tips for good translation

Many people believe that translation is an easy thing and all you have to do is to change words from the source text into the equivalent words of a target text. However, this is not true since some phrases, if translated literally, would make no sense. Translation is a very complicated process which has to consider many factors - the genre and the style of the original text, the translator's competence, and the timeline allocated to the project and many more. There are a great number of useful translation tips available online and offline, yet every translator have their own reliable methods and techniques, built on expertise and time. Here, we summarized the most essential translation tips that can come in handy both for the oral translation and the written translation.


Oral Translation Tips
Interpreting - simultaneous, consecutive and whispering - is considered to be the most difficult type of translation. To achieve great results in this domain, an interpreter is expected to (a) have a high level of competence in different areas, (b) understand and critically analyse the translated information, (c) know how to highlight the key elements in the text, (d) constantly enrich their professional vocabulary, etc. The personal features of an interpreter - such as a quick reaction, clear articulation, and bright mind - are also of great importance.


The most essential interpretation tips are as follows:
In advance familiarize yourself with the topic of the speech
Note down main points of the speech - it'll help you when interpreting
Translate and clarify the meaning of special terms and key words prior to interpreting
Establish friendly relations between you and the speaker at a consecutive translation
Remember to pronounce words distinctly and clearly
Produce a brief summary at the end of the speech - it helps to clarify conclusions
React quickly and be ready to work under pressure
Enjoy what you are doing.. :-) There won't be a second chance
Transmit a clear message to the target audience


Written Translation Tips
Written translation is completely different from any other type of translation. As a rule, there is no need to react instantly - you can take your time, think, choose a better variant, use a dictionary, consult a specialist, etc. Like any other translation it should convey the meaning and the music of the source language. Also, you need to be very accurate with the language and give proper weigh to stylistic features.


The most important translation tips are as follows:
Translate meaning not words!
Rely on your wits and savvy - it can prove to be helpful when translating a difficult text
Ask a specialist or a native speaker to proofread your translation so that it sounds natural
Never accept a project which you know is not within your abilities
Skills and translation expertise come with time - remember it!
Language nuances do matter when making a professional translation
A good translation is worth taking time for!
The way documents are organized in one country may not be understood in another
Emulate the original style of the author, be it humorous, wordy, with colloquial or scientific language, etc.


An e-mail from shima'a riad

[[[justify]There is no doubt that the translator's mission is to transfer the main idea of the text. However, he/she is required to abide to the original text as possibile as he/she could. This suppose to be the main task of the translator while he/she is translating a certain text. the type of the text is also playing a role in the process of translation, for instance, the relegious texts require a high degree of commitment to the original text without considering the effect of this commitment on the translation prodict, unless the process is interpreting or paraphrasing.[/justify]

تحية طيبة

المقال رائع بكل ما فيه من نصائح وارشادات

هل لي أن أسال ما المعنى الجيد لكلمة however

لست مقتنعا دائما بالمعنى الوارد في القاموس

فدائما ما اتخيل ان المعنى الجيد لها هو :

1 - على أية حال
2 - عموما

وهذين المعنيين ليسا في القاموس على الاطلاق

لكن خيالي يذهب دائما لترجمة "على أية حال"

مع ان القاموس يشدد على معنى "بالرغم من" و "رغم أن" و "على الرغم من"

فما رأيك دام فضلك

مع خالص التقدير

الأخ الكريم عبد المجيد المعضادي
مع كل التقدير لمساهمتك في هذا الباب إلا أن مداخلتك تحفل بالكثير من الأخطاء التي شوهت ما كنت تريد أن تقوله لنا. أرجو مراجعة النص الذي كتبته وتصحيح الأخطاء.
كل الود

الزميلة الفضلى منى الشاذلي
شكرا جزيلا لفضلك. عدّلتُ بعض الهفوات الإملائية والتنسيق للمزيد من الفائدة.

فائق تقديري

thank you for sharing these helpful tips

تحياتي يا أخ أديب
وفي رأيي كلمة ( غير ان ) مناسبة

However = غير ان

من معاني However:
ورغم ذلك، بيد أن

Thank you Mona for the useful tips you have listed above!

I would like to share with you a valuable quotation by Tytler who said," A good translation is one in which the merit of the original work is so completely transfused into another language as to be as distinctly apprehended and as strongly felt by a native of the country to which that language belongs as it is by those who speak the language of the original work".

This is a concise yet comprehensive summery of written translation. By putting in mind the quotation, the quality of the translation can be as best as it could be.

مشكورة على هالموضوع الرائع
بس انا عندي سؤال بسيط ارجوا المساعدة كيف اترجم كلمة كرسي بحث مثل الجامعة تنظم كرسي بعنوان التعليم الموازي في الجامعات العربية
هنا كلمة كرسي كيف تترجم
شكراا مقدما:sm_smile: