"Translation is not just about replacing words with words"... and don't so many people - professional translators such as myself, and non-professional translators alike - know that!
Here are some examples to help you gain a deeper idea of what is meant by "understanding language more deeply".
One of my most recent translation projects was a French to English project that was catering company marketing; there was a bit discussing the staff where it said that the chefs "imaginent des créations originales et uniques". This translates literally as the chefs "imagine original and unique creations". It's sort of right even though, in practice, it is just wrong - the bottom line is that English speakers just don't the English word "imagine" in this sense even if French speakers use the word "imaginer" in the same sense.
I think I must have been as old as 14 when I realised that the English adjective "floral" is related to "flowers", and derived from the word "flower". And although I have been sailing a long time, hearing the word "rib" used to designate tender-like vessels, it was only very recently that I discovered that the word is actually an acronym, for Rigid Inflatable Boat. It would come as no surprise to me to hear that there are people who know the real truth much earlier in their lives in both cases. Questions of how intelligent I really am aside, I am convinced that this another good example of different language perspectives, just like what is contained in the preceding paragraph.
I'd love to hear your own ideas like these on "understanding language".
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