Midterm 414
In Rule #3, Venuti warns us not to "overlook connotations and cultural references" in the translation. Why?
"The connections inscribed in a translation are often stylistic, conjuring up literary genres or traditions that enhance and perhaps comment on the foreign text." The translator inserts these into the translation as a form of interpreting the cultural references of the original text. We can see them as a source of understanding the work in the context of our own culture, but it is not completely representative of the cultural intricacy of the original work.
Venuti lists several things that are irreparably "lost" in translation. Name two.
1. The original to appeal to another audience. 2. The foreign language, the very sound and order of the words, and along with them all the resonance and allusiveness that they carry for the native reader.
Why doesn't Venuti believe that a translation can create the same effect as the original?
A translation is fundamentally incapable of providing its reader with an experience that equals or closely approximates the one that a native reader has with the foreign text. To provide this sort of experience, a translator would have to endow us with a lifelong immersion in the foreign language and literature. We would need to perfectly understand the context, connotation, and culture of each word used and the bigger picture which they form. Because each language and region brings with it different backgrounds and cultures, this simply isn't possible.
Venuti says that a translation creates an "exorbitant gain." Name one example.
Additional meanings added in translation. By choosing words from another language the translator adds an entirely new set of resonances and allusions designed to imitate the foreign text while making it comprehensible to a culturally different reader. These meanings always risk transforming what is foreign into something too familiar or simply irrelevant.
How do medical interpreters help improve the efficiency of healthcare services?
By working with a certified medical interpreter, you know your patients' information will be accurate and communication will run smoothly. This will improve efficiency in all aspects of care, from intake to follow-up appointments because you won't have to make corrections for inaccurate information. Having a certified healthcare interpreter in your hospital, doctor's office or healthcare clinic will speed up your schedule. Whereas a family member might not be available for every appointment, an interpreter can be on-site (or available telephonically) 24/7.Plus, if you've been using nurses or other staff to act as interpreters, having certified interpretation will free them up again to do the jobs they're actually trained for.
According to Alan Duff, what is the best measure for determining the quality of a translation?
Comparing the translation to the original is the best measure for determining the quality of a translation. Intuition helps us notice if something does not sound right and shows us where the weakness in our translation lies.
In Rule #2, Venuti says we should "be open to linguistic variations" in the translation. Why?
Don't expect translations to be written only in the current standard dialect; be open to linguistic variations. Writers use social and regional dialects, slang and obscenities, archaisms and neologisms, jargons and foreign borrowings which tend to be language specific. This makes it difficult to translate to other languages. The translator must work to foreign text into a different culture, which does not have parallel words and phrases, as such, we can expect language variations.
In Rule #1 for reading translation, Venuti says we should appreciate form. Why?
Don't just read for meaning, but for language too; appreciate the formal features of the translation. The translator has chosen every single word in the translation, whether or not a foreign word lies behind it. And the translator's words, in our case, function only in English, releasing literary effects that may well exceed the language chosen by the foreign author.
In Rule #4, Venuti says we should always read the translator's introduction. Why?
Don't skip an introductory essay written by a translator; read it first, as a statement of the interpretation that guides the translation and contributes to what is unique about it. The translator's introduction explains the lens through which the translator orchestrated the translation. It often explains stylistic changes, the emittance of certain aspects, and the reasoning why one translation is superior or truer to another.
Why do U.S. courts provide interpreters for non-English speakers accused of crimes?
Due to Title VI of the Civil Rights act, failing to provide a translation or an interpreter is in many cases illegal. Incorrectly navigating the language barrier can lead to false accusations and confessions.
Folsom argues that opponents of paraphrasing (like Williams) "confuse the text with the message." How is Folsom's argument similar to arguments about what makes a good translation?
Folsom argues that if the translation makes it easier to understand while preserving the message, then it is a good translation. This is parallel to the argument that preserving the content, not the form makes a good translation. I disagree that they are able to do this fully with 'simplified' versions of the Book of Mormon because the meaning is often ambiguous and interpretable- the which is not maintained in 'simplified versions.
Why does Folsom think paraphrases can be helpful?
He feels that the message of the passages of the Book of Mormon are wrapped up in complex English and that rather than having people work to understand it for themselves, it should be translated for them and breeze-easy to read.
How does the "first stage" mentioned above affect translation clarity (ST to TT)?
If at this stage the translation is already imperfect, as in the translator does not fully represent the meaning, context and significance of the words in his own mind when they form words, then those faults will manifest themselves in the translation to another language.
The U.S. has no official language, although the default language is English. Why don't immigrants simply learn English when they come to the U.S.? After all, learning a new language as an adult is easy, isn't it?
