Like most people, a lot of the work I do can’t be shared publicly
Books & Publications
Scientific & Technical Translation Explained
Scientific and technical translation are taught at universities all over the world but there was never a book designed to help students learn how to tackle such a daunting and complex area. Often students had to learn the general principles of translation translation and try to figure out how they applied to technical translation. This book explains everything from the basic principles right through to tricks of the trade, and it provides lots of examples, activities and resources for both beginners and experienced translators.
Byrne, J. (2012). Scientific and Technical Translation Explained. London: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315760391
Buy the book from Amazon and earn me some commission, or go directly to the publishers website.
Technical Translation
My first book deals looks at how we can use cognitive psychology and the usability engineering principles to produce technical content which is more effective, easier to understand, and less taxing on users. It introduces the concept of iconic linkage and explains how to conduct a statistically reliable usability test for documentation. This was also the first book on technical translation published in almost 30 years and helped reignite interest in one of the most important and under-researched aspects of technical communication.
Byrne, J. (2012). Scientific and Technical Translation Explained. London: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315760391
Buy the book from Amazon and earn me some commission, or go directly to the publishers website.
The Master List
I’ve written a lot of different publications for journals, books, conferences, and blogs. Here’s a list of almost everything. Feel free to get in touch to talk about any of them.
Books
| 2012: Byrne, J. (2012) Scientific and Technical Translation Explained: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Beginners. Translation Practices Explained. Manchester: St. Jerome. 230 pp. |
| 2006: Byrne, J. (2006) Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. 280 pp. |
| 2001: Byrne, J. (2001) The Book of Zope: How to Build and Deliver Web Applications. Translation from German original entitled ZOPE (Beehive, 2001) and published by No Starch Inc., San Francisco. 350 pp |
Edited Special Editions
| 2009: Byrne, J. (ed.) (2009) Journal of Specialised Translation – Special Issue on Technical Translation (11), 260 pp. |
Refereed Publications / Chapters in Books
| 2017: Byrne, J. (2017) Scalable Video Production for Technical Communicators. Stephen Crabbe (ed.) (2017) Current Trends in Technical Communication. Institute of Scientific & Technical Communicators, pp.131-151 |
| 2014: Byrne, J. (2014) A Framework for the Identification and Strategic Development of Translation Specialisms. Meta, 59(1), pp. 124-139. [Available from: https://doi.org/10.7202/1026473ar] |
| 2013: Byrne, J. (2013) Seeing the Wood for the Trees: Reassessing Research Agendas in Specialised Translation. Position paper. Journal of International Professional Communication (1) [https://www.oalib.com/paper/2944967] |
| 2010: Byrne, J. (2010) Are technical translators writing themselves out of existence? Ian Kemble (ed.) (2010) The Translator as Writer. Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth, pp.14-27. |
| 2009: Byrne, J. (2009) Localisation – When Language, Culture and Technology Join Forces. Language at Work, No. 5, pp.24-38 [https://tidsskrift.dk/law/article/view/6190] |
| 2009: Byrne, J. (2009) The Coming of Age of Technical Translation. Journal of Specialised Translation, Issue 11, pp.1-5. |
| 2008: Byrne, J. (2008) Learning Technology in the Translation Classroom. Proceedings of XVIII FIT World Congress, Shanghai |
| 2007: Byrne, J. (2007) Translation and the Internet: Changing the Face of an Industry. Ian Kemble (ed.) (2007) Translation Technologies & Culture. Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth, pp.23-34 |
| 2007: Byrne, J. (2007) Caveat Translator: Understanding the Legal Consequences of Errors in Professional Translation. Journal of Specialised Translation, 2007 (7) pp.2-24 [Available from: https://jostrans.org/issue07/art_byrne.pdf] |
| 2006: Byrne, J. (2006) Suppression as a Form of Creativity in Technical Translation. Ian Kemble (ed.) Translation and Creativity: How Creative is the Translator? Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth, pp.6-14 |
| 2005: Byrne, J. (2005) Evaluating the Effect of Iconic Linkage on the Usability of Software User Guides. The Journal of Technical Writing & Communication. 35:2, pp.155-178 |
| 2004: Byrne, J. (2004) Does Usability Have to be so Complicated? The Communicator. The Institute of Scientific & Technical Communicators. Winter 2004, pp.20-21 |
