"It is commonly assumed that any bilingual individual is able to produce satisfactory or even high quality document translations simply because they are fluent speakers of a second language. However, this is often not the case. Because of the very nature of the different skills that each possesses, bilinguals and translators are not equally prepared to perform document translations. The ability, skill, and even the basic mental processes required for bilingualism are fundamentally different than those required for translation.Bilingual individuals are able to take their own thoughts and ideas and express them orally in two different languages, their native language, and a second language, sometimes well enough to pass for native speakers in their second language.
Translators must be able to read, understand, and retain, somebody else’s ideas, and then render them accurately, completely, and without exclusion, in a way that conveys the original meaning effectively and without distortion in another language.
In other words, translators must be excellent readers in a source language, for example English their second language, and excellent writers in a target language, for example Spanish, their native language."
(From Wikipedia)
“Relationships-of all kinds-are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost.”
