A few essential precisions for all those who think that professional translators pull words out of nowhere.
Some websites state “there are no barriers” if you want to become a translator. Others offer “translation odd jobs” for students or language teachers on holiday.
This tends to suggest that translators can make it up and that perhaps translation is not even a recognised profession…
Well, it’s hardly surprising, is it? Let’s not forget that translators have no legal status here in France. You need only be bilingual to set up as a freelancer and you don’t even need to speak any foreign languages if you want to set up your own translation company.
However, let’s remember that it isn’t easy to become a professional translator and establish yourself in a highly competitive market. Students with a gift for languages follow university degrees at bachelor’s and master’s levels. This gives them an opportunity to get to grips with a variety of translations in different areas, such as literary, scientific and technical translations, focus on delivering services to private individuals and work with institutions or businesses operating internationally.
It is also quite common for specialists in technical, legal or scientific fields to train as translators so that they can harness their expertise and experience and provide highly specialised services.
Star qualities
Companies calling on the services of a professional translator are entitled to expect the very best in terms of quality.
For translators, literal or inaccurate translations are useless when it comes to translating strategic, commercial or technical documents.
Their expertise and soft skills are a key part of company communications.
The main thing being to focus on content rather than form…
Let’s take a closer look at the kind of qualities a professional translator should have:
– They should have fluent command of the “target” language into which they translate (always their mother tongue). They should be able to interpret complex structures, all nuances and subtleties, and use precise words so as to avoid any ambiguity,
– They should have a flare for language, which means readers are unaware of the fact they are reading a translation,
– They should have an acute awareness of the countries that use the language they translate. They should be aware of their differences so as to avoid using inaccurate language and making serious mistakes which could prove to be detrimental.
– They should be able to listen and be agile so that they can adapt to a wide range of people and sector-specific terminology,
– They should also be hard working.
CG Traduction & Interprétation: recognised expertis
Catherine Granell believes that pulling words out of thin air should be avoided at all costs. Catherine works with translators who have been handpicked on account of the quality of their work and professionalism.
Working out of France and other countries worldwide, the majority of CG’s translators boast specialist expertise in finance, aerospace, law, industry and the arts.
The reliable translation services provided by CG have earned it the reputation of a professional company that has been building trust-based relationships with major groups and governmental institutions for many years.