Translations Difficulties

• The complex nature of the English language is not simple a problem for
language students. Businesses also face the unenviable task of getting
their meaning across without falling foul of the many grammar that lay in
their path.
• Any one of the previously mentioned hurdles could result in at best, a
failure in communication, or at worst the levelling of an unintended slight
or insult.
• This threat is exacerbated by the use of translation technology, which has
only minimal provision for placing translatable material into context.
• The only real way to guarantee the best results when translating material
from English is to use native speakers. Only English speakers will carry with
them the internal knowledge needed to easily ascertain which of the
multiple word meanings found in the English language is appropriate.
• But the difficulties encountered by brave linguists attempting to wrestle
with English sadly do not stop there.
 Problems in translation
• Lexical-semantic problems
Lexical-semantic problems can be resolved by consulting
dictionaries, glossaries, terminology banks and experts.
These problems include terminology alternatives,
neologisms, semantic gaps, contextual synonyms and
antonyms (these affect polysemic units: synonyms and
antonyms are only aimed at an acceptance which
depends on the context to determine which meaning is
correct), semantic contiguity (a consistency procedure
which works by identifying semantic features common to
two or more terms) and lexical networks.
• Grammatical problems
Grammatical problems include, for example,
questions of temporality, aspectuality (the
appearance indicates how the process is
represented or the state expressed by the verb
from the point of view of its development, as
opposed to time itself), pronouns, and whether
to make explicit the subject pronoun or not.
• Syntactical problems
Syntactical problems may originate in syntactic
parallels, the direction of the passive voice, the
focus (the point of view from which a story is
organized), or even rhetorical figures of speech,
such as a hyperbaton (the inversion of the
natural order of speech) or an anaphora
(repetition of a word or segment at the
beginning of a line or a phrase).
• Rhetorical problems
Rhetorical problems are related to the
identification and recreation of figures of
thought (comparison, metaphor, metonymy,
synecdoche, oxymoron, paradox, etc.) and
diction
• Pragmatic problems: an example of a marketing
translation
Pragmatic problems arise with the difference in the
formal and informal modes of address using “you”, as
well as idiomatic phrases, sayings, irony, humor and
sarcasm. These difficulties can also include other
challenges; for example, in the translation of a marketing
text from English into French, specifically with the
translation of the personal pronoun “you”. The translator
must decide whether the formal or the informal “you” is
more appropriate, a decision which is not always clear.
• Cultural issues: an example of a financial translation
Cultural issues may arise from differences between
cultural references, such as names of food, festivals and
cultural connotations, in general. The translator will use
language localization to correctly adapt the translation to
the culture targeted. A very simple example is a financial
translation which includes dates. If the text is in English, it
is most likely, but not absolutely certain, that 05/06/2015
will mean June 5. However, as everyone knows, the same
sequence in another language refers to May 6.
 How to be a good translator
• Love language, especially your own. And keep studying it.
• Learn to write well.
• Learn about and study your passive language and the culture it
comes from.
• Only translate into your own language.
• Select a specialist area of expertise, and study and be prepared to
learn more about your specialist subject. Constantly.
• Read: books, newspapers, blogs, magazines, adverts, style guides
• Listen: to TV, the radio, friends and family, strangers in the street,
on the bus, in bars, in shops…
• Attend workshops, seminars and conferences in your subject area –
listen to the experts, absorb their language. Even their jargon – but
try not to use it.
• Keep up with current affairs.
• Keep your IT skills up-to-date.
• Practise and hone your skills – keep up with your training.
• Listen to the words that you write (some writers and translators read their texts
out loud to themselves). Languages each have their own rhythm. If your writing
doesn’t “sound” right, try changing the word order, not just the words.
• Use your spell-checker. Use it judiciously, but use it. Always.
• Print out your translated text and read it on paper before delivering it to your
client. Always. Especially if you use computer-assisted translation (CAT) software.
Print it out.
• Ask yourself if your translation makes sense. If it makes you stop, even for a
second, and think “what does that really mean”?, then there’s something wrong.
• Write clearly and concisely, using the appropriate sentence- and paragraph-length
for your target language. Use simple vocabulary. You can convey even complex
ideas using clear, straightforward language.
• Inform your client of any mistakes, typos or ambiguous wording you find in the
source text.
• Find ways to add value for your clients.
• Always keep your reader in mind.