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Every year, all third-year students help with the Japanese translation of the race regulations. The regulations are a rulebook for building the cars to be entered in the race. If a car violates any of the regulations in the book, it will not pass inspection and will be disqualified from the race. New regulations are sent every November. The first task for third-year students joining the lab in October is to translate the regulations into Japanese. The third-year students that were in charge of the translation in preparation for the race this June are fourth-year students this year. I think they’re feeling the pressure a little bit.
The regulations arrive in both French and English. While we have some members who are proficient in English, sadly, most are not. The translation to Japanese is always a difficult undertaking. On top of that, the style of English used is very different from what we learn in class; it is much more technical and full of specialized terminology. Each member is assigned a single page, and then we all read through the first draft of the translation, suggesting improvements as we go. We can’t simply do a direct translation, either. There are often many concrete figures that are difficult to determine what they apply to, so we also make diagrams to facilitate our understanding. The diagrams are not just for the benefit of the third-year students doing the translation, but for every group member so we can all share the same information. Every year, the third-year students struggle with completing the translation. But it’s worth it - manufacturers have praised the high quality of our work and sometimes even request a copy. That makes us all feel proud of our efforts. |
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