Why Do Translators Avoid Risk in Cross-Cultural Communication?

TL;DR

Translators often avoid risk by opting for general and explicit translations instead of taking creative liberties. This behavior stems from factors such as lack of contextual information, cultural expectations, and the high transaction costs associated with cross-cultural communication. While there are exceptions—like humor and technical texts—overall risk aversion can limit the effectiveness of translations.

Transcript

now that's my theory just I haven't got very far I need help with my theory uh but over the years as I've given this talk I've I've got feedback which suggests that there's something in this for example all the research done in descriptive translation studies particularly on the cognitive processes all the proposed universals of translation suggest... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 Research in descriptive translation studies has shown that translators tend to avoid risk and favor more general and explicit translations.
• 🙈 Translators often rely on the structure and format of the original text, avoiding changes that could be seen as risky.
• 😵 Factors such as lack of information about the social context, cultural expectations, and the high transaction costs of cross-cultural communication contribute to translators' risk aversion.
• 💦 However, there are exceptions to risk aversion, such as translators working with humor, highly localized or technical texts, advertisements, and sacred texts.
• 🥺 Risk aversion can limit the potential benefits of translation and lead to a more conservative approach that may overlook the overall communicative impact.
• 🥺 Lack of trust in translators and the fear of making minor mistakes that could lead to loss of trust are significant factors contributing to risk aversion.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why do translators tend to avoid risk in their translations?

Translators may be risk-averse due to factors such as lack of information about the social context, cultural expectations, and the nature of their job where they primarily work with the given text without knowledge of success conditions.

Q: Are all translators risk-averse?

While there is a tendency towards risk aversion among translators, there are exceptions. Translators working with humor, highly localized or technical texts, advertisements, and sacred texts often take risks that are necessary for effective communication.

Q: How does risk aversion impact the quality of translation?

Risk aversion can lead to a more conservative approach, focusing on the literal translation of individual sentences rather than considering the overall communicative impact. This may limit the potential benefits of translation.

Q: What factors contribute to translators' risk aversion?

Lack of trust in translators and the fear of making minor mistakes that could lead to loss of trust are significant factors contributing to translators' risk aversion. This leads to a default norm of conservative translation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Translators tend to avoid risk in their translations, opting for more general and explicit translations.

• Strategies such as generalization, explicitation, simplification, and acceptance of interference are commonly used to avoid risk.

• Translators often rely on the structure and format of the original text, avoiding changes that could be seen as risky.