Software & Amateur Translation

   When we think in the term “Translation”, everybody just thinks “moving” and “changing” the content from one language to another.

   Nowadays everyone has access to computer-generated translations, online dictionaries with bilingual sections, forums like the ones you can find at wordreference.com, computer-assisted translation software, etc. It is definitely a fantastic thing, still the quality of many translations not only has not improved, but in many cases it has decreased.

   Spanish-speakers in the USA are thankful every single day they have access to information through a document in their own language: educational notices, medical forms, immigration documents, etc. The problem comes when that extra “help” plays against them because the translation is hard to read, inaccurate, or a word-by-word linguistic nightmare. Many institutions rely on someone that can “do” the job because he or she speaks Spanish, and if he or she has access to a computer and the Internet the problem seems to be solved…

   The key in the failure of these amateur translations is neglecting the anthropological part of the language, the performance level of the language (the competence too sometimes), the context, and even the speaker. A good text is that one that can be understood without knowing that it was a translation, a text that looks and sound as good as the original, and a good translation is basically rewriting almost “from scratch”. This is the main part where software fails. When it comes to translation memories, translators have to be especially careful with using previous terminology from past projects. One of the principles of a good translation is the creation of a term database (that is current and personalized).

   Another element that is usually neglected is the competence of the translator in his or her native language: someone that is not (completely) native can hardly do the job. I am the perfect example by the way. I do a terrific job from English into Spanish. I have been reading novels, poetry, and academic books in Spanish my whole life , but when it comes to writing in English, I need to check everything twice, and my expression is not as good and fresh as it is in my native language.

   Being thankful for all the benefits of technology, which saves us a lot of time doing our work, it is clear that being creative is something that a computer can’t do (at least not yet!).