The Making of a Good Translator

何薇 10级英本（1）班 1012011020The Making of a Good T ranslatorAbstractIn today’s world, translation and translator have played an important role in every aspects of our life as the connections between different countries become closer and closer. The paper attempts to call people’s attention to the translator by summing up the qualities of the translator. As being aware of the theories and situation of the translator can help us to both understand and do better in the practice. First, the paper represents the definitions of translation and translation principles. Then, the paper discusses the qualities from three aspects. At last, the paper mentions the training of the translator, as it is the most fundamental strategy for the future and development of translation. The translator is a perpetual student. For the translator, the study and research of the translation should be a life-long process with continuous development and accomplishment.Key words: translator quality practice capacity1. IntroductionThe great geographical discoveries brought about global interchanges, and also broaden people’s horizons and mind. The new air route opened up narrowing the world, making more and more people see the other countries of commodities and other things. The industrial revolution led to the greatest advanceman of material power in the history of man. With the further deepening of international connection, the communication of people from different countries or cultural backgrounds is increasing. At such a time, translation and its action-taker, the translator will play an important role as an intermediary.Translation has been an important part of the world’s communicatio n for a long time, but most people regard it as transparent. As a result, the translator who is going on with his or her hard work does not get the fair treatment she/he should get. As globalization is taking place not only in economy but also in culture, translation’s importance is to be recognized by more and more people, so does translator. To make the translator fulfils his or her task better; the translator’s qualifications should be clarified first. Then after the translator has done his or her work, thought should be given about the decisions he or she usually has to make when he or she translates and how to train himself or herself.2. Translation2.1 The Definition of TranslationTranslation can be roughly defined as a reproduction or recreation in one language of what is written or said in another language. Being a very complicated human activity, its whole picture is never easy to describe. Scholars with different academic backgrounds have attempted to define it from various perspectives.It is an art without end that the translation must follow the thought of the original work because the linguistic forms of the creation of original work are limitless. In fact, it is more difficult to translate than to create. Translation is the embodiment of art and the show of essence. This is the beauty of translation.2.2 Translation PrinciplesSome well-known translators or translation theorists at home and abroad have put forward principles to judge the quality of a translation. There are the two most famous ones.2.2.1 Y an Fu’s “T riple Principle of T ranslation”Translation has to do three difficult things: to be faithful, expressive, and elegant. It is difficult enough to be faithful to the original, and yet if a translation is not expressive, it is tantamount to having no translation. Hence expressiveness should be required too. The Book of Changes says that the first requisite of rhetoric is truthfulness. Confucius says that expressiveness is all that matters in language. He adds that if one’s language lacks grace, it won’t go far.Y an Fu’s first two criteria of being faithful to be original text in content and being expressive in translation are generally acceptable, but his interpretation of “elegance” has aroused plenty of criticism because, in his opinion, one has to resort to the vocabulary and syntax of pre-Han prose to achieve “elegance”. Y an Fu’s criteria are also controversial for his emphasis on the equal status of the three conflicting principles. Despite this, Y an’s criteria are still popular in China, but the interpretation of his criteria has changed. Nowadays to many translators “elegance”implies “the safe sound preservation of the taste and shade of the original”.2.2.2 T ytler’s Three Principles of translationAlexander Fraser Tytler put forward the classical criteria in his Essay on the Principles of Translation (1790) as follow:I. That the Translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work.II. That the style and manner of writing should be of the same character with that of the original.III. That the Translation should have all the ease of original composition.Tytler further points out that the above-said three principles are arranged andranked according to the order of their significance, and that, when they are not simultaneously attainable, the first should be held to all the sacrifice of the third principle, then the second.3. Translator QualitiesTranslation is a demanding profession. One may become a competent translator either by training or by self-instruction. The following are required of qualified translators.3.1 Excellent Commands of the Two LanguagesA translator must have an excellent command of both source and target languages to ensure that his/her comprehension is accurate and his/her renderings are smooth and faithful to the original text. Good expressions should be grammatical correct, rhetorically sound, logically