Localization Goes Beyond an ABC Translation

Many people think of language as a kind of Excel spreadsheet. So in language A there is a term X, to which the term Y from language B fits.

But this is not reality at all. Languages have much more in common with clouds or huge trees than with tables.

This is because language is an expression of the culture of contemporary society. Very often, ideas and concepts resonate that only make sense in the original culture and zeitgeist of the language.

Let's take the German word Spießer as an example. There are rough counterparts to it in English, but none convey the overall impression of the word Spießer. The same is true of Blockwart or Gelsenkirchener Barock or geil.

In philosophy, too, there are quite a few terms in German that have been more or less adopted in English because there were no equivalents in English. For example, Weltanschauung is considered more precise and accurate in English than worldview. Zeitgeist was also adopted in English because it expresses something compactly that is difficult to implement in English.

In English, there are quite a few terms that make little or no sense in German. Jive slang, for example, makes no sense at all in German because jive and hip-hop like to turn meanings upside down. The term bad motherfucker, for example, is supposed to be something negative, but in reality, it is an expression of respect. Other terms from jive, jazz, and hip-hop have also been adopted in German because there were no equivalents – cool or hip or even hipster.

Language is also constantly in motion and meanings shift over time. Much of Shakespeare's wordplay has been lost to today's audiences because the meanings from Shakespeare's time that resonated have now been forgotten.

Here's an example from my childhood: in our parish at the time, we used an old-fashioned version of the Anglican liturgy, with language from Shakespeare's time. Beautifully written, very poetic – but, for example, in the Creed it said, ...whence he shall come in glory to judge the quick and the dead. The quick and the dead?

No, but in former times quick did not mean "quick", but "living" - like quick living. But you have to know that first.

Or let's take this scene from Hamlet as an example:

HAMLET: Lady, shall I lie in your lap? OPHELIA: No, my lord.

HAMLET: I mean, my head upon your lap? OPHELIA: Ay, my lord.

HAMLET: Do you think I meant country matters?

OPHELIA: I think nothing, my lord.

HAMLET: That's a fair thought to lie between maids' legs.

OPHELIA: What is, my lord?

HAMLET: Nothing.

OPHELIA: You are merry, my lord.

HAMLET: Who, I?

OPHELIA: Ay, my lord.

– Hamlet III:2

The scene sounds completely harmless...

...until you realize that nothing was slang for the female genitals in Shakespeare's time. Hence the emphasis on the word country – a nod to the word cunt. But this appears nowhere in German translations of Shakespeare. Also "Ay, my lord" is a play on words – pronounced "I, my lord," so Ophelia implies she is nothing but a vagina for Hamlet.

This meaning of "nothing" also resonates with the title "Much Ado About Nothing" - which is lost in the German version "Viel Lärm um nichts". (This is not a criticism of the translators!)

That's why translation – be it by hand or AI or both – is damn hard. In scientific texts, it's less bad because there it's merely a matter of conveying knowledge. But in cultural or contemporary texts, it's much harder than most people realize. To fully understand a language, you also have to deeply understand the culture behind the language.

That's why I often get upset about German subtitles or dubbing. Obviously, scripts are typically just run through some software and the roughest stuff is cleaned up afterward. Occasionally the "translations" are entirely wrong (e.g. "Secret Service" is often translated directly as "Geheimdienst", which is factually wrong – the US Secret Service is not a Secret Service, but a federal police force responsible for counterfeit money and protection of the president). Advertising texts and signage are also good for mishaps because the publishers completely underestimate the problem.

And that's why technical translators will always have to work, with or without software.