[Originally published on 15 May 2014]

Being a translator is very challenging. First, you deal with all kinds of topics and you have to be able to master them in a short period of time. Then, you have to quickly find the right words in the language you are translating as you are reading the original text. Finally, you have to write a whole new text that makes sense, would be nice and easy to read, conveys the same meaning as the original text and doesn’t look like a translation… All of this with a short deadline in mind and a life to live (you know, eating, sleeping, family responsibilities, fun with friends…). It’s an almost impossible mission. No wonder translators become hermits and disappear from the world while they’re working.

So, here’s a challenge for you:

• Go to the internet and a find a text in your best foreign language;
• Translate it into your language;
• Count the hours of your work;
• Realise how tiresome it is.

Good luck!

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