Is Dutch a difficult language? (For my research project) Thread poster: Stuart Milne
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Stuart Milne 
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:59
French to English
What are the difficulties translating to/from Dutch?
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2009-09-17 10:57 GMT]
| | | | | Yes, very much so | Sep 17, 2009 |
Inconsistent grammar, syntax which varies between Germanic and French style, a nice blend of Western Germanic, French, Latin, English, Yiddish, and Malay vocabulary plus not to forget the high context sensitivity makes Dutch a nightmare for non-native translators.
Have a look at all the issues (Kudoz questions) that arise from attempts to translate Dutch annual business reports into for example English.
I love to be Dutch.
| | | | Jan Willem van Dormolen (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 13:59
English to Dutch
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| All languages are equally difficult | Sep 17, 2009 |
...but they all have different difficulties.
The closer your own language is to the language at hand, the easier it will become. But every language has its idiosyncrasies, so your question is really not one that can be answered in any reasonable way.
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 14:59
Turkish to English
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Jan Willem van Dormolen wrote:
...but they all have different difficulties.
The closer your own language is to the language at hand, the easier it will become. But every language has its idiosyncrasies, so your question is really not one that can be answered in any reasonable way.
I agree with you there 100%.
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| Don't let that put you off... | Sep 17, 2009 |
titi-at-home wrote:
Inconsistent grammar,
More consistent than German IMHO. And not really a case grammar to worry about.
titi-at-home wrote:
Dutch a nightmare for non-native translators.
Well, this nightmare pays my rent then. I have had worse nightmares before
| | | | | You've got the crux of it | Sep 17, 2009 |
Wolfgang Jörissen wrote: titi-at-home wrote:
Inconsistent grammar,
More consistent than German IMHO. And not really a case grammar to worry about.
hmmm. Well...., I don't dear to differ. I am not good enough a speaker of the German language to venture out offering translation services into German. German as source language, never as target language.
titi-at-home wrote:
Dutch a nightmare for non-native translators.
Well, this nightmare pays my rent then. I have had worse nightmares before
LOL
| | | | Albert Stufkens
Netherlands
Local time: 13:59
Member (2008)
Dutch to English
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| Cute question | Oct 8, 2009 |
A possible analysis may only be provided if a source or target language is mentioned.
Each language pair has its own peculiarities.
In your case the source/target language could be English. I can list a few aspects in answer to your question considering Dutch - English as a language pair:
* The order of words is often different. However, the same as German.
* Many terms are written and may even be pronounced in the same way in both
languages due to their Frenc... See more A possible analysis may only be provided if a source or target language is mentioned.
Each language pair has its own peculiarities.
In your case the source/target language could be English. I can list a few aspects in answer to your question considering Dutch - English as a language pair:
* The order of words is often different. However, the same as German.
* Many terms are written and may even be pronounced in the same way in both
languages due to their French and Germanic origins but .. have a different
meaning. This can be a pitfall!
* Every so often the Dutch spelling is changed and may even be confusing.
* An English sentence to be translated may look straightforward but may lead you
to a deadend when trying to translate because of ostensible similarities. This
prompts one to completely detach oneself from the source sentence and to
completely rethink the approach to the translation.
* An English sentence can possibly be easily translated into understandable Dutch
but may lead to the wrong idiom.
* The style in an English/American document when translated can be at odds with
that in a Dutch document.
The above is just a few that come to mind spontaneously.
Hope this may encourage/discourage you or satisfy your curiosity.
Stuart Milne wrote:
What are the difficulties translating to/from Dutch?
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2009-09-17 10:57 GMT]
[Edited at 2009-10-08 22:58 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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