scholarly journals A Case Study on the Translation of Metaphors in Red Sorghum

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Leyang Wang

Mo Yan’s novel Red Sorghum is well known for its creative and initiative usage of metaphors. When it is translated into English, the translator has to evaluate the cultural differences between Chinese and English. The current study takes the translation of metaphors in Red Sorghum as an example to illustrate how cultural elements influence translation. The representative examples selected hereby were analyzed on the basis of the Relevance Theory and at the same time different cultural elements were taken into account to provide solid evidence. This essay proposes that translations of metaphors in Red Sorghum can be divided into four types: from metaphor to simile, from metaphor to metaphor with the tenor and vehicle unchanged, replacing the vehicle, deleting the vehicle. In order to facilitate target readers’s inferential process and help them establish the optimal relevance, the translator has to deliberate the disparities of the cultures in the source language and target language and then demonstrate the appropriate ostensive stimuli. No matter what measures the translator takes, it can not be sepearated from the corresponding cultural elements.

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Nadia Gitya Yulianita ◽  
Mangatur Nababan ◽  
Djatmika Djatmika

This research aimed to find out the used translation’s techniques and the acceptability of the translation. This was a descriptive qualitative research and an embedded-case study. Based on semantic and relevance theory, the researcher determined good translation. This research was conducted by listing the religious terms found in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam. Then, the researchers compared the source language and target language to identify the translation techniques. Finally, the researchers and raters assessed the acceptability of the translation by conducting Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The result shows that the translator uses established equivalent, borrowing, literal, particularization, generalization, transposition, reduction, addition, explication, and discursive creation. Besides, the average rate for the acceptability of the translation is 2,8 out of 3. It means that the translation is mostly in accordance with the norm and rule of language in the target text. 


Author(s):  
Rezvan Barzegar Hossieni ◽  
Mohsen Mobaraki ◽  
Maryam Rabani Nia

Translation is a difficult and complex task. Some elements such as linguistic and socio-cultural differences in two languages make it difficult to choose an appropriate equivalent; the equivalent which has the same effect in the target language. In the present study, one of the richest sources of the humor and satire is investigated. Humor is completely obvious in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. He tried to laugh at social and cultural problems of his time by this novel. Two translations of this book by Hushang Pirnazar and Najaf Daryabandari are investigated. The author tries to investigate on transference of humor from the source language to the target language by a syntactic strategy of Chesterman. By investigating the text, it will be found out that which translator is more successful in recreation of humor by using the strategies. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Kenny Wang ◽  
Chong Han

We propose in this paper a conceptual model of how equivalence may be achieved in subtitling to allow the target language viewers the opportunity to enjoy a comparable cinematic experience as that enjoyed by the source language viewers. We follow Brock’s (2015) adaptation of Goffman’s (1981) participation framework in communication and take Nida’s (1964) Dynamic Equivalence as the point of departure to propose Cinematic Equivalence as the conceptual model as well as the aim of film subtitling. This model is illustrated by examining the English subtitles of a Chinese biographical film called Forever Enthralled (?????). Based on our conceptual model, we make suggestions for subtitling training and practice.


Author(s):  
Abdul-Nafi' Kh. Hasan

The purpose of conducting this study is to identify and handle the problems arising from translating conversational words and phrases rooted in culture from English into Kurdish and vice versa. To achieve the objectives of the current research, source language conversational texts associated with greetings, politeness terms, kinship terms, address terms and words and phrases used on different occasions are translated into their counterparts in the target language. The results obtained from the translations show that translating cultural concepts is problematic and burdensome, and the problems identified result from cultural differences between the two languages and from literal translation which often leads to unnatural and incomprehensible expressions although this technique is used to borrow a source language expression. The results also indicate that translating culturally-bound conversational words and phrases requires good knowledge and mastery of both languages and cultures and proper use of various translation techniques. This research paper is an attempt to identify the problems that arise in translating culturally-specific conversational words and phrases from English into Kurdish and vice versa. It also aims to find out effective ways of overcoming the problem through implementing appropriate techniques for translating culturally-loaded words and phrases associated with greetings, terms of address, politeness terms, family relationship, in both languages.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Fang Li ◽  
Yingqin Liu

This study explores the effects of teaching EFL students to use an outline in their English essays. The researchers maintain that using outlines can raise students’ awareness of different audience expectations embedded in the rhetoric of the target language (English) and culture and can improve their English academic writing. The study was based on a four-week long case study at a university in Xi’an, China, in which 24 Chinese EFL students at the College of Translation Studies participated. A discourse analysis was conducted by comparing the Chinese EFL students’ English essays produced at the beginning of the study with those produced at the end of the study after learning and practicing outlining for writing the English essays. Email inquiries were used for understanding the participants’ viewpoints on learning how to write English essay outlines. The findings reveal that teaching EFL students to use outlining in their English essays is an effective way to help them improve their essay writing. Not only can it enhance the students’ understanding about using the English thesis statements, but it can also help improve the use of related, logical, and specific detailed examples to support the main ideas in their essays. The email inquiries also revealed that the students believe that outline learning helped them to understand the differences between Chinese and English essay writing. The implications of the study for intercultural rhetoric are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Annet Aromo Khachula ◽  
Lucy Mandillah ◽  
Bernard Angatia Mudogo

