Arts , Humanities & Social Science

Abstract

Translation allows messages to be communicated from one language to another (Shaw 22), acting as an intervention where communication issues arise due to language differences (Chesterman 151). However, translations do more than relay a message. They also allow what Carbonell calls a “cultural transmission” (85) that explains what “some aspect of the world is like” (Baker 195) in the source culture and how a text’s message functions within that culture (Lefevere 51) in a way the target culture can understand (Carbonell 85).  When attempting to make this transmission, translators often encounter lexical, cultural, and ideological differences that can pose translation challenges. Understanding the source culture and the document’s place within that culture is essential to choosing appropriate phrases to communicate the text’s message, but other translation strategies can also be employed to help such a transmission take place coherently.