Interpretation is not just about language but also culture

Irina Yashkova

Interpretation is not just about language, but also culture. This can show itself in various ways. A good interpreter needs to bridge such cultural gaps, as well as translating. The Latin root ‘interpretari’ means “explain”, not just “translate”. Following my recent webinar for interpreters on what to be aware of from the cultural point of view (Interpreters and Cross-Cultural Communication webinar hosted by AIIC USA on November 7th, 2020), I will be running another one focusing on humor “Humor Across Cultures” (on February 27, 2021 at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern time). You can register at the link in the comments below. Hope you enjoy this short article written in collaboration with Michael Gates and will join me online soon!

 

 

 Cross-Culture for Interpreters

 10 years ago, during the Gulf of Mexico oil spillage crisis, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg apologized to Americans saying, “we care about the small people”, meaning the fishing communities whose livelihoods were destroyed. Although he was speaking in English to an English-speaking audience, the expression “the small people” was interpreted by many in the USA as insulting. Americans tend to want to be seen as “big”, not small. Big, and the extraordinary are beautiful. If you translate “the small people” into Swedish, the connotation is much more positive. People don’t want, in general, to stand out from others as being bigger or better. Small, and the ordinary are beautiful. There is a whole cultural gulf in the meaning of the phrase. 

There are many ways in which culture slips into language, causing misunderstandings like this, and a loss of trust. We can even be native in the same language, yet still have cultural misunderstandings. As George Bernard Shaw said about the British and the Americans: “we are two peoples separated by a common language.”

 Some of the challenges are: 

·       Cultural references – for instance to sayings and proverbs. At an EU meeting some years ago, a French delegate said “nous avons besoin, en ce moment, de la sagesse normande” (“At this moment we need some wisdom from Normandy” – obviously people from Normandy are considered wise), which the French interpreter translated as “Now we need Norman Wisdom”, upon which all the Brits started laughing. Norman Wisdom was a famous British comedian unknown outside the UK, except in Albania. Of course, the French presumed the Brits were laughing at the idea that people from Normandy were wise…

·       Levels of politeness – does your culture use first names, surnames, academic titles? Professional Russian interpreters, interpreting for American speakers, will add the formal patronymic even if the American uses informal first names

·       References to TV programs, sport, other shared cultural heritage. A friend was at an important presentation about new sportwear lines to Japanese distributors in the UK, and the presenter said “our new lines are a little bit retro, a bit Grange Hill” Total miscomprehension on the part of the Japanese interpreter. Grange Hill was the name of a TV kids soap opera about a school, which ran for 30 years, from 1978. Native speakers use such references as a sort of linguistic shorthand.

·       With a highly educated speaker who refers to literature, history, music etc. the interpreter may have to open up the whole cultural context for the listeners, otherwise the point will be lost.

·       There can be many misunderstandings between direct and indirect cultures. For example, how would you interpret a Japanese saying “Yes” (meaning “ I heard what you said”) or “we can try” (meaning “it’s impossible”) or even a Brit saying “it might be a little bit tricky” (meaning “no way!”) And what about the other way round, where the interpreter knows enough about the direct culture to understand that their words are not meant to cause offence, but that, if translated directly, they could damage the relationship?

·       How about non-verbal cues and messaging?

·       Idioms – for instance “it’s a no-brainer”, meaning an idea, plan, which is self-evidently right. Easily understood as “You mean I have no brain?”

·       Finally, what about humor? Humor can really forge a connection with your audience, or it can be entirely misunderstood or seen as insulting, silly, or naïve. But more on that in my upcoming workshop!

These are just a few examples of the cultural challenges in interpretation, or is “opportunities” a better word? Helping the client understand is vital, but where to draw the line between improving understanding and changing the message? And there, we enter the difficult ethical arena!

One useful general tool for understanding differences is the Lewis Model of Culture,  It categorizes cultures into three main types – Linear-active, Multi-active and Reactive. Understanding the different types, and how they communicate, can get you, as an interpreter, into “the right cultural gear” and be good to have in mind when navigating between different world views.

 

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