Translation - art & business » Translation Theory and Practice »
Re-Translation: Taking a Translated Term Back to Its Source Language
Thread poster: Orkoyen (X)
Orkoyen (X)
Orkoyen (X)
United States
Local time: 03:33
Spanish to English
+ ...
Mar 17, 2021

Scenario: Mr. X translates Term A to Term B. Later, in a different project, he is asked to translate Term B back to the source language of Term A. However, Mr. X is chagrined that Term B does not appear to be an optimal effort if he simply translates to Term A. I've pondered this dynamic a few times when working a proposed translation. Have you encountered this situation? I suspect many are ahead of me on this.

Literal translations involving cognates (English-Spanish f... See more
Scenario: Mr. X translates Term A to Term B. Later, in a different project, he is asked to translate Term B back to the source language of Term A. However, Mr. X is chagrined that Term B does not appear to be an optimal effort if he simply translates to Term A. I've pondered this dynamic a few times when working a proposed translation. Have you encountered this situation? I suspect many are ahead of me on this.

Literal translations involving cognates (English-Spanish for example) make translating back very easy. But when one has to initially translate to Term B by using "feel", that does not necessarily mean that Term B, if translated back to the source language, will result with Term A as the solution. I think this scenario is what is so intriguing about the translation craft. Context is everything with the initial translation and as much when re-translating back to source. I wish I had kept some examples. I'll post some when I experience them. ▲ Collapse


Esney Garcia Caso
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Maria Castro[Call to this topic]
Nawal Kramer[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Re-Translation: Taking a Translated Term Back to Its Source Language







Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »