Maggie Simpson Tattoo

What are cognates?

The false friends or false cognates are words from different languages whose form (morphology) is very similar, but whose meanings are very different from each other. To give just a few examples, the library English means 'library', no 'library'; success means 'success', not 'event' and exit means 'exit' not 'success'.

False friends are often in translations made by novices or people with little training and experience in the field. They are common in very literal translations, where he leads is carried away by the word form (morphology) and does not investigate the meanings of two words in each language (semantics). This results in inaccuracies in communication.

If readers know the word mistranslated the original language, usually lack the tools to detect the error. As a result, bad translations, both books published by publishers, as media become more widespread, and large audiences hopelessly adopt a false cognate as the correct concept.

The problem is compounded when the false friend manages to fit into a community of speakers of some sort, for example, between a group of researchers at a university, between education and a career in a professional association ... So, in short time that community members are talking among themselves with a false cognate whose meaning everyone seems to understand. Why, they ask the scholar, it would be correct?

My answer is always halfway between respect for the rule and good communication: a false friend, usually the result of human error, error can be generalized only if the persons responsible for the media not stop in time. If we are in the midst publisher (and as publishers, editors or writers of any kind, including journalists), we are bound by our profession to a responsible use of the words. It is sad when a reader uses unskilled poor translation of a publisher known to support and legitimize the use of a false cognate.

other hand, if we find a community of speakers where a false cognate has been introduced without warning, it is always correct, even if slowly. If the language is going to change, that change as it should, thanks to the speakers to suit the changing needs of communication and not as imposing inevitable and unconscious errors corrected in time.


Readings
To extend the theme of false friends or false cognates recommend reading the entry "false friends" in the Dictionary editorial and style of José Martínez de Sousa (2003), which explains the origin of the term and propose alternatives to its name.