What is Translation?
Prof. Abbas Amir Abkar
Translation is the transmittal of written text from one language into
another. Although the terms translation and interpretation are
often used interchangeably, by strict definition, translation Refers to the
written language, and interpretation to the spoken word. Translation is the
action of interpretation of the meaning of a text, and subsequent production of
an equivalent text, also called a translation, that communicates the same message in another
language. The text to be translated is called the source text, and the language
it is to be translated into is called the target language; the final product is
sometimes called the "target text."
Translation must take into account constraints that include context, the rules of grammar of the two languages, their writing conventions, and their idioms. A common misconception is that there exists a simple word-for-word correspondence between any two languages, and that translation is a straightforward mechanical process. A word-for-word translation does not take into account context, grammar, conventions, and idioms.
Who Uses Translation
Services?
Businesses often seek translation services in an
effort to serve their customers better and keep up with their demands. As this
world gets more and more competitive, it's imperative that businesses convey
their message clearly and accurately to their customers. Translation mistakes
can potentially affect a company's reputation and result
in financial loss.
Generally, most industries have a need for this type of service. The legal field has the need for the translation of depositions, petitions, court records, and court proceedings. Law enforcement may need to have statements translated and the medical field frequently needs medical records and notes translated. Other examples of industries that benefit form document translation services are insurance and financial companies, as well as the media.
Generally, most industries have a need for this type of service. The legal field has the need for the translation of depositions, petitions, court records, and court proceedings. Law enforcement may need to have statements translated and the medical field frequently needs medical records and notes translated. Other examples of industries that benefit form document translation services are insurance and financial companies, as well as the media.
As more and more companies make their services available through the Internet, the need for the translation of websites and web content has also grown. Furthermore, talk radio, pod casts, surveys, focus groups, and corporate meetings often need translation services.
Businesses are not the only ones that have a need for document translation. On a personal level, individuals also employ this type of service. Due to more people migrating to different countries in search of a better life, they find themselves in environments that are unfamiliar, including the language. As a result, they may need legal documents translated, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, passports, contracts, and leases or mortgage contracts.
Translator Jobs
The demand in the translating field is greater than
ever before. Many translators work as freelancers and others are employed by
international organizations as well as government agencies. Nonprofit and
religious organizations also hire or contract the services of translators for
document translation. Individuals who work as translators are highly
intellectual. Their work is rewarding and satisfying.You can find forums and boards on the Internet where you can find job advertisements. You'll be able to benefit from other translators' experience and support. Other places to find document translation jobs are newspapers and online job websites. Your local newspaper could be a good source of job leads.
If you want to work independently, you may want to start by marketing your services to local businesses. Insurance companies, hospitals, doctor's offices, and real estate companies are sectors in your community that may benefit from your translating skills. One advantage of doing document translation is that you can work from home. You can receive the source documents through email, fax, mail, or courier.
To succeed in this field, you will need good organization and time management skills. The ability to meet deadlines and set priorities is very important as well. The possibilities are infinite if document translation is what you want to do.
The Difference between Translation and Interpreting
Interpreting
and translation are two closely related linguistic disciplines. Yet they are
rarely performed by the same people. The difference in skills, training,
aptitude and even language knowledge are so substantial that few people can do
both successfully on a professional level.
On the
surface, the difference between interpreting and translation is only the
difference in the medium: the interpreter translates orally, while a translator
interprets written text. Both interpreting and translation presuppose a certain
love of language and deep knowledge of more than one language.
The Skill Profile of Technical Translators
The
differences in skills are arguably greater than their similarities. The key
skills of the translator are the ability to understand the source language and
the culture of the country where the text originated, then using a good library
of dictionaries and reference materials, to render that material clearly and
accurately into the target language. In other words, while linguistic and
cultural skills are still critical, the most important mark of a good
translator is the ability to write well in the target language.
Even individuals can rarely express themselves in a given subject equally
well in both languages, and many excellent translators are not fully bilingual
to begin with. Knowing this limitation, a good translator will only translate
documents into his or her native language. This is why we at Language
Scientific absolutely require our technical translators only translate into their native language, in
addition to their subject matter expertise.
An
interpreter, on the other hand, must be able to translate in both directions on
the spot, without using dictionaries or other supplemental reference materials.
Interpreters must have extraordinary listening abilities, especially for
simultaneous interpreting. Interpreters must also possess excellent public
speaking skills and the intellectual capacity to instantly transform idioms,
colloquialisms and other culturally-specific references into analogous
statements the target audience will understand.
Interpreter Qualifications
Interpreting,
just like translation, is fundamentally the art of paraphrasing—the interpreter
listens to a speaker in one language, grasps the content of what is being said,
and then paraphrases his or her understanding of the meaning using the tools of
the target language. However, just as you can not explain a thought to
someone if you did not fully understand that thought, neither can you
translate or interpret something without mastery of the subject matter being
relayed.
It simply
cannot be overstated: when choosing an interpreter, his or her expert
knowledge of the subject matter is equally as important as their interpreting
experience.
Language Scientific's interpreters possess the following skills:
- Thorough knowledge of the general subject to be
interpreted
- Intimate
familiarity with both cultures
- Extensive
vocabulary in both languages
- Ability to express thoughts clearly and concisely
in both languages
- Excellent note-taking techniques for consecutive
interpreting
- At least 2-3 years of booth experience for
simultaneous interpreting
Different kind of Translation
a. Sworn translation
Sworn
translation, also called "certified translation," aims
at legal equivalence between two documents written in different languages. It
is performed by someone authorized to do so by local regulations. Some
countries recognize declared competence. Others require the translator to be an
official state appointee.
b. Telephone
Many commercial services exist that will interpret
spoken language via telephone. There is also at least one custom-built mobile
device that does the same thing. The device connects users to human
interpreters who can translate between English and 180 other languages.
c. Internet
Web-based human translation is generally favored by
companies and individuals that wish to secure more accurate translations. In
view of the frequent inaccuracy of machine translations, human translation
remains the most reliable, most accurate form of translation
available. With the recent emergence of translation crowd sourcing, translation-memory techniques, and internet applications, translation agencies have been able to provide
on-demand human-translation services to businesses, individuals, and enterprises.
While not instantaneous like its machine counterparts
such as Google Translate and Yahoo! Babel Fish, web-based human translation has been gaining
popularity by providing relatively fast, accurate translation for business
communications, legal documents, medical records, and software
localization. Web-based human translation also appeals to
private website users and bloggers.
Computer assist
Computer-assisted translation (CAT), also called
"computer-aided translation," "machine-aided human
translation" (MAHT) and "interactive translation," is a form of
translation wherein a human translator creates a target text with the
assistance of a computer program. The machine supports a human translator.
Computer-assisted translation can include
standard dictionary and grammar software. The term, however,
normally refers to a range of specialized programs available to the translator,
including translation-memory, terminology-management, concordance, and alignment programs.
These tools speed up and facilitate human translation,
but they do not provide translation. That is a function of tools known broadly
as machine translation.
Bibliography
- Gouadec,
Daniel (2007). Translation as a profession. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins. ISBN 9789027216816.
- Bassnett,
Susan (1990). Translation
studies. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415065283.
- Billiani,
Francesca (2001), "Ethics", in Baker, Mona, Routledge
Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, New York: Routledge, ISBN 9780415255172.
- Pei, Mario (1984). The story of
language. New York: New American
Library. ISBN 9780452008700.
