15 Translation Skills
Develop skills in translating between Norwegian and English with accuracy.
80 min
8 oppgaver
TranslationFalse friendsIdiomatic expressionsNorskengelsk
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Translation Skills
Translation is not about replacing each Norwegian word with an English one. It is about conveying the same meaning in a way that sounds natural in the target language. This is why machine translation tools often produce awkward or incorrect results — they translate words, not meaning.
Good translation skills help you in two ways:
1. Writing: When you compose English texts, you naturally think in Norwegian first. Knowing where Norwegian and English differ helps you avoid "translated English".
2. Understanding: When you read English texts, translation skills help you grasp nuances that a dictionary cannot fully explain.
In this chapter you will learn:
1. Why direct (word-for-word) translation fails
2. The most common Norwegian-to-English translation traps
3. How to handle idioms and expressions across languages
4. Strategies for translating meaning, not words
5. False friends — Norwegian and English words that look similar but mean different things
Direct Translation Traps
Direct translation (word-for-word translation) often produces sentences that are grammatically wrong or sound unnatural in English. Here are the most common traps for Norwegian students:
2. Preposition differences:
3. Structure differences:
- Norwegian: "Jeg liker å spille fotball."
- English: "I like playing football." or "I like to play football."
- NOT: "I like to play to football." (double "to")
1. Norwegian expressions that do not translate directly:
| Norwegian | Direct (wrong) | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Jeg gleder meg til | I happy myself to | I am looking forward to |
| Jeg synes at | I think/find that | I think / I believe |
| Det går bra | It goes well | I am fine / It is going well |
| Jeg orker ikke | I can't bother | I can't be bothered / I don't have the energy |
| Å ha det gøy | To have it fun | To have fun |
| Å ha lyst til | To have desire to | To want to / To feel like |
| Det er lov | It is allowed | You are allowed to / It is permitted |
2. Preposition differences:
| Norwegian | Direct (wrong) | Correct English |
|---|---|---|
| god på | good on | good at |
| interessert i | interested in | interested in (same!) |
| redd for | scared for | scared of / afraid of |
| fornøyd med | satisfied with | satisfied with (same!) |
| avhengig av | dependent of | dependent on |
| stolt av | proud of | proud of (same!) |
| lei av | tired of | tired of / sick of |
3. Structure differences:
- Norwegian: "Jeg liker å spille fotball."
- English: "I like playing football." or "I like to play football."
- NOT: "I like to play to football." (double "to")
✏️Example: Translating naturally
Translate these Norwegian sentences into natural English. Avoid direct translation.
1. "Jeg gleder meg til sommeren."
2. "Hun er flink på skolen."
3. "Vi hadde det veldig gøy på festen."
4. "Jeg orker ikke å gjøre lekser nå."
1. "I am looking forward to the summer."
— NOT: "I am happy myself to the summer." The expression "glede seg til" = "look forward to".
2. "She does well at school." or "She is good at school."
— NOT: "She is clever on the school." "Flink på" = "good at" (never "on").
3. "We had a great time at the party." or "We had so much fun at the party."
— NOT: "We had it very fun on the party." "Ha det gøy" = "have fun" / "have a great time". "På festen" = "at the party" (not "on").
4. "I can't be bothered to do my homework now." or "I don't have the energy to do my homework now."
— NOT: "I can't bother to do homework now." "Orke" has no direct English equivalent; you must rephrase.
Key insight: Good translation means asking, "How would an English speaker say this?" — not "What is each Norwegian word in English?"
📝Oppgave 15.1
What is the correct English translation of "Jeg gleder meg til å se deg"?
📝Oppgave 15.2
Translate these Norwegian sentences into natural English. Avoid direct translation.
a
"Det går bra med meg, takk."
b
"Har du lyst til å bli med?"
c
"Hun er redd for edderkopper."
d
"Vi hadde det kjempefint i helgen."
False Friends — Words That Trick You
False friends (falske venner) are words that look similar in Norwegian and English but have different meanings. They are one of the sneakiest translation traps.
The most dangerous ones:
1. "Eventuelt" ≠ "eventually"
- Norwegian: "Vi kan eventuelt møtes i morgen." = "We could possibly meet tomorrow."
