Yiddish

The Yiddish language has its roots in Central and Eastern Europe with the formation of a Jewish community and culture in the region. Its formation as a West Germanic language is specific to its place as a traditionally spoken language by the Ashkenazi Jew population, starting in the 9th century. With time, varieties of Yiddish came to include aspects of languages from surrounding regions, including some Slavic artifacts.

At its peak speaking population, Yiddish was spoken by some 11 million people around the world. After World War II and the subsequent migration towards Hebrew, however, the speaking population has been reduced to just under 2 million speakers around the globe. The language persists, nonetheless, in many communities around the world, including orthodox practicing populations and among students of Yiddish in institutions such as Columbia University, Hebrew University, and McGill University.

Translation is more careful work than what a lot of people realize at first glance. Languages form from their own respective contexts in order to express specific cultural understandings, meaning that languages formed in different regions for different peoples in different cultural contexts might not describe things in the same way. In a practical sense, this means that some words and expressions in one language might not have easy or direct translations to some other languages.

Cultural understanding, in this sense, is fundamental to creating cohesive translations that will be understandable to your target audience. Direct translations done quickly without professional tools or help can miss the mark and not only fail to communicate your message, but alienate your audience altogether.