PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATION: IT’S BEST NOT TO DELAY DEALING WITH UNEXPECTED QUESTIONS IN THIS LINE OF WORK

I was recently seeking to register with more translation agencies and I was quick to note this quote on the website of one agency: “Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.” Benjamin Lee Whorf – Yale University

Mr. Whorf is not the only one to think like this; here is another quote:

“Language is the dress of thought.” – Samuel L. Johnson

Such quotes have not gone unappreciated…

Much as I have known for a long time that I have skills in foreign languages and translation that it’s so easy for many to envy – not to brag – it would seem that the wiser thing for me to do is to resist the temptation to pursue “good” reasons to be… some might say, complacent. What’s even more intriguing is how likely it is that – based on my own experience – those who are not professional translators worth their salt would agree with that concept, based on their own convictions. In my career as a self-employed professional translator I have had some clients who are not stupid and are serious about maintaining certain standards in that they are very clear about how they expect me to ensure that the work I do for them really will be reliable enough and of high enough quality – after all, regardless of the fact that it’s my living, they are paying me money for this. Yes, I have clients who will be sharp and eagerly critical.

Now, given the “bog standard” concept of translation in crude terms, it seems like it’s a lot easier to discuss it by the idea of proving things rather than disproving them. In my case, I certainly sometimes look for points that will justify why a given choice of word(s) is suitable for my translation of something, usually expecting little to no help from the person for whom I’m doing it – the waiting client (not that I think less of them as a result!).

But far be it from me to make – or encourage – any myopic claim that I am simply one of the “best” self-employed translators ever with little or no concern for elaborating what would be meant by that. I’m sure there have been plenty of better translators than me throughout history. But I will emphasise this: no-one could convince me that I’m better at translation than I realise. And yet I will never allow myself to be starved of hope in connection with it on my own terms. That’s the very essence of how I feel free in this job.

That said, perhaps the most reliable measure of how good I REALLY am at this work is how well I could share it – or teach it, depending on your point of view. And, just for future reference, I already wonder how many of my business competitors will read this. Now, I’m not going to claim I could never EVER be unconfident about any aspect of sharing / teaching translation, or even – for languages are my business – teaching English. Which brings me to this point. This woman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eclJk_1TCxY is Livia Szöllősi, from whom I have enjoyed learning basic Hungarian phrases (don’t ask me why). Yes, it was a pleasure – it is pleasing that what she says is so easy to follow and not frustrating, and she genuinely seems to enjoy it and to care about the satisfaction of the student, whether or not she actually compiled it herself (and I don’t mind telling you that her English is as good as my French or German!). But still, it is just pre-recorded: she knew all along that she wouldn’t be interrupted as the recording took place (and if she did get interrupted, they would just record that bit again). She knew she would never have to deal with unexpected questions as her lesson progressed. Still, how great it is that she packed all that into only three minutes. But my point is that it’s not as challenging as face-to-face teaching. For I want to be among the best in my job and actually see that vindicated; it’s as simple as that.

Just like everyone else, there’s only a limited amount I can explain about what I do for which adding “It’s as simple as that” at the end WOULD NOT seem a silly idea. And the more I learn about it, well… the less of that there is in proportion to what there is for which adding “It’s as simple as that” at the end WOULD seem a silly idea.

At the end of the day, the good news is that, given my commitment to masterfulness in what I do, I continue to accept more and more “things” in my work – if hardly eagerly, then “readily”; any resentment I feel as a result of unexpected difficult and awkward challenges should not be allowed to cloud my hopes, or indeed my judgement, as I proceed to do my work. Alex of Ink Linguistics says that the most powerful thing in the world is ideas – far be it from me to misrepresent any… and of course, in paid translation, when you think about it, it’s not about expressing, representing, or giving credence to your own ideas, you know? Even stupid people can have ideas of dominating credibility, but it’s always worth bearing in mind that person A can understand person B’s mind better than person B does. That is the truth. So I’m not a cocky professional translator, OK?

Just for a moment, pretend you met a magician who could wave a magic wand to have you know everything you would need to know for the rest of your life. Then what? (Someone should ask the creators of Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty; although, I understand that it’s easy to argue that they have already answered the question.) Well, whatever you have to say to that, when I get clients going out of their way to make it clear what rules and / or procedures they expect me to follow… well, that is but something I have to “deal with” somehow or other. And it’s only safe to assume that there’s no element of irrationality in the whole purpose behind it.

The following is instructions for a relatively recent translation job I did for a private client i.e. they didn’t even work for a translation agency.

Instructions
General instructions:

– Please ensure to run spell check on all files before delivery
– Ensure text reads well and natural in target language
– Ensure consistency in terminology used
– Please confirm you are comfortable with the subject and knowledgeable on the specific terminology for this field
– Please make sure to check with the project manager about any terminology doubts

How many times have you agreed to do something without really understanding what it actually is but yet hoping that you would learn more – see the truth – later? Because that’s how I feel about some of my projects. But then, I understand, as I should, that I am accountable no matter what I do or say. Like I said, I’m not a cocky professional translator, OK?

It really does seem that the better I try to get at doing “natural” translations, the better I get at doing “unnatural” ones – even if the latter are very well done and very reliable. Without all the “clever” humorous solutions. But, at the end of the day, customer confidence is the bottom line as much as the truth – and its successful representation – is.

One thing about the practice of diligent translation is that it teaches you to be wary of writing things that only make sense more on your own terms, however intelligent they may be.