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Linguaholic

Trouble Translating Phrases


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I have found that when I'm translating texts that I will translate verbatim because I'm still just starting to learn the language.  But then I'll read it through and realize that a set of words actually created a phrase that means something unique from the literal translation.  The only reason I know that is because I've watched dramas and I've seen and heard them use the phrase, and occasionally the comment section explains the context.  I was wondering if anyone does the same thing when you start out and mistranslate phrases verbatim and then the translated sentence doesn't make sense, or sounds really odd?  Phrases and expressions are always fun to learn but never fail to trip me up when I'm learning a language. 

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Dutch localised games are on the rise these days, and they always make me feel embarrassed by the way they got translated from English.
Where the same name, word, sentence, etc. sounds obvious or cool in English, the Dutch version tends to sound very vague or childish way too often.
 

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