Jakarta speaks in many languages, giving added importance to Tirza Reinata’s job as a translator. For her, it is about more than merely translating a document or interpreting a meeting: it’s about bridging the communication gap and transferring ideas from one culture to another.

Today, the 25-year-old alumnus of the University of Indonesia tells My Jakarta about her passion for language, the importance of the role of a translator, the need to keep secrets and her experience translating Indonesian jokes.

Why did you choose to work as a translator and interpreter?

I love language. In this job, you have the opportunity to bridge the communication gap. I believe that one of humanity’s biggest problems is miscommunication, so it’s good to be part of the solution. Also, this is a well-paid job, something that is quite rare in Indonesia.

What are the main challenges of the role?

Contrary to popular belief, translation is not merely converting words from English to Indonesian and vice versa. It’s about transferring ideas and the context to another language, while maintaining accuracy and adjusting to the local culture in the target language, to ensure that the reader will understand the ideas linguistically but also understand what the original author wants them to feel. Jokes and local customs are among the most challenging topics to translate.

Which one you prefer, translating or interpreting?

Both have their own benefits and challenges. Translating documents is not time-bound; you have more time to edit and proofread the translation result, thus minimizing the chance of error. But in terms of payment, it is not as well-paid as interpreting. On the other hand, the best thing about interpreting is you are exposed to different topics and people. The pay rate is higher than for translating, but the chance of error is very big, especially when you are doing simultaneous interpreting, where you provide a verbal translation while people continue to talk about complicated ideas that need your full attention. This is challenging when it is a full-day meeting or workshop. More.

See: The Jakarta Globe