How does culture affect meaning in translation?

by Target Language Translation Services

- December 01 2021

Translation is important in understanding ideas from another culture, which involves far more than exchanging words from one language to another. Words rarely have a one-to-one relationship, but there are more concepts that are translated. It is important to realize that culture and language are interconnected. Culture factors into various things, from literacy to art, dialect and language, religion, ideologies and syntax.

No computer software in existence today can compensate for cultural nuance. The only way to avoid a translation that simply means nothing to the reader or, worse, creates a cultural faux pas, is to make sure that your translator is a native speaker fluent in both the source and target languages. Not only will you be assured of grammar and syntax, but your translator will be able to make your text culturally relevant.

Importance of Cultural Considerations

It’s long been established that translation is very valuable to international customers. International translation services are highly important in helping companies sell their services and products in other countries.

In translating content for international audiences, the process is more involved and complicated. It is different from the ordinary translation process which usually only require the conversion of the content from the source to the target language. Translating content for the international market requires putting a high level of importance to cultural considerations. International marketing means promoting a cause, service or product appropriately. The advertising copy should be fully understood by the audience. It should not be offensive or cause the customers harm that will turn them away from the product or service. It would defeat the very purpose of marketing internationally if you cannot get the target customers to patronize the product or service because of badly translated information.

Translation for the international market involves not only utilizing content culturally appropriate to the target audience. It also involves the appropriate use of other elements like images, colors, videos and in some cases, font types. The wide cultural differences around the world require businesses to consider them carefully if they want to be successful in penetrating new markets and converting new customers.

Understand Cultural Nuance

Contracts

Beyond advertising and marketing campaigns, contracts are laden with cultural nuance. In many cultures, there are entire sections of an English contract that are left out for things are simply “assumed”. While you don’t want to offend by insisting that things be put in writing which hasn’t been written down for 1,500 years, you need to comprehend the terms of your contracts.

In the same way, you may have contractual expectations that are going to be very offensive in the culture in which you are hoping to do business. A translator familiar with the language, culture, and nature of your business can help you avoid these hidden pitfalls.

Etiquette

Cultural nuances also exist in gender roles, casual and formal text, and etiquette. English is a very factual, no frills language. Many cultures consider this rude and inappropriate. For example, in Japanese, you would never address an elder and child in the same way. There are formalities for speaking to a man versus a woman, and you can even tell the gender of the speaker by the terms used.

Consider the simple English phrase “I love you”. In Hindi, the phrase used is different depending, whether it’s been directed at a man or a woman.From male to female “Main tumse pyar kartha hoon” but “main tumse pyar karthee hoon” is used from female to male. There are some similarities in the words used but they are not exactly the same but if used incorrectly could cause offence.

There is another variant if the person you are speaking to is an elder or one you don’t have a close relationship with. In this case, you would change tumse to aapse: main aapse pyaar kartha/karthee hoon.

Further, the word “love” may be replaced with ishq or mohabbat the same way an English speaker might say “I adore you” or “I desire you” and the subtle differences between the hint of sexual love and friendship love has to be understood as well.

While you are not likely to be translating love in an academic or business writings, the rules of etiquette are every bit as formal in these environments. Even casual slips can range from unprofessional to rude and offensive.

Figurative Speech

The Japanese language also is not large on innuendo and sarcasm. This is a linguistic characteristic that is not present in the Japanese culture. A translator who is familiar with the Japanese language and culture would take the hidden and subtle English meanings and explain them to the Japanese audience.

English is also filled with metaphor, simile, and analogy. Very rarely does figurative speech translate well from one culture to the other, and since there was a reason for the subtle variance of language, it is often wise, instead of translating intended meanings, to translate a figurative phrase or story that has the same relevance or meaning within the target culture.

Country-Specific Cultural Conditions

Saving Face

In the United States, making fun of someone in good taste is generally acceptable. However, it does not apply to countries where the concept of ”saving face” is strictly , especially in Asia, such as in China, Malaysia or Indonesia. In their daily lives, it is important to give people their personal dignity and the level of respect they deserve based on their position in the family, society or the workplace.

Confucian values observed in China or South Korea for example, like obligation, loyalty and humility could be lost in other cultures that emphasize entrepreneurship and dynamism.

Concept of Family

When considering family values, cultural considerations may be at odds as well, as the concept differs between cultures. In Asian cultures, family could mean ”extended families” who are related by blood and marriage. In the modern concept and places where gay marriages are allowed by law, family may mean a gay couple who are married and raising their adopted child. Family is subjective, which means translating advertising copy for other audiences could be tricky.

Conclusion

Overall, the use of linguistic nuances and cultural nuances are all part of a language but they differ markedly in every language. It cannot be highlighted enough that when selecting translation services you find a translator that possesses a native-level fluency of the source and target languages, understands the cultural nuances of both languages, and has an expertise in the content you are translating.

In the western world, we can often brush off a cultural slight without a second thought, this is not so in many parts of the world. Perfecting cultural nuance in your text is something you absolutely need to get right the first time. Otherwise the translation may be conveying the wrong message.

This article is reprinted from EPIC, dammann and DayTranslations.

If there is a copyright, please inform us in time, we will delete it right the first time.