Good French Translator: What Does It Take To Become One?

A common assumption, yet a myth, is that anyone who knows more than one language can be a good French translator.  And it’s a myth which translators are very anxious to dispel.

You cannot be in the business very long without becoming aware of the many skills and abilities which are required to be a good French translator.  Many of these can be, and are, taught in the course of training translators.  Some you really need to have in the first place.

So what are the skills required to be a French translator?

• Language skill.  It goes without saying that you must have a high level of competence in both source and target language.  In particular, you need a good ear in both languages – the ability to pick up fresh expressions and idioms, learn new words and how they are used, and new technical terms.
• Writing skills.  Writing is your medium as a good French translator!  You have to be able to put pen to paper.  Obviously it’s essential to be able to write well in the target language – your own language – but you need to have good writing ability in your source language too. 
• Good ear.  You also need a good ear in both languages.  This means the ability to notice and pick up expressions and idioms, plus learning new vocabulary in different areas and knowing what context they are used in – slang, youth-speak, business etc
• Comprehension.  You need to be able to read quickly and get the gist of a passage.
• Researching skills.  If you need to find out more information on the job you are working on, you need to be able to know where to find it and how to assemble it.
• Using initiative.  Going along with this is the ability to see where extra research is needed, and carry it out on your own.
• Using dictionaries.  Using dictionaries, especially monolingual dictionaries, is quite a difficult job and many people do not use them appropriately – to establish the different areas of meaning of words and their usage in different contexts.  
• Analytical skills.  The translator needs to analyse the text in order to understand it as fully as possible.  This enables you to decide on the text-type – is it a press release? an instruction book?  a technical specification?  You will already have a model in your mind of this text-type – how far does it conform to this model?
• Theoretical understanding.  Many practitioners dislike theory and regard it as useless.  However to be a good French translator you do need to be able to read and grasp some theory in order to understand the aim of your work.  In particular you need to understand the theory of communication and your own role as a link in the chain.
• Basic office skills.  Being able to type fast, for instance!
• Technical skills.  These days it is absolutely essential for the good French translator to be able to work with computers and to be able to stay up to date with technology as it continually evolves.  You need to be able to install new software and deal with new file formats. You usually find that when you have to be able to do something, you learn to do it!
• Be able to use translation tools.  The tools themselves - e.g. Translator’s Workbench – are actually quite simple to learn from the technical point of view.  The real skill for the good French translator is knowing how to use them in the most effective way, and the ability to decide when it is appropriate to use them and when not.
• Marketing skills.  Translation is a business nowadays!  If you don’t sell yourself and your services as a good French translator, you won’t get any work and you won’t survive!
• Specialist knowledge.  It is highly desirable – in fact virtually essential nowadays - for a good French translator to have specialist knowledge in at least one subject.   A very high proportion of translation jobs contain technical terminology which cannot be translated correctly by someone who doesn’t know the subject.
• Socio-cultural awareness.  It is essential to gain an understanding of the socio-cultural dimension and its importance in providing a quality translation.  This includes an understanding of what culture is and how it impacts translation.  A good French translator will be aware of the customs and culture of the speakers of both English and French, and analyse where they differ.  Of course French will be your own language, but this does not necessarily mean you can describe your own culture and social settings.  Most of us are largely unaware of our own culture until we consciously look at it, especially in contrast to another one!
• Ability to work alone or in groups.  Some people work better individually, others are happier in groups.   Translation work involves both, so to be a good French translator you need to practise whichever you are less comfortable with.   Working in groups can nearly always achieve better results in the translation process, so if you are an individualist you need to learn to listen to others, consider their views and bounce your ideas off other group members.  On the other hand, if you are not used to working alone, you need to develop discipline, self-sufficiency and ability to concentrate – it is very easy to allow yourself to be distracted.
• Ability to work within time constraints. You don’t have the luxury of being able to spend as long as you like on your translation project!
• Ability to hand over!  When you have worked on a project for a long time it is very easy to feel possessive about it!  Or alternatively you want to hang on to it to keep improving it – this can go along with lack of confidence.  Handing over, or relinquishing ownership, is a definite skill which the good French translator has to develop.  Remember why you were doing it in the first place!