Myths about translators: Translators are frustrated writers

By Delfina Morganti Hernández✍️

Every translator is a frustrated writer. Those who can, write. Those who can't... translate.

I once had a teacher who proudly claimed that all translators are frustrated #writers by definition, that those who can, write, and those who can’t… #translate

As far as I am concerned, not all translators have ever wanted to become published writers. Similarly, not all translators seem to realise that their work already involves a highly complex act of #writing.

When we translate a text, what we render into the target language is not the source text proper. That’s just an illusion, translation’s own version of “suspension of disbelief”—we believe that we’re capable of translating a text, and so does everyone else, but what we actually translate is our own subjective interpretation of that source text, for which there is no set of instructions that could anticipate the result or limit it to one version only.

That’s why you'll get multiple possible #translations based on one given source text. No two #translators will ever read the same text when reading the “same” text. Their translations will differ.

​When we translate a text, don’t we write our version of it
in a new language?

Translators ARE #writers. What do you think?

Delfina
#orangepowerDMH

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Delfina Morganti Hernández is a writer, marketer and English-Spanish (LATAM, Argentina) transcreator and reviewer, and the creator of the first podcast on transcreation. Her purpose is to help fellow brands and people with a true entrepreneurial spirit shine through their communication strategy in English and in Spanish.

She provides marketing consultancy, brand assessment and cross-cultural creative services for high-end brands in multiple industries, such as Digital Advertising, Food & Beverage, Travel & Hospitality, e-Learning and Video Games.

Delfina is a self-published author of an essay on literary translation in Spanish and of a collection of poems in English, Spanish and French, and has been delivering training on literary translation and marketing for translators for 8 years now.

In 2018, she was invited to work as social media strategist and co-host of Traductores al Aire, the first online radio show and podcast by and for translators in Spanish.

In 2020, her branded hashtag #HablemosDeMarketing made it to YouTube, where she hosts her own podcast to discuss marketing and branding for freelance translators and budding entrepreneurs in Spanish.

You can learn more about her at en.traduccionescreativas.com or by searching her hashtags #orangepowerDMH and #BrandingBrain on LinkedIn and Instagram.

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