Lost in Translation

The past couple of weeks, we have been reading a story titled "L'hote" in French class. (The title translates too both "the guest" and "the host" in English) . This story was about an Algerian-born French man named Daru who is a school teacher at an Algerian school. Daru encounters a French gendarme named Balducci who brings an Arab prisoner to the school at demands that Daru take the prisonner to police headquarters in Tinguit, a town 12 and a half miles away. (see short summary here) We first analyzed this text and its themes in French discussions. However this past week, we were asked to read the same story in English.

After reading both stories, we started discussing the two stories: how they were different, how they were similar, and what was lost in translation. Although the English translation told the story accurately, certain minute details were lost when the story was translated into English from its original language of French. Many French words have certain meanings and connotations that cannot be fully translated to English. The title of this story is an example of this complication. In French, "L'Hote" can technically mean "the guest" or "the host". However in the English version of the story, the title was simply translated to the guest. The double meaning of the word "L'Hote" was lost in translation. Although this may seem insignificant, the double meaning of the title in French carried a lot of meaning. Throughout the story, Daru is conflicted as to whether or not he should turn the prisoner in. On the one hand, he feels it is his duty to the country he came from, France, to turn the prisoner in. Yet he also feels some sort of connection to the prisoner because he was born in Algeria and he feels turning the Arab man in would be a betrayal of his Arab culture. This conflict leaves the reader to wonder whether Daru is really the "the host" or "the guest" in this country. He was Algerian born and he belongs to Algeria but he is of French nationality so he is also a guest in this country. Connotations and meanings of words is lost in translation because not all French words and phrases equate to English words and phrases.

After discussing the two stories, we went further in depth and had a discussion about whether or not it is important to read translations of stories in other languages. Some people argued that translated stories should not be read because translations often insufficiently portray the original story because much is lost in the complications of translations. However many people argued that it is very important to read stories from other languages even if they are translations because you can be exposed to other cultures and other world views. There are many ways to look at this issue. By reading foreign stories that are translated, you risk losing important meanings from the text that are lost in translation, but by not reading stories in other languages from other cultures, you lose the world views and perspectives that are carried in foreign stories. I personally believe that the gain is worth the risk. Language is a form of communication and it should not act as a barrier to communication. Although details may be lost in translation, much can be gained from reading stories from other cultures and other countries. Do you think students should read stories in other languages that have been translated?