Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, whose original Swedish title is Män som hatar

kvinnor (Men Who

WHAT CHALLENGES DO TRANSLATORS FACE ON EVERY TRANSLATION PROJECT?

Translation is more than just converting words from one language to another. It demands a deep understanding
of grammar, culture, feelings, emotions, and thoughts.

To create good translations, translators need to know the rules of a language as well as the habits of the people
who speak it. Even if a translator is capable of conveying the message accurately, he or she may still lack the
ability to transform the music, rhythm or deeper meaning of certain words and expressions. With these
difficulties, it is safe to say that even for the most experienced professionals, confusion and frustration are
familiar feelings when working on a translation task.

Translation is a job that whether the translators have only 1 year or 10 years of experience, they still have to face
some common challenges because each translation job is unique and challenges are ever-present in the job.

Here are some of the most common challenges that translators have to deal with and some tips on how to
overcome them.

#1. Language Structure

Each language has its own underlying structural rules that make a sentence meaningful and understandable to
those who speak the language. The structure of language consists of different components – phonemes,
morphemes, lexemes, syntax, and context.

Talking about syntax alone, the arrangement of words and phrases to form a full sentence in every language is
unique. In English, adjectives come before nouns (e.g. pretty house – adj + noun) whereas, in Vietnamese, nouns
come before adjectives (e.g nhà đẹp – noun + adj). Take another example, a basic sentence in English has a
subject, verb, and object. Meanwhile, in other languages such as Spanish, the subject pronoun is written as part
of the verb, which then determines the gender of the subject.

The diversity of a language structure means that when translating, translators have to constantly and flexibly
rearrange individual words to create a sentence that is accurate, natural and smooth which is no easy task.

As mentioned before, each project is distinctive, thus, translators will never stop being amazed and challenged by
the diverse language structure of the source and target languages. The only solution to overcome this challenge is
through continuous learning to grasp the differences in grammar and structure between two languages, along
with gaining experience from handling real situations.

 #2. Idiom Expression

Some translators say that idioms are the most challenging element of a translation project. This is not surprising.
Because idioms are phrases that present figurative meanings. They might or might not have an equivalent phrase
in the target language and obviously, they cannot be translated literally.

Kill two birds with one stone is a commonly-used idiom in English. Unfortunately, in other languages like
Indonesian, they do not use the same images to describe the act of achieving two aims at once. The literal
translation in this situation will cause confusion to Indonesian readers. Translators need to either find an idiom in
Indonesian that has the same meaning such as sambil menyelam minum air – Drinking water while diving or try to
translate the meaning behind the phrase into Indonesian.
To handle idioms well, translators firstly have to understand the correct meanings of the phrase. Using a
dictionary or asking native speakers for explanations will be helpful. Then, they need to search for an alternative
idiom in the target language. In case there is no corresponding idiom in the target language, it is best to express
the idioms using common words and phrases instead of idioms.

#3. Jokes

A joke can be funny in a language but has no sense in others. This is due to the cultural differences among
countries. To understand a joke, readers must have a basic background on the culture of the language. Some
might try their best to explain the jokes when translating them into a new language. The problem is, a joke will
not be funny anymore once you have to explain it.

To translate jokes, it is required that translators have in-depth knowledge of both source and target languages
and creativity to change some little details to fit the culture of the target market. These changes are essential for
readers to feel relatable and burst out laughing.

#4. Tones of Voice

Translating is not just finding the equivalent words in the target language. It is about conveying the right emotions
and feelings to readers through using the right tones of voices as the source documents.

In business materials, tones of voice help companies remain a consistent brand image that even when their
content is written in a different language, the audiences can still identify them.

It is even more challenging when it comes to literary translation. Each book author has his or her unique writing
styles and tones of voice that should be remained unchanged throughout the translated book.  Because the whole
messages of the work can completely differ if the tones are changed or exaggerated.

One helpful tip is that translators should spend some time reading previously-translated documents of the
company, comparing them to the source documents to get themselves familiar with the writing styles and tones
of voice before starting the project.

