Translation

Translation is the act of converting speech, or the written word, from one language to another, or even between different dialects. It may also apply to the dejargonification of language from complex and obscure terminology or esotery into everday terms that can be understood by ordinary people.

Owing to the widespread use of idiom in language, translation may be fraught with problems and blindly following a translated topic can result in unexpected consequences. One notable example from the United Nations general assembly may serve to illustrate this point.

An English-language speaker used the term "pig in a poke" in his speech but the translator used the corresponding idiom in the foreign language of a "cat in a sack". The member to whom the original comment was addressed then elaborated on the theme of cat and made references to furry tails and sharp claws to which the orginal speaker was unable to relate to.

The moral of the story is that it is often unwise to emphasise the meaning of translated text but much bettter to make a scholarly study of the original. In international contracts it is common that several translations may be drawn up but a clause will specifiy which language shall be used for arbitration.