When you think about it, the concept of language is beautiful. It is incredible that there is a way to somehow phrase ideas in our heads, in a way that someone else can understand it. Of course, even then, not every minute detail of our thoughts can be translated. Thoughts are much too complex, and can’t be explored with just words. Yet there are other aspects of language that make it so fascinating.
Before we dive in too deep, there is an interesting little experiment at the end of this essay. I translated Le Festin, a song from Pixar’s Ratatouille, from French to English. Then I compared the results to three other different translations. I chose this specific song because of its cheerful tune that makes us feel like we’re in a five-star restaurant in France. The lyrics, however, tell of a lonely thief seeking a new path in life. With a title like 'Le Festin', which means 'The Feast', the assumption that it's about culinary is further reinforced. The experiment is an example of what I mean to say in this essay–about the interesting aspects of translation and language. You may skip to that part if you wish, since it’s the main idea of the essay. Now, back to language…
Minor aspects of language—choice of words, phrasing, structure, intonation—can affect the overall meaning of the sentence. A famous example is when we take the following sentence…
“I didn’t say she stole my purse.”
…and stress certain words.
“I didn’t say she stole my purse.”
“I didn’t say she stole my purse.”
“I didn’t say she stole my purse.”
“I didn’t say she stole my purse.”
And so on, with every word in the sentence. The meaning varies with every alteration of the sentence, even though the words are the same. That’s only with English. Take into account all the languages ever spoken by humans—linguists have estimated at least 31.000 languages—and each of their quirks and grammar structures, dialects and cultures, idioms and inside jokes. That’s why we get lost in translation. Even the best translators can’t find a way to express each little thing in another language. If we don’t know a language, we might make assumptions as to what the words say. This example can be found in Le Festin, in the experiment I mentioned above. Two translations were from different websites, another from Google Translate. The first translation and the second translation varied, the Google Translate one was also different. The following is my translation of the lyrics:
The dreams of lovers are quite like fine wine
They give joy or even sorrow
Weakened by hunger, I am unhappy
Stealing everything I can on the path
For nothing’s for free in life
Hope is a dish far too quickly consumed
Skipping meals is something I’m used to
A lonely thief is miserable to feed
In a game so bitter I cannot succeed
For nothing’s for free in life
Never will they tell me
That the menus of stars aren’t for me
Let me fill you with wonder, let me take flight
We can finally enjoy ourselves
Take out the bottles, done with the troubles
I’m dressing the table of my bright new life
I am happy with the idea of this new destiny
A lifetime in hiding, and finally free
The feast is on my path
A lifetime in hiding, and finally free
The feast is on my path
The music and the lyrics might not seem the same. The translation and the original lyrics also aren’t quite the same. It doesn't work that well in English, and many hidden meanings are gone (which is also why I didn't translate it to Indonesian, since more hidden meanings would disappear due to the different grammatical structure). Much like the 'she stole my purse' example, little changes in intonation and idioms make a big difference. Many idioms in the song are gone, and the intonation pf the lyrics isn't the same. Language is interesting.
