Within a globalised world, International Cuisine has become more and more popular. On the high street of every major western city you can now find restaurants fromMongolia,Ethiopia,Vietnam, andLebanon, alongside the more staple Indian, Italian, Chinese, andThai. There is truly a taste to tickle everyone’s buds, and now increasingly people are attempting to recreate their favourite international dishes in their own kitchens.
This poses a problem. Everyone knows that the best recipes are the genuine ones; the ones that come from the Mongolian Hills or the Swedish Hinterlands, and are passed down from generation to generation. The issue comes in the form of recipe book translation. Not only is it important that the instructions are comprehendible and easy to follow, but it is key that they also sound attractive. No one wants to cook a tuna tummy, or an octopus ball. The essence of the dish needs to translate, not simply the words of the recipe.
Like many niche areas within translation, it is crucial that they are translated by people with a knowledge of both the cuisine of the source country, and the language and culture of the target country. Language alone is not enough, as someone can know English very well, and not know what a ‘Chiffonade’ is, or a ‘Coddled Egg’. If the subtleties of more complex recipes are to translate well, then it is necessary that specific ‘cooking’ terms are understood, and correctly interpreted. It may be the case that there isn’t a specific word in the target language for every term, and this is when a translation company needs to use their expertise, and ensure that the process or ingredient is clearly explained.
It is often the case that a cooking process or ingredient can change depending on the country also. The two most obvious examples are the Aubergine and Courgette. Although theUnited StatesandEnglandboth use English language, the English names of these vegetables are completely different. InAmerica, the Aubergine and Courgette are known as the Eggplant and Zucchini. When translating a recipe containing these ingredients, the English and US versions would of course have to differ. This is an example of way cultural knowledge is important.
Even the major players in the food industry get it wrong, with fast food giant McDonalds recently having to take down two Hmong language billboards they had put up in Minnesota. Although the translations did loosely achieve the targeted phrase of “Coffee Gets You Up, Breakfast Gets You Going”, the Hmong population claimed that they had used clumsy sentences, and it wasn’t a correct use of their language. This shows just how easy it is to get translations wrong when cultural sensitivity isn’t considered.
Sometimes menus even can get it totally wrong, and rather than enticing people into their culinary delights, can turn people off. Below are some genuine examples of when a menu translation goes wrong. Who would fancy eating any of the following?
‘Boiled Blocks of Pork berry in sweat Shoyu Sauce’
‘Chicken with Green Jews’
‘Big Giant Crap’
‘Hot Bowels’
‘Robster Balls’
All of this clearly indicates the necessity for a professional translation service when it comes to the food industry. If you truly want your food to translate into an enticing prospect outside of its native country and culture, then language is a key ingredient.