Is Being Bilingual All You Need To Be A Translation Expert?

Is Being Bilingual All You Need To Be A Translation Expert?

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What Does Being Bilingual Mean? Bilingualism is an area of research within the

broad discipline of Psycholinguistics.

Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, and understand language. (Source: www.sciencedaily.com/articles/p/psycholinguistics.htm )

Bilingualism refers to the ability to read, write, and speak two languages. There are various levels that one can achieve in bilingualism: beginner, intermediary, and expert.

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Who Is A Translation Expert? (1/2) A translation expert is a linguist who is

proficient in reading, writing, and speaking two different languages.

Every translation expert should ace the following levels of bilingualism:• Twin language competence• Twin language processing• Twin language acquisition

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Who Is A Translation Expert? (2/2) Although a bilingual person is capable of understanding two

languages, being able to translate one language to another requires skill, acute linguistic capabilities, and knowledge of the respective subject area.

Therefore, a translation expert needs to be both a linguist and a subject area expert.

The central idea is that every expert should not only have the above mentioned traits but also be aware of the socio-cultural aspects of the desired language to be able to create text that the intended audience can relate to.

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (1/4) A professional translation expert should have knowledge of industry

recognized translation tools to be able to keep up with the industry standards.

She/he should have sufficient IT skills to be able to comprehend and subsequently use softwares that enable translation; machine translation is not sufficient. Therefore, tools such as CAT tools that are globally recognized tools used in translation are required.

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (2/4) She/he should have access to use and understand material tools

that aid translation, such as dictionaries and discipline-specific terminology guides.

Strict adherence to grammar and punctuation rules of the source as well as the target language.

To be able to expertly translate meaning from one language to another; at least one of the languages, either the source or the target, should be the translation expert’s native language in order to be in sync with the socio-cultural nuances. This is important for the expert to accurately transfer meaning from one language to another without losing the essences and linguistic nuances.

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (3/4) Adequate if not in-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural aspects of

both source and target language is necessary to be able to translate the concept or intended meaning in the intended tone and mood.

For example, if a message is intended for advertising or marketing a service or product, the tone and mood of the translated message should be in accordance with the cultural nitty-gritties of the target language.

A translation expert should ideally be a subject area expert of the content intended to be translated.

“Therefore, all translation experts are bilingual speakers but all bilingual speakers need not be translation experts.”

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (4/4) Most importantly, every translation expert should ideally be an

expert and have commensurate academic qualification for a superior output. For example, a translation expert (Japanese to English) who intends to translate a medicine research thesis should ideally have a degree in medicine.

The important factor is that a translation expert should be in sync with the know-how of the translation industry; should have access to the necessary industry approved translation tools; should have sufficient

experience in the field to ensure the desired output in consistent fashion; and most importantly, should have the socio-cultural

understanding to be able to produce the desired output.

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Challenges Faced The greatest challenge faced by a translation expert is the inability

to accurately convey the intended meaning from the source language to the target language.

Several languages have numerous dialects. This poses a challenge for translation experts who have to cater to a region-specific audience as opposed to a nation-specific audience. For example, in India, Hindi is a national language; however, it has several dialects.

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How To Choose A Translation Expert To Meet Your Translation Needs? Written words travel at the speed of light.

Experience speaks for itself: Choose an experienced translation expert who is well versed with the challenges of the job.

Yes, I am a native speaker: Choose a translation expert who is a native speaker of either the source or target language.

I know my area of expertise: If you wish to translate a scientific research paper, hire a translation expert who is academically inclined toward your area of research to avoid any mistranslations.

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Last WordA bilingual speaker is not the same as a translation expert.

Knowing two languages is not the same as understanding the linguistic as well as socio-cultural aspects of the two languages.

Choose an expert who can decipher the intended meaning in your language and another.

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