Dutch
What are some pitfalls specific to Dutch to avoid that a client should be aware of when translating into this language?
The first question a client should ask is "Who is my target audience?" There is Dutch for the Netherlands and Dutch for Belgium. Basically, the language is one and the same. We use the same dictionaries and grammar books, which cannot be said of American English and British English, for example. So a Flemish translator—Flemish refers to the people NOT the language—can translate for the entire Dutch-speaking community and vice versa. Of course, there are regional idioms, but everything is very well documented in the explanatory van Dale Dutch dictionary. An expression or word or usage that is typically Belgian is indicated as such. However, there are instances such as for patient questionnaires wherein it is highly recommended to use a native speaker from the target country. For example, walk is translated as lopen in Dutch. In Belgium, however, people might think of running when they see lopen and answer that they are not able to run, despite being capable of walking, thus they answer incorrectly.
Another difference is the way our two countries are organized. Belgium has a federal government, and when you run into text such as: local and state, industry regulations, state can be translated as gewestelijk/regional. In the Netherlands this does not make any sense, and often it is translated as provinciaal (provincial).
Now, speaking of differences between Dutch and English: a major difference is the use of the imperative in English manuals. In Dutch the use of auxiliaries is more prevalent. In addition to moeten (must), in manuals the less strong-sounding dienen te is also used. Example: Voordat een volgende pallet ingevoerd kan worden, dient de resetknop bediend te worden. In English: Press the reset button on the control panel before feeding the next pallet. This sentence leads to another matter: the English gerund. Feeding is translated here as can be fed. The use of the gerund in English makes the language very concise, e.g., loading in computer lingo. In Dutch this becomes: Bezig met laden…. There are more words and it literally means: in the process of loading. What I also find interesting is, e.g., the translation of restrictions or requirements such as No and Not allowed. No smoking is not niet roken, but rather verboden te roken. For Not allowed, e.g., Dogs not allowed, it is honden verboden.
Another difference is the use of you in English. In Dutch we have the formal u and the informal je and jullie. Je is singular and jullie is plural. U is singular as well as plural. In English source texts it is not always clear whom is being addressed: one person or more than one person, and should they be addressed formally or informally?
What are characteristics of Dutch that are unique or different from English and/or other languages?
Dutch is a Germanic language. We have de (both feminine and masculine) and neutral het words. It is not always clear which is which, and Dutch-speaking people use the explanatory Dutch dictionary quite often to look up the proper gender. Some words can be de and het, e.g., filter. Het filter is not used in Belgium, but it is used in the Netherlands.
Inverted sentences are characteristic for Dutch. Normally, a sentence starts with the subject: Ik kom morgen (I come tomorrow). However, if, e.g., a time clause precedes the subject, the sentence is constructed as follows: Morgen kom ik (literally: Tomorrow come I). Another phenomenon is the separable/inseparable verbs: e.g., opbellen (call): Mijn vriend opbellen (this is the infinitive and means: to call my friend). In the first person this becomes: Ik bel mijn vriend op (I call my friend). Op and bellen are now separated by the object. Sometimes a single verb has a different meaning depending on its separable or inseparable use. An example of this is overrijden. Drive across is the first meaning: But, Hij rijdt het plein over (He drives across the square). Hij overrijdt een kat (He runs over a cat).
How do these characteristics make it important to use properly qualified, professional translators?
The use of properly qualified, professional translators is an absolute must. The masses are confronted with English on a daily basis because all the shows that come from abroad are subtitled. Since everybody is exposed to English all the time, people adopt it, and as a result you hear a lot of literal translations from English on the streets. This has gone so far that most people don’t realize that the origin of these phrases is English: e.g., we gaan ervoor (we go for it). In this case, grijp je kans (literally: get your chance) would be a better solution. Another example: Je geeft te veel informatie (you give too much information). Je onthult/zegt te veel is more correct Dutch.
Example with commit
English: Never commit or discuss an offer until you’ve had time to consider it.
