10 questions to a legal translator
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10 questions to...
A LEGAL TRANSLATOR

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire Translator L&F team has been working from home and will continue to do so for as long as we consider it the safest option. So although we would have loved to be able to conduct this interview face to face over coffee, as we used to, we’ve had to settle for the cold computer screen. Hopefully, by the time of the next interview everything will have changed.

To launch our series of interviews, we have selected one of our Spanish translators from the legal area. She has been with us since 2011 and is a native of Logroño (and proud of it), with degrees in Law and in Translation and Interpretation, a feisty mother and our in-house wine expert.

1. What is your favourite language or culture?

I love French. I find it a rich, expressive language, full of nuances and capable of being exquisitely precise in every situation.

2. How many years have you been translating professionally? What did you do before?

I’ve been in this profession for more than 20 years. Although I studied Law before doing the degree in Translation and Interpretation, I have only ever worked as a translator.

3. Have you always specialised in legal translation or have you translated other types of text?

Because of my background, most of my work has been in legal translation, but over the course of my career I’ve translated all kinds of texts, from advertisements for cosmetics, fashion and jewellery to research on emotional intelligence, travel guides, and books on the art of other civilizations.

4. What is the most important thing for you when working on a legal text?

The most important thing is to be concise. You need to grasp the distinctions being made in the original to be able to translate them as accurately as possible.

5. Do you think it’s possible to translate a court judgement, for example, without any legal knowledge?

Everything’s possible, but translating something you don’t fully understand can have undesired consequences. The same applies if a legal translator starts translating specialised medical texts. In my view, you need to be careful. You need to know your limits and refuse to translate a text if you don’t have a good grasp of the subject matter.

6. Can you think of any term that made a job especially difficult for you?

There are two French terms that can be difficult to translate into Spanish, depending on the context: “en amont” and “en aval”. They’ve had me racking my brains on several occasions.

7. A controversial question: Do you think translators will ever be replaced by
machines? Why or why not?

It’ll never happen. Maybe certain highly technical texts are always going to be translated exactly the same way, but in most cases there are nuances a machine won’t detect. Also, language is constantly evolving. Words change meaning over time and so have connotations (especially political connotations) that make them more or less appropriate depending on the historical context.

8. Do you have any advice for someone thinking of starting out in translation?

I’d say the most important thing for a translator is to have a passion for words, spelling and grammar, and to be well organised.

9. What do you like most about working at Translator L&F?

The things I like most about the company are the high standards, the concern for a job well done, the fact that work is assigned to translators according to their specialisation, the strict revision, the quest for perfection and, needless to say, the friendly and considerate way we are treated by the company’s management team (top management, office management, administration and tenders).

10. What was the last book you read? Do you have a favourite book or author?

The last book I read is Aramburu’s Homeland (Patria). It had been on my reading list for a long time and I really enjoyed it, especially the style. I don’t have a favourite book or author, but I can definitely say that the book that made the biggest impression on me ever was The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. It’s one of those books that leaves a mark. Maybe if I read it now it wouldn’t make such an impression, but it did back then, a deep impression.

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