When Translation Betrays the Text How Errors Create Entirely New Meanings

Yemenat

Ali Ali Al-Aizari

Translation is far more than the mechanical act of converting words from one language to another; it is an intricate art that requires deep cultural and contextual understanding. While the primary aim is to preserve the original meaning, translation errors can sometimes result in unintended consequences, ones that reshape concepts and introduce entirely new interpretations never intended by the original author. These mistakes may result from a misinterpretation of context, an overly literal translation, or an inadequate understanding of linguistic and cultural nuances, all of which can be a recipe for disaster.

1. Translation Errors That Changed History:

Throughout history, mistranslations have played a role in shaping significant events. One of the most infamous examples is the mistranslation of Japan’s response during World War II. When the United States demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender, the Japanese Prime Minister used the word “Mokusatsu”, which can mean either “no comment” or “contempt” in Japanese. When it was mistakenly translated into English as “contempt,” the U.S. assumed Japan was rejecting negotiations, a misunderstanding that contributed to the decision to drop atomic bombs on “Hiroshima and Nagasaki”.

2. The Pitfalls of Literal Translation; The Invisible Enemy

Overly literal translations often produce unintended and, at times, absurd meanings. For example, directly translating the English phrase “It’s raining cats and dogs” into Arabic would make no sense, as the intended meaning is “heavy rainfall,” not animals falling from the sky. Similarly, the phrase “Lost in translation”, when translated word-for-word into other languages, fails to capture its intended nuance, which refers to the inability to convey meaning accurately across linguistic boundaries. In business, mistranslations have led to branding disasters. A well-known example is Pepsi’s slogan, “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation,” which was mistranslated into Chinese as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the