Recently, a client approached me with an editing job. The translated text was about the client’s organizational goals. They needed the Farsi translations to accurately convey the English materials and they suspected the current translation had some major flaws.
They were right. The translations were word for word, too literal. I have to admit, the translator had done a thorough job looking up the words in Google translate. What was missing, however, was meaningfulness and cohesion. Reading it felt as if you were stumbling from one word to the other. Unlike the English text, it had no depth and the meaning was obscured by an attempt to remain within the boundaries of the English structure. It was, after all, designed for Farsi speaking individual who did not have an understanding of English. I wonder how many of those would continue reading the translation after the first couple of sentences. Certainly, my client didn’t want this to happen.
Unfortunately, we encounter these types of translations way too often. For some reason, the bilingual translator’s goal is to become proficient in finding the right words rather than constructing a text that actually makes sense in another language. There is more to translation than understanding a language or knowing the vocabulary. For example, if a translator does not have deep understanding of both languages’ grammar, he or she cannot render an accurate translation and convey the right meaning.
I believe that the Farsi speaking individual has as much right to know the real meaning of a text, just as much as my client has a right to convey their full intention. In 2015, I started my work to establish an ATA Farsi Certification program to address this issue. I was hoping, and still am, that with such examination, a Farsi translator’s proficiency can be assessed. That at least we can begin working toward a higher standard for Farsi translations. Today, we are only months away from the very first ATA Farsi Certification Examination.
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The American Translators Association (ATA), a well known international organization, offers a translator certification—a distinction that puts all translators, regardless of work status, in a better position to market themselves. For Farsi translators and interpreters in particular, the ATA certification is more than just a suffix.