The Profile of Academically Taught Translators And Their Role In The Practice

Abstract

The translator's profession is not limited to a linguistic knowledge. A translator needs other qualifications so that he can produce qualified and reliable translations in the translation practice. These qualifications are academically taught in translation departments. An improvement in translation practice can only be possible through the influence of the translation studies on the practice. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science, Education and Technology

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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 55 ( 2012 ) 301 – 307
1877-0428 © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science, Education and Technology
doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.507
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NEW HORIZONS IN EDUCATION
INTE2012
The Profile of Academically Taught Translators And Their
Role In The Practice
Muharrem Tosun
a
, Sevinc Kabukcik
b
*
a
Sakarya University, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Çeviribilim Bölümü, Esentepe Kampüsü, Sakarya 54187, Turkey
b
Sakarya University, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Çeviribilim Bölümü, Esentepe Kampüsü, Sakarya 54187, Turkey
Abstract
The translator's profession is not limited to a linguistic knowledge. A translator needs other qualifications
so that he can produce qualified and reliable translations in the translation practice. These qualifications
are academically taught in translation departments. An improvement in translation practice can only be
possible through the influence of the translation studies on the practice.
Keywords: translator, education, qualification, profession, theory, practice, foreign language, responsibility, task
1. Introduce
To be able to make regulations to standardize translations and translatorship, it is necessary to change
the common idea that anyone who knows a language can translate easily. Changing this idea does not
necessarily mean that only translators with an academic education will translate. If each translation type
and field could go through a certification or an accreditation process, this could contribute to the solution
of commonly mentioned ‘’ unqualified translations’’ and translators ‘’ with no work ethics’’ (Parlak,
2011:88).
Translators complain that their occupation is not considered as a profession, they want translations to
be done by competent translators and they want the readers to look for good translations and to criticize
the unqualified ones on the other hand they do not want the readers to buy bad translated works.
*
Muharrem Tosun. Tel.: +90 264 295 61 83;
E-mail address: mtosun@sakarya.edu.tr.
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The Association of
Science, Education and Technology
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science,
Education and Technology

302 Muharrem Tosun and Sevinc Kabukcik / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 55 ( 2012 ) 301 – 307
Such complaints of the profession and bad translators are related to translators’ qualifications and how
people see translation. What does it mean to become a professional? It is not that hard to answer that
question. When people need the translation of an official paper, they go to professionals, which is enough
for us to understand the importance of translation as a profession. However it is not possible to see the
same situation in unofficial establishments. It is not the professional translators but the ones who do not
know the translatorship and qualifications of a translator which should be responsible for the complaints
about unqualified translations.
In the market it is not regarded if a translator is professional of if he is competent in translation, which
makes it hard to define translatorship as a profession. For an occupation to be a profession, the performers
of that occupation should have academic education. Translatorship is not an artisanship as bakery or
hairdressing rather it is an academic profession. It requires a diploma in the field, being an expert on texts
and theoretical knowledge.
Unless there is a standard for the quality and the profession, neither the value people give to translators
nor the value translators give to the works to be translated will change. The quality of translators is
reflected on the reputations of translatorship as a profession and on the payment. The unqualified
translations are the results of the uneducated translators with no competence in the profession;
furthermore unqualified translations even affect the reading rate in Turkey.
2. Translator Profile Targeted In Translation Education
As long as translation departments are considered to be restricted to foreign language teaching, the
approach on translation and translation departments will not change. Until they start academic education
in translations, for different reasons the students do not have a solid basis neither for their mother tongue
nor for the foreign language. Students should have overcome grammatical issues by the time they start
academic education. For this reason there is preparatory class in most of the departments. The language
acquisition is supported with related classes throughout the education process.
It is a great misconception that teaching foreign language and culture is more important than other
information in the field. The translator will need his mother tongue and culture and the terminology of the
relevant field in his own mother tongue more than source language and culture. Improving mother tongue,
foreign language and world knowledge is not limited to the years before academic education so during
five years of study, students are given classes related to improving both mother tongue and foreign
language, other than those lessons about both cultures and history of culture, communication and other
specialized field topics are given along with translation theory and methods. Furthermore the departments
aim to create a translator profile with applied translation lessons together with theoretical knowledge and
they integrate the studies with project works.
The way to translation competence is comprised of basic equipment and an improvable array of broad
knowledge on culture in other words culture competence and expertise. Expertise can be examined in two
categories. The first is the knowledge on translation theory, translation methods and translation studies
and the second is the knowledge on other fields as translation studies is interdisciplinary. Translator has to
acquire field information and text culture as well. For example one who does law translations has to be
equipped with knowledge on law and the text tradition of the field (Eruz, 2004:158).
In academic translation criticism, errors occurring from foreign language deficit are not taken into
account; this indicates that translation is more than merely a language transfer. According to H. G. Hönig