If you live in another country, be it the U.S. or otherwise, attempting to learn the language will make life far easier, from both a work and social perspective. The demand that people who live in the U.S. to learn English fails to take account of people's financial situation, ability and motivation. Even learning the basics of a language takes dedication, focus, incentive, access to resources, time and some sort of financial commitment, be it funding a course or saying no to a shift in order to attend a class. Oppresses human rights and violates laws.
According to Williams, how does the Wilson paraphrase lose allusions to remembrance? (p. 6)
In Wilson's Alma 5:6, "have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?" becomes "have you completely forgotten your fathers' captivity?" Not only is the sense significantly different, but the tie to the use of remembrance elsewhere in the Book of Mormon, and in other books of scripture, is lost. Remembrance was used to teach us to always keep the teachings of the gospel in our hearts and in our minds. It is used constantly throughout the Book of Mormon. By excluding this linking word, one of the great poetic insights of the Book of Mormon is lost. The message refers to Alma when the angel appeared to him and his friends.
Concerning the example of sadness (p. 7), why does Williams believe the paraphrase lacks poetic phraseology?
In addition to the loss of metaphor, the rhythm of passages is marred and meaning is lost when grieve and sorrow is replaced with sad.
How has translation helped less-common languages, such as Irish, Romani, Wampanoag, and Inuit, avoid extinction?
It has allowed programs to produce content in these niche languages while still serving a larger public by providing translation to a common language.
Why is intoxicado translation's seventy-one-million-dollar word? How does the story of that word illustrate the need for professional interpreters in medical environments?
It is a false-cognate. It sounds similar to the English word intoxicated, but actually refers to some sort of poisoning. The family of Willie Ramirez thought he had food poisoning from undercooked hamburgers. Willie was diagnosed incorrectly and received the wrong treatment, leading to his becoming quadriplegic.
How did Mission 4636 aid Haitian earthquake victims in 2010?
Mission 4636 provided an online translation and information processing service that connected the Haitian people with each other and with the international aid efforts.
How do mixed structures create translation problems? Give two examples (your own) from Spanish-English or English-Spanish translation.
Mixed structure sentence is a catch-all term for a sentence that starts off being structured one way but switches to a different structure halfway through. If translating word for word, one can make mistakes translating into the pattern of the target language. We are confronted with the challenge of distinguishing an error in our own translations to Spanish when they are much better equipped as native speakers. Nos enfrentamos al desafío de distinguir el error en nuestras propias traducciones al español cuando están mucho mejor equipados hablantes nativos. (should be: cuando hablantes nativos son mucho mejor equipados). Janell no está tan complacida con su hijo mayor como ella con su hija menor. Janel isn't as satisfied with her eldest son as her younger daughter. (Should be as with).
Provide your own Portuguese-English or Spanish-English example of a false friend (e.g., embarazado vs. embarrassed). Explain your example.
Ropa vs. rope (Ropa translates as clothes, not rope).
How does language form community for you? In answering this question, think about the communities to which you belong: family, friends, church, work, school, etc.
Shared language forms the basis of my community. When everyone uses the same vocabulary, the community becomes more close-knit and there is a greater sense of camaraderie. Everyone likes to feel important or in-the-know. Once again, knowledge of a community language helps people feel like they are an integral part of the group, fostering a stronger sense of loyalty. Using the right words helps to reinforce the community objective, while the wrong words will obscure the purpose of the community.
Concerning fears about doctrine lost in paraphrases, Folsom notes that the Book of Mormon is translated from English into many languages. What is Folsom's point here? (Pp. 15-16).
The church takes on risk of lost doctrine every time the Book of Mormon is translated. His point is that they could do it if they put their mind to it. (paraphrasing for me is different than translating- but that's another paragraph)
What does Williams mean by "the language of worship"? (Pp. 8-12)
The language of worship refers the words and phrases unique to usage within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although we normally don't talk like they do in the book of Mormon, repeated exposure to it in all the books of scripture, in Church meetings, in the singing of hymns, and in the performance of ordinances, including temple ordinances helps us learn the senses, the connections, and connotations of our religious vocabulary.
Williams argues that the paraphrases omit important meanings. Provide two examples that Williams uses.
The most significant portions missed by the paraphrase of Alma 4:5 are that the converts actively united themselves to the church (as well as the passive-sounding were baptized) and that the judges were over the people of Nephi. In 1 Nephi 17:30-31, Wilson's substitution of rebelled for reviled significantly changes the plain sense of the phrase and weakens the causal link he so carefully proposes in his paraphrase. Traducción intralingua: paraphrase Examples: - Baptized/ united themselves > subject vs. object - Rebelled/ reviled > reviling is a crime, rebelling is less severe - Reduced repetition, part of the message
Williams believes that scripture should be read in a certain way. What does she mean when she says that scripture is NOT "a body of information which we are to decode, process, and pray about"? (p. 9)
The scriptures aren't always as clear as day. Their ambiguity is what makes them so special. I think she is trying to get at the fact that they aren't meant to be deciphered and simplified for our convenience. We need to get to know the scriptures, familiarize ourselves with the language and with the guidance of the Spirit learn how to apply them to our own lives.
