A key moment arrives in most translation projects: the work shifts from technicians to making high-stakes choices. As a translator, the real challenge is bridging the untranslatable gap between languages. At this juncture, the decisive factor is not language itself, but the thought process guiding every choice. For a long time, I would make that […]
This article continues The Translator Who Takes Everything. We examine how freelance translators can avoid the generalist trap. If you missed the previous article, start there. The last piece ended with a question: What do I want to go big on? Most translators never sit with this simple question long enough to answer it. Discomfort […]
There is a Hausa word, kawalwalniya, that describes a mirage. From a distance, it looks like water, like relief, like something worth walking toward. Only when you get close do you realize there was never anything there. Generalism in translation is a mirage. To outsiders, translators who accept every job seem productive and versatile. They […]
