Enhancing translation pedagogy through culture-specific terms

Abstract

Culture-specific terms refer to words or phrases that hold unique meanings within a particular cultural context. These expressions represent the essence of a culture’s beliefs and values, often lacking direct equivalents in other languages. The presence of such words and word clusters poses challenges in communication and translation, hindering accurate understanding of ideas across linguistic and cultural boundaries. This discrepancy can lead to frustration, misreadings, and involuntary cultural insensitivity among translators-in-training. To address this problem, it is essential to adopt a multifaceted approach capable of exploring the potential of culture-specific terms from different perspectives, aimed at understanding the usage and importance of culture-specific terms, the problems they pose when translation pedagogy is concerned, and their correct assimilation in a classroom environment. The aim of this study is to bring awareness to culture-specific terms as unique, distinctive entities within a language. Future translators should recognize and respect culture-specific terms as integral components of language, reflective of diverse cultural contexts; they must be shown how to acquire a deep understanding of both the source and target cultures, enabling them to accurately interpret the nuances of culture-specific terms. Having teachers who are also professional translators actively involved in the training process can significantly enhance the learning experience of novice translators. Their first-hand practical experience with culture-specific terms equips them with invaluable insights that they can impart to students. The scientific novelty of this study lies in its potential to establish a robust and universally applicable outline for comprehending the significance of culture-specific terms. Such a framework is particularly vital, given the inherent subjectivity within the discipline of translation, juxtaposed with the imperative in pedagogy for clear and universally comprehensible practices. Employing techniques such as cultural adaptation, explanation, or contextualization can aid in bridging the gap between cultures and facilitating effective communication. Our results indicate that a general theory of pedagogy capable of encompassing every facet of translation studies is an unlikely scenario to this day; however, it is feasible to develop a tailored theory by anchoring it in culture-specific terminology and frameworks. Through this process, educators and experts will be able to attribute the proper relevance to cultural nuances throughout the training of novice translators. Culture profoundly influences language, as evidenced by the presence of terms specific to particular cultures, which reflect unique worldviews and perspectives. Considering these elements early on in the career of new translators will enable them to produce more accurate and relevant translations, lowering the likelihood of mistranslation and promoting intercultural understanding.