Practically everyone who has ever worked as a professional translator knows that English and German share many similarities when it comes to vocabulary. English to German Translation students usually find this to be a blessing and a curse.

English-speakers who are learning to become German translators need to be aware of this. But often times, beginners make assumptions, and things are actually not at all what they seem. Also known as “false friends,” false cognates are words that look like or sound like a word in another language, but actually have nothing in common with it. Translators are regularly challenged by the questions surrounding whether or not a particular word is a false cognate. As stated before, these words look like a familiar word but actually have nothing in common with it. The improper placement of false cognates in a translation can lead to conveying the wrong meaning of a text and the possibility of a lawsuit.

When it comes to translating from German to English or vice versa, there are numerous false friends because the languages are in the same family. Experts will readily confirm that English and German have many words that sound alike. Brother / Bruder, auto / Auto, house / Haus, glass / Glas, etc. are just a few examples of the numerous true cognates that exist between the two languages. There are literally hundreds of words like these that are truly similar in meaning and appearance in the English and German languages, but be careful.

No matter if you are translating into English or into German, texts are easier to translate when true cognates (as opposed to false cognates) are used. But false cognates are just a fact of life for a translator, whether you translate from German to English or from English to German. Translation service workers must avoid making translation mistakes because they do not recognize these “false friends,” also known as “falsche Freunde,” “faux amis” in French, or false cognates.

After (After) all is said and done, the act (Akt) of translation can be quite objective (Objektiv). In this sentence, the German words in parentheses actually mean something quite different from what you might expect. In German, the word “After” is defined as “rectum, the German word “Akt” is defined as “nude” painting, and the German word “Objektiv” is defined as “camera lens”. Medical Translation are also full of false friends, such as “Krank”, which really means “ill” or “sick”. And finally, good medical translators know that words like “tasten” mean “to touch” and not “to taste.”

Legal translations have similar pitfalls, as with the German word, “Rat,” which means “advice” or “counsel,” and the German word, “Advokat,” which means “attorney.” Some other false friends that can be found in inaccurate German Legal Translation Services include words like “Akt,” which really means “nude” (in artwork).

Unfortunately, this is only a sampling of the numerous false cognates that exist between English and German. A “Drogerei” is like a drugstore, but lacks the drugs. In other words, a “Drogerei” is a small shop that typically carries shampoo, soap and other personal hygiene items, but does not carry prescription medications. Those who speak fluent German know that the “Apotheke” is the shop where medications are sold. If you need a prescription filled, it is called a “Rezept,” but this is different from a receipt, which is a completely different word in German.Finally, we wish to stress once again that if translators ignore the importance of remaining wary of false cognates, their final translation projects, and therefore their livelihoods, could suffer tremendously. Sloppy translation of false cognates will inevitably end in poor translations which negatively impact the translator, the translation agency and the person or company who is buying the translation.

The world is more complex than ever and each day in the business, legal or medical fields we encounter people who have their own means of communication. In most cases, native speakers will be very good at talking, while new immigrants may not be very good at talking. In addition, some people may not have the skills or ability to speak and will rely on writing notes or letters. That’s why we should be ready when a person tries to answer our questions through different bodily motions. There individuals will find it more challenging to listen than speak.Instead of listening and speaking, other people will insist on using non-verbal language like tone of voice, eye movement, posture, hand gestures, facial expressions and more.

Sometimes communication challenges can best be explained by requesting Korean to English Translation students evaluate people who are closest to them. Some of the people have their own style and level of communication. Individuals who are visually impaired, hard of hearing or deaf, or who have suffered a stroke, have dementia or a learning disability, may have their own style of communication. We need to stress that the purpose for doing this exercise is to provide examples that add to the complexity of interpretation. Here are a few questions that you can ask that will help.
_ Can images be used to break down information?
_ How does the individual communicate with others?
_ Under what conditions should you communicate in certain ways with him or her?
_ Would it be worthwhile to communicate through pictures?

How important is it to ask these questions? When it comes to Chinese Legal Translation, the reason is almost immediately visible. If you do not do this, you will cause frustration, waste considerable time, get incorrect information and possibly even avoid talking because you cannot understand each other.

In the arena of Spanish Medical Translation, it is important for the same reasons and you also need to consider how communication works within the medical team, with patients, with families, and with outside agencies. That’s because when messages are incorrectly decoded, the data that is collected will be inaccurate and could result in large, costly errors. Everyone has a right to make their own choices in life and this includes the people you support.

WIth this new information that has been presented, lets imagine that we must serve a non-English speaking customer.. Like most of us, you probably don’t have a co-worker who can easily communicate with this person.. First, you need to learn how you are going to communicate with the service user and how the individual will communicate with you and others. Most importantly, find out how the individual wishes to be addressed, e.g. Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Jo, Bert.While often overlook, it is very important that the name of the person receiving service be used frequently and correctly. Most importantly, this shows the person that you respect them and it also notifies them to pay attention because you are speaking directly to them. Please be aware that in some cultures, it is disrespectful to call someone by his first name if you do not know that person well.

Translation and interpretation can be extremely difficult, but the common reader usually doesn’t understand the complexity that is involved. In this paper, we attempt to explain some of the more common reasons for translation error and some new courses to aid translators. Translation is different things for different groups of people. For people who are not translators, it is primarily a text; for people who are, it is primarily an activity that is more of an art than a science. Due to the large number of errors found in translations of literature works, leading universities began to develop translation programs of study. This led to the development of a degree in translation studies with the goal of giving greater precedence to ensuring that word meanings and cultural nuances are carried over.

In time, German to English Translation programs become more and more common place and it became common for degree programs to include courses in the history of translation theory and continuing into modern times. New coursework was later amended to study programs plans that emphasized specific problems of literary translation through a close, practical analysis of texts that tackles crucial problems of translation and extensive suggestions for further reading.

In the first semesters of the program, students learn that a text’s reliability consists in the trust a user can place in it, as a representation or reproduction of the original. Students also learn the downfalls of word for word substitution. Most computer based translation applications are based on word for word substitution and we all know how imperfect those can be. These issues are encountered on a regular basis by professional translation workers when dealing with highly technical subject matter like Legal Translation. The following true story attests to the difficult issues encountered by professional translators.

About a decade ago, a junior in a translation program received a Medical Document Translation internship with a leading research organization that is located in Germany. Although his native language was English, he spent a semester in college at a German university. He was a native speaker of English and knew some German – probably enough to make some very embarrassing mistakes. When his hosts asked him if he was comfortable, he knew how he wanted to respond and he knew the appropriate words for “comfortable,” “hot” and “cold.” Since he was quite warm, he responded answered by saying that he was feeling a tad bit too hot. Like most people from the English-speaking world, he didn’t realize that in German he should have replied by saying “It seems very hot to me.” instead of “I am really warm.” While they seem similar in English they are drastically different in German. Unfortunately, the service worker looked befuddled and amused which suggested that the reply was incorrect for the occasion. Indeed, the German translation of “I am hot,” conveys a sexual meaning, whereas “it is hot to me” conveys the meaning that the temperature is too warm. In German, there is a big difference between the two statements, even though in English the statement “it is hot to me” is a bit awkward and cumbersome.