Who translates? Summary

This week, we’ve looked at the figure of the translator in history and in the contemporary world. We’ve learned that translators come in all sorts of shapes and sizes from courtroom interpreters to multilingual speakers, from monarchs to migrants. We’ve also explored the differences between translators and interpreters. And we’ve found that they require different sets of skills, and they follow different codes of conduct. Yet both translators and interpreters encounter linguistic difficulties and ethical dilemmas. And they’re both vital to enable communication at different levels of society. Next week, we will be looking at where translation takes place. And we’ll be exploring the different environments where translators work– hospitals, courtrooms, museums. And we’ll also look at the multilingual landscapes that they inhabit.