GoiHata Translation Services

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Whether you are a translator or an aspiring one, I’m sure you must have heard thousands of times about the evolution of language and how it changes with time. I myself have been living and breathing the English language for over twenty years now, but how quickly some words enter the mainstream English lexicon still amazes me, especially loan words. The use of words borrowed from other languages seems to be one of the latest trends today and little by little it is conquering the journalism and publishing worlds.

That is why a reporter might write about, “the ‘it’ girl of the moment dining alfresco with his beau on a balcony overlooking the sea,” or, “the famous Hollywood couple enjoying some drinks at a trendy brasserie.” Of course you and me can dine outdoors or hang out with our boyfriends, but God forbid these mundane words should ever be associated with the rich and famous! And I wouldn’t mind having a drink at a bar like the rest of the world. What about you?

Of course loan words are used for their prestige value and because they add an air of sophistication to the text. And that is exactly why they often pose a special problem in translation. What are we translators supposed to do then? Do we keep the French or Italian versions of these words in our translations so that they can have a similar impact on the target readers? Or do we replace them with their “simpler” counterparts and risk losing the eccentric flair they are supposed to render? And, most importantly, in case we replaced them, wouldn’t we be missing the whole point of language evolution and ignoring a language trend altogether?

After all, a farewell fête is not the same as a farewell party just because they aren’t equally sophisticated. They also differ significantly: the first one belongs to the modern language of today, and the other one doesn’t. And that is why a trendsetting teenager would probably say that his favourite actor is über-talented, since super-talented is “so yesterday.” And, once again, a journalist might report on some juicy gossip and say that “the famous singer went out clubbing sans his girlfriend,” as if using a simple without were not enough.

It is hard to keep up with new trends. Right?
Clarisa Attademo
www.goihata.com

- www.goihata.com
I remember being a little girl and attending English classes. What must have meant to me back then, I wonder? Having a good time as I sang along with the rest of the class, I guess. Or maybe listening to some tape completely unaware that while I was enjoying myself so much I was also learning a language that later in life would open doors to a whole new world.

Little did I know that some day I would come to learn that language even more than I learn my own. Since that is what translation is all about: the process of learning a whole new world. Whether you decide to do legal, technical or any other type of translation, you will surely enter a world that was probably unknown to you before. And from that moment on, I’m sure that with every single document you’ll have to translate you will learn more than you could possibly dream of. Whether it’s technical terminology or a particular jargon, every translation will teach you something new. Every text will give you an enriching new experience.

Never in a million years would I have imagined any of that when I was a kid. But one thing I know for sure: learning English must have been fun for me back then, but I still get a kick out of it. Translation is an entertaining process, an activity that will surely get you hooked. I love having the chance of researching, of getting to know new vocabulary and feeling wiser as I go on. From the moment I discover there are words in a text I’m not familiar with, I know that several doors will be open for me. I know that soon I will enter a never-ending process of learning … I will enter a whole new world.
Clarisa Attademo
- www.goihata.com