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translation errors arises from the inefficiency of mother tongue, time pressure, lack of motivation and
concentration and inefficient knowledge of theory or method but he does not mention inefficient foreign
language knowledge (Snell-Hornby, 1994:232-233). Foreign language knowledge cannot be the sole
element in interpreting the translation process.
3. The Features And Qualifications Of A Professional Translator
Translation process starts with the need of communication of the society or the individual who needs
the translation. Translator is not the one in need of communication, but the other people who need
translation. In other words translator conducts a job arising from social needs. In this case translator is the
expert who is assigned to provide the communication between the one who needs the translation and the
source-text writer, and to fully understand the relevant text, interpret it and re-write it in the target culture
with the similar communication goal. Translators and interpreters are text experts who produce texts in
order to provide communication (Maenttaeri, 1984: 155). If translator regards its assignment as merely
restricted to foreign language knowledge then his translations cannot go beyond language transfer. What
is determinant in translation process is not the language knowledge but other factors. The translator is
capable of handling the foreign language issues of the text he is assigned. The responsibility of the
translator is to understand the source-text and the rest is about target-text production. There are some
qualifications for the translator to be able to understand the source-text, interpret it and produce a new
text with the relevant targets and functions.
When we define the qualifications of a translator, we can better understand the importance of the task
he is carrying:
x Broad world knowledge, culture. Translator should also have experience in specific fields. He
has to have a general knowledge and culture on technique, public relations, business
administration, economy, law, literature and arts.
x A wide knowledge on literature and arts
x An ever improving mother tongue and cultural knowledge
x An ever improving foreign language and cultural knowledge
x Knowledge on translation theory and methods
x Ability to analyze source and target-texts, knowledge of translation strategies and terminology,
ability to produce target-text and handle criticism
x To have knowledge of applied translation field (Kautz, 2000: 18).
The abovementioned qualifications clearly indicate that just foreign language knowledge is not
enough to perform translation task which is complicated and which requires extended experience. We can
also say that language and culture knowledge are not enough to lead the translation process. A translator
who is equipped with competences that can only be taught by academic education and theoretical
knowledge is ready for the translation market as a professional. Translation requires expertise and it is
gained through academic education. The expertise in the field cannot be obtained without academic
knowledge. It is surprising that many professions such as hairdressing, cooking and repairing requires
certificates of education but in Turkey translation is performed with no education at all. Translation in
that sense can only be compared with engineering, law and medicine where you need to complete an
academic education.
Translator is a qualified expert of communication, a conveyer of knowledge and culture and he carries
social responsibility and has to be accountable. Ethics and responsibility is crucial for the profession.

