BoT6

Basics of Translation – spring 09 Kim Ebensgaard Jensen

Lecture notes – week 6 Aalborg ni!ersit" – #$# Englis%

The process of translating

1. Introduction

Last time& we looked at aspects of te't anal"sis for translators& and toda" we will mo!e on t%e t%e

process of translating& as we discuss (ewmark)s approac% to t%e process of translation of a source

te't into a target te't* (ewmark operates wit% four le!els of operation+

● source text level+ t%e source te't itself and its immediate impression on t%e translator

● referential level+ t%e le!el of content of t%e te't ,tec%nicall" t%e le!el of t%e conceptual

representation-

● cohesive level+ t%e le!el w%ere "ou aim at making a co%esi!e target te't ,and anal".e t%e

co%esion of t%e source te't-

● level of naturalness+ t%e le!el of constructing a natural target te't in an appropriate

language

2. Approaches to translating

$t ma" be a good idea to make one t%ing clear at t%is point – man" translation t%eorists operate wit%

t%e following set of terms& in w%ic% t%e" distinguis% between /translation and /translating* (ow&

before we start discussing t%e process translation& let us tr" out t%is refle'i!e e'ercise+

In groups of twos or threes, try to see if you can figure out what the difference is between the

following terms: translation , translating and a translation. What do you think each term refers to?

Last time& $ said t%at one s%ould alwa"s read t%e target te't t%roug% a couple of times before

translating it* T%is is 1ust one out of two common approac%es to translation& w%ic% are+

● "ou initiall" translate bits of t%e source te't – sentence b" sentence – to get t%e feel of t%e

te't& t%en "ou go back and read and anal".ed t%e w%ole te't before starting t%e translating

proper

● "ou read t%e source te't t%roug% a couple of times first& doing bot% general reading and close

reading& and t%en "ou start translating once "ou %a!e anal".ed it in sufficient detail

● ,"ou start translating immediatel" wit%out e!er reading t%e te't+ a lot of people tend to do

t%is w%en doing translation e'ercises& sa"& in sc%ool& and it is not a good idea because t%en

"ou ne!er get t%e w%ole picture of t%e te't& and "ou are bound to miss out on some

important details-

2%ile (ewmark seems to recommend t%e second approac%& t%e first and second approac%es can be

combined& and often are& b" e'perienced translators* T%e first approac% is largel" based on intuition&

w%ic% does re3uire a lot of e'perience& w%ile t%e second approac% is based on anal"sis and

t%eoretical principles*

3. The levels

4ere are t%e four le!els of (ewmark)s approac% to translating

3.1 The tetual le!el "the le!el of the source tet#

At t%is le!el& "ou translate& or transpose& t%e s"ntactic structures of t%e source te't into

corresponding structures in t%e target te't* 5ften "ou will find t%at& for a !ariet" of reasons& "ou will

%a!e to c%ange t%ese structures into somet%ing 3uite different furt%er down t%e line to ac%ie!e target



language naturalness*

3.$ The referential le!el

As mentioned abo!e& t%is is t%e le!el of content& so %ere "ou operate primaril" wit% t%e message ,or

information- or semantics of t%e te't* T%is is w%ere "ou decode t%e meaning of t%e source te't and

build t%e conceptual representation* T%is is w%ere "ou disambiguate pol"semous words and p%rases

and w%ere "ou decode idioms and figurati!e e'pressions* T%is is w%ere "ou figure out w%et%er w%at

t%e locution,s- and illocution,s- of t%e source te't are and w%at t%e perlocution mig%t be*

