Translation theories

“Inside or between languages human communication equals translation.

A study of translation is a study of language.”

(George Steiner, Understanding as Translation)

Defining the Theory

 A theory is a statement of a general principle, based upon reasoned argument and supported by evidence, that is
intended to explain a particular fact, event or phenomenon.

Aspects of Translation Theory

 • General theory of translation, whose object is general notions typical of TR from any language.

 • Specific theory of translation that deals with the regularities of TR characteristic of particular languages (from one l-ge
into another one).

 • Special theory of translation that pays attention to texts of various registers and genres.

Translation theory's concerns

 According to P. Newmark, translation theory is mainly concerned with

 determining appropriate translation methods for the widest possible range of texts or text-categories;

 giving insight into the TR process, into the relations between thought and language, culture and speech;

 to provide a framework of principles, restricted rules and hints for translating texts and criticizing translations;

 a background for problem solving.

 Translation theory alternates between the smallest detail, the significance (translation) of dashes and hyphens (which
help understand the intended meaning), and the most abstract themes, the symbolic power of a metaphor or the
interpretation of a multivalent myth.

 E.g.

I am thinking of re-covering my sofa (= to put a new cover on it)

I would like to recover my sofa. (= from someone who has borrowed or stolen it)

 E.g.

His cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

Her eyes flamed with anger.

She kept inviting his old flame round to their house.

Out of the flames of hell.

Flame as a symbol of danger, anger, speed, etc.

When out of context, words, word-combinations, terms may be translated in many ways.

 The metaphor “the stone died” might have the following interpretations:

 1. The natural physical object died.

 2. The stone “as if human” died.

  3. The person (with stone-like qualities) died.

 Etc.

three possible theories Depending on the focus of the investigation (the process or the product) – R. Bell

1. A theory of TR as process (i.e. a theory of translating) which would require a study of information processing and such topics
as perception, memory and the encoding and the decoding of the message and would draw heavily on psychology and
psycholinguistics.

three possible theories Depending on the focus of the investigation (the process or the product)

 2. A theory of TR as product (i.e. a theory of translated text) which requires the study of text not merely by the
traditional levels of linguistic analysis (syntax and semantics) but also making use of stylistics and recent advances in
text-linguistics and discourse analysis.

 3. A theory of translation as both process and product (a theory of translating and translation) which would require the
integrated study of both.

Ideally, a theory must reflect 4 particular characteristics:

 (1) empiricism – it must be testable;

 (2) determinism – it must be able to predict;

 (3) parsimony – it must be simple;

 (4) generality – it must be comprehensive.

 ! The greater the conformity with these characteristics, the more powerful the theory.

The theorist's main concern

 To select an appropriate general method of translation, always bearing in mind that standardized l-ge, “technical
terms, terms of art, formulae, the set l-ge of institutions, procedures, phatic l-ge, etc., must be translated by the
equivalent TL standard term, if one exists.

Theory of TR: practical problems. Translator’s task

 First, the intention of a text -

 to bear the intention of the original (to entertain, to inform, to persuade, etc.)

 Secondly, the intention of the translator -

 to ensure the same emotional and persuasive charge as the original;

 to convey the cultural flavor of the SL text, idiosyncratic l-ge & untranslated regional terms;

 to have the SL text made more explicit and any cultural or institutional term explained when addressing a different
uninformed reader.

Theory of TR: practical problems. Translator’s task

 Thirdly, the reader and the setting of the text.

The translator asks himself:

 Who is the reader?

 What education, class, age, sex?

  Informed or ignorant, layman or expert?

 Where would the text be found (in a periodical, newspaper, textbook, etc.)?

 The translator will decide on the

 degree of formality (administrative, formal, informal, colloquial, slang),

 emotiveness (intense, warm, neutral, cool, impassive, factual) and

 simplicity (universally comprehensible, media level, graduate level, fairly technical, technical, opaquely technical)

… he must pursue when he works on the text.

 Fourthly, the quality of the writing and the authority of the text.

 if the text is well written (the manner is as important as the matter);

 if the SL writer is an acknowledged authority on his subject (the TR-or has to regard every nuance of the author's
meaning);

 if the SLT is entirely bound up with the culture of the SL community (the TR-or has to decide whether or not the reader
requires additional information and explanation).

two methods of translation appropriate to any text:

 (a) communicative TR,

 The TR-or attempts to produce the same effect on the TL readers as was produced by the original on the SL readers.
Addresses solely to the second reader (receptor).

 (b) semantic TR,

 The TR-or attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the author. Remains within the original culture.

Differences between the communicative and semantic TR

 E.g. Atenție, câine rău!/ Осторожно, злая собака!

 the communicative translation Beware of the dog! is mandatory;

 the semantic translations

Dog that bites!/ Savage dog/ Bad dog. would be more informative but less effective.

 A communicative TR is likely to be simpler, clearer, more direct, conforming to a particular register of l-ge, tending to
use more generic terms.

 A semantic TR tends to be more complex, more awkward, more detailed, more concentrated, and pursues the
thought-processes rather than the intention of the transmitter. It tends to be more specific than the original, to include
more meanings in its search for one nuance of meaning.

translation methods for three main types of texts

Based on his own experience on translators training, P. Newmark proposed the two translation methods for three main
types of texts:

 expressive (descriptive) texts - semantic translation;

 informative texts – communicative translation;

 operative (persuasive) texts - communicative translation.

Text types can be associated to or expressed by different genres

 Expressive texts: creative composition

language function: expressive language dimension: aesthetic text focus: form-focused TT should: transmit aesthetic
form translation method: 'identifying method', it adopts the perspective of the ST.

Conclusions

 Translation methods depend on different text types.

 The effective transmission of the main function of the ST is the determining factor by which the TT is judged.