Why Translation Is Hard: Passing a Proficiency Test Doesn't Make You a Translator

People often assume translation is easy: reach a certain English level — say, pass a proficiency test — keep a dictionary at hand, and you can translate. Not so. Both interpreting and written translation require dedicated training.

The core reason: ordinary reading comprehension only requires that you basically understand the source. A translator, by contrast, must first understand the original as objectively and comprehensively as possible — and then, equally important, express that understanding completely and accurately. To do it well, you must also attend to form: the translation should read beautifully. These are the two steps translation studies calls "comprehension" and "expression".

Much theory surrounds these questions. In China there is Yan Fu's "faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance" and Lin Yutang's "faithfulness and fluency", plus the long-running debates over literal versus free translation, and even over whether literary works are translatable at all. These views are mostly experiential rather than systematic theory, yet highly useful to learners. Abroad, theorists such as Eugene A. Nida, Susanne K. Langer and Peter Newmark approach translation from linguistics, semantics, semiotics, information theory and reception aesthetics.

Most of these theories have since been introduced to China. For learners, neither theory nor practice can be neglected: theory shows the direction; training keeps the steps steady. Translation is hard because of the double threshold — depth of understanding and precision of expression. That is exactly why professional translation training exists.