What is translation?
A common view on translation is that translation is more or less a word-by-word substitution, and that if you are a bilingual, you more or less are a translator by nature. Even though it is crucial to thoroughly know at least two languages, it does not warrant an innate ability to identify the cognitive and theoretical instruments to actually transfer the cultural features of language A to language B.
The ability to fully comprehend and to deal with the process of transferring language A to language B involves overcoming challenges such as grammatical, cultural and syntactical incompatibilities, and to recognize the importance of proper and thorough research. The ability to do so just may single out a translator from a person just translating. The art of translation is commonly underestimated.
More often than not you come across strings of texts, articles or other documents which immediately make you notice that the text at hand has been translated from a different language. When you read such texts, some might say you are not reading language A or B. You are reading translationese, which is not unusual to be produced by someone who is not fully cognizant of what translation really is.
A translation well-done rarely gets accredited or appreciated because the better the translation is, the less likely the recipient of that text is to notice that the text at hand was ever translated, which is what makes translation so fascinating!
