FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION We agree with the Swedish economist Gunner Myrdal when he notes,"Language,as we known,is full of illogicalities."Yet in spite of all the problems associated with language,we need it so we can speak with other cultures.And as we have noted throughout this book,as international contact and interaction continue to increase,the necessity for effective international communication assumes added urgency.In fact,it is not uncommon for members of some cultures to speak two or even three languages. In contrast,North Americas have been slower to recognize the importance of acquiring proficiency in more than one language.As Stewart and Bennett indicate, "Most Americans speak only one language,they are usually dependent on finding English speakers or translators."Arrangements such as the North America Free Trade Agreement,involving Canada,the United States,and Mexico,as well as continued immigration to the United States,have been great stimulators for North Americans to expand their language proficiency. Schools and hospitals print materials in various languages.Employers offer bilingual manuals,and businesses advertise in non-English languages.According to Hernandez,small translation companies have turned into thriving businesses with contracts running in the millions of dollars,and some professional translators make up to 40 cents a word.Schulte concisely portrays the role of the interpreter as we move into a global twenty-first century: The person who will have to play a major role in regulating the pendulum between global and local communication is the translation.....Translators build bridges not only between languages but also between the differences of two cultures.We have established that each language is a way of seeing and reflecting the delicate nuances of cultural perceptions,and it is the translator who not only reconstructs the equivalencies of words across linguistic boundaries but also reflects and transplants the emotional vibrations of another culture. Effective translation,as you know if you have attempted to learn another language,is demanding and complex.People tend to assume that text in one language can be accurately translated into another as long as you employ a good bilingual dictionary.Unfortunately,languages are not this simple,and direct transactions,in many cases,are difficult if not impossible.A language may be difficult to translate if the structure of the receptor language is different than the source language,for example,translating German,an Indo-European language,into Hungarian,a Finno-Ugrian language.Also,the difficulty in translation multiples when the cultures are extremely different from each other.As Nida states,"A translation may involve not only differences of linguistic affiliation but also highly diverse cultures,e.g., English into Zulu,or Greek into Javanese." The slightest cultural difference may affect the way in which a text is understood or interpreted.The feeling of joy is experienced differently in various cultures.In most European languages,the heart is where joy is experienced.But,in the Chadic languages of Africa,joy is related to the liver.In Hebrew,the kidneys are said to experience joy,while in the Mayan language the abdomen is the site of joy.FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION We agree with the Swedish economist Gunner Myrdal when he notes, “Language, as we known, is full of illogicalities.” Yet in spite of all the problems associated with language, we need it so we can speak with other cultures. And as we have noted throughout this book, as international contact and interaction continue to increase, the necessity for effective international communication assumes added urgency. In fact, it is not uncommon for members of some cultures to speak two or even three languages. In contrast, North Americas have been slower to recognize the importance of acquiring proficiency in more than one language. As Stewart and Bennett indicate, “Most Americans speak only one language, they are usually dependent on finding English speakers or translators.” Arrangements such as the North America Free Trade Agreement, involving Canada, the United States, and Mexico, as well as continued immigration to the United States, have been great stimulators for North Americans to expand their language proficiency. Schools and hospitals print materials in various languages. Employers offer bilingual manuals, and businesses advertise in non-English languages. According to Hernandez, small translation companies have turned into thriving businesses with contracts running in the millions of dollars, and some professional translators make up to 40 cents a word. Schulte concisely portrays the role of the interpreter as we move into a global twenty-first century: The person who will have to play a major role in regulating the pendulum between global and local communication is the translation…..Translators build bridges not only between languages but also between the differences of two cultures. We have established that each language is a way of seeing and reflecting the delicate nuances of cultural perceptions, and it is the translator who not only reconstructs the equivalencies of words across linguistic boundaries but also reflects and transplants the emotional vibrations of another culture. Effective translation, as you know if you have attempted to learn another language, is demanding and complex. People tend to assume that text in one language can be accurately translated into another as long as you employ a good bilingual dictionary. Unfortunately, languages are not this simple, and direct transactions, in many cases, are difficult if not impossible. A language may be difficult to translate if the structure of the receptor language is different than the source language, for example, translating German, an Indo-European language, into Hungarian, a Finno-Ugrian language. Also, the difficulty in translation multiples when the cultures are extremely different from each other. As Nida states, “A translation may involve not only differences of linguistic affiliation but also highly diverse cultures, e.g., English into Zulu, or Greek into Javanese.” The slightest cultural difference may affect the way in which a text is understood or interpreted .The feeling of joy is experienced differently in various cultures. In most European languages, the heart is where joy is experienced. But, in the Chadic languages of Africa, joy is related to the liver. In Hebrew, the kidneys are said to experience joy, while in the Mayan language the abdomen is the site of joy