304 Muharrem Tosun and Sevinc Kabukcik / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 55 ( 2012 ) 301 – 307
There is a few professions where you need to take an oath and translatorship is one of them. Translator
signs a paper to guarantee the accuracy of his translation, he makes an agreement with notary and each of
his translation is sealed by the notary. In publishing houses translated texts are controlled by a redactor or
the editor. Even if the controllers do not have enough foreign language knowledge they can examine the
translated texts with their proficiency of mother tongue and expertise with relevant texts. The controller
of the interpretation is the speaker of the source-text and the audience. The speaker himself and the
audience and their interaction are the keys to the control mechanism of the accuracy interpretation.
There are also some individual qualifications for a translator to perform translation task. These
qualifications are as follows:
x The translator should be reasonable and have the ability to analyze and assess. These
qualifications are necessary in order for the translator to analyze the source-text. The translator
and the interpreter can use these qualifications to make sound solutions, to keep the subject in
mind and develop the subject and to foresee the expectations of the target audience.
x Strong analysis ability is the precondition for creativity. Creativity is indispensible both for the
translator to rewrite the target-text and for the interpreter. Such factors as individual abilities,
motivation, interests, feelings and the environment where the translation is being done affect the
translator’s creativity. Creativity is a relative concept which changes according to different texts.
Each translator can pick up a subject that is suitable for his own creativity. Curiosity, interest,
stability, readiness for risk taking, being innovative rather than having a traditional approach are
as important as the creativity itself. The creativity of the translator should be encouraged during
education and in profession.
x Intuitional experiences play important role in understanding the subject and transfer. Strong
sense of intuition is important for a translator. To have such an intuition the translator has to
have a good knowledge on the related subject.
x For unconscious thinking and comprehension the translator should rely on his intuition, he
should be able to criticize himself and his decisions consciously.
x The translator can only integrate with new subject areas and the task he is doing if he has
enough motivation and good world knowledge.
x A wide knowledge and readiness to perceive the new one and transfer of language are
indispensable for his profession as the translator and the interpreter will never come across the
same subject and area of expertise. As a result he has to be open to innovations.
x Translator’s ability to express himself and to present arguments and his feelings are crucial for
communication and communicative competence (Kautz, 2000:21-22).
4. The Importance of Responsibility and Ethics in Translation
Ethics and fidelity in translation is a sophisticated subject and is open to different approaches. What is
important is that the translator does not translate word for word with goal of fidelity but he transfers the
information without misconceptions and falsification. If the translator is faithful to the words of the

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source-text we can say that he is not faithful to the idea in general. When the translator is faithful to the
message of the text rather than the words, he is usually blamed of not being faithful to the text. What is
more important? The words of the source-text or the message they are conveying?
Translatorship brings about duties and responsibilities for the translator. Translator is an expert
conscious of his profession and he is faithful to his task. It is important for the translator to fulfill the
expectations of target audience. What determines the faithfulness and the responsibility of the translator is
his faithfulness to the source-text and his ability to combine this bond of faithfulness with other factors
while producing the target-text. The translator has to be equipped with academic knowledge about the
possible subjects he might encounter so that he can create such a responsibility and work ethic.
Holz-Maenttaeri (1984) describes translation as an action and process where the translator fulfills
specific targets in specific conditions and has a responsibility for the initiator. According to Maenttaeri
the translator places his action and task in the center of all translation processes. Translator’s action is
goal-oriented and it is an analyzing process. In this context, faithfulness is an important concept that
comes to the fore. Faithfulness in translation process is not the faithfulness to source-text or to writer but
to the profession of the translator. In that sense the translator has to be faithful to the translation task he is
doing. Therefore we can categorize translations into two; the first is the ‘faithful translations’ in which
translator is faithful to the initiator, in other words to his audience and common goals of the translation
and the second is the ‘’unfaithful translations’’ where the translator is only faithful to source-text and
ignores translation competence and the functions of translation. In this regard, fidelity gains a different
approach than Schleiermacher’s ‘’ the spirit of the original’’. It is important to convey the spirit of the
writer’s message rather than the spirit of the original language. When the translator follows this path he
will shape the target-text according to the spirit of the initiator and the spirit of the translation.
In fidelity the translator cannot just set aside the source text writer because the most important thing
here is the faithfulness of the translator to his profession, his personality and honesty. This concept of
faithfulness is crucial for a healthy translation. Translator should not do a translation that he thinks is
inaccurate and he should not make deliberate changes in a concept in the source-text, translator should be
doing this with the consciousness of his task. Translator’s responsibility and faithfulness can be named as
such:
x Translator should have a sense of responsibility. Sense of responsibility means discipline,
reliability and punctuality. A responsible translator will correct the faults in the source-text while
producing the target-text, either by talking to the writer or in some other ways.
x Faithfulness and honesty is expected from the translator. Translator should be honest to the
initiator, target-text audience and the source-text writer and this is not an easy task. The
interpreter should be honest to his audience as well; in general the translator should be impartial.
x Some translators are expected to change the idea and style of the source-text, the concept of ‘’
customer oriented’’ behavior is a complex issue. Even though sometimes translators know the
subject better than the writer and can express in a better manner, translator should keep his
individual thoughts to himself and should remain his ideal translator behavior. This behavior
would not harm the translator’s self-respect. In some extreme cases the translator has the right to
expect some behaviors for himself and his work ethics. (Krş
l. Kautz, 2000, 24-25).
The translator should have a balance between modesty and self-confidence; he should be confident in
what he is doing and of expectations and he should rely on his own capability. If needed translator should

