Principles of translating a text

A good maxim in Latin says ”Repetitio Est Mater Studiorum .” Some of these principles you might already know, but I am sure reading them once again will only be a benefit for you. Enjoy!

1. Before you even start translating your materials, prepare for them. What I mean by preparing is be sure you know the vocabulary you will meet on the pages during your work. Ex: If you are going to translate materials connected with terms of law, be sure you know that vocabulary.

2. Still, there can be words you might not know; in this situation have a dictionary nearby. This will also help you learn some more new words.

3. When you have already started to transalte your material, it is very important to read the whole material at first, to understand the whole ideas. If it is a too long material, it is good at least to read passages. In the worst case, read the whole sentence. If you do so that will make your job easier, because you will concentrate on translating the idea and not just the words.

4. Another trap you can get caught in can be the idioms. This is something normal; each language has its own idioms. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to give the right definition of the idiom; otherwise you can totally change the meaning. In this situation, use a dictionary or search in the internet for the explanation of the idiom. I am sure you will enjoy learning new idioms.

5. Be careful while you translate. Usually most of the words have few meanings. This is why it is so important to read the whole sentence, because you will know exactly what meaning to choose, base on the context.

6. Use the Ctrl+S computer combination as often as possible. You know, just in case to make sure your work is saved and prevent the terrible situation by losing everything you have worked on so hard. I’ve been there, done that – so learn from somebody else’s mistake.

7. At the end, after you have finished all the hard word, look through the translation once again, edit it if it’s necessary and rejoice, you have finished your hard work. A Bible verse says that:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

Here comes the time for you to use the principles you’ve just read! Thank you for your time by reading all this information and let me know with a comment if you have any questions or preferences. Next week I will share with you principles of interpreting which is called ONE-ONE.