He or she? Gender specificities of the translator's work

While translating a book on business psychology, which deals with the peculiarities of the male and female mind, I thought: what are the differences between male and female translators? And are these differences fundamental to translation work? Who is more trusted?

These and similar questions imply the consideration of several components: physiological, psychological, historical.

Physiological

So, let's consider the first point.

Scientists have found that the structure of the brain of men and women has certain differences. In the fair sex, the connection between the hemispheres of the brain is more developed. Undoubtedly, first of all it is connected with the main natural purpose of a woman - birth and upbringing of children. A woman in her maternal service has to fulfil several tasks at once: to keep the house in order, to take care of the child, and to cook dinners. And in order not to be burnt out in this cycle, a woman is given a "distributive consciousness", when both hemispheres, responsible for logical and figurative thinking, work in close co-operation.

This is why women translators have a finer sense of words and subtext. They are able to read "between the lines". This quality is especially valuable for fiction translation.

As for male translators, the right and left hemispheres of the stronger sex work in a more "autonomous mode". After all, men by nature are warriors, defenders, and extractors, and therefore they do not need the subtleties of a woman's mind.

They are more inclined to dwell on one specific meaning of a word. Therefore, men are more easily given technical translation with its precision of wording.

Psychology

In this respect, women are characterised by greater communicative flexibility and the ability to feel the interlocutor. Again, this feature is related to female maternal nature and has evolved over the centuries.

While men are more straightforward, and female flexibility is not characteristic of them.

Especially communicative qualities are important in the work of an interpreter, where, in addition to professional qualities, indirect, non-verbal communication is important.

History

Historically, male interpreters have prevailed at crucial moments, especially during wars. In the 20th century, the profession of interpreter was a kind of service to the state system, in which there should be no failures.

An interpreter could find out information of national importance, which made his work in many ways close to intelligence activities. That is why military and government interpreters are usually men. After all, war and intelligence "does not have a woman's face".

It should be stipulated that such observations only indicate a certain regularity. There are no rules without exceptions. And nowadays, the most important criterion of a translator's work is his professionalism. And gender characteristics, by and large, are secondary.