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be able to defend his work like an expert when he comes across criticism. The interpreter should not put
himself in the speaker’s shoes but rather stay as the mediator. It is an advantage if the translator has a
healthy ego.
5. The Effects of Translation Education in Translation Market
As a profession translatorship requires a lot of qualifications; a translator should have knowledge in
different fields such as economy, business administration, communication sciences, engineering,
medicine, law, pharmacy, language and literature etc. The translator should have an expert-like
knowledge sometimes in one or a couple of these fields. Translators working in a translation bureau can
become experts in law because they are constantly comparing law system of a foreign country and theirs,
they can become more equipped than a lawman as they are exposed to law all the time, they can even
offer consultancy and gain expertise in law texts tradition since they are producing them continuously. It
is a fact that Turkish counselors and translators in Germany, do more than translating for their Turkish
clients and they represent their clients in courts, state offices and in trade affairs. For people working in
abroad and seeking their rights, the translators become lawyers and counselors. Translators learn the law
tradition of a foreign country and they use their knowledge and interpret law for other people. In that case
people consult to translator rather than lawmen.
It is a fact that some interpretation and translation tasks are given to experts of that field such as
engineers and scientists because translators do not have efficient knowledge in the field. As a result
people are unsatisfied with the translation, because a translator should have undertaken the task in the first
place; this unsatisfaction is a major disadvantage for translators. Translatorship has never fully acquired
the respect it deserves in almost any country. In many professions the faults of the inexperienced people
are easily noticeable for example if a doctor is mistaken the result is obvious or if a lawyer loses the case
he can be blamed for his inefficiency even an unqualified cannot open a barbershop or bakery, but it is
sad to see that even though translation affects the life, future and the culture of a society people with no
qualification can easily perform a translation task. Even the publishing houses, state offices and in
academic publications the situation remains the same.
As a result there is no distinction between qualified and unqualified translation and people come to
the conclusion that translation is an easy task so there is no need for an expert. In translation market
qualifications of a translator do not come into question at all. This tendency is the result of the inefficient
number of graduates from translation and language departments. The need for qualified, professional
translators is more than these departments can meet. The qualified translators are equated with
unprofessional and unqualified people and as a result they do search for work in different fields; the
books are translated by unqualified people and the role a translator can play in the international
communication is ignored. When translators prove the value of a professional with the works they have
done, they will find a chance in the market and the need for professionals will rise. This is a mutual
requirement. Employers working with professional translators will see that they will have a better share in
the market while the translators become more conscious that quality of their work serves to the
recognition of their profession and value within the interests of the country as well.

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Only in this way the public opinion about translators will change and they will widely be recognized.
Professionals, who do qualified translations and fulfill the needs of their employers or somehow
contribute to business connections, can change the opinion about their profession and they can also prove
that translatorship is as important as medicine or law etc. Therefore translators should take this
responsibility for serious. As in many business affairs translation market has a competitive environment.
The rival of the translators is himself and the establishments which do not value his profession.
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Hönig, H.G. (1997). Konstruktives Übersetzen. Tübingen: Günter Narr Verlag.
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