Strategies of a Non-Native Translator :: Free Essays Online

Strategies of a Non-Native Translator Non-native speakers of the target verbiage are strongly discouraged from translating literature. I believe this is a very sensible recommendation, for heedless of individual abilities, it is often the case that the schoolbooks translated by such translators do not flow well. To be more exact, when I read translated works by non-native speakers, including my own, I often detect a matter-of-fact, straightforward tone, rather as well as serious, if not downright annoying to read, instead of the subtleties and elegance of the flow exhibited by many native translators. Of course, on that point are not only disadvantages in being a non-native translator. The non-native translator may grasp the headmaster text better than the native translator, and be more aware of cultural and brotherly implications hidden in the text. However, the main issue is the output. How do you transform the original text into its equivalent in the target language? I w aste been working as a freelance translator, of both literary and non-literary works, for the then(prenominal) 10 years, but this question hangs over me every time I begin to translate. I ventured into this un take inable arena, fully aware of the problems I faced. At first, at that place was something about challenging the impossible, but I also believed there was still a need for translators like myself in the field of translating Korean literature into English, for no other reason than that not much has been translated and there were not enough translators around to introduce Korean literature and husbandry to the world. I believe, though, that non-native speakers are at best transitional figures, who will happen into the shadows when more and more native speakers of English with good Korean language skills emerge. My goal is very modest by literary standards, but very ambitious for a non-native speaker. My goal is to render my interpretations as readable as possible. The b est response I have ever received for my literary edition was that it was very readable. I was very pleased with that praise. I get along that as a non-native translator I can never attain a higher plateau. Once I attended a translation seminar in Korea, where most participants were Korean professors of foreign languages. They insisted that the importance of the act of the translation lies in introducing the unfamiliar to an audience, rather than making foreign literature readable. When I raised the question of stilted texts