Interview with a Translator

Interviewer: Sofia, you translate novels from Spanish into English. What attracted you to this career?

Interviewer: Sofia, you translate novels from Spanish into English. What attracted you to this career?

Sofia: Honestly, it was an accident. I studied literature, and during my last year I translated a short story as an exercise. I became so absorbed that I forgot to have dinner. I realised that I enjoyed solving the puzzle of how to say the same thing in a completely different language.

Sofia: Honestly, it was an accident. I studied literature, and during my last year I translated a short story as an exercise. I became so absorbed that I forgot to have dinner. I realised that I enjoyed solving the puzzle of how to say the same thing in a completely different language.

Interviewer: Is it just a matter of knowing both languages well?

Interviewer: Is it just a matter of knowing both languages well?

Sofia: That’s the basic requirement, but it’s far from enough. You also need to understand the culture behind the words. A joke, for instance, almost never works if you translate it literally. You have to decide whether to keep the meaning, the tone or the rhythm, because usually you can’t keep all three.

Sofia: That’s the basic requirement, but it’s far from enough. You also need to understand the culture behind the words. A joke, for instance, almost never works if you translate it literally. You have to decide whether to keep the meaning, the tone or the rhythm, because usually you can’t keep all three.

Interviewer: What is the hardest part of your job?

Interviewer: What is the hardest part of your job?

Sofia: Probably deciding when to stop. A translation can always be improved, and there’s a constant temptation to change one more sentence. I set myself deadlines for that reason. The second difficulty is loneliness. I work alone for months, so I always make time to talk to other translators online.

Sofia: Probably deciding when to stop. A translation can always be improved, and there’s a constant temptation to change one more sentence. I set myself deadlines for that reason. The second difficulty is loneliness. I work alone for months, so I always make time to talk to other translators online.

Interviewer: Do you ever make mistakes?

Interviewer: Do you ever make mistakes?

Sofia: Of course. Early in my career, I translated a word meaning a type of bread as ‘cake’, and a reader wrote to point it out. I was embarrassed, but I learnt to double-check anything that seems familiar. Those are the words that trick you.

Sofia: Of course. Early in my career, I translated a word meaning a type of bread as ‘cake’, and a reader wrote to point it out. I was embarrassed, but I learnt to double-check anything that seems familiar. Those are the words that trick you.

Interviewer: Many people think machines will soon replace translators. What is your opinion?

Interviewer: Many people think machines will soon replace translators. What is your opinion?

Sofia: Software is already remarkably good with simple texts, and I use it myself for quick checks. But literature is full of ambiguity, humour and silence, and machines tend to flatten these qualities. I expect that tools will change how I work, rather than remove the need for people.

Sofia: Software is already remarkably good with simple texts, and I use it myself for quick checks. But literature is full of ambiguity, humour and silence, and machines tend to flatten these qualities. I expect that tools will change how I work, rather than remove the need for people.

Interviewer: What would you say to someone thinking of learning a second language for work?

Interviewer: What would you say to someone thinking of learning a second language for work?

Sofia: Start now, and don’t wait until you feel ready. Read things you really like, even if you only understand sixty percent. Enjoyment is more valuable than any grammar book.

Sofia: Start now, and don’t wait until you feel ready. Read things you really like, even if you only understand sixty percent. Enjoyment is more valuable than any grammar book.