TRANSLATION MYTHS

by Hayley Cowle of Translate Hive

[ IN TODAY’S highly culturally diverse society, the demand for experienced and qualified linguists is increasing. Reliable translation has become very important to each and every case.

Without translation the world would be a very different place. How else would we communicate effectively with each other when the spoken language is a barrier? How else can we ensure that all measures have been taken to guarantee that the content and context of a matter have been fully conveyed and understood?

The law and the legal system underpin pretty much everything we do. Making sure that everyone understands all the legal documents and surrounding information they need is vital.

Often translation is taken for granted and overlooked. As a result, the work behind such assignments and the need for it can go unseen and misunderstood, creating many misconceptions and assumptions about translators and the work that they do. The importance of that work only becomes apparent when things goes wrong – usually at the most inconvenient times, which can affect court deadlines and hearing procedures.

Translate Hive have been witness to several cases where hearings have been adjourned due solely to poorly conducted translations submitted as evidence by non-qualified or inexperienced interpreters.

A few of the misconceptions that translators and linguistic agencies face are:

Anyone who speaks a language can automatically write a report in that language

That is simply not the case. All our translators have expertise in specific fields, not every field. It is important to use the correct translator for the specific source text in question. Most often, translators will hold qualifications in the legal or medical sector as well as their own language field.

Translation and interpreting are the same thing

That couldn’t be further from the reality: they are two completely different processes that require different education, knowledge and skills:

Translation is the written transmission of any text in a source language to a target language.

Interpreting is transmission of verbal statements and speeches from one language to another in real time and usually simultaneously.

Translation is basically a word for word re-write of the original source document

Quite the contrary: translation isn’t just about words, it’s also about concepts and context. We are all familiar with idioms and plays on words that do not always translate accurately.

All languages have completely different vocabularies, grammar and sentence structure, and in order to provide a superior and professional translation service it’s important to know both languages perfectly and not just translate the words, but take into account the main sense of a sentence.

There could be words and phrases that have no correspondent in another language; therefore, it will be necessary to convey the meaning. An experienced translator will have that skill and can provide a high-quality translation.

It’s impossible to translate the material without understanding it. Translating words is not enough for people to be able to understand a text. Very often it contains some professional or cultural nuances. In order to explain those details to readers or listeners it’s obligatory for a professional to understand all concepts, terms, linguistic nuances and so on.

The need for translators is decreasing

The truth is very much the opposite. As machine translation is not nearly accurate enough for legal requirements, human translators are sought after to complete translations for the legal sector. The need for fully-qualified translators is not only important for the integrity of the document itself, but also for the submission of evidence to the courts. Human translators can keep up to date with the ever-evolving vernacular phrases that a machine translation just cannot do – through refresher courses and day-to-day contact with other persons from the same and similar cultures.

Certified translation is the same as basic translation

Another misconception: fully-qualified translators can provide certification for all work carried out. A certified translation means that the translator must legally acknowledge and confirm that the translation is an accurate and truthful representation of the source document, which keeps the original meaning intact. That usually means that the translator must have certain qualifications and must provide a signed statement confirming that the new document is an authenticated translation of the original. Documents deemed certified are vital for many official purposes and there can be detrimental effects if it is not completely correct. There are many misconceptions about professional translators and interpreters that many people still believe. Translators and interpreters are qualified people with relevant education, experience, certification and deep language knowledge; and not every person can provide quality translation or interpreting services.