5 Ways To Translate Words… That You Can’t Actually Translate
You’re stumped.
There it is: the Word. The Untranslatable Word.
Picking your brain for the answer is enough to form beads of sweat as streams of related words trickle along with it.
Perhaps you can whip out your trusty dictionary and replace the source word with its language counterpart.
Simple, right?
Well, yes and no.
If you’re a translator, you’ll know it is futile to avoid the fearsome Untranslatable Word — unless you’re willing to risk, God forbid, A Very Bad Mistranslation.
There is an entire thought process that goes behind a translation, which explains why translators can spend more than five agonising minutes on one single word.
The act of translating involves the important duty of marrying text and meaning, without undermining its context.
What if the word does not have an exact equivalent in another language? How do translators overcome the daunting and arduous task of translating culturally specific words that have no direct translation?
Here are some 5 simple hacks recommended by troubled translators who continue to duel with The Untranslatable Word:
1. They don’t necessarily translate. They describe.
Case Example: Kilig (Tagalog)
“Kilig” refers to that rush, the feeling of excitement, thrill or even romantic experience.
“How can we translate this ‘kilig’ in one word?”
Instead of painstakingly conjuring a new word, translators at times choose to simply describe the untranslatable word to ensure that its meaning is not lost. This is called “circumlocution”, or “talking in circles”.
This helps translators get around the puzzle without pretending to solve it with one single word.
2. Keep it. Adopt it. And don’t you dare italicise it.
Case Example: Amok (Malay)
The word “amok” was a Malay term that became widely used by the British in colonial Malaya since the mid-1600s.
Originally, “amok” refers to a frenzied state to attack with furious and uncontrollable rage. It could also refer to the sudden homicidal mania that was traditionally found occurring in Malay culture and believed to be the doings of an evil spirit.
While there is no immediate translation for the word “amok”, it has been adopted into the English vocabulary, where to “run amok” is to “act out of control or in a frenzy.”
Instead of searching for an equivalent to the untranslatable word, translators have therefore opted to adopt the source word into the language — often italicised and described in glossary or footnotes if it has not been included into official English dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).
Whether you believe in italics or not, some translators adopt the original term as they believe that untranslatable words work and sound better this way, especially for those that are more commonly known.
Well, if you can’t beat ’em, include ’em in the OED.
3. Just adapt it.
Case Example: Tamago gata no kao (Japanese)
The term “Tamago gata no kao” literally means “egg with eyes” — but the connotation and cultural meaning behind the phrase refers to the endearing term, “sweetheart” in English, as oval shapes in Japanese culture are considered beautiful. Rather than translating it as “egg with eyes” or “oval-shaped eyes”, translators often adapt it in English to words like “honey” to fit the context.
To get by untranslatable words, it is common for translators to tweak the foreign term based on the context of the term.
Adaptations through spelling is also common as can be seen through several examples of loanwords. Instances where the original word has been adapted in spelling, include the Indonesian word for “strawberry” which is spelled as “stroberi”.
4. Choosing the Lesser of Two (Evil) Words
Case Example: Saudade (Portuguese)
“Saudade” is a Portuguese word that evokes a feeling of missing someone. It connotes a deep sense of yearning, with a tinge of melancholy.
While it is a difficult word to translate, “saudade” has also often been translated as “missing someone”.
Some untranslatable words may have an indirect term that is close to the source word. Translators may therefore resort to the next best word to replace the term.
This however may be inadequate as the translation may not completely encompass the original meaning of the word. The entire essence is not quite captured, resulting in the possibility of a mistranslation or misinterpretation.
5. Skip it. Leave it out.
Case Example: Kan (Malay/Indonesian)
There isn’t exactly a translation for the word “kan” used in Malay or Indonesian, but it often ends a sentence to complete a verb (“transitive verb”). At the same time, it is often described as the English equivalent to the word “right?” that ends a sentence.
In other uses, the “kan” is ignored and left out of translation, especially for moments where its emphasis is difficult to explain. (I know, not translating it seems blasphemous!)
For example,
Malay: Tak kan kamu masih lapar?
English: Don’t tell me you are still hungry?
Rather than focus on the specific term of the source language, the entire sentence is interpreted as a whole. The dilemma emerges as we face the possibility of losing the word in the process, despite maintaining the emotions that were conjured in the first place by the original sentence.
To Translate or Not Translate?
Translators continue to be in a quandary when it comes to untranslatable words. Faced with an intriguing yet difficult riddle, a translator has to make certain decisions and compromises in order to do her or his job.
Are some of the above ‘ethical’? What is the best way to truly maintain the meaning of a word? In fact, will we ever truly overcome the challenges of translation?
As these questions bug the minds of translators and readers alike, ultimately, the answer may very well depend on what works best for the text.
Leave a comment if you have any tips and tricks for translating the ‘untranslatable’ to share!
Written by Liani MK
