Being bilingual is an important skill. After all, the world has been brought closer together through technology, and global communication is more valuable than ever. Bilingual speakers can offer a wide range of benefits for companies in need of a linguistics service.
However, does having bilingual abilities necessarily make someone a naturally skilled translator? Unfortunately not.
A professional translator needs to do much more than just relay information between two languages. While being bilingual is a necessity of professional translation services, the translation process is a finely tuned machine that requires experience and great attention to detail.
Complexities and everyday minutiae of language need to be considered, and a bilingual speaker isn’t always capable of providing your business with translations that are up to industry expectations.
Let’s look at some of the reasons why being bilingual isn’t always the same as being a translator.
Research and Translation Techniques
A highly skilled translator will make the entire process look simple. But that’s because of the meticulous nature of research and planning that goes on behind the scenes before you’re presented with your translated documentation.
Every language has its own set rules regarding grammar and sentence structure. A professional translator will not only put their own expertise into play but cross-reference their work with other translations.
By analyzing other translations within the subject matter, your professional translator is making sure that the content isn’t just readable, but also relatable and engaging to the target audience.
Translators Are Also Skilled Writers
Great writing is almost invisible. Why? Because you’re signposting the journey of a subject from beginning to end flawlessly, and inspiring action or providing information that’s essential to the reader.
Being bilingual doesn’t necessarily equate to being able to convey information in the right way. A professional translator understands the importance of a text that flows well. A good translation shouldn’t feel like a copy and paste conversion from one language to another. It should read like it was always intended to be for that specific language.
A nuanced translation is a craft – one that’s only gained through years of experience.
Mistakes That Only a Professional Can Spot
Sometimes, inexperience can leave us blind to oversights and errors that a professional can spot immediately. This is particularly true in translation, where colloquialisms, outdated terminology and sentence structure can either make or break a document.
Bilingual abilities are a powerful tool to have in your arsenal. But the fact remains that a comprehensive understanding of two languages isn’t the same as the exhaustive research, care, and attention to detail that professional translators do for each and every task.
An experienced translator understands how important getting it right the first time, every time, can be. Translation tasks aren’t just a matter of jumping from language A to language B. There are multiple drafts, grammar changes, and heavy research that go into your final piece of the completed translation.
Your business and customers deserve the very best service possible. When you’re in need of translations, working with a professional linguistics company shows that you understand just how important every word of translation should be.
