Don't Quote Me

Though sometimes it can be hard to believe, clients are people, too. So when crafting a quote on their behalf, keep a few things in mind. Advance your story: The person doing the talking should say something that you, the omniscient voice of the document, cannot; there’s no need to quote a CEO saying that her company’s new product will be available nationwide in June.  Know whom you’re quoting: A senior executive? a food scientist? the assistant director of marketing for southeast Jersey City? Jordin Sparks? Craft a quote only that person can say. A CEO’s commentary is going to be different than a celebrity spokesperson’s, for instance, while a marketing director will have a different perspective than an engineer. Make it sound real: Quotes should be conversational because that’s how people speak, period. Never hand in a document without having first read the quote out loud several times. If you stumble over your own words or punctuation, that’s an indication your quote isn’t working. Make peeps sound smart: Even if you know in your heart the guy’s a jerk, he’s also the client (or a supporter of your client). Keep it in mind. Excitement, shmexcitement: No journalist has ever been the slightest bit excited about a company spokesperson being excited about something the company is doing. Next time you’re about to write a quote like that, imagine instead the person singing these immortal Pointer Sister lines:                         I'm so excited and I just can't hide it                         I'm about to lose control and I think I like it                         I'm so excited and I just can't hide it                         And I know I know I know I know I know I want you That’s how dumb it is. So if admitting to being excited or thrilled or honored is the only thing you can think of for a spokesperson to say, better he should say nothing. Sometimes silence is golden.

Comments

[Andrew Galbraith]

This is a very relevant post for me, as I deal with a lot of press releases that have been translated from Chinese. Chinese-language releases are filled with quotes from bigwigs who are excited about a product or event. It's a cultural issue as much as a linguistic one, and I often find myself leaving the quotes in, despite my own misgivings. Am I right to assume that consistency between translations trumps style?

[Dan Santow]

I'm not really sure what you're asking - when translating should you change a stupid quote to a smart one? Probably not unless you have made some arrangement in advance. (I'm not familiar enough with the culture in which you work to respond with any definity.)

[Andrew Galbraith]

Re-reading my question, I'm not entirely sure what I was asking either! It was a long day.

I think the basic issue is that the English translations I deal with are often used for internal approval, and are not widely distributed. There is a temptation in these cases to translate in such a way that the essential meaning of the release is kept, but the style (including use of quotes) conforms to English-language press release norms. Like all translation, it can be a tricky balancing act!

[Craig Johnson]

I was looking for the words to the Pointer Sister's song and hence 'googled my way to your sight.
A local bank, "Berkshire Bank" Pittsfield, Mass, has a complete ad campaign based on this song, tv and radio both.
They even have plate size plastic whack-a-button doohickies at teller stations that play an exuberant snippet of the song.
!!! This campaign, which is the global antithesis of your advice, is enormously 'catching' and successful.!!!
--cognitorex blogspot com--