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Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [translation]

Questions about changing work from one language to another.

Questions about changing work from one language to another. Can cover usage rights, the use of multiple languages in one work, the tipping point between "figure it out from context" and "translate it for the reader," how to format translated words or phrases, comparisons between original and translated texts, and the challenges of bringing a text across cultures while maintaining both flavor and meaning.

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How do I translate into a gendered language where the gender would be a spoiler?

I'm (amateurly) writing the subtitles for an English TV show. I'll illustrate my question using a small example, but I'm hoping to receive answers as general as possible. One episode has a sentence such as "How are you?", addressed to a person who…
Veridian
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Should I translate myself my writings into english to get a bigger audience?

I'm a native speaking german and learned english in school. So I will probably never be writing and speaking english on the same level as a native speaker or as I do in german. That's why I write in german. I wrote some stories and published them…
Mnementh
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Affordable way to translate sentences?

I'm writing a story in English but I want to have a character in there that speaks German in which I'm not fluent. Are they any online translation services for artistic pieces? All I see on Google are translation services for business things. I…
verve
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Famous mistranslations - correct them?

Often enough works of literature, particularly old classics, receive renewed translations. Sometimes, the older translation might contain mistakes. And sometimes, the work being an old classic, the mistakes have become famous as part of the work of…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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When should you convert a measurement in a local translation of a novel?

I think that it fits better in certain books to use the local measurement system, but is there a rule about this? Are some books more tolerant to change than others, like fantasy novels? Or does it depend more on the target audience? For example, if…
Clayton de Freitas Lima
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How much should I expect to charge someone for translation services?

I have been approached by someone to translate a foreign language into (written) English. What is an acceptable rate (preferably in UK currency, but US would be fine) per thousand words that I could charge for such a service?
Craig Sefton
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How to use foreign words and provide translations in a novel?

I am writing novel where the main character has small conversations in a non-English language. This would really pull the reader into the environment. When and how often should I provide translations? So far, I italicize foreign words and put the…
Marium
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Is there an accepted (or 'correct') way to write translations/subtitles for different materials (videos, articles, books, etc)?

There are many ways to go about translating various materials. For example, while subtitling videos from a different language into english, is it better to (or more acceptable) to do a literal translation of what is said, or to change it and write…
donatello
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How do you translate intentional language errors?

I am watching and translating TV shows to practice certain languages. I was watching a tv show where the main character speaks English but occassionally make mistakes. For example, "That person really drives me up the hall". I believe the proper…
JustBlossom
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How should I translate this?

I recently started translating a book from Turkish into English, but I'm not sure how translations are usually carried out. So, for instance, if I encounter a sentence which sounds good in Turkish but (a little) awkward in English (though still…
Artus
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Best way to emphasise the greenness of the fields in spring in comparison with summer

The question arises from this sentence in my story, which was originally written in Hebrew and later translated by me to English. In Hebrew I say: קמתי בבוקר והלכתי למוצב. היה זה יום בהיר של תחילת האביב. כשהלכתי בדרך לעבר המוצב, יצא לי ליהנות…
shlomif
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Acknowledgements in translated editions

I'm about to publish the English translation of my novel, originally written in Spanish. In the original Spanish edition I thank my "experimental readers", and especially someone who did a thorough editing pass on the text. I'm not sure how to…
ggambetta
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What happens when you translate a quotation?

It feels to me like it is up to the author to choose what words will fit more properly. Does it become a paraphrase?
Suppboi
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How do writers feel about translations of their works? Looking for examples

I'm looking for examples of bilingual (or trilingual, etc) writers who actually read foreign translations of their works and comment on them. I'm curious to know how they feel. Are they generally satisfied with these translations? Do they feel…
kuchitsu
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Untranslated passages in translated works

I constantly find in translations of classic works untranslated passages. In English translations of Russian novels I find dialogue or narrative in French - as if the English-reading public, who clearly need the Russian translated, are expected to…
Holderlin's Son
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