The Dangers of Translation

Translating is often seen as an intuitive profession – you simply know two languages well, so what’s the big deal about transferring one to the other? It’s a very big deal. Not only on a linguistic, but on a personal and interpersonal level as well.

“You are studying English? But why, you already know the language, don’t you?” This was one of the most frequent comments on my studies of English language and literature. It seems to be a common thought that studying a language is merely the acquisition of its vocabulary and grammar and then the act of speaking and writing it. Well, it’s not. There is such a variety of concepts, contexts, backgrounds to be considered in order to really understand a language and its structure. It’s not only linguistic forms, it’s the whole mindset and the way we structure our thinking that build the language.

According to that, translation is, or should be, a complex process including a lot of consideration and background knowledge. There are many who call themselves translators just because they know two languages. They completed the B2-level of a language course at a language school and take on the “easy texts”. Truth is, there are no easy texts. Even the easiest text requires a certain level of understanding of the context, of the idioms and metaphors in the target language and the mindset of the audience. Otherwise, we get the advice to “please not die here” in a launderette. Or we admire the “cream milk with coconut humans” on the menu of a restaurant.

Except of the underestimation of the required background knowledge for translation, the responsibility involved in a translation job is often underestimated. Of course, there is a gradation in the weight of responsibility – a mistake in a menu will probably not hurt anyone (except they have an allergy and didn’t recognize the ingredient). A mistake in legal translation on the other hand, can have far-reaching consequences. A candidate for a job position in a foreign country who had his title translated in the wrong way, for example, might be turned down just because of that “little mistake”. One wrongly placed word can change the implications of a contract. Not to mention wrongly copied numbers in official documents, that might double a selling amount, raise the age of an applicant or reduce grade averages.

One deterrent example of the consequences of a wrong translation is the case of Dolet, a translator in the 16th century. He added only three words in his translation of Plato’s words that were not present in the original text – “rien du tout”, what meant that after death there was “absolutely nothing”. This questioned the immortality of the soul and he was executed for heresy (Stolze 2011). Of course, this is something that could not happen today, but still, the translator can loose a huge amount of money and his reputation, if a mistake in the translation has serious consequences for the client and, at least it should be like that, it will burden his conscience.

Today, interpreters frequently tend to behave like a third conversational partner instead of simply bringing across the messages. It has been pointed out by researchers that in official hearings, where absolute accuracy is of crucial importance, translators happen to leave out words that they don’t deem important or slightly change the tone of the message. Similarly, conversations in the field of social service can be influenced and messages can be distorted by a translator that follows a principle of liberty in his translation. 

In the business world, a flawed translation might lead to the miscommunication between a company and its clients, through which customers cannot be converted to loyal customers. In this case, the company makes losses. A famous example is the Parker Pen advert, which was supposed to mean “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you”. The translation said “You will not get pregnant while losing ink in your pocket”. Not exactly a catchy and attractive slogan.

The reason why untrained translators are so successful, lies partly in the attitude of the clients. They, as well as the translators, are not aware of the consequences a bad translation might have on their business. And, even before that, they are not aware that a person knowing both languages might not be able to translate a text correctly, including all connotations and implications, tone and meaning.

Another aspect of the required depth and sensitiveness in translation are interpersonal relationships. Whether translating a book or an article, the contact with and understanding of the personality of the author plays a crucial role in the translation process. It is important to be aware of an author’s or a speakers personal mindset as well in order to grasp all tiny nuances of the delivered messages. If the communication between author and translator becomes very intense, it can even happen that bonds are created that carry far beyond the translation process. A translator from Equatorial Guinea, for example, became the close confidante to his author, when the author himself was in danger (Soutar 2014).

Considering all the pitfalls and consequences translation bears, it seems to be a pretty serious issue. After all, language is not just “language”. Fundamental knowledge is necessary in order to avoid getting “lost in translation”.

References:

Soutar, J. (2014). Translating the dangers faced by an author under threat. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/feb/27/translating-dangers-author-under-threat

Stolze, R. (2011). Übersetzungstheorien. Tübingen: Narr Verlag.