| 2003: Byrne, J. (2003) Translation, Quality and Cognetics: New Insights into Translation Quality. Sonia Cunico & Begoña Rodrígues de Céspedes (eds) Quality Issues in Translation: Conference Proceedings. Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth, pp. 19-36 |
| 2003: Byrne, J. (2003) Freelance Translation: Teaching Students to Create Their Own Jobs. Daniel Gouadec & Daniel Toudic (eds) Traduction, Terminologie, Rédaction. Paris: La Maison du Dictionnaire, pp. 161-174 |
| 1999: Byrne, J. (1999) International English: Making A Case for Efficient and Clear Communication. ATA Chronicle, Vol. XXVIII, No. 10, October 1999: American Translators’ Association, pp.37-42 |
| 1999: Byrne, J. (1999) Translator, Localiser or Jack-of-all-Trades? New Challenges Facing Today’s Translator. Translation Ireland, Vol. 13, No. 1, March 1999 |
Other Publications
| 2022: Hybrid Work, the Metaverse & You: A Psychological Survival Guide. SAP Future of Work Community Blog 🔗 |
| 2017: Byrne, J. (2017) UA Reloaded 17 App Honoured at UKTC 2017, In: The Communicator, Winter 2017 [Article] |
| 2005: Byrne, J. (2005) Best Practice in Career Service Provision to Languages Students: A Pilot Project. Research report commissioned and published by Dublin City University. |
| 2003: Byrne, J. (2003) Evaluating the Usability of Software User Guides: A Pilot Study. Elisabeth Gräfe (ed) tekom Jahrestagung 2003. Stuttgart: tekom, pp.35-39 |
Invited Lectures, Keynotes & Workshops
| 2021: The Psychology of Online Communication. SAP People & Learning Soft Skills Workshop |
| 2020: What Would MacGyver Do? Innovating User Assistance on a Budget [workshop], UA Reloaded 2020 [postponed due to covid-19] |
| 2020: Friends with Black Hats? Understanding the Dark Communication Potential of Chatbots [Keynote] UA Reloaded 2020, Germany [postponed due to covid-19] |
| 2019: Interactive Video: Giving User Assistance the Netflix Treatment. SAP UA Day 2019, Germany |
| 2018: Storm Clouds with Silver Linings? The Challenges Facing Technical Communication 4.0. Voice of Customer Colloquium, University of Aveiro, Portugal [Keynote] |
| 2018: Humanizing Communication in the Age of Chatbots. DocMuc 2018, Hochschule München [Keynote] |
| 2018: What’s Love Got to Do with It? The Cyberpsychology of User Assistance. Invited workshop at UA Reloaded 18, Sankt Leon-Rot, tekom/SAP |
| 2018: The Cyberpsychology of UA. Invited lecture at SAP UA Day 2018, Sankt Leon-Rot |
| 2017: Using Bluetooth Beacons to Provide Location-Based UA. Invited lecture at UA Reloaded 2017 conference, Germany |
| 2017: The Nuts and Bolts of Technical Translation. Invited professional development workshop, Irish Translators’ & Interpreters’ Association |
| 2012: Web Design for Translators. Guest lecture for MA students at Dublin City University. |
| 2011: Developing Translation Specialisms and Marketing Translation Services Online, CPD Workshop given on behalf of the Irish Translators’ & Interpreters’ Association |
| 2011: Understanding the Peer Review Process. Humanities Research Institute, University of Sheffield. |
| 2010: Scientific & Technical Translation. Guest lecture at University College London. |
| 2010: Textual Cognetics: Using Psychology to Engineer Better Translations. Guest lecture at University of Salford. |
| 2009: Understanding Technical Translation. Guest lecture on technical translation at University College London. |
| 2009: Are technical translators writing themselves out of existence? Keynote lecture at 9th Portsmouth Translation Conference, University of Portsmouth. |
| 2008: The Trouble with Technical Translation. Invited lecture at Imperial College London. |
| 2007: Multidimensional Challenges in Technical Translation. Invited lecture and plenary panel discussion on translator training at Mutra Multidimensional Translation Conference, Vienna. |
| 2006: Putting the Reader First: The Role of Usability in Technical Translation. Invited lecture at Imperial College London. |
| 2006: Translation and the Internet: Changing the Face of an Industry. 6th Portsmouth Translation Conference “Translation Technologies & Culture”, University of Portsmouth, November, 2006. |
Recordings
| 2019: Interactive Video: Giving User Assistance the Netflix Treatment. SAP UA Day 2019, Germany [Recording] |
| 2018: The Cyberpsychology of UA. Invited lecture at SAP UA Day 2018, Germany [Recording] |
| 2016: Breaking Silos and Boosting UA Innovation with Prototyping. LavaCon Conference, Dublin [Recording] |
Conference Papers & Presentations
| 2016: Breaking Silos and Boosting UA Innovation with Prototyping. LavaCon 2016, Dublin |
| 2008: Learning Technology in the Translation Classroom. XVIII FIT World Congress 2008, Shanghai. |
| 2008: The Role of Technical Communication in Engineering Better Translations. TILS 2008 – Translation, Interpreting & Languages for Special Purposes, University of Macerata, Italy |
