You’re a translator who’s struggling to get your message across. What are you doing wrong?

1 Not knowing your audience

One of the first steps in any translation project is to identify who you're translating for. Different audiences have different expectations, preferences, and cultural backgrounds that influence how they interpret and respond to your translation. For example, if you're translating a marketing brochure for a young and trendy audience, you might want to use a more informal and creative language than if you're translating a legal document for a professional and formal audience. You should also consider the level of language proficiency, the regional variations, and the potential sensitivities of your audience. By knowing your audience, you can tailor your translation to suit their needs and interests.

2 Not using the right tools

Another mistake that can hamper your translation is not using the right tools to assist you. While you should never rely solely on automated tools like Google Translate or machine translation, you should also not ignore the benefits of using some of the available resources and software that can make your translation process easier and faster. For example, you can use dictionaries, glossaries, style guides, and terminology databases to ensure consistency and accuracy in your translation. You can also use translation memory, which is a database that stores your previous translations and suggests matches for similar segments, to save time and avoid repetition. You should also use quality assurance tools, which are software that check your translation for errors, inconsistencies, and formatting issues, to polish your final product.

4 Not proofreading and editing

The last mistake that can ruin your translation is not proofreading and editing your work thoroughly. Proofreading and editing are essential steps in any translation project, as they allow you to detect and correct any errors, omissions, or inconsistencies that might have occurred during the translation process. You should proofread and edit your translation at least twice, once for accuracy and once for readability. You should also use a spell checker, a grammar checker, and a style checker to help you identify and fix any mistakes. You should also ask for feedback from a native speaker, a colleague, or a client, if possible, to improve your translation and learn from your errors. By proofreading and editing your translation, you can enhance its quality and credibility.