Research: An Essential Part of the Translation Process

There is a common misconception that translating is a simple, straightforward task. If you’re proficient in two languages, you should be able to instantly convert text from one to the other, right? Not really! I may know a lot of Spanish after studying it nearly my entire life, but that doesn’t mean I know every word and its intricacies. That’s why translation work almost always requires research.

I recently translated a document that primarily focused on business matters, but it also contained some medical and legal terminology. As a result, the translation required quite a bit of research. Aside from the usual need to look up unfamiliar terms and verify definitions or usage, I also had to do more in-depth research when it came to specialized medical and legal terms.   

For example, when I came across the name of a medical condition that I was unfamiliar with, I turned to WordReference (my favorite online dictionary) and Wikipedia (in both languages) for translation assistance and a basic understanding of the condition. Once I had what I thought was the appropriate English translation, I also did a quick Google search for the term and checked citations by reputable medical sources like national health agencies to verify the term’s accuracy and usage.

The text also referred to specific international legal agreements, so I found the official documents online for additional context and to ensure that the terminology I used in the translation matched the agreements when necessary.

If I hadn’t taken the time to do this research, the quality of the translation would have suffered. You can only ensure the accuracy of a translation if you’re willing to do the extra work required to fully understand the text.