What Makes Translation Difficult: Why You Shouldn’t Cut Linguistic Corners
If only the translation process was as simple as swapping a word for its counterpart! Chances are that you’ve used a machine translator once or twice in your life, maybe even for something big. But if you’ve ever run it back to your original language, or had a second opinion from your bilingual buddy, you’ve probably been a little underwhelmed with the result. If you need a translation for your professional or business use, then the risks from cutting corners like this are significant.
The thing is, for a translation to be effective, it needs to take into account a wide range of factors; from grammar differences to the original intent, translation is a lot more than a simple ‘swap A for B’ scenario. If you take shortcuts with your translation methods, then you’re likely to have poor-quality output that could tarnish your reputation. What makes translation difficult as a process is that it needs to preserve the tone, style, and voice of the original source material, all whilst being mindful not to step on any cross-cultural toes or miss the mark on innumerable linguistic subtleties.
And why is translation so important, anyway? Well, in an increasingly global world, even small businesses are now able and willing to step out onto the world stage — not least because English language Google searches only account for around 25% of the total number of searches made online. That’s a big non-English-speaking audience!
Keep reading to find out exactly what makes translation difficult, and the superpowers that professional linguists employ to get the job done right.
The 5 main things that make translation difficult
A high-quality translation process needs to comprise many stages to be effective. Multiple layers of checks are built into the journey to ensure that the final content is error-free, conveyed accurately, and won’t cause offence. Here are the five major flies in the ointment when it comes to translation.
1. Polysemy (say what, now?)
Number one on the list: polysemy. This is where there are lots of possible meanings for a word or phrase; and if you’re not an expert linguist who’ll spot the underlying contextual subtleties, you could end up in a parlance pickle.
A great example is the English word ‘get.’ For such a little word, it can cause a nightmare for translators on the other side of the language divide. That’s because the humble ‘get’ can be used to mean ‘take’ (as in ‘I’m going to take the bus’) or to mean ‘understand’ (as in, ‘ok, ok, polysemy, I get it already!’). It can also, of course, indicate acquisition: ‘I’ll get some milk at the shop once I’ve finished writing this post.’
You’re going to need someone who is an expert — not just in linguistic nuances, but also in the culture of the country where the language is spoken — to be able to spot polysemic words and choose their correct counterparts.
2. It’s much more than swapping one word for another
Next on our ‘what makes translation difficult’ list is this common myth. As well as running the gauntlet of polysemy, simply swapping one word for its apparent equivalent in the target language also runs the risk of causing confusion, or even offence, due to specific cultural or regional particularities.
Say you’re trying to translate some source material, and it references the word ‘conscience’ — perhaps this could be with regards to an ethical consideration such as sustainability. You google something along the lines of ‘what’s the Russian word for conscience’ and, retrieving the answer, happily insert the word ‘sóvest’ into the content, before going along your merry way.
Hang on, though! Whilst ‘conscience’ has a clear moral imperative in English — meaning an individual’s awareness of what is right and wrong — in Russia, it’s much more explicitly tied to religious belief. For Russians, the word ‘conscience’ actually points to an individual’s responsibility towards God.
This shift may be subtle, but it could be enough to cause consternation at best and offence at worst. This is why it’s a dicey business to simply switch out words unless you’re a linguistic expert.
3. You need to preserve the original meaning
The fun doesn’t end there, though! Even if your translation is technically correct, has cleared any polysemic hurdles, and has taken into account cultural sensitivities and regional particularities, it may still not be effective. That’s because the tone and voice of the translation need to match up with the original if you want to achieve an accurate meaning.
This could mean the translator needs to change not only certain words and phrases, but also sentence and paragraph structure, to ensure the content preserves its original meaning and hits home with its intended audience.
The use of humour and slang are particular pitfalls on this score. Both of these things are notoriously difficult to translate effectively, and getting it right (or wrong) can fundamentally affect the tone and unique ‘voice’ of the text.
4. You could look like an idiom
See what we did there? In all seriousness though, idioms are very treacherous waters indeed. They can’t be understood through their component words’ separate, literal meanings — at least, not in the intended way. They use metaphor instead, and often the combination of words itself is what carries a certain connotation, even if the origin of the phrase is long-forgotten.
Light-handed is a typical example; it doesn’t mean ‘someone with glowing hands’ or ‘hands that are so weightless that they’re always floating in the air in front of their owner’, but ‘someone who has a delicate touch’. If you’re trying to translate a text, idioms can be an absolute nightmare.
In Spanish, if you want to say that you don’t care about something, you’d likely use the phrase ‘no importar un pepino’, which literally translates as ‘a cucumber is not important’ — or, in the spirit of the phrase, to not give a cucumber! Similarly, in Italy, to say that ‘not everything goes to plan’, you’d state that ‘not all doughnuts have holes’!
5. It’s not just the words
Here’s something you probably didn’t consider when asking yourself what makes translation difficult: visuals! Visual elements in the content need to be carefully considered, too. Computer icons can look different from one country to another, for example, as well as symbols or unicode elements like currency markers.
