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【Abstract】Academic research has long focused on bilingual competence when it comes to translators’ skills. The author， however， shifts the attention to non-linguistic skills and gives solutions to the development of these skills.
【Key words】 translators; non-linguistic skills; approaches
【作者簡介】黄培鑫，广东科技学院。
Ⅰ. Introduction
The translation market abounds with both opportunities and challenges. With a view to assisting translators in professional development， this paper analyzes a crucial set of non-linguistic skills， including quick learning ability， sensitivity to cultural differences and mastery of state-of-the-art translation technology. Moreover， the paper examines threes approaches to developing these three skills.
Ⅱ. Three essential non-linguistic skills
1.Quick learning ability. Translators， often required to deal with texts which cover various fields， ranging medicine and law to engineering and construction， are supposed to be quick learners. They have to take in subject knowledge quickly in order to have a thorough understanding of the source texts （Sharkas， 2014）. A typical example is the word “term” （Olga， 2012）. He examines different meanings of this word in various contexts， arguing that without a correct understanding of legal knowledge， translators are very likely to misunderstand the word “term” and even the whole source text.
2. Cultural awareness. Sensitivity to cultural differences plays an equally important role in translation. Aware of cultural differences， translators are able to identify the underlying meaning of original texts in a high-context cultural background. Another typical example is literary translation， which is complicated by differences in history， ways of thinking， traditions and customs between countries. One result is that the same image often has various， or even contrasting associations in different cultures. Shi （2014） discusses the connotation of a dragon in both Chinese and western cultures， pointing out that the animal are symbolic of power and authority in Chinese culture while in western culture， it is more often than not viewed as evil. A lack of cultural awareness may lead to the wrong interpretation in the target language.
3.Mastery of translation technology .The rapid technological evolution has given rise to state-of-the-art translation software. Translation technology has become a survival skill for translators who are competing globally. Wu and Pan （2013） state that translators are faced with an increasing workload while maintaining good quality of translation texts. The paradox could somewhat resolved by translation memory， which speeds up the translation process and ensures consistency.
【Key words】 translators; non-linguistic skills; approaches
【作者簡介】黄培鑫，广东科技学院。
Ⅰ. Introduction
The translation market abounds with both opportunities and challenges. With a view to assisting translators in professional development， this paper analyzes a crucial set of non-linguistic skills， including quick learning ability， sensitivity to cultural differences and mastery of state-of-the-art translation technology. Moreover， the paper examines threes approaches to developing these three skills.
Ⅱ. Three essential non-linguistic skills
1.Quick learning ability. Translators， often required to deal with texts which cover various fields， ranging medicine and law to engineering and construction， are supposed to be quick learners. They have to take in subject knowledge quickly in order to have a thorough understanding of the source texts （Sharkas， 2014）. A typical example is the word “term” （Olga， 2012）. He examines different meanings of this word in various contexts， arguing that without a correct understanding of legal knowledge， translators are very likely to misunderstand the word “term” and even the whole source text.
2. Cultural awareness. Sensitivity to cultural differences plays an equally important role in translation. Aware of cultural differences， translators are able to identify the underlying meaning of original texts in a high-context cultural background. Another typical example is literary translation， which is complicated by differences in history， ways of thinking， traditions and customs between countries. One result is that the same image often has various， or even contrasting associations in different cultures. Shi （2014） discusses the connotation of a dragon in both Chinese and western cultures， pointing out that the animal are symbolic of power and authority in Chinese culture while in western culture， it is more often than not viewed as evil. A lack of cultural awareness may lead to the wrong interpretation in the target language.
3.Mastery of translation technology .The rapid technological evolution has given rise to state-of-the-art translation software. Translation technology has become a survival skill for translators who are competing globally. Wu and Pan （2013） state that translators are faced with an increasing workload while maintaining good quality of translation texts. The paradox could somewhat resolved by translation memory， which speeds up the translation process and ensures consistency.