How To Translate To and From Spanish and English

Some of the best advice you can get when you start translating to and from English or Spanish is to translate for meaning rather than to translate words. Sometimes what you want to translate will be straightforward enough that there wont be much difference between the two approaches. But more often than not, paying attention to what someone is saying — not just the words the person is using — will pay off in doing a better job of conveying the idea that someone is trying to get across. Key Takeaways When translating from one language to another, aim for conveying the meaning rather than translating individual words.Literal translations often fall short because they can fail to take into account the context and nuances of meaning.There is often no single best translation, so two translators can legitimately differ on their word choices. Translation Raised Questions One example of an approach you might take in translating can be seen in the answer to a question that a reader raised via email about an article that used to appear on this site: When youre translating from one language to another, how do you decide which word to use? Im asking because I saw recently  that you translated llamativas as bold, but that isnt one of the words listed when I looked up that word in the dictionary. The question referred to my translation of the sentence  ¿La fà ³rmula revolucionaria para obtener pestaà ±as llamativas? (taken from a Spanish-language Maybelline mascara ad) as The revolutionary formula for getting bold eyelashes? The writer was correct was correct that dictionaries dont give bold as a possible translation, but bold at least is closer in concept to the dictionary definition of what I used in my first draft: Then I used thick, which isnt even close to any standard of llamativo. Let me explain the various philosophies of translation before discussing that particular word. In general, it can be said that there are two extreme approaches in the way one can translate from one language to another. The first is seeking a literal translation, sometimes known as formal equivalence, in which an attempt is made to translate using the words that correspond as exactly as possible in the two languages, allowing, of course, for the grammatical differences but without paying a great deal of attention to context. A second extreme is paraphrasing, sometimes called making a free or loose translation. One problem with the first approach is that literal translations can be awkward. For example, it might seem more exact to translate the Spanish obtener as to obtain, but most of the time to get will do just as well and sounds less pretentious. An obvious problem with paraphrasing is that the translator may not accurately convey the intent of the speaker, especially where precision of language is required. So many of the best translations take a middle ground, sometimes known as dynamic equivalence — trying to convey the thoughts and intent behind the original as close as possible, veering from the literal where needed to do so. When Theres No Exact Equivalent In the sentence that led to the readers question, the adjective llamativo doesnt have an exact equivalent in English. It is derived from the verb llamar (sometimes translated as to call), so broadly speaking it refers to something that calls attention to itself. Dictionaries usually provide translations such as gaudy, showy, brightly colored, flashy, and loud (as in a loud shirt). However, some of those translations have somewhat negative connotations — something certainly not intended by the writers of the ad. The others dont work well for describing eyelashes. My first translation was a paraphrase; mascara is designed to make eyelashes appear thicker and therefore more noticeable, so I went with thick. After all, in English thats a common way to describe the kind of eyelashes that Maybelline customers would want. But upon reflection, that translation seemed  inadequate. This mascara, another part of the ad pointed out, not only makes the eyelashes look thicker, but also lo nger and exageradas or exaggerated. I considered alternative ways of expressing llamativas, but attractive seemed a bit too weak for an advertisement, enhanced seemed too formal, and attention-getting seemed to convey the thought behind the Spanish word in this context but didnt seem quite right for an ad. So I went with bold. It seemed to me to do a good job of stating the purpose of the product and is also a short word with a positive connotation that might work well in an ad. (If I had wanted to go for an extremely loose interpretation, I might have tried  Whats the secret to having eyelashes people will notice?) A different translator very well might have used a different word, and there very well could be words that would work better. In fact, another reader suggested striking — a great choice. But translation is often more art than science, and that can involve judgment and creativity at least as much as it does knowing the right words.

