The Role of The Translator
The role of the translator is not just to transfer words from one language to another. The process and role is much more complex. A word or idea in one culture might have a completely different type of meaning. For example, take the word bash. In American English, this word means to strike physically or verbally at someone or could mean a party, but in the United Kingdom, the word actually means to try to achieve. A translator not only needs to be fluent in the languages, but also has a responsibility to understand the culture as a means of translating accurately as to the author’s intent.
The intent of the author is extremely important to convey. A translator is not to change the meaning of the written material, but rather transcribe the meaning as accurately as possible. In cases of translators in histories, the translator would need to be knowledgeable in the time and location, where the written word was published. This type of knowledge would allow for the translators to be able to tap into the author’s intention and truly capture their creativity and thoughts through the process of translation, for others to understand.
The role of the translator, therefore, contains three important functions: Communication, growth and development, and the spread of culture. As one of the most basic functions, communication is vital for messages to be sent and received by audiences. The role of the translator in communication is to send the message as a mediator without any distortions in the message. A translator provides an effective means of communication by providing words and languages the receiver may understand.
The second role is in growth and development. Without a foundation of communication and with literally thousands of languages across the globe, translators provide a bridge, where ideas, thoughts, and visions can be shared. This helps spread products, builds growth and development. The third role is the spread of culture.
In South Africa, there are eleven official languages declared in the constitution. While there are eleven languages, others such as Zulu and Xhosa are not part of these types of languages. A newly discovered language in Southern culture, Koro, doesn’t have words for many of the mathematic terms or those found in astronomy. Therefore, in cultures such as these, translators need to learn the culture and language and translate the ideas, history, and theories into another language, so the history doesn’t become lost as the languages die out.
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