Living in the 21st century, we are more connected than ever to the rest of the world. With the click of a button, we can access articles and videos from the other side of the world. And with the click of another button, we can copy and paste foreign text into an automated translation device — like Google Translate — and have the basic gist of what those words meant.
But so much more goes into translation than the lay person realizes. Here are three of the most common misconceptions about accurate language translation.
1. You don’t need a professional translator, you can just use Google Translate. Online translation programs use simple algorithms to replace a word from one language with its literal translation in another. It has little to no ability to be nuanced or to translate complex phrasing or idioms. Services like Google Translate will often get the key words right, but even that isn’t 100% accurate.
2. If you are bilingual, you can be a translator. This simply isn’t the case — not without a great deal of specialized training. While being bilingual is a good start, being a translator requires a mastery as a writer, not only of one language, but two. A translator must be adept at shifting nuanced language, while preserving clarity and complexity. It requires a mastery of style and tone, as well as grammatical precision. Unfortunately, just being bilingual simply isn’t enough.
3. You don’t need to edit a translation. Every writer needs an editor, and that is doubly true for translation. You may think that it’s enough to go through and edit as you translate, but it’s very difficult for a writer to edit her own work. When you are reading your own work, you tend to gloss over words and miss omissions and errors. That is why it’s vital to employ an editor when you want accurate language translation. An editor will be able to read for clarity of meaning, as well as for grammar and punctuation. This final step will ensure that your work will be as accurate as possible.