Even colours may need thinking about: whilst black is used to denote mourning in the UK, in Japan, white carries that connotation instead. Green may suggest luck, wealth, and prosperity in the US and Ireland, but in Mexico, it’s linked to freedom and independence.
Other visual elements need to be considered carefully, too; maps can cause particular problems, as both ongoing and historical border conflicts can easily result in an unfortunate misstep.
Professional linguists are experts at avoiding linguistic traps
A professional linguist is not the same as a bilingual friend or colleague. A professional understands the ins and outs of not just the target language, but also the culture from which it springs, and so they can avoid problems that might catch others out. Even when a bilingual person is fluent in both languages, and is familiar with the culture, they may lack the full knowledge and understanding of writing and translation as a skill, and this makes a world of difference.
When it comes to what makes translation difficult, an expert translator has already learnt it all — and perfected the skills necessary to do it well. Here’s why their language superpowers are so vital.
They’ll get the basics right, every time
A professional linguist will ensure that translated content is error-free and high-quality every single time. This will include making sure that basics such as the right currency and measurement denominations are used, and that the correct grammatical forms and structures are deployed.
The ultimate aim is that the translated content is on par with the original material, and, just as with this source material, it’s vital that no spelling or grammatical mistakes slip through the net.
An experienced translator will carefully check the brief from the client as part of the process. They’ll learn as much as possible about the business, product, or service, meaning that there’s no chance of the finished copy containing the sort of embarrassing misinformation that makes for a linguistic own-goal.
There’s no risk of a cultural clanger
With their deep knowledge of the region’s culture, an experienced linguist will switch out words and phrases — even entire sections if needed — to make certain that there’s no risk of confusion or offence. Key to this is keeping the focus on the intended audience, their experiences, and their lived reality.
Here’s a classic example: whilst the term ‘to put your feet up’ in the UK and US means ‘to have a well-deserved rest’, simply translating this into its literal equivalent could cause problems for audiences in the parts of Asia and the Middle East where showing the soles of one’s feet is impolite, or sometimes even taboo.
A big part of what makes translation difficult is that the original meaning of the content needs to be conveyed, even if this means making alterations to take care of both technical and cultural considerations. That’s the purpose of a professional.
Need a distinctive tone? No problem
A professional linguist can replicate not just the basic meaning of the source content, but can nail the tone or ‘voice’ required, too, and that’s no mean feat. This is the result of careful interrogation of the brief, communication with the client, and looking at previously translated content.
Our linguist is a chameleon, able to pull a huge range of tones from out of their little chameleon hat. From uber-professional formalism to chatty street slang, they can create the voice that best matches the original source whilst taking cultural and local particularities into account.
The subtleties are taken care of
Linguists will accurately and thoroughly deal with slippery little things like idioms and formality. Other subtle elements which can easily miss the mark when translated, such as humour, are also rendered as effectively as possible in the target language, or removed and replaced if necessary. The signature dry humour of the Brits may fall flat when translated into another language directly.
Then there’s the minefield of regionalism. Let’s say you have a bilingual Spanish buddy with some language chops. You’re translating for a Mexican audience, and your pal assures you that the Spanish word you need for ‘birthday cake’ is ‘torta’. Well, that’s true… in Spain. But if you ask for a ‘torta’ in Mexico, you’re going to be served a sandwich-like delicacy. It’s a perfect example of what makes translation difficult, and why experience and expertise is so invaluable when it comes to translation.
They can totally handle specialist translations
A professional linguist can handle niche translations required for a particular service or purpose, such as content relating to law, healthcare, finance, or IT. This kind of content usually has a very particular set of terminologies, and a different set of skills will be needed to produce text that is accurate, readable, and clear.
Super-linguists working in this field need both an unsurpassed knowledge of the source and target language, and also expertise in the subject matter, be it accounting or software development.
Specialist translations are especially tricky and need handling with precision care, especially where they form part of a contract or other legal document. This is definitely not something to entrust to a translation app!
What makes translation difficult? A million different things!
The translation process is multi-layered and extremely complex. There are many potential traps and trip-ups along the way which could scupper the success of the final result.
It’s not just about ensuring the translated copy is technically correct (a hard enough task in itself), but also preserving the tone of the original and hitting home with its intended audience. This means taking into account things like humour, slang, and regional particularities. There are cultural elements to carefully consider, too, to ensure that the final copy is relevant and doesn’t risk causing confusion or offence. Translation is not for the faint-hearted!
Trying to get it right by drafting in a bilingual buddy or translation app is risky business. Neither of these options are likely to take into account linguistic subtleties; computer translations miss nuance and regional variation, whilst a bilingual friend without specific training in translation may also miss a lot of the intentions of the original. The unique combination of fluency in both languages, as well as an understanding of linguistics and experience in the field, is what makes a professional translator an absolute must-have.
Now that you know what makes translation difficult, you’re probably considering how to approach your own translation projects. If you’d like some help from a professional, experienced linguist, drop us a line at ZippyLingo: we have a team who can assist with everything from native proofreading to an all-the-bells-and-whistles localisation service. Whilst it’s true that not all doughnuts have holes, our translation services are one thing you can count on going to plan.
