Translators just starting out in the industry will soon discover that dictionaries can be your best friend.
Translators just starting out
in the industry will soon discover that dictionaries can be your best friend:
they’re a way of ensuring that you produce an accurate and high-quality
translation. In the past, translators were required to use hardcopy
dictionaries and glossaries, but today it’s all available online so the time
involved in research has been greatly reduced. However, it seems that some translators
are not using the resources available to them – well it certainly looks that
way when we see some of the inaccurate and poor quality translations produced
by some translators.
Below we’ve listed our advice for translators on how to ensure
that you’re using the appropriate word or expression –
Check,
Then Check Again!
In most cases, experienced translators are generally able to guess
the meaning of a word when it’s used in a certain context, but even in this
case our advice as that you still check with a dictionary. And if there’s any
doubt in your mind at all, then you need to check again, then check again using
a different dictionary. We know that words can have many different meanings and
that’s why it’s important that translators choose the most suitable meaning for
that particular text.
Use
Glossaries and Specialized Dictionaries
If you’re a translator who works on specialized translations,
perhaps in the field of IT, law, or medicine, it stands to reason that you must
have easy access to glossaries and specialized dictionaries. Obviously, you
need access to these resources in order to produce a high-quality translation, but in specialized
fields such as (say) medicine, an inaccurate translation could prove fatal: a
diagnosis could be mistranslated, the wrong dosage or treatment could be
administered, and numerous other serious or fatal errors could occur.
Cross-Referencing
Is Important for Accuracy
Don’t be limited to using just one kind of dictionary; for
example, Spanish to English. Use also Spanish to Spanish and English to English
dictionaries so you can cross-reference the definitions of expressions or words
you’re trying to translate. And again, check the meaning in a glossary or
dictionary, if necessary.
Ask
for Help!
Don’t ever be afraid to ask for advice. If you’re having doubts
about a certain translation, or aspects of a translation, don’t hesitate to ask your peers
for advice. There are forums and websites dedicated to professional translators
and you’ll find that, not only are translators happy to offer advice to other
translators, they’ll also be able to answer any questions you may have.
Although the translation industry is growing, it’s been our experience that
professional translators are always happy to assist their colleagues, in
particular people just starting out in the industry. So, use these forms to
your advantage, because there is so much to learn and there are many professionals
out there willing to help.