Interpreting Language and Culture
June 13th, 2009
English and French translators must be aware of several issues regarding cultures. Obviously, culture and language are associated with each other, and this must be addressed when translating between languages.
When starting to translate, English and French translators must deal mainly with their target language. In French and English translation, the translator must go between these languages and between cultures. There are many ways in which cultures and terminology vary enormously and each phrase or feeling must be conveyed correctly.
A cultural interpretation must be initially done to identify cultural nuances and implications, custom references, historical allusions, etc., which will make readers clearly understand despite the subtleties. Using the target language, texts can be re-created, with cultural distinctions made explicitly for the text to become clear and understandable. This method promotes a reliable means of balancing some delicate nuances and avoiding confusion.
In translating English to French, similar problems may arise. For example, if an English text says, “There is no silver bullet” the reader can surely understand this as “there is no ideal solution that works in every case.” Therefore, there is no need to translate this text into French because if the translator does, it will be nonsense to a French reader. A translation that will express the real meaning of the sentence or phrase would be preferable.
Culture is certainly important to English and French translators. A good translation depends on the cultural meaning of the source texts and the clear objective of the translation. Other commercial material, advertising, reports, and documents convey nuances, which must also be taken into consideration. In the areas of French-English translation, culture is an important thing that must not be ignored.