Why Is Translation Important?

A message by Leonard Morin on behalf of the New York Circle of Translators to the buyers of language services[*]

The invisible translator

It is often said that when the oral or written word is translated ably the intermediating linguist becomes invisible. Perhaps this is why translators and interpreters are often taken for granted. The users of language services often are not aware of the skills required to perform the translation, and even bilingual individuals who have not immersed themselves in the task are not conscious of what it involves. Of course, from the perspective of a buyer of language services, it might not be advantageous to attribute value to the service you are buying, since that might tend to raise the price. But a greater understanding of the skill and expertise required of competent language service providers could help those buyers to appreciate that quality is worth the price.

What is translation and what is interpreting?

Translation in the broad sense comprises transposition of the written and spoken word from one language into another. In the narrow sense, translation is the rendering of a written source text into a written target text.[1]

Interpretation is the oral rendering of one language into another. Interpreting is generally broken down into three modes: simultaneous interpreting (the interpreter orally translates the spoken word with a lag of a few seconds while it is spoken); consecutive (the interpreter translates the spoken statement after it has been completed, usually after one or two sentences, but sometimes after a larger segment has been completed); sight translation (a hybrid of translation and interpreting; the interpreter briefly reviews a document in a source language and then verbally renders a translation).

Where are they used?

There is an enormous need for translation and interpreting services that grows by the day as society steadily becomes more internationalized. In the legal sphere, litigation of monetary interests, housing, or the alleged commission of crimes are obvious examples. But an important subgroup would be everything having to do with social services, such as health insurance or public benefits, or practical matters such as sales negotiations and contracts. In the medical sphere, health and safety are routinely at stake, so translation or interpreting may be imperative and quality is a must. Another significant interest is anything related to mass commerce and marketing. What generally determines whether translation occurs at all is the economic interest involved. This goes some way to explain why foreign literature is such a minor segment of the translation market in the U.S.[2]

What skills do they require?

Translation requires native fluency in the target language and full fluency in the source language (it is very rare that one can translate bi-directionally, i.e. other than into one’s native tongue). But these are basic requisites. Translation of documents is a skill in itself and requires specific knowhow. Although many translators do not have specific training in translation, they must develop skills to resolve the problems that are unique to translation, such as accurately rendering the meaning of the source text in the target text even if there is no obvious equivalent.

For instance, “gracias, muy amable” is a common phrase in Spanish that translates into “thank you, very kind.” Just “thank you” might be a better translation, since that is what is actually said in practice, but one could object that this latter rendering leaves out some of the cultural nuance of the original. The translator has to develop a repertoire of solutions as well as the mental agility to solve the translation problems as they arise.

Some of the proficiencies required to interpret are a good memory and note-taking, the ability to listen and speak at the same time, and read and speak at the same time. One acquires these skills by study, practice, feedback, and self-critique.

Linguists in today’s marketplace also use technology to improve and facilitate their work. Computer assisted translation (CAT) tools, which use memory of previous translations to speed up the process and unify terminology choice, have become a standard part of any translator’s toolbox. Online, electronic, and hardcopy lexical research skills are essential to translators and interpreters. Interpreters’ work is also greatly aided by simultaneous interpreting equipment, which they must know how to use.

What is at stake when considering hiring a professional linguist?

Last winter, I went to the hospital due to a lingering cold. At one point while I was in the waiting room, I pondered what the other patients might be going through that had brought them to the hospital. Although my imagination wandered and I sympathized, I found myself unable to fathom the depths of their despair. I went back to the hospital two weeks later, when my illness had persisted longer and started to cause me greater worry. Then I had a more profound sense of the suffering of the other patients.

It seems to me that this is similar to one’s understanding of other languages and the skill involved in translation. If you do not have knowledge of another language, you tend to trivialize its complexities. The tendency is to experience it as an appendage of our own language. Similarly, without substantial experience translating, you do not have full awareness of the specific problems that arise in translation. It is a world that has not come to life. Would you be satisfied with a physician who was not intimately versed in the matters for which you are seeking his or her help?

An example of such translation problems would be the general rule in translation that names are not translated. Americans are generally familiar with the German “Autobahn.” Why don’t we just call it “the German expressway”? When interpreting in court, should I translate “The Legal Aid Society” as “La Sociedad de Asistencia Legal” or just say the English? Or should I, as one colleague of mine suggested, repeat the English and add “La defensoría pública,” to be certain that the defendant knows what it is? Whatever option the translator chooses, he or she will have to tackle the challenge of maintaining consistency throughout a project or series of projects. This is easier said than done; every rule has its exceptions.

How do people become professional linguists?

I believe that it is fair to say that no linguist (with the exception, perhaps, of the very rare prodigy) has the requisite skill to be a translator or interpreter upon entering the field. Much is to be learned in the first days, months, and years. But the beginner has to have definite strengths, which I break down into three possible areas[3]: the most direct background is having completed an academic program in translation and/or interpreting. The second possible strength would be in an area of specialty, such as law or medicine (either through formal education or job experience). The third would be in letters, i.e. having studied the languages in question in-depth, including writing and literature.

If one has considerable strength in any of these three areas, practical experience and feedback will tend to make up for weaknesses in the others. Any of these strengths presupposes years of study and immersion. They also imply excellent command of both languages, which most likely entails years of study and having lived in countries where the two (or more) languages are spoken.

