Ten Qualities of a good translator

Ten Qualities of a good translator

Translators play a pivotal role in global, intercultural communication and exchange. For this to happen though, they must possess qualities of a good translator and have them at play in order to provide what can be described as a good translation, idiomatic translation. In this article, I shall be discussing the ten pertinent qualities that a good translator ought to possess.

1. Very good knowledge of the source language. I have deliberately used the words “very good” to imply almost excellent. A good translator should possess very good knowledge of the source language in both written and spoken. The degree of proficiency in both written and spoken forms should be pari passu.
2. Excellent command of the target language. The target language is the language that is being translated into. It can be either the translator’s first or second language.
3. The third important quality is familiarity with the subject matter of the text being translated. As rightly expressed in the latin maxim” Nemo dat quod non habet” meaning you cannot give that which you do not have, a good translator must have excellent understanding of the subject matter in question. Translation involves interpretation of the source text before translating the same. To do this, one must be familiar with the subject matter in all its minute details.
4. Fourthly, a good translator ought to have profound understanding of the etymological and idiomatic correlates between the source and target languages and this includes socio-linguistics register (if applicable). This is the reason why content localization is important during the translation process.
5. Knowing when to metaphrase and paraphrase is another quality of a good translator. It is important to state that having a finely tuned sense of when you should metaphrase (also known as translating literary) and when to paraphrase so as to assure true rather than false equivalents between the source and target languages. A good translator knows when to use a given option.
6. Timely delivery of the project. As a translator, you will always work with both end clients as well as translation agencies. Time is always of essence as clients usually have defined deadlines. A good translator sticks to the agreed deadline and works within it. There should be no excuse whatsoever for later delivery of the client’s work or delivery of a poor translation. It is always a good thing to work within realistic and achievable deadlines.
7. Charging reasonable and competitive fees. The translation industry is reasonably organized with almost well-defined fees or rates for freelancers as well as translation agencies. Usually, though not always, freelancers charge half the price charged by translation agencies. As a good translator, your fees should neither be too small nor exorbitant. It is professional to charge your clients within the industry rates while bearing in mind that you ought to remain relevant in a competitive world. To reiterate this, it is important to note that a good translator should avoid charging too little to the extent that you lose morale in doing the client’s work or too much.
8. Good project Management. As a translator, you are also a project manager in one way or the other. Good project management in any translation project is as good as the translation itself. A good translator should always have a good work plan for each project before them so as to efficiently manage his/ her projects. Remember, if the project is poorly managed it could lead to poor results in terms of your efficiency as a translator.
9. Be a good researcher. As a translator, you will always research on virtually everything. Translation and research are concomitants. This means one cannot be without the other. A good translator should always conduct research to understand all the minute details of both the source and target language as well as the subject matter in question.
10. Be a good interpreter. The word interpreter here has been used in the loose sense. According to Emily Wilson’s definition of translation, “translation always involves interpretation and requires every translator to think as deeply as it is humanly possible about each verbal, poetic and interpretative choice”. As such, a good translator should be able first to interpret what they are yet to translate.

 

About the author

Mr Tukei Francis Xavier is  Ateso Language translator as well a Project Manager at Igloos Consultancy Services Limited, a Uganda based translations agency that provides translation for Ugandan languages, other African language translation, as well as other languages.