All about Translation
Posted on December 13th, 2009 in business | Comments Off
Everyone knows what translation is and how important it is to communicate in the modern world. It is very easy to change words in one language into another but is it enough to just find equivalents of the source words in a target language? Even someone whose English is rather not good realises that translating certainly does not mean only removing the original words and replacing them with the words in another language.
The best translator is usually the native speakers of the target language as they possess knowledge of a country’s culture, politics, economy etc. A perfect translation is such which conveys the meaning of words not their equivalents. Professional translators often come up with problems which act in two ways. Firstly, assuming that one must translate a text from English to French and there appears a phrase that is difficult to interpret as it is very language specific like a proverb or saying. Then a similar phrase has to be found in French or a completely different one which would still provide the meaning of the text but would be understandable for the target readers. Secondly, a translator is obliged to make a decision from time to time whether to use a phrase in the target language which is different from the source language but conveys similar meaning or not. This is a task which requires carefulness as one may go too far and change the authors ideas.
Translation has recently become a profitable and popular business industry which attracts many businessmen as it creates perfect conditions for money making. There are many kinds of translation, such as name translation, business card translation, articles translation, po file translation and brand translation. It also leaves a huge space for freelancers who find this way of earning money very attractive. The competition is huge and while looking for a professional translator one must be very careful not to receive an unnaturally sounding text which will rather discourage clients than invite them to visit a website or read an article. That is why translators with certificates are probably the best choice for professional texts. Online translation and free translation becomes even more popular than regular office in which we have direct contact with the person who will interpret our texts. This form leading a translation business is still popular for official papers which often require a sworn translator – one that swore to translate the truth and only truth. They have a government stamp to certify the validity of the text.