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Linguists and Culture Experts at a Crossroad
Posted by words on Tuesday, April 08 @ 04:30:23 EDT (436 reads)
Topic
|  imitations in Formulating an Experimental Translation TheoryAbstract
Theories of translation
linked to linguistics and cultures have been proposed to take care of
an adequate mediation in translating. These theories attempt
differently to remove cultural and linguistic barriers between
languages and communicate appropriately the intended message of the
source text. In view of the differences and similarities between the
linguistically and culturally oriented approaches, we shall attempt to
study the limitations of these theories to help translation and the
emergence of alternative theories. This study employed archival
materials for investigation. Works of linguists, translatologists,
sociologists, translators, language experts, anthropologists and
literary scholars served as reference documents. An analytical,
deductive, and synthetic approach is used. It is discovered that the
equivalence approach of linguists is not consistent and is problematic
and controversial. The culturally linked theory of translation, which
is not exhaustive, is an approach that evaluates a text in its cultural
dimension. This study concludes that the shortcomings of the two models
has encouraged translators to look for alternatives, which led them to
the textual, situational, and relevance theories. The study suggests
that theories of translation be called approaches or models of
translation until an experimental or scientific approach is formulated.
Also, the main task of translating should be entrusted to the
professional translator who decides on the approach to be used.
Encouraging intercultural and cross-cultural understanding will be a
good tool for reducing distance among people and cultures.
Key words: Culture, linguistics, theory, translation, mediation, limitation, languages.
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Product: not process
Posted by words on Tuesday, February 05 @ 03:16:55 EST (466 reads)
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Good Translation: Art, Craft, or Science?
Posted by words on Monday, February 04 @ 09:06:27 EST (961 reads)
Topic
| Abstract Throughout history, translation has made inter-linguistic communication between peoples possible. Theoretically, one can consider translation a science; practically, it seems rational to consider it an art. However, regardless of whether one considers translation as a science, art, or craft, one should bear in mind that a good translation should fulfill the same function in the TL as the original did in the SL.Key words: Culture, SL, TL, Translation.
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Synonymy in Translation
Posted by words on Monday, February 04 @ 09:02:39 EST (303 reads)
Topic
| Introduction In this paper, an attempt will be made to examine the intricate nature of synonymy in an attempt to investigate its problematic nature in relation to translation. Emphasis will be made on whether or not translation is a form of synonymy. Types of synonymy will be analyzed and then examples from both English and Arabic will be provided to examine the overlap between one form of synonymy and another. Conclusions will be drawn at the end of the analysis and implications will be provided for further studies.
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The Invisible in Translation: The Role of Text Structure
Posted by words on Thursday, October 18 @ 05:39:35 EDT (276 reads)
Topic
| | Abstract It is conventionally believed that familiarity with the source and target languages, as well as the subject matter on the part of the translator is enough for a good translation. However, due to the findings in the field of text analysis, the role of text structure in translation now seems crucial. Therefore, the present paper sets out with an introduction on different types of translation followed by some historical reviews on text analysis, and will then describe different approaches to text analysis. As a case in point, a text analysis of the rhetorical structure of newspaper editorials in English and Persian and its contribution to the translation of this specific genre will be discussed. It will be indicated that newspaper editorials in these two languages follow a tripartite structure including "Lead," "Follow," and "Valuate" making translation of this specific genre possible and more accurate between the two languages. The paper will be concluded with the idea that text analysis can contribute and lead to more accurate and communicative translations.
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Book Review:
Posted by words on Thursday, October 18 @ 05:27:53 EDT (227 reads)
Topic
| The author set himself two major targets in writing this volume. First, to present the role of translation in the dissemination, throughout history, of scientific knowledge; and second, to underpin this claim for a vital role for translation by means of case studies which illustrate its contribution to the development of Western science. The reader thus expects from the outset a major work involving breadth and depth of reading across not just centuries, but millennia, with examples from all eras. The author does not disappoint the reader, demanding though these expectations may be. There is clear evidence of a sense of mission, of personal commitment, of a long-term wide-ranging devotion to the project, which guarantees the meeting of expectations and the fulfillment of these promises. It is not possible, within the constraints of this review, to do more than hint at the wealth and complexity of the discussions offered for the enlightenment of the reader.
