“To be, or not to be…”
That is the question I put to you today.
But what, where, how, who…do I want to be, or am I going to be, or, is this all going to be?
Being a language expert might have brought up, at some point, one or more of the following quandaries:
“Do I want to be in a pickle or not be in a pickle?”
“Have I ever wanted to be in pickle?”
“Am I feeling pickled?”
“Do I fancy a pickled onion?”
For many language professionals in our industry, this is not hypothetical, it’s actually part of their REALITY!
Of course, Shakespeare, like many other authors, never intended to create an aggravating assault course for translators.
Who would have thought that such a simple and innocent verb as “to be” in Shakespeare’s simple premise “To be, or not to be” could have created so many translation headaches in languages all over the world?
Despite the challenges, problems, late nights and frustrations which professional translators have gone through to convey the “exact” meaning, the “exact” intended idea, the “exact” emotions and the “exact” cultural aspects from English into their own tongue, the truth of the matter is…
Thanks to the craft of translation (and the work of translators), Shakespeare and many other playwrights have become renowned not just in their own countries and languages, but across the world, bringing the delight of literature and language to millions of people worldwide.
So, whenever you think about translation, just remember that it is not as easy as you may at first assume.
What sort of translation perplexities and predicaments have left YOU in a pickle?
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