Write right

I think an important aspect of translation that perhaps needs to be focused on more is that translators are also writers and being able to write effectively in the target language is as important as being able to understand the source text. I know that I have encountered quite a few situations were I have struggled with a sentence, not because I didn't understand it but because I was having trouble expressing it, only to have a more experienced writer (i.e. translator) provide a succinct and smooth sentence that was exactly what I wished I had written. I've written before that a translation fails if it doesn't help the author communicate with his audience and being able to write well gives us the tools to do that. I'm not sure that this is receiving the attention that it deserves. I've seen a lot of recommendations for translators that suggest taking a course in your field of interest or attending industry conferences and even at MAJIT the emphasis was in other areas. Whereas, effective writing is a skill that can be applied in any field, regardless of speciality.

Personally, I tend to place an emphasis on target language writing ability, even though it is something I struggle with a lot and I'm not as good as I'd like to be. Whenever I am asked about translating, I am always make a point of telling people that it is important to be able to write well in your native language, which is most people's target language. I collect reference books on writing in English (I was ridiculously excited when my copy of Strunk and White arrived and recommend it to everyone), which I am almost constantly using. I even once took a class in effective writing as an elective (although, I've also taken classes in music history and astronomy, so it's probably not worth much).

I'm not in a position to be sure but I suspect that here is a big part of the difference between being a good translator and being a great translator.