English is a very rich language, and so is Hebrew. So, translating English into Hebrew or vice versa should be relatively easy. Yet, the structure of these two languages is so vastly different that it raises a number of problems hard to understand for those who do not intimately know the other language.

English has a wealth of words that enables it to express nuances very precisely with few words. Hebrew has a very intricate grammar that enables it to express nuances precisely by a crafty use of grammatical rules.

Yet, translating grammar into words or vice versa requires jumping from one system to the other, a skills that few individuals possess.

Translating the richness of English vocabulary into the intricacies of Hebrew grammar implies that the translator fully masters the etymology, so as to grasp all the reasons behind the choice of a specific word instead of another with a close meaning. The English-Hebrew translator also has to grasp every single of the numerous possibilities that Hebrew grammar offers and then choose which of these conveys the exact same nuance as the English word chosen by the writer. Of course, a Hebrew-English translation will yield the same problems, only in the opposite order.

When you take into account that every language has its own imbedded philosophy, and that, of course, are widely different for Hebrew and English, you will begin to understand why English-Hebrew translations have to be performed by highly trained professional translators. That is, if you do not want to get “lost in translation”…

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MilaTova International Translations Ltd.

We offer translation services for Hebrew in combination with most European languages. All translations are performed by professional linguists working in their mother tongue and in their field of specialization.
All translations are reviewed and edited by linguists other than the translators.
We cater for translation projects of all size and are able to provide notarization for certain translations.
Milatova is affiliated with ATA, ATC, EUATC, the Israeli Export Institute, the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce and the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce and is recognized by the French Consulate in Tel Aviv.

www.milatova.com