Transitioning from language learning to translation is difficult - often because it's easy to assume that you've been doing translation in the classroom for years. We all know those short sentence assignments - translate x into y. But textbook exercises exist to help you with grammar and vocabulary application - not actual translation.
After practicing translating for about a year, I've come up with five primary skills that one should consider when going into translation.
1. Second Language Fluency - You must be above the B2 level to be able to translate somewhat effectively. Translating with anything less than high advanced vocabulary and grammar will leave you scrambling with dictionaries and grammar books double checking. You may be able to understand your 2nd language at the intermediate level, but able the ability to accurately and comprehensibly rephrase it in your native tongue takes much more work. Idioms and theme-specific vocabulary take additional time to master.
2. Native Language Mastery - It's important to be better than "native" with your mother tongue. It's important to know styles and grammar, as well as what sounds "right" and what doesn't. Expressive and professional writing skills in your native language are a must. The type of writing you will be doing is important - so having a neat collect of style guides is a must.
3. Specialization - Often, you'll be limited to translating in your area of expertise, if for no other reason than efficiency and accuracy. Focusing on one area can make the process quicker and easier, and it may be more lucrative if you're translating for commercial purposes.
4. Creative Problem Solving and Reaching Out- There will be times when words seem to pop out of nowhere. This happens to me often, as I focus on translating from German into English. Some authors will create compound words that feel impossible to convey in English. This is where context and association comes into play. Reaching out to native speakers can help in this regard, if it seems impossible. For example, knowing that "Kompetenz" relates to learning can help you decode "Kompetenzfestung". Without asking a native speaker, I wouldn't have known the connotation behind this word, as I don't use it often. And while I often hit close to the mark on my own, "stronghold competency" never quite sounded as right as a "bastion of learning".
5. Research - Knowing how to use search engines, monolingual and bilingual dictionaries is extremely useful. I often prefer to only use target language dictionaries, as they seem to be more accurate, in my experience. Also looking up different glossaries, histories, and information about the subject matter of your translation will come in handy. I once translated an article about US-China trade, which I didn't understand too well until discovered the report it was based on. Once I skimmed through the original report, the context made translating the tone of the article much easier!
These are just the basic, broad skills I've discovered in my own experiments with translation. Surely there are more than this. Nevertheless, I find that when I focus on improving on these five elements, each subsequent translation becomes stronger.
These are just the basic, broad skills I've discovered in my own experiments with translation. Surely there are more than this. Nevertheless, I find that when I focus on improving on these five elements, each subsequent translation becomes stronger.
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