Just one example of a document which was translated from English to Portuguese and then back to English, giving the translator problems.
Deposition of: JOHN ROBERT LOWE BSc CBiol MlBiol RFP
iv) A observacao de perfis STR mistos (isto e, de mais de um individuo) pode ser prevenida quando estas condicoes se verificam.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: This sentence can have several meanings. The literal translation is:
"The observation of mixed STR profiles (that is, from more than one person) may be prevented when those conditions occur."
If, however, the writer is intending to convey a linkage with his previous paragraph, it can be translated as:
"Mixed DNA profiles may be predicted [alternative meaning of 'prevenir': to warn; to forewarn] when those conditions [from the previous paragraph, i.e. the possibility of unknown sources] occur.
We would need to see the actual English report written by Lowe to understand his intended meaning.
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Reading the translator's note gives a measure of the difficulties faced in dealing with documents translated from English to Portuguese and back to English.
If such an endeavour could be 100% accurate on every occasion I think it could be considered as nothing short of miraculous.
On this occasion perhaps because of the scientific content the translator has taken pains to explain his / her reasoning ... there must have been occasions when this diligence was not performed by translators, allowing misleading nuances and mistakes to creep in.
**snip
[/i]Experimental data is available that permits a scientist to assess some questions relating to the transference and persistance of low-level DNA in objects and if they can be put together in [whether they - the questions/assessments - are relevant to] this case. Hence, consideration must be given to the manner in which the detected DNA was transferred to the object and, consequently, the relevance of the discovery of the corresponding DNA profiles to those individuals concerned.[/i]
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: The entire paragraph above was fraught with difficulty, mainly because of its relevance and importance when we read several of Lowe's analyses later on in the report.
The encountered difficulty raised the question in my mind as to whether the English-to-Portuguese translator, Lieve van Loock, simply converted written words - as I am attempting to do in reverse - or if (s)he actually had access to Lowe in order to question his intended meaning.
If the former then (s)he, like me, was faced with the need to decide on an intended meaning before selecting the words to be written in the translation. In other words, I could be attempting to translate a mis-translation of the original English.
Having said that, however, the above difficulty does not detract from the interpretation of what Lowe said in his individual analyses, as we shall see later.
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