Finding your Spanish translation voice

Every Spanish translator has his or her own Spanish translation voice.

Don't believe me? Next time you get a chance, head over to your local library and check out a classic novel in a foreign language that has been translated into English by two different authors. Are the translations the same?

What about the Bible? How many different translations of the Bible are out there? There are a ton and each one has a unique flavor and feel to it. This is what I mean by Spanish translation voice.

A lot of translation clients might be surprised to hear this because most people incorrectly assume that there is one and only one way to translate between two languages but this is never, ever, ever the case.

And as much as translators try to claim that translation is a science, it is most definitely not. Translation is very subjective and will change depending on who is doing the work.

Finding your Spanish translation voice
The first thing to realize is that each of us has our own way we approach translations and we each bring with us a completely different set of experiences and ideas which will affect our translation in the end.

But it's important to realize that just because translators will translate things differently does not necessarily make one more "right" or more "wrong" than any other translation. Just different.

Once we recognize that we have our own voice, we need to try and minimize the affect that voice has on the finished product. We shouldn't sacrifice the integrity of the translation just because our Spanish translation voice comes through in the translation. We should instead use our experiences to help us come up with the best translation possible.

Using it to our advantage
In essence, a translation is an interpretation of the text by the translator and when our ideas and previous experiences can lend a hand to helping us interpret the text the way the author intended, we should use it.

The key to using that inner voice to help us translate is to constantly make sure our translation is a correct reflection of the original intention of the author.