The following article was originally posted on my language learning blog, Aspiring Polyglot. I have posted a copy of the article here for the benefit of those readers who are thinking of translating recipes for a living or as a hobby.
Many language learners and food lovers have toyed with the idea of translating recipes as a way to hone their translations skills and/or as a means of obtaining “authentic” recipes. These days you can use Google to search for Italian recipes in Italian, Japanese bento box ideas in Japanese and find recipes for authentic Sichuan dishes written by Chinese bloggers in Chongqing. Food lovers don’t have to rely on cookbooks written in their own language any longer and don’t have to be content with “localized” recipes which have been adapted to suit local tastes and ingredients.
Translating recipes can be a fun way to learn new vocabulary and develop translation skills. Some professional translators translate recipes and cookbooks for a living and we shouldn’t underestimate the difficulty of translating a cookbook for a foreign readership. While a hobbyist can settle for a less-than-perfect translation of a recipe he or she found on a blog or forum, the translator must pay special attention to register (who is the book being written for?) and be familiar with local measurements and ingredients. Penny Marinou, a translator based in Athens, Greece, discusses the various pitfalls of translating recipes in her article Translating for Recipe Books and Menus.
Another short but insightful article about recipe translation and “localization” can be found here. In it, the author briefly mentions the difference between “translation” and “localization”, the former being the conversion of a recipe from one language to another and the latter involving the translation and adaptation of a recipe to suit the measurements, ingredients and tastes of the target audience. Localization often occurs when some of the ingredients in the original recipe are not readily available and are substituted for other, easily obtainable, ingredients. The author argues that a heavily modified recipe is not a localized recipe but an entirely new creation and cites “chicken tikka masala” as an example. Chicken tikka masala is not an Indian dish which has been adapted to suit British tastes but a dish created by Indian immigrants with local ingredients in mind.
Last but not least, I thought I’d share a link to an article written by Peter Hertzmann, a gourmand with a passion for French cuisine and cookery. The article, Recettes en Français, is a very informative piece about his experiences with translating French recipes into English and lists a few useful resources for other enthusiasts and aspiring translators. He also shares links to recipe databases and explains a lot of the key terms and vocabulary you’re likely to encounter if you try to translate a French-language recipe for yourself.
Have any of you ever tried to translate a recipe or cookbook? What challenges did you face and what advise would you give someone who wants to work within this niche market?
