Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Translation Confessional
Episode: Translating Into Your Second Language
Description: Five years ago, I wrote an article in Portuguese for Ponte de Letras, a collective blog created by four translators I admire, who translate books in Brazil. The subject they wanted me to write about was something that many people still consider a mortal sin in translation: translating into your second language.
According to the “urban legend,” a translator can only translate into their native language, the one they’ve been speaking since they were born. However, when it comes to language knowledge and fluency, there’s no black and white―there’s a big gray area. And, as I me...