US military: Lost in translation
Could the US mission in Afghanistan fall apart simply because of bad translations? It's possible argues Neil Shea, a contributing writer to National Geographic Magazine. It's being reported that more than a quarter of military translators failed language proficiency tests but were still sent to Afghanistan as translators. Shea said American forces rely heavily on translators; however the translators were not well enough prepared, leading to numerous incidents of miscommunication. He added that the issue extends beyond vocabulary and grammar; it is an issue of culture. Shea explained that by simply conveying American ideas verbatim in vocabulary translators often miss the cultural differences.
Could the US mission in Afghanistan fall apart simply because of bad translations? It's possible argues Neil Shea, a contributing writer to National Geographic Magazine. It's being reported that more than a quarter of military translators failed language proficiency tests but were still sent to Afghanistan as translators. Shea said American forces rely heavily on translators; however the translators were not well enough prepared, leading to numerous incidents of miscommunication. He added that the issue extends beyond vocabulary and grammar; it is an issue of culture. Shea explained that by simply conveying American ideas verbatim in vocabulary translators often miss the cultural differences.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment