Tuesday 8 July 2014

5 things translators do better



After a long day's toil, having worked hard on difficult translations, sometimes I really feel like reading a pick-me-up blog post! Don't you agree? That's why I chose this topic. Indeed, we should never forget what makes us special. We are versatile, diligent, and indispensable; we are translators! And here are the 5 things that we do better. Ready?

#1 WE PLAN BETTER

Since we always have to deal with a deadline and a bulk of text, we have learned to plan better. So, what do we do? We break the goal into small, manageable goals which seem less overwhelming. What's more, we are used to think in terms of deadlines, which makes keeping track of our goals much easier.   

#2 WE COMMUNICATE BETTER

As translators we know very well that it's not always possible to communicate everything with words. We are very much aware of the importance of the things that are left unsaid. Moreover, translation has made us always communicate clearly and concisely because we understand very well the importance of using the right word.

#3 WE WRITE BETTER

We also write clearly and concisely, making it easy for the reader to follow what we want to say. Since we have struggled so many times with obscure texts, we know very well how hard it is for the readers to follow a difficult text. That's why we always make sure that our texts are readable.

#4 WE READ BETTER

This sensitivity of ours regarding the nuances of writing makes us also better readers. We always read carefully and deeply. Besides, we usually try to work out how certain sentences would be translated into another language! This procedure is what I call deep reading! There's no deeper reading than this!

#5 WE COPE BETTER

We cope better because we are dealing with the impossible. Transforming a text into a text which reads as if it were written originally in another language, for some seems an impossible task. And here we are, the most diligent workers of words, transforming the impossible into the possible. Who is more able to cope better with difficulties in life than us translators?

What do you think? :)

5 comments:

Jacquie said...

I completely agree with this post - translators do it better!

Kaisa Azriouli said...

Especially true, when the text for translation isn't logical in grammar or sentence structure. That's when a translator having understood the whole chain of thoughts can straighten the path so that the translation becomes intelligible to read.

Tomasz Ratajczyk said...

Hi Sofia,

Whould you be so kind to tell who is the autor of the painting illustrating your post, I feel strangely attached to? ;)

Much obliged,
Tomasz

Sofia Polykreti said...

Hi Tomasz! Believe it or not, it is digitally created (by me!) - I feel so proud right now, thank you!

Tomasz Ratajczyk said...

Wow, nevet thought one could achieve such a structure and colours digitally. Nice :)