The Art and Science of Translation
English

The Art and Science of Translation

by

language learning
linguistics
intercultural communication

There is much more to translation than simply changing the words from one language to the other.

Some of you might think, "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" But I know from experience that this is not obvious to everyone. Actually, a common misconception is that anyone who knows at least two languages can translate. There was a time when I thought the same thing. I've never been so wrong in all my life :D

So today, I'd like to share with you some thoughts on what translation is really about. I think this might be helpful to those of you who are interested in translation. But even if you're not, it could help you understand the craft and be more forgiving when you see "bad" translations in your favorite movie/series/game (spoiler: that's usually due to lack of context).

1. Mastering one's mother tongue (or another language you translate into)

In Russian linguistic universities, it's common to study a lot of English or other foreign languages while completely neglecting Russian.

The obvious result: students can perfectly understand and fluently speak English/French/Klingon, but have trouble formulating even the simplest ideas in their own mother tongue.

2. Specialization

To be a good translator, it's not enough to know languages; you need to understand the subject matter. And you can't possibly master law, economics, medicine, and IT to the same degree. You need to focus on something (that excites you, hopefully) and delve really deeply into it.

3. Considering the reader...

Not the editor who's going to proofread the copy after you. Not the client who ordered the translation. Not your boss.

If the source is written poorly, don't drag its weaknesses into the target — make it better.

4. Preserving the author's style...

By conveying their ideas, not by stickling to the original sentence structure and words.

This is such a cliché, but the copy should sound as if it was originally written in that language, not translated into it.

5. Context

You need to understand 100% what the source is about. Do your research, ask questions, repeat.

Unfortunately, not every client provides sufficient references and feedback. That's just life.

6. No machine translation!

I'm sure someday Google will drive human translators out of existence, "but it is not this day!" :D

Thank you for reading!

1