Translators and Interpreters as Communicators: Ethics and Tips

Translation and Interpreting are forms of communication because the two activities are done for an audience, whether they are done online or offline. Translators and interpreters, therefore, are communicators who are responsible for getting across the right message or ideas from the text writers or the speakers to the audience. Errors in translation and interpreting can cause a world disaster as bad as the bombing in Japan in 1945. To avoid such a calamity, there are important points to be followed to render the right meaning in translation and interpreting, such as faithfulness in both written and oral translation and the principle of meaning over form. In interpreting, especially when time is a challenge, there are useful tips to fulfill these important points.