Text Revision and Translation Fall 2009

Kim Ebensgaard Jensen AAU, Almen Engelsk, 3rd. semester

Translation procedures 1. Introduction Toda , !e are going to get an overvie! o" t#e $entral strategies o" translation !#i$# most translators make %se o". &o% #ave alread %sed a lot o" t#ese in o%r assignment, and $riti$i'ed t#e (isit)dense *eo*le "or not %sing t#em, !it#o%t %sing t#e +*ro*er+ terms. Toda , o% !ill learn t#ese terms. 3. Translation procedures ,ere is an overvie! o" $entral translation *ro$ed%res and strategies Literal translation- !ord."or.!ord translation. T#is *ro$ed%re is good i" o% !ant to retain as m%$# o" t#e "ormal as*e$ts o" t#e so%r$e text as *ossible, b%t o% r%n into *roblems !#en translating, "or instan$e, idioms or s*e$i"i$ grammati$al $onstr%$tions !#i$# do not #ave dire$t e/%ivalents in t#e target lang%age. Transference- trans"eral o" a !ord or ex*ression "rom t#e so%r$e lang%age0text dire$tl into t#e target text !it#o%t translating it at all. 1eo*le+s names and *la$e names and t#e like are %s%all trans"erred, ex$e*t in t#ose $ases !#ere a $onventional translation exists. Trans"eren$e is also t#e "irst ste* in t#e *ro$ess o" one lang%age a$/%iring loan !ords "rom anot#er. Naturalization- basi$all trans"eren$e in !#i$# o% a**l target lang%age s*elling and mor*#olog 2and *ron%n$iation3 to t#e ex*ression or !ord in /%estion. &o% $an o"ten do t#is !it# names o" $on$e*ts in t#e #%manisti$ s$ien$es s%$# as +.ism+.!ords. Cultural equivalent- translating a $%lt%rall rooted !ord in t#e so%r$e text0lang%age !it# a ro%g#l e/%ivalent $%lt%rall rooted !ord o" t#e target lang%age0text. )" $o%rse, t#ere are lot o" $ases !#ere o% !ill end %* making re"eren$e to somet#ing t#at, !#ile e/%ivalent, is still /%ite di""erent. For instan$e, 4a"tenka""e5 ma be translated into 4#ig# tea5 even t#o%g# it is not t#e same t#ing at all. A lot o" translators %se $%lt%ral e/%ivalents !#en dealing !it# instit%tional and ed%$ational terms. For instan$e, 4master+s degree5 translates into 4kandidat%ddannelsen5, and 4g mnasiet5 into 4#ig# s$#ool5. Functional equivalent- translating a !ord in t#e so%r$e lang%age0text !it# a "%n$tionall e/%ivalent $%lt%re."ree target lang%age !ord or ex*ression 2i.e. a !ord !#i$# #as t#e same meaning or a longer *#rase ex*ressing t#e same $on$e*t3. For instan$e, 4"olketinget5 $o%ld be translated into 46anis# *arliament5. Descriptive equivalent- translating a so%r$e lang%age0text !ord %sing a des$ri*tion o" t#e $on$e*t it re"ers to in t#e target lang%age. For exam*le, 4J.dag5 $o%ld be translated into 4t#e "irst da t#at 7#ristmas bre!s are released in 6enmark5 or somet#ing like t#at. 28ear3 synonymy- translating a so%r$e lang%age0text !ord or ex*ression !it# a target lang%age ex*ression t#at is nearl , b%t not $om*letel , "%n$tionall e/%ivalent. T#is *ro$ed%re is o"ten %sed i" t#ere is no one.to.one e/%ivalent in t#e target text "or ad9e$tives or adverbs, b%t is also a**li$able to ot#er !ord $lasses. T#e *roblem #ere is, o" $o%rse, t#at t#ere ma be a !#ole range o" *ossible near.s non ms, or near.s non mo%s ex*ressions available, ea$# o" !#i$# di""ers a little bit in meaning. For exam*le, 4"in makker5 $an be translated into 4ni$e g% 5, 4great d%de5, 4s m*at#eti$ man5 et$. T#e $#allenge #ere is to "ig%re o%t !#i$# target !ord, or ex*ression, is t#e most a**ro*riate one. Throu h translation- literal translation o" $ollo$ations and $ombinations. !hift0transposition- translation o" a so%r$e lang%age0text ex*ression into a target lang%age :

Text Revision and Translation Fall 2009

Kim Ebensgaard Jensen AAU, Almen Engelsk, 3rd. semester

ex*ression !#i$# involves $#ange in grammati$al str%$t%re, s%$# t#at a s*e$i"i$ target lang%age str%$t%re is %sed. For exam*le, in messageboard terminolog o% !ill "ind t#at !#en 6anis# messageboards sa 4;r%gernavns *ro"il5, Englis# lang%age messageboards %se 4*ro"ile o" Username5. Anot#er exam*le, !#i$# < t#ink !e #ave dis$%ssed is t#e %se o" endo$entri$ nominal $om*o%nds and $lassi" ing genitives in Englis# !#en 6anis# %ses $ertain *re*osition.based $onstr%$tions. "odulation- $#ange o" vie!*oint or s%bstantial $on$e*t%al $on$e*t in t#e translation, "or instan$e, %sing t#e name o" a $ategor "or a s*e$i"i$ member o" t#e $ategor , %sing a *art "or t#e !#ole 2and vi$e versa3, a$tive "or *assive et$. For instan$e, translating 4br%nsviger5 into 4$ake5 is an instan$e o" mod%lation. =o is translating 4,an l> aldrig *> den lade side5 into 4,e !as ver *rod%$tive5 !#ere t#ere is a $#ange o" *ers*e$tive involved. #eco nized translation- %sing a !ell.kno!n a$$e*ted target lang%age translation "or a a s*e$i"i$ so%r$e lang%age instit%tional term. For instan$e, 4se$retar o" "oreign a""airs5 is t *i$all translated into 4%denrigsminister5. Translation la$el- *rovisional target lang%age translation o" a so%r$e lang%age term t#at does not #ave an $onventional translation in t#e target lang%age. Compensation- making %* "or t#e loss o" somet#ing in t#e so%r$e text, b adding somet#ing else in t#e target text. Componential analysis- s*litting %* a lexi$al %nit into meaning atoms and *er#a*s anal 'ing t#ose rat#er t#an t#e %nit itsel". #eduction0e%pansion- adding or removing elements in translation 2essentiall a t *e o" s#i"t3. For exam*le, 4sam"%ndsvidenskab5 ma be red%$ed to 4so$iolog 5. &araphrase- am*li"i$ation or ex*lanation o" meaning in target text.

?%ite o"ten o% !ill end %* making %se o" $o%*lets, tri*lets, or even /%adr%*lets in translation, !#i$# are $ombinations o" t!o, t#ree or "o%r translation *ro$ed%res