The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2019 - 21

BUSINESS PRACTICES

BY DAVID FRIEDMAN

Three Myths about Who Should Edit Your Translation
(The following originally appeared on The Savvy Newcomer blog, https://atasavvynewcomer.org.)

ome translation projects involve a
lone translator, while others allow
the translator to choose an editor. My
own experience comes from working for
direct clients, where I almost always choose
an editor to work closely on a translation
with me, or we switch roles and I'm the
one who edits my colleague's translation.
Even if you don't work for direct clients,
it's useful to be prepared to find the right
collaborator when the time comes.
Some agencies will pay you a rate that
includes both translation and editing so
you can hire your own editor. Although
not all that common, this is not unheard
of, so it's good to be prepared.
Reflecting on the strengths and
weaknesses of your colleagues could also
come in handy when choosing a practice
partner. If you're a beginner looking to
hone your skills, it can be helpful to find a
colleague to give you feedback.1
To really master the art of finding the
right editor for each project, you'll need
to keep an open mind and break free from
some common misconceptions you may
have inherited from the way translators
usually work with translation agencies.

MYTH 1: BOTH THE TRANSLATOR AND
EDITOR MUST BE NATIVE SPEAKERS
OF THE TARGET LANGUAGE
Many in the translation industry believe
that they should only translate into
their native language. Others assert that
they are competent to translate in both
directions. Whatever one's position on this
debate, it seems to be predicated on the
paradigm of working alone.
However, it's only natural that a
translator will excel when paired with an
editor with complementary strengths and
weaknesses. Sure, there are some projects
where it makes sense to have two native
speakers of the target language. But if you
carefully consider each project, I believe
you'll find there are some instances when
you would be better off pairing a native

speaker of the source language and a
native speaker of the target language.
I'm not saying that any old native
speaker of the source language will do.
I'm referring to someone who masters
their source language (the project's target
language) at a high level. It's commonly
assumed that native speakers of the source
language will stick close to the source
and produce a translation that is not well
adapted to the target language. However,
I've found that the opposite can be true.
In fact, I've found that translations that
stick close to the source are more likely
to come from translators who are native
speakers of the target language who are
unable to fully comprehend the source.
This sometimes leads them to translate
word for word out of fear of getting the
meaning wrong. On the other hand,
native speakers of the source language
tend to be well aware of the deeper

meaning behind the source text and of
subtleties that are difficult to translate.
This allows them to explain the meaning
and make pertinent suggestions to their
colleague who is a native speaker of the
target language.
I've also noticed that pairing a translator
living in the target-language country
with a translator in the source-language
country can be of merit. In a certain
sense, this bears similarities to the "native
of source" and "native of target" pairing,
as one colleague is more in tune with the
source language and the other is more
in tune with the target language. For
practical reasons, it can also be helpful
to have someone on the ground in the
source-language country, where more of
the demand tends to be. This person can
help handle contact with the client in the
source language.

Business Practices will alternate in this space with "The Entrepreneurial Linguist." This column is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each individual or company should
make its own independent business decisions and consult its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of ATA or its Board of Directors.
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The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2019

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