Translation is…

Inés Alcolea – EN>ES – Murcia, Spain

“To me translation is the art and science of communication without cultures. Translation is the magic that translators do to change the shape but not the meaning. A person who reads the text in different languages must feel the same without noticing that he or she is reading a translation. “

Sarah Appleby – DE>EN – Derby, UK

“Translation is saying what needs to be said.“

Valérie Badoy – EN>FR – Paris, France

“To me, translation is like decoding a secret message.“

Percy Balemans – EN/DE>NL – Eemnes, The Netherlands

“Translation is not just about language and words, it allows us to truly understand people with a different cultural background.“

Laura Ball – DE>ES – Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

“Translation is a challenge that never stays still.“

“”Translation is absolutely Babelous.“

Patricia Barthélémy – EN>FR – Montreal, Canada

“Je ne saurai définir la traduction, mais je sais qu’elle permet un passage d’un univers à un autre. “

Charlie Bavington – FR>EN – Barnet, UK

“Translation is a means to end.”

Carol Bidwell – FR/DE>EN – Manchester, UK

“Translation is changing everything and nothing at the same time. It is about understanding the message behind the words and knowing how to reflect this in other words. It is a product, yes, but it is also the process of transformation. Translation is somewhere between algebra and writing, where each sentence is a potential riddle to be solved. Translation is a special way of thinking, where each word triggers a hundred others, and where the simplest of ideas can be the trickiest to convey.“

Herman Boel – EN/ES/FR>NL – Erembodegem, Belgium

“Translation is an art that unites people by sharing knowledge and understanding.“

Elisa Bonora – EN/ES>IT – Emilia Romagna, Italy

“Translation is the key to communication in the world. It unlocks a worldwide whirlwind of words, news, statements, questions, answers, feelings, stories… It’s a behind-the-scenes task that thousands of passionate individuals, just like you and me, painstakingly perform day after day, each of us creating a force – invisible yet immensely powerful – that joins the dots and draws the path of understanding. “

Lise Capitan – EN>FR – Paris, France

“Translation is lending a voice to characters/authors, so that a wider audience can enjoy them.“

Lisa Carter – ES>EN – Ottawa, Canada

“Translation is voicing the concept, sound, rhythm and intent of an original in another language.”

Marta Chereshnovska – EN>RU/UK – Ukraine

“For me translation is passion in the first place. It helps to build bridges between cultures and people, to reach understanding. And translators are like cultural ambassadors and mediators.“

Sandrine Constant-Scagnetto – EN>FR – Paris, France

“Translation is a great job where, on the same day, you might work on pacemakers or outboard engines, gain an insight into water resources in Africa or diabetes management, or spend a whole day quibbling with colleagues about the use of commas or capital letters. I am a happy translator and, as they say, translators never die: they just meet their final deadlines.“

Marie-Claire Cruz Schwarz – DE/EN/FR>ES,  ES/EN/FR>DE – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

“To me translation is a river where never ending words flow home. Wherever the water passes it transforms all on its way.  Translation is a dream come true of cultural approach between mankind, where I feel myself so little and so big at the same time, but grateful to be part on it, while building understanding.“

Emmanuelle Darut – EN/ES>FR – Blackmore, UK

“Translation is the key to discovering and understanding other cultures and people.“

Rocío Del Amo – EN/IT>ES – Madrid, Spain

“Translation for me is helping people in their communication needs and making information accessible for everybody independently of their language.“

Sarah Dillon – FR/DE/ES>EN – Brisbane, Australia

“Translation is a way to live my life in a fulfilling way, with flexibility, satisfaction, understanding, humanity, friendship & love.“

Carlos Djomo – EN>FR – Yaoundé, Cameroon

“Translation is a crossroads where people meet, learn, share, reach out, earn a living and boost businesses.“

Olga Dmitrieva – DE<>RU/EN>RU – Manheim, Germany

“Translation is… food for my brain.

Konstantina Drakou – EN/DE/SV – GR – Crete, Greece

“Translation is an art, a science, a passion, a way of life!“

Mariève Duchaine – EN>FR – Montreal, Canada

“La traduction est un moyen de communiquer au-delà des frontières. Elle permet de transmettre des messages et des renseignements qui, autrement, resteraient à l’intérieur des limites d’une ville, d’une région ou d’un pays. 
D’un point de vue plus personnel, la traduction est un moyen d’avoir la vie dont j’ai toujours rêvée. Je travaille à ma façon, je choisis mon horaire et mon lieu de travail, et je jongle avec les mots toute la journée. Je ne pourrais demander mieux!
J’exerce ce métier depuis seulement un an, mais jusqu’à maintenant, il est à la hauteur de mes attentes!“

Arantza Elosua – EN>ES – Stockbridge, UK

“Translation is the invisible art of researching and writing seamlessly in different languages.“

