What Are The Linguistic Problems in Translation

Language, the primary communication medium in our daily lives, is an amalgamation of grammar, structure, history, and culture. Languages are attached to our identities, eventually tying their sentiments with them. Working with language is a handful of tasks and one of the professionals who eats, breathes and lives language would be none other than a translator. 

Translation, a seemingly simple task is not as uncomplicated as it seems. It essentially means converting desired text from one language to another without losing its meaning and retaining its essence and culture that is tied to it. Although the importance of translation usually goes unnoticed, this is barely the case. 

Translation tends to take center stage in international communications, impacting diverse areas of our lives from helping business growth/expansion to building relationships and bridging gaps across cultures. Hence understanding its significance and impact becomes crucial. 

Linguistic Problems With Translation

Since it is a complex process with different parameters, let’s put light on the problems a translator faces linguistically whenever he/she is translating:

• Semantic Ambiguity: when a single word has different meanings depending on the context of the sentence it is being used. For example: if English is your first language, you might have come across ‘Novel’. Novel when used as a noun refers to a non-fiction book of a specific length but when used as an adjective it means something original or new.

Another English word- ‘Bank’ could mean both a financial institution and a riverbank and context will determine which word to use in French- banque or river respectively.

So, using/choosing the wrong word can completely change the overall meaning of the sentence or message. It is hence better to make sure that rather than going for word-to-word translation, one should go for the overall meaning/ message the sentence gives. 

• Sentence Structure: Some languages have stark syntax differences. A way of writing a structure in one language differs in another language. In English, the adjective comes before the noun but comes after the Noun in Spanish

For example: ‘delicious food’ in English translates to ‘comida deliciosa’ in Spanish. Also, the sentence: Die alte Frau liebt ihre Katze.” in German when translated into English doesn’t tell us whether alte modify “Frau” (old woman) or “Katze” (old cat). Both interpretations are grammatically valid.

This can be avoided by trying to maintain the flow of translation and rearranging the words are definitely ways to achieve a meaning that feels natural.

• Culture: Culture has a significant role in getting the true essence of speaking a language. Certain phrases, idioms, or local words directly do not have any word tied to them in another language. “C’est la vie” if translated directly into English means “that’s life”. 

In Korea hugging is not culturally common so when we say “She gave her hug”, in Korean translation we may need to explain it or adopt a handshake or a bow. But it carries neither the cultural nuance nor vibe it has in English.

• Untranslatable Words: Some languages do not have an identical counterpart in the other language. For example, the German word “Schadenfreude” refers to the feeling of satisfaction that comes from seeing someone else’s misfortune. But in English, you have to explain it completely as there is no single word in English to describe this. 

Another example includes the word Ghodar -dim which literally means ‘horse’s egg’ but is a sarcastic Bengali term for ‘nothing’ or false hope.

In Georgia, there is a word that is used when you eat something because it’s yummy and delicious even though you’re not hungry. 

That word is ‘shemomedjam’. There are many words like these that the locals speak that only they know and eventually become a part of their vocabulary but are directly translatable into other languages

• Compound Words: A compound word is made up of more than two nouns and adjectives. They could be of three forms – closed form, like a notebook; hyphenated like long-distance, or open form like a fighter pilot. 

Some compound words are pretty straightforward, and mean exactly what they say like afternoon; some mean only half of the term, like a bellboy, and some mean nothing of their original words – for example, deadline. In such cases, it can get very tricky for the translator.

• Words that look the same but aren’t: the most dangerous type of words, which most translators overlook, are the ones that look and sound the same but convey very different meanings. 

A classic example is “actual” present in the vocabulary of both English and Spanish but means real and current in respective languages. 

When we use ‘watch’ in a sentence it could mean either a timepiece worn on the wrist or to observe or monitor something closely.

A male deer is called ‘Buck’ but so is to resist or oppose something.

Many examples like these confuse us every time we come across them, so translating word-to-word is not a great method. On the contrary, if you always read and understand the sentence context first it’s easy to spot them.

Also, one of the easiest ways to escape them is to obviously be extremely careful at all times and double checking if something looks suspicious. And with experience, the chances of you finding these false friends quickly become easier. 

• Proofreading: the last but also one of the most significant steps of the translation process which often takes the sidelines is proofreading. After the translation process, many translators fail to see and notice the minuscule details, an awkward phrase, or even a typo when read over again. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is no perfect recipe for a great translated message but keeping in mind these hiccups would help one to get close to one. The meaning of the word depends on the text, some words or feelings do not have words in another language, cultural nuances, and some idioms and phrases that do not capture the same emotion when translated, false friends that look and sound the same in different languages but do not. 

Last but not least having a go-through helps catch those errors or mistakes that you have overlooked on the first go. So, having a keen eye for understanding not only the words and grammar of a language but also the origin, culture, and background of the language. The way that the reader completely and truly gets the essence and feeling of the message.