In a recent article by Viet Nam News, a prominent Vietnamese writer and translator talks about his experience with Vietnamese translation. Writer Nguyễn Thành Nhân has translated more than 30 books into Vietnamese. He recently introduced two new translations, Thomas Hardy’s The Return of The Native and Virginia Woolf’s Jacob’s Room. In the article, Quỳnh Yên interviews Nhân about the relationship between translation and writing.

He speaks about the importance of translation when it comes to classic works of fiction. As many classic books have yet to be translated to Vietnamese, there is a large portion of the population who will miss out if they are not translated well. 

He says, “Each work has different ideological issues and my mission is to convey the message of the writer. Each writer has his/her own style. When translating I try to keep their style.” 

This is important in all aspects of translation. When a writer creates something, whether it be a creative piece or business content, the writer conveys their own style in their work. This can often be lost if the translator is not careful. The original work itself must not only convey the same meaning, but must also convey the writer’s skill. This is a creative process in which the translator must decide how best to convey the writer’s message and style. 

Nguyễn Thành Nhân also explains how being a writer helps him with his translations. He says, As a writer I can be flexible in the translation process. When the translator is a writer, the vocabulary will be more abundant.” 

At TransTrust, we understand the importance of not only translating content accurately, but also keeping the same style. We believe this is especially important when working with brands. We know that each brand that comes to us has their own voice, and is looking to connect with certain types of audiences. When you work with TransTrust, you can guarantee that your brand’s individual and unique voice will not be lost in translation.