 #5. Compound Words

Words that consist of two or more parts put together to express a specific concept is called compound words.
What makes compound words challenging to translate is that they come in three different forms:

 Closed-form (like keyboard, notebook, childlike, firefly)

 Hyphenated form (like six-pack, mass-produced, over-the-counter)

 Opened-form (like attorney general, full moon, real estate, post office)
Closed-form compound words mean exactly what they say which is easy to translate. However, the hyphenated
form means only half of what they say while the meanings of compound words in the opened-form have nothing
to do with the meanings of the individual words involved, making it difficult for translators to work with.

The most important thing when translating compound words is that translators cannot assume the meanings of a
word based on the individual components. They must understand the word right by doing proper searches and
dictionaries.

6 Challenges of Translation & Localization to Prepare For

Translating and localizing content creates many challenges. Discover the 6 main challenges of translation and
localization and how to overcome them here.

Translation is rarely as simple as matching a text word-for-word in a different language. In fact, achieving the
highest translation quality often requires a blend of creativity and problem-solving. Why? Because professional
translators must account for words that have a different meaning, depending on the context, cultural nuances,
and much more.

Here are six most common translation challenges and how they affect the translation process.

1. Translating Figures of Speech

Although figures of speech are part of everyday language, they still pose obstacles for translators. That’s because
a figure of speech deviates from the literal meaning of a word or phrase, often in a culturally-relevant way. Even
countries that speak the same language have unique expressions that make little sense outside their borders. For
example, Australians sometimes call traveling “gone walkabout”, which refers to the Aboriginal rite of passage
that required male adolescents to go on a long journey.

Given the variations within the same language, it’s easy to see why translators may struggle to adapt a figure of
speech into a different one. Below are three of the most literary challenges.

Idioms

An idiom is a series of words in a fixed order that has a meaning that differs from each word on its own. For
example, ‘a piece of cake’ in English refers to something that is easy. A student may say, “That math test was a
piece of cake,” which means she had no trouble answering the questions. In this instance, the phrase has nothing
to do with a literal cake.

To translate idioms correctly, translators must recognize them as such. This requires a deep understanding of the
target audience’s culture and its linguistic nuances. Literally translating, “a piece of cake,” wouldn’t make sense in
another language, so a translator will typically replace it with a similar idiom. In Mexican Spanish, people may say
“pan comido” or “eaten bread.”

However, some idioms don’t have a similar phrase in another language. When that’s the case, a translator may
either paraphrase it or leave it in the original language and add a footnote with an approximate translation.

Irony and Sarcasm

Canadian singer Alanis Morrisette famously used the word ‘ironic’ incorrectly in her eponymously named hit song.
So, it’s easy to understand why translators struggle to adapt ironic phrases into other languages.

To make matters worse, there are actually three main types of irony: situational irony, dramatic irony, and verbal
irony. But for our purposes, let’s take a look at verbal irony, which occurs when someone says one thing but
means another. As an example, if a teacher asks a question and no one answers, she may say, “Don’t everyone
speak at once.” She isn’t literally asking her class to stay quiet, but is calling attention to the fact that no one has
answered.

If irony wasn’t difficult enough to translate, it’s often confused with sarcasm, which is a remark intended to
express contempt or ridicule. For example, someone may say “nice shoes” in a mocking tone to indicate that they
find the shoes ugly.
Some examples of irony and sarcasm will be untranslatable, particularly if they include colloquialisms. In those
cases, a translator may paraphrase the statement to convey the intended meaning. The translation will lose some
of its literary quality, but the reader will still understand the message.

However, even if an ironic or sarcastic statement is translatable, a translator must take cultural norms into
consideration. An expression that may sound silly or playful in one language, may sound harsh or offensive in
another. Striking the right tone is essential when translating these figures of speech.

Metaphors and Similes

A metaphor uses a word in place of another to suggest a likeness. For example, you could say a new employee
who pitches great ideas is “a breath of fresh air.” Similes serve a similar function, but typically introduce the
phrase using the words like or as. If someone is persistent, you may say “he’s as stubborn as a mule.”

