The phrase “translate como un burro” literally means “translate like a donkey.” It refers to a style of translation characterized by extreme literalness, lack of nuance, and a failure to capture the intended meaning of the original text in the target language. An example would be translating an idiom word-for-word, resulting in a nonsensical or awkward expression in the new language.
This type of translation can lead to significant misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The original message’s tone, style, and cultural context are often lost, rendering the translated text ineffective or even humorous in unintended ways. Historically, such translation often occurred due to a lack of linguistic and cultural competence on the part of the translator or reliance on rudimentary machine translation tools.