- "Eventually" means "til slutt" / "omsider": "He eventually passed the exam." (= Til slutt besto han eksamen.)
2. "Aktuell" ≠ "actual"
- Norwegian: "Dette er et aktuelt tema." = "This is a current/relevant topic."
- "Actual" means "egentlig" / "faktisk": "The actual cost was much higher." (= Den faktiske kostnaden var mye høyere.)
3. "Sensibel" ≠ "sensible"
- Norwegian: "Hun er veldig sensibel." = "She is very sensitive."
- "Sensible" means "fornuftig": "That is a sensible decision." (= Det er en fornuftig avgjørelse.)
Common Norwegian-English false friends:
| Norwegian word | Looks like | Actually means in Norwegian | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| eventuelt | eventually | possibly / if applicable | possibly, if needed |
| actually (Eng.) | aktuelt | in fact / really | — |
| aktuell | actual | current / relevant | current, relevant |
| gift | gift | married / poison | married / poison |
| time | time | hour / lesson | hour, lesson |
| gymnasium | gymnasium | upper secondary school | upper secondary school |
| fabric (Eng.) | fabrikk | cloth / material | — |
| fabrikk | fabric | factory | factory |
| chef | chef | boss / manager | boss, manager |
| sensibel | sensible | sensitive | sensitive |
| sympatisk | sympathetic | likeable / nice | likeable, pleasant |
The most dangerous ones:
1. "Eventuelt" ≠ "eventually"
- Norwegian: "Vi kan eventuelt møtes i morgen." = "We could possibly meet tomorrow."
- "Eventually" means "til slutt" / "omsider": "He eventually passed the exam." (= Til slutt besto han eksamen.)
2. "Aktuell" ≠ "actual"
- Norwegian: "Dette er et aktuelt tema." = "This is a current/relevant topic."
- "Actual" means "egentlig" / "faktisk": "The actual cost was much higher." (= Den faktiske kostnaden var mye høyere.)
3. "Sensibel" ≠ "sensible"
- Norwegian: "Hun er veldig sensibel." = "She is very sensitive."
- "Sensible" means "fornuftig": "That is a sensible decision." (= Det er en fornuftig avgjørelse.)
✏️Example: Avoiding false friends
Find and correct the false friend errors in these sentences:
1. "The chef of the company gave a speech."
2. "We will eventually meet at the café if you have time."
3. "She is very sensible and cries easily."
4. "He has six times of English per week."
1. "The boss / CEO / head of the company gave a speech."
— "Chef" in English means a professional cook. The Norwegian "sjef" translates to "boss" or "manager".
2. "We could possibly meet at the café if you have time."
— "Eventually" means "til slutt" (in the end), not "eventuelt" (possibly). The student meant "possibly" or "perhaps".
3. "She is very sensitive and cries easily."
— "Sensible" means "fornuftig" (reasonable). The Norwegian "sensibel" translates to "sensitive".
4. "He has six lessons / classes of English per week."
— "Time" in English means "tid", not "skoletime". A "time" (Norwegian) = a "lesson" or "class" in English.
Tip: When a word looks the same in Norwegian and English, be extra cautious — it may be a false friend!
📝Oppgave 15.3
What does the English word "eventually" mean?
Translating Idioms and Expressions
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words. Idioms almost never translate directly between languages.
English idioms and their Norwegian equivalents:
| English idiom | Meaning | Norwegian equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| It's raining cats and dogs | It is raining heavily | Det regner/øser ned |
| Break the ice | Start a conversation with strangers | Bryte isen |
| A piece of cake | Something very easy | En smal sak |
| Hit the nail on the head | Say something exactly right | Treffe spikeren på hodet |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive | Kost skjorta |
| Under the weather | Feeling ill | Ikke i form |
| Bite the bullet | Accept something unpleasant | Bite i det sure eplet |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Achieve two things at once | Slå to fluer i en smekk |
| The elephant in the room | An obvious problem nobody mentions | Elefanten i rommet |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | En sjelden gang |
Translation strategies for idioms:
1. Find the equivalent idiom in the other language (if one exists).
- "Bite i det sure eplet" → "Bite the bullet" (similar idea, different image)
2. If no equivalent exists, explain the meaning.
- "Å ha bein i nesa" → "To be determined/assertive" (no English idiom with the same image)
3. Never translate an idiom word for word.
- "Slå to fluer i en smekk" → NOT: "Hit two flies in one smack"
- Correct: "Kill two birds with one stone"
✏️Example: Translating an idiomatic text
Translate this Norwegian paragraph into natural English:
"Det var en gang i blant at Lars dro til byen. Han syntes det var en smal sak å ta bussen. Da han kom fram, regnet det som fra bøtter, men Lars bet i det sure eplet og gikk til butikken likevel."
