What makes a good translation in a nutshell

It’s no exaggeration to say that infinite blog posts have been published on what makes a good translation. A lot of people keep asking the question, wondering if they need a translator at all. Yes, you do. We’ll try to explain the whys.

There’s no point beating about the bush, so we’re going to be straightforward about it. A good translation is accurate, clear, and has a natural flow to it.

Obviously, a translation needs to be accurate, and none of the popular translation tools available on the market today are advanced enough to provide a 100% accurate translation. No matter the technological advance, the translator’s sharp eye for fine details is old but gold.

A good translation is clear in the sense of being comprehensible. A translator needs to keep in mind that a random target reader should be able to get the gist of the translated text. This means that a perfect translation is not only accurate in terms of details, but also comes slightly filtered through the translator’s proper training and experience in relation to the source text.

Last but not least, nothing beats a translation that has a natural flow to it. Remember, the target reader shouldn’t be able to tell whether the text has been translated or originally written by a native speaker!

We hope we were convincing enough. Email us at info@hornet.ee or use the contact form to request a free quote for your translation!