{"id":561,"date":"2022-01-17T11:59:56","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T10:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sprachteam.com\/en\/?p=561"},"modified":"2022-01-17T11:59:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T10:59:56","slug":"how-translators-experience-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sprachteam.com\/en\/blog\/how-translators-experience-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"How translators experience the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>When you do something every day, that something tends to have an effect on you. That means that our jobs change us all. Our professions influence the way in which we interact with the world. Keep reading to find out how translators go through life as a consequence of their work.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>You notice (bad) translations<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>People who spend each day translating texts into other languages see all other texts through that same lens. Every time they read an instruction manual, they notice problems, at the very least they see things that they would have done differently. Generally, they are able to identify translations as such \u2013 even if they\u2019ve never seen the corresponding source text.<\/p>\n<p>Consider a phrase like \u201c<em>child-easy use<\/em>\u201d. \u201cNormal\u201d people might think it\u2019s odd and not quite right and then simply go on with their day. But a German-English translator will quickly identify this as a word for word translation of the German \u201c<em>kinderleichter Betrieb<\/em>\u201d, a German phrase meaning \u201cso easy a child could do it\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Figures of speech are objects of scrutiny<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Not all figures of speech are created equal. The best ones \u2013 at least in the opinion of a translator \u2013 are those which can be easily translated into other languages and require little to no changes. One might refer to a physically active person as \u201c<em>fit as a fiddle<\/em>\u201d. In order to convey this sentiment to a German-speaking readership, a translator must simply replace the string instrument with an article of footwear. Voila! Now the amateur athlete in question is \u201c<em>fit wie ein Turnschuh<\/em>\u201d, literally \u201cfit as a sneaker\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But sailing is not always this smooth. So, sometimes it\u2019s best to find a saying in the target language that still carries roughly the same meaning. In other situations, the original saying can be used in the translation and then accompanied by as much explanatory information as necessary. A third option is to drop the idiom and replace it with literal language. As always, the context determines which solution is the most suitable. Sometimes though, it is simply a matter of taste. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Fun with punctuation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It is no secret that punctuation varies between languages. But dealing with this issue on a daily basis can lead translators to go down rabbit holes about, for example, why there is an extra space before the final punctuation mark before a paragraph break in French. Further fan favorites include: (Oxford) commas as well as hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes.<\/p>\n<p>On the role of commas, consider the following: \u201c<em>I like talking about my grandparents, serial killers and amateur ornithologists.<\/em>\u201d What do we know about these grandparents? Well, they might be innocent and uninterested in birds. However, they could also be bloodthirsty bird fanatics. People who work with language know that at least a part of this issue could be resolved by using an Oxford comma: \u201c<em>I like talking about my grandparents, serial killers and amateur ornithologist.<\/em>\u201d Now, the grandparents are hardened criminals at worst.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Meaning follows translation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of a translator\u2019s dearest friends is without a doubt their bilingual dictionary. (Translating tends to be a lonely profession.) This can lead to translators knowing the translation for a word before they have fully internalized its definition.<\/p>\n<p>A German-English technical translator, for example, might be able to immediately tell you that the German word \u201c<em>Flansch<\/em>\u201d is typically translated as \u201c<em>flange<\/em>\u201d. However, it might take them a few moments before being able to explain that a flange is a disc-like or plate-like connecting element most commonly used in an engineering context.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Commas, specialist terminology, and clever sayings: A translator\u2019s work continues to influence them even after they\u2019ve put their pencil down for the day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>(O.M., 2021)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>How has your profession changed you? Did you like this article? Let us known on <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SprachTeam\"><em>Twitter<\/em><\/a><em>!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you do something every day, that something tends to have an effect on you. That means that our jobs change us all. Our professions influence the way in which we interact with the world. Keep reading to find out how translators go through life as a consequence of their work. &nbsp; You notice (bad) &#8230; <a title=\"How translators experience the world\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sprachteam.com\/en\/blog\/how-translators-experience-the-world\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How translators experience the world\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-globalsprachteam","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How translators experience the world - GlobalSprachTeam<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Translators see the world through translation-tinted glasses. 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