Howdy friends! To celebrate the upcoming International Translation Day I'm working on a new collaborative article and I invite you all to participate! ? Just answer one simple question: "What does being a translator mean to you?" Your answer should be no longer than 3-5 sentences. All your answers will be published on the 30th of September on The Open Mic! You can reply in this forum thread or post your answers on Twitter: <iframe data-s9e-mediaembed="twitter" allow="autoplay *" allowfullscreen="" onload="var c=new MessageChannel;c.port1.onmessage=function(e){style.height=e.data+'px'};contentWindow.postMessage('s9e:init','https://s9e.github.io',[c.port2])" scrolling="no" src="https://s9e.github.io/iframe/2/twitter.min.html#907317410251800576" style="background:url(https://abs.twimg.com/favicons/favicon.ico) no-repeat 50% 50%;border:0;height:250px;max-width:500px;width:100%"> Or Facebook: Thank you so much to everyone who will decide to participate!

Thanks for the question. Being a translator is a big challenge. You constantly have to cope with the feeling that things could have been made better and are challenged to reach new limits with each new assignment. It's up to you to develop yourself further and gain satisfied clients. Being a translator is a constant chase. You have to be up to date with different information which make the translation process easier each time. It's a big pond with the constant fear that you are going to drown. (bit gloomy ending)

Hi Dmitry, Translator is a nobleman or noblewoman who translates source language to target language. Also, he or she is a political researcher. President or classy politicians speak through translator. Translation is a critical job, and you may save the world by classy translation.

Hey @Dmitry ? What a great initiative. By translating you get to know the world, you connect individuals with the people that matter to them, you understand and value differences.

To me, translation means freedom. The freedom to choose your clients, your projects and the days or times you work. And above all the freedom to finally be able to combine, in a profession that pays well, a range of slightly odd skills – being fussy about grammar and spelling, enjoying research, knowing about a wide variety of obscure subjects, being perfectly happy working alone for hours or weeks at a time, loving to write... To me, being a translator is the best thing in the world!

To me being a translator means omnipresence. You give a lot to a translation: time, dedication, struggle to find the right words etc. By doing so, your translation carries something that is truly yours. Eventually your work will be published and sent in different countries and to different people. That's why I call it omnipresence. ?

Being a translator means that I can balance being in- and outside of projects, discussions, negotiations - I am more of an observer than a participant, and this is a role in which I feel very comfortable. I see translation as my way of having an impact on the world and influencing, enhancing the success of my clients. It is a calling of sorts.

Being a translator means putting all of my passion. Because I have always loved languages and foreign peoples. Because I worked very hard in search for my own language. Because my long road searching meant engaging in intercultural communication. Because I discovered my place in the world that way!

tralangia Thanks for the contributions @tralangia ! If you don't mind I'll leave out the gloomy part ? I'm trying to focus on something more uplifting ?

amirsalr amirsalr Translation is a critical job, and you may save the world by classy translation. Very interesting way to put it, @amirsalr ! ?

eleonorang By translating you get to know the world, you connect individuals with the people that matter to them, you understand and value differences. What a wonderful sentiment @eleonorang ! Thanks for sharing!

What does being a translator mean to you? ?

Dmitry

JaneD

JaneD To me, being a translator is the best thing in the world!

I wholeheartedly agree with you @JaneD! Thank you for sharing this! ?

Dmitry

Gentiana

Gentiana Eventually your work will be published and sent in different countries and to different people. That's why I call it omnipresence. ?

Good one @Gentiana! Thanks for sharing! ?

Dmitry

DianaJankowiak

DianaJankowiak enhancing the success of my clients

Thanks for this @DianaJankowiak! I think that role of a translator is often overlooked. We need to focus even more on that! Thanks for sharing!

Dmitry

fadesga Because I discovered my place in the world that way!

That's excellent! Thank you so much for sharing @fadesga!

ClaudiaBefu

JaneD You do make it sound like a great profession! ?

And it is ?

DKornyukhov

ClaudiaBefu Hear hear! 🙂

ClaudiaBefu

fadesga It's a great feeling, discovering your own place in the world... Did you also try other paths before deciding for translation?

Teresa

To me, being a translator means helping people gain access to information that otherwise would have been unavailable to them, and information is power. Besides, reading and practicing my languages are part of my job, but as they are activities I enjoy a lot, it doesn't feel like working at all. This is really the job I never knew I needed!

_marocca

Translation brings together lots of things that I love: storytelling, communication, learning (to name a few). Being a translator is bringing information, stories and culture from different parts of the world to people who might never have the chance of learning a second (or third) laguange. It means facilitating communication in small (individuals) and big scale (corporations). And I learn something new everyday! Either new words, or instructions to use a new equipment!

izabelcka

What does being a translator mean to you?

It means everything. Communication is key to everything. Without it, we are all lost. So I see myself as a Superwoman of languages. if I can help someone to clearly convey their message in another language then wam bam thank you maam'! ?

Dmitry

Thanks a lot for your contributions @izabelcka, @_marocca and @Teresa! I've added them to the article. ?

izabelcka

Dmitry Awesome!

ClaudiaBefu

Being a translator means, that I can help products, services and ideas to spread around the world.

Dmitry

ClaudiaBefu Very well put @ClaudiaBefu! Love it! Will add this to the post along with a link to your profile and website.

ClaudiaBefu

Dmitry Thank you so much, Dmitry! Really excited about the article ?

Teresa

Many thanks for letting us share our thoughts, @Dmitry! ?

Dmitry

Teresa It's my pleasure!

By the way, the article has been published and can be found here: https://theopenmic.co/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-translator/

Feel free to share and spread the joy ?

ClaudiaBefu

Thanks a lot for this article Dmitry! It was great to have The Open Mic celebrating the International Translation Day! ?

magagain

Hey, first of all it means that you can get in touch with different cultures all along and that feels just great. If you do agree, you should try learning something exotic, like russian with Russian language course Kiev

maysaa

What a great initiative.
To me, Being a translator means dream and passion. Translation is a great work connecting knowledge and culture from different languages together.