[Grammar] A interpreter

[Vicky42]

Hello everyone,

I've just seen a book called "How to Become a Interpreter and Translator". And my question is, why A interpreter and not AN interpreter?

Thanks!

 

[MikeNewYork]

A mistake, I would guess.

 

[Rover_KE]

A mistake like that in the title doesn't inspire confidence in the rest of the book.

 

[Tdol]

A mistake, I would guess.

If it's not a mistake, then it's even more worrying.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Maybe the title was actually, "How to Become a Interpreter and Translator?"

 

[MikeNewYork]

That is the tile that was suggested. The question mark doesn't fix the bad English; it makes it worse.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Thanks for the information Mike, but I can read.

Do I have to use some silly smiley for it to be apparent that I was using irony?

 

[Barb_D]

I didn't understand that you were being ironic either.

Let's hope the author is a better interpreter than the editor was a proofreader.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Do you think that was clear? Or even important? It confused me. Imagine the OP.

Or should we assume you never make mistakes?

 

[emsr2d2]

Where did you see the book? Did you photograph the cover? Are you absolutely sure you remembered the title correctly? Is it possible that you got the two words the wrong way round and it was in fact "How to Become A Translator and Interpreter"? If it's actually called that, then "a" is correct.

I have searched Google Books and Amazon for a book called "How to Become a Interpreter and Translator" and I got no hits.

 

[MikeNewYork]

A transposition was my first thought. That is what I thought Roman was trying to say.

 

[Tdol]

Where did you see the book? Did you photograph the cover?

I have a reproduction of Correctly English in Hundred Days by the Correctly English Society. ;-)

 

[emsr2d2]

I have a reproduction of Correctly English in Hundred Days by the Correctly English Society. ;-)

Oooooooh, when I can it borrows? My correctly English are terrible this days! ;-)

 

[MikeNewYork]

I, two, have all ways wan'ted to spoke correctly English. :shock:

 

[Barb_D]

Plent've book's too help u with that.

 

[Tdol]

Oooooooh, when I can it borrows? My correctly English are terrible this days! ;-)

http://jmacg.com/2011/03/08/correctly-english-in-100-days/

 

[Vicky42]

Thanks for your answers! (I had fun reading them.:lol

Let me tell you that I could have a look at the table of contents, and I found this...

Chapter 2 - How to Train Effectively as an Interpreter

So there you go... It was a typo! I would never have expected a mistake on the cover of a book though.:shock:

Anyway, for those of you who need to see to believe, here it is.

https://www.overdrive.com/media/794658/how-to-become-a-interpreter-and-translator

 

[emsr2d2]

Yup, that's pretty appalling and made worse by the fact that the error is repeated three times on that one web page. I feel, however, that it's unlikely to have been the author's intention. I still suspect that she called it "How to Become a Translator and Interpreter" and then an editor or publisher felt that "Interpreter and Translator" sounded better, swapped them over but failed to change the article.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Before seeing all the repeated errors on that dreadful web page, I thought for a moment, from looking at the book cover, that it could be from a series of books entitled,

'How to Become a'
fill in the blank here with your subject,
'A Beginner's Guide'

But I think you're probably right.

 

[Tdol]

This is a Complete Beginner's Guide to Become a Interpreter and Translator.

I'd use to becoming, but the apostrophe's in the right place, so it's not a total failure. :up: