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Poll: Would you consider yourself a cultural expert in the languages in which you work?
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ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
PERSONAL DEL LLOC
Mar 6

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Would you consider yourself a cultural expert in the languages in which you work?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:06
Mebre des-de 2007
Anglès a Portuguès
+ ...
No Mar 6

I live within my culture, but I am not a cultural expert. I consider myself simply a translator…

Sandra Boca
ipv
Mario Chávez
Ana Cravidao
Lingua 5B
expressisverbis
neilmac
 
Mario Chávez
Mario Chávez
Estats Units d'Amèrica
Local time: 01:06
Mebre des-de 2024
Anglès a Espanyol
+ ...
Not a cultural expert Mar 6

Let's start by defining what a cultural expert is. Right! There's no standard definition except those provided by the cultural experts themselves. Very postmodernist and useless.

MC

Daryo
Josephine Cassar
neilmac
Philip Lees
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bòsnia i Hercegovina
Local time: 06:06
Mebre des-de 2009
Anglès a Croat
+ ...
Cultural expert Mar 6

Mario Chávez wrote:

Let's start by defining what a cultural expert is. Right! There's no standard definition except those provided by the cultural experts themselves. Very postmodernist and useless.

MC


An expert would know more details about history, tradition, music, etc. of a certain region than an average citizen.

Juan Jacob
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 05:06
Mebre des-de 2015
Anglès a Portuguès
+ ...
No Mar 6

A skilled translator certainly needs deep cultural awareness to work with nuances, idioms, and context correctly... but a cultural expert? No, I'm not, I'm a translator first of all.
That would imply mastery on a level that even native speakers might not claim.
I speak for myself. I can be highly knowledgeable, well-researched, and deeply aware of cultural nuances, but that doesn’t mean I know everything... even in my native language!

[Edited at 2025-03-06 15:24 GMT]

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
 
Denis Fesik
Denis Fesik
Local time: 08:06
Anglès a Rús
+ ...
No, and another (more vigorous) no Mar 6

There was a girl who got to like me because she had a problem believing I didn't come from ol' UK, but no. I don't understand you, speakers of English. I'm badly out of context when it comes to cultural things that originate in countries where people speak English. When I watch yet another video talking about 100% English-sourced super-hyped slang or memes, I know I'll forget about it tomorrow. I may be in a position to describe something as "very British," "very American," or even "very 19th-ce... See more
There was a girl who got to like me because she had a problem believing I didn't come from ol' UK, but no. I don't understand you, speakers of English. I'm badly out of context when it comes to cultural things that originate in countries where people speak English. When I watch yet another video talking about 100% English-sourced super-hyped slang or memes, I know I'll forget about it tomorrow. I may be in a position to describe something as "very British," "very American," or even "very 19th-century French" for that matter, but no. I'm a bad student (and do know my limitations as a translator) ▲ Collapse
 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
Francès a Anglès
+ ...
Please define 'cultural expert' Mar 6

Such a broad concept. Surely only someone striving for omniscience would see him/herself as a 'cultural expert'.


Lieven Malaise
Luis M. Sosa
Philip Lees
Maria Laura Curzi
expressisverbis
 


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Poll: Would you consider yourself a cultural expert in the languages in which you work?






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