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Posted on8 September 2026

7 translation myths – debunked

Translation is one of those professions that people have no real idea about. Are we sitting with ink pots and quills, poring over a dictionary? What do we do all day? Isn’t it just a hobby? Can’t anyone who has learnt a bit of a language translate? Are we not all redundant now, thanks to Google Translate and AI?

Well, we’re still here and we’re not going anywhere, so in this article, our director and founder Clare Suttie debunks seven myths which surround the translation and localisation industry:

Myth #1: Anyone who speaks two languages can translate

Translators have trained and honed their skills over many years, and they specialise in particular subject areas—be it computing, marketing, finance, tax, or wine. As an English person, I couldn’t claim to understand all of my mortgage paperwork… let alone translate it into another language!

Myth #2: Surely there is no need to translate this – everyone speaks English?

It’s true that English is popular, but when people are doing business, shopping, or communicating, they want to be 100% sure they understand everything you are saying. Plus, it’s a courtesy to cater to current and potential clients—in their own language.

If all your clients speak English, all that may prove is that you haven’t attracted any non-English speaking customers.

Myth #3: Translators work on books, and interpreters just work at the UN and EU Parliament

Practically everything you pick up has a translation attached — food packaging, instructions for using your camera, instructions for your washing machine, your car manual, etc.
Interpreters are sent to conferences, court cases, business negotiations, and lots more. Once you start looking, you’ll see that languages really are everywhere.

An easy way to remember the difference is that, in general, translators deal with written words, while interpreters deal with spoken words.

Myth #4: With Google Translate, technology, and AI, who needs a real person?

Google Translate is great to get the gist of a message, but if you want to be confident that you are using a professional, fluent translation, the only option is to use a person.

Currently, software like Google Translate or any type of AI can only go so far. It cannot handle nuances, cultural references, humour or complicated sentences. Most people will spot an automatic translation a mile away, and it may make them laugh — not so good when you want to be taken seriously in business

Myth #5: All translators do is type one text into another language

No, there’s a lot more to it than that. Take into account writing skills, top-notch grammar and spelling, working out what the original author intended, research and terminology checking, and add-in cultural considerations.

Translators draft a translation, revise and rework, and ideally sleep on ideas to allow them to tweak their work until they are happy with it.

Myth #6: With a good dictionary, Google Translate and AI, surely I can work out a decent translation?

See numbers 4 and 5. Because, no, you can’t.

Myth #7: Translators sit around in dusty libraries all day and are out of touch with technology

In fact, translators have always been ahead of technology. They run businesses and market themselves as professionals, qualified and highly skilled in their area.

You’re much more likely to find them in their home office using speech recognition software to take down work, learning through an online course, or continuing their professional development at conferences and seminars.

What about you – which translation myths are you keen to see the back of? Let us know and we’ll call them out.


Clare Suttie is Director of Atlas Translations – an award-winning, ISO-certified language services partner that combines human expertise with exceptional care. We help you communicate accurately, confidently and compliantly across languages. Our experienced project managers and specialist linguists work as an extension of your team, delivering translation, interpreting and localisation services that protect your reputation, support compliance and help your message achieve its purpose.

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