Wednesday, December 26, 2018

How is the translation of Creole languages


The translation of Creole languages can be sometimes a real headache for translators already, in the case of languages with a greater number of speakers, the number of dialects of the same is very numerous and sometimes barely intelligible for speakers of the same language.
In the case of the language written always tries to use the standard variant of the language precisely to avoid such misunderstandings and communicative isolation. He is assumed that writing is made to last and prevail both in space and in time, so who writes feels inclined to use a standard variant other speakers beyond their own time and border can understand.
In addition, one who can write is assumed a certain degree of culture enough to learn their language as well as the own dialectal variant standard. Even so, sometimes for stylistic reasons or others any included dialectal in written texts which can be put into a real mess to the translator on duty. One of the main difficulties is dialectal features tend to be poorly documented, if it is to be at all, and that the dynamism of the spoken language of pupils extends beyond the exhaustive documentation.


Thus it happens that there is other than going to the living source of the dialect. Normally, perform on-site fieldwork is economically enviable, although no doubt it would be tremendously attractive, but thanks to the times that run one can resort to online forums, contact with speakers of this dialect, contrasted to distance the different outcomes, etc. That Yes, this solution can work only in the event that the dialectal are sporadically in the text. If the text is written completely in a native variant of the standard language, the best is to directly contact a translator specialized in the dialectal variant, which can be very difficult, since the translators do not usually advertise depending on your dialectal specialty. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Hence more practical is to go to a translation agency that is in continuous contact with various translators from different sources. Of course, in the case of interpretations, where immediacy is essential, the only option, where our partner does not know to use the standard variant of the language spoken, is the hire an interpreter specializing in that dialect.
Although this seems a remote case, certainly not so. Let us not forget that most of the European languages: Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch... have colonized countries around the world, and that has led to the emergence of numerous Creole dialects derived from them: Frank language, pidgins, which in many cases are extremely rooted in native countries of its speakers, whether in Africa, the Caribbean or the far East.