The notion of translational expertise

Spencer Allman MITI

Translators are frequently called upon to state the subjects in which they have expertise. The idea that a translator should have expertise in the subject matter which he/she is translating appears to me to be something of a bogus one. The idea of a ‘legal translator’, for example, seems impossibly ambitious, given that lawyers in real life are usually concerned with a comparatively narrow area of the law (conveyancing, litigation, corporate contracts, etc.).

Even if the translator has ‘expert’ knowledge of the subject matter of a given text it is probably not anywhere near the same level as that of the person who authored the text. The problem has been addressed to some extent lately by agents and work providers who prefer to use terms such as ‘competence’ and ‘experience’ when compiling information on their translators’ abilities. This talk looks at some of these issues, and especially how they might impact on the ‘hierarchy of expertise’ between translator and reviser in the revision of translations in specialist areas. Some areas to be discussed might include music, medicine and the environment.