Translating is generally labelled as the process of reading, understanding, interpreting and reproducing a certain document that originated in one language to another. A skilled translator should possess the ability to translate ideas, style and expressions, not just words. According to C.A Finch, “Translation is like stewed strawberry. It has form, flavour and utility, but it’s not the real thing.”
There are four various steps in translation that form the decoding process: the first step involves reading and comprehension; the second step is semantic analysis; the third step is the morphological and lexical analysis, which handles keywords; and the fourth step is the ontic analysis that deals with cultural aspects.
Being devoted to the original text is the basic responsibility of a translator. Cross-culture differences create a gap between people, and so a translator must know how the original text or message is conveyed in the source language, and how it will be delivered to a foreign reader or customer in the target language. How will the reader understand culture differences will depend on the translator’s experience and skill, thus, it must be accurately done.
Both languages should be mastered by the translator to produce a comprehensible output. It is vital that the translator displays knowledge and experience in the source and target language, and emphatically, to the subject content. In addition, subject theme can be studied, but target language experience requires some time to attain.
“To translate is to say in another language what has been written keeping the semantic and stylistic equivalence,” according to an unknown author. Translators basically play the role of people providing, though not perfect, refined conversion of language to another language.