The Good Translator. Emic-cum-etic perspectives on translator competence and expertise

Abstract

Translator competence and expertise has been the object of much scholarly reflection and research, but studies that address practitioners’ perspectives on the topic remain limited. This article reports on research in which we subjected a theoretical model of translator competence to discussion among translators and elicited their own reflections on the topic, thus combining the scholarly or etic perspective with the emic view of practitioners. Through focus groups, individual interviews and a follow-up workshop, twelve trained and experienced Danish translators circled in what, in their view, it takes to be a good translator. The participants confirmed the relevance of the competence categories of the model up for discussion – Language competence, Thematic and cultural competence, Instrumental competence, Service provision competence and Methodological and strategic competence – but added two distinct capabilities: Prioritisation competence and Overview competence. They also listed various Personal qualities, dispositions and attitudes that the good translator must possess: thoroughness, diligence, curiosity, inquisitiveness, resilience, openness to criticism, knowledge of one’s own competences and limitations, flexibility, adaptability, cooperativeness, empathy, creativity and courage. While the translators recognised the importance of training, they foregrounded experience from practical translation work as a key component of professional competence and a main vector of competence acquisition.