The focus of this chapter is to discuss 1) the fact that each language has a unique pronominal system, and 2) the secondary and figurative senses of pronouns. Then implications for translation will be given.
The pronouns of a language, which substitute for nouns, form a special semantic set which can usually be analyzed by componential analysis.
Basic to all pronominal systems are PERSON and NUMBER. Other categories often found in pronominal systems are the distinction between ANIMATE and INANIMATE, GENDER, INCLUSIVE versus EXCLUSIVE, and HONORIFICS
Person refers to the speaker, the one spoken to, and other persons. Number may include singular, dual, plural, and collective.
Honorifics
Honorifics refer to inclusion within the components of meaning of distinctions which relate to social standings within the society.
There may be meaning components in the source language pronominal system which are not found in the pronominal system of the receptor language system and vice versa. That is to say, the pronominal systems of the source and receptor languages mismatch.
The meaning components of the receptor language system have to be used even though they are not indicated in the source language. The translator has to make decision on the basis of the use in the receptor language and not on the basis of the form in the source language.
In translating from a language which has a semantic distinction in the pronoun related to the social classes into a receptor language which does not make these distinctions, the translator should not try to artificially introduce these components of meaning.
The problems of translation are not simply matters of different pronominal systems, although this in itself is important. In addition to different systems, each language will have certain secondary or extended uses of pronouns.
In English, the editorial “we” is a secondary sense of the pronoun we in which the plural form is being used with a singular meaning.
English uses the pronoun we when the object being referred to is really you. For example, in the sentence: Shall we take our bath, we in used to refer to the second person.

There are two matters to consider when translating pronouns. First, the source language and the receptor language systems will be different. Second, the translator must remember that there are secondary senses of pronouns.
Personification involves a special figurative use of person in which intelligence or life is attributed to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. In the sentence: “The sea was angry, the word sea is personified.
Apostrophe
Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which inanimate or abstract things are treated as persons, but in the SECOND PERSON and with direct address.
Sometimes role is used rather than FIRST PERSON PRONOUNS. For example, a man may say to his wife, “your husband is hungry”, meaning that he is really hungry. By doing so the component of FOCUS is added.
A woman in Mexico will refer to her husband by the use of temporary role; that is, what he is doing at the moment, for example cutter of wood.
Role designation may need to be adjusted in translation to fit the natural uses in the receptor language. The whole matter of when a noun is used versus when a pronoun is used versus when role designation is used is different for each language.

The translator should not automatically translate nouns, pronouns, and role designation literally, but use them according to the natural patterns of the receptor language.