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Causes of Failure in Translation and Strategies
Posted by words on Thursday, October 18 @ 05:17:30 EDT (247 reads)
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Abstract: Translation is communication. When the translation causes trouble in understanding or results in zero communication, it is a failure. This paper makes an analytical study on what causes such failure: one is a misconception that translation is a word-for-word process whereas the other is the translator’s blindness to cultural differences. In an attempt to solve these problems, two corresponding strategies are suggested for beginners. Translation is never that easy as a target word for a source word. The translator must accommodate to target linguistic conventions so that the translated piece reads smoothly, if not pleasantly. Further, the translator must accommodate to target culture so the translated piece is culturally acceptable.
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Why is English the international lingua franca?
Posted by words on Thursday, October 18 @ 05:14:01 EDT (259 reads)
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| As a means of expression of an insular population with specific political and social behaviour, English has become an international communication tool, in the wake of the economic and scientific expansion of Great Britain, and later the United States. Introduced in the 5th century into southern England by the Angles (whence its name), English is an Indo-European language. Typical pairs such as father/mother, brother/sister, are evidence of it and the relation between father and the Sanskrit pitar, the Persian pedar, the Latin pater, has long been proven.
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The Moving Text
Posted by words on Thursday, October 18 @ 05:06:14 EDT (250 reads)
Topic
| Summary Texts of every kind are produced in the source language (SL) and they get translated into the target language (TL). If the process were as simple as that, Pym would not have written The Moving Text (further referred to as Text). The main point he makes about getting from SL to TL is that a team of experts needs to apply an intricate net of steps in order to achieve texts that will meet all the requirements of "cross-cultural text adaptation" (Pym 2001: 1), that is, 'localization'. The steps and components involved are 'distribution' (the concern where the text goes), the forming of 'locales' (the particular country/region and language), 'internationalization' (generalization of products), 'translation' (retrieving from 'equivalence'), quantitative changes, the calculation of transaction costs (the effort put into communication), 'segmentation' (shared professionalization) and 'humanization' (consideration of the future reader). Another aim is to demonstrate the fundamental differences between 'localization' and 'translation', or rather, to show that the latter is merely a subsection, however integral part of, the former. The book provides a very practical approach to many theoretical inventions.
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Lost in Translation?
Posted by words on Thursday, October 18 @ 05:03:53 EDT (252 reads)
Topic
| How to get your marketing message
to an international audience Did you know that only 28% of the entire European population can read English? This percentage is even lower in South America and Asia. Even the growing Hispanic community in the U.S. still prefers to read in Spanish for the most part. This means that if you want to sell your products and services to these markets, you will need to be able to communicate effectively in their languages. Naturally, if you choose to expand into international markets, language will be only one of many challenges. Youll be busy with market research, finding distribution channels and dealing with legal and banking issues. Despite all these challenges, dont make translation an afterthought the consequences could be disastrous.
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Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 09:42:25 EDT (239 reads)
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| Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences. It is crucial for todays business personnel to understand the impact of cross cultural differences on business, trade and internal company organisation. The success or failure of a company, venture, merger or acquisition is essentially in the hands of people. If these people are not cross culturally aware then misunderstandings, offence and a break down in communication can occur.
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These Embarrassing, Costly, Terrible Typos
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 09:35:20 EDT (207 reads)
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| Typo n. pl. -os. Informal. A typographical error. Typographical error. A mistake in printing, typing or writing. That's what it says in the New College Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. But it does not begin to tell the story of these mistakes - these embarrassing, costly, terrible typos. I know -- from collecting them, and from personal experience. I have used these examples as warnings during 30 years of teaching at UCLA Extension, showing that typos are the bane of a writer's existence - whether you are a reporter, public relations practitioner, or author. Years ago I came across a typo that I still consider to be the funniest and most embarrassing typo in human history, as far as I know. Many considered it terrible. It was probably also one of the costliest, if not the costliest.
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Mediation as translation or translation as mediation?