5nce "ou %a!e decoded t%e word or e'pression in 3uestion& "ou encode it into an

appropriate target language e'pression* (ote t%at t%ere will be cases& like idioms and metap%ors& in

w%ic% "ou will %a!e to use literal e'pressions in t%e target language& because it does not %a!e an"

corresponding idioms or metap%ors*

T%e referential le!el and t%e te'tual le!el are& of course& closel" intertwined& as t%e nature

and te'ture of t%e source te't con!e"s t%e message& and& of course& "ou also encode t%e message&

using language& into t%e target te't*

3.3 The cohesi!e le!el

T%e co%esi!e le!el links t%e te'tual and t%e referential le!els in t%at it deals wit% t%e

structure7format of t%e te't and information as well as wit% w%at (ewmark calls t%e mood of t%e

te't ,let us call it t%e tone instead so as not to confuse it wit% grammatical mood-*

At t%e structural suble!el& "ou in!estigate %ow !arious connectors& suc% as con1unctions&

enumerations& repetitions or reiterations& definite articles and determiners& general categor" labels&

s"non"ms& punctuation marks& simple or comple' con1uncts& link sentences and structure t%e te't

and w%at (ewmark calls its train of t%oug%t – w%ic% is basicall" its underl"ing information

structure*

8ou establis% its tone b" finding socalled value-laden and value-free passages& suc% as

sub1ecti!e and ob1ecti!e bits& eup%emisms& and ot%er framing devices& framing being t%e strateg"

of linguisticall" presenting somet%ing in t%e perspecti!e of one)s own !alues and world!iew& in a

wa" promoting t%ese*

All of t%is will %a!e to be some%ow transferred into t%e target te't so "ou ac%ie!e ma'imal

e3ui!alence at t%is le!el to*

3.% The le!el of naturalness

T%is le!el is target te't oriented& focusing e'clusi!el" on t%e construction of t%e target te't* 2%at is

important %ere is t%at+

● t%e target te't makes sense

● t%e target te't reads naturall" like an" ot%er te't composed in t%e target language

T%is is apparentl" more difficult t%an one mig%t e'pect& because one tends to reproduce a lot of

grammatical structures& p%rases and wordings w%ic% are natural in t%e source language but& w%ile

possible in t%e target language& w%ic% do not feel natural as suc% in t%e target language* (ewmark

lists some t"pical problem areas %ere+

● word order

● onetoone translation making common structures seem unnatural

● false friends ,cognate words-

● participles& infiniti!es and nonimali.ations

:



● oldfas%ioned or loft" target language diction

● noncorresponding categories and p%enomena suc% as tenseaspect& definite article use&

idioms and metap%ors& nominal compounds& collocations etc*

● random& unpredictable t%ings t%at 1ust seem unnatural in t%e target language

2%at makes t%ings more complicated is t%at naturalness often depends on t%e situation& suc% t%at

somet%ing mig%t seem natural in one conte't but unnatural in anot%er*

T%e best& per%aps onl" wa"& to ensure naturalness is to read t%roug% "our translation and

spot unnaturall" sounding parts and c%ange t%em into somet%ing t%at sounds more natural* T%is is

somet%ing t%at most people skip w%en t%e" do translations in sc%ool ,and e!en in some more

professional conte'ts-*

4. The exercise

In small groups, translate the following into &anish, making it sounds as natural as possible:

She put out the lamp.

'he put out the lamp

It did not do to think, nor, for the matter of that, to feel. 'he ga!e up trying to understand herself,

and (oined the !ast armies of the benighted, who follow neither the heart nor the brain, and march to their

destiny by catchwords. The armies are full of pleasant and pious folk. )ut they ha!e yielded to the only

enemy that matters * the enemy within. They ha!e sinned against passion and truth, and !ain will be their

strife after !irtue. +s the years pass, they are censured. Their pleasantry and their piety show cracks, their

wit becomes cynicism, their unselfishness hypocrisy they feel and produce discomfort where!er they go.

They ha!e

sinned against -ros and against allas +thene, and not by any hea!enly inter!ention, but by the ordinary

course of nature, those allied deities will be a!enged.

/ucy entered this army when she pretended to 0eorge that she did not lo!e him, and pretended to

ecil that she lo!ed no one. The night recei!ed her, as it had recei!ed 2iss )artlett thirty years before.

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