Misconceptions about translations
Native speakers are natural translators.
Native language skills are a good basis for being a translator, but it takes much more than that. Professional translators work with complex technical texts that have little in common with everyday language. Oftentimes, non-native speakers make for better native speakers because they have an in-depth understanding of the subtleties of the target language.
Machine translations, e.g. those provided by Babelfish, are just perfect.
Translation machines are fed with a lot of vocabulary and they will correctly translate table into mesa. However, there is something they cannot do: think. Babelfish et al. use the same approach to translate the beginning of the Genesis as to translate a satire, they are unable to read between the lines, they can't conjugate and they are clueless when it comes to cultural differences.
My personal assistant has a Merriam-Webster dictionary and she or he can use it to translate the manual of our new hydraulic pump into Spanish.
Don't expect your personal assistant to perform a task she or he is not qualified for. This would lead to general frustration and a translation that would probably not be well received by your business partners – but it could potentially lead to endless amusement at your expense. For translation mistakes, see my German-language site www.uebersetzungsfehler.com
Just translate and stop calling me!
There is no thing such as "just translating". The decisive point is understanding what the text means, which is not always apparent at first sight. When in doubt, I will call your for clarification. Are there any glossaries you would like me to use? And what does the internal company abbreviation ZUVDIG stand for?
