Welcome to Simply CSOFT. This post is a part of our continuing blog series featuring our CSOFT Translators. Today, we want to show our appreciation for one of our Chinese CSOFT translators, Daniel Yao, a native of Beijing, China. Just like in previous posts, we ask Yao to share his experience of working at CSOFT and what he thinks makes a good translator.
What makes a good translator?
First of all, the quality of one’s language is important. Grammar, syntax, and understanding of nuance are all key points. Equally important is that you must thoroughly know the background of what you are translating and for whom you are translating. It’s important to realize that this background includes many things. For instance, I translate from English into Chinese. To do this, I need to have a thorough appreciation of Chinese culture and of the nation’s history, of the Chinese people’s habits, their tastes, and how they think. This background understanding along with linguistic expertise forms the foundation for building yourself into a good translator.
Of course, your vocabulary is also very important, but you won’t always be familiar with the required vocabulary. It may even be that you must take on a project in a field you have never been exposed to. That is when CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tools become critical. Good translators need to be familiar with CAT tools. They should be comfortable using them.
More than these two things, a good translator must be constantly improving. He or she must study their mother tongue to improve their natural language ability but they must also become more familiar with their second language and its advanced vocabulary. A good translator should always be striving for greater understanding of grammar and syntax. A good translator should always be learning more about available CAT tools. Improve in every way, every day. That’s the motto of the good translator.
CSOFT Translators: What personality makes a good translator?
The three most important personality traits for a good translator are patience, devotion, and responsibility. You must have the patience to make mistakes and correct yourself constantly, you must have devotion to the art of translation, and you must bear the responsibility of helping clients succeed. Helping them means understanding what they want, even if they don’t have a very clear way of articulating what they want.
Translating for CSOFT International
At CSOFT, our CSOFT translators are driven to be better. Your colleagues, the environment, and the tools that are available for translating all go together to make us better. Since coming here, I have had to push myself to grow, but it makes me proud to be successful here.
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To learn more about freelance translation opportunities with CSOFT International, visit our career page or send your resume and a cover letter to alma.gomez@csoftintl.com. If you’re interested in learning more about CSOFT’s globalization and localization solutions, visit our Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn pages or you can visit our webpage!
Learn more about our CSOFT translators opportunities here.
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