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.