It’s incorrect to assume that every bilingual person will make a successful translation expert. A translation expert needs to be both, a linguist and a subject area expert, to accurately translate a text from one language to another. He has to understand the fine nuances of the language. Strictly saying, all translation experts are bilingual speakers but all bilingual speakers need not be translation experts.

1. Is Being Bilingual All You Need To Be
A Translation Expert?

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What Does Being Bilingual Mean?
 Bilingualism is an area of research within the
broad discipline of Psycholinguistics.
Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the
study of the psychological and neurobiological factors
that enable humans to acquire, use, and understand
language. (Source: www.sciencedaily.com/articles/p/psycholinguistics.htm )
 Bilingualism refers to the ability to read, write,
and speak two languages. There are various levels
that one can achieve in bilingualism: beginner,
intermediary, and expert.

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Who Is A Translation Expert? (1/2)
 A translation expert is a linguist who is
proficient in reading, writing, and speaking
two different languages.
 Every translation expert should ace the
following levels of bilingualism:
• Twin language competence
• Twin language processing
• Twin language acquisition

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Who Is A Translation Expert? (2/2)
 Although a bilingual person is capable of understanding two
languages, being able to translate one language to another requires
skill, acute linguistic capabilities, and knowledge of the respective
subject area.
 Therefore, a translation expert needs to be both a linguist and a
subject area expert.
 The central idea is that every expert should not only have the above
mentioned traits but also be aware of the socio-cultural aspects of
the desired language to be able to create text that the intended
audience can relate to.

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (1/4)
 A professional translation expert should have knowledge of industry
recognized translation tools to be able to keep up with the industry
standards.
 She/he should have sufficient IT skills to be able to comprehend
and subsequently use softwares that enable translation; machine
translation is not sufficient. Therefore, tools such as CAT tools that
are globally recognized tools used in translation are required.

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (2/4)
 She/he should have access to use and understand material tools
that aid translation, such as dictionaries and discipline-specific
terminology guides.
 Strict adherence to grammar and punctuation rules of the source as
well as the target language.
 To be able to expertly translate meaning from one language to
another; at least one of the languages, either the source or the
target, should be the translation expert’s native language in order
to be in sync with the socio-cultural nuances. This is important for
the expert to accurately transfer meaning from one language to
another without losing the essences and linguistic nuances.

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (3/4)
 Adequate if not in-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural aspects of
both source and target language is necessary to be able to translate
the concept or intended meaning in the intended tone and mood.
 For example, if a message is intended for advertising or marketing a
service or product, the tone and mood of the translated message
should be in accordance with the cultural nitty-gritties of the target
language.
 A translation expert should ideally be a subject area expert of the
content intended to be translated.
“Therefore, all translation experts are bilingual speakers but all
bilingual speakers need not be translation experts.”

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Traits Of A Translation Expert (4/4)
 Most importantly, every translation expert should ideally be an
expert and have commensurate academic qualification for a
superior output.
For example, a translation expert (Japanese to English) who intends
to translate a medicine research thesis should ideally have a degree
in medicine.
The important factor is that a translation expert should be in sync with
the know-how of the translation industry; should have access to the
necessary industry approved translation tools; should have sufficient
experience in the field to ensure the desired output in consistent
fashion; and most importantly, should have the socio-cultural
understanding to be able to produce the desired output.

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Challenges Faced
 The greatest challenge faced by a translation expert is the inability
to accurately convey the intended meaning from the source
language to the target language.
 Several languages have numerous dialects. This poses a challenge
for translation experts who have to cater to a region-specific
audience as opposed to a nation-specific audience.
For example, in India, Hindi is a national language; however, it has
several dialects.

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How To Choose A Translation Expert To
Meet Your Translation Needs?
 Written words travel at the speed of light.
 Experience speaks for itself: Choose an experienced translation
expert who is well versed with the challenges of the job.
 Yes, I am a native speaker: Choose a translation expert who is a
native speaker of either the source or target language.
 I know my area of expertise: If you wish to translate a scientific
research paper, hire a translation expert who is academically
inclined toward your area of research to avoid any mistranslations.

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Last Word
A bilingual speaker is not the same as a translation expert.
Knowing two languages is not the same as understanding the linguistic
as well as socio-cultural aspects of the two languages.
Choose an expert who can decipher the intended meaning in your
language and another.

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