Poll: How would you rate your ability to translate your own writing accurately and naturally? Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How would you rate your ability to translate your own writing accurately and naturally?".
View the poll results »
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First of all, translate into what language? Professionally, I only translate into my native language from French, English, Spanish and Italian, except for email correspondence. Let's just say that I have no difficulties in English and French, but Deepl has been a good help in Spanish and Italian…
| | | | Kay Denney 
Франција
Local time: 08:57
француски на англиски
If I'm translating something I've written myself, it will obviously be excellent because I am more than familiar with what the writer is trying to express, and I won't use any of those PITA words that give me grief in translation.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Италија
Local time: 08:57
англиски на германски
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Does the series of hardly understandable or lacking sense polls continue?
If you write in your native language, what's the point in translating it?
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Lieven Malaise
Белгија
Local time: 08:57
Член (2020)
француски на холандски
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My ability to avoid a headache because of nonsensical poll questions, however, seems to be rather poor. Perhaps an idea for the next poll question: "Do poll questions generally provide you with a headache?"
I can't wait for the interesting debate that will surely follow. We could elaborate and start discussing which painkiller is the best. So many exciting opportunities.
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Германија
Local time: 08:57
англиски на германски
+ ...
Why would I translate my own writing?
I mean, I will occasionally DeepL my English LinkedIn posts to German for the heck of it/to document the ridiculous results of the self-proclaimed "world's most accurate translator". But that's to document that said "world's most accurate translator" is anything but accurate and natural.
| | | | Daryo
Local time: 07:57
српски на англиски
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| If I couldn't translate my own writing | Apr 22, 2025 |
it would be quite worrying, wouldn't it?
Not sure it would sound 'natural', but if for sure would be the most accurate translation possible. If I don't know what I wanted to say, who else will?
I can see how this could sound like a really strange question - how often would you need to translate your own writing? Not saying it couldn't happen but for most people it would be: never!
BTW the resident bug is still there, no one bothering it:
Curren... See more it would be quite worrying, wouldn't it?
Not sure it would sound 'natural', but if for sure would be the most accurate translation possible. If I don't know what I wanted to say, who else will?
I can see how this could sound like a really strange question - how often would you need to translate your own writing? Not saying it couldn't happen but for most people it would be: never!
BTW the resident bug is still there, no one bothering it:
Current translator poll
How would you rate your ability to translate your own writing accurately and naturally?
By anonymous
Excellent
Very good
Good
Ok
Needs work
Avoid it!
N/A (please share)
You have not voted on this poll.
[View results]
[Discuss in forum (5)]
And when I go to [View results] - without voting:
How would you rate your ability to translate your own writing accurately and naturally?
By anonymous
Excellent 31.2%
Very good 29.2%
N/A (please share) 18.8%
Good 10.4%
Ok 4.2%
Avoid it! 4.2%
Needs work 2.1%
48 vote(s). You have voted on this poll.
[Discuss in forum (5)] ▲ Collapse
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I regularly write in my language of habitual usage, my source language. I write to the newspaper or for clubs I belong to, and I have no problems with translating what I write into English (my native language) if necessary.
I am sure there are plenty of multilingual users on this site who can write in one language for a given context, but can translate it into their other language(s) if needed.
For private purposes I translate both ways - and get someone to proofread my... See more I regularly write in my language of habitual usage, my source language. I write to the newspaper or for clubs I belong to, and I have no problems with translating what I write into English (my native language) if necessary.
I am sure there are plenty of multilingual users on this site who can write in one language for a given context, but can translate it into their other language(s) if needed.
For private purposes I translate both ways - and get someone to proofread my Danish if necessary, but not for informal purposes. ▲ Collapse
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| Why would I? | Apr 22, 2025 |
I guess I can translate my posts in various social media (other than that, I'm not a writer). One thing about them is that whenever I'm writing a post in English, I don't translate anything in my head, just switch over to my English-thinking self (not claiming that the quality of my English-thinking is off the charts). So, it never occurred to me I'd ever have to do such a thing. There was a poll question saying, "Do you still write?" What if this poll's question is also referring to handwriting... See more I guess I can translate my posts in various social media (other than that, I'm not a writer). One thing about them is that whenever I'm writing a post in English, I don't translate anything in my head, just switch over to my English-thinking self (not claiming that the quality of my English-thinking is off the charts). So, it never occurred to me I'd ever have to do such a thing. There was a poll question saying, "Do you still write?" What if this poll's question is also referring to handwriting? I doubt it, but whatever. Here is a piece of my (hand)writing that I could hardly translate today. Picked one where I wrote in English during university years. There's no way I could translate most of my notes, whether Russian or English: they are completely illegible to me now. This one is relatively nice: I can read parts of it
https://shorturl.at/n2Fz8 ▲ Collapse
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what it means...  If I'm translating my own writing, then I will have to translate it in a different language than my own and I wouldn't do that.
