The 30th of September of each year marks the International Translation day. The whole world celebrates translation and translators. This day was chosen specifically to honor St. Jerome the first translator of the Holy Bible. The keen concern of transferring knowledge from one nation to another and from one language to another is not a new trend or innovated mission necessitated by our modernized life. It is deeply rooted and as old as our human existence and started by mere daily exchange of things for mutual welfare. From that day on, a human being who was privileged than others around him by being open to different cultures and languages acted as a mediator between one person and another. His/her mission was to transfer information, talk or aid between two persons and so translation started as a means of getting humans closer, bridging the gaps between them and melting the ice that disconnected them. People speak 7 thousand languages on earth. Imagine how life would have been if each nation had stayed isolated on its own territories?!

Every person who can speak another language beside his mother tongue, can be a mediator between both languages. In daily life he/she can help a foreigner find an address, read a banner on the road, get an essential service in the hospital, airport or even the post office. Through simple, short, straightforward clear words he can deliver a message or give an important information. However, the fast pacing life of humans necessitates more than such simple exchange of information. Cultural and scientific exchange between nations needs a more sophisticated role of translators. Yet, who can we render to be a good translator? What is the characteristics of a professional translator? Is interpretation a profession that has its own skills and tools or is it just something any bilingual can do? 

To be a translator is a decision that you should take with sincere determination and passion as when you chose with your full will to be a physician, engineer, judge, cook or tailor. Translation has built in traits as well as acquired skills. A translator has an intuition to love and accept everyone from a different background or ethnicity.  He/she has a passion to discover new realms of knowledge and know people and is open to all new ideas and traditions. This person is sociable and outgoing; not an introvert and is keen on learning and benefiting beyond physical limits. 

In my humble opinion, such traits make a unique translator. To be a good translator, you have to master your mother tongue as well as one or two more languages. The thirst of a good translator for linguistics is never quenched. It is courageous and wise to say” I am not sure. I will check it in the dictionary.”  This is a sign of professionalism not ignorance. Persistent pursuit for words and their contexts and usage is what a good translator must do. Language skills and connotations is nothing that you acquire overnight. Be in touch with natives with all their accents and dialects. Accustom yourself with you language pairs and cultures. Read all what you can find. Expand your spectrum of knowledge, literature, arts, traditions and accents. Establishing a strong foundation of both languages is pivotal for a language professional that has a vision and determination.

Do not translate a text that you do not fully understand. There are many fields of translation. Master of all is a master of none.  Specialization is the best decision for every field has its own terminology and jargon. Read your text thoroughly before translation. Make sure you fully grasp the meaning of it and be accustomed with the new words and do your search to produce a beautiful output. If a target text contradicts with your morals, beliefs or stances decline but don’t you ever give yourself the liability to twist it to your discrete. A translator is a messenger not a censor. Deliver the message of the writer even if you do not believe in it otherwise reject the job.

Dictionaries and thesaurus are essential tools to any translator. Online resources are all over the internet but hardcopies are a must in both language pairs you are working with. Keep track of all idioms and proverbs and their counterparts in your language. Not all meanings are exactly the same in the context of your language. Be alert and creative. Watch the difference between formal, colloquial and slang words. Keep the essence of the original text. Do not betray the writer by depriving his words of the intended mode he chose. Do not overact or belittle the intentions of the writer. Do not be rhetoric in simple contexts.  

A good translation is not verbatim unless desired in specific context. When you read a translated work, it should be flowing spontaneously as if it was genuinely written in this language. To achieve this followability a translator should be a keen reader who takes notes and reads thoroughly. Constant exposure to natives and native literature and resources updates a translator with the new words. Consulting a native and asking for advice add to the quality of the translation of some tricky sentences especially in novels. Word by word translation is like fast food. It fills the stomach and satisfies the hunger but you do not really enjoy an array of taste and flavors. Translation is skill and art plaited together with love to deliver a beautiful piece of art especially in literary translations like poetry and novels.

To be a translator is your special choice of profession that needs a lot of passion and dedication to language. The basic factor of your success is your love for people of diverse backgrounds and this is your fuel that pushes you forward. Your sincere will to deliver knowledge and information accelerates your passion for more effort and achievements. Learning goes hand in hand with your work. Translation is such a humane mission where you think of the other first. You firstly think of the writer of the original text then you think of the reader. There is no place for selfishness or self centered attitude in the life if a translator. The others come first. A long living translation was done with love and excellence not for the sake of any financial profit. At the end of the day, a faithful translator reviews his work with pride and content. He/she is like a fine jeweler who selects the finest gems to transform them into an outstanding piece of art.