Turkey’s ambassador to Uganda recalled for apparently dressing up as an Greek methodology figure Helena of Troy which might have been interpreted as promoting the former masters of Turkish territories!
Since Sedef Yavuzalp dressed this way in the beginning week of November it maybe that she was trying to participate in the Halloween festivities but his was definitely interpreted in a very different way by her home government, Turkey a predominantly Muslim country located in Europe which she is meant to have been representing in Uganda an East African Country.
Misinterpretation happens on a daily and ranges from actions, signs and in our daily verbal communication in the different languages we speak. Misinterpretation happens even when people are conversing in a common language which maybe their mother tongue or words are taken out of context subconsciously at times,
It is therefore very possible for misunderstanding to occur when it involves different languages as the interpreter or translator may fail to capture the meaning that the source intended to be received by the audience or market.
And this is why although translation services are important, professional translation services are more important and fix the misinterpretation and miscommunication problems that would have occurred.
Reasons as to why professional translation services are vital include;
Accuracy is key for any kind of communication to be effective; that is to be received and understood by the audience which is further evidenced when they act as the source of the message hoped they would act after receiving the message. Accuracy determines the quality of outcomes and this could be convincing potential customers to buy a product or subscribe to a service after reading, watching or listening to an advert in a language they know best.
Accuracy also involves using qualified native speakers when translating any kind of information because native speakers put the information into context of a specific region, having the cultural of the people in that area in mind.
Just like a costume caused Turkey’s ambassador to Uganda to be recalled by their country of origin, consequences of poor translation services is costly and if not deadly! This is because for fields like auto, finance and Medical, things can get fatal for example when the wrong medicine or dose is administered to a patient, they could get life changing consequences or loss of life because of misinterpretation, when a car manual is mistranslated, then road accidents are inevitable this maiming people or death.
Therefore, professional translation services are vital in this day and era where the world is a global village with thousands of languages and effective communication is still very important.
By Angela Kyolaba
For more details click here.