In English, knowing something like the ‘back of your hand’ usually means you know it very well. This is true of the first words you learned as a child, which were then strung into sentences to make up your first or native language. Regardless of your degree of fluency with the language and its structural rules, your first language is probably the one you are most comfortable using, and the one that comes most easily and naturally to you.
The natural ease you have with your first language is one of the main reasons that most professional translators are rarely ever fluent enough to translate into their second or third languages effectively. To some translators, this may seem like an inflammatory statement, but in many cases, it is the reality.
If you know two or more languages fluently or almost fluently, you may speak, write, or even think in your second or third language. However, even if you have a flawless understanding of your second language, you may not be able to translate into it.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re a translation client considering whether to hire a translator who translates exclusively into one language or a translator who claims to be able to translate into multiple languages.
- Non-native translators often produce more literal or word for word translations when translating into a language that is not their first language. The structure of the resulting translation can ‘stink’ like a translation, meaning that a native speaker could instantly recognize that it has been translated from another language. The syntax may be clunky or heavy, the vocabulary imprecise, or the structure a bit awkward. It doesn’t read well. It doesn’t flow well. It may be a very plain, somewhat hesitant translation.
- When we talk about native-language translation or translators who translate into their first language, e.g. an Anglophone who translates into English from French, German or another language, or a Francophone who translates into French from English, German or another language, we often use the word idiomatic to describe a quality translation. In a translation, idiomatic means that the writing reflects the particular style and characteristics of the target language and the target audience of that language. When we grow up learning a language, we organically come to use the idioms that are distinctive of that language. Many non-native translators rarely have a strong enough grasp of their second or third languages to correctly and precisely use the idioms that would come naturally to someone who grew up learning the language from an early age.
- Since many professional translators with an eye for quality work understand the importance of translating into their native language, you should be wary of translators who claim to be able to translate into three or more target languages. It’s rare that a translator is equally fluent, well-versed and comfortable enough in two languages to translate from a language and into the same language, but it is possible. Rare, but possible, and even common for translators who have spent a major part of their lives in a country where their source language is an official or chief language.
- When translators translate into languages other than their native language, they may work more slowly and less carefully. They may also be able to offer rates that are significantly below the average because of the reduction in quality. That may be a sign that the translator does not necessarily uphold the highest standards you should expect from a professional translator.
What do you think? Are you a translator translating into a language that is not your first language? Are you a client who has hired a translator whose first language was not that of the target language? How was your experience?