Sarah Fisher – DE>EN – Berlin, Germany

“Translation is primarily about helping others to communicate. Translation is a fine dance requiring both artistry and precision, creativity and knowledge of the rules. To translate you must know more than just a second language, but also another culture, history, people and context, because when we translate, we are communicating all of this.
Translation is what I do best.“

Brenda L. Galván – EN<>ES, FR>EN/ES – Corpus Christi, USA

“Translation is navigating on deep and marvellous oceans, transcending other worlds, bridging linguistic barriers, and the light of my life.“

Giorgia Garavini – EN/FR>IT – Leeds, UK

“Translation is improving communication by eliminating the division between borders.“

Danielle Gehrmann – IT>EN – Sydney, Australia

“Translation is the preservation and maintenance of multilingualism, multiculturalism and language rights.“

Else Gellinek – DE>EN – Muenster, Germany

“Translation is a way of discovering the wealth and variety of knowledge in the world and sharing it with others.“

Emma Goldsmith – ES>EN – Madrid, Spain

“Translation is learning more about two languages and a fascinating field every day.“

Sheila Gomes – EN>PT-BR – Curitiba, Brazil

“Translation is, above all, to enable communication and share information and knowledge, contributing towards enhancing fairness, growth and equality in human relations.“

Caroline Hartigan – NL>EN – Clare, Ireland

“Translation is central to cross-cultural communication and collaboration.“

Elizabeth Heighway – FR/DE>EN – Birmingham, UK

“Translation is travelling the world every day and still making it back in time for the school run.“

Kevin Hendzel – RU>EN  – Vienna, USA

“Translation is not about words. It’s about what the words are about.“

Julia James – DE<>EN – Hamburg, Germany

“Translation is… the bridge between two cultures/languages/countries.

… not only about words, it is about what is conveyed between the lines.

Translating is …writing

… about permeating the author’s ideas.

… the most exciting job.“

Vadim Kadyrov – EN>RU – Zaporizhia, Ukraine

“Translation for me is a way to develop my brain, if you like. I can play with words in different languages, 
which is a Rubik’s Cube for your head. Every sentence you translate makes you stronger intellectually. 
By the way, people often pay to get this kind of intellectual “workout”. “

Anna Kandula – EN>PL – Southall, UK

“Translation is building a bridge between people and their cultures. It’s connecting them and helping them to understand each other. It’s more than merely rendering words from one language to another, it’s re-creating notions and meanings to achieve different ways of thinking and perceiving the world. Sharing our cultures and learning about each other can help us to know each other better. Business translation could result in fruitful co-operation, while cultural translation – or transcreation and interpretation as well – could lead to new friendships. A translator is more than a walking dictionary, he or she is a cultural, international bridge builder.“

Polina Kaniuka – EN>RU/UKR – Lincoln, USA

“Translation is a vague attempt to to unite people under a universal language.“

Ty Kendall – HE>EN – Shrewsbury, UK

“Translation is being surprised, even after decades of familiarity with a language.“

Alexandra Kleijn – EN/NL>DU – Germany

“Translation is not just about words – it’s about conveying meaning.“

Jolanta Kulinska – EN>PL – Belfast, UK

“Translation is not just a job, but very much a way of life. I guess when you live in a bicultural and bilingual home with a toddler learning how to speak two languages, your work is never done. I love languages and the thrill of opening the door to a different culture. It makes me feel good to hold the metaphorical key.”

Veronica Lacchini – EN>IT – Birmingham, UK

“Translation is making the world a culturally richer place, one word at a time.“

Joseph Lambert – IT, FR>EN – Hull, UK

“‘For me, translation is a profession and a passion. Intercultural, interdisciplinary and worryingly invisible.“

Rafa Lombardino – EN/PT/ES>IT – California, USA

“Translation is what makes the world go round & people from different languages & cultures understand each other.“

Anna Lycett – EN>PL – Leeds, UK

“To me translation is a way forward in enhancing communication between different peoples and organisations.“

Arline Lyons – JA>EN – Zurich, Switzerland

“Translation is a way of bridging cultures to bring people together and make the foreign more familiar.“

Urška Madžarac – SL/DE/ES>EN – Slovenia

“Translation is overcoming difficulties, constantly learning and broadening your horizons. It’s challenging!“

Alessandra Martelli – EN/DE/ES>IT – Torino, Italy

“Translation is bridging ideas and information across languages and cultures.“

Melanie Martin – DE>EN – Smethwick, UK

“Translation is an invisible art form; an exceptionally translated text does not even appear to be translated.“

Valentina Massari – EN/DE>IT – Italy

“Translation is one of my biggest passion, it’s creating and shaping a message according to what my client needs. Translation is immersing a message in my own culture and language.“

Kartin Miladiyah – EN<>ID – Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia

“Translation is a process of a cultural shift into a target language in order to be accepted and understood.“

