Article: General approach to translation

GENERAL APPROACH TO TRANSLATION

http://www.ausit.org/eng/showpage.php3?id=831

Why do I need to employ a qualified translator
or interpreter when so many people in Australia
are bilingual?

Would you hire a handyman to rewire your house or a legal secretary to draft your will? Both know something about the task, but would you have confidence they could do the job properly? Interpreters and translators are specialists with qualifications and experience. A qualified person can add value to your business, whereas an unqualified person may cost you business.

Just because a person is bilingual does not mean they are experts in those languages or have the tools and methodology to undertake an assignment. The professional interpreter or translator is likely to have specialist dictionaries, web-based language aids, professional indemnity insurance, modern computer equipment and an understanding of professional ethics. Professional translators and interpreters engage in ongoing specialist training and have a vast and specialised vocabulary.

Language transfer is a highly developed skill. For example, interpreters have to think on their feet, concentrate for long periods of time, acquire fast note-taking skills and conserve their voice. Translators need to be able to research subject material, locate specialised terms quickly, convey the appropriate style or register of the original document, come up with translations for names, as well as create new terms and do it quickly- these skills are only acquired through training and practice on a regular basis. In addition, a qualified translator/interpreter needs a thorough, in-depth knowledge of the grammar of the target and source languages plus professional writing skills to handle different types of texts.

Sometimes a qualified practitioner must be engaged- for example in translation of legal and immigration documents and court interpreting.

Any bilingual person will not do - unless you do not care about the message you are sending.

I've heard that computers can translate documents -
what is the advantage in employing a human translator?

The advantage in employing a human translator is that it is usually much quicker and more efficient for anything but the most basic of jobs.

There are currently two types of computer translation- machine translation and computer assisted translation commonly known as CAT. Machine translation can be useful if you want to know the gist of a document. For example if you have a magazine article in a foreign language and you want to know what it is about, a machine translation will give you a quick idea. On the other hand if you want your marketing brochure or website translated into a foreign language avoid machine translation at all translation at all costs. You can try out machine translation for yourself at http://world.altavista.com/

 A CAT tool is software that has memory banks where translators can store frequently used phrases to avoid repetitive translation work. Examples of CAT tools are Trados and Deja Vu. The quality of the CAT tool memory bank depends on the individual translator as all items in memory have been stored there by the translator rather than being supplied with the software. CAT tools also help a translator retain the same formatting as original documents.