of tourism, more versatile, greener, softer, more appropriate, and more ecological:
- Inclusive and sustainable tourism that actually expresses a desire whereas this touristic activity and travel as a vehicle for sustainable development in the jurisdictions they are in. To its development and its planning must involve greater involvement of local people by promoting a policy of partnership.

Indeed, the tourists are foreigners and they are welcome and many thanks to the hospitality they enjoy and the share of tourist establishments and Aboriginal and different activities besides their bedrooms, the cultural interest they enjoy both walls and traditions than historical levels, it is normal that the impact of this is beneficial for both the tourism private establishment and for the society. This is reflected by the contribution of foreign currency, a very important commercial activity, encouragement of crafts, creations of formal and Periodic employment.

So should we add the impact on relationships that develop between natives and migrants for a long period, it is regrettable to note that certain acts of committed character are indecent. Unfortunately and by categories between irresponsible and disrespectful tourists begin taint this activity and how pleasant that stability which is seen as a menace in certain regions known by poverty and abundance of tourists. This phenomenon favorites through the Internet, said the tourist who finds no problem to invite who he desires for any kind of far from everything and unfortunately with the knowledge of everyone.

Other inconvenient that could fairly complain by region:
- If the cart between the local living standards and the stock term visitors often shakes the economical structure (without even talking about inflationary pressures), it can also disorganize a deep Society: When a tip for a taxi or a sexual service is paid in dollars each sufficient Exceeds one or two local monthly wage, the country is safe from the no drive. For proof, not only the quantity of intellectuals and professionals (from education or the Physicians for example) that are switching in small service jobs, but also the development massive prostitution sex tourism, black markets, trafficking and various other networks of local mobsters These phenomena that are debauched rise among conservative citizens vindictive attitude regrettable that ends generally by dramatic situations

Likewise they start feeding in the Islamic political and civil Society dissatisfaction and rejection of any new tourist supper character of such acts

- The quality of jobs often, they go further in certain regions a population under-qualified, without social protection, while not directly related adolescents or children.
Thus we see the informal sectors (selling souvenirs, food) will be around tourist enclaves, detriment in agricultural activities or of traditional knowledge
Culture shock: commercial trivialization of cultural heritage.
At best, the native adapts to take advantage of, at worst; these tribes as unworthy parks that one visits with a camera shoulder strap, like visiting a zoo.
- The footprint of the tourism industry also poses many problems caused by the chain: The examples abound o establishment of a complex hoteliers, a golf course or a seaside resort area has RALIS thanks to forced displacement “of local populations, through acquisitions more or less legal or favor privatization of basic resources beneficent little Native or not.
- Tourism equitable, sustainable, proximity, integer, ecological, tamed, ethics, alternative, solidarity names abound, but all refer, in different ways, the responsibility for Tourism international well-being of people visiting.

Final translation project 2/2   le tourisme au maroc – Vidéo2

Final translation project 1/2   le tourisme au maroc – Vidéo1

Proclamation

PROCLAMATION

Gathered by a series of calamities similar to those that moved us away from our homes, and suddenly we were spread over different lands, we have decided to seek an asylum where we may be able to remind ourselves of our misfortunes, in order to come out with useful lessons. A huge land is presented is in front of us, land abandoned by civilized men, or traveling Indian tribes while hunting, leaving an uncultivated vast fertile territory.

(45)

In the adversity that rises our courage up far from failure, we are exercising the first right granted to man by the author of nature, and we are establishing ourselves over this land, in order to fertilize it by our work and reap the harvest that it never denies to the perseverance.

We attack nobody and we do not have any hostile intentions. We ask for peace and friendship to all those around us, and we will be thankful for the kindness shown towards us. We shall respect the religion, the laws, the customs and practices of civilized nations.  We shall also respect the independence, the customs and life style of the Indian nations. We shall not interfere either in their hunting, or any other aspect of their life.  We will maintain good social, neighborly, and commercial relationships with all those who this is convenient to.  Our conduct will be peaceful, active and laborious, and we will also help as much as we can.