Like other figures of speech, metaphors and similes tend to be culture bound. This means translators must
determine whether a phrase with a similar meaning exists in the target language. The phrase “stubborn as a
mule”, for example, can be translated to “one’s head is stiff” in Japanese.

Unfortunately, there isn’t always an equivalent expression in the target language. And this is more likely to be the
case when the two cultures have significant differences. When this happens, translators may try to get creative
and come up with a phrase that can convey the original meaning. However, they must take extra care to ensure
the translation remains culturally sensitive.

2. Matching Tone, Diction, and Rhythm

Tone is an essential part of any brand. Simply put, it’s a consistent manner of communicating with your audience.
It sets your brand apart from competitors and allows you to connect with customers on a more personal level.
Tone of voice includes slogans and taglines, website copy, blogs, advertising campaigns, and other customer-
facing communications.

To transmit a brand’s message correctly, translators must carefully reproduce the same tone of voice in the target
language. That requires taking several stylistic factors into consideration such as:

Diction. Does the brand use complex vocabulary or plain language?

Degree of formality. Is the tone friendly or professional?

Rhythm of speech. How do the words flow in each sentence and how can that be replicated?

Other factors such as humour, slang, and cultural references can also be difficult—or even impossible—to
perfectly replicate. When this is the case, a translator may replace a joke, colloquialism, or reference with one
that will be better understood in the target culture.

3. Untranslatable Words

Sometimes a word or phrase simply has no equivalent in the target language. This usually occurs when it’s closely
tied to the culture of the source language. For example, the Danish word hygge, which evokes feelings of
togetherness, warmth, and cosiness, has no equivalent in English. It comes from the Danish custom of investing in
self-care and quality time with loved ones during the country’s long, cold winters.

To tackle untranslatable words, translators may use an adaptation instead of a literal translation. For example,
American Thanksgiving is often translated into “Day of Gratitude” in other languages. In other instances,
translators simply “borrow” the word and use it as if it belonged to the target language. Examples of borrowed
words in English include déjà vu, bona fide, karma, and schadenfreude.

4. Translating Compound Words

A compound word is a combination of two or more root words that creates a new one. Some compound words,
like toothbrush and candlelight, are easy to translate because the meaning is literal. However, others such as
butterfly and carpool, can’t be translated literally. A carpool isn’t a pool with a car in it, nor are any flies made out
of butter.

Sometimes a compound word has an equivalent term in the target language. In Spanish, butterfly translates into
mariposa. Other words, such as carpool don’t, which means the translator will need to describe the meaning
instead.

Translators must also have a good understanding of compound word usage in both languages. For example, in
Chinese, compound words can combine nouns and verbs. And in German, you can keep combining nouns almost
indefinitely. In fact, the longest German compound word has 63 letters!

5. Accounting for Cultural Nuances

Translation alone doesn’t always address all the cultural nuances you may need to consider. When this is the
case, your translation project will need to undergo a process known as localization to adapt the entire user
experience. Think of localization as an umbrella term that includes translation underneath it. For example,
website localization may involve:

Translating content to account for a local or regional dialect.

Adapting design elements such as colours, images, and layout.

Altering currency, time and date formats, and units of measurement.

Altering legal information such as privacy policies.

Although localization involves additional work, it’s the best way to ensure your project has a “native” look and
feel. This helps you drive engagement and build brand loyalty in the target market.

6. Highly Technical Translations

A technical translation is the translation of a technical document. Examples include proposals, reports, instruction
manuals, and software specifications. This type of translation poses two major problems:

Specialized vocabulary. Industry-specific terms for tools, features, and processes can be difficult to translate. In
some instances, no equivalent word exists in the target language, and the translator must use a descriptive
phrase to accurately convey the information.

Length of the original text. Some languages are more concise than others. That means a short instructional
manual in one language can grow to become a much larger document in another, if the translator isn’t careful.
Keeping the text concise, without losing essential information requires expertise in both translation and the
subject matter.

To ensure accuracy, translators use a translation glossary that defines all the commonly used terms. It’s
particularly helpful if the author of the document works with the translator to develop one.