TRANSLATION TRENDS

Almost all larger translation companies strive to be up to date with the latest world events related to translating. This, today a job, in ancient times was considered art. Languages are changing and so are translation methods. The requirements translators are faced with today are different from those which existed a couple of hundreds of years ago. Historically, translations were most often done for academic purposes, to understand the works written in Latin or Greek. Today, however, translations for scientific purposes are only one part of the whole. Translations for commercial purposes are becoming more and more in demand.

Naturally, even though translations are used more and more, it is always important to preserve the language so the translation does not sound absurd or ridiculous. The most interesting facts about modern times’ translations are given in the following lines:

  1. There are around 330,000 translators in the world today. Obviously, this number does not include those who translate as a hobby or once in a while.
  2. 78% of all books written in the period from 2000 to 2010 were translated into French or German, while only 5% were translated into Chinese.
  3. According to one of the quotes of Gabriel García Márquez, his book “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was better written in English than Spanish. These statements may sound a little strange but they stress the importance of a good translation, and show how a good translator is at the same time an artist who can improve a book’s quality.
  4. Vladimir Nabokov was against translators. He maintained they always managed to destroy the beauty of the original work. He was so dissatisfied with their work that he even tried to translate his own book, word by word, however, with catastrophic and ludicrous results.
  5. Most English translators use neither British nor American variety but tend to translate from and into the so-called world English.

At “Mediante“, we try to be up to date with the latest standards related to translating. If you are looking for a translation provider, feel free to contact us and we will make sure you are satisfied with the results of our work, just like Márquez was with the English translation of his book.