Languages have different concepts for conveying meanings; hence there is a problem in finding equivalents between the source language (SL) and the target language (TL) in the process of interpreting. The transfer of meaning is identified as one of the basic problems in interpreting due to the absence of equivalence between two languages. This paper identifies levels of equivalence in the interpretation of selected sermons from English into Luhya varieties. Data was collected through key-informant interviews of interpreters, Focus Group Discussions by the congregants, and the researcher’s non-participant observation during church services. An audio recorder was used to collect the corpus for analysis which was later transcribed and translated for analysis. Relevance Theory by Sperber and Wilson (1986) provided the background for the discussion of the data. The findings revealed the following levels of equivalence in the interpretation of English sermons into Luhya varieties; one to many, one to part-of-one and nil equivalence. Further, it was also revealed that interpreters need to identify these three levels of equivalence in interpreting English sermons into Luhya varieties to determine the appropriate measures to counteract the situation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Darso Donatus

This study aims at identifying the types of category shifts and explaining their occurrence in the translation of complex noun phrases from English into Indonesian in The Valley of Fear Novel. The data were collected using observation method which was supported by implementing note taking technique in order to find out, identify, and classify the data. The data were analyzed by applying the qualitative descriptive method. The theory applied in this study is the theory of translation proposed by Catford (1965) to identify the types of category shifts found and to explain their occurrence. The result shows that all types of category shifts proposed by Catford (1965) such as structure shift, class shift, intra-system shift, and unit shift are found in the translation. Structure shift occurs in the highest frequency of 339 cases or about 66,86% out of total 507 cases, class shift occurs 75 cases or 14,79 % out of total 507 cases, and intra-system shift occurs 48 cases or 9,46 % out of total 507 cases, and unit shift occurs 45 cases or 8,87 % out of total 507 cases. The occurrence of category shift is caused by the different characteristics of source language and target language.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-211
Author(s):  
Arnida A. Bakar ◽  
Sulhah Ramli

Many translation scholars have proposed various approaches when dealing with culture-specific items. It shows that to achieve a good quality and successful translation work, suitable and functional translation approach should be applied by the translator. Borrowing is one of the approaches applied in various texts’ genre such as sacred text which has culture-specific items. It becomes frequently used in translating word with no equivalent in target language. However, it resulted in some of translations which have applied this kind of approach did not supply adequate meaning and fallout the irrelevant text towards readership. The reason is that borrowing approach stands alone without providing compensation strategies. Therefore, this present article investigates the functionality of borrowing approach in translating Qur’an non-existent cultural elements in Malay culture. This study is qualitative, and the data are analysed descriptively using document analysis by adopting Relevance Theory initiated by Sperber and Wilson (1986). It is suggested that the relevancy of translated text can be achieved not only through borrowing as an approach, but at the same time providing adequate meaning by means of compensation strategies. Thus, the study assumes that the less the effort processing is produced to understand the meaning, the higher the contextual effect of meaning is sufficiently provided. On the other hand, if the effort processing is less produced and the contextual effect is highly provided, the optimum relevancy of translated text can be achieved. It is concluded that the combination of borrowing approach and compensation strategies can help better understanding the meaning of non-existent religious cultural items in Malay culture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Ira Miranti

This article discusses one of the linguistic challenges discovered in a translation product, namely shifts. The shifts in translation product are inevitable due to numbers of factors, such as cultural differences and unique language systems. The approach used to describe the findings is descriptive-qualitative by having textual data from the source language in English and target language in Indonesian. Having these comparisons will assist to focusing on the analysis of shifts happened in the translation. The data source is one of Sidney Sheldon’s famous novel Windmills of the Gods and its translation in Indonesian language Kincir Angin Para Dewa. There are 112 shifts found in the Indonesian translation, yet this article focuses on ten most representative translation shifts based on Catford’s (1974) translation shifts’ concepts, that is shift of level and shift of category. In this case, the article will take more portion to describe the clause shifts in particular.


Author(s):  
Т.Н. Чибиров

В данной статье рассматривается проблема интерпретации обрядовой лексики (на материале рассказа С.К. Гадиева Азау ), которая заключается в культур- но-коннотативных особенностях эквивалентов исходного языка (далее ИЯ) и пере- водящего языка (далее ПЯ). В статье подчеркивается, что при работе в тексте с культурным фактором, в частности при интерпретации обрядовой лексики, следует руководствоваться принципом переводческой стратегии форенизации, представляю- щей собой наиболее адекватный перевод (по Ю. Найда), а также выступающим в ка- честве перевода-сопротивления, цель которого заключается в том, чтобы сделать работу переводчика более заметной путем выделения чуждых для реципиента ино- странных элементов, что позволяет защитить оригинальный текст от идеологиче- ского влияния целевой культуры (по Л. Венути). The article considers the problem of interpretation of ritual vocabulary (on the material of S.K. Gadievs story Azaw), which is in cultural-connotative peculiarities of the source-language and target-language equivalents. The article stresses that when dealing with the cultural factor in the text, in particular in interpreting ritual or ceremonial vocabulary, the principle of foreignization should be applied as the most appropriate translation (on Eugene Nida), it also acts as a mean of resistant translation that aims to make translators work more noticeable by highliting cultural elements of the source-translation and protecting it from the ideological infl uence of the target culture (on Lawrence Venuti).


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