Test of proficiency for translators in Singapore

How accurate are translations? It varies. Everything depends on the skill of the translator and the editor. Does he know both languages well? How proficient is he in each language? Very seldom is someone equally proficient in both languages unless he has grown up speaking both equally. Even then, one language may be stronger than the other by reason of use.

I know a few friends who grew up speaking Mandarin, went to Chinese-medium schools for basic education, and have had to re-learn Mandarin as an adult. What happened? They went to university using English exclusively, worked in offices that spoke and used only English, and ended up building a family that spoke only English at home. After more than 10 years of hardly speaking or hearing Mandarin spoken, they had to almost start all over again. However, their journey is made easier because they do have the basic foundation buried somewhere in the recesses of their minds.

Just because you speak both languages, it does not mean you can translate. I do a decent job with oral translations, but my written Chinese is pathetic. All my school days I scraped through compositions in Chinese because I wrote in Chinese the way I think in English. It just does not work, nor does it make sense. Then I took Japanese classes in university. As I progressed to higher levels where we had to write essays, my Japanese teacher often did not understand what I was trying to say. Fortunately, she had studied Chinese. She told me many times that she would translate my Japanese sentence into Chinese to make sense of my work.

We have seen many instances of strange and funny translations all over the world. There are even websites dedicated to such pictures. Signs aside, translations can either make or break a deal. A wrong nuance changes the entire meaning of a sentence, and dare I say, the entire document. Accuracy is crucial in translation work.

Is there a way to assess the skills of a translator? Singapore will be instituting a test to check proficiency of translators soon.

Translators in Singapore are excited over this prospect. The test and subsequent certification will lend some credibility to their profession. However, some translation companies are sceptical. Tests can only cover so much ground. Technical language is not included. Translation is just too broad an area to be able to test accurately.

Regardless, some form of testing is better than none at all. "Lost in translation" is not funny. If I took the test, I will at least know where I stand in comparison with others in my field. I rather find out from an objective test than rely on feedback from my audience.

Regardless of where I am in my language learning journey, there is always room for improvement. I am committed to learning languages for the rest of my life. Will you take up the challenge with me and start learning a language today?

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