In any and every industry, be it plumbing, dentistry, or astrophysicist, there are people who do their jobs well. There are others, however, who stand out. They take their craft to the next level, not just perfection but advancing their industry and creating new standards. The same is true in the professional translation industry.
There are plenty of reasons why some professionals can be called experts and others aren’t; some are born with raw talent, while others are driven by passion, and some put in endless hours to stay ahead. In the translation industry, it’s important to find these talented individuals to work with, ensuring nothing but the best. This article explores the qualities of an expert translator.
PASSION
Every expert translator is passionate about their craft. Translations can be complicated and require your full attention. Mistakes can happen easily if you’re not focused. If someone isn’t passionate about translating, their work will be sloppy, simply because it’s hard for them to focus so intently.
Passion also drives an interpreter to continually improve their skill. They understand that language evolves, especially considering slang used on social media and other online platforms. We review our language skills and actively add to our vocabulary. Passion is perhaps the biggest factor in becoming an expert translator.
A RICH VOCABULARY
To be considered an expert translator, the professional must have a wide lexicon. Having a rich vocabulary in your mother tongue is just as important as building your vocab in the foreign language. This makes the translation process easier for the expert and helps eliminate errors. The translator should also know jargon for the industries they write about, such as law, science, business, etc.
Having an extensive vocabulary not only ensures accuracy but speeds up the process. Your expert translator should be able to finish the project without opening a dictionary over, and over again.
TRANSLATION SKILLS
To advance your status and reputation as an expert translator, you need to keep up your translation skills. This doesn’t just include expanding your vocabulary in other languages, it means improving your linguistic education and boosting your translation skills. Expanding the resources available to them to ensure quality in their translation is necessary as well.
When a translation is provided by an expert, you’ll know that it was an exact transfer of information. The translation will be literal as well as keep the spirit it’s intended to have.
HONESTY
Translators are human, so it’s normal to not know some words or expressions. Being honest in such a situation is necessary to have a good, trusting relationship with your expert translator. When something comes up they’re not sure about, they shouldn’t just skip it, or even worse – pretend they know. Instead, they should conduct the necessary research, so they are positive the translation is precise. Many will make note of what they researched to learn from and keep for future reference.
A LOVE FOR READING
We mentioned that being passionate about your craft is one of the most important qualities of an expert translator, this is similar. When a translator loves reading, they spend a considerable time reading in different languages. Fiction, non-fiction, and especially newspapers. This doesn’t just improve their knowledge but gives the interpreter a stronger grasp on every language they read in.
Taking this one step further, expert translators consume their media in the languages they interpret, be it audiobooks or tv shows. They recognize these as opportunities to learn and expand their understanding of every language they specialize in.