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 09:27:01 EDT (201 reads)
Topic
| Widening the translator's role in a new multicultural societyABSTRACT Contrary to expectations, globalization is not accompanied by the use of a single language. It is obvious that the constant influx of people from other countries and cultures is producing changes in the way society is structured as well as in how relationships are established in the European Union (EU). These changes also affect interlingual mediation and the role that translators and interpreters (T&I) have to perform. They have to act in a great variety of settings and provide very different solutions for the situations they are faced with. Such a variety also leads to questions on the ethics of translation in public services, the acceptance of the varied forms of professionalism, the importance of the role that culture plays, and the consideration of different attitudes from society and its institutions. These questions suggest the need to discuss mediation as a form of translation or, the other way around, translation as a form of mediation.
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Some Major Dates and Events in the History of Translation
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 09:20:57 EDT (246 reads)
Topic
| The following piece was first presented as the keynote address for the International Jeromian Conference on Translation 3 at the Universidad of Vera Cruz, Xalapa, on Sept. 28, 2004.
Abstract
The speaker will try to show some common threads in the history of translation or at least some modern parallels with more ancient examples. As for instance the perils of translating from Sumerian into Hebrew, Sacred Egyptian into Classical Greek, or Aramaic into Arabic. Or the even greater physical perils suffered by translators who have been murdered for their efforts, from a Persian interpreter executed by Themistocles to French and English translators burnt at the stake by religious conservatives to the forced suicide of Walter Benjamin in Spain to the assassination of Hitoshi Igarashi, Salman Rushdie's Japanese translator. Voltaire' s translation of Hamlet's soliloquy into rhymed Racinian alexandrine couplets will be compared and contrasted with the problems of translating into and out of other "Public Presentation Languages," such as the epigrammatic four-character maxims of Chinese philosophy, poetry, and medicine. The work of a remarkable Iberian who long ago invented the first relational data base and also sought to intervene between Christianity and Islam by translating his own works into Arabic will be described, as will the career of Xuanzong, perhaps the best-known translator in the world. After a brief glance at the Persian translation academy of Jundishapur and the convergence at Toledo, the presentation will close with an attempt to characterize the past fifty years in translation, which have witnessed our field's greatest outgrowth but have also seen the development of some curious beliefs concerning linguistics and machine translation. Some other examples of the speaker's research into translation history can be found on his website at: http://language.home.sprynet.com/trandex.htm#tranhist ~
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Hermes - God of Translators and Interpreters
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 09:16:47 EDT (228 reads)
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| The Origins of Language and the Prehistory of Interpreting A historical inquiry into the earliest days of interpreting, demonstrating how they provide a window onto both the "prehistory" of translation and the origins of language. Paper just presented on March 24 at the Translation2000 Conference, sponsored by the NYU Translation Studies Program. Three-Sentence Précis of Paper: The ancient Greek word for interpreter/translator is Hermêneus, directly related to the name of the god Hermes. Its many further meanings—mediator, go-between, deal-broker, marriage-broker—open up a window onto the work of interpreters during prehistory. And the knowledge that we gain of this prehistory thanks to these meanings provides an additional window opening onto the origins of language itself.
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Translators and Interpreters:
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 09:14:14 EDT (232 reads)
Topic
| The Binding Force of World CivilizationSummary & Map of Displays from a Proposal
for a Museum Exhibit on this Theme.
The following summary of displays, along with the "map" showing one possible plan for installation, comes from the extended text of a proposed multi-media museum exhibit on the subject of Translators and Interpreters, which might in the ripeness of time be mounted at major American institutions. words for such an exhibition is earnestly sought, and anyone with specific knowledge on how to assist or promote this on-going process is respectfully requested to communicate with the author as shown below.
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1536—1546: Ten Years that Changed The Perception of the Translator
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:58:46 EDT (213 reads)
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Those who suppose translators lead hard lives today might want to consider the fate of their Sixteenth Century colleagues. During the ten years between 1536 and 1546, three famous translators met their death. One was tortured first and then burned at the stake in that great center of civilization, Paris. The second was strangled and then burnt in the city of Antwerp. And even though our third colleague died more naturally, it wasn't because half of Europe didn't long to see him hanged, drawn, quartered, and impaled in pieces.
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The History of Translation History
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:56:58 EDT (252 reads)
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By my count, nine useful books about translation history, specialized works aside, have been published over the last thirty years. It must say something about where this field is going that six of them have come out during the last seven years (and four since 1992). The latest such work, Translators through History, edited and directed by Jean Delisle and Judith Woodsworth, appears under the very highest auspices, being co-published by John Benjamins and Unesco. The combined effort of fifty scholars from twenty different nations, this volume has been five years in the making and is now published simultaneously in French and English with assistance from several Canadian sponsors and the F.I.T.
