Translating

How does this author describe the best translation?

An expertise translation is the best. This means there is a combination of intuition and carefully developed skills.

What are the three stages of Nida and Tabor's model of translation?

Analysis Transfer Restructuring

What are the steps in the translation process?

Analyze the source text Find the main idea of the entire text Identify specific translation issues Transfer Reformulation create a draft Review and revise Translate the title Test the translation Impact of the source text Peer review Back translation Consider risk of error and loss

List and explain the three techniques for reformulation at the word level?

Borrowing: Take word from SL use in TL. Modulation: Represents a shift in POV. Adaptation: Select a culturally equivalent TL response

Risk of Error

Can be measured as the likelihood of the translator making the wrong choice or a choice in creating the translation that will skew the meaning.

Equivalence

Central to the effectiveness of the translation. The equivalence between the source and target messages depends highly on the translator's competence in the subject, culture and the source and target languages, as well as the ability to convey a concept from the source to the target language.

List the six ways you need to test the translation.

Comparison with SL Back Translation Comprehension Naturalness Readability Overall length

Explain Gile's two-stage model of translation.

Comprehension - you assign a temporary meaning to the amount of text that you are working with. Reformulation - assigns a meaning hypothesis to the translation unit

What are the three priorities in achieving equivalence in translation? Explain each.

Contextual Consistency: Must be aware of the context and the context should remain the same in both languages. Dynamic Equivalence and formal correspondence: Translator has the same impact on the target audience as the original had on the original audience, Literal Translation. Audience needs: Message will fit the audience intended; gender, education, age, background info

Illocutionary force

Conveys the intent or mood of the speaker. (Example: if it's a joke it comes out as a joke)

Why is "creativity" a part of the translation task?

Creativity is a part of the translation task because translators need to acquire the capacity to approximate the subject areas to an extent that allows understanding. This doesn't mean that rendering a translation that has no relationship to the source text. It means that the translator needs to be flexible enough to make a translation that keeps the meaning in either a general or specific way, depending on the translator's skill and knowledge of the subject.

What three things are necessary to achieve equivalence?

Culture Blurred edges in meaning between languages Web of relationships that occur between words

What is the taxonomy of errors and why is it used?

Determines the seriousness of errors so you know which error will have more of an impact

Why is translation not a linear process?

Emphasis switches from analysis and reformulating

What is the best way to begin the reformulation process?

Find the main Idea and understand the text as a whole before beginning the translation

Literal translation

Follows the form of the source language and is nonsensical in the target language.

What is the difference between form and meaning?

Form is the external shape of the message while meaning is the conceptual intent of the message.

What type of errors can result if you did not test the translation?

Grammatical errors Illogical translation Method error Omissions Substitutions Anomalies Additions intrusion

Why should you determine the location of the actors and objects?

Helps you find the main idea

Why does loss of content occur in the transfer process?

Idioms because they do not translate identically in each language.

What role does intuition play in translation?

It is the driving force of skilled behavior, intuition that is trusted because it is constantly tested and refined. This is important because you must be confident in your work.

What is formal correspondence?

Literal Translation

Many-to-Many

Many source language words can be related to many target language words, depending on how the words are categorized in the respective languages.

What are some of the issues involved in analysis at the word level?

May not know the word order or its meaning May know the word or not understand its usage in the current context Word may be used in an idiosyncratic by the author

What is contextual consistency?

Must be aware of the context and the context should remain the same in both languages

What role does illocutionary force play in an effective translation?

Must know how to construct the appropriate syntactic arrangement in the TL in order to create an equivalent impact on the TL

What are the models of translation used in this text? describe the stages of each.

Nida and Tabor's Model: Consists of 3 stages; analysis, transfer and restructuring. Analysis is the message that's analyzed in terms of the grammatical relationships and the meanings and combinations of the words. Transfer is when the analyzed material is transferred in the mind of the translator from language A-B. Lastly, restructuring is the rendering of a message in a form that's acceptable in the target language.

What are some of the methods used when translating?

Novice Advanced Beginner Competence Proficiency Expertise

When will serious errors occur?

One error will lead to more errors Not understanding the message will lead to errors

Taxonomy

A classification system and a way to organize information.

Borrowing

A method of choosing lexical equivalents, which means using or "borrowing" a word directly from the source text and using it in the target text.

What does the word equivalent mean?

A very close similarity in meaning as opposed to similarity in form

What are the three elements to check when testing your translation?

Accuracy Clarity Naturalness

Unduly Free Translation

Adds, changes, or leaves out information, or distorts the cultural setting of the source text.

Analysis

Allows you to consider the meaning of the source text before beginning the transfer process.

How are process and product different?

Process: is associated with translation or interpretation event cannot be recorded or observed by another person. Only via introspection can interpreters gain insight into their own process and make changes to them. Product: is the observable part of your work. It's the message in the target language that the audience receives from the sender via your translation or interpretation. It can also be recorded for future analysis, while the process can't.

Gloss

Provide a convenient way to use on language to reference another. It's a symbol or group of symbols in one language representing the core meaning of a particular symbol or symbol group from another language. They also do not present translations or interpretations and don't represent natural language use.

What factors are involved in the preparation phase of a translation project?

Purpose Function of the text Expected audience Length and time frame Competencies related to the translation process Competence in the target language Competence in the source language Competence with the subject area

Adaptation

Refers to the selection of a culturally equivalent target language response.

What are the six factors to be aware of during reformulation?

Reformulating the text The main idea Locations of actors and objects Concepts and relationships Illocutionary force Words

What three variables will interpreters have biases about? Explain each.

Subject matter: Know too much about the subject and don't leave enough to imagination. SL: Feel inclined to talk in a boastful way. TL Weakness in this area can still show up due to it typically being a second language

Translation

The abstract concept, which encompasses both the process of translating and the product of that process. It also involves the substitution of source language meanings with target language meanings.

Translation Unit

The amount of text that the translator is working with at one time.

Meaning

The concept the message expresses.

Consecutive Interpreting

The interpreter waits until the speaker has finished the source language message before rendering the message into the target language. Typically, the duration of the source language can range from a few seconds to a few minutes.

Source Language

The language you are translating from.

Target Language

The language you are translating to and sometimes called the receptor language.

What is the most basic level of analysis?

The most basic level of analysis occurs when you consider the entire source language test to get the gist or overall meaning.

Since the transfer process is not visible how can it be evaluated?

The outcome of the translation

Form

The overt or observable structure of discourse such as the words in a language.

Interpreting

The process or activity involved in transferring a message from one language to another in real time.

Simultaneous Interpreting

The process wherein the interpreter speaks at the same time as the source language speaker.

An Interpretation

The product of the process of interpreting and should accurately reproduce the grammatical and lexical features as well as the style and content of the source message.

Why should both product and process be examined?

The product should be examined so you make sure it is good and accurate The process should be examined so you can improve in the future and cut back on mistakes

Unit of Meaning

The smallest bit of information that cannot be further subdivided but can be translated.

Why is the transfer stage the heart of the translation process?

This stage is when the translator does everything in their mind and thinks about what they are doing. This in not a visible process but is when form meaning spatial and logical relations are figured out.

What is the purpose of testing your translation?

To know if the translation is faithful to both the SL and TL

How are the three models similar?

`The three models are similar in these ways: They have a similar starting point stating the importance of fully understanding and analyzing the message before starting the translation process. They also agree that the translation needs to be faithful to the original text and that the translation process involves the reworking of the translation more than one time. They agree that the main portion of the process, transfer, is invisible. They are sharing a common goal of finding a way to make the translation process and its discrete phases understandable and accessible to everyone studying and translators as well.

One-to-Many

One word can have multiple translations. (Example: run)

What are some other functions of the message?

Persuade Think about something Informative Chastize

What is the highest priority in rendering the message?

Rendering a message in the TLthat is equivalent to the SL

What does "spatial relations" have to do with the transfer process for sign language interpreters?

Shows the importance of the texts point of view. Must establish where objects are

Why do you need to take the audience in to consideration as you prepare your translation?

Some audience will have a better understanding than others and you have to adjust in order to make sure everyone understands

Why is translation not a uni-directional process?

Some things in the one language will not translate directly in the other language and also going back to the first language it will not translate perfectly so you have to go back and forth to get the correct context.

What is reformulation?

The visible result of the analysis and transfer stages of translation

Reformulation

The visible result of the analysis and transfer stages of translation. The message takes on the form of the target language.

Many-to-One

There are many words in the source language but only one in the target language that conveys approximately the same concept. (example: Sign for Big)

How is translation different from interpretation?

Translation is translating a text while interpreting is Going between languages in real time. Translation is easier to prepare for as you can typically get the text beforehand while interpreting might not give as much content beforehand. Can prepare and need specialized training. Interpreter does not have full context. Both need competence in subject matter. Time frame big difference. Translator may not have contact with audience. Interpreter can have feedback. Translator knows main idea before while interpreter figures out as they go. Interpreters must make fast decisions. Both risk loss and error which will be reduced with knowledge in the area. Translator can make a draft. Translator can review and revise. Interpreter does not have access to peer review other than a partner which would mostly help the next time around.

What is dynamic equivalence?

Translator has the same impact on the target audience as the original had on the original audience

Who should test the translation and when?

Translator section by section Someone unfamiliar with SL after completion Someone familiar with both languages check last

Back Translation

Typically used to check the accuracy of a translation

How do you use the results of your tests?

Use it to better that translation and future translations

Idiomatic Translation

Uses the natural forms of the target language including grammatical constructions and lexical choices, is natural sounding, and preserves the meaning of the source text.