Literal translation

Literal translation is the translation of text from one language to another "word-for-word", rather than giving the sense of the original. For this reason, literal translations usually mis-translate idioms. For example, a literal English translation of the German word "Kindergarten" would be "garden of children," but in English the expression refers to the school year between pre-school and first grade.

Related pages

• Machine translation
• Interlinear text

References

• Literal translation
• Example of a literal translation of bible text compared with normal translation (at the right) (pdf)