[Edited at 2025-04-22 11:26 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray
Холандија
Local time: 08:57
Член (2006)
англиски на африканс
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| Not better or worse | Apr 22, 2025 |
I usually translate from English to Afrikaans. If I were to write something in English, it wouldn't be any easier for me to translate that into Afrikaans than a text that was written by someone else. I might be able to capture the original author's intended meaning slightly better, since I might remember what my original intentions were. But I might just as well struggle to capture the intended meaning because all texts have ambiguity. I would likely just translate what is written, and not t... See more I usually translate from English to Afrikaans. If I were to write something in English, it wouldn't be any easier for me to translate that into Afrikaans than a text that was written by someone else. I might be able to capture the original author's intended meaning slightly better, since I might remember what my original intentions were. But I might just as well struggle to capture the intended meaning because all texts have ambiguity. I would likely just translate what is written, and not try to translate what I had originally meant.
Kay Denney wrote:
If I'm translating something I've written myself, it will obviously be excellent because I am more than familiar with what the writer is trying to express...
But if you do translate not that which is written but that which you had intended to mean when you originally wrote it, then you're not really translating accurately anymore. If you had intended to say X, Y and Z, but failed to capture all of that and only wrote X and Y, then it could be a mistranslation if your translation also says Z.
[Edited at 2025-04-22 12:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | From learned native Spanish (Mx) to mother language Dutch | Apr 22, 2025 |
I have been living in Mexico since 1980. Recently I finished my autobiographic book on my life between the 2 countries - my 2 chairs - in Spanish. While the writing is still in the editorial mill, I have been struggling back with it into my Dutch native from 45 years ago. It's been a good lesson. First, because it seems I lost some track of what is my native one now. Secondly, I have been wondering when the cable work in my brains got tangled such that I don't know what language is in the upper ... See more I have been living in Mexico since 1980. Recently I finished my autobiographic book on my life between the 2 countries - my 2 chairs - in Spanish. While the writing is still in the editorial mill, I have been struggling back with it into my Dutch native from 45 years ago. It's been a good lesson. First, because it seems I lost some track of what is my native one now. Secondly, I have been wondering when the cable work in my brains got tangled such that I don't know what language is in the upper drawer of my brains. Best regards. ▲ Collapse
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Daryo wrote:
BTW the resident bug is still there, no one bothering it:
Yes, this was another poll that had closed before I even saw it or had a chance to vote.
To address the question, if I'd written something in Greek I could produce a very good English translation. But it wouldn't really be a "translation". I would just be writing the same thing in English as I'd written in Greek, and the English version would probably be better, because I write English better than I write Greek.
I once had a short story I'd written (in English) translated into Greek for publication in a supplement to a daily newspaper, and the translation was much better than anything I could have managed by myself.
I had another piece translated into Mandarin, but I wasn't able to judge the quality of that .
| | | | | Missing poll | Apr 23, 2025 |
Philip Lees wrote:
Daryo wrote:
BTW the resident bug is still there, no one bothering it:
Yes, this was another poll that had closed before I even saw it or had a chance to vote.
And apparently it was deleted from the Proz website.
| | | | Daniel Frisano
Италија
Local time: 08:57
Член (2008)
англиски на италијански
+ ...
I consider myself (modestia a parte) a top-tier translator, yet when I tried to translate into English a story I wrote and published a few years ago, I got to about 1/3 and realised that what I was producing was but a heap of... well, a certain organic material that is not usually considered a paragon of excellence.
Good thing I found a fantastic translator in Sarah Jane Webb.
Occasionally I do write in English and translate into my native Italian, which should give muc... See more I consider myself (modestia a parte) a top-tier translator, yet when I tried to translate into English a story I wrote and published a few years ago, I got to about 1/3 and realised that what I was producing was but a heap of... well, a certain organic material that is not usually considered a paragon of excellence.
Good thing I found a fantastic translator in Sarah Jane Webb.
Occasionally I do write in English and translate into my native Italian, which should give much better results, yet I rarely end up as satisfied as when I translate someone else's work. Perhaps it's because I do a lot of mind reading while translating, and doing it on myself feels weird as heck... it's like my mind refuses to enter a feedback look. ▲ Collapse
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