The Translator as a Creative Being with special regard to the translation of literature and LSP

Babel ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irma Sorvali
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Interview Method ◽  
Il Y A

Abstract The translation process is studied from the translator's point of view. The translator is considered as an individual, i.e. as a creative being, and the process proper is thus seen as a typically human one. Translation strategies have been described in various ways within the framework of translation studies (TS). Transfer as such has very often been studied by linguistic analysis, but this is not sufficient to characterize the process itself. Other kinds of information are needed, which we can best obtain by interviewing translators. The interview method has not been widely used in TS, but it can provide very useful material on the creative nature of the translation process. Aesthetic and emotional values are of great importance in literary translation, but it is very difficult to measure them. Translators chiefly engaged with language written for special purposes (LSP) can be interviewed in a more objective way. Every translator has his principles of translating, and these can display very great variation, due to the creativity of the translator, but there are also phenomena that are common to all translating and all language transfer. There are thus individual and inter-individual differences, but also similarities. It is these differences and similarities that are described here. Résumé Le processus de la traduction est étudié du point de vue du traducteur considéré comme une entité individuelle, c'est-à-dire comme un être créatif, et par conséquent, le processus de traduction est considéré comme étant une activité typiquement humaine. Dans le cadre des études consacrées à la traduction (ET), les stratégies de la traduction ont été décrites de plusieurs manières différentes. En tant que stratégie, le transfert a souvent été étudié par le biais de l'analyse linguistique, mais en soi, cette approche est insuffisante pour caractériser le processus de traduction. Les ET n'ont pas souvent eu recours à la métode d'interview qui s'avère pourtant très utile pour faire apparaître l'aspect créatif du processus de traduction. Dans la traduction littéraire, les valeurs esthétiques et sentimentales sont très importantes mais il n'en demeure pas moins qu'elles sont aussi très difficiles à mesurer. Les traducteurs qui traduisent essentiellement des textes rédigés dans un but spécifique (TBS) peuvent être interviewés d'une manière plus objective. Chaque traducteur applique ses propres principes de traduction qui peuvent grandement varier selon la créativité du traducteur, mais il y a cependant des phénomènes communs à toutes les traductions et a tous les tranferts linguistiques. On peut donc affirmer qu'il y a des différences individuelles et inter-individuelles mais aussi des similitudes. Ce sont précisément ces differences et similitudes que l'auteur souhaite décrire dans le présent article.

scholarly journals TRANSLATING DRAMA: ANALYSIS OF DAVID EDGAR’S PLAY “ TESTING THE ECHO”

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-86
Author(s):  
Yulia Aleksandrovna Borisenko ◽  
Stanislav Sergeevich Makarov
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Translation Analysis ◽  
Interdisciplinary Character ◽  
Complex Culture

The article focuses on one of the problems of literary translation - the translation of dramatic texts. The article examines this type of texts in terms of the specificity of the genre and type of literature, their structural and other specific characteristics. Special attention is given to existing approaches to the development of translation strategies in drama. Different approaches to dramatic texts in linguistics and translation studies are analyzed, such as communicative, cultural, and hermeneutic ones. The play of the contemporary British writer David Edgar “Testing the Echo” was selected for a detailed pre-translation analysis, identification and solution of the most significant translation problems. The choice of the play was determined by the presence of complex culture-specific situations (interesting from the point of view of translation), the unusual principle of plot construction, as well as the lack of a translated version of the play. A detailed analysis of the play is preceded by the summary of the plot and some information about the main characters. The paper discusses the most “problematic” extracts from the translation point of view, accounts for translation decisions and lists some of the transformations that had to be resorted to in the process of translating. As a result, a conclusion is made that translation of drama has an interdisciplinary character, involving both theatrical and literary issues. Thus, the most effective strategy of translating drama is a combination of concretization and adaptation.

scholarly journals Image in Translated Novels from English into Persian

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Gholam-Reza Parvizi
Keyword(s):  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Literary Studies ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Mind

The question of image in literary studies and in recent years in Translation Studies is one of the most problematic innature. In the present study an attempt was made to define the nature of translating linguistic constructions – evokingimages in the mind of reader – in English novels and their rendered versions in Persian translations. In this studyseven types of images (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic and organic) in two English novelsand their rendered versions in Persian were analyzed based on two theoretical frameworks, the first one is Jiang’sImage-Based Model to Literary Translation (2008) by which the nature of translation of images were examined andthe other is Chesterman’s translation strategies (1997) which help to systematize translation strategies adopted bytranslators in rewriting the images in English novels. The results have shown that in most of the cases the images thatare intended by original author have been changed in the translations, and the aesthetic experience of the ST reader isdifferent from that of the TT reader.