Marta Moreno Pérez – EN/FR>ES – Barcelona, Spain

“Translation is not only a professional activity, it is not only the action of transferring a text from one language into another. Translation is an attitude, a way of life (the real translator can’t separate the professional life from the personal one or switch off his translator mind, he loves his job, is informed about new trends and devices, takes decisions, never stops learning and protects the translation community). Without translation, there would not be a developed world or a wise humankind. Translation turns barriers down, brings people closer and leads to knowledge, improvement and development. Translation is a challenge, a journey to another culture, the window to wisdom.“

Pablo Muñoz Sánchez – EN>ES – Madrid, Spain

“Translation is the art of helping people to enjoy books, movies, games or any content you can imagine that are in another language.“

Ulrike Peters Nichols – EN<>DE – Leamington Spa, UK

“Translation is embracing your own culture through another and vice versa. It forces you to think about the concepts behind words and idiomatic expressions, through questioning and conveying them in another language. You feel enriched by the tool that seems so common-place most of the time: your language.“

Elina Ilaria Nocera – IT<>EN, FR,PT, ES>EN/IT – Perugia, Italy

“Translation is helping spread knowledge and understanding. It broadens horizons and yet makes the world a smaller place.“

Maéva Orsi – EN/IT>FR – Nantes, France

“Translation is connecting people, despite cultural barriers.“

Marek Pawelec – EN>PL – Poland

“Translation is a puzzle I love to solve and a craft I strive to excel in.“

Louise Péron – EN>FR – Brest, France

“Translation is building bridges beween cultures, therefore promoting a peaceful and open-minded world.“

Fabienne Perrot – EN/IT>FR – Cassis, France

“Translation is writing in one’s own  language a concept expressed in another language.“

Thomas Pfann – EN>DE – Woking, UK

“To me translation is a profession in which the old cliché of lifelong learning is not just an empty phrase but a necessity and daily reality. This keeps me on my toes and makes it so rewarding (at least most of the times).“

Dwain Richardson – ES/FR>EN – Montreal, Canada

“Translation is the bridge that connects source language authors with target language readers. Translation allows audiences to access written information in their language easily and effectively, thus avoiding several language barriers.“

Loreto Salas – EN>ES – Chile

“Translation is an art!“

“Translation is an activity that consists in being a telepath to read the mind of someone who wrote confusing documents.“

Sadie Scapillato – FR>EN – Hamilton, Canada

“Translation is about respect — respect for the author, for the client, for the source and target languages, and for the reader. It’s a balancing act.“

Aniello Scognamiglio – EN/IT>DE – Munich, Germany

“Translation is a major enabling factor that keeps the world around us moving. It is a production factor just like labour, land and capital.“

Dennis Seine – EN>NL – Portland, USA

“Translation is my small contribution to people connecting worldwide through language.”

Jose Sentamans – EN/DE/CA>ES – Valencia, Spain

“Translation is building bridges between cultures and people.”

Sarah Silva – DE>EN – Maidstone, UK

“For me, translation is enabling international communication and a way of getting paid for doing something I love!“

Ellen Singer – ES/NL>EN – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

“Translation is converting the meaning and style of a text into the same meaning and style in another language if and when appropriate.“

Katarzyna Slobodzian-Taylor – EN/DE>PL – London, UK

“To me translation is a fascinating career which allows me to develop expert skills and knowledge. I take pride in being a professional who offers specialised services to demanding clients. I also enjoy the satisfaction I get from running my own freelance translation business.“

Victoria Soledad – EN>FR – Espoo, Finland

“Most people need to work.I need to work. Translation is the job I can do for even more than 8 hours a day,5+ days a week and still be happy.“

 Stephanie Taif – EN>FR – Marseille, France

“Translation is more than a job, a state of mind! “

Karen Tkaczyk – FR>EN – Nevada, USA

“Translation is my stimulating, fulfilling profession.“

Raluca Maria Topala – EN>RO – Bucharest, Romania

“Translation is the art of bringing together cultures, people, hearts and minds, of helping people expand their horizons, their knowledge, their businesses. The most powerful instruments of translators cannot be seen – their own hearts and minds.“

Tetyana Voytenko – DE/UK/RU>EN – Salzburg, Austria

“Translation is the engine of global communication. “

Sabrina Wagner – DE>EN – Manchester, UK

“Translation is the joy of working with different languages and cultures and the art of rendering texts comprehensible for people with different linguistic backgrounds.“

Matthew Young – JA>EN – Ingleton, UK

“Translation is a direct link to the most carefree and exciting years of my life.“

Kai Zimmerman – RU<>DE, EN<>DE, RU<>EN – Borken, Germany

“Translation is my way of earning my living combined with the great opportunity to learn interesting things, meet interesting people and being my own boss.“

Maja Źrobecka – EN>PL – Polan

“Translation is helping people benefit from what speakers of other languages have to offer – translation is about making today’s world possible.“