There is much information about translation and interpretation, but still, there are some questions that remain frequently asked and needing more of highlights. So today, we offer for your attention some of interesting questions pursuing two ideas, either help you learn something new, or check yourself on how much you know about translation.
Who was the first professional translator?
Professional translators and interpreters have been around since 4,000BC (in recorded history, that is).
The Romans were the first to begin translation. Cicero and Horace was the first theorist who came up with the theories of word to word and sense to sense translations.
First records of interpreters are from Karthage, where they would tattoo a parrot on the shaven head of an interpreter. Their trademark, supposedly. If the interpreter knew 4 or more languages, the parrot was tattooed with its wings unfolded.
What Are The Most requested Languages for Translation?
Translation Services, Irish, French, German and Spanish have made up the majority of translation requests, with other languages such as Russian, Chinese, Polish, Portuguese following. The other languages (7%) are made up of other Eastern European languages, Scandinavian languages, and Asian and Indic languages.
What is the role of computers in translation industry?
Language and communication are some of the most important technical aspects of human life. Technology would cease to exist without a means to communicate or facilitate use. The goal of this type of translation is to increase the usability of computer technology.
Translation programs are some of the most important computer programs because of the importance of language to society. Computers must be able to understand languages. They also must be able to change languages depending on the user. Languages are the building block for a computer’s usability. All computers should have translation capabilities as a part of general background software.
Why is it beneficial to use translation tools?
Advantages of Automated and Machine Translations:
– Translation is much faster when compared to human translation
– Translations are at a lower rate or even free of charge
– You do not need any time for finding and managing translator(s) to complete a translation job
What are the factors that influence the speed of the performed translation?
Is there a limit to what a human translator can produce on daily basis? This, however, is a tricky inquiry and doesn’t have a definite response as everyone and every translation firm have their various working methodologies with diverse fields, software, equipment, skills, and experiences. Thus, it is a bit hard to generalize in providing a straight answer to this question.
Some factors to consider are medium of operations i.e. working with text formats in either hard copy form or soft copy (electronic) form. Here you would realize dealing with hard copies would take longer time than when you are working on electronic texts. Whilst a paper-based translator may be stuck on 1,800 words a day, translators working with electronic formats and a good translation memory, can achieve anything between 2,500 and 3,000 words. But this may also differ across languages as translating into Japanese is known to be slower than translating into European languages as several keystrokes are required to display and type a character in any of the three alphabets used in Japanese. In the case of Chinese translations, translators may often need to choose between the suggestions provided by the software.
Your point for word reference also matters a lot here, as looking up words you don’t quite understand will come up fast when your dictionaries are upright. Looking up words on the Internet may make you lose some extra time.
And also the more acquainted you are with a specific subject or topic; the more speedily the translation will go. A clearly written, an easy-to-understand text will also come up fast in translating when compared to text that has long and hard-to-understand sentences.
You can also consider the speed of typing as this is one of the major factors that determines how many words per day one can get through when translating a document.
Another pointer is to consider calculating the time it will take to edit and proofread any project as a translation job does not only consist of just translating but also to check, double check and triple check the job!
What is the difference between translation and interpretation?
Interpreting and translation are two closely related linguistic disciplines. Yet they are rarely performed by the same people. The difference in skills, training, aptitude and even language knowledge are so substantial that few people can do both successfully on a professional level.
On the surface, the difference between interpreting and translation is only the difference in the medium: the interpreter translates orally, while a translator interprets a written text. Both these concepts presuppose a certain love of language and deep knowledge of more than one language.
What are the skills needed for a good translator?
- Thorough knowledge of the general subject to be interpreted
- Intimate familiarity with both cultures
- Extensive vocabulary in both languages
- Ability to express thoughts clearly and concisely in both languages
- Excellent note-taking techniques for consecutive interpreting
- At least 2-3 years of booth experience for simultaneous interpreting
What about translation challenges?
Like any other profession, translation is a job where many common challenges are faced even by experts. Translators are trained individuals who understand the linguistic nuances required whenever they are doing translation work and know that there is no room for error. Still, each translation job is unique, thus challenges are ever present in the job.
Language Structure
The challenge comes when the language is complex. One of the challenges faced by translators is the difference in language structure, and it affects the simplicity and accuracy of the translation. For instance, a simple English sentence consists of a subject and predicate, and commonly, sentences feature a subject, verb, an object. In other languages, the order is different or the subject pronoun forms part of the verb.
Culture
Many of the spoken dialects are woven into many languages, which can affect content. Culture also plays a major part in the use of a language. Each language has a structure that is unique to it, and it is this structure that directly affects the simplicity and level of accuracy of the translation. If the language is simple, the translation is also easier and simpler.
Idioms
If we talk about translation of idioms, then we can generalize that this is a rather laborious process. In this regard, translators should first understand the meaning of an idiom before they can naturally look for an equivalent way to express it as a whole, as idioms should not be translated literally. Even translation tools are incapable of translating idioms.
Missing Words
Finding the equivalent of a word in another language is not always possible. This presents a difficult challenge, as it is important for a translator to maintain the meaning and intent of the original text — this is also important for interpreters.
Words with multiple meanings
The use of a word or words in a sentence could give them different meanings. There are words that sound alike (homonyms), there are also words spelled similarly that sound different (heteronyms). Some other examples include excuse, polish, absent, alternate, minute, contest, record and many more such words. This also applies to idioms, similes, and metaphors.
This article first appeared on Agato Translation Blog we find it worth sharing with you: agatotranslate.ae/how-much-do-you-know-about-translation/
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