From the first glance at the text it seems to be a regular historical French text. Using the process I always used to translate other texts in this class, which is reading them first and then getting them translated by an online translator and start working on them then word by word through using synonyms and changing whatever does not sound right in the target language with a more appropriate wording. This time, that traditional process did not work, the language of the text was strange; I did not think that French of the old days would be that much different. It seemed full of mistakes according to the French we are using nowadays. For example the word “contrées” that means according to the text countries, but I was not sure if that would be the appropriate translation or I rather use lands, places, territories or regions which would make more sense.

On the other side, regarding the historical touch of the text. Reading about the Indian tribes and the refuge seekers in a new seemingly abundant land put us back in that time of the history and then the difficulties of the text started making sense, and I had to consider it as a special text in terms of the language that is used in it.

This historical text goes back to the 1818, and as it says it, it was about the history and the circumstances that some of the first settlers have faced trying to take over the vast lands and live side by side with the native Indians.

I do not know what to do regarding the information about the text, if we do have as translators to provide the source of the original text in this case or is it enough just to mention the period when it did happen and the story behind it.

La radio reçoit très peu d’attention. Parmi plusieurs méthodes de communications – la littérature, les journaux, l’art visuel, la musique, le cinéma, la télévision, le Web-la radio peut-être la moins parlée, discutée, et conçue . Probablement parce qu’elle sert seulement comme un appareil de transmission, une façon de prendre les autres formes d’art (les chansons, les sermons) et les diffuser par tous. Ses autres manières d’utilisations sont assez prosaïque aussi: les matchs sportifs et les émissions du conservatisme qui ont des caractères répétitifs mais qui sont assez efficace. Selon la revue du syndicat de journalistes, Rush Limbaugh est le champion, ses émissions de radio atteignent 14,25 millions d’auditeurs en moyenne par semaine. En poursuivant le même sujet, Sean Hannity le suit de très près.

Mais un public aussi important se tourne en vers la radio, où on peut trouver les émissions sous des formes diverses. La radio réclame au moins 5 pour cent du marché. Les émissions d’information majeur de la radio nationale (NPR), “Morning Edition” et “All Things Considered”, sont placés en deuxième et en troisième position des programmes les plus populaires, chaqu’un attirant environ 13 millions d’auditeurs au cours de la semaine. Ces émissions s’agissent des actualités et des commentaires ainsi que les bulletins et les articles discutés à fond, qui peuvent prendre plus de vingt minutes. Les programmes de la radio attirent de plus grandes audiences que les émissions de télévision câblée; en effet, tous les quatre réseaux de télévision combinés tirent seulement deux fois l’audience de la radio pour les actualités du soir. “Morning Edition” et “All Things Considered” sont supplementés par les programmes bien connus comme “The World”, une coproduction de la BBC avec la WGBH de Boston, et l’entreprise de radiodiffusion “Marketplace”-une rubrique produite en dehors de la radio nationales (NPR), mais appartenant au vaste monde de la radio publique. Les sondages estiment que la radio est considérée comme la source la plus crédible pour les informations dans le pays. L’audience pour la plupart de ses émissions est énorme par rapport aux souscripteurs du “New York Times”, “The New Yorker” ou le nombre de personnes qui lisent même les plus grands best-sellers.

À peu près d’un sur dix Américains écoute la radio chaque semaine, si vous atterrissez dams un vaisseau spatial quelque part en Amérique a la recherche de la culture profonde et non partisane, votre premier arrêt serait les stations de radio qui apparaissent habituellement en dessous du réseau 92 FM. Vous trouveriez pas seulement les grandes émissions d’actualités mais aussi une variété des émissions à suivre nationaux: comme “On Point, The Diane Rehm Show, ou Talk of the Nation, avec l’édition superbe de “Science Friday””, de nombreuses émissions localles de débats, avec des hôtes comme Leonard Lopate et Brian Lehrer de New York, Michael Krasny de San Francisco, Steve Scher de Seattle, Larry Mantle de Los Angeles, et la liste est plutôt longue.

