8 Common Misconceptions about Translation and Interpretation

By Sarah-Claire jordan

It may seem rather obvious what translation and interpretation are on the surface. One deals with written language, while the other is about spoken language. Both involve taking a message in one language and accurately rendering it in another language, usually as a way to facilitate communication between two parties. However, there are some notable misconceptions about what it means to translate and interpret. Most come from the fact that many people just don’t know exactly what the translation and interpretation processes consist of, but others remain even for people who have worked with translators and interpreters for years.

Here are some of the most common misconceptions about translation and interpretation:

1. If you can translate, you can interpret

This is not true at all, as the tasks a translator does are very different from what an interpreter has to do. Translators generally work from home and have access to dictionaries and all kinds of references to make sure they translate everything accurately and stay true to the source document. If you were to ask a translator on the spot to interpret for you, they would probably get very nervous and barely fumble through it, as they are not trained to translate orally or without any dictionaries or other resources to consult with. A huge part of interpreter training is about learning to translate quickly and without the need for dictionaries.

2. Anyone who is bilingual can be a translator or interpreter

With the proper training, this is true, but no one would make a good translator or interpreter just by virtue of being fluent in two languages. Many people grow up speaking one language at home and another outside of the home, so their vocabulary in one language can be very limited actually. If you were to ask them to interpret, they would have some issues because they probably haven’t studied both languages extensively like a trained interpreter has. Translation doesn’t come naturally, either, as some bilingual people never learned to write in their “home” language. The only real way to know if someone is a good translator or interpreter is if they have studied and trained and are certified.

3. Translators and interpreters can get by with knowing the most common dialect of a language

That might work if they were to work exclusively with certain dialects, but that’s just not the case when you look at the reality of the career. If you are a Spanish interpreter, you need to know more than just Mexican Spanish. If you are called on to translate (via telephone or in person) for an Argentinian person who doesn’t speak English, and you have no knowledge of Argentinian Spanish, you are going to be in for a difficult time. Argentinian Spanish and Mexican Spanish are very different dialects, and while they are mutually intelligible, certain words are only used in each dialect. Sometimes, the same word can mean two different things, which can lead to big problems if the interpreter isn’t aware of that.

4. Translators aren’t necessary anymore because online translators exist

Online translators may seem like the bane of actual translators’ existence on the surface, but they are really just a tool you can use if you want to look up something quickly. They shouldn’t be used for anything other than that. There are tons of reasons why they don’t work as well as actual human translators, but one big one is the fact that they are computer programs and thus function as so. There are rules for every language, and the online translator can follow them when it translates, but that doesn’t mean that what you get as a result is what a native would say. Also, in the case of Google Translate, anyone can add or change a translation if they think it’s not accurate. This means that someone with zero translation training and possibly no knowledge of a particular dialect could say that a correct translation was actually incorrect, and Google Translate would save that in its database.

5. Translators and interpreters don’t need to know about the culture behind a language

If this were true, then we would have a lot more complaints about culturally insensitive interpreters and translators. Being an interpreter or translator is not just about knowing what words to use in two different languages or how the grammar works. If it were just that, anyone who studied a second language could be one. There’s a reason translators and interpreters are required to go through special training and certification processes, however. Interpreters in particular need to be able to pick up on cultural nuances and idioms in the two languages they work with in order to convey the correct message with the correct tone. In some cultures, strangers are treated more formally, while in others everyone is treated informally. If an interpreter doesn’t recognize that and incorporate it into their work, they aren’t interpreting accurately.

6. Interpreters have to be in the same place as their clients while working

Before telephones were invented, this was probably the case. Nowadays, however, this is not necessary at all. Many facilities like hospitals and call centers do have interpreters on their staff to help with clients who speak languages common to an area, but it would be impossible to have interpreters for every language on staff. This is where telephone interpreting comes in handy. A client can easily call up an interpretation service and request an interpreter for any language if they need to communicate with them. A dual handset phone is used so both clients can hear the interpreter at the same time and don’t have to pass the phone back and forth. The interpreter is paid by the minute, and the clients can rest assured knowing that they got their message through to each other.

7. If you do one kind of translation/interpretation, you can do any kind

If you are an interpreter or translator, you will recognize how ridiculous this is. It’s hard enough to work with two completely different languages, but to be expected to be an expert in every aspect of the language is just too much. For example, medical interpreters or translators are experts in medical terminology in the languages they work with. They can be relied on to accurately translate or interpret medical documents or in medical situations. However, if you think that since they can do that with, say, French and English, that they can also translate a novel or interpret a play, then you are wrong. Literary translation is totally different from medical translation and requires knowledge of a whole different set of vocabulary and even grammar and style rules. The same goes for theater or music interpreters. Just because they work in one particular field of translation or interpretation doesn’t mean they can do any kind of translation or interpretation without studying first.

8. Using an interpretation or translation service is too expensive

This is probably the most important misconception of the whole list, which is why I saved it for last. The idea that paying someone else, who is a professional, to do an excellent job as a translator or interpreter may seem ridiculous to people who think that they can get the same quality of work from any untrained bilingual person. Of course, this is not true at all, and some of the services you may need aren’t necessarily that expensive anyway. For example, if you use a telephone interpreter, you only pay them for the time that they interpret for you. Even if you did have to pay a lot of money for these kinds of services, which you don’t, it would be completely worth it. Think about how much of a mess you could get into if you got a non-translator friend to translate an article for your company’s blog. They could make any number of mistakes because they aren’t trained, and this could cost your company a lot of money to deal with. In the end, you are just better off working with people who specialize in translation and interpretation, because they will get you the results you need.

As you can probably tell by now, there are a fair amount of false ideas floating around out there about what it takes to be a translator or interpreter. No, they do not do the same thing, and no, your bilingual friend won’t be an accurate interpreter for that business meeting. Interpreters generally work with their clients face to face, but telephone interpreters don’t have to, and translators certainly don’t need to either. If a translator is trained to also be an interpreter, then they will make a good interpreter, and vice versa. Being certified in one area does not mean someone is prepared to work in another, however. Using an online translator may be faster and free, but it will not get you results that you could confidently present to a client. Push all of these myths aside and seek out the help of a professional translation and interpretation service if you find yourself needing one.

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Category: Translation Services