Tips to the Translator

Tips To the Translator






1 – Do not translate word for word, Translate utterance for utterance.



An utterance is a smallest unit of speech.

It is a continuous piece of speech beginning and ending with a clear pause.



2 – The boundary of an utterance is where you can take a natural breath.


3 – Strive to maintain conscious respect for the style of the author.


4 – Avoid unconsciously working under pressures of your own stylistic preferences.


5 – From the careful analysis of the syntactic relationships try to establish the meaning relationships.


6 – Remember that the relationship between the meaning intended and the language used is inseparable.


7 – Do not hasten to establish a contextual meaning from certain words, which you have picked out, and related in a way that fits your preconceptions.

Try to understand what the writer wants you to understand, not what you are ready to understand.


8 – Some people will say something which is different from what they intended to say or what they have in mind.
Saying exactly what you want to say is not impossible. It is a skill that can be acquired through disciplined practice.



9 – Never try to translate when you do not understand.