Lost–and Then Found–in Translation
When we dropped out of the 9-to-5 world, Francisco and I took an inventory of our skills and realized that as a fully bilingual couple we might be able to pay the bills by translating documents from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English.
We were right.
Craigslist is replete with ads posted by folks in need of written material that makes sense in the target language. We’ve translated everything from a strategic plan for a winery in Galicia, Spain and instructions for the safe use of bathtub toys to an advertisement for an exterminator claiming to specialize in bed bug elimination and treatments for documentary films.
Translation is work we enjoy but which inevitably leads to dynamic debates about how to take words from one language and make them resonate effectively in another. Translation is much more than the literal transcription of words; good translation requires that the translator ensure that the meaning and tone of a message are conveyed as well.
Furthermore, good translations demand that the translator know more than the original and target languages: the translator must know the target culture, too. While translating an article about the Cuban rap group, the Orishas, Francisco and I hit a stumbling block as soon as we began translating the title. “‘In the house of the blacksmith, a wooden knife?!’ That makes NO sense!” I said. Francisco explained the cultural reference and the relevance and resonance the phrase has in Cuba. But the concept didn’t translate at all to English. We decided to leave the title in Spanish, with a footnote about the cultural reference. This translation project was a reminder that even in Spanish, regional expressions vary considerably, as do metaphors. This fact affirms the importance of knowing the intended audience: an Argentine’s Spanish is not the same, for instance, as a Puerto Rican’s Spanish.
Lots of companies and small business owners skimp on translation.
They shouldn’t.
In addition to compromising the potential power of their message, a poor translation can have serious negative outcomes. In the case of the bathtub toy instructions, for example, a bad translation could lead to someone’s injury or death.
Whether a company does a low-tech, low-cost dictionary translation performed by someone in-house or produces a high-tech translation aided by an increasing variety of “instant translation” software, the message is sure to be lost in translation.
The best and most effective translations are those done by a pair or team of translators comprised of native speakers of BOTH languages. While Francisco speaks fluent English and I speak fluent Spanish, every translation we’ve done has been better because of our ability to draw from a range of linguistic and cultural experiences and to discuss them as we’re translating.
Need translation work? Feel free to contact us at writingjulie@gmail.com.
What’s the funniest bad translation you’ve ever seen? Submit your favorite in the comments below!
Photo: burningoutofcontrol (creative commons)
Photo: MinaFresh/Amanda (creative commons)
June 12th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Well I did see a particular post this month about 50 ways to say X. I won’t link to it, because otherwise I like the site, but it was a mess– looks like they used an online translator with terrible results.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Christine-
Yes, I read lots of criticisms about that post. I’m not sure what the process was for gathering the translations, but your comment raises an important issue that we didn’t address in this post: Even if someone seeking a translation requests a native speaker (which is more often the case than not), the native speaker may not translate correctly, may not spell correctly, etc. Just as there are English speakers who are terrible spellers, the same is true of people who speak other languages, though people seeking translations somehow fail to consider this. Just because someone speaks the target language doesn’t mean he or she is necessarily equipped to translate well.
Francisco just told me an interesting story. He heard that a guy in Miami who was suspected of dealing drugs had his phone tapped. A friend–who was not at all involved in drugs–was using the suspect’s phone and mentioned that he couldn’t go to a party because he didn’t have a “kilo.” He ended up getting arrested and doing time when he had nothing to do with drugs. Why? Because “kilo” is slang for “money” in Cuba. “Ni un kilo”= “not a cent.” Now someone–even a fluent Spanish speaker–listening to that conversation could (and did) testify that kilo means kilo. But it also means something else.
When I was a social worker, I had the caseload of Spanish speaking clients. One day, during group therapy, a client from Ecuador told me that he had a “bicho” in his stomach– a bug. But for other Spanish speakers in the group from other countries found the word offensive because “bicho” means penis in some Spanish speaking countries. There are lots of words like this, including the words for cake, sandwich, woman, father/mother, etc.
This is why I LOVE Spanish!
June 12th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Cool post, Julie!
This is sort of related - one thing I’ve noticed in travel writing about Canada is the authors’ tendencies to completely misappropriate local expressions. I’ve lost count of the travel stories I’ve seen about Montreal or Quebec City that throw in a ‘Je Me Souviens’ or ‘Vive le Quebec Libre’ - presumably more out of a desire for ‘local colour’ and some ‘Francophone flavour’ than out of a genuine sense of solidarity with Quebec’s separatists. As outsiders, they most often have no idea of the political connotations of the little phrases and slogans they toss in to their stories or use to make cute headlines. Like the translation issue, it speaks to a lack of cultural knowledge about a place…
June 12th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Thanks, Eva. You know, your response made me think of Jacob Bielanski’s blog on Matador today (http://matadortravel.com/travel-blog/united-states/olivebeard/get-away-to-viroqua-wi-wait-what) and my post about “SOBRO,” the South Bronx, on http://www.matadorpulse.com today.
Funny how some places are suddenly “discovered”! To me, this “discovery” also, as you said, speaks to a lack of cultural knowledge. What makes a place suddenly become interesting or hip?
June 13th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Partnering in translation is a great way to produce quality translations. That’s great you’re in that situation.
In terms of funny translations, I’ve been collecting some at a page on bad translation pictures.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Clint-
Thanks for your comment and for the link– those are some fantastic terrible translations!
June 13th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Online translators are the worst. So much of a language is context. Online translators just go word for word and lose the real meaning.
You’re story about the “bicho” is good. In spanish, every country sort of has their own way of saying things. In America, we learn mexican spanish but when I was in spain, I found there was a huge difference in slang, pronunciation, and speaking style.
ps- you are in new york? I’m there next weekend. Are you free friday for lunch? shoot me an e-mail.
June 13th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
oo and ps- any links you had to my site are no longer valid, I’d just change them all to the main domain.