False friends can change the meaning of your message. Avoid the pitfalls caused by these foes of effective communication.
False friends look innocent. That is, until you use that familiar-sounding word in a foreign language, only to realize its meaning is different than you thought. Because your listener’s reaction makes it clear that you put your foot in it.
It’s hardly surprising that these misleading words are known as “false friends”. Let’s dig into this concept.
What are false friends?
False friends are word pairings in two or more languages that sound alike or look alike but have different meanings.
Due to their resemblance, you assume they are an obvious translation from your mother tongue. Which leads you to use them wrongly.
Where does the term “false friend” come from?
The term was first coined in 1928 by French linguists Maxim Koessler and Jules Derocquigny. They used the phrase faux amis du traducteur (that is, false friends of the translator) to describe these misleading words.
That expression was later shortened to “false friends”. Since then, other names used to describe this linguistic phenomenon are:
- False cognates.
- False pairs.
- Deceptive words.
- Treacherous twins.
- Belles infidèles (unfaithful beautiful women).
What’s so tricky about false friends?
False friends have an impact on how your target audience receives your message. They may cause some serious blocks in communication and even offense.
The problem is false friends make you feel like you’re in your comfort zone.
You’re certain you know what a specific word means in your mother tongue. So, you won’t question whether it has different nuances in another language. This may lead to awkward or unfortunate situations.
Picture this scenario:
Your voice cracks during a conference call with your customer’s marketing team. You apologize and say you’re “constipated”.
While they are puzzled by how easily you talk about your bowel movements, you sneeze and blow your nose. The fact is you have a cold (that’s what “constipado” means in Spanish).
This confusion, albeit embarrassing, may have no consequences beyond some giggling. But other mistakes caused by false friends may be costly.
The word “billion” means “a thousand million”. In English This figure is far from the Spanish “billón”, which is the equivalent of “trillion”. So, if “billion” gets mistranslated in a financial statement, you wouldn’t want to cover the difference!
Now, let’s say you’re dealing with legal texts that constitute binding contracts.
Take “alimony”. In English, this term means maintenance. That is, court-ordered financial support that one spouse gives the other after separation or divorce.
Which isn’t quite the same as “alimentos” in Spanish. In this case, the non-custodial parent pays to support their children.
Where do false friends come from?
Language is a living organism that changes as time goes by. With new ideas and concepts appearing in society, there’s a need to name them.
Now, false friends are often the result of two words sharing common origins. Over time, a word acquires a new nuance, as speakers move away from the original meaning.
That’s the case with the English term “fastidious” and its Spanish equivalent “fastidioso”. Both come from the Latin word “fastidium”, meaning “loathing, disgust.”
Due to amelioration (a semantic process whereby a positive meaning is associated with a word), the English word now means “attentive to detail.”
False friends can also arise through borrowing and inheritance from other languages. In fact, English loaned plenty of words from Latin, either directly or indirectly through French.
Nowadays, English is the international language of business, trade, science and medicine. This means it’s widely spoken and shared on social media by people from different cultural backgrounds. Which will lead to new false friends arising.
What are the types of false friends?
- Across languages
This is the most common type of false friend. It’s a misleading word in a foreign language that sounds like the original but means something else.
Here are some Spanish – English examples:
-
- Embarazada – pregnant | Embarrassed – avergonzado.
- Molestar – to disturb | To molest – violar.
- Mórbido – soft, delicate | Morbid – enfermizo.
- Lectura – reading | Lecture – conferencia.
- Librería – bookstore | Library – biblioteca.
- Within a language
The meaning of words may change between countries sharing a language.
These false friends are particularly tricky. You’re familiar with a word in your native language. So, you’re unlikely to wonder whether its meaning shifts in another cultural context.
Take American English as opposed to British English:
-
- Pants – trousers vs. underpants.
- Suspenders – straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers vs. underwear used to hold up stockings.
- Rubber – condom vs. eraser.
- Non-verbal false friends
So far, we’ve analyzed semantic false friends. But false friends can also affect non-verbal communication. Gestures have different interpretations in different countries.
Take something as innocent as a thumbs up to say “OK”. Well, in some countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Western Africa, it means the same as showing your middle finger in the U.S. or Europe.
Are internationalisms the same as false friends?
Internationalisms are words or phrases with similar pronunciation and orthography across languages. And, unlike false friends, they have the same meaning.
An example is the word “civilization” in most European languages:
- Spanish – Civilización.
- French – Civilisation.
- Portuguese – Civilisação.
- Polish – Cywilizacja.
As the dominant global language, English is contributing more and more internationalisms to other languages. Particularly in fields such as:
- Sports: football, baseball, cricket.
- Computing: disk, spam, computer.
- Science: bionics, gene, cybernetics.
All in all, internationalisms make it easier to speak or write in a foreign language. Yet spotting one should keep you on your toes. In case it’s actually a false friend that may lead you astray
How can you deal with false friends?
There’s no magic formula, but here are some little tips:
- Beware of words in different languages with similar spelling or pronunciation.
- When encountering a suspect word, look it up before using it. Double-check its nuances in both languages.
- If you fall into their trap, be a sport. Hopefully, your mistake will just cause a minor misunderstanding and a smirk from your listener.
Now, do you work in healthcare, law or international business? Misinterpretations caused by false friends may have dire consequences for your brand reputation.
A professional language service provider won’t let you fall into the trap of this wolf in sheep’s clothing. Contact us to find out more about how we cater to your language needs.