Celles-ci diffèrent des émissions conservatives en ce sens qu’elles ont des invités qui représentent divers partis de la vie politique et culturelle Américaine: par exemple, en vous écrivant cet article ce matin, Tom Ashbrook de l’émission “On Point” de Boston a passé une heure à discuter de l’ascension du jeu social sur Facebook, Krasny avait couvert “la difficulté de l’industrie de la construction», et “The Leonard Lopate Show” avait examiné l’état actuel de la société Google. La sine qua non de ces efforts est Terry Gross and son intelligent entrevue sur l’émission “Fresh Air”, qui est basé à la Philadelphie, depuis 35 ans, elle est diffusé en plus de 450 postes, et elle a réclamé près de 4,5 millions d’auditeurs.

Et pourtant, très peu a été écrit à propos de la radio. Nous n’avons pas un équivalent du récent revue déplorable Anglais “The Listener”, qui mélangeait le commentaire indépendant avec des dissertations et des articles de sensations qui avaient été au début diffusés à la radio, même notre forum de presse pour la radio nationale (NPR), “On the Media”, est concentré sur la télévision ou le texte imprimé. Il n’y a pas de distinction honorifique comme l’Emmy ou les Grammys ou les Oscars (ou même les Tonys) pour la radio. Dans un sens, je trouve que ceci reflet le caractère professionnel de la radio, elle est devenu si bonne à sa mission fondamentale qu’elle a été considérée négligeable, comme une sorte de l’utilité d’information.

J’ai parlé récemment avec Robert Krulwich, qui avait rejoint pour la première fois le réseau de radio nationale (NPR) quelques années après l’émission “All Things Considered”, il est allé sur l’air aux années de Nixon et il est maintenant le co-hôte du programme de la radio “Radiolab”, il se souvient de ces jours remplis d’invention:

La radio était morte-c’était top 40. Tous les journalistes ingénieux étaient avec les presses comme “The Times” ou “The Washington Post”, ou s’ils ne voulaient pas être Woodward et Bernstein ils allaient travailler pour Walter Cronkite au réseau Tiffany. Ce groupe de débile parcouraient dans le studio et a dit: faisons la radio. Nous allons la réinventer. Sautez trente-cinq ou quarante ans à l’avenir et où est Walter Cronkite aujourd’hui? Qu’est-ce qui est passé au “Washington Post”? Et devinez-vous que soudainement les débiles de la radio ont apparu comme le point d’ attention d’une énorme audience. Et maintenant ils ont un peu de l’arrogance des hommes du “Times”.

Que pouvons nous faire

ne’ aux déserts

occupés au hasard

par les marchands de borax

qui aspirent à une

élégance du stuc

s’ils sont vraiment chanceux?

Quelqu’un doit

arriver ici avant

la mythologie,pour etre

heureux dans les premièrs

résidus de l’industrie

et bien sûr seul

et sensible aux

avis des ânes

puisque les ânes

sont la compagnie principale

ici parmi les

revendications. …

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The meaning of meaning has to be translated, not only in its proper sense but also in a the poetic sense.  The style of poetry is difficult, because it reflects the personal style of the poet, the only thing that a  translator can do is to his best knowledge.  The meaning of a poem can be interpreted in several ways, which proves difficult because it can go in any direction.  The American desert is a cultural expression, it only makes sense if you have been there and experience it, to the French the idea of a desert might exists only in one’s imagination since there is no desert in France.  I would define culture as something that differs from group to group and yet has a way of uniting many people and allowing them to pass along traditions. Many people don’t live in the same country their entire lives, they have experiences and  mindsets from all over the world. When they meet someone who has been where they have been and experienced the similarities; a connection is made. The pattern of activity that give significance to one person is passed to their offspring and culture is allowed to move.

reflection 5

This is the fruit of our group work in translating the original French web page:

http://www.wix.com/kingdomseed/localizationmusemwebsite

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