8.3 Conclusion

In this last lesson we offered tips on how to use dictionaries most to your advantage; we recommended using a variety of resources including bilingual and monolingual dictionaries both in printed form and online. As translators we utilize dictionaries as tools which can be helpful to decipher the meaning of the source text and choose apt words to transfer this message into the target language. However, we need to remember that dictionaries cannot always capture all nuances of meaning and must not allow the authority of the dictionary to inhibit us from making decisions in translation based on our own intellect and language proficiency.

We then analyzed the most important concepts we've learned in this course in terms of how they help us to translate the message of the source text and not to mirror the form of the source language. This was to emphasize our principle objective - to achieve idiomatic translation: translation in which the target text reflects the exact message of the source text in a manner that is naturally expressed in the target language. After exploring many theoretical topics and practical examples throughout this course, we've come full circle to rethink the basic concepts we learned in Lesson One in light of all the new knowledge we've gained since then.

Becoming familiar with these concepts is only useful insofar as one is able to apply them when practicing translation. At first it might feel overwhelming to try to keep so many ideas and strategies in mind when performing a translation, but with practice, these will become a natural and automatic part of your process. We encourage you to continue practicing, as it is only with abundant practice that one's translation skills can develop and improve. It is also a good idea to keep copies of your homework assignments from this course, as well as copies of any further translations you perform for work or for practice, as this will allow you to observe your progress and analyze the areas you can continue working on sharpen your skills. In the end, establishing an organized methodology and getting as much practice as possible will make the difference in helping you achieve the best results in translation.