In the diverse working environment nowadays, a translator is currently seen as the minor part of the workforce. When you ask a group of elementary students what will they be, a translator might not be the most favorable one. In fact, the profession is not popular enough to be mentioned, not only by those students but also by the people surround you.
The next question might be, what makes the profession unpopular? What exactly they do as a translator? As the name, they translate from a source language to the other language. Most people saw this job as an easy job since you can do that as long as you understand two different languages. However, when you look at the bigger picture by analyzing both skill required and the implication of this job, you will be amazed.
One of the best skill own by the great translator is they are not only making sure the message is well delivered but also being a subject-matter expert at the same time. If you think that translating is as easy as using the google translate, you have made a big mistake. You need the skill to understand what the words or sentences are about, and what the material is about. Because being a translator also means being a multiple subject-matter experts. If it is about science, then they need to learn about science. If it is about constitution law, then they need to learn about constitution law. This is also one of the benefits of being a translator. You are working and learning about various things at the same time.
The bigger picture of the translating also can be seen by its further implication. It means what happen after the translator finishes their job. There might be the various implication, but one of the best one is they help create a global environment. The translation result could be anything. It could be a book, journal, movie subtitle or even website content. These materials later being translated and help the words spread all over the world. Therefore, it creates a global environment where each person in the world is living in the same access toward the materials. Translation allows people from different countries to watch the same movie, reading the same book, or even access the same websites.
Even though the translator job might look easy or unpopular, there are the required skills for this position which is not own by just anyone. This job also having a great role in creating the global environment and spreading the knowledge all over the world. When you looking at the bigger picture of translating, you will realize how important the job is.