NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT TRANSLATION
Translation is intrinsically a human activity, and for many a form of art. Therefore, there is no such thing as a perfect translation. We will always make mistakes, either because the author’s intent somehow escaped our grasp despite our best efforts, or because we could not find a clear and simple way to carry the message in a wholesome manner over the linguistic and cultural gap. Mistakes can also be caused by other human factors, such as mental fatigue, distractions of all kinds, or lack of time and inspiration. However, we never give up and continue to translate, notwithstanding all these imperfections.
We believe that translators, by paying attention to the issues above and doing their utmost to address them within the allotted time constraints, will at least be able to avoid a few serious mistakes that can be detrimental to their work and ultimately to their reputations. As judiciously noted by Umberto Eco:
“[…] Yet, the translator’s success lies precisely in achieving invisibility.” After all, it is no secret in the world of translation that excellent translations generally go unnoticed while translation mistakes become the talk of the town.
Finally, we do not want to leave the impression that translation is only about toiling in anonymity. It is most of all a source of wonder, pride, joy, and satisfaction for every genuine translator.
Notes
1. “Interpretive Approach,” in Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies, edited by Mona Baker (Routledge, 1998), 112–114.
2. William Weaver, “The Process of Translation, The Edinburg Journal of Gadda Studies, http://www.gadda.ed.ac.uk/Pages/resources/babelgadda/babeng/weavertranslation.php.
3. “Clarity or Ambiguity? The Withdrawal Clause of UN Security Council Resolution 242,” International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs, November 2014), http://bit.ly/UN-ambiguity.
4. Foster, Christopher, and Alan Melby. “Context in Translation: Definition, Access, and Teamwork,” The International Journal for Translation and Interpreting Research, Volume 2, No 2 (2010), http://bit.ly/Foster-Melby.
Nahla Baydoun is a reviser at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. From 1991 to 2008, she was an assistant professor and chair of the Languages and Translation Department at the University of Balamand in Lebanon, as well as an English>Arabic and French>Arabic freelance translator. She has translated works of authors such as Amin Maalouf, Susan Sontag, Malika Mokeddem, and Yasmina Khadra into Arabic. She has a master’s degree in translation from the Ecole Supérieure d’interprètes et de traducteurs and a PhD in translation studies from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University—Paris III, France. Contact: nahlabaydoun@hotmail.com.
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Ibrahima Diallo is a senior reviser. He is currently the chief of the Arabic Language Unit at the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) and the text project coordinator for UNON, which is in charge of developing an online translation platform for the United Nations. Previously, he worked as training coordinator for the UN Department for General Assembly and Conference Management at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. His working languages are Arabic, English, and French. He also speaks Spanish and several African languages. He has a master’s degree in modern languages with a minor in applied linguistics from the University
of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Contact: diallo444@hotmail.com.
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