Dutch: Accepteer of onderhandel niet over een salarisbod voordat je de tijd hebt gehad er over na te denken.
Here, commit is translated as accept.
English: Companies commit to comply with the Code of Conduct.
Dutch: Bedrijven verbinden zich tot het naleven van de Gedragsregels.
Here, a more firm promise is expressed which requires the use of another verb (zich verbinden).
The translation of to also requires professional skills and creativity. e.g., To take the course, go to the following website address. To is om, and you can start a sentence with om, e.g., Om de cursus te volgen gaat u naar het volgende websiteadres. A more inviting translation is: Als u klaar bent om de cursus te volgen gaat u naar het volgende websiteadres (When you are ready to take the course, go to the following website address). The message is clear: you want people to go to this site; the tone of the message is important.
Do you know of examples where translation or localization mistakes have occurred with Dutch, such as problems with text expansion, date/time formats, counting errors, character encoding, etc., or mistakes with the translation itself? Perhaps you’ve been asked to review a translation that did not seem to be the work of a properly qualified, professional translator.
In Dutch we use commas where periods are used in English and vice versa. $50,000.00 becomes $50.000,00 in Dutch. Dates are different too. The most common format is dd/mm/yyyy. For time, a period is used: 18:15 is 18.15 in Dutch. In general, this is well rendered in translations.
However, what I do see is that, because the Netherlands and the Dutch-speaking areas are so tiny and because we have to speak other languages to do business with our neighboring countries, there are companies that do not invest in professional translations to the extent that they should. Very often employees are asked to do the translation, and not only into their native language, but sometimes into up to four languages, with the result that clients who receive the message might be insulted or confused and may have to call to ask what is meant. Everyone speaks English, French, German, or Spanish and we are eager to speak foreign languages, but of course that means that it is very tempting to eliminate the translation expense from the budget. However, more and more companies are becoming aware that professional translations are good for their image and reputation and that the translations are more than merely "communications in another language"—or "typing in another language" as managers sometimes call it. The growth of the EU is another factor. The markets have become more competitive and companies want to stand out, and quality language is a vehicle for standing out.
Of course, I have seen mistakes. For example, State Department. The first translation that comes to mind is staatsadministratie (state administration). In Dutch we use buitenlands to indicate that the department works with countries from abroad. When seeing the words State and Department, foreign does not come to mind at first sight. Thus, a thorough knowledge of the source language and the source country is a must.
Relate an example or two of times you found a website page or form difficult to use because it was poorly localized. How might a business lose money, prestige, or incur legal risk due to this bad translation?
One common example is the manuals for appliances/devices manufactured in upcoming markets. There, the concept of providing properly translated documents with the devices is not well understood yet. Dutch and Belgian people who know several languages try to figure it out themselves using not only the poor Dutch translation, but also the poor English, French, or German manuals that are usually included. Yes, we get them all. In the end, it is time wasted. Another issue is safety. After all, you want to use your appliance safely.
As I mentioned earlier, some companies use multilingual employees to translate websites and other materials, but the result is not always appealing, and to attract clients from abroad or from even the other side of the country—in the case of Belgium—you want to present the correct language and address your clients in a way that makes them feel comfortable.
If possible, provide one example of a particular phrase or concept that only a properly qualified, professional translator would be able to correctly communicate.
Challenging are expressions such as push the envelope, in limbo, state-of-the-art. Such expressions require a thorough knowledge of the source language. Literal translations would be just awful! The word exciting, which is used all the time, requires professionalism and creativity to correctly render the intended meaning, although it seems so easy at first sight.
False friends are another challenge, and it takes a professional to be aware of the differences. A common false friend is the word family. In English it is, on the one hand, the family unit consisting of a father, a mother, or both, and children, and on the other hand grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. In Dutch the first group is translated as gezin, the latter as familie.
Context is also important. A nursery can be a daycare center for children, but it can also be a place where plants are grown. We have two different words for the two different meanings of nursery. It is imperative to understand what is meant and not just look up the term in the dictionary.