| 2005: Suppression as a Form of Creativity in Technical Translation. 5th Portsmouth Translation Conference, University of Portsmouth, England. |
| 2005: Leveraging TM Technology to Improve Translatability & Usability. LRC-X Localisation Conference, University of Limerick, Ireland. |
| 2005: Rethinking Style in Technical Translation. 2nd DCU International Postgraduate Conference in Translation Studies, Dublin, Ireland. |
| 2003: Usability Testing Software User Guides: A Pilot Study. Proceedings of European Information Development Conference/tekom Jahrestagung 2003, Wiesbaden, Germany. |
| 2003: Not Just for Translators: The Real Benefit of Languages in a Multicultural Society. Intercultural Spaces – Royal Irish Academy Research Symposium, Dublin City University. |
| 2002: Translation, Quality and Cognetics: New Insights into Translation Quality. Quality Issues in Translation Conference, University of Portsmouth, England. |
| 2002: Freelance Translation: Teaching Students to Create Their Own Jobs. International Symposium on Specialisms & Specialisations, University of Rennes, France. |
| 2002: Iconic Linkage & Translation Quality. Postgraduate Research Showcase, Dublin City University. |
Editorial & Peer Review
| Editorial review board of conneXions: International Journal of Professional Communication. |
| Editorial board of the Journal of Specialised Translation. |
| Peer reviewer for Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. Taylor & Francis Group, 2011 |
| Peer reviewer for Kearns, John (ed.) Translator and Interpreter Training: Ideas, Methods, Debates. London/New York: IATIS/Continuum, 2007 |
| Editorial board of Current Trends in Translation Teaching and Learning, University of Helsinki, 2006-2011. |
| Founding editor of the ITIA Bulletin, Irish Translators’ & Interpreters’ Association, 2002-2004 |
| Editorial Committee of the Irish Translators’ & Interpreters Association, 2002-2004 |
Academic Teaching
| University College Dublin |
| Diploma in Digital Media Design – 12 week professional postgraduate diploma course |
| Dublin City University |
| Specialised German into English Translation – Scientific & Technical [UG Levels 2 & 4; PG] |
| Specialised German into English Translation – Economic & Financial [UG Level 4; PG] |
| IT & Research Skills [UG Level 1] |
| University of Sheffield |
| Translation Technologies. [PG] Module convenor & lecturer |
| Localisation for Linguists. [PG] Module convenor & lecturer |
| International Technical Communication. [PG] Module convenor & lecturer |
| Theories of Translation. [PG] Lecturer |
| Theory and Practice of Screen Translation. [PG] Lecturer |
| Approaches to Translation Genre. [PG] Lecturer |
| Advanced Translation from German into English. [PG] Module convenor & lecturer |
| Advanced Translation from Spanish into English. [PG] Module convenor & lecturer |
| Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Interpreting: [UG Level 2] Lecturer |
| Dissertation Research Skills. [PG] Module convenor & lecturer, co-ordinating 5 lecturers and 14 dissertation supervisors. |
| Supervision of approximately 10 MA dissertations per year. |
Academic Administration
| University of Sheffield |
| Programme Leader and Admissions Tutor for MA in Multilingual Information Management. 2005-2011 |
| Member of School of Modern Languages & Linguistics Executive Committee. 2007-2009 |
| Departmental Examinations Officer. 2007-2011 |
| MA Dissertation Co-ordinator. 2006-2011 |
| Personal Tutor Co-ordinator. 2006-2011 |
| Departmental Library Liaison on Faculty of Arts Library Committee, responsible for managing budget. 2005-2011 |
| Disability Liaison & Equal Opportunities Officer for School of Modern Languages & Linguistics. 2009-2011 |
| Departmental Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation. 2006-2009 |
Corporate Training Delivery
| SAP Advanced Visual Storytelling with Infographics [One-day Classroom Workshop]: Course designer and trainer |
| SAP Video Production Training for User Assistance Developers [Two-part online webinar]: Course designer and trainer |
External Consulting
| External examiner of PhD on Controlled Languages at University of Portsmouth, 2011 |
| External reviewer on programme validation panel for MA in Audiovisual Translation, Roehampton University, 2010 |
| External examiner for MA in Specialised & Technical Translation, University of Westminster, 2009-2011. |
| External examiner for PhD on the translation of patents into Chinese, Newcastle University, 2009 |
| External examiner for MA in Translation Studies dissertations, University of Manchester, 2008 |
| Programme validation assessor for MA in Translation & Technical Communication, University of Portsmouth, 2008 |
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