Hello, GV'ers!
Welcome to this week's edition of the Translator Newsletter! Today we're talking about…
Cultural Equality Through Translation
Screenshot taken from http://phys.org/
What role does translation play in the ongoing migration crisis we're all experiencing today? In an article entitled, “Translation — a bridge between languages that can foster cultural equality [1]“, Marcus Tomalin from the University of Cambridge says:
“The ongoing migration crisis is unparalleled in living memory, and it painfully illustrates how large-scale population displacements can rapidly create social situations in which linguistic differences become flashpoints. The inability of migrants to speak the first language of a country to which they have travelled can arouse suspicion and alienation. These differences create divisions that can only be bridged by translating from one language to another, and from one culture to another.”
Read on and let us know what you think! Can translation lead to equality?
The Death of Statistical Translation
Screenshot taken from https://slator.com
According to Facebook, there is a huge difference between the languages people are speaking and what they want to be reading about online. To remedy this, Facebook has begun building its own neural network-based machine translation system. Confused? So was I. Apparently, neural network-based MT can find the cultural equivalent of the text in question in another language, as opposed to doing a literal translation. Click here [2] to learn more!
How to Spice Up Your Translation
Screenshot taken from http://www.atanet.org/chronicle-online
The more I translate, the more I realize how true the following statement is: In order to be a good translator, you absolutely must be a good writer. The ATA Chronicle put together this great list [3] of tips to really help your translation work stand out. Take a look and share your own with us! What have you done to improve your translation skills?
A Perfect Translation: Myth or Possibility?
Screenshot taken from http://www.koreaherald.com/
Can you translate the same text from one language to another and still evoke the same feelings from the reader? Theresa Hyun, a Canadian Professor of Korean Studies and Korean-language poet, argues that you cannot. The Korean Herald writes,
“For Hyun, it is inevitable that certain meanings and emotions become lost, transformed, and added on during the course of translation — even when the writer and translator are one and the same.”
Read more here [4] and tell us what you think. Does perfect translation exist?
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As always, thank you all for your hard work and dedication to GV! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, feel free to email me at marianna@globalvoices.org.