Member since Sep '18

Working languages:
Dutch to English
Flemish to English

James Armel Smith
Dutch to English Translator, MA/MSc

Chicago, Illinois, United States
Local time: 08:38 CDT (GMT-5)

Native in: English (Variant: US) Native in English
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What James Armel Smith is working on
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Dec 10, 2020 (posted via ProZ.com):  Recently completed the translation of an essay for renowned Dutch artist Hans van Houwelingen titled "The Monument of Shame: Why Dishonor Must Become Part of Commemorative Practices," which was published on the Arts of the Working Class website. ...more, + 5 other entries »
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AnthropologyEducation / Pedagogy
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Portfolio Sample translations submitted: 1
Dutch to English: Trump Supplies the Weapons for War Crimes in Yemen
General field: Social Sciences
Detailed field: Journalism
Source text - Dutch
Zonder Amerikaanse en Britse wapens geen oorlog in Jemen. Maar Carolien Roelants ziet geen enkele beweging naar stopzetting van die hulp.

FOTO TEKST: Begrafenis in Saada van een kind dat in de bus zat die 9 aug. werd gebombardeerd

Er is zo’n fantastische foto waarop president Trump op een bord aanwijst hoeveel wapens hij wel niet* heeft verkocht aan Saoedi-Arabië. „12,5 miljard dollar aan definitieve verkopen aan Saoedi-Arabië” luidt de kop boven afbeeldingen van gevechtsvliegtuigen, helikopters en oorlogsschepen. Het is 20 maart, plaats van handeling is het Witte Huis en gesprekspartner de Saoedische kroonprins, die wat zit te lachen. Een typische blije Trump-foto; de zakenman in hem heeft een mooie deal gesloten.

Ik zie op Trumps bord nog niet eens de raketten en bommen, die hij ook voor honderden miljoenen dollars heeft verkocht aan Saoedi-Arabië en andere Golfstaten die oorlog voeren in Jemen tegen de Houthi-rebellen. Trump, en niet te vergeten vóór hem Obama, zijn niet de enige leveranciers; Europa is ook goed bezig*, de Britten voorop, met natuurlijk de moeilijke economische toekomst na Brexit in het achterhoofd. Nee, Nederland niet, voorzover bekend.

America First, Britain First. Jemen laatst. CNN zocht uit dat een Amerikaanse bom op 9 augustus de bus vernietigde waarin kinderen in de provincie Saada naar een uitje werden vervoerd. Het was een lasergeleide MK 82-bom van Lockheed Martin. Er vielen 51 doden, van wie 41 kinderen. De Saoedische autoriteiten zeiden eerst dat er niets verbodens aan de aanval zat, want dat ze hadden gemikt op „Houthi-leiders die kinderen rekruteren”. Maar na zachte druk uit de VN-Veiligheidsraad zal Saoedi-Arabië nu onderzoek doen.

Onderzoek? Human Rights Watch publiceerde vorige week een 90 bladzijden dik rapport over het Saoedische onderzoeksorgaan (Joint Incidents Assessment Team). „De onderzoekers hebben weinig anders gedaan dan oorlogsmisdrijven toedekken”, aldus HRW-Midden-Oostendirecteur Sarah Leah Whitson. In twee van 75 onderzochte incidenten waren misschien de gevechtsregels geschonden. Bij de rest ging het volgens JIAT om legitieme aanvallen, was er geen aanval of was een foutje gemaakt. De busaanval zal ook wel legitiem of hoogstens een foutje blijken te zijn. Net als die nieuwe aanval, vorige week bij Hodeida, waarbij opnieuw 22 kinderen de dood vonden.

Terug naar de buitenlandse bommen: CNN pakte meteen door en herinnerde eraan dat in oktober 2016 140 burgers werden gedood toen een bom van Raytheon bij een rouwplechtigheid insloeg. Ook de bommen op een markt in Mastaba in april 2016, 97 doden van wie 87 burgers, waren van Raytheon, dat op zijn website meldt dat zijn precisiewapens „het doel raken en niets anders”. Wat de verdenking bevestigt dat al die inmiddels duizenden dode burgers de bedoeling zijn.

Behalve militair materieel levert Amerika ook adviseurs en speciale troepen. Het helpt bij de selectie van doelen – net als de Britten – en stelt tankvliegtuigen ter beschikking. Zowel in Washington als in Londen groeit onder volksvertegenwoordigers daarover wel enig ongemak. Washington en Londen kunnen immers als medeplichtig aan oorlogsmisdrijven worden gezien.

Zonder Amerikaanse hulp geen oorlog. Gaan u, ik en Jemen dus nu naar een optimistisch einde? Nee. Het Congres verstopte in de nieuwe defensiebegroting een paar vage voorwaarden waaraan de hulp moet voldoen. Zo moest minister Pompeo garanderen dat Saoedi-Arabië en zijn bondgenoten hun best doen burgers te sparen. Vervolgens kwam Trump. Die schrapte op 13 augustus – ná de busaanval – al dergelijke voorwaarden uit de begroting. Ach, hoe heerlijk veel wapens kunnen worden verkocht als het eeuwig oorlog blijft.

Carolien Roelants is Midden-Oostenexpert en scheidt op deze plaats elke week de feiten van de hypes.

[Link to original: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/08/27/trump-levert-de-wapens-voor-oorlogsmisdrijven-in-jemen-a1614308]

Translation - English
There would be no war in Yemen without American and British weapons. But Carolien Roelants sees no sign of movement toward terminating that assistance.

PHOTO TEXT: Funeral in Saada for a child who was on the bus that was bombed on August 9.

There is an unbelievable photo in which Trump points out on a board the number of weapons he has sold to Saudi Arabia. “12.5 billion in finalized sales to Saudi Arabia,” reads the heading above photos of fighter jets, helicopters and warships. It is March 20, the scene is the White House, and the person with whom he is speaking is the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who is laughing. A quintessential photo of a satisfied Trump; the businessman in him has closed a good deal.

What I don’t see on Trump’s board are the rockets and bombs that he has also sold for hundreds of millions of dollars to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that are waging war in Yemen against the Houthi rebels. Trump, and lest we forget, Barack Obama before him, are not the only arms suppliers. Europe is also actively involved, with the British, who are certainly bearing in mind the difficult economic future following Brexit, at the forefront. No, the Netherlands is not involved, as far as we know.

America First. Britain First. Yemen last. CNN discovered that on August 9, an American bomb destroyed a bus transporting children in the province of Saada on a field trip. It was a laser-guided MK-82 bomb from Lockheed Martin. Fifty-one people died, among them 41 children. Initially, Saudi authorities argued that there was nothing illegal about the attack due to the fact that they had aimed at “Houthi leaders who recruit children”. But following slight pressure from the UN Security Council, Saudia Arabia will now investigate the incident.

Investigate? Last week, Human Rights Watch published a 90-page report on the Saudi investigative body known as the Joint Incidents Assessment Team. “The investigators were doing little more than covering up war crimes,” according to HRW Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson. Out of 75 incidents that were investigated, the rules of engagement were found to have perhaps been violated in two of them. With respect to the others, according to JIAT, the attacks were either legitimate, or there was no attack, or a mistake was made. The bus attack will likely also appear to them to be legitimate, or at worst a mistake, just like the recent attack that killed another 22 children in Hodeida last week.

Back to the foreign bombs: CNN immediately pressed on and pointed out that in October 2016, 140 civilians were killed when a Raytheon bomb struck a funeral. The bombs that hit a market in Mastaba in April 2016, killing 97 people, including 87 civilians, were also from Raytheon, which states on its website that its precision weapons hit “the target and nothing else.” This confirms the suspicion that all of those thousands of civilians who are now dead were the target.

In addition to military equipment, America also supplies advisers and special forces. It helps with the selection of targets – as do the British – and makes refueling planes available. In both Washington and London, however, there is increasing discomfort among elected representatives with respect to this issue. After all, Washington and London could potentially be seen as complicit in war crimes.