Cross-cultural literary translation strategies within a Maltese bilingual context

Babel ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-168
Author(s):  
Kenneth Grima
Keyword(s):  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Strategic Processes ◽  
Useful Flow ◽  
Culture Bias

Abstract The process of literary translation includes the source culture-specific elements that constitute an integral part of the source text. This paper aims to identify and analyse various translation strategic processes that could be adopted in translating cultural factors within the parameters of a Maltese bilingual, but not necessarily bicultural, context. Each of the suggested strategic procedures is presented in useful flow-chart formats, varying from source language/source culture to target language/target culture bias approach in order to keep cultural losses to a minimum whilst maximising cultural gains and, therefore, to make the transformation of the source text into the target text successful. Such flow-charts are aimed to provide the literary translator with a rapid means of achieving an adequate and satisfying suggested solution for a quality cross-cultural transposition of the cultural elements encountered within a bilingual context. In certain instances, it is also suggested that some strategies are used concurrently with others. To achieve this aim, an extended practical translation exercise by the author himself is used. This paper also helps to strengthen further both the level of research in narrative translation studies in general, and the research done in Maltese narrative literary translation from a cultural point of view.

scholarly journals A Study on Zeng Hu’s Translation of The Thorn Birds from the Perspective of Chesterman’s Norm Theory

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 996
Author(s):  
Chengyi Ma
Keyword(s):  
Translation Studies ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Vital Importance ◽  
Professional Norms ◽  
Norm Theory ◽  
Further Development

Based on the norm theory of Toury and Hermans, Chesterman makes a further development on the study of translation norms. In his theory, translation norms fall into two categories: expectancy norms and professional norms. Expectancy norms are from the expectations of target readers and influenced by the economic, political and cultural factors of the target society. Professional norms manipulate the translation process and are subject to expectancy norms. Professional norms can be further divided into accountability norms, communication norms and relation norms. Chesterman’s norm theory covers the ethical, social and skill norms during the whole translation process, which has great significance for translation studies and practice. The author of this paper has conducted an overall study on The Thorn Birds translated by Zeng Hu from the perspective of Chesterman’s norm theory, aiming to analyze the translator’s conformity to these norms and how these norms influence his translation. It can be concluded that translation is a norm-governed activity. During the translation of The Thorn Birds, the translator Zeng Hu has, in his own way, ingeniously conformed to the translation norms by Chesterman: he not only conforms to the expectancy norms by adopting different translation strategies and styles according to the target readers’ needs, but also applies professional norms to make his translation work well accepted by readers and enjoy lasting popularity. Thus, it can be seen that the instructional and normative effects of translation norms is of vital importance to the success of a translation.

scholarly journals Trans(a)l(e)atory Studies or the Translator as a Performer: "Finnegans Wake" by James Joyce in Polish Translation

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (41) ◽  
pp. 29-47
Author(s):  
Łukasz Barciński
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
James Joyce ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Musical Score ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Finnegans Wake ◽  
The Comparative Study

Following the interdisciplinary approach, the article presents the translator’s role from the point of view musical terminology, which becomes appropriated for the sake of translation studies. As a result, the study applies the musical term aleatory music denoting an indeterminate type of musical notation which allows considerable freedom in the interpretation of a musical score. From this perspective, the translator, confronted with the inevitable interpretative gaps and indeterminacies in the source text, is compared to a musical performer who interprets the indeterminate aleatory notation. This approach is defined as trans(a)l(e)atory studies which consist in the analysis of multiple interpretative possibilities of target text versions based on one source text. The prominent example of the performative aspect of the translation process defined in this way is Finnegans Wake by James Joyce, the Polish translation of which (Finneganów Tren by rendered by Krzysztof Bartnicki) is analysed. The comparative study focuses on indeterminate aspects of language such as puns, neologisms (including portmanteau words), iconicity, blends and the superimposition of languages.

