A smart choice
Native speaker or non-native speaker?
- The ‘native-speaker principle’ has long been tried and tested as an indicator of quality in this sector.
- In most cases, a translated or proof-read/revised piece of writing should ideally come across as an authentic, untranslated and original text.
- Mother tongue users are best placed to judge whether a text is linguistically, terminologically and culturally appropriate.
- Even if an English-language text is intended primarily for non-native speakers, a mother tongue user is the best choice for the translation. This is because native speakers intuitively have many more alternative wording options at hand from which they can select just the right solution for the text and target audience concerned.
Human or artificial intelligence?
- Translation tools can prove a false economy in many situations, as users may soon run up against the limits of even the best software solutions.
- Whether your needs are for a one-off text or for longer-term projects (e.g. a website): you need a language professional who understands your subject area, finds well-thought-out terminology solutions and works with you collaboratively. Purely machine translation tools cannot really do this.
- There is often a playful aspect to language, which calls for creativity: minds, not machines. For example, tools are unlikely to recognize a punning play on words or a subtle, nuanced cultural reference, instead offering only a literal translation. This means the message is far more likely to end up ‘lost in translation’ – as indeed are your readers.
- By contrast, a professional human translator likes to think outside the box and find creative equivalents where the source text requires it.
Professional or non-professional?
If we need a lawyer, tax consultant or doctor, we don’t turn to amateurs for help – we go to the pros. Only an experienced translation professional is reliably and routinely able to:
- (in the role of subject-matter expert) apply the specialist knowledge they have acquired over the years in the relevant field;
- (in the role of detective) conduct thorough research on a difficult source text until every last part can be correctly decoded and translated into the target language and culture in a contextually appropriate manner. (This involves precisely identifying the terms actually used by native speakers in the relevant industry.);
- (in the role of problem solver) analyse even tricky text passages with confidence and find imaginative equivalents;
- (in the role of journalist) observe the rules of good copywriting and check facts;
- (in the role of editor) revise and standardize texts properly;
- (in the role of artist) convey source-text nuances and wordplay in the target language with creativity and lightness of touch.
- (in the role of administrator) create, update and manage terminology databases in collaboration with clients to ensure ongoing improvement and consistency of use over time.
In a nutshell:
If you want to make the best possible impression on your customers, clients or readers, an experienced native-speaker language expert is clearly the right choice for your language needs.
