When you’re translating from one language into another, you often have a lot of options.  For example, in English, there is only one word for the emotion we call “love.”  Of course, there’s “desire,” “lust,” “attraction” and “like” but these all mean different things.  For “love,” there is really only one word.

In the past, people used the word “affection” to mean the same thing but, over the years, “affection” has come to be used more for friends or family rather than significant others.  So this leaves us with only the word “love” to define the romantic relationship between two people.

Hindi and Urdu Words for Love

If you were to study Hindi, you’d find that there are many words used for love.  “Pyar” means love.  So does “prem.”  In Urdu, which is very close to Hindi, a fact that leads to a lot of overlap, there are a few more words for love, including “ishq” and “mohabbat.”  All of these words refer to romantic love and are separate from words that refer to affection for friends and family.

Urdu is the language of poetry on the South Asian subcontinent and many poems written in Urdu are on the subject of love.  This explains why there are so many words for this emotion.

Translating “Love” from English into Hindi or Urdu

So what can a translator do when trying to translate the word “love” into Hindi or Urdu?  Which word would be the most accurate?  In part, the answer would depend upon whether the translation service is more Hindi-oriented or more Urdu-oriented.  One could decide which word to use based on this factor.

However, you can also decide based on whether the text appears to be more modern or geared towards older people.   Younger people tend to use “pyar” while older people tend to use “mohabbat” or “ishq.”

So there are many nuances that must be taken into account in the process of translation, and the translator needs to be aware of all of these.

Contact us for translations that are subtle and nuanced but get across the message you are trying to convey.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-05-11T14:01:02.371Z):

Often, you find that several different translations of a certain work are considered correct even though they may be quite different.  This is true of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho who was known for her love poetry.  In one translation, one of her poems goes, “once I look at you for a moment, I can’t/ speak any longer,/but my tongue breaks down, and then all at once a/subtle fire races inside my skin…”  In another translation, the same poem goes, “So/When I see you, for a moment,/My voice goes,/My tongue freezes.  Fire/Delicate fire, in the flesh.”

Differences in Phrasing, Punctuation and Line Breaks

There are subtle differences between these two translations.  In the first one, the translator writes, “my tongue breaks down” while in the second, the same line is rendered, “my tongue freezes.”  “Subtle fire” becomes “delicate fire” in the second translation.

Of course, one might say that these differences are not great and overall mean the same thing.  However, when you read the entire poem and combine the difference in phrasing along with the differences in punctuation and the different line breaks, you do feel as though you could be reading an entirely different poem.

The Personality of the Writer vs. the Personality of the Translator

At some point or the other, the original Sappho—her feelings and voice—does shine through in both versions.  But added to these is another layer—the personality of the translator.  Since the original punctuation of the poem may not be known, it is up to the translator to decide whether to translate in long sentences or short ones.  Professionals providing translation services make these kinds of decisions everyday based on their reading of a certain text.

The Flexibility of Translation

So although translation may seem, on the outside, to be a very cut and dried process, it is actually a flexible, fluctuating one where the translator must make snap decisions every step of the way.  In order for these decisions to be accurate, the translator must have a lot of experience and an excellent knowledge of both the languages concerned.

Connotations and Denotations

Not only do you need to understand the meanings of words, you also need to be aware that these meanings change over time.  So the connotation of a word might be quite different from the denotation.  Using the word “delicate” instead of “subtle” might make all the difference to a translation and change the meaning of the text.

Contact us for accurate translation services that convey your message in the exact way you intended.

AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-05-11T14:00:51.438Z):

When translating a document, a translator has the option of going with a more literal translation or one that more accurately expresses what a certain person is trying to say.  For example, the verb “comprendre” in French can be translated as “to comprehend” which seems more literal because the two words are so close in spelling.  However, it can also be translated as “to understand” because this is the verb which is more commonly used in English, as opposed to “comprehend.”

Understanding vs. Comprehending

Although the two words mean more or less the same thing, “understanding” can apply to something simple.  One can understand what it means to solve a puzzle or read a book.  Comprehending something has a more comprehensive quality about it and is used when you’re referring to something a bit difficult to understand.  You could comprehend the meaning of Plato’s definition of the perfect state in his seminal work, theRepublic.  But it sounds a little odd if you were to say that you comprehend how to make a peanut butter sandwich.

Earlier Conventions Emphasized Meaning

So what exactly should a translator do when faced with a verb like “comprendre”?  Should s/he translate it as “comprehend” or “understand”?  The convention in the translating world used to be the usage of whatever is more commonly used in the destination language.  Since “understand” is more commonly used in English, the translator would generally translate “comprendre” as “to understand.”  Nowadays, however, the conventions are changing and people have started realizing that you can maintain the flow and beauty of the source language if you translate more literally.

Recent Translations Take Into Account Beauty and Flow

Consider the following sentence taken from Marcel Proust’s A La Recherche du Temps Perdu: “je n’avais pas cessé en dormant de faire des réflexions sur ce que je venais de lire, mais ces réflexions avaient pris un tour un peu particulier.”  In an earlier translation, the translator avoided using a more complex word like “reflection” to translate “réflexion” and instead went with the word “thought,” saying, “I had gone on thinking while I was asleep, about what I had just been reading, but these thoughts had taken a rather peculiar turn.”

In a more recent translation, Lydia Davis decided to stick with something closer to the original, saying, “I had not ceased while sleeping to form reflections on what I had just read, but these reflections had taken a rather peculiar turn.”  Davis chooses to retain the word “reflection” for “réflexion” and this maintains the beauty of the French language even in translation.

Of course, a translator must always consider exact meanings, but where possible, it’s a good idea to maintain this kind of beauty of the language too.  Contact us for professional translations that will take both, accuracy of meaning and beauty of language into account.

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