What does it take to be a good translator?

Today I am looking at the different skills required for success as a translator and how you can develop them to be the best translator you can be.

We all know it takes more than speaking two (or more) languages to be a good translator. It is one thing to be fluent in a language and another to produce good translations. But what other abilities do you need? Here are some ideas that I have grouped into three skillsets.

Be an excellent linguist

Advanced linguistic and cultural knowledge. You need to be a near-native speaker and consumer of your source language(s) as well as your target language. Source texts will almost always contain cultural, historic or legal references, country or region-specific concepts and expressions, local current affairs and even, in some cases, slang or popular expressions. You must keep up to date with what is happening to your working languages and what is going on in the places where they are spoken. If you don’t understand these references, you can’t translate them correctly!

Research skills. Translators need to look up terms, standard translations, abbreviations, and acronyms…the list is endless! It is vital to build up the habits and expert knowledge in where and how to do your research. This includes advanced searches on Google, language forums, terminology databases, online dictionaries and many more. You must develop strong critical reading and analytical skills to identify whether the source is reliable or not.

Writing skills. Ultimately, when we translate, we are “re-writing” the source text in the target language. We have to find the sweet spot between adhering to the original, and making it sound natural in the target language without altering or losing any of its content. This requires an agile mind and more often than not, some creativity. And of course – grammar, spelling and syntax mistakes are not good writing!

Be professional

It might seem obvious, but as a translator – whether it is full time, part time, or just every now and then – you are providing a professional service! This means you must create and maintain a professional image.

Communication skills. Be clear, honest, polite and business-like in all your communications. Respond promptly to emails and phone calls. Be concise and reasonable. It is amazing how much confusion and misunderstanding can be avoided by following these basic tenets. To maximise your professionalism include neat formatting of documents and emails, using a clear and informative email signature and sending out accurate and timely invoices.

Business skills. Remember that freelancing is also a business! You should be well-versed in record-keeping and legal compliance, basic accounting and managing money.

IT skills. Nowadays it is unusual for professionals not to have a good basic grasp of Microsoft Office, email and social media. However, advanced computer literacy makes it much easier to work with CAT tools such as TRANSIT, and offer additional services such as transcription or voice-over work.

Most of all…be a good person!

None of the skills I have mentioned so far would make a “good translator” without some essential personal skills added in:

Organisation. This doesn’t necessarily mean keeping your books in alphabetical order and your desk impeccable… but it does mean finding a way that works for you and is sustainable over time to be efficient in your work and keep track of everything. Translators need to pay close attention to detail, and it pays off to apply that to your entire work ethic, as well as your translations.

Reliability. Demonstrate that you will deliver work on time and are available when you said you would be available. This means you need to build up a reputation as a dependable and adaptable person. Deliver when you said you would deliver – or preferably sooner! Get into the habit of getting things right, first time, on time, every time.

Motivation. Linguists tend to be naturally curious, with a thirst for learning more about the world, about our languages, about the people who speak them, and about being part of breaking down communication barriers around the globe. As translators we continue learning!

Of course, none of us have perfected all these skills, all at once. If I had to summarise this long newsletter into a single piece of advice, I would say that self-analysis and self-education are the key. If we always strive to identify our weaknesses as translators and search for constant improvement, then the rest will surely follow. At STAR, we pride ourselves on quality, and also on providing a unique support system to help our linguists learn and grow.

I hope you find this helpful. Which of these skills do you think you have? Where are you struggling? Are there any other key skills that you think I’ve missed?