If there is something clear that we have learned from translations, it is that it is not just about passing a message from one language to another, but that they have a cultural component that we cannot ignore and that, if we want to become professional translators, we must know and know how to interpret.
Humans learn our mother tongue from a very young age naturally by living together among our relatives and in the community in which we find ourselves. From this environment we are going to acquire not only our language, but also the way in which we relate, the culture of our society and the customs and values of it.
It is important to keep in mind that each language has, inevitably, a cultural component, so if we are going to do business or other types of activities in a foreign language we must know what they are so as not to disrespect the culture or the person in question with whom we are dealing.
“Translating is a type of activity that inevitably encompasses at least two languages and two cultural traditions.”
Gideon Toury
How does culture influence professional translations?
As we have mentioned in an article previously, Translation is a profession that serves as a bridge between cultures and that makes international relations and globalization possible. The vision we have of the world is determined by the language in which we speak and that will mark the way in which we relate as much as the members of our society and with people outside our culture.
It is possible that, on certain occasions, the meaning of what we want to express does not even exist in the target language or, if it does, it has a completely different meaning from the one it has in our mother tongue. That is why when we work with people or clients from other cultures we must make sure that they are receiving the information as we want to express it and that there are no misunderstandings.
What influence does culture have on business translations?
In business matters, the cultural aspect becomes even more relevant because a misunderstanding can mean a loss of business or breaking relationships with clients or organizations on which we depend.
It is very important that companies treat their international relations with the same affection as any other aspect. They must have professional translators by their side who know the language and culture to avoid problems that usually occur more often than it seems:
In meetings we must know how people present themselves in the country of destination, what type of words they find rude or inadequate, what type of taboos they have and what beliefs can interfere with the activity that the company is going to develop in the country.
The sense of humor is another aspect that varies a lot from one culture to another, so very often a joke or a badly translated joke can be inappropriate for the situation.
To give an example, if we are relating to people from the Nordic countries and when we start the meeting they get to the point and there is hardly any presentation, we must understand that they are cultures in which businesses do not include formalisms as we do have in countries like Spain, where the minimum is to ask: “How’s everything going?”
This type of knowledge is essential to understand how we should express ourselves with other languages and cultures not only in meetings, but also when we communicate with them in any medium. This knowledge not only linguistic, but also cultural, is the added value and help that a professional translator contributes to any company and project and, without which, we can find ourselves in a continuous misunderstanding that is not sustainable in the long term.
