Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you believe that no word is untranslatable? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
| Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 01:19 English to Spanish + ... An expression, untranslatable? | Nov 10, 2016 |
As Barney Stinson would say: Challenge…accepted! On my tweet feed, I often see words in German, Icelandic, Inuit or other languages that seem untranslatable. I also prefer to think of untranslatable expressions (for reasons expressed by Julian and for other motives) because words are just part of the reading elements I am given to translate. Sadly, many translators continue to see words as individual entities that are either translatable or untranslatable. I can't spe... See more As Barney Stinson would say: Challenge…accepted! On my tweet feed, I often see words in German, Icelandic, Inuit or other languages that seem untranslatable. I also prefer to think of untranslatable expressions (for reasons expressed by Julian and for other motives) because words are just part of the reading elements I am given to translate. Sadly, many translators continue to see words as individual entities that are either translatable or untranslatable. I can't speak about songs or poetry, but in my fields, all expressions can find a functional translation (after all, technical writing is about function).
[Edited at 2016-11-10 14:37 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | Xuan Zhao Spain Local time: 06:19 Member (2016) Chinese to English + ... Each word needs a cultural context | Nov 10, 2016 |
There isn't a translation which match the sense of its original version. We only could help to make understand as translators. | | | Mario Freitas Brazil Local time: 02:19 Member (2014) English to Portuguese + ... Many words are untraslatable | Nov 11, 2016 |
And if the translator insists in translating them, nothing good will come out of it. It's not advisable at all for some words. We can use parenthesis or footnotes to explain. In my language, for example, some translations of words like "home theater", "brunch", "know-how", among many others, are but a transalation joke. I believe 60% of "No" in the poll is pretty significant. Mario: I agree with you that there is no such a thing as a non-translatable expression, or a non-translatabl... See more And if the translator insists in translating them, nothing good will come out of it. It's not advisable at all for some words. We can use parenthesis or footnotes to explain. In my language, for example, some translations of words like "home theater", "brunch", "know-how", among many others, are but a transalation joke. I believe 60% of "No" in the poll is pretty significant. Mario: I agree with you that there is no such a thing as a non-translatable expression, or a non-translatable message. But I considered the question is about "words" or "terms" individually. I would certainly vote "Yes" for expressions or messages. But I doubtlessly vote "No" for individual terms or words.
[Edited at 2016-11-11 18:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | Oriol Vives (X) Spain Local time: 06:19 English to Catalan + ... That's just Catalan, dear. | Nov 11, 2016 |
Leticia Klemetz, CT wrote: And the "prou" expression in Mallorquí is not quite the same as "stop, that's enough" (and that's 4 words for 1). So yeah, you will hear it in València, and in Catalunya too. | |
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MikeTrans Germany Local time: 06:19 Italian to German + ...
Every time we need to explain an expression we are not translating. My doctor in Austria once asked me what a "Wurstsemmel" is in Italian. I had to explain him that Italians don't eat and mostly don't know this kind of popular 'panino austriaco'. Of course this translation is a wrong one: it explains, but doesn't translate... Mike | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you believe that no word is untranslatable? TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
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