subject: The Role Of Grammar In English To Spanish Translation [print this page] There are many considerations that a Spanish translator must take into account when he/she is working in English to Spanish translations. Careful attention to these issues will make a difference in the quality of the translation. They include: understanding of the cultural context in which the source document was written, the syntax, semiotics, pragmatics, semantics, and idioms used in the text, as well as the grammar, in order to come up with an accurate translation.
We often think of grammar as the endless number of rules that we had to commit to memory in our grade school educations. Grammar is essentially the set of rules that apply to the correct usage of a language. Each language has its own grammar. Some linguists believe that there is a universal grammar that applies to all languages, although most linguists would disagree.
Spanish to English translations must take into account grammatical differences of the languages before attempting a proper translation.
Grammar can have an impact on meaning. For an instance in English, by using an apostrophe, you can create the contraction it's, which literally means it is, or you can write the same three letters as its and it is the possessive third person pronoun it or the possessive adjective. The absence or presence of the apostrophe changes the meaning of the word entirely. In Spanish the use of the apostrophe is not an option.
English Spanish translators must have a firm grasp not only of the grammar used in the source text language, but also of the correct usage of wording in the target language. This will help ensure that the correct intended meaning of the original writer of the document will be presented accurately in the translated document.
In terms of Spanish-English translations, it also bears stating that not only grammar is an important aspect of translation, but it is an essential part of several vital linguistic areas that the Spanish translator needs to grasp of in order to produce a high-quality translation for business written communications.
