Literature in Translation

In the globalised world in which we live in today, translations play a major role. Whether it be to translate instructions on how to operate a device, or to translate literature from one language to another. Translations allow the language barrier between two cultures to diminish, however not fully, as each culture will always retain their unique aspects due to their traditions and customs which can not be translated through literature from one language to another. 

Different languages have different ways to express themselves, both in a verbal and written format. In some cases, a word in one language may not exist in another language. An example of this is between the German and English language. In German, one can say that someone has “schadenfreude”, meaning that someone derives pleasure from someone else’s misfortune. In English, there is no word with the equivalent meaning. Thus, when in German literature, or in literature of any other language for that matter, a word is used which has no direct translation, meaning is lost as the sentence structure and pace of the sentence cannot be replicated. 

In the reading that was assigned to my group, the importance of keeping the same style and pace of a sentence was stressed. When translating literature, one should look at every single word or the original version and identify its purpose in the sentence. This is because each word contributes to the style and pace of the sentence. Additionally, when translating literature, it is also important to take into account the cultural value of the original version. This is especially important when translating literature which is meant to teach about the culture and tradition of the original version’s language. As stated earlier, translated literature allows the language barrier between two cultures to be broken down, however a barrier will remain as the way language is used in one culture differs from another culture. This can also be seen by the numerous proverbs which were used in Things Fall Apart, as the Igbo culture uses unique proverbs with deep meanings rooted in their culture and traditions. 

Literature in translation effectively minimises the language barrier between two cultures and languages, giving more people insight into a culture. This has caused the world to globalise faster as more and more people gain access to information about other cultures, their values, and traditions. Through translated literature, an insight into a foreign culture can be obtained, however it will not be fully accurate due to the unique values, traditions and customs which each culture and language have.