What does Duff mean by a third language?
The translator who imposes the concepts of one language on to another is no longer moving freely from one world to another but instead creating a third world.
About how many languages exist worldwide?
There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers.
Duff notes that before any translator can translate a text from one language to another, an important "first stage" of translation has already occurred. What is that first stage?
This is when the writer 'translates' his thoughts into words. It is the sense given to the words on the page in the brain (thoughts).
The Global Public Health Intelligence Network provides early alerts about disease outbreaks. How does GPHIN collect the information it needs?
This system monitors internet media, such as news wires and websites, in nine languages in order to help detect and report potential disease outbreaks or other health threats around the world.
Why does Venuti say that a translation represents the "translator's interpretation" rather than the foreign text?
Translators do more to mimic the text because barriers such as the ability to interpret the linguistic and cultural differences exist in translating word for word. Thus, their translation is an imitation and not representative of the original text.
What do the paintings on page 11 tell us about the choices translators make?
Translators often bring foreign aspects from the source to a new audience through the TT. Translators choose to keep certain aspects original to their source and change others depending on how they will best be understood. This means that the language is neither perfectly assimilated to the culture of the new language, nor faithful to the culture of the source language, thus creating a third sphere. Although both paintings are based on Derwentwater, they reflect the culture and style of the painter, translating the scenery to art.
In Rule #5, Venuti says we shouldn't think that one translated work represents all of a particular culture's literature. Why?
Uneven translation patterns can lead to misleading cultural stereotypes.
Why doesn't Venuti like what John Dryden says about making Virgil speak modern English?
Venuti explains that literary taste changes. These changes mean that corresponding styles of translation fall into disuse or are pre-empted, never to be adopted by leading translators. Thus translations that reach back in time such as Dryden's translation of Virgil fail to translate the literary style of the time. The translation doesn't fully reflect the culture, intent and appeal of the original work.
Why do we laugh at translation errors?
We laugh only because we have sorted out the confusions, demonstrating quite clearly that readers of translations can perform several mental tasks at once. In reading to comprehend, we focus on both form and meaning, so that when the meaning turns obscure or ambiguous, we instantly clarify or untangle it by correcting the error in form, in word choice or grammar.
How does register affect translation style? Give two examples (your own) from Spanish-English or English-Spanish translation.
When translating we must decide between formal and informal language. You cannot mix phrases from these two categories because it will sound wrong. (The elegant llama is having a superb day walking through the countryside. La llama elegante está teniendo un día bakán paseando por el campo.) (El profesor es competente no solo en los idiomas sino también en los modales formales que corresponden a todas las regiones del mundo. The professor is proficient in not only languages but also fancy status quo of how you should act corresponding to all regions of the world. (should be formal mannerisms).)
Why should (or shouldn't) we care about language extinction?
When we lose a language, we lose a culture. The extinction of a language takes along with it the history, the lore and the ability to understand literary texts produced by these regions.
What does Duff mean when he says we should translate content but not form?
When writing thoughts on paper, we often take short-cuts. The translator should fill in these gaps where necessary, translating the missing links. They should not constrain to the form of the original piece because the objective is to take the content of the source language and reshape it into the form of the target language. Unfortunately, we are often influenced by the form of the source language which reduces the quality of the translation.
Why is this chapter called "Saving Lives and Protecting Rights in Translation?"
When you're treating a patient, it's vital to receive an accurate medical history as well as understanding their current symptoms. This can be quite a challenge if you don't speak your patient's language. Even if the patient has a multi-lingual family member, as many do, that family member probably won't know how to translate specific medical terminology or explain detailed treatments such as surgical procedures. A certified medical interpreter, however, has been trained to do exactly that. They will be able to get the patient's most accurate medical history and help you all communicate clearly.
How does figurative language (idioms, metaphors) create translation problems? Give two examples (your own) from Spanish-English or English-Spanish translation.
With idioms, the translator may have to disentangle the professional thinking from the jargon and the rhetoric. Even when metaphors are not mixed and when registers do not lash, the writing may still be unclear. "Eat like a horse." Comer como un caballo. (should be "comer como una lima"). "Hablar como un loro." Talking like a parrot. (should be simply talking a lot).
Name three problems (there are many more than three) that show a translator has been controlled by the ST's form.
Word choice; Order of the words; Distorted meanings- unintentional associations between words
