When a text or a certain expression haven’t equivalent in another language this phenomenon is described as untranslatable. Catford distinguishes two types of untranslatability: linguistic and cultural. On the linguistic level, untranslatability occurs when there is non lexical or syntactical substitute. In the book ‘Translation Studies’ published in 1980 by Susan Bassnett we can see the example of the English term ‘butter’ and the Italian translation ‘burro’. Both words refer to an edible dairy product in the form of a block of fat. It would nevertheless be incorrect to claim that ‘burro’ and ‘butter’ mean the same thing in both cultural contexts, because there are in fact the following differences:
Butter: deep yellow colour, salty taste and connotes with high class, compared to more common margarine.
Burro: bright colour, sweet taste and no social connotations
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