ESL Discussions.com
Conversation Questions on Translation

1)

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘translation’?

2)

Are there words in your language that you think are almost impossible to translate?

3)

What problems have you had with translating English idioms?

4)

Have you ever had great fun using an online translation service?

5)

Would you like to work as a translator?

6)

Do you think someone will invent an instant speech translation machine one day so we can always understand what people are saying in other languages?

7)

Have you made any funny mistakes because of translation?

8)

Do you think a country’s slang is difficult to translate?

9)

Jonathan Miller said: "What makes literature interesting is that it does not survive its translation." Do you agree?

10)

Umberto Eco said: "Translation is the art of failure." Do you agree?

1)

How important is translation in learning a language?

2)

Are you always satisfied with how easily words can be translated?

3)

Do you use translation tools to learn English?

4)

If two speakers of different languages fell in love, could they ever make each other understand exactly how they feel – is love lost in translation?

5)

Why is it that translated jokes are rarely funny?

6)

Do you need an in-depth knowledge of the other culture to be able to do a good translation?

7)

How well do you think a term like “democracy” is translated and understood in countries that have no democracy?

8)

Are movies in English always translated well into your language?

9)

The poet Robert Frost said: "Poetry is what gets lost in translation." Do you agree?

10)

George Borrow said: "Translation is at best an echo." Do you agree?