Quiz: How much do you know about translation?

The more you know about a product or service, the better equipped you are to make advantageous decisions. Here is a little quiz about Spanish translation:

1. How are translating and interpreting different?

a) Translation is spoken; interpreting is written. b) Interpreting is spoken; translation is written. c) Translation is done with a computer; interpreting is done with a microphone. d) All of the above.

2. Does being bilingual mean that you are a translator?

a) Yes, always. b) No, never. c) Yes, if you have the right training and skills. d) None of the above.

3. Why is it important for translators to translate into their native language?

a) It's not. It's better to translate into the language they learned. b) Because no matter how good they speak their source language, it will never surpass their ability to speak their native language. c) Because they understand computer programs in their native language. d) All of the above.

4. Will machine translations (MT) take over human translations?

a) Yes, the repetitive part such as technical manuals. b) Not entirely. Legal texts are too subjective to be translated by machines. c) Yes, sometimes. Despite poor quality, people will continue to consult Google Translate. d) All of the above.

5. Which of these languages are dialects of Spanish?

a) Portuguese b) Catalan c) Romanian d) None of the above

6. A native speaker is:

a) Someone who speaks a foreign language. b) Someone who went to a bilingual school. c) Someone who was raised speaking his/her primary language from birth and was educated in that language too. d) None of the above.

7. Why is using Google Translate much worse than hiring a freelance translator.

a) It is wildly inaccurate and returns garbage. b) It is not cost effective. c) It can't translate PDFs. d) All of the above.

8. The source language is:

a) Where a river starts. b) The language the translator translates into. c) The language the translator translates out of. d) All of the above.

9. The target language is:

a) Bullseye. b) The language the translator translates into. c) The language the translator translates out of. d) All of the above.

10. A cognate is:

a) A word that looks the same/similar in two languages. b) A word that sounds the same/similar in both languages c) A word that is an anagram of another. d) None of the above.

11. A translator should always specialize in one or a few fields.

a) No. He/she should translate all subjects. b) Yes, always. c) Sometimes—if asked to. d) All of the above.

12. A translator should never miss a deadline!

a) Yes, true. b) No, never. c) Yes, depending on the circumstances. d) None of the above.

Answers

1. a 2. c 3. b 4.d 5.d 6.c 7.a 8.c 9.b 10.d 11.b 12.c