Homonyms
Homonyms are words that have multiple meanings that are spelled the same. They can make translation difficult depending on how they are used or placed in a sentence. For example: I left his glove on the left side of the bench.Language Structure
Translation is not transferring words for words, but it is the transfer of the meaning of sentences to the target language. Each language has different rules and structures that need to be followed in order to to maintain the same meaning. Without the correct language structure, it is easy for a sentence not to make any sense in the target language.Idiomatic Expressions
The meaning of idiomatic expressions is different from the literal meaning. For example: I’ve been feeling under the weather. Translating these type of expressions are difficult for translators as there are not direct translations.Style
Style is the overall attitude, or feeling in a text. Recreating the same style is one of the most difficult tasks for translators. See last week’s blog post here for more on style.
October 27, 2017
The Most Common Challenges with Translation
Translators face many challenges when creating accurate, quality translations for clients. Translation is capturing the meaning of words from the source to the target language. Here are just a few challenges translators face when working on a project: