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The subject on which I have been asked to speak is ‘The training of translators”. This is not an easy matter, particularly as there can, in the nature of things, be no golden rule for training for a task so complex and varied as that of the translator, especially in technical or scientific matters. I shall make no apology for approaching this subject from a very practical point of view.

In opening this afternoon session, I feel rather like the London business man who, shortly before Christmas, had had a serious argument with the ‘ghost’ writer he employed to prepare his speeches. He was to deliver a speech at a City function of some importance, and, having duly received his notes—which, as usual, he had no time to read—went off to the dinner. When called upon to deliver his speech he rose and began ‘Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. The world today is full of problems. There are grave international problems, social problems, industrial and trade union problems, and many similar and equally‐serious difficulties. With your permission, I should like to deal with some of these problems in detail tonight.’ Here, having reached the end of his first page, he turned it over, only to find scrawled across the next, otherwise blank sheet, the words ‘Now talk yourself out of that one!’

The issue of language as a barrier to the work of librarians in post‐war Britain was pinpointed in the report of the Royal Society's Scientific Information Conference in 1948. Concerning the work of information officers, it stated:

During 1959 the Director of Aslib spent nearly six weeks visiting members of Aslib, and other organizations with which Aslib has common interests, in Canada and USA. The trip was primarily in the nature of a goodwill tour of member organizations rather than an investigation of specific library problems, but he was able to see and discuss many aspects of library and information work of interest to librarians in this country. A few copies of his report to the Aslib International Relations Committee are available on request.

I am going to talk both as a user and a perpetrator of translations, since, in the Patent Department of the Mond Nickel Company Limited, the Information Section has to abstract and translate patents and other legal documents as well as technical and scientific articles from, and occasionally into, foreign languages. A large part of this work is done within the department but the incessant pressure, due to the necessity of working to definite dates—a very common problem in patent work—forces us to send out some work to outside translators. We have thus acquired a considerable store of experience on the economic or L.s.d. side of translation work.

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