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By: Erik Angelone

Culture is ultimately what leads to the creation of language, which means that the two are deeply connected. When it comes to translation, recognizing this connection is vital, and translators should make an effort to consider the culture of the language being translated to reveal the true meaning and context. Failing to do so may result in misinterpreted statements that can confuse an audience. For this reason, we encourage the use of cultural translation and stress its importance in achieving quality translations.

Understanding Cultural Translation

Cultural translation goes beyond word-for-word meaning to create a more accurate translation that represents the original intent and considers the meaning in the target language.

Ultimately, the importance of culture in translation is that it emphasizes how tradition and geographic origin impact the context of language. When practicing translation, it is vital to be sensitive to the moral and spiritual values of words to find the most accurate equivalents in the new language.

Practicing cultural translation becomes especially important when urgent messages are delivered, since clarity and accuracy are so essential. It is also used frequently when shows and movies are subtitled or dubbed for release in another country, which makes the content more relatable to the new audience and easier to understand.

Why Balancing Culture and Translation Is Advantageous

Cultural translation makes it possible to produce information that all parties involved can understand while maintaining respect for both the target audience and source language. As discussed above, the importance of culture in translation can be witnessed within a variety of projects and careers.

In order to clearly see the link between culture and translation and achieve effective cultural translation, consider doing the following:

• Attempt to fully understand the context of the material being translated
• Take your time during the translating process to make sure that both culture and the literal meaning of words are equally considered
• Consult reference material and outside sources when you are unsure of something
• Consider a translation review for an extra level of quality control
• Become a specialist in the subject you are translating

Using the tactics above can help create a balance between translation and culture, improving the overall quality and message of your translation. By effectively honing your skills and expertise for cultural translation, it is also possible to accomplish the following:

• Lessening the risk of offending or misleading your target audience
• Reducing the likelihood of damaging your reputation
• Avoiding loss of time and resources

Applications of Cultural Translation

Cultural translation is used in fields like anthropology, postcolonial studies, and cross-cultural communication, among others. It bridges gaps in cultures by facilitating mutual understanding and promoting respect for cultural diversity. Applications include:

• Translating literature and cinema
• Adapting products, services, and marketing strategies for localization
• Using intercultural dialogue and conflict resolution
• Maintaining and transmitting cultural heritage and traditions

Occupations That Involve Culture and Translation

Some of the occupations that you can pursue if you are passionate about culture and translation include:

• Cultural advisor – You will be able to work for governments, NGOs, the U.N., or a variety of other organizations that deal with multiple languages. Individuals in these roles research, translate documents, and summarize information in local languages. 
   
• Event coordinator – Bilingual event coordinators play an important role in functions with an international component. They help plan, organize, and promote meetings while maintaining attention to detail and the ability to communicate across cultures effectively. 
   
• Tour guide – This role involves making presentations, translating handout materials, and handling bookings in different languages, making it ideal for anyone who is passionate about culture and translation. 

Strategies for Approaching Cultural Translation

Here are some ways you can approach cultural translation:

• Ethnographic translation – Ethnographic translation is conducted by immersing oneself in the cultural source to gain an understanding of the context and nuances of the given culture. This helps facilitate a more accurate translation.
   
• Collaborative translation – In this process, members of both the source and target language collaborate to ensure an authentic cultural representation and translation. 
   
• Thick translation – Thick translation is the process of going beyond literal translation to provide extensive cultural information and commentary. This helps facilitate a deeper understanding of the culture and improves translation outcomes.
   
• Transcreation â€“ Transcreation is very similar to translation but allows translators to get more creative in order to maintain the context, intent, style, and culture of the source language.

FAQs on Cultural Translation

How can translators better understand the culture they are working with for a translation?

Due to the importance of culture in translation, keeping the given culture front of mind when translating materials is essential. Some ways to hone your skills and heighten your sensitivity to culture and its nuances include via the following:

• Cultural immersion – The value of becoming as acquainted as you can with the culture of your source or target language cannot be overstated. Ways to immerse yourself can include living in a specific country or region, consuming media from the culture, participating in cultural events, and building relationships with native speakers.
• Study – While having a strong sense of a culture and the language you’re working with is a given, digging deep and learning as much as you can about a region’s history, social norms, values, and more can go a long way in bridging the gap in understanding for both yourself and those who will read your translation.
• Collaboration – When you work closely with native speakers of a language, you will gain a much richer understanding of their culture, and translation efforts you will undertake will greatly improve. Cultural consultants, if available in the area and circumstances you are working in, can be beneficial collaborators.

What are some tools and approaches to use in cultural translation?

There are a variety of resources translators can use to aid their understanding of culture and their subsequent translations. These include language translation software programs, bilingual dictionaries, cultural guides, localization tools, and more.

How do translators address untranslatable cultural elements?

When working on cultural translation tasks, translators may occasionally come across elements that do not have a direct equivalent in their target language. In these cases, creative solutions will need to be employed, including the use of paraphrasing, explanations within footnotes, swapping in cultural equivalents or analogies, or adapting the text while retaining the original meaning as much as possible.

How does localization relate to cultural translation?

Localization pertains to adapting content from one market to another, taking into account cultural aspects, religion, social norms, and other aspects to make a translation as clear and understandable as possible. Thus, localization is yet another way in which culture and translation intertwine.

For a full look at the subject, along with its methodologies and benefits, visit our localization post.

What is cultural untranslatability?

Since this post is focused on culture and translation, we wanted to elaborate on one aspect that does arise occasionally: untranslatability. Untranslatability is caused by linguistic and cultural differences and occurs when the translation from source to target language is difficult or even lost.

Untranslatability can either be linguistic or cultural in nature. There are compensation strategies to rectify this occurrence, however, like explanations, cultural adaptations, or developing creative ideas to convey the intended meaning or cultural nuance without neglecting it all together. It takes a skilled translator to enact this, and Kent State is the perfect destination for learning these skills. 

Kent State Is Your Destination for Furthering Your Knowledge of Culture and Translation

At Kent State, we offer a course on literary and cultural translation as well as a course on intercultural communication in the language industry so that our students can master the skills needed to succeed in careers after college. Our M.A. in Translation program is ideal for anyone who is looking for a comprehensive education after earning their bachelor’s degree, and we can help you develop the skills you need to thrive in the field.

Whether you are looking to learn more about cultural translation or one of our specializations, our M.A. in Translation will be the right fit for you. Benefits of our program include:

• Graduation rates exceeding 90%
• Personalized guidance by dedicated faculty
• Only 36 hours of coursework
• Ability to complete the program in just 4 semesters

After graduating from the program, our students go on to become freelancers and in-house employees in a range of industries. See what your future holds by starting the process of earning your master’s in translation with Kent State!

Start Your Application Process Today

Understanding the importance of culture in translation can increase accuracy in the translation process while making you more efficient and preventing misunderstanding.

Start on a journey that enhances your knowledge of cultural translation by applying to Kent State University or contacting our team today!