The Importance of Cultural Considerations in Translation

Translating involves the rendering of a source language text into the target language. And while doing so there are certain things that need to be maintained such as:

• Retention of the meaning of the source language text in the translated text.
• The structure of the main language must be preserved as closely as possible.
• The culture of the target language also need to be taken into account.

It is essential to have a thorough understanding of the culture of the target language to avoid misunderstandings. While working on a translation, a translator working in an Ottawa or Winnipeg-based company, for example, has to take account of the lexical content, syntax and linguistic complexities along with an understanding of ideologies, value systems and ways of life in a given culture. The culture of a country or region does have a significant influence in shaping people’s thoughts and perceptions about their society in particular and the wider world in general.

Thus it becomes important for a translator to understand the cultures of the source and the target languages first and then strive to translate, using culturally appropriate words or expressions.

For example if we take the words “Lamb of God” from the Bible (which means “innocence” in the context of sacrifice) and translate them into the Inuit language, we find that the word “Lamb” does not exist in this language. Thus, taking the cultural aspect into consideration, “Lamb of God” can be closely translated as “Seal of God” as the word “seal” is a symbol of innocence among northern indigenous people.

Thus a translation professional working in Ottawa or in a Translation Winnipeg-based company needs to know the cultural peculiarities of their audiences in both languages. They must also consider the geographic variants of the target language, for example European French and Canadian French. In depth cultural knowledge of both cultures is a key ingredient for any translation professional.