On Meaning

In the heart of every language lies meaning, the force which gives words life, rendering them relevant. We live in an age where emojis and other character-based symbols have taken centre stage among the youth, and one cannot help but wonder whether technology has begun to expropriate meaning from words.

Still, it is crucial to acknowledge the risks entailed in translation, particularly when the nuances of the original language risk being pared down. English words, like those of other languages, often seem detached from their original meanings. Yet it is undeniable that meaning stands at the core of language, any language. Words stripped of their meaning resemble a life devoid of purpose: viable, yes, but essentially empty unless filled with something meaningful. For some, this may be family; for others, a passion or even life itself, the exhilarating quest for experience.

While my aim with this note is not to complicate the already tangled concept of meaning, one cannot ignore the inevitable: meaning holds a crucial, if subtle, social dimension which can reinforce it or, at times, entirely upend it. Consider the term nunnery, for instance. Originally referring to a convent, it acquired the additional meaning of a “house of ill fame” by the 1590s, a striking shift in meaning within the same society.

The linguistic conundrum one currently faces in the United States, and I would argue around the world, transcends mere changes in meaning, though. We are grappling with what seems to be a profound loss of purpose, generating a plethora of unintended hurdles for translators like myself. Professor Seymour Chatman of the University of California, Berkeley, aptly summed it up: “Ours is a society where words don’t mean very much.”

Where does this path lead us? I hold on to the hope that we will reestablish the critical importance of meaning. In translating the late David F. Babbel’s Mine Angels Round About You into Spanish, I strove to do just that. This narrative weaves a tale of modern spiritual miracles and the pursuit of meaning amidst formidable challenges.