Native Language

Submitted by Translation Journal on Sun, 08/01/2004 - 15:02

It used to be a "golden rule" of the translation profession that a translator should only translate into his or her native language.

Is this rule still valid? And what is "native language" anyway? What is the native language of the individual who was born in Germany to an American father and French mother, moved to Brazil at the age of 10, where he attended an English-language school, speaks English at home, Portuguese almost everywhere else, but has no foreign accent in French or German either?

And how about interpreters who routinely translate in both (or more) directions during the same session?


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