Anyone is perfectly clear about the concept of translation: transposing a message from one language into another, using correct grammar and respecting the original meaning. But what if I asked you to explain the concept of localisation? Some would not be able to answer, while most would rightly think of the ability of our google maps to geolocalise us via a gps signal, i.e. to place us at a precise point on the globe and show us this on an online map.
Many people are not aware that the noun localisation is a term used in linguistics and closely related to the activity of translation. The activity of translation is preparatory to the activity of localisation by a translator. In the first phase, the translator transposes a message from one language into another, using correct grammar and respecting the original message. In the next phase, the translator elaborates the source message by adapting it to the social, political, geographical and customary context of the language of translation. In essence, through localisation, the original message is adapted/localised to the cultural environment of the language of translation. This operation, which requires in-depth knowledge not only of the language but also of the culture and context, makes it possible not to lose the nuances of the original message and to transmit them in the target language with strength and effectiveness.
Let’s go beyond definitions and translate the two concepts (translation and localisation) into an example. I am a film buff, especially a horror film buff, and the example I want to give you comes from this fantastic world! The example is based on Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece The Shining.
The film tells the story of Jack Torrance: a writer in crisis who, together with his family, takes a job as a caretaker at the Overlook mountain hotel (closed and isolated during the winter period). Jack is desperate for inspiration and thinks he can find it by isolating himself from the world. The film sees Jack’s slow and inexorable descent into madness, and he goes on a murderous rampage against his family.
Jack isolates himself from his family and spends his days working on his typewriter, which he pounds incessantly. In one of the many iconic scenes in this masterpiece, Jack’s wife Wendy reaches into her husband’s manuscript and discovers to her horror that the text, consisting of hundreds of pages, has one sentence repeated insanely: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Wendy thus has proof that her husband has gone mad.
The translation of Jack’s sentence would be: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. The phrase is a famous old English proverb, which warns those who are too dependent on work. A life devoted only to work will make you boring.
Kubrick was well aware that the phrase would become iconic and important for the film, showing plastically the madness of the protagonist. Aware of this, Kubrick decided not to translate it literally but to look for an appropriate proverb himself in the language in which the film would be dubbed. For the Italian dubbing Kubrick chose the saying “il mattino ha l’oro in bocca”. A very popular proverb in Italy, which would certainly have immediately stuck in the viewer’s head. Kubrick therefore localised the proverb for the film: a writer, in crisis of inspiration, madly types a tired saying.
Kubrick carried out the same transposition of the original message, also localising it for German, Spanish and French dubbing:
Language
German
Localisation
Was Du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf Morgen
Translation in Italian
Non rimandare a domani quello che puoi fare oggi
Language
Spanish
Localisation
No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano
Translation in Italian
Anche se ti alzi più presto, non farà giorno prima
Language
French
Localisation
Un «Tiens» vaut mieux que deux «Tu l’auras»
Translation in Italian
Un «Tieni» vale più di due «Avrai»
In conclusion, Kubrick, knowing that a literary translation of the original text alone would not have the same emotional force on the non-English speaking audience, opted for the localisation of the original message.
From this conclusion, the question arises: when is it reasonable to translate a text and when is it useful to localise it? Translation, the aim of which is to reproduce the original text using the correct grammar of the target language and faithfully respecting the original message, is suitable for technical translations. For example, legal documents (court documents, judgments, etc.) or financial documents (balance sheets, business plans, etc.) where the reader of the target language needs to see the original message translated faithfully and in the corresponding technical terms.
If, on the other hand, it is necessary to create an emotional empathy between the producer of the text and the reader of the translated language, it is essential to localise the original message. This is the case, for example, with websites and advertisements whose objective is to convey corporate messages and values that touch the emotional chords of potential customers.
Depending on your needs, Scripta can provide you with the most suitable offer. If you need to translate a legal document that you have produced, you can rely on our team of legal experts (native speakers of the law). If, on the other hand, you need to translate financial documents (balance sheets, financial statements, etc.) for foreign investors, hire our accounting experts (native speaker financial analysts/accountants). Finally, if you need to localise your website to conquer foreign markets, rely on our communication experts.
