Words that look alike can be a mixed blessing. For translators and others who speak more than one language, words that look alike can just as easily be a helping hand as a troublemaker in disguise! I’ll show you what I mean in today’s discussion of false friends.
Many languages share common words. English-speaking travelers may be reassured upon discovering that the sign for a hotel in English also reads hotel in Spanish and hotel in German. While the pronunciation is different, these words are written the same in all three languages and, most importantly, their meanings are the same. But unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Enter false friends. False friends are words in different languages that look or sound the same, or bear a resemblance to one another, but are very different in meaning. They may trigger negative linguistic interference in learners or speakers of multiple languages.
If you go into a restaurant in Norway and order frokost, you’ll be asking for breakfast, but if you do the same in Denmark, you’ll be asking for lunch. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not so bad; you’ll probably be served something to eat in either case. But with false friends, things can get embarrassing or dangerous fast. This is just another reason why translation is so important to get right.
Example #1: The classic example of a false friend is an English speaker having done something that they consider a bit embarrassing and then declaring estoy embarazada (meaning “I’m pregnant”, as said by a woman) or less likely, estoy embarazado (meaning “I’m pregnant”, as said by a man), to a Spanish speaker who probably wasn’t expecting such a personal confession.
Example #2: Spenden someone might say in German, but don’t get your hopes up thinking about spending your money on a shopping trip. Spenden actually means “to donate.”
To use language right (and avoid any misunderstandings in translations and conversations), translators and speakers of multiple languages need to always be aware of how words connect and diverge in form and meaning across different languages.
And just in case, that’s where quality control and quality assurance pay for itself. In business, health care and law, multiple sets of trained eyes often make the difference between a corrected draft and an expensive PR disaster.
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Certified for ISO 9001, Responsive Translation is a full-service translation agency. We provide translation, interpreting and a wide range of other foreign-language services in more than 200 languages and dialects. Dedication to quality assurance and decades of experience undertaking complex projects are just two of the things that set us apart. For more information, please contact me (Ken) directly at 646-847-3309 or [email protected].
Image credit: Tambako The Jaguar