Read “Individuals and the Filters of Language.” What challenges did translators encounter? Use examples from the text.

Answer 1

"Individuals and the Filters of Language" is an essay by linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky that discusses the challenges faced by translators when attempting to convey the intended meaning of a source text in another language.

One of the main challenges that translators face is the presence of idiomatic expressions, which can be difficult to translate because their meaning often depends on cultural context. For example, Chomsky notes that the French phrase "avoir le cafard" literally translates to "to have the cockroach," but in idiomatic usage means "to feel down or depressed." A translator attempting to translate this expression into English would need to find an equivalent idiom, such as "to have the blues," in order to accurately convey the intended meaning.

Another challenge that translators face is the use of metaphorical language, which can be difficult to translate because the meanings of metaphors are often culture-specific. For example, Chomsky notes that the Chinese phrase "the sky is high, and the emperor is far away" is a metaphorical expression that means "no one is paying attention." A translator attempting to translate this expression into English would need to find an equivalent metaphor, such as "when the cat's away, the mice will play," in order to accurately convey the intended meaning.

A third challenge that translators face is the presence of words with multiple meanings, which can be difficult to translate because the intended meaning may depend on the context in which the word is used. For example, Chomsky notes that the Spanish word "vista" can mean either "view" or "lawsuit," depending on the context. A translator attempting to translate a sentence that includes the word "vista" would need to be aware of the context in order to accurately convey the intended meaning.

In general, the challenges that translators face highlight the importance of understanding not only the words of a source text, but also the cultural context and the intended meaning behind those words.