A translator’s job is not just about translating each word in a sentence from one language to another. Translators must also concentrate on translating the writer’s original meaning. To do this, translators must think about groups of words or even pages of a book when they translate.

Translators must also think about the culture of the readers they are translating for. Often, ideas and even words are particular to one culture. So, translators must explain these cultural ideas. Sometimes, a translator can simply choose a different word to express a clearer translation of the writer’s meaning.

A good translation will be balanced. It will clearly communicate the writer’s ideas to a new culture. But, it will also represent the writer’s style. A bad translation does not capture the full meaning of words. And it does not make the reader feel the things the writer wants them to feel. A bad translation can completely change how people react to a book or an idea.

Translation has always been important for exchanging ideas between cultures. However, in the past, it was often difficult for writers to get their books translated. Large publishing companies were not interested in translating most books. Translation was expensive. It required difficult research. And communication between foreign writers and publishing companies could be difficult. As a result, only the best-selling books were translated to other languages.