acceptable, and culturally appropriate.Multi-dimensional contrastive studies of English and Chinese are very important for a translator to develop his/her interlingual awareness of the different features between the two languages.3.2 Considerable Knowledge of the Two Cultures“A qualified translator should be not only bilingual, but also bicultural. It is always assumed that translators are at least bilingual, but it is really not enough.To be a fully competent translator, one also needs to be bicultural in order to “readbetween the lines”. A translator must be able to sense what is purposely leftimplicit in the source text and what can and should be made explicit in thetranslated text. Biculturalism is something which must be absorbed andexperienced in a living situation. There are, however, some competent translatorswho have the privilege of living in the country in which the source or targetlanguage is spoken, and accordingly, they have had to depend upon voluminousreading”.（Nida 2001:99）Multi-dimensional comparative studies of western and Chinese cultures are very important for a translator to develop his/her interlingual awareness of the differentfeatures between the two languages.3.3 Adequate Knowledge of the Subject MatterIn addition to an excellent command of both source and target languages, translators usually should specialize in one or more areas of knowledge in whichtheir competence is needed, e.g. aeronautics, chemistry, artificial intelligence,mechanics, accounting, international law, medicine, or agronomy. But some morecommon fields may also require considerable specialization of knowledge, e.g.manuals for television repairs, exotic cooking recipes, and building codes.(Nida2001:100)The greater the translator’s knowledge of the subject matter involved in translation, the less difficult the comprehension of the source text, and the more accurate the representation in the target language. The translator should make a study of the original work, and acquire relevant information about the subject matter, the content of the text, the author, and the background, etc.4. Translation PracticePractice makes perfect. Only in translation practice can a translator experience the joy and frustration of his profession, summarize the successes and failures of his/her experience and become more and more skilled in this activity.4.1 Read extensively, especially in your non-native language(s).Read high quality newspapers, e.g. the New Y ork Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. Every day for at least a year.Read high quality news magazines, e.g. the Economist, cover to cover.Read your favorite topics in your non-native language.Read other well-written material that will help broaden your general knowledge.4.2 W atch the TV news and listen to radio news and podcasts on current events in all working languages.Don't just listen to news stories; analyze them.Keep abreast of current events and issues.Record news programs and interviews so you can listen to them later.4.3 Strengthen your general knowledge of economics, history, the law, international politics, and scientific concepts and principles.Take college-level courses, review high school texts, etc.Strengthen your knowledge in a specialized field (preferably in a technical field, such as computers).4.4 Fine-tune your writing and research skills.Take challenging composition courses (not just creative writing courses, but classes in journalism, technical writing, etc.) so you can “speak” journalese, UNese, legalese, etc.Copy (by hand) sections of textbooks and periodicals in your non-native language(s).Make a note of unfamiliar or troublesome grammatical points and work towards mastering them.4.5 Hone your analytical skills.Practice listening to speeches and orally summarizing the main points.Practice writing summaries of news articles.Practice deciphering difficult texts (e.g. philosophy, law, etc.).Practice explaining complicated concepts understandably.Identify resources for background research (e.g. library, Internet, etc.).4.6 Become computer savvy.Familiarize yourself with navigation and file management under current Windows operating systems.Develop an understanding of the features Windows offers for multilingual processing, such as language-specific keyboard layouts, regional settings for units of measurement.Learn to use advanced functions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications in both your native and non-native languages.Become an expert in search engines and online research by using these tools on a daily basis.4.7 Be prepared for lifelong learning.Be patient. Bringing your language skills and analytical skills up to the level required of a professional translator or interpreter is not a task that can be accomplished in a few short years. Only with a lot of sustained hard work can anyone truly succeed in these challenging and exciting fields.5. ConclusionAll things in the world are evolving. Translation is not an exception of it. With the development of globalization and the process of China joined in the world, the significance of understanding and identifying the cultures for each other is very important. Translation plays a more important role on the condition of increasingly acceptance of the target readers towards foreign culture. The translator qualities should pay more and more attention.BibliographyCheng Shaowei. A Concise Coursebook on Translation(English Edition). Beijing: National Defense Industry Press, 2006.Lawrence,V enti. The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation.王宏志.《重释“信、达、雅”——20世纪中国翻译研究》.北京：清华大学出版社, 2007连淑能《英译汉教程》北京：高等教育出版社，2011。