Translation is the art of converting written words from one language to another. It consists of two types of languages, source and target language(s). Foster (1958) described translation as an act through which the content of a text was transferred from the source language to the target language. The former is the language of the original documents, while the latter is the language in which the documents need to be translated. Translation is the transmission of written text from one language (the source) to another (the target) language.
Translation: Converting Written Words
The language to be translated is called the source language (SL), whereas the language to be translated into or arrived at is called the target language (TL). The main objective of translation is to transfer the intent of a message and original tone, considering regional and cultural differences between target and source languages. The translators must have good knowledge of both the source and the target language, in addition to high linguistic sensitivity, as they should transmit the writer’s intention, original thoughts, and opinions in the translated version as precisely and faithfully as possible. (Hiroshima & Nagasaki Bombing: A Proof How Lethal Misinterpretation Could Be).
At a high level, there are two main approaches to translation, human and automatic. Businesses will choose one or the other depending on the type of text, the context, the target audience, and other factors. Human translation is the conventional approach to translation. In human translation, one or more translators convert the text from the source to the target language.
However, human translation is generally more expensive than automatic translation and can take longer to complete. Meanwhile, Machine translation (MT) involves software automatically converting text from the source to the target language without human input. Most modern machine translation tools use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the source text and generate an automatic translation that retains the original meaning.
Challenges in Translation and Interpretation
In translation, there is also interpretation. Interpreting is an oral translation, enabling real-time cross-linguistic face-to-face communication in a conference or over the phone. It can also be called oral translation, real-time translation, or personal translation.
Interpretation is the process of repeating what is said out loud in a different language. Interpreting a language has broader connotations that encapsulate sign, spoken, and written speeches, and the foundational rule is the preservation and registration of the meaning of the source language content.
Interpreting, just like translation, is basically paraphrasing—the interpreter listens to a speaker in one language, grasps the content of what is being said, and then paraphrases their understanding of the meaning using the tools of the target language. An interpreter changes words into meaning and then changes meaning back into words—of a different language.
An interpreter must be able to translate in both directions on the spot without using dictionaries or other reference materials. To be effective, the interpreter decides how to convey best the meaning of the words and the context in which those words were used. This requires a high level of expertise in a subject area, current knowledge of different cultures, and a great deal of experience.
Consequences of Mistranslation and Misinterpretation
However, mistranslation or misinterpretation sometimes occurs in translation and interpretation activities. Mistranslations are often the result of a lack of research due to oversight or lack of knowledge on the part of the translator. Local differences need to be considered while translating. Translators should also look for words with similar forms but different meanings in different languages.
Some inexperienced translators may have trouble keeping a consistent tone of voice, leading to mistakes and translation errors. Meanwhile, misinterpretation is the act of forming a wrong understanding of something that is said or done or an example of a wrong interpretation. Misinterpretation can occur at various stages of communication, such as encoding, transmission, or decoding. Inaccurate facts can arise when someone mishears or misreads information, distorting the original message.
Additionally, miscommunication can occur when individuals lack clarity in their expressions, use ambiguous language, or fail to provide sufficient context. These factors can contribute to the misinterpretation of facts, leading to incorrect or misleading information sharing. When people engage in discussions or debates, their viewpoints are shaped by the information they receive and their understanding.
If there are misinterpretations during these exchanges, individuals may form opinions based on flawed or incomplete information. Furthermore, misinterpretation can prevent people from fully grasping others’ perspectives, leading to biases and misconceptions.
Misrepresentations can arise in written or oral statements and can be expressed or implied. Therefore, there is significant potential for misrepresentation in various business communications. There are three different types of misrepresentation, including fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, and innocent misrepresentation.
Fraudulent misrepresentation is the most serious and requires the false representation to have been made knowingly, without belief in its truth; negligent misrepresentation is the case where the misrepresentation was made carelessly or without reasonable grounds for believing its truth; and Innocent misrepresentation is the case where a misrepresentation was made, but there were reasonable grounds to believe the statement was true.
Communication between people is a crucial activity that cannot be ignored and poorly analyzed. However, communication between nations is a more severe activity that has to be appropriately weighted. The meaning of a word lost in translation can cause a variety of outcomes to the less physically devastating. Communication in a war period is a significant topic when leaders and their representatives should possess a number of skills and abilities to share information, introduce personal and national positions, and make the expected decisions.
As Barash and Webel said, one communication error could break all rules and turn a fruitful conversation into a “dialogue of the deaf.” One of the worst consequences of mistranslation and misinterpretation was the tragedy of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in August 1945, resulting in the death of more than 150,000 people.
Historical Case: Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings
The tragedy was due to the main problem of miscommunication between Japan and the United States was the impossibility of speaking similar languages. A month before the tragedy happened, leaders from the US, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China gave Japan an ultimatum that would end the Second World War.
