Week #9: Shrinithi Sathiyaseelan - Lost in Translation
Photo Credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/lost-in-translation
Although language is very powerful and greatly affects the world around us, it is not often that we think about the way words affect our lives. Language is something we often take for granted because it comes so naturally to us, seamlessly blending into our backgrounds. However, when different languages come together, their importance becomes more evident.
Translating is more than converting words from one language to another; it requires an understanding of literal and cultural audience, intention and purpose, target audience, and other nuances as well. According to an article I read from the Guardian, a study found that there may not be any universal concepts for some emotions. It cites an example of the concept of the word "love." In Indo-European languages, it is closely linked to "like" and "want," but in Austronesian languages, it is linked closely to "pity."
Since words that have the same "concept" have so many different variations of cultural experiences and feelings, it is hard to capture all of these differences in a single word like "fear" or "anger."
Although translation may not seem like something that directly affects our lives, it can hold great significance in instances such as in medicine. Language barriers between doctors and patients interfere with their communication, and interpretation or translation errors could prove to be fatal in serious cases.
There are definitely various benefits to learning languages, but our learning in schools is quite limited in that we are often not taught real-world applications. While we learn grammar and memorize the meanings of different words, I feel that we do not learn much about where to use words in different contexts and how fluent speakers actually converse with each other.
Hey Shrinithi! Meaning can often be lost in translation and that holds true to all languages and even style of communication. This is, as you mentioned, especially true with the languages we are already familiar with. In a professional environment maintaining one’s formality is just as important as being a warm, comforting figure as a nurse or a doctor to a patient. Similarly, patience is a key virtue for teachers. Acknowledging and adopting these traits can create a better atmosphere and give you better body language. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Shrinithi, your concept of languages sometimes not being able to precisely translate into another really sparked an interest in me. It got me wondering just how true this statement can be, and after some thoughts, I realized this really is very accurate. Every language has its own figurative terms and idioms, and I am sure if these phrases are put into Google Translate to another language, a significant majority of them will not make any sense at all. Take for example the English phrase of “it’s raining cats and dogs.” If you mention this phrase to an average American, they will understand you mean to declare there is heavy rain occurring. However, if you say this to anyone else in another language, chances are they will think you are crazy. These almost absurd idioms are not limited to our English language though, they exist in almost all cultures and languages. One prime example I can give is the term “电灯泡” in Chinese. This word would directly translate to “electric light bulb,” and would seem simply to be just that to any other culture. However, this phrase also is used to refer to someone who is acting as a third wheel (another absurd idiom) and would be instantly understood if mentioned to any Chinese individual. With terms like those, translation services really have to be careful in converting languages from one to another, or the recipient might truly be utterly confused when someone is called a lightbulb.
ReplyDeleteHey Shrinithi! Language is indeed a powerful instrument and its manipulation can indeed have a great effect on people. The translations of even the same word is indeed an interesting topic since its such an interesting thing when it comes to international relations where a document written in one language can be hugely different from another just due to its connotations in the other language. Language barrier is also a powerful thing as a study of AP European History will show. Learning languages in school is also a weird thing because we’ll never know how a native speaker would actually speak since we’re only taught a pitch perfect, school-approved version of the language, which really does detract from the knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi, language and word phrasing has a large impact on what you want to convey. Because of the weight that culture can carry on language, being mindful of how you convey your thoughts is necessary, especially to different audiences. While you may have good intentions, the wrong diction can come across as offensive to some. It's interesting how you discuss the importance of conversational language being taught in schools. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi! I am usually someone who takes language for granted and accepts it as a given in life, but your blog reminded me about the incredible power that words hold. I think it is really interesting how words have different connotations in different places depending on what cultural expressions people there connect with those words. I was born and raised in China so I grew up speaking Chinese for the first 10 years of my life. Moving to America and learning English has opened my eyes to how different languages and words in different parts of the world are. There are also many Chinese words that I can not translate into English without taking away some of their meaning. I agree that we do not learn a great deal about the significance and usage of language in school. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI am very passionate about languages and I would like to learn a lot more. I agree with you about how these educational institutes focus more on the grammatical and semantic elements than the day-to-day local language. A lot of the time, there is a lot of language you have to learn outside school to truly be conversational.
ReplyDeleteShrinithi, this was a very truthful and honest blog post to me. I definitely take my bilingual status for granted. Being amongst many immigrants, I never really felt that my second language was a unique factor rather just a normal one. However, when I was talking to a friend of mine on the East Coast when I told her I can speak and understand another language from a very young age she was shocked. After witnessing her reaction, it made me realize how blessed I am to be a part of the cultures and worlds. I took Spanish for 3 years in high school and the only thing on my mind was to pass the class. I wish I focused more on the cultures and history of the language rather than getting an A. Hopefully, when being taught a language we are pushed to understand the language fully rather than strive for a good grade or pass the class.
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi, I agree with the fact that our language classes should offer students more real-life scenarios, however, I also think that this should be something we practice and experience while talking with others with the different languages. In addition to this, I think we are very lucky to have advanced technology that can help us translate and understand foreign languages even if they aren’t completely accurate. Languages are extremely unique and contain different structures from each other which makes it difficult to learn, but thanks to the improvement of our technology, we can still communicate with others which is something we should be extremely grateful for.
ReplyDeleteHi Shrinithi, this topic is very relatable to me, being a multilingual person. I can fluently speak two languages and kind of speak a third, and I sometimes have difficulty finding words or phrases in the right language that match what I am trying to convey. Each language has its ways of presenting ideas, and sometimes I find myself thinking of a phrase in a different language that I can't seem to express with the language in which I am speaking. A lot of translated texts lose certain connotations because of this, an example being the Bible. Language is a fascinating concept, and it's fascinating to discover the specialties of each unique language.
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