Subtitles set the example

I tend not to one who harps about things, but if there is one issue I have done exactly that on this site it has been to emphasize the principle of not translating words, but translating meaning. This weekend, which I have spent in Guayaquil wrapping up a one-week trip to Ecuador, provided me a good example of how to do things in that area right. That example came as I watched a recent U.S. hit film presented with Spanish subtitles.
 
One simple example: At one point in the movie, one of the characters told another to call 911. A word-for-word translation wouldn't make sense to someone who doesn't know English, or even for an English speaker who doesn't know that in the United States (and a few other places) 911 is a catch-all number for dealing with emergencies. So instead, in the subtitles, the character was told to call emergencia, something that is understandable without special knowledge. And while I won't go into details, I have noticed too that most vulgar Americanisms are translated to Spanish with alternate terms, ones that don't mean quite the same thing but that get the idea across just as well. After all, most such words aren't understood literally anyway, but are used for emotional impact as much as anything else.
 
Ideally, as you study Spanish you may reach the point where you can understand without translating. Until then — or when you translating for another person or for use of the written language — look for meaning, not individual words, and in the end your understanding will be easier and possibly even more accurate.