Most professional European and American translators know that German and English are closely related and have many words in common. German to English Translation students usually find this to be a blessing and a curse.
English-speakers who are learning to become German translators need to be aware of this. However, new German translation graduates often plunge ahead without fully understanding that words can be deceptive. Also known as “false friends,” false cognates are words that look like or sound like a word in another language, but actually have nothing in common with it. Professional translators need to take caution when it comes to false cognates. Once again, false cognates are deceiving because they look like a common word, but in actuality they have nothing to do with it. The improper placement of false cognates in a translation can lead to conveying the wrong meaning of a text and the possibility of a lawsuit.
Between the German and English languages there are literally hundreds of false cognates, and this is because the two languages are so closely related. Any student of German or English knows that there are numerous similarities between many words in the two languages. True cognates include words like: shoe / Schuh, jacket / Jacke, elbow / Elbogen, bed / Bett, garden / Garten, and countless other words that have similar meanings. Numerous cognates like these are prevalent in German and English, but this does not mean you should not be wary of words that look alike.
No matter if you are translating into English or into German, texts are easier to translate when true cognates (as opposed to false cognates) are used. However, translations can go bad when translators do not take care to learn all they can about potential issues with false cognates. No matter whether you call them “false friends” or “falsche Freunde,” these false cognates are something that every translation service professional needs to be aware of to avoid producing a flawed translation.
After (After) the objective (Objektiv) act (Akt) of translation, the target document must be reviewed. In reference to the German words in parentheses, this statement is a good example of how false friends can completely change the meaning of a sentence. As an illustration, the words in parentheses: “After”, “Akt” and “Objektiv” have very different meanings from their English equivalents. In actuality they mean “rectum,” “nude” and “camera lens” in English. Medical Translation Services have similar false friends, with words like “Visite” actually meaning hospital rounds. True professional medical translators are wary of false cognates like “kosten”, which means to taste.
Legal translations have similar pitfalls, as with the German word, “Rat,” which means “advice” or “counsel,” and the German word, “Advokat,” which means “attorney.” Some other false friends that can be found in inaccurate German Legal Translation Services include words like “Akt,” which really means “nude” (in artwork).
And these are only a small number of the long list of false cognates that plague the English and German languages. A “Drogerei” is like a drugstore, but lacks the drugs. It is actually a shop that sells personal items like deodorant, shampoo and candy. The “Apotheke” is where you will need to shop if you need medicine. At the “Apotheke,” you will present the pharmacist with your prescription (Rezept), but don’t ask the cashier for a “Rezept,” because she will think you are asking her for a prescription, not a receipt.In summary, this all just underlines the importance of remaining attentive to the complexities involved in professional translation, with particular attention to ensuring you understand that false cognates can ruin a translation. Relying on assumed meanings of false cognates can mean the end of a translation career and can also do serious harm to the person or organization hiring the translator. It can also very often prove to be a costly mistake.
