THE TWO R’S OF A TRANSLATOR

If I were asked to choose just two words that sum up the work of a professional translator, I would go for two R's: READING and RESEARCH.

When it comes to READING, there are three aspects to consider:

The first aspect is the mastery of reading in both working languages –?the mother tongue and the foreign language. This includes not only formal and informal registers, but also the peculiarities of the languages, i.e. the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese or American and British English.

The second aspect concerns reading habits of both general and specific texts. General texts include daily news, magazines and websites that provide general knowledge. Specific texts, on the other hand, refer to incorporating the reading of selected subject areas into the translator's routine. For example, it will hardly be successful to translate legal texts if there is no regular habit of reading contracts, apostilles etc.

Finally, the third aspect concerns reading before, during and after the translation process. Before starting the translation, it is crucial to read and follow the client's or agency's instructions such as deadlines, file format and payment terms. During the translation, it is important to carefully read the source and target texts. After completing the translation, it is necessary to read both the source and target texts in comparison to check for grammatical errors and then read only the target text to check for missing euphony and linguistic consistency.

When it comes to RESEARCH, there are also three aspects to consider:

The first aspect is the willingness to research. Research is important because there are always concerns when translating and it is impossible to know everything. Therefore, it is necessary to examine dictionaries, books, Google pages, specialized literature on the subject, forums and other sources. Research also includes exchanging ideas with colleagues and with the client.

The second aspect has to do with research techniques, or knowing how to do research. It often happens that the translator is confronted with unknown terms and cannot find a solution in dictionaries, but a simple research technique can help confirm the translation. Some examples: put the term in quotation marks on Google to see how often it occurs, search on a specific website with the phrase "site:", etc.

Finally, the third aspect concerns research before, during and after the translation process. Before starting the translation, it is crucial to research the reputation of the client for whom you will be translating, so as not to risk future problems. During the translation, it is important to apply research techniques and conduct a thorough and exhaustive investigation. After completing the translation, a translator should search for new jobs and new clients – in this sense, I call prospecting an indispensable "research" method to obtain regular jobs.

READING and RESEARCH. Important words when we talk about a professional translator. What do you think?