What is a Good Translation?

To understand the characteristics of a good translation, you first need to understand what is a translation? Well, translation is the interpretation of the meaning of source text therein to produce an equivalent text that communicates exactly the same meaning in some other language.

• A good translation is the one that takes in to account all the constraints like the context of the text, the rules of grammar of both the languages and the content of the text. The translator should make it a point to translate in to his native language to avoid any kinds of mistakes. Professional translators usually translate in their native language only.
• A good translation is not a word-by-word translation of the text. It depicts a clear and broad understanding of the two languages as well as the discipline that the text is catering to.
• A good translation could only be produced if the translator asks the prior purpose of it. A good translation must cater to the purpose and reflect the same tone. So, make sure that your translator asks you about the purpose of the translation before setting off to work over it.
• Incase of specialized documents such as medical documents, legal documents or other technical documents, it is very important for the translator to have prior knowledge of the discipline. As, only then would he be able to do justice to the various related terms.
• A good translation that does not reach the client in time is of no use. Therefore meeting deadlines is very important for the translator. A translation service provider is said to deliver a good translation only if it delivers it in time. So, trust a provider known for timely delivery.
• A good translation must be checked for accuracy. Once the translator has worked upon the copy, an editor must pass through it to check for any mistakes that may have been left out! A second time check is most likely to eliminate all the mistakes that may otherwise be present.
• Experience matters but that does not mean that a new translator can not deliver quality work. He could very well do so if he is confident and has the required skill set for the job. A clear understanding and complete knowledge is the key to a good translation.
• A good translation is not about looking in to the dictionary for similar words and then replacing them. It requires a clear understanding of both- the source and the target language. Also, the translator must be aware of all the other linguistic hooks of the languages to be able to do justice to the text.

A good translation is the one that takes in to account all the above mentioned points and fulfills all the above stated criteria.