RECOUP/Transcription and translation/handout on issues of translation: Difference between revisions

Yes it does: 'translation-related decisions have a direct impact on the validity of the research and its report' - but social researchers rarely talk about how they organise translation of materials. Why not? Perhaps because they are somewhat embarrassed by the ''ad hoc'' nature of how and when translation takes place. Some say that translation (and how it is dealt with) raisesissues of how we represent what people say to us, and this should be of concernto all researchers. Others say that it is important to reflect on the potential impact of translation and interpretation on the research process, especially when disseminating research.

No. 'Gaining conceptual equivalence or comparability of meaning' is, according to some authors, 'in absolute terms an unsolvable problem'. This is because any phrase or sentence in one language carries with it a set of assumptions, feelings and values that cannot be directly translated into another language without setting off resonances in the second language that are almost never going to be exactly equivalent. Direct lexical equivalences are sometimes misleading or not as obvious as people might immediately think. For example, to translate the Hindi word ''chacha ''('father's younger brother') as 'uncle' is too simplistic: the English word hides the fact that in South Asia different kinds of 'uncle' have different roles‚Äîa mother's brother has very different rights and responsibilities from a father's brother, a father's sister's husband, or a mother's sister's husband‚Äîall 'uncles', in English. Where there is no exact and uncomplicated word for translation, one should aim for 'conceptual equivalence without concern for lexical comparability'. But this will inevitably mean either the 'introduction of pseudo-information' or the 'loss of information' - or both.