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'OH, YOU’RE BILINGUAL? TRANSLATION MUST BE SO EASY FOR YOU!'

Marcella Allum          / December 2018

'OH, YOU’RE BILINGUAL? TRANSLATION MUST BE SO EASY FOR YOU!'

If I had a pound for every time someone said that to me, I would not be needing to study an MA in Translation Studies.

I have been extremely lucky with my upbringing. Having been brought up by parents that come from two very different cultures, while speaking two of the top three most spoken languages in the world, life has been nothing less than a blessing. To me, it would be mad not to make the most of my Anglo-Guatemalan background and build my future around not just something that makes me ‘me’, but something that I am genuinely interested in and, most importantly, enjoy.

From the start, I knew I was going to get a Language degree. Choosing to study Spanish at Royal Holloway University was the easiest decision I have made, but it didn’t come without judgement. “What! That’d be easy for you!” “Spanish as a degree? You’ll definitely get a first!” (I didn’t), “You’ll smash it.” (I did.)

No, it was not a cop out.  Surprisingly, a Spanish degree is a little more than being able to say, “una cerveza, por favor!”. Riddled with Comparative Literature and Culture modules, Film and History classes plus a hot and scary year abroad in the beautiful Seville, it was going to be more than just a walk in the Maria Luísa Park. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has felt as though their choice in degree has been undermined by those around them. Yes, Spanish was my first language and yes, I use it in my everyday life, but it’s this that has led me to achieve exactly what I feel I was born to do. It’s important to remember that every degree, whether it is Languages, Art, Music, Drama, Literature (I could go on), serves a special purpose. Choosing a degree should not be judged by how much “it will contribute to society” or how experienced you are in the field when you apply. There is always more to learn, whether it’s in the modules you choose or through the people you meet along the way – you can never know too much about something and it always helps when it’s something you love.   

            

 

My degree was full of firsts. My first film class, my first Literature class since I was 16, my first time away from the U.K. for more than a month - it was not easy. But the class that really captured by love for languages and tested my abilities with my own language was Translation.

I’m sure that many of my colleagues and fellow Language graduates will agree, Translation is not as simple as it may seem. Contrary to popular belief, there is significantly more effort involved than a simple 0.58 (or thereabouts) second search using Google translate. It is way more than a flick through a Collins dictionary (I’m not bashing; these tools did save my life a few times). What people forget is how important it is to capture not just the translation, but emotions, representations, metaphors, transporting what was imagined in one mind into another as identically as possible - in other words, what computers cannot do.

 As stated by Information Age, “The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 17% employment growth for interpreters and translators by 2026 due to this need for businesses to go global.” This is simply proof that no matter how much technology advances, nothing works better than our own brains. We cannot underestimate the importance of interpretation, something that a machine will never ever be able to do to our standards. This is what inspires me, to be able to interact with other languages and cultures, to be able to translate emotions, not just words, but most importantly, to be able to do something where a machine will never beat me.

 

 

Just to emphasise my point, a.k.a. share what distracted me wholly from writing this article due to how hilarious it was, here is a great link filled with examples of translation fails. Enjoy! -  https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/15-best-google-translate-fails/

Riddle

Riddle

Palm

Palm

Uma

Uma

Soave rocking

Soave rocking

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