Critical Lessons in German to English Translation
Most professional European and American translators know that German and English are closely related and have many words in common. This can be both a benefit and a curse for students of German Translation.
English and German language learners need to be apprised of this situation. But often times, beginners make assumptions, and things are actually not at all what they seem. “False friends” are false cognates that actually have nothing in common with what one would expect. The translation profession regularly deals with the challenge of avoiding falling prey to false cognates. Once again, false cognates are deceiving because they look like a common word, but in actuality they have nothing to do with it. Incorrectly using false cognates can cause embarrassment at best and lawsuits in the worst case scenario.
When it comes to translating from German to English or vice versa, there are numerous false friends because the languages are in the same family. There are countless words that look and sound alike in German and English. True cognates include words like: shoe / Schuh, jacket / Jacke, elbow / Elbogen, bed / Bett, garden / Garten, and countless other words that have similar meanings. There are literally hundreds of words like these that are truly similar in meaning and appearance in the English and German languages, but be careful.
It makes no difference which direction you are translating – English to German or German to English – the process of completing a translation is much easier and faster if the source document contains true cognates. However, translations can go bad when translators do not take care to learn all they can about potential issues with false cognates. Regardless of what you call them: “falsche Freunde,” “false friends,” or false cognatesby any name can present problems if translation service providers are not careful.
After (After) the objective (Objektiv) act (Akt) of translation, the target document must be reviewed. In reference to the German words in parentheses, this statement is a good example of how false friends can completely change the meaning of a sentence. In German, the word “After” is defined as “rectum, the German word “Akt” is defined as “nude” painting, and the German word “Objektiv” is defined as “camera lens”. Many such false cognates also exist in medical translations. These include words like “Weh” which really means pain. Experienced medical translators look out for false friends like these in order to avoid making silly mistakes.
Similar difficulties are found in legal translations, which false cognates popping up frequently. These often include words like “Rathaus,” which means “City Hall,” and not a home for a rodent. Poor German Legal Translation are also full of words like “Akt” (see above for meaning) and “absolvieren,” which means to successfully finish a course.
But these are only a few of the numerous false cognates between the German and English languages. For example, the word “drogerei” refers to what Anglophones know as a drugstore, but it does not carry medications. What it does sell are personal hygiene items such as shampoo, hairspray, deodorant, toothpaste and the like. The “Apotheke” is where you will need to shop if you need medicine. If you need a prescription filled, it is called a “Rezept,” but this is different from a receipt, which is a completely different word in German.What all this comes down to is the fact that professional German translators must be aware of the pitfalls and challenges of providing a highly accurate translation that conveys the true meaning of a text without compromising readability. Relying on assumed meanings of false cognates can mean the end of a translation career and can also do serious harm to the person or organization hiring the translator. It can also very often prove to be a costly mistake.