French Translator – Invisible, Chameleon, or Pig in the Middle?

Should the French translator be invisible?

The conventional wisdom is that the quality of the translation should be such that the reader in the target language won’t know that it is a translation.  This rather relegates the French translator to the status of a “non-person”.  However, some translators are unhappy with this and feel that their part in the finished product should have more recognition.

What is clear is that as a French translator you are somewhere in the middle of a line of communication that starts with the originator of the source text, and ends with the reader of the translated document.  But in fact, to ensure that the communication is as good as it can be, you have to identify with both of these – step into their skin as it were – to get the best view.

We actually do this all the time – consciously or unconsciously - with any piece of communication. 

When you are writing something – whether it’s a letter, an article, book, memo or report – you aim to make sure that the person who is finally going to read it will receive the message it conveys as clearly as possible.  To do this, you detach yourself from the role of writer and look at it through the reader’s eyes to see what is clear and well expressed and what isn’t. 

On the other hand, if you are reading something, you often have to ask yourself: ‘Just what is this person getting at?’  As we are often not in the position to contact the writer directly, you might think yourself into his/her standpoint to work out what he/she was trying to say.

As a French translator, you must adopt both of these positions at the same time.  You must think yourself into the mind of the writer of the source text to make doubly and trebly sure you understand it.  You must then identify with the reader of the translated text to be absolutely sure the message has got across.

Understanding the Source text

Obviously, the first stage for the French translator is gaining a thorough understanding of the source text – this requires a considerable amount of preparation: the translator must:

• Understand the topic and read and research round it if necessary.  Does the writer have adequate knowledge of the topic concerned?
• Analyse the terms used.  Why was this word used rather than another?  What effect was this choice of words intended to have? Does it succeed in having this effect?
• Think of the style?  What is the intended effect of the style?  What type of reader is it aimed at?
• Consider the intention of the passage?  If it is intended to be funny, does it make me laugh?  If it is intended to market a product, does it make me want to go out and buy it?
• Take into account the assumptions the writer is making about his/her readers?  What is he/she assuming they will know in terms of;

• cultural norms;
• historical allusions;
• folk memories, etc.

without needing to spell these out?

[For instance, take the term “the Blitz” in an English passage.  Any reference to the Blitz is immediately understood by British reader to refer to the aerial bombardment of London during the Second World War, and this understanding is held even by readers who weren’t alive at the time.  The French translator may have to spell this out in more detail for the target audience. Even in France, where people experience the same war, just translating it as bombardement will not catch that exact allusion.]

• Ask themselves if they understand the imagery, metaphors and figures of speech.  What is the purpose of each one of them?  What do they contribute to the overall effect of the passage?  How important is it for the communication of the message that they should be kept in?
• Identify if the source text contains ambiguities, grammatical mistakes or factual errors?  What did the writer intended to say?
• Think of the intended readers?  Are they young? Old? Academic? Less educated?

Ensuring the final reader gets the message:

To do this most effectively, the French translator will identify with the reader of the target text and read it through his/her eyes, not their own.  They will therefore be asking:

• Does this make sense to me?  Is there any part of it that isn’t clear?
• Can I grasp the overall message of what the passage is trying to say?
• Is there any part of the passage that is awkwardly expressed so that it grates on me?
• Are there any grammatical mistakes?
• Are there any historical allusions that I don’t understand?
• Are there any cultural references that don’t make sense?
• Is the passage written in the correct style?  Is it too academic or too “colloquial” for example?
• If the passage is clearly intended to be funny, does it actually make me laugh?  If it is trying to sell me a product, does it really make me desire the product?
• Does the passage really have an impact on me?  Or does it come across as flat and uninspiring? 
• Are there any metaphors, images or figures of speech?  Do these have the effect they are intended to have?  Do they appear to be dragged in for the sake of it?

Chameleon?

So, in order to ensure that the message is communicated fully, the French translator needs to identify themselves as completely as possible, first with the writer of the source text, and then with the ultimate reader of the passage in the target language.  Does this mean the translator has no individual identity?  It might appear they are something of a chameleon.

However, as any French translator knows, they are really much more than chameleons.  A professional translator has a full range of specialist skills.  Without these skills they would not be able to provide a quality translation.   So the quality of the translation depends ultimately upon the quality of the individual translator and the depth of their understanding – they do actually have to put a lot of themselves into it.