The importance of culture in a translation
Human beings learn the mother tongue naturally. We learn to speak by listening to parents, relatives, friends and other people with whom we interact. But this experience not only nourishes us with language, but also with the culture of the society where we grow up and are educated. In fact, each language has a cultural component, its own characteristics that do not always find translation in other languages.
Thus, the cultural and historical context influences the language and this is key when translating, especially in situations such as business meetings with attendees from countries with different cultures, a visit to the doctor in a foreign country or the translation of the menu. from a restaurant.
«Translating is a type of activity that inevitably encompasses at least two languages and two cultural traditions.» Gideon Toury
An apparently simple phrase in its meaning may contain cultural subtleties that an incorrect translation will distort the original meaning. Therefore, professional translators have knowledge, not only of the language with which they work, but also a deep cultural immersion in the country or region in which they are specialists.
Literal and contextual meaning
In each sentence that he translates, the professional takes into account the cultural context because a literal translation can ruin the message, the communication. The value system and customs can be very different from one country to another and certain words are closely related to this value system. In this case, a literal translation would be meaningless. In short, the translator has to know both cultures, that of the original language and that of the target language.
In another sense, the sense of humor also differs from one country to another and a joke or joke cannot always be translated simply because the cultural context is not the same.
