Poll: Do you think working as a translator has had a considerable impact on your reading speed?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jul 18, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think working as a translator has had a considerable impact on your reading speed?".

This poll was originally submitted by Marcel Gomez. View the poll results »



 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:06
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
Yes Jul 18, 2018

I'm not entirely sure what the OP's aiming at with this poll: whether they mean reading speed in general or in our source languages in particular. If it is the latter, then the answer would be yes. Working as a translator keeps my fluency in my source languages bang up to date and I don't get the chance to get rusty, so I think that I can read source language texts considerably faster than if I was only dabbling occasionally for leisure purposes.

neilmac
Mariana Borio
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 02:06
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes Jul 18, 2018

I’m sure 40 years of professional practice has had a considerable impact on my reading speed, though probably more in my source languages than in my target language. Furthermore, when I worked in-house I learned how to speed read (one-day workshop) and some of the techniques I learned are useful to scan and skim documents…

Mariana Borio
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 03:06
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Jul 18, 2018

Not really. I think there is a difference between reading for pleasure and the speedier type of skim/scan reading mainly deployed in translation, at least in my case. I also tend to peruse things like newspapers or online stuff differently from, say, the book I'm currently reading for entertainment.

Natalia Pedrosa
 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
skimming Jul 18, 2018

I find the need to (1) get the idea for a provisional translation quickly, (2) to assess the complexity of a passage promptly to accept or reject that job, and (3) to proofread versions readily does improve my speed reading skills in my language pairs.

[Edited at 2018-07-18 11:38 GMT]


 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
Not sure about the speed, pretty positive about the quality Jul 18, 2018

I'm not sure I'm reading more quickly, but the translation activity has sure helped my close reading skills. I'm probably reading much at the same speed as before, but quite more carefully, at least when needed. Of course, it all depends on the reading context.

Now, if only I could stop noticing all these small errors when I'm not translating… (I have to make an effort to leave them be!)

By the way, there is small e-book I recommend. Its title could make you chuckle,
... See more
I'm not sure I'm reading more quickly, but the translation activity has sure helped my close reading skills. I'm probably reading much at the same speed as before, but quite more carefully, at least when needed. Of course, it all depends on the reading context.

Now, if only I could stop noticing all these small errors when I'm not translating… (I have to make an effort to leave them be!)

By the way, there is small e-book I recommend. Its title could make you chuckle, it's called:

How to Read a Paragraph (The Art of Close Reading)

PS: I remember reading a study which tracked the eye movement of an experienced reviewer versus the eyes of a good native speaker with subject-matter knowledge, and the difference was surprising. They reviewer's focus moved more slowly, but was more precise, with much less jumping around, and more errors spotted. I'll have to find it again sometime.

[Edited at 2018-07-18 13:14 GMT]
Collapse


Mariana Borio
 
R. Alex Jenkins
R. Alex Jenkins  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:06
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Maybe Jul 18, 2018

My reading speed has improved immensely, but my eyesight has deteriorated considerably too over the years, so it all balances out in the end .

[Edited at 2018-07-18 15:21 GMT]


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:06
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes: it has slowed me down Jul 22, 2018

I analyze sentences when I'm reading.

Mahmoud Helmi
 


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Poll: Do you think working as a translator has had a considerable impact on your reading speed?






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