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What Makes a Good Translator / Interpreter

Last Updated: 23 March 2018 Published: 30 September 2017

In the previous blog we have established that translation and interpreting are skills that need to be acquired. We have also established that fluency in multiple languages alone may be insufficient for one to perform well as a translator or an interpreter. The question, therefore, must be, "what does it take to be a good translator or interpreter?".

In this series we will list a few fundamental qualities that embody the "hard skills" of translation and interpreting alone.

First thing first, an effective translator or interpreter understands the languages thoroughly both in the lexical and in the cultural aspects.

Before we explore that subject, we would like our readers to ponder how a culture has made ways for the languages we speak today.

Until next time.

Fluency is Just One Factor

Last Updated: 23 March 2018 Published: 30 September 2017

Translation and interpreting are skills; that means they take training. It takes more than one being a bilingual or multilingual to perform effective translation or interpreting.

Although someone who is fluent in more than one language does have potential and assets to make a good translator or interpreter, fluency alone does not guarantee that the person will be well capable of "crossing the border" between the different languages with an entire message kept complete.

This may be especially true in translation or interpreting of languages deriving from absolutely different roots, for example, Latin and Khmer.

Aside from cultural contexts, it is the difference in lexicality that chiefly presents common challenges in translation or interpreting of languages deriving from different roots.

So what does it take for one to make a good translator or interpreter? We will discuss that in a future blog.

Difference between Interpreting and Translation

Last Updated: 23 March 2018 Published: 27 September 2017

While the two terms may be used alternately in general, in the settings of professional language service interpreting and translation are two different actions and modes of conveying messages from one language into another.

The simplest way to explain the difference would be that interpreting is performed through speaking while translation is conducted through writing.

Both interpreting and translation have a few variations or modes of performance.

We will discuss that in a future post.