Lost in Translation

Went back to school in the evening for a seminar titled: Lost in Translation, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. : )

How does language play a role in the formation of an European identity? Can Europeans ever really understand each other, or must languages defy even the most expert translators?

Speakers include:
Catherine Audard - Fellow in philosophy at LSE and translator of English book to French
Rachel Bowlby - Professor of Modern English Literature at UCL and translator of French books into English
Maria Fairwearther - historian, biographer and simultaneous interpreter for Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major in European languages.

I have often been intrigued by the apparent disparities and yet inherent commonalities of the different languages of this world. After all, the Bible said we spoke one language before the Tower of Babel. Now that we spoke diversed langauges, can we truly understand each other? When we cannot understand the other's language and we need to rely on translation, there are bound to be things lost in translation, though there will be things found in translation too!

I agreed with the speakers that to be able to produce accurate translation, one must have a good grasp of the culture behind the language. There are many nuances and subtleties in a language and a culture that one must be aware of when translating to avoid being offensive.

The speakers shared their experiences in translating English to French and vice versa. I am surprised to learn that there is no such word as "fair" and "fairness" in French. And that French philosophers have an aversion towards Americans, which makes the translation of an American English philosophy text as much a matter of politics, as linguistic. :P

Another difficulty faced by translator is that some things are not translatable, e.g. poems. It is unavoidable that the beauty of the phrasing and rhythm of poetry in one language will be lost if it is translated literally into another language. Subjectivity is involved when the translator decides on which words and phrases to use to capture the images and "feel" behind the poetry. I think translating our Chinese short poems into English is definitely no easy task!

One speaker mentioned about making English a common language for Europe. I guess, with the emphasis on a single market within the European Union, we may see a common European language one day, though not necessarily English. (English has become so powerful and so widely used thanks to the Americans.) After all, most if not all of the European languages originated from Latin! Nevertheless, the focus of the single market is currently very much on economic matters and hence, I don't think we will see a common European language in the near future.

Another point of interest that a person from the floor brought up was the translation of the Bible. In the Muslim context, the Koran is the Word of God and hence it CANNOT be translated (and should not be translated). However, for the Christian Bible, there are so many versions of it. Can the Word of God be translated? Is there divine revelation from God to the translator when he is translating the Bible? My view is, it is the work of God that the Bible can be translated to so many different languages so that more people can come to know Christ and be saved. There is definitely divine intervention involved. But I don't think the translator would have received any other kind of divine revelation that would allow him/her to add or subtract anything from the original word of God. :)