Translation and Meaning

[Matthew Hurwitz]

While our presenter was talking about translation and cultural differences that makes business meetings a minefield of miscommunication, I was thinking about how translation and different cultural understandings influence the way that we read translated texts in class. No matter how good the translator is, or how well they are able to capture the essence of a text or book, there is always something that gets lost in translation. I remember in college being asked to get a specific translation of Anna Karenina, balking at the price, and deciding to get the cheaper Barnes and Noble classic version that was $5.99 vs. $22.99 instead. I figured that it didn't really make a difference, since both books were the same story. And although that was largely true, when I compared the version I had to the one that many others in the class had, there were key words and phrases that were different. Not to say that one was right or wrong, but even small changes altered the way that I read whole chapters. Given all the issues that Professor Beck pointed out with business cards, seniority, and the variety of linguistic tools that are used to convey the word "no" without actually saying it, I was trying to think about the translated texts that I use in class, and whether I know anything about who translated them, how they were translated, and if there are other translations that might exist that are more accurate, or are better at conveying the tone of the original author. It might also be a good opportunity to have students think about this question, and look at sourcing not just in terms of how different authors tackle the same story, but how different translators present the same author. Potential essential question: "Is it possible to tell a story without bias?"