Have you ever attempted to translate a document from one language to another? If so, you are probably aware that online translation tools often prove to be inadequate substitutes for a professional translation. For full-length articles or long-form literary works, these online cut-and-paste tools fall even further from the mark.

Translators effectively re-create a work from one language into another, checking for consistency of tone and ensuring that the original meaning is maintained. They may also review an existing translation for accuracy. Unlike interpreters, who paraphrase the spoken word in real time, translators focus on the written word, taking their time to develop the closest possible approximation to the original meaning.

As part of our mission statement here at Westwood Press, we seek to edit and publish literature that promotes a shared and sustainable future. As bilingual anthropologists, one way we pursue this lofty goal is by disseminating cultural understanding through translation. Since to translate language is to translate culture, translation allows “other” people to be understood and opens up new insights into our own way of writing, thinking, and being.

To read more about literary translation, click here.