scholarly journals ПЕРЕВОД ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ С ПОЗИЦИИ ЕКОТРАНСЛЯТОЛОГИИ

SWorldJournal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
Юлия Новосад
Keyword(s):  
Translation Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Translation

The article aims at analyzing fiction translation from the point of view of a recently emerged eco-translatological perspective to literary translation criticism. Originally, it is a Chinese theory brought forth by Hu Gengshen in Translation Studies. Eco-

scholarly journals Applying Service-Dominant Logic to Translation Service Provision

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 191-207
Author(s):  
Minna Kujamäki
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Service Dominant Logic ◽  
Dominant Logic ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Translation Service

Translation is commonly regarded as a service both in translation industry and within Translation Studies (TS), but the question of what makes translation a service has not been widely explored. This conceptual paper looks at non-literary translation as a service, applying a paradigm of Service-Dominant S-D logic (S-D logic) to the field. Practices in translation service provision are analysed using the Facilities-Transformation-Usage framework (FTU framework), designed on the premises of S-D logic, as a tool. The paper shows that translation practices in general comply with this theoretical perspective, making translation, by definition, a service, and opens a window into the aspects that make it a service. Some current practices in the field do not, however, meet the criteria of an ideal service. These practices are discussed briefly in order to pinpoint, from the service theoretical point of view, where the problems lie. 

scholarly journals Supply-driven Translation: Compensating for Lack of Demand

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-68
Author(s):  
Ondřej Vimr
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Literature ◽  
Book Industry ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Translation Theory ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Descriptive Translation Studies ◽  
Target Culture

This chapter challenges the dominant notion in descriptive translation studies that literary translation is effectively driven by demand from the target culture. Gideon Toury argues that a target culture translates to fill gaps exposed by a source culture which the target culture views as prestigious. While this notion may work historically for the purposes of comparative literature, literary historians and translation theory, and in the context of high-brow literature, this chapter considers it unsuited to other genres, less widely translated literatures or the contemporary book industry. Using mainly Scandinavian and Czech examples, and others found in this volume, the chapter elucidates the notion of supply-driven translation from smaller European literatures, aimed at fighting the norm of non-translation. The chapter concludes by providing a typology of supply-driven interventions, with some commentary on their apparent advantages and drawbacks that sheds light on the roles, motivations and contributions of different intermediaries in the translation process.

scholarly journals ПЕРЕВОД ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ С ПОЗИЦИИ ЕКОТРАНСЛЯТОЛОГИИ

SWorldJournal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
Юлия Новосад
Keyword(s):  
Translation Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Translation

The article aims at analyzing fiction translation from the point of view of a recently emerged eco-translatological perspective to literary translation criticism. Originally, it is a Chinese theory brought forth by Hu Gengshen in Translation Studies. Eco-

In Search of Pure Sound: Sanqu Songs, Genre Aesthetics, and Translation Tactics

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-202
Author(s):  
Patricia Sieber ◽  
Mario De Grandis ◽  
Ke Wang ◽  
Hui Yao ◽  
Jingying Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Short History ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Short Essays

Abstract This article consists of an introduction by Patricia Sieber and six short essays on translation approaches together with actual translations of sanqu songs by Mario De Grandis, Ke Wang, Hui Yao, Jingying Gao and Ian McNally, Xu Yichun, and Jenn Marie Nunes. The introduction provides a short history of the translation of sanqu songs into English, followed by a reflection on which distinctive features of the genre beg for attention in the translation process. In particular, it argues that the different sonic features of sanqu merit close consideration, the loss of the notational contours of the original tunes notwithstanding. Rather than bemoaning the absence of the underlying music, it suggests that, in keeping with Walter Benjamin's vision of the “task of the translator,” translation into another language can be an opportunity to reinvent that musicality in different ways. The six short essays that follow consider sanqu songs from the corpus of diasporic writers from the Yuan dynasty, with a view toward enriching the repertoire of translation strategies for sanqu in terms of musicality and other salient features of the genre. The six essays discuss, respectively, pronouns, rhyme, punctuation, language registers, allusion, and citational practice. In contextualizing such strategies theoretically and illustrating them with examples, the short essays seek to contribute more broadly to the theory and practice of the literary translation of Chinese poetic forms.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document