What are some of the challenges that occur when translating one language into another?

Answer 1

It is very common that you can not translate a word or a text literally but you have to try to find what a sentence or a word within a context means.

That is something that happens often for example with idioms: What you say for example in english might not have any logic in spanish , german or other language when you translate literally, that means you have to look for the words that make sense instead of a "word to word" translation.

For example you say in english "Not playing with a full deck" what means something like "Stupid" in english. If I translate this sentense into spanish literally, it does not really make sense, I have to search for a sentese or an idiom in spanish that means the same or just use the word "estúpido" (stupid) if I do not have any.

I think this is the most difficult part when you translate: try to say the same in other language without losing the original sense and meaning.

Something else. It is also very usual that you translate without respecting the grammar and orthography rules of the second language. For example, in english when you are translating a book and you have a part where there is a conversation, the dialog sentences are between quotation marks. It is very common to find that this quotation marks are taken and used in the spanish translated versions of english books and that is not quite correct. The spanish orthography rules say that you must write the sentences of a conversation or a dialog between long hyphens.

Sometimes some words apparently have the same meaning in all laguages and actually they don't. For example:

German: Eventuell

Spanish: Eventualmente

It seems to be the same, but it is not. The german word inidicates something that "perhaps" could happen or could take place, the spanish word indicates something that will happen with the time (someday)ot something that will happen in a very slow process.

Answer 2

Here are some ideas most second language learners don't realize.

FIRST: Completely eliminate English idioms when you speak. We use a LOT of phrases that are not understood in other countries, and they use ones we don't understand. Examples: Get to first base. Flip the switch. Hitch a ride.
Even between England and America or Canada. For example knock someone up. In North America it means get a girl pregnant. In England it means knock on their door. So you can see how embarrassing it might be should you stumble on an idiom that means something else.

SECOND: Realize that it is not ALWAYS a one-for-one word exchange when translating. Some languages can express an idea in as little as one word compared to a few, and vice-versa.
Hand in hand with this, understanding that the idea being expressed is what's important, not the way it's said. Just because the sentence wasn't constructed the way we would have said it doesn't make it wrong.

LAST: I cheated. I learnt the worlds easiest language and now I find I understand English better and I'm in a better position to learn more languages.

That language was ESPERANTO. It is designed such that you MUST understand sentence structure, which helps to understand other languages..

Oh sorry. I forgot to mention, listen to and read as much as you possibly can, whenever you can. Immersion, immersion, IMMERSION!

Gxis!