3/Dec/2022
2022-2023
Translation Difficulties
Submitted to
Professor Dr.Abbas M. Abbas
Submitted by
Rozi Abubakr Ahmed
Third Grader
University of sulaimani
College of basic education
English department- Evening
Contents
Introduction ………………………………………..……1
The Translator’s Experience ……………………………2
The problems of Translation ....…………………………3
Idioms and expressions …………………………………4
Words with multiple meanings ………………………….4
Compound words ………………………………………..5
The use of 2 word verbs …...……………………………5
Sarcasm is difficult to translate …………………………6
Limited time ……………………………………………7
Personal challenges …………………………………… 8
Conclusion ……………………………………………..9
References ………….………………………………… 10
Introduction
It would be simple to communicate between languages if language were
only a term for a collection of universal ideas. One would simply replace
the French name for a concept with the English name. Learning a new
language would be much simpler than it is if language were like this.
However, those who have attempted one or both of these tasks have
unfortunately amassed a substantial amount of direct evidence that
languages are not nomenclatures and that the concepts of one language
may be very different from those of another. Each language use different
ways to organize or articulate the universe. Languages articulate their
own categories rather than just naming those that already exist.
So we can say That Translation is the transmission of written text
from one language (the source) to another language (the target). Or
it is a rendering from one language into another. And now we have to
know who is translator, Translator is a person whose job is to translate
speech or writing from one language (the source language) to
another (the target language). A translator thinks and talks about
translation from inside the process, knowing how it’s done, possessing a
practical real-world sense of the problems involved, some solutions to
those problems, and the limitations of those solutions (the translator
knows, for example, that no translation will ever be a perfectly
reliable guide to the original). Nevertheless, we have to know that
Translation is not as easy as we thought, during the process of
translation translators will face some difficulties but, fortunately, we can
solve some of the problems using some techniques.
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THE TRANSLATOR’S EXPERIENCE
In order to be a good Translator you have to gain some experience, and
there are too many useful things u can get benefits of it, in this figure
I’m going to explain the tools or things for translator’s experiences:
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The problems of Translation
Knowing about a variety of features, such as language structure, which
differs between languages, is a common challenge in translation. A
simple English sentence, for example, has a subject, a verb, and an
object, such as 'She eats chicken.' However, because not all languages
have this structure, the Farsi language has the subject first, followed by a
verb, and finally the object. Subject pronouns become part of the verb in
Arabic. Because of these distinctions, translators must frequently add,
rearrange, or delete words in order to communicate effectively in the
target language.
Translators face some problems during the process of translation and
translating some terms and words, I’ll discuss some of it down below:
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Structure of the Language
The structure of sentences in English and other languages may be
different. This is considered to be one of the main structural problems in
translation.
The culture practised by the speakers of each language may also be
vastly different. In many languages, certain terms may be completely
absent… This is one of the most common challenge faced by a
translator on its daily basis, also one of the main reasons why translation
is difficult.
For example, in English the adjective is placed before the noun, but in
French the adjective comes after the noun. In Arabic and some other
languages, the subject pronoun is part of the verb, and that determines
the subject gender and the voice of the sentence.
Cultural Differences
The culture practised by the speakers of each language may also be
vastly different. Often, colloquialism is woven into formal language,
making the translator’s task very difficult indeed.
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The larger the region where the language is spoken, the more the dialects
there are likely to be, and the more colloquial words you are likely to
find – except in technical documents translations, legal document
translations, or translations of medical transcripts.
For example, the British are famous for their dry, biting sarcasm, which
is their brand of humor. However, this kind of sarcasm may not be
appreciated in not just a country speaking a different language, but even
another country where they speak English.
Idioms and Expressions
Idioms, for example: Explain something by using a unique grouping of
words which only have that meaning when in that group.
Idioms and fixed expressions are an inalienable part of each language
found in large numbers in most languages.
Since the meaning of these collocations cannot be understood from the
superficial meanings of the single words constituting them, so there are
some problems in both processes of understanding and translating them.
Because idioms cannot be translated word for word, machine translation
tools are incapable of dealing with them.