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The Language Contest
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:54:42 EDT (227 reads)
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Fifty contestants enter a large hall. Inside the hall are fifty desks. Each contestant sits down at oneof the desks. On each desk is a large weirdly shaped package. All the packages on all the desks have the same size and shape. They all jut out and scoop inwards in strange ways, and they all have a large number of surfaces at odd angles to each other. Some of the surfaces are very hard to the touch, some very soft.
All the packages are exactly the same in this regard. They are in fact identical in every way.
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Some Images and Analogies about Translation
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:52:39 EDT (219 reads)
Topic
| A piece attempting to explain what translators do
in terms of well-known devices and processes. Over several decades I have sometimes reflected that writings about the theory of translation can be too theoretical. By which, I probably mean I have found them too wordy, too complex, too unreadable for my taste. Others may choose to differ, but it has always seemed to me that writing about language or linguistics or translation ought by its very nature to qualify as an absolute model of good and clear writing. If this is not the case, then what after all is our work about? And so, over these same decades, I have also sought out every clear and concrete image or analogy I thought might possibly help me to explain what translation is to those in other language-related fields, to those teaching or learning translation, and to those totally outside the profession.
The result has been a collection of my own notions which, if they do not perfectly explain what translation is and does, at least may point in the right direction. They range from simple comparisons with rather homespun processes to a fairly detailed comparison with a major art form and finally an exotic assertion that translation may not exist at all except as an illusion. Here are some of these notions, more or less in the order I acquired them and more or less in the order of their complexity. Where possible or appropriate, I have suggested some empirical steps for verifying the validity of these ideas.
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Translation Theory
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:41:18 EDT (380 reads)
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The study of proper principle of translation is termed as translation theory. This theory, based on a solid foundation on understanding of how languages work, translation theory recognizes that different languages encode meaning in differing forms, yet guides translators to find appropriate ways of preserving meaning, while using the most appropriate forms of each language. Translation theory includes principles for translating figurative language, dealing with lexical mismatches, rhetorical questions, inclusion of cohesion markers, and many other topics crucial to good translation.
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Writing and Translation
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:35:55 EDT (263 reads)
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| Writing plays a very important role in any translation. Since a translation happens in a context and implies the transposition of a source text into a target text, this must fulfill the same constraints of an original text written in the target language. (Aksoy 2001) In translation, a deep knowledge on the source and target language writing system would provide a clear way to decode and properly encode a message. In fact, writing is important for translating, just as important as reading is. Since the former one helps the translator to express the ideas of the source language and the latter one to comprehend the whole message.
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Foreignization / Domestication and Yihua / Guihua:
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:24:34 EDT (250 reads)
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| Abstract: The debate on foreignization or domestication is still heated in Chinese translation circles. Analysis reveals that the terms used by Chinese scholars and Venuti look the same, but actually have different origins and meanings and are used in different contexts for different purposes. They are simply not discussing the same thing. Key words: foreignization, domestication, comparison, terminology
The debate over whether translation should be source- or target-oriented has recurred from Cicero to the 21st century and has again been a focus of discussions in China in the last decade. This paper attempts to make a comparison between 'foreignizing /domesticating' and yihua/guihua, the two most popular pairs of words for describing the translator's divided loyalties in English and Chinese.
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Japanese and Korean: testing the links
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 08:00:38 EDT (233 reads)
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I think the classification of Japanese and Korean is the biggest remaining puzzle in philology. There are two issues: are these two languages related to each other, and are they part of any known family? The Japanese and Koreans call each other ‘close but distant neighbours,’ and this phrase also roughly sums up the relationship of their languages. You often read that the grammar systems of Japanese and Korean are very similar, but their native vocabularies are very different. This unusual paradox has deterred many language experts from embracing a genetic relationship. Others say that both languages are isolates (orphan languages), or are distant cousins of Turkish, Manchurian and other central Asian languages. On the Internet you still find references to links with Tamil or Malay. No theory has won real acceptance. Even the most elementary questions of affiliation remain unanswered.
