The Fascinating World of the Translator

THE advertising campaign of an American automaker in Belgium nearly collapsed when its slogan “Body by Fisher” was translated “Corpse by Fisher.” And, in France, the executives of a soft-drink manufacturer literally shivered when they found that their ad, which described their drink as “the Refreshment of Friendship,” came out saying it “Throws Cold Water on Friendship.”

Stories such as these are not uncommon in the world of the translator. But they point up the difficulty and challenge of translating from one language into another. Yet, in a world with about 3,000 languages, translation is very much a necessity. International diplomacy, commerce, education, travel and a host of other activities depend on the work of translators​—men and women working quietly in the background, trying to channel ideas and information across language barriers.

Pitfalls and Dangers

It takes more than just knowledge of two or more languages to translate successfully. An in-depth understanding of the subject matter is required if one is to be a professional in that field. If he is going to specialize in a new field, he must learn the new terrain in order to avoid the pitfalls. And pitfalls are plentiful. For example, an article in the Danish edition of Reader’s Digest about ancient Egypt mentioned Moses and the 10 “tablets”! Apparently the translator mistook “plagues” for “plaques” and then got the 10 plagues mixed up with the tablets containing the Ten Commandments.

Even simple terms become not so simple when translated into another language. For instance, “benzin” in Danish is not “benzene,” “benzine” or “benzol” in English. It is the stuff called petrol in England and gasoline, or gas, in America. On the other hand, “petroleum” in Denmark is paraffin in England and kerosene in the U.S., and, of course, paraffin in the U.S. is a wax in Britain. Confusing, isn’t it? But, for a translator, problems of this sort are countless, some of which may not be resolved satisfactorily even with the aid of a dictionary.

A word in one language seldom covers exactly the same ground as its equivalent, if there is such a thing, in another language. Often, the translator must choose from among several similar words, considering the subject, context, style and many other factors. Making the right choice could be crucial. Some years ago, a Japanese product inadvertently made a bad name for itself when the translator of its English-language instruction brochure failed to comprehend the not-so-subtle difference between “famous” and “notorious.”

Then, too, the associations or connotations tied to a word must not be ignored. Take as an example the Bible word “Armageddon,” which Webster’s dictionary defines as “a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil.” (Rev. 16:16) For something similar, the Danes have the word Ragnarok and the Germans use the expression Götterdammerung made famous by Richard Wagner’s opera by the same name and meaning “twilight of the gods.” But in treating a Bible topic, a translator would not use either of these words for “Har–Magedon,” loaded as they are with pagan, mythological associations.

Idioms and figures of speech are particularly difficult to handle. To illustrate: An Awake! article about the benefits of walking offered this advice: “One should walk as if he is going somewhere and it should be a regular exercise.” All is well​—in English, that is. But, when translated into Danish, “to go to a certain place” is a figure of speech meaning about the same thing as “to visit the water closet,” or the rest room, in English. Fortunately the expression was caught and corrected before it went to press.

Science or Art?

Good translation puts demands not only on the translator’s mind but also on his heart, feelings and experience. For this reason, it has not as yet been possible to build a machine that can do the job satisfactorily without the aid of human editors. Why not? Because languages are very, very complex, and they differ from one another not only in vocabulary but also in grammar and sentence structure. So, translation is much more than just finding equivalent words in another language for the original.

So far, translation machines or computers are having some success in handling scientific or technical material. This is because the style of this type of writing is quite similar in all languages and the vocabulary is relatively uniform and limited.

When the writer or speaker is an artist who really knows how to use words not only to convey information but also to express feeling, emotion, insight and motivation, it takes a correspondingly skillful artist to translate him faithfully. This is especially true when it comes to poetry, in which feelings and ideas are expressed precisely by special word choice and order, rhyme and rhythm and grammatical construction. All of this, and perhaps even how it finally looks on paper, must be reproduced in the translation. So, almost inevitably, in translating such literary works, “something is lost in the translation,” as the saying goes. Where it is claimed that the translations are better than the originals, usually they are rewritten works, not translations.

Even if the writer or speaker is not so skillful, the job of the translator is not made any easier. How so? Well, the translator must remember the basic rule: He is not the author; so he is not authorized to “improve” on the original. His job is to convey the thought, feeling and mood of the original as faithfully as possible. But if the message from the original is unclear, what is he to convey? Still, he must not succumb to the temptation to clarify what is obscure, strengthen what is weak or refine what is awkward. Exercising that restraint can be a real challenge.

Ideal and Reality

Ideally, a translation should be as faithful to the original as possible. In practice, however, there is much disagreement as to what is considered faithful. Some maintain that a faithful translation must retain the form of the original​—its particular style, choice of words and expressions, figures of speech, grammatical structure, and so forth. But, given the difference in languages, this is more easily said than done.

Take, for example, the expression “precious as the apple of one’s eye.” Can you imagine the problem this creates for the translator who is working with a language and culture where apples do not exist? Even if there is the word “apple,” the expression may be completely meaningless and even strange to the reader. On the other hand, in some languages, an equivalent expression is “precious as one’s heart and liver.” But is it the translator’s prerogative to make such changes in order to get the idea across to the reader?

Problems such as these lead some to argue that the content of the message is more important than the form, and in order to preserve the content and to create the same response or reaction in the reader, the form must be changed. So, the form or the content​—which? Such is the dilemma facing every translator.

What Can Help?

If you are a translator, or hope to be one, what can you do to prepare yourself? It is obvious that, first of all, you must know well the languages with which you work. But what does it mean to know a language well? Since a language is inseparable from its cultural background, a well-known professional translator in Europe suggests that a translator must cultivate “the ability to hear hidden quotations, the muffled echoes of the classical literature of the language in question, its proverbs, its dialects.” He recommends that “he who translates from English ought to be familiar at least with the Bible, Shakespeare, Alice in Wonderland and the most common nursery rhymes.”

You can also prepare yourself by getting acquainted with the people for whom you translate. Get out among them and talk to them. Listen to what they say and note how they think. Will they be able to understand big words, or foreign words? Or should you, rather, use expressions that are more familiar to them?

Reading good literature, both originals and translations, is very helpful. It can be quite instructive for you to compare the original with the translation and thus learn from what the professionals do. Remember, too, that language is never static; it develops and changes. So the translator must be alert to new trends and new vocabulary.

As with everything else, practice results in improvement. To make progress, however, the critical advice and suggestions of one who is qualified are valuable. And, of course, you must be willing to accept and apply them​—humbly and patiently. Mastering the skills of a translator is an endless process. It is very much like art. There is only so much that can be taught; the rest is up to you.