Recently, we ‘ve been talking about the differences between translation and Contrastive analysis (estructuras comparadas) so I thought it would be useful to clarify these concepts to understand what is more convenient in terms of leaning. Contrastive analysis is the systematic study of a pair of languages with a view to identifying their structural differences and similarities; something I usually use in intermediate-higher English levels since adds a comprehensive understanding of a grammar point. Translation is another story. A common misconception is that anyone who can speak a second language will make a good translator. A good translator understands the source language well, has specific experience in the subject matter of the text, and is a good writer in the target language. Moreover, he is not only bilingual but bicultural; which means there should be a broad understanding of how a language works (contrastive analysis) and a deep knowledge of the social and technical aspects of what it is being translated. I always recommend people to use good dictionaries to look up words,after all you are being fluent in two languages!
Note: The Diccionario de La Real Academia Española can be found in the dictionary links.
Thank you for reading. Teacher Silvia
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