A professional translator
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recognizes context, nuance, innuendo, irony and other communicative elements and can appropriately convey these in the target language
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is a skilled writer in the language she translates into
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maintains confidentiality and adheres to best practices
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is proficient not only in her languages but also in field-specific knowledge: medicine, law, engineering, poetry, history, etc.
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continually educates herself on language, translation, current events, her chosen disciplines, and evolving technology
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is connected to other professionals and resources in her field through associations, organizations, forums and educational institutions
Short list of clients who will require translation services
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companies looking to expand business internationally or communicate internally with speakers of other languages
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academics and authors hoping to reach new audiences, collaborate with international colleagues, present at conferences abroad, publish in international markets
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any organization in the U.S. that receives federal funds (see Resources for information on Title VI and Executive Order 13166)
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Medical and legal institutions and organizations
Why professional translation services?
Recently, an article in the NY Times carried this headline: "Burials From Germanwings Flight Are Delayed by Paperwork Errors." These paperwork errors had rendered the flight victims’ death certificates invalid since, “[…] certain details, including birth dates, were incorrectly transcribed or translated into French from their original language.” Thus, the families of the 150 victims of the flight, who had already endured devastation and were preparing to bury their loved ones, were thrown into shock once again when told the remains would not be arriving as planned.
No matter who did the translation, translation clearly affects people’s lives in important and unimaginable ways, and it is crucial to hire qualified professionals for such services. Professional translators painstakingly review every detail, thoroughly research terminology, and stake their careers on providing the most accurate translation possible. Please see Resources for more information and review the American Translators Association guide to buying translation services.
A famous example of communication gone horribly ineffective is when machine translation was used to translate Healthcare.gov. If you want to effectively communicate ideas in another language, it is a translator's job to transfer those ideas into a text that not only uses the correct words but one that sounds natural and fluid.
Do you need translation services or want more information?
See the ATA's guide to translation services: Click here
Here is a short example from work I’ve done as a translator that illustrates the challenges of translation and its human and professional components.
Violetta, an Argentine telenovela:
The following dialogue would be impossible for machine translation; a literal translation is also not possible because the Spanish plays with a particular grammatical structure and then makes a joke from that structure using a pop culture reference.
What did I do as a translator? I first brainstormed some possibilities on the grammatical word play and then began researching to see if there could be a pop culture reference that matched my possible word plays. I was able to find not only a pop culture reference but a musical one that maintained the play on grammatical structure. Thus I could write a translation that paralleled the original in style, grammar and humor. Translation is a creative process!
Context: The director, an arrogant character, has been trying to find an excuse to expel Tomas from school. The teacher defends Tomas and uses sarcasm to dismiss the director.
Original dialogue:
Teacher: Quizás lo que no sepas es que Tomás no cobra ningún sueldo. Êl trabaja acá en el estudio a cambio de su beca.
Director: - aba.
Teacher: Abba era un grupo que era Frida, Anetta, Benny y--
Director: Trabajaba.
Teacher: No, en todo caso, ¿sabés qué? Eso lo va a tener que ver Antonio.
Literal Translation:
Teacher: Perhaps what you do not know is that Tomas does not charge any salary. He works here in the studio at change of his scholarship.
Director: - aba.
Teacher: Abba was a group that was Frida, Anetta, Benny and --
Director: He used to work.
Teacher: No, in every case, you know what? That the thing is going to have to see Antonio.
My translation:
Teacher: Perhaps you didn't know that Tomás doesn't receive any salary. He is working here in the studio in exchange for his scholarship.
Director: - was.
Teacher: W.A.S is the name of that indie rock band We Are Scientists, led by Keith Murray and --
Director: He was working.
Teacher: No, anyway, you know what? Antonio is the one who'll settle this.