GoiHata Translation Services

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Ambiguity in languages shows how complex verbal communication might be and instead of regarding it as a problem we should perceive it as an element adding value. It occurs when we can understand something in two or more different ways; if it happens in one word is lexical and if it appears in a sentence it is called structural. In the first case, “Note” refers to “a musical note” or to “a short written message”. In the second case, “Steve likes to paint her model standing” (Who is standing? Steve or his model?)
We tend to think that language is a clear way to communicate ideas in a concise manner but when we use the language literally, misunderstandings arise and changes in the meaning occur as well. People can be ambiguous deliberately or not. Ambiguity is in some way a poetic means as human nature tends to find a meaning in every exchange of ideas. A text is given to us and in exchange, we provide our interpretation of it. Our own skills allow us to understand what is presented before us. Most ambiguities are easily solved through our ability to understand them using the context and our experience and knowledge of the world, which by the way, is impossible for a computer as they have comprehensive lists of vocabulary but cannot interpret or translate a meaning just by the reference on the context.
Nevertheless, in Translation we have to handle ambiguity with extreme care as in some cases we must present the information almost literally, i.e., exactly the way it is used and not in the way we interpret it but in other cases we need to be more expressive and less literal in order to be more precise allowing the reader to get the information and understand it.

Paulina Torres De Witt
www.goihata.com