Forums about proz.com » Translation news »
Translating swear words: F***ing challenge!

This discussion belongs to Translation news » "Translating swear words: F***ing challenge!".
You can see the translation news page and participate in this discussion from there.

neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:04
Spanish to English
+ ...
Target variant Apr 4, 2022

It depends on the target audience of the translation. For example, in UK English, M. Macron's "emmerder" can be translated as "piss off/wind up/annoy". "Piss off" is rather decaffeinated, and its only mild taboo component refers to urination, cf. defecation in the French original. In Spanish (from Spain, Europe), it could be translated as "fastidiar" (not a swearword) or "cabrear", which isn't really a swearword either, but does contain the goat/cuckold nuance, again, mildly taboo.
However,... See more
It depends on the target audience of the translation. For example, in UK English, M. Macron's "emmerder" can be translated as "piss off/wind up/annoy". "Piss off" is rather decaffeinated, and its only mild taboo component refers to urination, cf. defecation in the French original. In Spanish (from Spain, Europe), it could be translated as "fastidiar" (not a swearword) or "cabrear", which isn't really a swearword either, but does contain the goat/cuckold nuance, again, mildly taboo.
However, the article seems to refer mainly to American English, which is not my sphere of expertise, so I'll leave it here. ▲ Collapse


expressisverbis
P.L.F. Persio
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:04
German to English
Far Canal Apr 4, 2022

Many years ago on a now-defunct forum, a Chinese translator hired to provide translation/subtitles for an Australian film posted a query the essence of which was to ask what "far canal" meant, as it occurred frequently throughout the film.

Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Philip Lees
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Ian Mansbridge
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Translating swear words: F***ing challenge!







Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »