Skills Required To Be A Professional Translator

There are different services offered by professional translators, from as simple as translating a website’s content, to as sophisticated and sensitive as legal translation services. However, no matter how simple the task may be, or how sensitive it can get, it is still important that translators must be able to translate one language into the other as accurately as possible.

What is Translation?

Translation is a method in which a person transfers the meaning of one language, which is the source language, into another, which is in turn known as the target language. Although similar to interpretation, translation and interpretation are two different terms.

Translation as a Profession

According to many experts, professional translators must possess a number of attributes or characteristics which will allow him/her the skills and knowledge he/she needed to translate the language accurately. Here are some of those important attributes:

Good and Excellent Command of the Source Language and the Target Language

Many experts have said that the best translators are those that translate from their second or third, or fourth, language into their first language or native tongue. This is due to the fact that it is very rare for someone to have excellent command of his/her second or third language over his/her first language.

Experience in the Matter at Hand

This is very important particularly for medical translation services as sensitive as medical translations or legal translation services. Experience in different areas and situations allows the translators to know of terms, such as in medicine and in law, that will help him/her better and accurately translate the source language into the target language.

Misconceptions

There are also a number of misconceptions of being a professional translator. One of the most apparent is being a bilingual. According to many experts, being a professional bilingual does not make him/her a professional translator. The reason why is because of the protocols they follow in order to do their job properly. Linguists or interpreters and translators follow different sets of rules and guidelines which will help them in their tasks. Being a bilingual does not make him/her a professional translator, or vice versa, but it can, however, help in many ways. For more information visit to our site at affordableinterpreters.com/

Article Source: sooperarticles.com/education-articles/languages-articles/skills-required-professional-translator-550531.html

About Author:

Jillian King is a retired linguist instructor and foreign language translator from Porter Ranch, CA who now works as a freelance offering both interpretation and translation services, as well as other simple tasks like proofreading and editing services. Other than her freenlancing, she also took interest in making several research materials about the nature of being an interpreter of which she aims to assist her previous students as well as those willing to take up the profession.Author: Jillian King