RE: Not Writing for Translation (was RE: Re(2): Number/Figure)

["Jonathan West" <jwest -at- mvps -dot- org>]

> Translating a language is comparitively simple: translating a
> cultural idiom is sometimes far from simple. What's clear and
> obvious to me
> in my culture is not necessarily either clear or obvious to you in yours,
> regardless of how familiar we both are with the English language. It may
> seem an unnecessary restriction, but think about it: before 1997, how many
> people outside the UK would have understood if I'd said we don't want the
> full monty?

Absolutely! In international standards meetings that I have to attend, where
the majority of people usually do not have English as their first language,
I take great care to avoid idiom when I am speaking, for exactly this
reason. I never cease to be amazed by some of my English-speaking colleagues
who just don't bother to think about this. I have European delegates who
come up to me and ask "What did he mean by that?"

Regards
Jonathan West


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