How a Language Translator Can Influence the Outcome

10 Nov How a Language Translator Can Influence the Outcome

Translation is both an art and profession and its efficiency depends on the quality of the translator. To close language gaps, translation skills are essential. This makes choosing an experienced and well trained professional imperative. It is not a rare occurrence to have meanings lost in translation. There are multiple ways in which a translator can influence the outcome of a message.

Outcome depends on the translator’s perception

The result entirely depends on the translator’s understanding of the message at hand. The role translation professionals play is, therefore, more than merely the sup plantation of one word for another. They have the capacity to enhance the understanding about issues by mediating ideas across cultures. This requires language translators to be able to able to discern the minor differences in meanings and expressions. More than that, a translator should have a deep knowledge of the intention of a message or text before translating it. Some of the translation services require specialized individuals. A good example is in the medical field where the use of terminologies is prevalent. Knowledge in these terms allows the translators to easily grasp the intended message and as a result, maintain the original message

The translator acts as an author

Although most of the times translators are not the original authors of the message being translated, they assume the role when translating. Translations should read as they if they were written in the intended language. To achieve this, sometimes translators are necessitated to start writing from scratch. This opens the door for the mood and expressions of the translator to be evident in the text. As a result, either intentionally or by mistake, their feelings can be translated into the content. These feelings can both be positive or negative, influencing the perception of the reader about a message.

The culture of the translator

The cultural and linguistic background of a translator can also influence the outcome of the translation process. Culture influences the way people perceive the world. As a result, two translators from different cultures can easily perceive a text differently. Although these variations can be muted, they have the inherent ability to change in magnitude from culture to culture. Therefore, choosing a translator with a deep-rooted knowledge of both the source and the target audience’s culture is recommended. Such a translator is able to understand the nuance and exchangeable relation between language and translators and reconstruct the source language text in a way that complies with the cultural views of the target audience. Thus the intercultural understanding of values and ideas depends on the identity and individuality of the language professional in both culture and nativity. This also includes his or her social-political perceptions and colloquialisms.

The primary ways in which translators influence the outcome of a translation are in terms of their:

Professionalism

A professional translator maintains a neutral position in transferring meaning from the source language to the target market.

Decision making

Translators are prompted to make word and phrase choices during the process. As a result due to the diversity of perceptions, different translators will choose different words. This results in variations in the source and final texts which can range from muted to conspicuous.

Emotional intelligence

This refers to the ability, in this case, translators to recognize the emotions in others and in themselves as well. This aspect greatly influences the quality of a translation. Top translators are able to control their feelings and instead solely utilize the available source information. This allows for exploration and creativity aimed at ensuring successful translation.