r/DoesNotTranslate

Hi everyone!

I think translating cultural expressions can be challenging because some phrases make sense in one culture but sound strange in another.

How do you think translators should deal with these expressions? Should they translate them literally or explain their meaning in a more natural way?

I’d love to hear your opinions!

Hi everyone! I’m a translation student, and I need to ask a question here as part of one of my university assignments. I’d really appreciate it if translators could share their opinions or experiences.
Do you think AI will eventually replace human translators, or will human translators always be necessary? Why?
I’m interested in hearing from people who actually work in translation or have experience with it. Your answers would really help me with my assignment. Thank you!

I’ve been learning about translation, and I’ve noticed that idioms can be one of the hardest things to translate because their meaning is often different from the literal words.
For example, “It’s raining cats and dogs” means that it’s raining heavily. A literal translation wouldn’t make much sense in many languages.
So, what do you think is the best way to translate idioms when there is no direct equivalent? Would you keep the original meaning, or try to find a similar expression in your language?
I’d love to hear your opinions and examples from different languages!