What Makes a Good Translation?

Haphazard tone, loss of the text’s style, poor diction, superficial, or too literal — it is all too easy to describe a bad translation, or a translation of subpar quality. But what makes a translation good? This question is much harder to answer.

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In short, a good translation should make it hard for bilingual readers to discern which is the original and which is the translated version.

Of course it’s not always as straight-forward as that, translating literary works requires a different set of skills as opposed to translating a legal document, a medical journal, or a certificate of marriage. But a translation that’s indistinguishable from the original is definitely something to work towards.

So, if this is the goal, how do we get there? Let’s take a look at the role of the translator, and the entire translation process, in an attempt to distill the steps on how to achieve a good quality translation.

The Translator

The quality of a translation depends to a great extent on the comprehension skills of the translator. A translator’s reading behaviour and the ways in which they understand a text are central to the interpretation that is then put forward in the target language. Here we’re referring not just to the factual information in the original text, but also to the text’s original style, voice and flow.

If reading comprehension is the first step to a quality translation, conveying the text’s style and tone to a foreign reader is the next step. The right conveyance requires an instinctive perception of cultural context. For example, what may be humorous in one culture may fall flat in another. In these situations, a translator’s reflection of the text’s nuances is crucial to effectively conveying the original text’s message.

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Finally, a good translation depends upon the translator’s ability to retain the musicality of the text despite adjusting for its audience. In some ways, you can think of the translator’s role as that of a music arranger: it is like rearranging a piece of music for an entirely different set of instruments but still retaining its melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre.

While that’s a lot to take in, we asked some of the active translators on Jala about their translation process and if they had any suggestions for producing good quality translations.

Here are some actionable tips and insights we’ve identified:

1. Read the text in its entirety — multiple times if necessary. Do a close-reading, almost as if comprehension questions were waiting for you at the end of the text. Ask yourself what the text is conveying, how it is doing so, and seek to analyse the text like you would a piece of literature. Take some time to mull over the text and be aware of certain thoughts or insights you gain from the text. The worst thing you can do is start translating the text line by line without forming a proper understanding of it.
2. Do some extra research — find out more about the subject matter, and settle any uncertainties you may have encountered in your close reading. If you don’t understand something, how do you expect to explain it to your readers? It is totally fine not to fully understand a text at the get-go, but a responsible translator will seek clarification to make sure that he or she can write their own version of the text in the target language.
3. After you have come up with a first draft, assess it: does it stand alone? Can the text be read on its own merits, or does it call upon the original? Would a bilingual person reading your translation know that you translated this, or would they think you had written it from scratch? At the end of the day, a great majority of your readers will be taking the translated text for what it is to them — as an original text that they are reading. If the end result is jagged, confusing or lacking in context, it will pass through them like a badly written piece, which could be a disservice to the original text. Be discerning of your drafts, and be flexible to make major changes if needed.
4. Finally, have someone review certain segments or the finished product in its entirety before submitting it. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one! Other than spotting minor errors, a reviewer will be able to tell you what the quality of your translation truly is. Often times, translators are never satisfied with their rendition of the text; being the perfectionists they are, they have a tendency to keep tweaking it right up until the very end. Having someone review your work and affirm that this is the best version of the original text will help give you a sense of closure! Of course this is hard, as translators are optimists who always hope that there is a better way of conveying what they have already conveyed. In instances like these, reviewers help not only with quality control, but also with building the confidence of a translator — so we highly recommend seeking some extra help!

Ultimately, the quality of a translation depends on the interplay of a myriad of factors. However, it is clear that the role of the translator, and his or her translation process are crucial steps that can significantly improve how a translation fares. While the quality of a translation is subjective and truly depends on the original text, the way it was written, its style, as well as the context of the translation, it is clear that poor quality translations will definitely jeopardise the ways in which the target audience perceives or understands the subject matter.

We hope you have gleaned some insight on how to produce a good translation through this article! Here at Jala, we understand that translation quality is crucial to the success of a text. We also understand that our platform has two variables, the machine and the human translator, both of which require quality control. That is why we have implemented steps to allow for reviews of translated content. Stay posted for some of these new features, which we will be revealing later this year!

Thanks for reading, and leave any comments or questions you have below!