Attending a translation courses, learning through
Textbooks is not enough to become a good translator. The profession of
translation is a daily and permanent activity that requires a good background
and a high level of professionalism.
1. Severity
Being a good Professional requires more
rigour
and diligence. The translator should be severe both while doing the work and in
time management. This implies that he should be severe in the choice
of words he uses, in sentences or phrases punctuation, in proofreading and in
correction before delivering the work.
2. Good knowledge of the working
languages
Translating from one language to another will not be easy if you don’t
master the bases of that language; those are: grammar, conjugation or
the vocabulary of that given
language. Therefore, it is very important to acquire and master the syntax and
morphology of your working languages.
Mastering languages also implies that you should understand the culture
related to that language. If not, at times, you won’t get the meaning of some
phrases.
3.
Good knowledge of
working tools
For a better translation, translators may use dictionaries, glossaries
or translation software. Altough they help them to save time and money, they
also have limitations in the sense that, at times they can lead you into
errors. For example, the dictionary may help you to check the spelling of a
work, understang the meaning, but It won’t help you to translate a sentence
according to its context. Except it gives you some examples of how the word may
be used in different context.
4. Excellent writing skills
Writing is an art. Writing
is also a key of better reading and understanding. A poorly punctuated sentence
may lead to the misunderstanding of the whole passage. Also, a passage with
many mistakes doesn’t encourages readers. It tired readers.
For instance: I
sweep the floor (in this case the speaker means he is the one who swept the
floor) and I, sweep the floor (in this case the speakers means that he cannot
sweep or he doesn’t want to sweep the floor).
5. Good general knowledge
A
good helps you to better understand types of translation and to be open minded.
It also prevents from softwares translation trap.
e.g: The French sentence: « SCRIBO-Cameroon
met à votre disposition une équipe de rédacteurs, de traducteurs et de
développeurs professionnels afin de produire des contenus qui s’adaptent à vos
besoins et qui épousent votre vision. »
is translate by Google translate as “SCRIBO-Cameroon puts at your disposal a team
of writers, translators and professional developers to produce content that
adapts to your needs and that embrace your vision.’’
Instead of “our team of professional writers, translators and programmers are all
yours for works that fit your needs and embrace your vision.”. So be aware of translation softwares limitations.
6.
Promptness and discretion
You may have private documents from individuals or organizations. Make
sure not to offend somebody sensibility.
A good professional is somebody who can keep professional secrecy.
Always make sure you honour your commitments towards yourself and your
audience. Humility is a virtue when you are unable to achieve your objectives.
7.
Flexibility and
adeptability
Translation in scientific domain is not the same in general domains.
Words may have several meanings according to their context of use. The word bank may have several meanings in
different domains. For example: the phrase “to bank on something” means to count on something while the phrase
“to bank” refers to where to pay my school fees).
8.
Curiosity
Have you ever noticed that a phrase or a word may have another meaning
although it is written or spelt the same language or in another language? The
word library (bibliothèque in french) and librairies (Bookshop in french). “Library”
in english means bibliothèque in french, but the word “librairie” in french
refers to bookshop in english.
As such, mastering syntax and morphology of a language is not enough. Words
may have false friends or contextual meaning.
9.
Warmthness
Make your workspace pleasant and be yourself friendly, cheerful,
hospitable to quickly acquire knowledge and experience in the domain.
10.
Passion
Passion helps you to upgrade quickly thank to your willingness. For Christelle Ngueajio, expert translator,
her passion for languages makes her to work as volunteer in several NGOs in
Cameroon. Nowadays, although she serves in a company, she also works as
freelancer for many NGOs and individuals to earn her daily life.
What do you think about automatic and human translation? Share your point of view with us in comments!
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Scribo-Cameroon is an enterprise specialized in E-learning modules technologies, Translation
and interpretation, digital communication and websites
development. At Scribo-Cameroon,
we digitized your content and process your requests online and in our offices
in Yaoundé, Cameroon and if necessary in other countries in Africa, Europe,
America, Asia and Oceanie. To know more about at Scribo-Cameroon,
visit our website on www.scribo-cameroon.com
For any express translation or certified documents, contact lingua-Express. Visit
our website on www.lingua-express.com
or call us on 677 712 626
Laurine AZEBAZE
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