Good translations not only convey literal meanings but also capture subtle overtones. Many people think of translation as a charming métier. But what do professional translators, who navigate different linguistic worlds effortlessly, do in their daily lives? Why did they choose to become translators? What kind of life do they live? What challenges do they have to tackle?
In recent years, Taiwanese people have invented many tangy, punchy phrases. Some of these incorporate Western idioms, others are borrowed from ancient Chinese usages, and still others take over vernacular expressions. These colorful phrases have a wide currency, but how do we translate them into other languages?
In 2020 Taiwan Panorama collaborated with the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) to organize a forum on translation, where three of our senior translators—Robert Fox, Yukina Yamaguchi, and Temmy Wiryawan—interacted with some 200 high-school students and teachers. They looked back on the early days of their careers and shared many memorable events and challenges they have encountered as translators.
A multilingual, multicultural magazine
Taiwan Panorama’s editor-in-chief Ivan Chen opens the forum by playing a photomontage video on Taiwan’s ethnic diversity, illuminating how the magazine has been crossing ethnic and linguistic divides over the years to present this nation’s mixed cultural heritages. Chen says that Taiwan, despite being a small place, is home to people from many different ethnic backgrounds, who all work hard to improve our lives on the island. “This is what motivates Taiwan Panorama’s long-term commitment to multilingual communication, and this is one of the reasons why we are holding this forum.”
Our three translators share their experiences passionately during the forum. Japanese translator Yukina Yamaguchi’s small physique belies her steely resolve. She started to learn Mandarin at the age of 26, determined to master the language by 30 and to make a living out of it. Yamaguchi subsequently married a Taiwanese person and moved to this country. It was during her second year here that she embarked on her long career in translation and interpretation.
Robert Fox, who has been working as a Chinese-English translator for 14 years, begins his talk with a greeting in fluent Taiwanese, winning loud and excited applause from the audience.
Temmy Wiryawan, our Indonesian translator, entered the industry by sheer accident. When he was still in Indonesia teaching Mandarin, a chance encounter brought him a translation job at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: “I never ever imagined that while working at a tutoring company I would meet someone who could introduce me to a job at the UN.”
Wiryawan is happy to put his expertise to use. During the pandemic, he has been translating the government’s anti-Covid measures and public health policies into Indonesian, enabling Indonesian people to keep pace with Taiwan’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The joys and sorrows of translation
A translator’s life is full of colors. The speakers have all encountered many unforgettable things throughout their careers. Our host Professor Chen Tze-wei, who teaches in the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation at NTNU, remembers traveling to Switzerland as a young interpreter with a group of government officials from Taiwan. One evening, they attended a banquet hosted by the Swiss president at the famous Hotel President Wilson on Lake Geneva.
Cordiality reigned, and many a toast was raised. Representatives of different countries came and chatted with the leader of the Taiwanese group. Chen had barely started on his soup when he had to put down his cutlery and focus on the task of interpreting. Throughout the feast, the representatives enjoyed the food and the conversation to their hearts’ content, but Chen could only watch the delicious dishes come and go, one after another. “I didn’t even get to touch the lobster,” he quips.
Wiryawan also enjoys a vibrant life as a translator. He often gets to see political leaders and celebrities in person. He is even called upon to work at closed-door international meetings, where he has access to classified information.
Taiwan Panorama’s translation forum aims to show high-school students an exciting career path, giving them a new option to consider.
Translating the first person
Sometimes a literal translation does not do justice to what is really meant. Yamaguchi remembers translating an article on a beauty pageant from Chinese into Japanese. The author used an abundance of traditional literary expressions to describe the contestants. As these phrases have no Japanese counterparts that capture the same charm, Yamaguchi had to translate them in more prosaic terms. “This was the most untranslatable article I’ve ever worked on,” she says.
As another example, the first-person pronoun “I” in English has more than ten counterparts in Japanese, so you need to think very carefully before you can settle upon the most appropriate translation.
There are also many first-person phrases in Chinese. The students in the audience come up with several examples signifying a wide range of registers, from literary to vulgar expressions, from pronouns used by ancient royalty to those wielded by thugs. These examples show us that a translator has to go far beyond rendering the literal meaning of each and every word in the original text.
Self-discipline is vitally important for freelance translators. Fox jests that he watches Netflix and checks Facebook and Instagram all day. But he repeats this mantra three times in a serious voice: “You have to get the work done.”
Get a grip on your mother tongue
Our three speakers all urge the students to learn Mandarin well if they wish to become translators. The acquisition of foreign languages should rest upon the solid foundation of one’s native language. As Yamaguchi observes: “To hone your translation skills, first of all you have to be adequately versed in your mother tongue.”
Wiryawan says: “If you go and work overseas, your mother tongue will be your biggest strength and advantage.” Professional translators have to reach a high level of proficiency in their native languages.
Fox recommends aspirants to make a habit of reading and writing so as to understand the cultures of the languages they wish to work with. If there is anything you do not understand, you “have to consult other people” before proceeding to translate it.
Translation is an art
“A career in translation is premised on your language skills,” Chen Tze-wei concludes, adding that translation also involves technical, linguistic, philosophical, and cultural thinking. Taking the opportunity to plug his own institution, he encourages the students to consider studying in the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation at NTNU in the future.
Following the panel discussion, Chern Chiou-lan, dean of NTNU’s College of Liberal Arts, reminds us: “Translation is not just a job. It has another level of significance—it is an art.”
Daniel Hu, chair of the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation, quotes the Irish writer Oscar Wilde on the importance of getting to know our native language through foreign languages. By means of translation, we are able to gain insights into various languages and, “most importantly, to know ourselves.”
Language makes communication and interaction possible. Through translation, we can cultivate sympathy and compassion and overcome national and ethnic differences, opening windows on a wider world.
