ترجمه و مترجم

   Many people still think that professional translation is just a matter of ‘languages’, that anyone who has translated at school can become a translator and that translating is something rather easy and straightforward.

   It must be emphasized from the start that the qualified professional translator is a vital player, both economically and technically: professional translators are highly skilled technical experts, both on account of the contents they translate and of the various ever more sophisticated IT tools and software they must be able to use. They are in fact experts in multilingual multimedia communication engineering. Languages are essential, but insufficient. What is needed beyond absolute linguistic proficiency is a perfect knowledge of the relevant cultural, technical, legal, commercial backgrounds, and a full understanding of the subject matter involved.

   What is needed too, is a gift for writing, an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the stamina, thoroughness and sense of initiative needed to find any information (or informant) that might be required to fully understand that subject matter. And no translator can hope to survive and thrive without the ability to relate effectively and smoothly – both professionally and personally – with numerous partners: clients, colleagues, suppliers of information and terminology, revisers, employers, tax and social security officers, Internet access providers, and many more. A good grounding in marketing, management and accountancy will do no harm in this respect.

   Be that as it may, all translators are united in that they face the same challenges, i.e. the general lack of consideration for their work, the complexity and technicality of the tasks involved, the impact of the ICT revolution on their working practices, the upheaval caused by the Internet, the industrialisation of the translation process and translating practices, market globalisation and job de-localisation, the increasing encroachment of language engineering applications, the rivalry between ‘linguists’ and ‘technicians’, the stringent requirements of quality certification, the fight for official recognition of a professional status (where this is not already effective), or even the fight for survival of the more traditional ‘cottage industry’ translators. Not to mention the fact that cost-effectiveness, both direct and indirect, both in the short-term and in the long-term, tends to be the be-all and end-all of professional practice, since most people who need or request translations want ever more for ever less.