Accuracy and meaning
By Rees Clark
Automated translation has advanced greatly in recent years. However, users should be aware that machines can translate, but they cannot interpret. Translation is the substitution of words and known phrases and is based on knowledge; whereas interpretation is the art of conveying meaning and is based on understanding. They are like apples and oranges, both fruits but not the same.At the current state of the art, many modes of speaking and writing do not "translate" well, and additional meaning beyond the individual words or phrases may be lost, and linguistic differences may confuse meaning further.
For example, consider the English expression, it takes a thief to catch a thief. This sentence actually has little to do with thieves or thievery. It means instead that people of a certain type are able to recognize others of the same type by their behavior and style, not their actions or appearance.
Google gives two translations:
- Se necesita un ladrón para atrapar a un ladrón
- Se necesita una ladróna para atrapar a un ladróna
In Spanish the two translations distinguish between male and female thieves, not because their sex is important in the meaning of the sentence, which is an allegory and not a statement of fact, but simply because Spanish distinguishes all nouns by gender. Russian goes a step further by declining even proper names by gender. Japanese does not distinguish thief by gender and returns only the masculine version when translated into Spanish.
Because of these minor cultural and linguistic differences, the original sentence when translated from English to Spanish to Russian to Japanese happens to return the original text, with only Spanish introducing the concept of gender. The fact that the circuitous translation results in the non-gender-specific form is probably due in part to the fact that Google chooses to place the masculine version before the feminine (please vent your feminist ire at Google, not at the author
).Which of these translations is correct? It's really up to the author and the reader to decide, and if an author knows the material is likely to be rendered in other languages, to write with special clarity.
In general we suggest (in English) that you take the result with a grain of salt, noting that nothing in this section has anything to do with thieves or salt.
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Obgleich andere Sprachen in zunehmendem Maße für das nationales Intraveröffentlichen und Handel verwendet werden, neigen die meisten internationalen Aufstellungsorte, Englisch als ihr Gemeindeland zu verwenden, die ein Problem für non-native Lautsprecher darstellen kann, wenn sie versuchen, ihre lokalen Aufstellungsorte für ein weltweites Publikum zu übersetzen.
Aunque otras idiomas se utilizan cada vez más para intra publicar y comercio nacionales, la mayoría de los sitios internacionales tienden para utilizar inglés como su tierra común, que pueden presentar un problema para los altavoces extranjeros cuando ella intentan traducir sus sitios locales para una audiencia mundial.
Bien que d'autres langues soient de plus en plus employées pour l'intra édition et commerce nationaux, la plupart des emplacements internationaux tendent à employer l'anglais en tant que leur terre commune, qui peut présenter un problème pour les personnes de langue maternelle étrangère quand elles essayent de traduire leurs emplacements locaux pour une assistance mondiale.
Anche se altre lingue sempre più sono usate per l'intra pubblicazione e commercio nazionali, la maggior parte dei luoghi internazionali tendono ad usare l'inglese come loro terra comune, che possono presentare un problema per gli altoparlanti non-native quando provano a tradurre i loro luoghi locali per un pubblico in tutto il mondo.
And so it goes, all over the world.
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Our team of editors will be pleased to inspect your site and give you a summary report on its general use of English. We'll look at up to five pages selected more or less at random and give you a written report in about three to five days on how your site "reads" to native speakers. Our primary perspective is American English, since the USA is the largest market for Web-based services and products, but we'll take into account the variations among English-speaking countries, too.
Our report will give you specific recommendations on issues we find on your site. These will include not only vocabulary, diction and grammar, but also issues of how language affects the usability of your site, considering, for example, the labels of buttons and links and the explanation of procedures. We will not analyze the mechanics (HTML, XML, design or coding) of your site.
The analysis will focus primarily on the overall impression your site's use of English gives to readers. We will comment on narrow matters of grammar, etc., but the primary goal will be to examine how well your message can be received.
Your site will be assigned to a person who is bilingual in the language of your country and English. We currently support Spanish for immediate (three business days) analysis. Portuguese, French, Italian and German require five business days. Other language specialists are on call; that takes a few extra days. Scheduling is subject to prior orders.
To order your preliminary analysis of your English site or pages, please use the following form. It will collect some necessary information and send you to PayPal. Payment must be in advance by credit card or electronic check. Payments from many countries are accepted; if yours is not among them, we can work out an alternate means of prepayment.
QUALIFICATIONS: Our staff has personnel with over 50 years of combined, in-house experience on duty daily. Our contract editors are all university graduates who are native speakers of English, know at least one other language, and have a background in publishing and international communication. Technical specialists with similar language competency are available for more rigorous analysis as required.