How to Be a Good English Chinese Translator

How to Be a Good English Chinese Translator

It is no doubt that English Chinese translation is a highly skilled, challenging yet rewarding and satisfying job. English Chinese translators here at Top Chinese Translator know well that our profession is based on knowledge and experience. Before we become great translators, we need to invest much time into acquiring knowledge and experience of life. Apart from this, there are other important factors for you to well translate English to Chinese.

First off, you should be able to understand most of the source texts without aid of a dictionary, to the standard of an educated native-speaker. A good English Chinese translator is someone who has a comprehensive knowledge of both source and target languages, so that he/she can translate English to Chinese in a precise way. But understanding of the gist and main ideas of the source texts can never be enough, a good translator should also read for details and identify the source writer’s style so as to keep consistence. To improve this skill, you can read newspapers, journals and other texts appropriate to your specialism in the source language. At Top Chinese Translator, our working languages are English and Chinese. So our translators are always reading English texts.

Secondly, as English Chinese translators, we are expected to ensure smooth transfer of information. Our job is not only to simply translate English to Chinese, but also to communicate in both source and target languages. We should be able to communicate accurately, appropriately and concisely. That is why we need exceptional skills in the target language. We should build a broad and expressive vocabulary and an in-depth knowledge of the grammatical rules and cultural implications of the target language. For this reason, extensive reading is far from enough. We should also develop writing skills. We should be familiar with different styles of writing and techniques and principles of editing in target language. Use the correct word order and grammar as used in the target language. We should convey the original ideas of the source texts in clear sentences in the target language properly. In addition, get into the habit of checking yourself on any term you are not 100% sure of. Re-check and editing improve the quality and readability of the translation.

After developing a good competence in source and target languages, a good English Chinese translator will narrow down his/her field so as to be an expert in a particular specialization. Specialization is very important in translation. That is what makes you outstanding. For example, the terminology and writing style used in legal documents are vastly different from those used in medical documents. By specializing, one’s speed and accuracy increases substantially. To quickly and accurately translate English to Chinese in specific industries, the translators should have necessary knowledge, tools and resources at hand.

In addition to the above skills, a good English Chinese translator should also have access to the best resources to assist their work such as industry-specific dictionaries, encyclopedias, and online resources. As we know, basic computer skills are also a must in translation job. Besides, excellent translators love their job and understand the significance of their work. They always have a deep sense of responsibility. It is not easy to be a good English Chinese translator. But the patience and time you devoted to improving yourself will definitely worth it.