Rude 20.2

A department committee will meet for strategic planning to identify goals for surviving in light of the new policies of retrenchment. We will have to dig in to fight the misunderstanding of management about the department needs and goals. If our current funding is reduced, we will not be able to play on a level playing field with the competition. It appears that the vice president is trying to do an end run around our department manager.

Phrases from this English document that will not translate:
-survive
-in light of
-retrenchment
-dig in to fight the misunderstanding
-play on a level playing field
-do an end run

The war metaphors will seem out of place and possibly offensive to other cultures, while the sports metaphors will not translate well.

This is the same document translated into Norwegian and then back into English.

A department committee will meet for strategic planning to identify goals for existence in the light of the new policy of retrenchment. We must dig in to fight the misconception of the management of the department's needs and goals. If our current funding is reduced, we will not be able to play on a level playing field with competitors. It appears that the vice president is trying to do an end run around our department.

While many of the idioms came across word for word in the translation, there is little chance the connotations of the metaphors will translate as clearly. Two important words were replaced, "existence" for "surviving" and "misconception" for "misunderstanding." Surviving requires more work and involves more risk than merely existing, so there is little chance the foreign audience will understand the metaphor of the companies fight to survive. Instead of sounding like the company is fighting to stay at the top of many other companies, it almost sounds more like the company is about to go under completely. Also, if management has a misconception it is their own fault, whereas if the management misunderstood, it is possible that both parties involved in the communication are at fault.