Articles

Article 1: Bad translation is funny but can spoil your business
A translation does not imply word for word translations and a good translator knows this. Accurately interpreting the meaning when translating from one language to another is very critical. Either you stick closely to the source text for translations or you give loose translation to deliver the central meaning, depending upon the subject matter.

A bad translation is indeed very bad for business, which can harm your reputation as well. No doubt the translations might look very funny and you also enjoy reading it. But at times, when the interpretation is conveyed in the wrong way, you are in big trouble. A large percentage of translations suffer from poor translation.

Here are some examples of bad translations-some signs found in various public places. These translations are wrong translations and hence humorous. These translations were extracted from an article originally published in the newsletter of the San Diego High Tech Marketing Association.

"We take your bags and send them in all directions" - at an airport at Scandinavia

"Drop your pants here for best results" -at a dry cleaning store in Tokyo.

"Please leave your values at the front desk" -a hotel in Paris.

"Ladies may have a fit upstairs" -at a dry cleaning store in Bangkok

"No smoothen the lion" - at a zoo in the Czech Republic.

"Teeth extracted by latest methodists" -Hong Kong dentist's office.

"The lift is being fixed. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable" -in Bucharest hotel lobby.

"STOP! Drive Sideways" -detour sign in Japan.

"It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man" -a Bangkok temple.

"Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time" -at a Rome laundry.

"Specialist in women and other diseases" -at a doctor's office in Rome

"Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin" -in a Swedish furrier

"Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty" -At a Budapest zoo

There is no doubt about the fact that these translations must have been done by bad translators or these were just word for word translations. The signs are funny but when it comes to the pharmaceutical, legal or financial areas, it is not so funny and could be dangerous.

Article 2: Misconceptions in translations
Translation is a serious business that should be dealt with sensibly and carefully in order to avoid poor results. Before starting any project involving translation, it is necessary to keep in mind the following misconceptions regarding translation:

You know a foreign language and that means you can be a translator
There is this misconception that anyone who knows his native language and a foreign language can be a translator. Being able to speak, read and write a foreign language does not mean that that the person is capable of doing translation. Firstly, a translator for doing translation in a foreign language must have an in-depth knowledge of both the languages: a foreign language and his native language. Secondly, translating is an art . You must have an excellent command of every nuances of the language and you must be able to write well . Thirdly, translations also require that the document is translated without hurting any emotions and culture. If the culture behind the language is not appreciated, an accurate translation is extremely difficult.

Translating is easy
Translation is not easy. It can be very intricate and complex and requires lot of patience and hard work. To concentrate on two different texts simultaneously is mentally exhausting. This is because a translator is moving between two languages and hence two mind frames. First he has to read the source text, understand it, and present it accurately in the target language, which requires excellent vocabulary.

Machines can do translations
Machine translations are used but no translation program can take the place of a human translators. This is because computers or software do not understand what language is, how it is used, the nuances within it. Computers may be able to translate simple sentences, word for word, but they will never be able to deal with the complexities within literature or technical texts.

Having a professional translation is not crucial
Professional translators may not be always necessary, because simple translations can be done by some who has knowledge of the foreign language and his native language. However if the translation is to be very accurate and must be prepared and presented in a professional manner, an experienced translator is crucial. Bad translations create many problems like people misunderstanding texts which ultimately spoil the reputation of the company or organization. It is like when your car breaks down, you contact a mechanic and not a car salesman, though both of them knows about cars. Similar is the case with translators.

Article 3: Translations and Culture
We always say that when translation is done, the translator should take into consideration the culture of the people, the locality of the foreign language. What actually is culture? The term 'culture' involves three main categories of human activity:

• The "personal": where we as individuals work, speak, think and function as such.
• The "collective": We as individuals function considering the social aspect.
• The "expressive": Here the society expresses itself.

No social institution can function without language and language has three pillars upon which culture is built. Translation implies the thoughts expressed in one language by one social group is transposed into the appropriate expression of another group and this requires a process of

• Cultural de-coding: It is the "cultural" aspect of the text that translators should take into account.
• Re-coding: Re-coding across cultures, imply distributing corresponding attributes via the target culture to ensure trustworthy in the eyes of the target reader.
• En-coding: Finally presenting the text in such a way so that cultures of both the languages are maintained.

Cultural proverbs, words, and idiomatic expressions, whose origin uniquely bound to the culture concerned. So there is the need of cross-cultural translation whose success depends on understanding of the culture the translators are working with. In conclusion, we can say that translation process should be focused not only on language transfer but also on cultural transposition.