As we’ve said before, there’s more to translation than just a one-to-one relationship of words. If translation was that simple, free online translators would be perfect, and there would be no need for a human to ever translate anything again.

This is not the case though. Languages differ in more ways than simply their vocabulary and syntax. Certain phrases and ideas that can be expressed in one language simply don’t translate into another; they need to be interpreted. Consider, for example…

The French phrase enfant terrible, which literally means “terrible child.” Figuratively, it refers to an embarrassingly disruptive person. It’s a very complex concept to explain in English, but can be expressed simply and elegantly in French with only two words. Similarly, a non-native English speaker may have difficulty understanding me if I were to tell him to “break a leg.” Of course, you and I know I was actually wishing him good luck, but to someone unfamiliar with English idioms, proverbs, puns, and cliches, it would seem a very cruel request indeed!

Only human translators can pick up these minor nuances and make sure that their meanings are translated, and not just the words themselves. This is precisely why human translators are still an important part of the translation process, and particularly important for businesses that don’t want to lose sales and other opporunities. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver has started a class to “teach two-way translation and interpretation (from Mandarin to English and vice versa) with a focus on the business environment,” as reported by the Canwest News

Service:

We say translation (written) and interpretation (oral) is more about the mastery of cultural references than mastery of language.

“For example, as an interpreter, it’s very hard to translate jokes,” she says. “Based on my experience, I remember one time when I was with a delegation visiting a very famous Canadian company designing software systems controlling satellites.

“The speaker was trying to explain how a particular radar system works. So here we had a guy in his mid-30s, a very typical North American young man who was into Star Trek. And he started off by saying, ‘What we have here is a Klingon cloaking device.’”

If you’re still looking to expand your businesses by reaching out to other people in different cultures, make sure to do your research. The only way to get a good, thorough, and accurate translation is with a human touch!