time,and place.The meanings that cultures have for words are based on shared experiences,and the ability of a word to convey or elicit meaning depends on the culturally informed perceptions of both source and receiver. When we lack cultural equivalents,we lack the words in our vocabulary to represent those experiences.For instance,when the vocabulary of a tribe in a mountainous jungle region has words for rivers and streams but not oceans,how do you translate the notion of an ocean?Or what does a translator do when she or he is faced with the task of translating the biblical verse "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"into the language of a tribe that has never experienced snow? Translations frequently produce misunderstanding or incomprehension because of cultural orientations.For instance,the Quechua language of Peru uses past and future orientations that are the opposite of those used in the English languages.Quechua visualizes the past as being in front of or ahead of a person because it can be seen. Americans instead speak of the past being behind them and the future being ahead.If this difference in cultural orientation were not known or were ignored,translations about time,the past,and the future could be incomprehensible.People could be told to look behind them for what they normally expect to find ahead of them. Conceptual Equivalence Some concepts are cultural-specific (emic)and others culture-general (etic).Triandis believes it is impossible to translate perfectly an emic concept.So different,for instance,are Spanish culture experiences from the English that many words cannot be translated directly.Strong affection is expressed in English with the verb to love.In Spanish,there are two verbs,te amo and te quiero.Te amo refers to nurturing love,as between a parent and a child or between two adults.Te quiero translates literally as"I want you",which connotes ownership,a concept not present in the English expression "I love you".Commonly used to express love between two adults,te quiero falls somewhere between the English statements"I love you"and"I like you". The Spanish language as spoken in Mexico has at least five terms indicating agreement in varying degrees These include me comprometo (I promise or commit myself )yo le aseguro (I assure you ),si,como no,lo hago (yes,sure,I will do it )tal vez lo hago (maybe I will do it )and tal vez lo haga (maybe I might do it )The problem,of course,is to understand the difference between me comprometo and tal vez lo haga in their cultural sense so that one can render a correct translation. Misunderstandings and confusions may arise if we simple translate each of these phrases of agreement as"okay".Triandis believes that about the only way in which an emic concept can be translated is to attempt to relate it to an etic one and to tie it to the context in which the concept might be used. What you have seen in this last section of the chapter are some of the difficulties you can encounter when interacting with someone who speaks a language different than you own.What is important to keep in mind is not only that the meanings for specific words need to be considered but that you must also keep in mind the role culture plays in giving meaning to words and phrases.As Reeves points out,you needtime, and place. The meanings that cultures have for words are based on shared experiences, and the ability of a word to convey or elicit meaning depends on the culturally informed perceptions of both source and receiver. When we lack cultural equivalents, we lack the words in our vocabulary to represent those experiences. For instance, when the vocabulary of a tribe in a mountainous jungle region has words for rivers and streams but not oceans, how do you translate the notion of an ocean? Or what does a translator do when she or he is faced with the task of translating the biblical verse “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” into the language of a tribe that has never experienced snow? Translations frequently produce misunderstanding or incomprehension because of cultural orientations. For instance, the Quechua language of Peru uses past and future orientations that are the opposite of those used in the English languages. Quechua visualizes the past as being in front of or ahead of a person because it can be seen. Americans instead speak of the past being behind them and the future being ahead. If this difference in cultural orientation were not known or were ignored, translations about time, the past, and the future could be incomprehensible. People could be told to look behind them for what they normally expect to find ahead of them. Conceptual Equivalence Some concepts are cultural-specific (emic) and others culture-general (etic). Triandis believes it is impossible to translate perfectly an emic concept. So different, for instance, are Spanish culture experiences from the English that many words cannot be translated directly. Strong affection is expressed in English with the verb to love. In Spanish, there are two verbs, te amo and te quiero. Te amo refers to nurturing love, as between a parent and a child or between two adults. Te quiero translates literally as “I want you”, which connotes ownership, a concept not present in the English expression “I love you”. Commonly used to express love between two adults, te quiero falls somewhere between the English statements “I love you” and “I like you”. The Spanish language as spoken in Mexico has at least five terms indicating agreement in varying degrees .These include me comprometo (I promise or commit myself ), yo le aseguro (I assure you ),si, como no, lo hago (yes,sure,I will do it ), tal vez lo hago (maybe I will do it ), and tal vez lo haga (maybe I might do it ). The problem, of course, is to understand the difference between me comprometo and tal vez lo haga in their cultural sense so that one can render a correct translation. Misunderstandings and confusions may arise if we simple translate each of these phrases of agreement as “okay”. Triandis believes that about the only way in which an emic concept can be translated is to attempt to relate it to an etic one and to tie it to the context in which the concept might be used. What you have seen in this last section of the chapter are some of the difficulties you can encounter when interacting with someone who speaks a language different than you own. What is important to keep in mind is not only that the meanings for specific words need to be considered but that you must also keep in mind the role culture plays in giving meaning to words and phrases. As Reeves points out, you need