Why is cultural fluency as important as language fluency when it comes to translating a text?
It is a common misconception that fluency in two languages is enough to appropriately translate a text. In reality, if you are not aware of culturally and regionally-specific nuances that go alongside the languages themselves, then you aren't fully prepared to produce a quality translation. The interviewer is looking for a candidate to make a direct correlation between the two (language and culture), and identify the importance of having fluency in both.
"There are so many iterations to a language depending on location, generation, socio-economic and socio-political position, and more. It is critical for translators to be mindful of these nuances in each language in order to appropriately get meaning across. Any speaker of more than one language knows that there is often more than one way to translate a particular word or phrase or concept, and some words and phrases simply don't exist in other languages. So, we have to be as intentional about maintaining cultural fluency as we are about language fluency."