Natural translation:
"Every now and then, Lars would go to the city. He thought taking the bus was a piece of cake. When he arrived, it was raining cats and dogs, but Lars bit the bullet and walked to the shop anyway."
"Every now and then, Lars would go to the city. He thought taking the bus was a piece of cake. When he arrived, it was raining cats and dogs, but Lars bit the bullet and walked to the shop anyway."
Translation notes:
- "En gang i blant" → "Every now and then" / "Once in a while" (NOT: "one time between")
- "En smal sak" → "A piece of cake" (NOT: "a narrow thing")
- "Regnet som fra bøtter" → "Raining cats and dogs" (NOT: "raining like from buckets")
- "Bet i det sure eplet" → "Bit the bullet" (NOT: "bit the sour apple")
- "Syntes" → "thought" (NOT: "found" or "meant")
The key: Each idiom is replaced with its English equivalent, not translated word by word. When no equivalent exists, rephrase using plain English.
📝Oppgave 15.4
Match the Norwegian expression with its English equivalent.
a
"Å slå to fluer i en smekk"
b
"Å bryte isen"
c
"Å treffe spikeren på hodet"
d
"Å ikke være i form"
📝Oppgave 15.5
Correct the false friend errors in these sentences.
a
"I have six times of mathematics every week."
b
"She is a very sympathetic person and everybody likes her."
c
"The chef decided to close the factory."
d
"We can eventually meet on Tuesday if you are free."
📝Oppgave 15.6
Translate this Norwegian paragraph into natural, idiomatic English. Pay attention to word order, prepositions, false friends, and expressions.
a
"I går gikk jeg til skolen som vanlig. Sjefen min — altså læreren — sa at vi eventuelt kunne ha en prøve på fredag. Jeg synes det er vanskelig å konsentrere meg, men jeg gleder meg til helgen. I helgen skal vi ha det gøy med familien."
Summary — Translation Skills
Direct translation traps:
- Norwegian expressions rarely translate word-for-word
- "Glede seg til" = look forward to (NOT: happy myself to)
- "Ha det gøy" = have fun (NOT: have it fun)
- "Orke" = can't be bothered / don't have the energy
Prepositions change between languages:
- god på → good at
- redd for → afraid of
- avhengig av → dependent on
False friends:
- eventuelt ≠ eventually (possibly ≠ til slutt)
- aktuell ≠ actual (current ≠ faktisk)
- sensibel ≠ sensible (sensitive ≠ fornuftig)
- sjef ≠ chef (boss ≠ kokk)
- time ≠ time (skoletime ≠ tid)
Idioms:
- Never translate word-for-word
- Find the equivalent English idiom, or explain the meaning in plain English
- "En smal sak" → "A piece of cake" (NOT: a narrow thing)
The golden rule of translation:
Ask yourself: "How would an English speaker say this?" — NOT: "What is each Norwegian word in English?"
📝Oppgave 15.7
Translate the following text into natural English. It contains at least six translation traps (word order, false friends, idioms, prepositions).
a
"Hver dag går vi til skolen og har det gøy. I klassen min er det mange flinke elever. Læreren vår er veldig sympatisk og flink til å forklare. Forrige uke hadde vi en prøve som var en smal sak for de fleste. Noen elever var ikke fornøyd med resultatet, men læreren sa at de eventuelt kunne ta prøven på nytt. Jeg synes vi er heldige som har en så god sjef!"
📝Oppgave 15.8
Write a short paragraph (80-120 words) in English about your daily routine. Then review it specifically for "Norwegian English" — sentences that might be directly translated from Norwegian. Underline any phrases you corrected and explain the trap you avoided.