Reading Response Journals For Into The Wild - 1381 Words

Betsy Rodriguez Mrs. Robinson AP English and Composition Reading Response Journals for â€Å"Into the Wild† Journal # 1 29, July 2016 The first scene starts off with Gallien driving four miles picking up a hitchhiker that was shivering on the side of the road asking to be taken to to the unmarked wilderness in Alaska. The guy would say his last name as though he was trying to hide something. Gallien impeditilly thought that McCandless was just another delusional visitor to the Alaskan Frontier. When Gallien started talking to Alex McCandless he started to notice that Alex was actually very intelligent and thoughtful.Gallien also realized that Alex had come unprepared for that conditions of the wilderness. He had no food but a 10 bag of rice, his hiking boots weren’t waterproof, and his rifle was so small that it couldn’t be able to kill a big enough animal that he needed to survive.McCandless lacked on having an ax,snowshoes,and a compass to provide direction in the woods.To talk Alex out of goign to the in marked route in the wilderness north of Mount Mckiney. I thought this scene was significant bec ause it Gallen picks up a hitchhiker that plans to get out into the wilderness for a couple months and is totally unprepared to survive.A real hitchhiker would have had a the necessities to survive in the wild.I was surprised that Alex didn t even seem worried and was confident in what he had when Gallien told him that he might not always be able to have food to hunt.When AlexShow MoreRelatedSummary Of Vaccines And Autism By Bernard Rimland953 Words   |  4 PagesSummary of â€Å"Vaccines and Autism† In the journal of â€Å"Vaccines and Autism† author Bernard Rimland looks at the possible role of vaccines in autism. Rimland provides crucial data in understanding autism, the possible role of vaccines in autism, and the risks of vaccines in certain children. Rimland states before his article that, â€Å"There is no consensus about biological determents of autism† (708). 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Personal Responsibility and College Success Free Essays

College Success: How Personal Responsibility Plays a Role College Success: How Personal Responsibility Plays a Role Little Johnny walks into a classroom and sits down with the rest of the class. As the bell rings the teacher asks all students to turn in their homework. The teacher notices that Johnny does not turn in anything and asks him â€Å"Where’s your homework? † His response, â€Å"The dog ate it! † In today’s society it is much easier to blame others for your actions instead of taking full responsibility for your own. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Responsibility and College Success or any similar topic only for you Order Now Handling certain situations in your life, whether it be school, work, or social events requires some type of personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is showing accountability for the obligations that a person has control over. This means that you have to be accountable for your actions in the situations that you are involved in whether they are in your control or not. Being responsible will help to reach your goals in life when it comes to your school, career and family. In order in to succeed in college you have to be a responsible student. Love being a student. When people get married they take on the role of being a spouse. With this role comes responsibility. Nurturing the relationship, children to raise, bills to pay, cleaning, and cooking are just some of the responsibilities that married couples have. However, they love the role of the spouse (otherwise they would not have gotten married) and with loving the role they easily take on the responsibilities. As a student, you have to use the same approach. When we love being a student, responsibilities will not seem like dreadful tasks, but will be something we love to do. Not only much you love your new role you have to own it. Steven goes to Carmax and buys a new car. Being the owner of a new car, he has responsibilities of taking care of it. Regular oil changes, inspections, new tires, and rotation are just of the tasks that come along with regular maintenance. Same as being a student, owing your role will help you succeed in college. Regular reading, attending class, studying for examations is just the regular maintenance that you have to do to be successful. Once you love and own your role of being a student, living the student life comes into play. Mothers have the life of taking care of the children, cleaning, cooking, and running errands. Fathers have the life of going to work and providing for his family. Teachers have the life of teaching their students information, grading papers, and helping students who have fallen behind. Everyone has a life and many have different lives. Being a student you have to live the student life. Doing homework, not staying out late, plan your assignments and projects ahead are all a part of the student life. By incorporating personal responsibility into my education will also help me succeed and eventually help me graduate. Developing an action plan and incorporating it in your life will also help you succeed in college. Time management and planning will be the biggest responsibility. If you have a busy life already and have added school into your life, it would be beneficial to map and plan out your day ahead of time. Your time may be tight but being responsible and sticking to your to-do list will help you get everything done and be prepared for the next day. Also not procrastinating will also help you become a responsible student. Everyone has his or her days where they do not want to do anything and just be lazy. However, this will not help you succeed in where you want to be. Continuing to remind yourself to complete your tasks will help you in getting things done. Finally, another action plan is money management. School is expensive and being responsible for money now and in the future will help. Only borrowing what you need and making planning financially while in school will benefit you in college. Personal responsibility plays a major role in everyone’s life. Whether it is school, personal, or work, being responsible will help you accomplish so much out of life. Love, owing, and living the life of a student are tools to help you get a handle on being responsible in school. Planning ahead and time and money management will also help you in college and help you succeed. Plan on being responsible for all you actions in the situations that you have placed yourself in and whatever life may throw in your way. Going back to school was probably a big decision for you and so plan on making the most out of it. How to cite Personal Responsibility and College Success, Papers