There is no war without American support. Are you and I and Yemen thus headed toward a favorable end? No. Congress stashed a few vague conditions that military aid must comply with in the new defense budget. Thus, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had to guarantee that Saudi Arabia and its allies would do their best to limit civilian casualties. Then came Trump. He removed all such conditions from the budget on August 13 – after the bus bombing. But who cares? So many weapons can be sold if there is perpetual war.

Carolien Roelants is a Middle East expert and separates the facts from the hype here each week.

[Link to translation, the featured article on Watching America on Sept. 12, 2018: http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2018/09/12/trump-supplies-the-weapons-for-war-crimes-in-yemen/]

Glossaries Idiomen & Spreekwoorden
Experience Years of experience: 6. Registered at ProZ.com: Sep 2018. Became a member: Sep 2018.
ProZ.com Certified PRO certificate(s) N/A
Credentials Dutch to English (University College London)
Dutch to English (Columbia University)
Dutch to English (University of Amsterdam)
Flemish to English (University College London)
Memberships ATA, Social Science History Association, American Sociological Association, History of Science Society
Software Adobe Acrobat, CafeTran Espresso, Fluency, MateCat, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office Pro, Microsoft Word, Abbyy Finereader Professional, Fluency Now, WordPress, Powerpoint, ProZ.com Translation Center, Trados Studio, Wordbee, Wordfast
Website http://www.translationsalon.com
CV/Resume English (PDF)
Professional practices James Armel Smith endorses ProZ.com's Professional Guidelines.
Bio

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Be sure to check out my website! www.translationsalon.com


About

I am a Dutch/Flemish > English translator based in Chicago, IL. I hold dual masters degrees in the field of Sociology and specialize in academic translations in the social sciences and humanities.

The Translation Salon is the legal trade name under which I work, and represents the embodiment of my translation philosophy and practice. Please visit me at www.translationsalon.com to learn more about the concept and philosophy of "The Salon", and to see what sets my specialized services apart from other translation providers!


Fields of Specialization

  • Sociology/Historical Sociology

  • Anthropology

  • Art History
  • Certified Translations of Academic Documents & Records
  • Cultural Studies/Cultural Analysis
  • Dutch Studies/Netherlandic Studies
  • Higher Education
  • History
  • Sociology of Science/Science & Technology Studies
  • International Relations
  • Journalism
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science

Professional Degrees

  • Master of Arts in Historical Sociology – SUNY Binghamton (2018)
  • Master of Science in Sociology - University of Amsterdam (2006)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology - Denison University (1997)


Certificates & Advanced Language Training

  • Certificate in Advanced Dutch - University College London (2019)
  • Paleography & Reading 17th Century Dutch Texts - Columbia University/University of Amsterdam (2018, 2013, 2012)
  • Major Archives for Dutch Golden Age Studies - Columbia University/University of Amsterdam (2013)
  • Human/Inhuman/Posthuman - Utrecht University (2015)
  • Dutch Writing Skills (NT2) - University of Amsterdam/UvA Talen (2012)
  • International Relations - University of Amsterdam (2005)

 

My Professional Background

The Translation Salon  (May 2018 - Present)

www.translationsalon.com

The Translation Salon is a boutique provider of Dutch to English translations, non-native English editing/proofreading, and research assistance services.

  • Provide-high quality Dutch to native English translations, editing/proofreading and research assistance services for academics, researchers and other global thinkers across a diverse array of fields and institutions, and
  • Serve as a partner in the production and dissemination of ideas, research and scholarship originating in Dutch language sources, both contemporary and historical.

Watching America  (May 2018 - Present)

www.watchingamerica.com

Watching America is a website that publishes foreign news coverage of U.S. politics, foreign relations and culture from dozens of languages into English.

  • Translate U.S.-focused editorial and opinion pieces, on a bi-monthly basis, from Dutch language newspapers into English, and
  • Help provide a global audience perspective on U.S. politics, foreign affairs and culture.


How can you pay me?


I accept payment through Paypal.

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Profile last updated
Jun 17, 2022



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