The translation industry has come a long way today and is projected to reach newer heights in the coming years. And like every bustling industry, the translation scene too has encountered some false speculations or myths about the industry and also the skill. Are you aspiring to be a translator or looking for a translation service? Well, then it’s absolutely crucial for you to look beyond these myths and discover the actual reality. The post below busts the main myths existing about translation today to show you the basic truth.

Translator machines can do everything

The simple reality is “No”. It’s true that portable translator machines have made the job of human translators a lot easier now but they have their own shortcomings. Machine translators are yet to learn how to identify cultural nuances in a language and translate them accordingly in another language- keeping the essence intact. And for that, you always need human editing after machine translation for perfect accuracy.

Professional translation only needs acquaintance with another language

Well, it’s really not that simple.

Just the knowledge of another language isn’t enough to make you a professional translator. You have to have an outstanding command and understanding of both the target and source languages. Then, you should also have a proper comprehension of the typical phrases, idioms and also cultural references in both the languages.

Translation is all about changing word-for-word

No, translation isn’t just about changing word-for-word from source language to target language. Sometimes, word-for-word translation produces incorrect and culturally inappropriate translation, especially when there are metaphors or idioms.   Your main job here is to grasp the actual essence of the piece in source language. Then, you have to translate the thought in the target language in a meaningful way, keeping in mind the cultural nuances. Put simply, when you are translating, you should incorporate the localized flavor of the target language to make things more comprehensible for the audience.