Translation and Cross-cultural Comparison

Penulis: Riyadh Ahsanul Arifin, M. Pd

The translation problem in many countries meanwhile English is not the primary language is a challenge and have many problem. Translation is often defined as an activity comprising the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language as the source- and the other language for the target. This problem can be better understood focusing on the associated meaning of a word and its accurate or nearest meaning existing in target language. In this case, English lacks the equivalents and hence forces translators to interpreting rather than translating and perhaps risking or making compromise with the original spirit or beauty of the original text or even the accuracy of this translation and this creates a sort of misunderstanding and raising post-translation issues over authenticity of the translation work.

In the field of cross-cultural research in emotion categories, the translation problem has gained an increasing concern throughout the years and many authors are aware that translation equivalents might not express exactly the same concept. However, most of the cross-cultural comparison of emotion concepts has relied only on emotion terms and one-to-one translations. This is a difficult job and needs more ability for doesn’t makes some error in translate activity. 

A good translator should define some essential starting-points for the approximation to a text to be translated, such as the author of the text, the aim of the text, the readership, and the standard to be used, for which it is important to identify and categorize the author, the message, the kind of discourse, the translator and the readership. the quality of translation will depend on the quality of the translator, i.e. on her/his knowledge, skills, training, cultural background, expertise, and even mood! some essential characteristics that any good translator should have:

1. Reading comprehension ability in a foreign language
2. Knowledge of the subject
3. Sensitivity to language (both mother tongue and foreign language)
4. Competence to write the target language dexterously, clearly, economically and resourcefully

The first paragraph focus on the problem of translation from the second language to the target language. And then tell us how important good translation without error or misperception. In this journal not tell the category how to a good translator between second language to the target language. In second paragraph describe about the problem of translation in multicultural condition, especially in the emotion categories. The writer said they are have different emotion while have a problem, a task, or something else, so the writer try to describe emotion of text is important to translate for more originally delivered what text say while the text translate to another language.in the second paragraph did not explain more the benefit delivery emotion on the text without mistranslate.

Sources :

Investigating the Difficulties and Problems Faced by the English Language Studentsof Al Quds Open University in Legal Translation Process by A.M.M.Al-Nakhalah.
THE PROBLEM OF TRANSLATION IN CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH ON EMOTION CONCEPTSByA.H.Mendoza