Transplore - Respect for the craft of translation

Respect for translation as a craft and profession is at the top of my list. About ten years ago the Internet suddenly made it possible for just about anybody to start selling him or herself as a translator. Word got around quickly that if you could speak more than one language you could make lots of money as a translator. All you needed was a catchy CV and a dictionary and you were in business.

Let's start by remembering that universities offer degrees in translation. Fully trained and qualified translators may have invested six years in learning the profession and their training never ends. They have typically studied their source language(s) and culture, linguistics, writing/rhetoric, proofreading, lexicography and much more and often spent several years in the source language country.

Earning a translation degree is not an option for many who decide to start translating as a second career, but the very least we should do is to start reflecting on and investigating the skills required to translate professionally and then setting about acquiring them before offering our services.

The world is full of yahoos (and simply the innocent) working in translation who have clearly not afforded the profession the respect it deserves. They treat it with contempt – mainly because they simply lack the knowledge, have no intention of acquiring it and therefore downplay it as though it were useless. One translator boasts that he translates on the basis of hands-on experience rather than "mere academic background" – the "mere" is quite telling. If you don't have it, it's not important. I certainly don't think a university degree is absolutely essential for a translator. Some outstanding translators have had a good secondary education, but they know their subjects extremely well and limit their work to the subjects they know.

I am all in favor of self-teaching. I am a self-taught translator and a self-taught cabinetmaker. But I became a rather decent cabinetmaker – if I do say so myself - http://www.cotorritotranslations.com/gallery.php through many years of hard work and study and mentoring with professional woodworkers and the same was true for my path into translation.

A translator must have many qualities. Here's a list of what I consider the most important qualities of a translator:

Honesty/ethics – adheres to high standards of professional conduct
Intelligence – we note the lack thereof every day in KudoZ
Education/culture – an academic background is essential unless the work is restricted to a narrow field
Writing ability – a translator is a skilled writer. A good writer reads good writing voraciously.
Knowing one's limits – only translates material he/she specializes in
Eagerness to improve – sees translation as a craft and constantly strives toward perfection

American Translators Association
Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices
I. As a Translator or Interpreter, a bridge for ideas from one language to another and one culture to another, I commit myself to the highest standards of performance, ethical behavior, and business practices.
A. I will endeavor to translate or interpret the original message faithfully, to satisfy the needs of the end user(s). I acknowledge that this level of excellence requires:
1. mastery of the target language equivalent to that of an educated native speaker,
2. up-to-date knowledge of the subject material and its terminology in both languages,
3. access to information resources and reference materials, and knowledge of the tools of my profession,
4. continuing efforts to improve, broaden, and deepen my skills and knowledge.
B. I will be truthful about my qualifications and will not accept any assignments for which I am not fully qualified.

By Kim Metzger | Published 06/12/2007