Translation Challenges

What challenges does a translator face? What challenges does a reader face when reading a work in translation?

A translator faces many challenges when translating a story from one language to another. One of the biggest challenges is that certain words do not translate exactly. For example, there are many times when I am in Spanish class and I will ask Senor Hiertz, "How do you say (insert English phrase) in Spanish?" A lot of times, he will pause and not be able to come up with a word or phrase. Also, some of the times he does the word he gives me does not fit with the exact meaning I am looking for. This is only with basic words and phrases. I cannot even imagine how hard this must be for an entire book, with much more complex words and ideas. This challenge of making sure the original meaning does not get lost in translation is very difficult and nearly impossible to complete. As for a reader, they do not face the same challenge. In fact, the reader does not really face a challenge at all. The reader can only read what is presented in front of them. If the translator does a poor job, then the meaning can get confused for the reader. However, there is nothing the reader can do about this unless they speak the language the text was originally published in. They must read what they are presented with. Overall, the pressure is on the translator. They face many challenges, while the reader does not face any.