How easy it is to explain failure and put the blame on "trained translators, who underestimate the domain" and "linguists, who stick to the source text".

How about looking at root causes instead? Could be systemic, like working conditions, deadlines, rates, lack of access to context/purpose/audiences - or could be individual, like ignorance, greed, desperation. (Well, greed goes on all sides actually).

So, next time we feel the urge to quickly put everyone in the same bucket, let's qualify the noun with a "some": *Some* translators do this, *sometimes* linguists do the other. It's the least we can do if we don't have access or the time to look underneath the hood.

#linguists #translators #translation

17 June 2026