According to the latest predictions, machine translation tools will never
be able to correctly translate idioms. Anyone attempting to localize a
product by translating its characteristics into other languages should
avoid using idioms, as the message may be distorted and even offensive
to other cultures when translated.
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Words with Multiple Meanings
Some words in English sound the same but are spelt differently, for
example, weigh the fish on the scales after the scales have been
removed.
Compound Words
Compound words frequently cause problems in translation of language.
This is because when two words are joined together to create a new
word the meaning of the two words may be quite different from the
compound word. There are three different groups to consider. The first is
when the compound word means what each word means. Examples
include a crosswalk, an airport or a seashore.
The 2nd group means only 50 percent of the 2 word’s literal meaning
such as the compound word a “bookworm” the words book and worm
have little relationship when separated but when put together mean
someone who loves books.
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The use of 2 Word Verbs
On occasions, a preposition combined with a verb takes on a
completely different meaning from the words taken
individually. These are called phrasal verbs and include such
examples as (fill out, look up, break down, shut up, break in and bring
up). This brings about problems and challenges of translation for the
translator.
Sarcasm is Difficult to Translate
Sarcasm is a bitter, sharp or cutting expression that typically means the
complete opposite of any literal meaning. Sarcasm usually loses its
meaning once it has been translated word-for-word into a different
language. The translation has been known to cause serious
misunderstandings. A publisher will try to eliminate sarcasm from a
source text before it’s translated. This can’t always be done as the tone
and style of the content may need to include the sarcasm in order to get
the required message across. Sometimes a translator may suggest using a
local idiom that may be more appropriate when used in the targeted
language.
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Limited Time
Limited time is the most common problem that translators face every
single day because most clients need the translated work quickly, they
have no time to lose.
If it is a straightforward document, then you may be able to finish it
within the deadline. But when it is a technical or legal document full of
technical terms or if there is a lot of dialect and colloquialism involved,
it could take longer.
This can be very stressful for you as a translator, when your client is
breathing down your back to get the translated documents.
Personal Challenges
Personal Challenges, as opposed to linguistic challenges, are those arises
because of the environment around the translator.
There are many benefits on being a translator, but sometimes some of
those benefits may also bring problems. For example, being a translator
involves a very independent working schedule. This means you can
work anytime you want, even from home, but you still have deadlines
and time requisites. If you do not handle your working time correctly
you might find yourself working 24/7.
Apart from those, a translator may face several other challenges in their
line of work. These include but are not limited to: proper internet access,
competition from other translators, competition from machine
translation, and the dilemma of pricing your services appropriately.
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In the end the translator has to strike a deal with the client when
translating text which is loaded with word combinations that aren’t easy
to translate. If an idiom used in the source language isn’t easy to
translate the client will need to negotiate with the translator an
appropriate word or cluster of words best represents the message he or
she wants to put across. One of the chief problems that need to be
ironed out before releasing a translation to another culture is that no
offensive words are mistakenly used in the translation.
Problems in translation of language have been around for several
centuries and sometimes a translation could become Chinese whispers as
its meaning seems to change slightly as each translation of a text takes
place. After several translations the meaning may not seem anything like
the original message. This may not matter overall depending on who the
translation is targeting. But if it was a translation for a court room
hearing a mistranslation could result in the wrong outcome for a
defendant. Witness reports may use idiomatic language that the
interpreter or translator finds difficulty in find the precise translation.
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References
https://www.translateday.com/translation-problems-and-solutions/
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/translator
https://www.languagenetworkusa.com/blog/brief-history-of-translation-everythingyou-need-toknow#:~:text=First%2C%20the%20word%20%22translation%22,mean%20%22w
ord%20for%20word%20translation
Research about (Translation of Idioms and Fixed Expressions: Strategies and
Difficulties) by Amir Shojaei / Department of English, Quchan Branch, Islamic
Azad University, Quchan, Iran
Books
(Becoming a translator)
by Douglas Rrobinson , third edition 2018
(In Other Words: A Course book on Translation)
by Mona Baker, third edition 2018
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