WEEK 1

Some issues in Translation

practice & Interpreting
practice
 CONTENT
• Overview of Translation and Interpreting
• Overview of translation skills and techniques
• Key issues in Translation practice
• Introduction to Interpreting
• Interpreting skills and techniques
• Central issues in Interpreting practice
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
QUESTIONS
1. What is Translation?
2. What skills does a translator need?
3. What is Interpreting?
4. What skills does an interpreter need?
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
1. What is Translation?
Translation is a mental activity in which a meaning
of given linguistic discourse is rendered from one
language to another.
Translation is an act through which the content of
a text is transferred from the source language in
to the target language (Foster, 1958).
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
1. What is Translation?
The language to be translated is called the source
language (SL), whereas the language to be
translated into or arrived at is called the target
language (TL).
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
1. What is Translation?
• “Translation is generally used to refer to all the
process and methods used to convey the meaning
of the source language in to the target language"
(Ghazala, 1995).
• Translation is a process and a product. Translation
is the replacement of textual material in one
language (SL) by equivalent textual material in
another language (TL). (Catford 1995)
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
2. What skills does a translator need?
The translator needs:
• have good knowledge of both the source and
the target language
• have a high linguistic sensitivity (i.e, he should
transmit the writer's intention, original
thoughts and opinions in the translated
version as precisely and faithfully as possible)
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
3. What is Interpreting?
“Rendering a spoken or signed message into
another spoken or signed language, preserving
the register and meaning of the source language
content.”
(International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) 2014)
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
3. What is Interpreting?
“The process of first fully understanding,
analyzing, and processing a spoken or signed
message and then faithfully rendering it into
another spoken or signed language. ”
(ASTM, 2015)
Overview of Translation and Interpreting
4. What skills does an interpreter need?
A language interpreter must not only quickly and
carefully interpret meaning, but also tone and
intent of the original message into the target or
interpreted language.
Overview of translation skills and
techniques
Translation skills
• Advanced language knowledge
• Excellent writing skills
• In-depth cultural knowledge
• Sound research skills
• Sound translation judgement
• Computing skills
Translation techniques
Direct Translation Techniques
1. Borrowing
2. Calque (loan translation)
3. Literal Translation
Translation techniques
Direct Translation Techniques
1. Borrowing
Borrowing is where words or expressions are taken
directly from the source text and carried over into the
target language. This technique is often used when
there is no target language equivalent, such as food or
clothing, and can help to preserve the cultural context
of the source text.
Translation techniques
Direct Translation Techniques
2. Calque (loan translation)
This is the literal translation of a phrase from one
language into another, coining a new term in the target
language. In other words, this is the literal translation
of a borrowed word.
Example: The English term ‘skyscraper’ is translated as
‘gratte-ciel’ in French.
3. Literal Translation
Translation techniques
Indirect Translation Techniques
1. Transposition
2. Modulation
3. Equivalence/Reformulation
4. Adaptation
5. Compensation
6. Reduction
7. Expansion
Translation techniques
Indirect Translation Techniques
Indirect or oblique translation techniques are
used when the two languages and cultures are
further apart.
These techniques change structural and
conceptual elements in order to preserve the
meaning and nuance of the text.
Translation techniques
1. Transposition
Transposition involves a shift from one grammatical
category to another, while still preserving the meaning.
This translation technique is often necessary between
languages with different grammatical structures.
Example: The French sentence, ‘Je l’ai vu avant la
rentrée’ can be rendered in English as ‘I saw her before
school started.’ This changes the noun ‘la rentrée’ into
a verb.
Translation techniques
2. Modulation
This involves a change of perspective, adjusting what
has been written in order to express the same idea and
preserve the meaning. This translates the text in a way
that conforms to the natural patterns of the target
language.
Example: A French speaker will talk about the ‘dernier
étage’ [literally; last stage] of a building, while an
English speaker will refer to the ‘top floor’.
Translation techniques
3. Equivalence/Reformulation
Similar to modulation, this allows you to preserve
the meaning of an expression, name or proverb
by finding a target language equivalent.
Example: The phrase ‘être sur son 31’ [literally; to
be on one’s thirty-one] would be the French
equivalent to the English phrase ‘to be dressed up
to the nines’.
Translation techniques
4. Adaptation
Also known as cultural substitution, cultural
elements of the source language are replaced
with an equivalent cultural element of the target
language. This makes the text more familiar and
easier to understand, especially with units of
measurement.
Example: Cyclisme (French) = football (UK) =
baseball (US).
Translation techniques
5. Compensation
This technique compensates for being unable to
translate a nuance or phrase in one specific place by
expressing the information at another point in the
document.
Example: While the English language only has one way
of saying ‘you’, French has both ‘tu’ (informal) and
‘vous’ (formal). By making specific word choices
elsewhere in the text, the translator can compensate
for the loss of nuance.
Translation techniques
6. Reduction
When using reduction, the translator chooses to
remove any words forming the original text which
are considered redundant in the target language.
Example: The French ‘sciences politiques’
[literally; political sciences] can be rendered in
English as just ‘politics’.
Translation techniques
7. Expansion
The opposite of reduction, this is when words are
added in order to preserve meaning. This can be due to
differences in sentence structure, grammar or
terminology.
Example: The reverse of reduction, ‘politics’ in English
would be rendered as ‘sciences politiques’ in French.
Since French also uses gender articles, expansion is
natural when translating from English into French.
Key issues in Translation practice
• Translating Language Structure
• Translating Idioms and Expressions
• Translating Compound Words
• Missing Names In Translation
• Two-Word Verbs
• Multiple Meanings In Translation
• Translating Sarcasm
Interpretation Techniques
Consecutive interpretation
Consecutive interpretation is a technique in which
the interpreter serves as an intermediary
between the speakers.
Interpretation Techniques
Consecutive interpretation
The interpreter listens to the speech and the
speaker pauses and allows the interpreter to
repeat their statements in another language.
The interpreter begins interpreting after the
speaker has paused.
Interpretation Techniques
Consecutive interpretation
Consecutive Interpretation is commonly used for
depositions, court hearings, business meetings
and negotiations, medical appointments, tours,
informal meetings and other social events.
Interpretation Techniques
Simultaneous interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation is a technique in
which the interpreter renders the interpretation
simultaneously while the speaker is still speaking.
Simultaneous interpretation is used in large
conferences, conventions, and seminars where
there is only one speaker addressing an audience.
Interpretation Techniques
Simultaneous interpretation
The speaker speaks into a microphone and the
interpreter wears a headset which enables them
to listen to the speaker and almost
simultaneously render the message into a
microphone in the target language.
Those people needing interpretation wear an
earpiece which allows them to hear the
interpreter.
Interpretation Techniques
Simultaneous interpretation
This technique is often used in media interpreting
and larger conferences.
Central issues in Interpreting practice
• Difficulty Hearing The Speaker
• Knowledge Of Local Culture
• Lack Of Prep Materials
• Challenges Interpreters Face With Humor,
Sarcasm And Jokes