What is lost in translation from one language to another? Why?

Answer 1

The Italians have a saying: "traduttore tradittore" -- "the translator is a traitor". This is because so much of the time one loses the subtleties of a language in translation-- the balance, the music, the poetry, the impact. I think that it was in Aldous Huxley's novel "Chrome Yellow" that someone fell in love with the English word "carminative", which sounded so poetic, and then had his illusions shattered when he found out that in German it was "weintraubend".

Answer 2

Depends on the skill of the translator. Most probably the warmth, emotions, subtleties and philosophy of the source language. And a lot of time, blood sweat and tears. Much easier to learn the language yourself and basta! As for computerised translations, these have not progressed very much since Naom Chomsky's famous 1960s account of translating, via the computer, 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak' into Russian and back into English. The result was: 'The vodka's OK, but the meat's a bit off'. Babylon and Babel. People think problems only arise in non-technical texts, like fiction and poetry; this is not true. I recently came across 'abbreviated conclusion' in a technical text about vehicle electrics. When I checked with the source language I found the word 'Kurzschluss' - 'kurz'/short, 'schluss'/end. The word actually means 'short-circuit'.

Answer 3

Well, this is something that interests me but that I don't know that I am ready to talk about now. But, there are a couple of things just off the top of my head. Languages have a system of sounds or ideas of what sounds like what. So some sounds are bad some are good and others used for effect. (sound effect). Words have histories that are lost in translation. This may be more true for English than other languages in the sense of the intake of foreign words. Well, all languages seem to have it. So when you translate you loose what made sense historically ... And, then there is the relation that one word has to another within a language. You loose this connection in translation.
That doesn't seem to be well said... and kind of confused. the word telephone and television and so on have a link in that tele means something. In another language a phone is called denwa "electric talk" and television is "terebishion." But, the first word (denwa) has links to other words referring to electric things.
Also there are obvious things like slang and idiomatic expressions.

Answer 4

All languages have idiomatic phrases that don't go into others very well. In German there is a phrase "so fallen die Wuerfel" which sounds highly poetic but is normally translated formally as "That's life", although the Americans have the phrase "That's the way the cookie crumbles" which is closer to the intent. You lose a lot of lyrical syntax especially in the translation of great poetry and more so when translating out of one family to another.
You'll usually find that Germanic families (German, Dutch, English) lose little when being translated into each other, but the lyrical quality is muted when set into a Romance Language (French, Spanish, Italian etc) and swamped entirely when put into an Asian tongue. The obverse is of course true. English is a natural tongue for the Iambic pentameter;Gaelic and Norse epics make for difficult reading in English simply because they were not designed for the meter.

Answer 5

Little should be lost in translation if the translator is aware of the cultural differences between the source language and the target language. A good professional translator is always able to render the nuances of meanings, the musicality and rhythms (in case of texts of poetical value and relevance) and stylistic aspects in the source text, finding the equivalent of such elements in the target text. However, an in-depth study of the cultural differences and similarities should be conducted prior to the translation job per se.
Example: In Arabic poetry, "a dagger" is a symbol of legitimate struggle (for freedom and dignity). In English literature, though, it symbolises treachery and betrayal. It has to be avoided in English. As an alternative, a translator can safely use the word "gun," a universal symbol of struggle for freedom.

Answer 6

Usually, the spontaneity... There are some great talents among translators, but not so many can really think in many languages with the same ease as native speakers of the languages do. Add to it the difficulty (impossibility?) of understanding another COMPLETELY (a text of another in this case).
It's always a different work actually that is the income...

Answer 7

It sounds like Chevalier is a translator. He is right, by the way.

Even if you can't translate word for word, it doesn't matter. The idea is that you get the meaning in the target language. It's more difficult for poetry and stuff like that, or when authors use a metaphor.

Answer 8

http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn

Try translating a phrase from English to another language and back again using babelfish!!!!

Lots of things can be lost in translation. From nuance to real sense.
But especially Bill Murray!

M : )

Answer 9

Often it's shades of meaning, like between "hate" and "detest." Or it could be cultural understandings of ideas, like a woman working as a lawyer in colonial times (virtually unheard of) versus today (common). Or euphemisms, like having a "bee in your bonnet." Or what Char said, with rhyming, etc.

Answer 10

i dont think as much is lost as it is just different in each language. Like in Spanish for example, love and stuff like that is normal in music and tv and stuff, like it's just like that and isn't weird to have that in the media. But in like engilsh for example, stuff might sound really weird talking about love all the time and stuff. its just different. i dont know. languages are just different. haha.