How does the language services market allocate resources?

Although translations have the potential to profoundly impact people’s lives and in some cases save them, the need is often not met. Returning to the example of my hospital visit: when I saw the nurse, he asked my profession as part of the usual battery of questions. When I told him that I am a Spanish interpreter, he energetically declared that he could use me there. He told me that he continually runs up against a wall with his clients, of which one can only imagine the consequences.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest clients of translation services are corporations and governments. Economic interests make the purchase of translation services a priority and possibility. Sometimes vital interests are hampered by economic interests. In a 2005 article in Health Affairs, entitled “Pay Now Or Pay Later: Providing Interpreter Services In Health Care,” authors Leighton Ku and Glenn Flores discuss serious underfunding for medical interpreting despite a crying need for it backed by constitutional mandates. The authors conclude that “We can either pay a small amount up front to ensure that all patients receive equitable, high-quality care, or pay a lot more later for unnecessary tests and procedures, preventable hospitalizations, medical errors and injuries, and expensive lawsuits.”[4] This seems to suggest that at times it takes an economic argument to make a vital health issue compelling.

What needs to change?

The public and clients of translation services need to gain a better understanding of the work of translators and interpreters. This entails understanding the process of translation and the requisite skill but also the work conditions linguists face. Language services are inherently resource intensive. They require extensive training and experience and they are also labor-intensive. One oral presentation generally requires two simultaneous interpreters. It may also require the interpreters to prepare in-depth on the subject matter in advance. The translation of a 20-page document will generally take a week or more of work, involving a joint effort of editing, proofing, and project management by multiple individuals. Linguists are routinely not paid in proportion with the inputs of time, money, training, and other resources they invest in satisfactory performance of their job.

The quality commission[5]

One possible way to raise quality standards and pay of translators would be to set up a quality review entity composed of practicing linguists. These experts could grade the quality of the services of agencies and translators and interpreters. The quality review commission could be funded by a tax on translations and interpreting. It is likely that such a commission would be unable to go over every translation submitted for review. But a random sample of the submitted translations would still make it possible for end users to gain a reliable picture of what they are buying for their money.

At first glance, a tax would not seem to entice the buyers of language services, but if they could be convinced this would likely improve quality significantly, they may be amenable to it. End users of language services are often unhappy with the services they get or, at the very least, they feel lost in an unfathomable and unpredictable marketplace. A commission of independent expert quality controllers could raise the awareness and appreciation of quality and cultivate the willingness to pay a premium to get it.

Translation agencies and the ATA have been working to design and promote standardization of the industry in recent years. The quality control mechanism I propose here could serve to insure that proper standards are lived up to in practice. It would be more in the interest of the end user if translators as opposed to agencies were to spearhead and oversee quality control efforts since seasoned translators by definition know quality translations and agencies are dealmakers first and foremost.

I further think that one should consider whether some type of educational subsidy would be desirable or necessary. If quality is mandated—which it should be—it seems obvious and fair that there should be a viable and clear path for promising linguists to come up to speed with the requirements.[6]

The translation industry holds great promise in a gloomy economy. If we can raise quality standards and translator pay, we could also bring back some of the jobs the U.S. has lost in the race to the bottom that has been characteristic of the language services sector for over a decade. This would lead to a virtuous cycle by attracting talent, enhancing quality, and creating a willingness to pay for quality. These effects would be magnified by the undeniable fact that this is currently one of the biggest economic growth industries.[7] In turn, this would have a global impact as other countries race to catch up with our leading example.

Originally published in The Gotham Translator.

[*] This article proposes a framework to discuss the role of our profession in society and commerce. I submitted this article to the New York Circle of Translators listserv to seek input from the membership about how to best articulate the value of our profession to the public. The ultimate goal of this message would be to advance the interests of our profession and the broader public. The Outreach and Social Media Committee of the New York Circle is currently launching a translation awareness campaign to spread this message.

[1] Roseann Dueñas González, et al. Fundamentals of Court Interpretation, Theory, Policy and Practice. Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 1991. Pg. 295

[2] National Endowment for the Arts, “Translating Experience: NEA’s International Literary Exchanges,” http://www.nea.gov/about/nearts/story.php?id=p07_trans&issue=2008_v3 (visited on August 21, 2013).

[3] I am not familiar with a study into the most optimal preparation to practice as an interpreter, and even less so as a translator. My assessment of the necessary skills is based on what I can ascertain through my observation and experience in the field. Conclusive evidence of the soundest ways to become an expert linguist would be valuable, however, since it could serve as a justification for more efficient financial investment in the expert linguists of tomorrow. If the reader is aware of such a study, please send it my way (president@nyctranslators.org) and share it to the NYCT listserv.

[4] Leighton Ku and Glenn Flores, “Pay Now Or Pay Later: Providing Interpreter Services In Health Care,” Health Affairs. Available at http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/2/435.full (visited on August 21, 2013).

[5] The following is a quality control mechanism for which I must thank my friend Tom Hafner, a commodities trader on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, who devised this scheme.

[6] See note 3 above. Investment in future expert linguists is not only of interest to the novice linguists who would be the direct beneficiaries, but also to business, government, and civil society, who would gain in economic efficiency as a result.

[7] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Interpreters and Translators,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition. Available at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm (Visited August 21, 2013).