{"id":22719,"date":"2022-09-29T15:57:44","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T13:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/languagecentre.sun.ac.za\/book-chat-with-eduard-dk-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-09-30T10:20:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T08:20:40","slug":"why-translate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/why-translate\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do translators translate?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In celebration of Internationa<\/span>l Translation Day <\/span>on<\/span> 30 September, <\/span>w<\/span>e<\/span>\u2019ve<\/span> approached a few of the translators with whom the Language Centre collaborates<\/span> to <\/span>share with us why they do the work they do \u2013 <\/span>why do they translate<\/span>? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Read <\/span>on to see everything t<\/span>hey<\/span> say <\/span>\u2013 we think they are absolute superheroes!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Zama Bekweni says:<\/h2>

(isiXhosa\/English translator)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\u201c<\/span>Most useful information, <\/span>perhaps worldwide<\/span>, is made available in the English language. The rest of the people who do not understand that language are<\/span>, in a sense, <\/span>a<\/span> \u2018<\/span>forgotten peopl<\/span>e<\/span>\u2019<\/span>.<\/span> Translators, therefore, translate to make information available to such <\/span>\u2018<\/span>forgotten peopl<\/span>e<\/span>\u2019<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0 Every translated text moves the reader from a world of darkness to a world of light. How fulfilling!<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201c<\/span>Olona <\/span>lwazi<\/span> lubaluleke kakhulu, phantse kulo lonke ihlabathi, lufumaneka ngolwimi lwesiNgesi. Bona bantu abangalaziyo olo lwimi phantse bafana <\/span>\u2018<\/span>nabaphoswe kwelokulibala<\/span>\u2019<\/span>. Abaguquli-lwimi ke ngoko baguqula ulwimi ngenjongo yokuba ulwazi lufunyanwe nangabo <\/span>\u2018<\/span>baphoswe kwelokulibala<\/span>\u2019<\/span>. Oko kubhaliweyo kwaza kwaguqulelwa kolunye ulwimi kususa lowo <\/span>ukufundayo<\/span> ebumnyameni kumse ekukhanyeni. Ayindonwabisi ngako loo nto!<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Hendrien Swanepoel says:<\/h2>

(Afrikaans\/English translator)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\u201cGeorge Bernard Shaw once said: \u2018The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.\u2019 This \u2018illusion\u2019 \u2013 merely assuming that a message has been accurately conveyed and correctly understood \u2013 has been the cause of many a conflict. Therefore, I translate to make communication real and concrete for as many people as possible, particularly against the backdrop of our multilingual country where misunderstandings easily creep in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cGeorge Bernard Shaw het eenmaal ges\u00ea: \u2018Die heel grootste probleem in kommunikasie is die illusie dat dit plaasgevind het.\u2019 Daardie \u2018illusie\u2019 \u2013 die blote aanname dat \u2019n boodskap akkuraat oorgedra en reg verstaan is \u2013 was al die oorsaak van soveel onenigheid w\u00eareldwyd. Ek vertaal dus om kommunikasie vir soveel moontlik mense werklik en konkreet te maak, veral teen die agtergrond van ons meertalige land waar misverstande bitter maklik ontstaan.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Laetitia Bedeker says:<\/h2>

(Afrikaans\/English translator)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\u201c<\/span>People often ask me, <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Don\u2019t you get bored sitting in front of a computer all day translating?<\/span>\u2019<\/span> That\u2019s<\/span> laughable. Only this week, I translated mathematics, QR codes, an executive summary, <\/span>aircraft<\/span> instrumentation theory, medical <\/span>practice<\/span> and art history. How can that <\/span>possibl<\/span>y<\/span> be<\/span> boring? <\/span>It is my passion and I love every second of it<\/span>. My only regret is that I cannot remember every single fact \u2013 I would have been <\/span>the most intelligent <\/span>person <\/span>on earth<\/span>!<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201c<\/span>Mense<\/span> vra <\/span>dikwels, <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Raak jy nie verveeld om heeldag voor \u0149 rekenaar te sit en vertaal nie?<\/span>\u2019<\/span> Dis belaglik. Die afgelope week het ek wiskunde, QR-kodes, \u0149 <\/span>bedryfsopsomming<\/span>, <\/span>vliegtuiginstrumentasieteorie<\/span>, mediese praktyk en kunsgeskiedenis vertaal. Hoe kan dit vervelig wees? Dit is my passie en ek geniet elke sekonde daarvan. Al waaroor ek spyt is, is dat ek nie elke liewe feit kan onthou nie \u2013 ek sou die intelligentste mens op aarde gewees het!<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Ingrid Swanepoel says:<\/h2>

(Afrikaans\/English translator)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\u201c<\/span>I think I<\/span> translate because I am convinced that the world would have been <\/span>a very different<\/span> place if there had never been communication problems between people \u2013 and language is human beings\u2019 primary means of communication.<\/span> I like good, clear communication that starts at Point A and progresses logically to the end, regardless of whether the end is at Point B or Point Z. It gives me great satisfaction to translate a well-written message from one language to another and to do so clearly and economically, avoiding wordiness and high-<\/span>faluting<\/span>, ambiguous terminology. I like translating a text in such a way that the target readers enjoy reading or hearing it. <\/span>I<\/span>t\u2019s<\/span> an amazing feeling to know that I got a translation <\/span>just right<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

“Ek dink ek vertaal<\/span> omdat ek oortuig is dat die w\u00eareld heeltemal ‘n ander soort plek sou gewees het as daar nooit <\/span>wankommunikasie<\/span> tussen mense was nie, en taal is mense se prim\u00eare kommunikasiemiddel. Ek hou van goeie, duidelike kommunikasie wat by punt A begin en in logiese stappe by die einde kom, of die einde nou by punt B of punt Z is. Dit gee my ‘n besondere gevoel van genoegdoening om die boodskap in ‘n goeie teks in een taal klinkklaar, ondubbelsinnig en sonder <\/span>frilletjies<\/span> en valletjies oor te dra in ‘n ander taal. Ek hou daarvan <\/span>om ‘n teks s\u00f3 te vertaal dat die <\/span>teikenlesers<\/span> dit geniet om dit te lees of aan te hoor. Dis sommer net vir my vreeslik lekker om te weet ek stuur ‘n goeie vertaling die w\u00eareld in.<\/span><\/span> “<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Lee Beeslaar says:<\/h2>

(Afrikaans\/English translator)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\u201cI love words. Words direct our humanity. They have so much power \u2013 something that we are not always consciously aware of.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Ek hou van woorde. Woorde rig ons menswees.<\/span> Hulle<\/span> beskik oor soveel mag<\/span> \u2013 iets<\/span> waarvan ons nie altyd bewustelik kennis neem nie.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In celebration of International Translation Day on 30 September, we\u2019ve approached a few of the translators with whom the Language Centre collaborates to share with us why they do the work they do \u2013 why do they translate? Read on to see everything they say \u2013 we think they are absolute superheroes!\u00a0 Zama Bekweni says:(isiXhosa\/English...","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290,368,726,68,69],"tags":[1788,876,1791],"class_list":["post-22719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-and-communication-services","category-life-is-language","category-multilingualism","category-our-languages","category-recent-news","tag-international-translation-day","tag-translation","tag-translators"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22719"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23009,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22719\/revisions\/23009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zone.ladybugdigital.co.za\/taalsentrumdebug2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}