Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Ask specific questions about your target languages. Beginner questions welcome!
User avatar
arthaey
Brown Belt
Posts: 1080
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:11 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Languages: :
EN (native);
ES (adv receptive, int productive);
FR (false beginner);
DE (lapsed beg);
ASL (lapsed beg);
HU (tourist)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3864&view=unread#unread
x 1675
Contact:

Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby arthaey » Wed Aug 05, 2015 12:56 am

Background for my idea: So I'm reading a Spanish translation of a book my sister has read in the original English. I send her re-translated quotes that I like from time to time. She tells me that my translations back to English are often verbatim from the original; I told her that I wouldn't have the same success rate going from English to Spanish.

Which got me wondering if anyone has tried this as an exercise... Take something with an "official" translation. Go from your L1 to your L2, then compare your version vs the "official" translation.

What I'm wondering is how useful an exercise it would be to figure out why they made different translation choices, even if your translation was technically correct.

As an advanced exercise, might this be worthwhile? Has anyone here tried it? I might give it a shot and report back...
1 x
Posts in: FrenchGermanHungarianSpanish
NaNoWriMo: 10,000 words
Corrections welcome in any language; I prefer an informal register.

galaxyrocker
Brown Belt
Posts: 1120
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:44 am
Languages: English (N), Irish (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge B2), French, dabbling elsewhere sometimes
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=757
x 3331

Re: Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby galaxyrocker » Wed Aug 05, 2015 1:04 am

Personally, I think L1 > L2 translation is an awful idea. In fact, professional translators are supposed to only really translate into their native language (sadly, this isn't done with Irish, leading to a lot of issues). I just feel there's too much room for error by translating into the L2, and you risk fossilizing common mistakes you make.
0 x

User avatar
arthaey
Brown Belt
Posts: 1080
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:11 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Languages: :
EN (native);
ES (adv receptive, int productive);
FR (false beginner);
DE (lapsed beg);
ASL (lapsed beg);
HU (tourist)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3864&view=unread#unread
x 1675
Contact:

Re: Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby arthaey » Wed Aug 05, 2015 1:05 am

You think that's the case, if with my last point that you should figure out why your translation differed?

I would expect that sort of highly detailed, critical look at one's output would help correct mistakes rather than fossilize them.
0 x
Posts in: FrenchGermanHungarianSpanish
NaNoWriMo: 10,000 words
Corrections welcome in any language; I prefer an informal register.

User avatar
kimchizzle
Orange Belt
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:05 am
Languages: English (N), French
Studying Spanish, Dutch, Russian
On the radar, Estonian, Ukrainian, Cantonese, Korean, Swedish
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=779
x 149

Re: Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby kimchizzle » Wed Aug 05, 2015 1:54 am

I think it could be fun to do just to see how your translations compare every now and then, but not something I would do as part of my learning exercises.

The reason why most translation is always done L2>L1 is because native speakers have a larger range of idioms and verbal phrases among other things, that they are able to maintain the same beauty, rhythms and meaning of the literature without it being word for word verbatim in grammar and vocabulary.

Now a bit of L1>L2 translation and comparing to an official translation may help to improve your usage of idioms and similar things But you could likely improve in that area as well without making your own translation, just by comparing the L1 text and the official translation and asking yourself lots of questions like, I wonder why the translator used that word, or phrase, etc. and trying to find the answers.
0 x
Spanish Duolingo: 42 / 100 Dutch Duolingo: 4 / 100
Feel free to help correct any of my languages, except my native tongue. :shock:

galaxyrocker
Brown Belt
Posts: 1120
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:44 am
Languages: English (N), Irish (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge B2), French, dabbling elsewhere sometimes
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=757
x 3331

Re: Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby galaxyrocker » Wed Aug 05, 2015 2:07 am

arthaey wrote:You think that's the case, if with my last point that you should figure out why your translation differed?

I would expect that sort of highly detailed, critical look at one's output would help correct mistakes rather than fossilize them.



I think the issue is that most people won't compare. Maybe it's just because I've had more exposure to 'Duolingo learners' (nothing against Duolingo; it can be a useful resource, but seems to attract a certain type of learner) than serious ones, but I still do think it could be an issue. Especially if you start getting confident and quit looking.

There's just too much room for error and things like that in my opinion.
0 x

User avatar
arthaey
Brown Belt
Posts: 1080
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:11 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Languages: :
EN (native);
ES (adv receptive, int productive);
FR (false beginner);
DE (lapsed beg);
ASL (lapsed beg);
HU (tourist)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3864&view=unread#unread
x 1675
Contact:

Re: Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby arthaey » Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:47 am

galaxyrocker wrote:I think the issue is that most people won't compare.

While I agree that if you didn't do the comparison, it wouldn't be a good thing, but...

arthaey wrote:What I'm wondering is how useful an exercise it would be to figure out why they made different translation choices, even if your translation was technically correct.

...comparison was one of the "givens" of my proposal. ;)

So to repeat my question: has anyone actually tried what I proposed?
1 x
Posts in: FrenchGermanHungarianSpanish
NaNoWriMo: 10,000 words
Corrections welcome in any language; I prefer an informal register.

Spoonary
Blue Belt
Posts: 876
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:45 pm
Location: England
Languages: English (N)
Español (Adv), Italiano (Int), Esperanto (I try)
x 1656

Re: Comparing your L1 > L2 translation vs the official translation

Postby Spoonary » Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:17 am

arthaey wrote:So to repeat my question: has anyone actually tried what I proposed?


I seem to recall that we did this once or twice in my translation class at uni. In some cases we found that the official translation was a bit... wordy, using "flowery" language just for the sake of it, and that we had focussed more on accuracy and clarity (as our range of "flowery" language was still fairly limited). Overall it was a useful exercise.
0 x


Return to “Practical Questions and Advice”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests