Four Common Differences
More specifically, we can see differences between French and English
in such things as:
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Ranges of meaning
-
Gaps (or "lacunae")
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Deceptive cognates
-
Units of translation (or "Unités de traduction")
| Ranges of meaning
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Some
words
have different ranges of meaning ("extensions") in French
and English. e. g. "le génie" can mean the same thing as "genius" (a supremely talented individual) but only in French does "le génie" have
the meaning of a set of characteristics which are peculiar to a
specific nation, institution, etc. In French one can speak of "le génie du français"
but to convey the same idea in English you have to say something like "the
peculiar nature of the French language". Chateaubriand's book, "Le génie
du Christianisme", is a Romantic's perception of the distinctive and
unique nature of Christianity.
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| Languages have gaps
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Both English
and French
have gaps (technically called "lacunae") i. e. some words exist in one language but not in the other e. g. "shallow"
in the sense of "shallow water" doesn't exist as one word in French. So
"shallow" in this sense is translated as "peu profond". Another example:
French has "tu" and "vous" to convey "you". "Tu" in French can
express closeness or intimacy (or socialistic solidarity) but it
can also convey contempt.How does the translator cope with this difference?
One solution would be to translate a contemptuous "tu" by "Hey, Dummy!"
etc.
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| Deceptive Cognates
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In
French "réel"
does not mean "real" in English; "réel" means "actual".
In French "actuel" does not mean "actual" in English; it
means "present" i. e. happening in the present. This
reminds me of a joke. Bertrand Russell at age five or so
was already asking embarrassing questions. His
grand-mama, however, was not one to humour him too
easily. One day he approached her with a few deep
questions: "I say, grand-mama, what is 'matter'?" (Her
answer: "Never mind!") Thereupon he had another pesky
question for her: "I say, then, what is "mind"? (Her
answer: "No matter!")
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| Units of translation
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Both
languages contain many 'units of translation' (or "unités de
traduction"), which convey a certain idea and cannot be reduced in size. One has to know these expressions; there is no way to guess what they might be in the target language:
La bataille a eu
lieu = The battle took place
Il a fait fausse route = He went astray
Elle avait du crâne = She
had a lot of nerve.
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