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Poll: According to you, how many language combinations should a translator ideally work on?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 04:58
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It's not quantity, but quality that matters Mar 4

The answer to this question is quite obvious: there isn't a specific number of language combinations that a translator should ideally work on.
A translator should focus on languages he/she is highly proficient in, ensuring a deep understanding of both the source and target languages.
It's not quantity, but quality that matters.

Angie Garbarino
Michele Fauble
P.L.F. Persio
Rachel Waddington
 
Michele Fauble
Michele Fauble  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:58
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
Specialization Mar 4

Christopher Schröder wrote:

Michele Fauble wrote:
Translating from Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, or even from French, Italian and Spanish, is not like translating from Finnish, Arabic and Chinese.

True, but we'd still be better off translating just one of the Nordic languages, just as people would be better off translating only into one variant of English.


Translating from all three makes subject matter specialization easier.





[Edited at 2024-03-04 16:46 GMT]

Angie Garbarino
P.L.F. Persio
 
Pablo Cruz
Pablo Cruz  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:58
Member (2013)
German to Spanish
+ ...
False friends are also an issue... Mar 4

Christopher Schröder wrote:

Michele Fauble wrote:
Translating from Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, or even from French, Italian and Spanish, is not like translating from Finnish, Arabic and Chinese.

True, but we'd still be better off translating just one of the Nordic languages, just as people would be better off translating only into one variant of English.


@Christopher: I am very interested in your point of view here: are really Swedish, Norwegian and Danish (and Icelandic!) as similar as people always say?

I see many translators working with those languages only offering one of them (Swedish > Spanish, as a guy I happen to know).

Such similar languages can also turn out to be rather tricky because of false friends (lots of them between ES and PT, ES and IT...), especially if your mother tongue is rather different (not many ES > DE translators offer also PT > DE, for instance)...

Beyond that most people chose 2 languages and I quite agree. I translate mainly from DE and FR, and I hardly find the time to read or watch TV, listen to radio, etc. extensively (or as much as I should) in EN or IT...

Rachel Waddington
P.L.F. Persio
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Treble trouble Mar 4

[quote]Michele Fauble wrote:

[quote]Christopher Schröder wrote:

Michele Fauble wrote:
Translating from all three makes subject matter specialization easier.

Yes, it does give you a bigger market, but it means you have more national variations in systems and vocab to deal with. I still think just one would be easiest and best in an ideal world.

Rachel Waddington
Sarah Elizabeth
 
Michele Fauble
Michele Fauble  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:58
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
Ideal world Mar 4

Christopher Schröder wrote:

Michele Fauble wrote:
Translating from all three makes subject matter specialization easier.

Yes, it does give you a bigger market, but it means you have more national variations in systems and vocab to deal with. I still think just one would be easiest and best in an ideal world.


Well, yes, one language and one subject that you’re an expert in.



[Edited at 2024-03-04 19:36 GMT]

Christopher Schröder
Sarah Elizabeth
P.L.F. Persio
 
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Poll: According to you, how many language combinations should a translator ideally work on?






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