Why the name?
Fast Fourier Translations is a play on Fast Fourier Transform, which is an algorithm able to represent any sound in terms of a combination of sine waves of different sizes, like the one above. Numerous aspects of modern life that bring us beauty, convenience and practicality depend on how FFT drives digital sound: Spotify, Siri, piano teaching software…
Fast Fourier Translations aspires likewise to offer you solutions of beauty, convenience and practicality in response to your need for translations between French and English… and fast!
Let’s get a bit more personal. As well as being an accomplished manipulator of words and sound, I have also played the drums for many years. My philosophy towards playing the drums has proven equally applicable to being a translator:
Be reliable
Be on time
Create a mood or context that allows the talents of others to shine
Fast Fourier Translations is owned and operated by Simon Sleath BA, Cert.Ed., MCIL. His immersion in the French language results from a 30-year relationship with Senegal, West Africa, including a five-year stay. His language services draw on his experience, qualifications and skills over 25 years in the areas of languages, desktop publishing, audio/visual media production and education. He is a Chartered Linguist of the Chartered Institute of Linguists as a translator, and he is an Associate of the Performing Right Society as a music composer.
My approach for a good French to English translation
I’m glad you’re still reading! My approach to translation has also been informed by the theory of education that I studied for my masters qualification. It has provided a lens through which to evaluate what makes communication successful and memorable.
Here are some of the rules of thumb that I have developed in consequence for my translations from French to English:
Use kinaesthetic language, in other words try to appeal to the senses. The best journalistic writing in English such as the Economist or the Guardian will use colourful imagery and metaphors as well as energetic verbs to bring the subject to life. For example instead of deal with, say grapple with. Or: “Negotiators are looking for a fig-leaf solution.”
English often likes to work from the particular to the general whereas French is the opposite. This means turning sentences around in order to state the outcome first and the explanation second.
Because English wants to know first of all what action took place, verbs are more important than nouns. French will describe a situation more in terms of states, as conveyed by nouns.
Use as many compound nouns as possible in English. Being able to improvise new words in a few syllables which both respond to and define new developments is one of the greatest strengths of English. For example to crowdsource, lifehack, or (my favourite of 2021) pingdemic (ping: sound of alert from Covid app + pandemic = a plague of notifications!)
Keep the text interesting with synonyms. Take advantage of the huge range of vocabulary that different peoples have contributed to the English language: the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans, the Commonwealth, the Americans…
Finally, apply the So What? Test. This makes every statement and syntactic device have to justify its inclusion. Can the meaning survive without it? If so, leave it out. English tends to be concise, mainly due to the compound nouns mentioned above. It takes up about 15% less space on the page than French. This has implications every time for localisation in DTP.