Occasionally, I will work with an individual or company that does not require a great deal of translation in their day-to-day operations. It is not uncommon to get a translation assignment that was already completed by an individual who works at the company. This person is rarely ever a professional translator. Instead, they are simply a bilingual individual who speaks the target language required for the document. This rarely ends with a properly translated document, but why is that?
Professional Translators Translate “Meaning”
An individual who has not been trained as a proper translator will often fall into the trap of translating entire sentences “word for word”. This means that each sentence and phrase will simply utilize the corresponding word in the target language, without regard for the overall picture that this creates. This leads to a great deal of problems as the intended message from the original document can easily be lost. Professional translators worry less about matching word for word, and instead convey the true meaning of the original text.
Professional Translators Know Common Issues
Professional Translators are well aware of common issues that appear in different types of translation, and know how to ask the right questions to make sure that their translation is the proper one. Bilingual, non-professional translators frequently translate an entire document without asking any questions and simply providing the document as is.
Translators Know Proper Terminology
It is far more likely that a professional translator will be able to use industry specific terminology properly than a non-professional. This does not mean simply that a professional will know more industry specific terms (although they likely do), but rather that they are trained in how to approach and discover the proper term for a given phrase or word.
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