translationese
Stiff foreign phrasing
Translationese is the stilted, unnatural quality of text that has been translated too literally.
It preserves the grammar or idioms of the source language in ways that sound awkward in the target language: The manual reads like translationese—nobody actually talks like that.
Professional translators work to avoid it, aiming for prose that reads as if originally written in the new language.
Unnaturally formal in expression
- unnaturalContrary to normal order
- clunkyAwkward and cumbersome
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- woodenMade from timber
forced · cumbersome · inelegant · labored · contrived · choppy · disjointed · stiff
Exactly as stated
- verbatimIn identical wording
- calqueBorrowed phrase translated literally
- faithfulConsistently loyal and true
- literalismExact meaning only
Evolving system between tongues
- non-nativeNot indigenous here
- fossilizationOrganic remains becoming mineral
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
Adapting species to captivity
- invisibilityState of being unseen
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- readabilityEase of understanding text
- naturalnessUnaffected, uncontrived quality
idiomatic · normalization · simplification · leveling · standardization · flattening · voice
stilted
Unnaturally formal in expression
wooden · forced · cumbersome · inelegant · labored · contrived · choppy · disjointed · stiff · mechanical
word-for-word
Exactly as stated
interlanguage
Evolving system between tongues
- non-nativeNot indigenous here
- fossilizationOrganic remains becoming mineral
- code-switchingAlternating between linguistic varieties
domestication
Adapting species to captivity
- invisibilityState of being unseen
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- readabilityEase of understanding text
naturalness · idiomatic · normalization · simplification · leveling · standardization · flattening · voice
translationeseidiomatic expression
Set phrase, figurative meaning
colloquial speech · natural flow · native fluency · vernacular
translation, translate, translator, translators, translations, translated, translating, translatable, untranslatable