As a translator, it is common to have to explain aspects of the profession to those who aren’t familiar with the industry (OK, let’s be honest, what I mean is pretty much anyone who isn’t directly involved in it). From describing the difference between translation and interpreting without sounding like a patronising pedant, to fielding the age-old question “My sister speaks fluent French, do you think you could get her some translation work?”it can be far from a delight.
It is easy to discern from the look of disdain of any translation professional faced with such a question that this is tantamount to asking a vet to perform an operation on a human patient. While the two may share some similar skills, the vet is simply not the right person for the job.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a bilingual person is “a person fluent in two languages.” However, industry standards are far stricter. They demand that a person claiming to be bilingual has native proficiency in both of their languages, which is generally acquired through using both of them regularly from a very young age or having spent at least ten years in a country where the lingua franca is not their native tongue.
A translator, according to the same source, is “a person who translates from one language into another, especially as a profession”. The key here, is the word profession which, to further clarify, is “a paid occupation…that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.”
So before we move on, let’s get one thing straight: not all translators are bilingual and not all bilingual people can translate.
This means that generally speaking, if you need something translating, you need to hire a professional. And here’s why…
To produce an accurate, coherent translation, it’s vital to have a perfect understanding of the original (source text), to then be able to convey it’s meaning exactly in the translated version (target text), while adhering to stylistic and grammatical norms.
Yet bilingual people do not necessarily have a perfect command of their languages; nor, for that matter, do monolinguals. Simply because a person speaks English, for example, does not mean that his or her language skills are adequate to work as a journalist or to publish novels.
However, the fact that some translators are not totally bilingual, in the sense of the definition provided above, doesn’t mean that they aren’t fully proficient in their working (non-native) language(s). Indeed, every translator will have spent years abroad and immersed in study before reaching an adequate level of fluency; they will also be experts in their native tongue and they’ll have gone through rigorous exams to prove both of these qualities.
In addition, they’ll have undergone professional training in translation theory and practice: to become a qualified translator it’s compulsory to have studied to post-graduate level! In this training, translators learn how to deal with translation problems (of which there are a zillion), how to use the tools of the trade (we’re talking Trados, not Google Translate), and how and where to research effectively when all the tricks they’ve learned fail.
Even then, their training is not complete, because it’s practically impossible to work (or even qualify) if you don’t have one or several areas of specialisation. By specialisation, I don’t mean interest, I mean an area in which they are highly skilled and have extensive knowledge and/or experience. This, again, can take years and more often than not requires – you guessed it – a relevant qualification. After all, you wouldn’t ask a sports commentator to write for the Financial Times, would you?
That, in a nutshell, is why translators cost more. It’s why we get upset when you suggest that our “profession” can be conducted by people without the necessary skills, training and knowledge. And it is why, in spite of the fact that you think you are perfectly capable of translating your own degree or marriage certificate, the authorities and employers insist on it being completed by a professional.
This is not to say that bilingual people should never translate. Some – particularly those who have specialised in other areas earlier in their careers – can and do go on to thrive in the profession…but only with the proper training.
Translation, translation, translation... 