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

[Jim Shaeffer <jims -at- spsi -dot- com>]

This anecdote (below) seems to illustrate 'idiom in reverse'. That is, 
a non-idiomatic phrase in my language has an unwanted idiomatic 
meaning in the target language. Therefore, writing for translation 
is impossible. 
Well, my conclusion may be too strongly worded, but we are back 
to the original point. A skilled translator must translate based 
on concepts, not words or phrases. 

This, obviously, does not address concerns about English as a 
Second Language. It does lead me to ask, though, if Japanese is 
my first language, do I have the same ESL issues as if German were 
my first language? Swahili? Navaho?

Jim Shaeffer (jims -at- spsi -dot- com)

 
> Sometimes you do not even reach the idiom stage. A few years ago I was
> asked to price out a job for a Japanese owned company. I 
> replied that I would have to think about it, meaning that I 
> could not make a realistic quote off the top of my head. My statement 
> was interpreted as meaning that I was not interested in quoting. It 
> seems that to a Japanese person, saying I will think about it, is a 
> polite way of saying no.
> -- 
> Peter


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