They said that should Japan negatively respond, the result would be “prompt and utter destruction.” According to the US National Security Administration (NSA), reporters asked Japan’s premier at the time, Kantaro Suzuki, how he intended to respond. The speech of the Prime Minister was translated to the American leaders. In general, his speech was clear enough, and the Truman administrated understood that the Japanese government was not ready to accept the conditions of the Potsdam Declaration. However, the main decision of Japan was “mokusatsu“.
“Mokusatsu” is composed of two separate characters. Moku symbolizes “silent,” and satsu is “kill.” In Tokyo, journalists pressed Prime Minister Suzuki to say something regarding Japan’s decision. No formal decision had been reached, and Suzuki replied that he was “assessing the situation.” The Japanese prime minister stated that he was “refraining from comment at this time.” However, foreign media outlets interpreted Kantaro Suzuki’s response as the ultimatum was not worthy of a response, as the premier had used that phrase many times previously and intended it to mean “no comment.”
Whoever translated Mokusatsu and did not add a note clarifying that the word could also mean “wait to make a public official comment” did a horrible disservice to those who read the translation, who did not know Japanese and probably never saw the original text, causing the translator to never knew of the ambiguity of the word. The media agencies and translators chose the definition “to treat with silent contempt” (ignore), which meant that the Allies assumed a categorical rejection by the Prime Minister.
The Americans understood that there would never be a diplomatic end to the war, as they felt that the Japanese Prime Minister had responded to the Allies with an arrogant tone. International news agencies informed the world that, in the eyes of the Japanese government, the ultimatum was “not even worthy of comment.” Mokusatsu, a word that could have been perfectly translated as “I have no comment yet” or “let me keep my comments to myself for now,” was translated as “this deserves no response.” Many people, theorists, historians, and researchers believe that if the word “mokusatsu” had been translated in another way, people could avoid the consequences of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
At that time, the Prime Minister was not ready to pronounce the decision, but his inability to formulate a thought led to events that could not be forgotten or forgiven. The translator was not able to check the guesses and focus the President’s attention on the possibility of interpreting the same word in another way. The United States was not eager to wait or ask for an explanation but to demonstrate its power and intentions to end the war and prove its ultimatum.
The NSA document entitled Mokusatsu: One Word, Two Lessons highlighted the problems that translation by those unfamiliar with the nuances of a foreign culture and language may face. In the document, NSA said the fault in this case also lay with the originator of the statement, there would have been no translation problem had the Japanese premier used a more clear term.
Looking at the Hiroshima and Nagasaki historical cases, the false translation of the word “mokusatsu” and the inability to spend more time investigating the decisions had caused human death. Miscommunication or misinterpretation during a war period could be the reason for a number of fatalities, traumas, and destructions, making it important to clarify the main reasons for miscommunication and identify the problems people could have during a communication process.
Lessons Learned from Miscommunication
Miscommunication or misinterpretation problems could occur in different fields, including marketing, politics, and management. People could suffer from miscommunication because of the lack of knowledge, inability to investigate and interpret, unawareness of language, or unwillingness to listen. All these reasons and problems could be observed in the situation between the USA and Japan.
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki historical examples could be used to prove that people have to be careful with words and phrases used in conversations and consider the abilities of their interlocutors to understand what is said and what people want to say.
During the Hiroshima and Nagasaki situation, Japanese leaders were supposed to find the required portion of understanding with the American leaders, and the American leaders failed to communicate with the Japanese Prime Minister in a proper way. Two parties could not understand that it was not enough to recognize personal and opponents’ needs. It was more important to clarify what methods of communication could be more effective in their situations.
Miscommunication or misinterpretation problems have a number of roots, and people who decide to be the participants of communication should understand their roles and obligations in the process. An inappropriate understanding of traditions, cultural preferences, religion, etc., could cause miscommunication, mistranslation, or misinterpretation. Such problems may lead to some personal offenses and the inability to comprehend the essence of the offense, make the correct conclusions, and correct the situation.
These problems could also result in unnecessary conflicts and affect the relations between people or even countries. Miscommunication problems between the United States and Japan led to the atomic bombs being dropped on two Japanese cities. These problems included the fact that the representatives of both countries used different languages and could not set the priorities in their own words. Instead of thinking about improving the relations and reducing the number of deaths, the United States wanted to protect its people and take the first step when Truman decided to attack the two cities with thousands of innocent people living there.
Translation is the art of converting written words from one language to another, while interpretation enables real-time cross-linguistic face-to-face communication. Translation or interpreting activities can help people with different languages understand each other. However, translation or interpretation errors can negatively impact various parties and cause various outcomes, ranging from catastrophic to less physically devastating. One of the worst mistranslation and misinterpretation cases was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945.
During the war, a false translation and the inability to properly interpret the leader’s message led to such catastrophic results. A translation error killed more than 150,000 people, with 70,000 people dying instantly and another 100,000 more due to destruction and radiation. From the case of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, people can learn that wrong interpretations, unwillingness to wait and analyze, and personal concerns promote miscommunication, leading to inappropriate decisions like the one made by the United States regarding Japan and its people in 1945.
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