Diary entry - I've just read an article about translation.

[Maybo]

This is an entry from my diary. Please check it and correct any mistakes.

I've just read an article about translation. An experience translator suggested that anyone who want to be a professional translator need to have a strong language skills in their native language. No matter how well a second language can a translator speak, the level of the second language might only as good as his native language and is hard to surpass it. I find that's very true when I'm learning languages.

 

[emsr2d2]

This is an entry from my diary. Please check it and correct any mistakes.

I've just read an article about translation. An experience translator suggested that anyone who wants to be a professional translator needs to have [strike]a[/strike] strong language skills in their native language. No matter how well [STRIKE]a second language can[/STRIKE] a translator can speak a second language, the level of the second language [STRIKE]might[/STRIKE] is probably only as good as, but not better than, [STRIKE]his[/STRIKE] their native language. [STRIKE]and is hard to surpass it.[/STRIKE]

I find that's very true when I'm learning languages.

Please note my corrections above. I'm not sure what you mean by your final sentence. Do you already speak one second language as proficiently as your native language?

 

[Maybo]

Please note my corrections above. I'm not sure what you mean by your final sentence. Do you already speak one second language as proficiently as your native language?

I'm not sure if it counts - I also grew up speaking Mandarin but I don't speak it as much as my native language Cantonese. They are both Chinese.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm not sure if it counts - I also grew up speaking Mandarin but I don't speak it as much as my native language Cantonese. They are both Chinese.

OK, but that means both of them are technically your native language. Therefore, your final sentence isn't really relevant to the situation because you're meant to be talking about a native language versus a learned second language. I think you should just say that you agree with the writer of the article.

 

[tedmc]

experienced translator

[STRIKE]a[/STRIKE] strong language skills

Mandarin is the official spoken language while Cantonese is a dialect of the Hong Kong people. The written language is the same but the spoke dialects are quite different. I think they are still considered the same language.