When you know how to speak two languages very well, surely translating from one language to another is a piece of cake, right? You couldn’t have been more wrong. However, here are 3 common mistakes you need to watch out for and avoid when doing the translation and might need translation service English to Malay:

Common Mistakes in Translation #1
Trying hard to translate words that don’t make sense in the target language

When you translate English to Malay sentence that contains articles ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘an’, it is not necessary to translate each of the articles every time it appears in the source language.

Sometimes it’s okay when you translate BI to BM the article “the” as in “The book is missing” to “Buku itu hilang” but in the context of “The Sun is missing” you should drop “the” and forget about translating it.

The same goes when you translate BM to BI word like “lah”, a filler expression common in Malay. You’re in for a hard time if you insist on finding the English word that fits it word for word.

Some words just have no substitute in the target language and you just have to accept that and move on.

.

Common Mistakes in Translation #2 Translating idioms and culture-specific phrase literally

When you want to translate English to a Malay sentence that is actually an idiom you have to be more discerning as it involves nuances and needs a good understanding of the source language.

Say you want to translate BI to BM the phrase “If the shoe fits, wear it” you should not literally translate it to “Kalau kasut tu muat, pakai lah”. Sounds like you are offering your shoes instead of you shooting off snide remarks.

Granted, the literal meaning is changed when you translate BI to BM the idiom as “Siapa makan cili, dia terasa pedas.” but the meaning and effect is more culturally appropriate for the audience of the target language.

Conversely, some people translate BM to BI the expression “Saya nak belanja awak makan” literally to “I want to spend you”. To an untrained ear, that would sound rather creepy.

 

Common Mistakes in Translation #3

Relying heavily on Google Translate to do the translation

When pressed for time, you may decide to cut corners and use whatever available online translation tools to help you translate. The most popular one being Google Translate.

Due to the nuances required to relay original ideas when translating, which Google Translate has yet to master you’ll find that translating text with complex grammar also presents another challenge to the online tool.

It is nothing unusual to find that when Google is used to translate BM to BI  the sentence like “Noni makan pukul 10.30” the tool can’t properly decide whether “makan” should be translated as “eats” (present tense), “has eaten” (past perfect tense) or “ate” (past tense).

The same goes for translating phrases that involve words for plural or singular, and gender-specific words like “he” or “she”.

Case in point, certain words could be inaccurately translated when you Google translate BM to BI phrases such as these:

1. Guru mesti bersedia. (Teachers/A teacher must be ready)

2. Dia tidak menyukainya. (He/She doesn’t like it)

Thus, to translate BM to BI using a machine won’t always give the result you wish for. This shows that translating the text of any kind still needs a human touch to make it accurate. Past incidences have shown that translation mistakes, no matter how small could give rise to huge ramifications.

So it pays to bear that in mind and avoid any such mistakes when you translate English to Malay sentences and vice versa.

Alternatively, you can always seek a translation service English to Malay that offers help from any professionals out there at an affordable fee. You may contact us here and get our quality translation service from RM0.15 per word.