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Gender and Translation
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 07:57:16 EDT (248 reads)
Topic
| In recent years, a considerable volume of academic literature and researches in the field of translation are being focused on the concept of gender in translation (e.g. von Flotow 2001, Simon 1996, and Chamberlain 1998). According to Chamberlain (1998: 96), “the issues relating to gender in the practice of translation are myriad, varying widely according to the type of text being translated, the language involved, cultural practices and countless other factors”. Von Flotow (2001) offers a comprehensive overview of research areas in which the issue of “gender and translation” could be investigated:
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Aesthetics & Translation
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 07:53:16 EDT (216 reads)
Topic
| 1. Introduction What is translation? As a most nontechnical definition the Webster's New World dictionary define" to translate" as follows: 1 to move from one place or condition to another; transfer; specif., a) Theol. to convey directly to heaven without death b) Eccles. to transfer (a bishop) from one see to another; also, to move (a saint's body or remains) from one place of interment to another
2 to put into the words of a different language
3 to change into another medium or form !to translate ideas into action"
4 to put into different words; rephrase or paraphrase in explanation
5 to transmit (a telegraphic message) again by means of an automatic relay
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A few words on translations
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 07:45:55 EDT (251 reads)
Topic
| Hum. I ain't gonna make a course, but here are a few basic data you should know if you ever get to deal with translations. Well, translation is a rather codified science. And that is one of the first things to know about it. The purpose of translation is to pass on an understanding to people in their own language and create the same impact as the original text. That tells you at once that a translator needs to gain a full understanding of the original text (known as source text) as a first step of the translation process. For instance, in software localization, the simple fact of turning over the software to the translator and answering his questions about it can drastically improve his speed and quality. I once worked on a software manual, along with 3 other professional translators. We were through ѕ of the translation and none of us could tell exactly what the program was really up to… - no comments. This isn't one I'm really proud of. After all, each translation is somewhat new to the translator and he will always need to work and research to understand a text. Some will tell you "the translator should know"... Well, if he knows about your latest innovations, you might well sue him for industrial spying. (lol) Great translations are not made by translators boasting "omniscient knowledge" of a subject. They are made by hard-working knowledgeable translators suffering from acute dictionariosis - a dreadful illness. Affected translators can be recognized by the piles of dictionaries stacking up on their sides and compulsory accesses to online resources.
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The Implication of Culture on Translation Theory and Practice
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 07:39:04 EDT (551 reads)
Topic
| ABSTRACT Language is an expression of culture and individuality of its speakers. It influences the way the speakers perceive the world. This principle has a far-reaching implication fro translation. If language influences thought and culture, it means that ultimate translation is impossible. The opposite point of view, however, gives another perspective. Humboldt’s "inner" and "outer" forms in language and Chomsky’s "deep" and "surface" structures imply that ultimate translation is anyhow possible. In practice, however, the possibility depends on the purpose and how deep the source text is embedded in the culture. The more source-text-oriented a translation is, the more difficult it is to do. Similarly, the deeper a text is embedded in its culture, the more difficult it is to work on. Related to translation, culture manifests in two ways. First, the concept or reference of the vocabulary items is somehow specific for the given culture. Second, the concept or reference is actually general but expressed in a way specific to the source language culture. In practice, however, it is suggested that a translator should take into account the purpose of the translation in translating the culturally-bound words or expressions. The translation procedures discussed should also be considered. Key words: culture, language universals, translation purpose, translation procedure, translation possibility
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Equivalence in Translation
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 07:33:01 EDT (284 reads)
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| THESIS: Finding equivalents in translation involves decoding the SL text and making an attempt to find an appropriate equivalent In the TL to encode whatever has been decoded in SL . 1. LANGUAGE 1.1. Definition 1.2. Difference in languages 1.3. Language as a means of manifestation of human minds, customs, and cultures
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Translation in Context
Posted by words on Wednesday, October 17 @ 07:29:33 EDT (254 reads)
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Abstract:
Translation, seen as a mode of being in the world, should not be regarded per se but should be contextualized as a social system. Infidelity is built in translation because it inevitably describes domestic scenes that are loaded not only linguistically and culturally, but also socially and politically. Translation is simultaneous decontextualization and recontextualization, hence is productive rather than reproductive. Keywords: mode of being; social system; infidelity; decontextualization and recontextualization
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