Handout 2. Translation Methods: Theories of Translation W3

Theories of Translation W3
HANDOUT 2. TRANSLATION METHODS
(Peter Newmark 1988)

SL-oriented vs. TL-oriented?
1. WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION
This is often demonstrated as interlinear translation, with the TL immediately below the SL
words. The SL word-order is preserved and the words translated singly by their most
common out of context.
 SL word-order is preserved
 Non-grammatical
 Words are translated by their most common meanings, out of context
Used for
 General information about SL
 Pre-translation process of difficult text in order to gain sense of meaning
Example (fun alert):
A Vietnamese woman called Police Station and said that her husband physically abused
her. A police officer came to her apartment and wrote the report. She does not speak much
English therefore, word by word, the policeman carefully wrote down every single thing
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the Vietnamese woman told him: “My husband threat hit die my mother so many times. And
today he out hand hit me true. He hit me hurt die mother.”

2. LITERAL TRANSLATION
The SL grammatical constructions are converted to their nearest TL equivalents but the
lexical words are again translated singly, out of context. As a pre-translation process, this
indicates the problems to be solved.
 SL grammatical structures are converted to their nearest equivalent in the TL
 BUT words are still translated singly, out of context.
Used for
 Pre-translation process to identify problems
Examples:
- He is a big liar.
- He looked up at the Milky Way.
- PetroVietnam, the state-owned oil and gas giant, has also found itself in hot water.
- She has a sweet tooth.
- Carry coals to Newcastle.
3. FAITHFUL TRANSLATION
A faithful translation attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original
within the constraints of the TL grammatical structures. It ‘transfers’ cultural words and
preserves the degree of grammatical and lexical ‘abnormality’ (deviation from SL norms)
in the translation.
 Words are translated in context
 Transfer cultural words
 Does not naturalize
Used for
 Literary translation
 Authoritative texts
 Drafts
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4. SEMANTIC TRANSLATION
Semantic translation differs ‘faithful translation’ only in as far as it must take more account
of the aesthetic value (that is, the beautiful and natural sound) of the SL text,
compromising on ‘meaning’ where appropriate so that no assonance, word-play or
repetition jars in the finished version. Further, it may translate less important cultural words
by culturally neutral third or functional terms but not by cultural equivalents. The distinction
between ‘faithful’ and ‘semantic’ translation is that the first is uncompromising and
dogmatic, while the second is more flexible, admits the creative exception to 100% fidelity
and allows for the translator’s intuitive empathy with the original.
 It is more flexible than faithful translation
 Naturalizes in order to achieve aesthetic effect
(may translate cultural words with neutral or functional terms)
 Great focus on aesthetic features of ST
(Close rendering of metaphors, collocations, technical terms, slang, colloquialisms, unusual
syntactic structures and collocations, peculiarly used words, neologism.
Used for
- Expressive texts: e.g., literature
Examples:
- Right in the heart of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is an enchanting body of water, a peaceful
oasis away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
- She has a sunny smile on her face.
- All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (the Declaration of
Independence of the United States of America in 1776)
5. COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION
Communicative translation attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original
in such a way that both content and language are readily acceptable and comprehensible
to the readership.
 freer than semantic translation
 gives priority to the effectiveness of the message to be communicated.
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 focuses on factors such as readability and naturalness

Used for
 informative texts
Examples:
- Right in the heart of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is an enchanting body of water, a peaceful
oasis away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
- Nhà có chó dữ.
- Keep off the grass.
- Her face is all her fortune.
 Semantic Translation vs. Communicative Translation
SEMANTIC TRANSLATION COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION
 written at author’s linguistic level  written at readership’s linguistic level
 used for expressive texts  used for informative texts
 expressive components rendered  normalized or toned down, neutral

closely/literally terms
 personal and individual  social
 tends to over-translate  tends to under-translate
 pursues nuances of meaning  pursues message
 inferior to its original  better than its original
 has to interpret  has to explain
 less freedom  more freedom
Note: There is no one communicative nor one semantic method of translating a text
- these are in fact widely overlapping bands of methods. A translation can be more, or less,
semantic - more, or less, communicative - even a particular section or sentence can be treated
more communicatively or less semantically. (Newmark)
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6. IDIOMATIC TRANSLATION
Idiomatic translation reproduces the ‘message’ of the original but tends to distort nuances
of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms where these do not exist in the original.
 Reproduce the ‘message’ of the original
 Prefers colloquialisms and idioms which do not exist in the original
 Outcome: lively, ‘natural’ translation
Examples:
- Không ai nghe lời khuyên của cô ấy cả
- Nó rất bướng bỉnh
- Chở củi về rừng
- Việc hôm nay chớ để ngày mai.
7. FREE TRANSLATION
Free translation reproduces the matter without the manner, or the content without the
form of the original. Usually it is a paraphrase much longer than the original, a so-called
‘intralingual translation’.
 Reproduce the matter without the manner; the content without the form of the original
 Paraphrases much larger than the original
Used for
Informative translation
In-house publication
Examples:
- Business is business
- Heartease (pansy) is used again for healing the heart. It is for disappointment in love,
and in separation.
8. ADAPTATION
This is the ‘freest’ form of translation. It is used mainly for plays (comedies) and poetry:
the themes, characters, plots are usually preserved, the SL culture converted to the TL
culture and the text rewritten by an established dramatist or poet.
 The freest form of translation
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 Preserves the theme, plots, characters only

 The SL culture is converted to the TL culture
 A kind of rewriting the text in translation
Used for
Plays, poems, songs, advertising, tourism
Examples:
- IT
- Chicken run
- The thorn bird
- “On a wagon, bound for market,
There’s a calf with a mournful eye.
High above him, there’s a swallow,
Winging swiftly through the sky.
How the winds are laughing,
They laugh with all their might.
Love and laugh the whole day through
And, half a summer’s night.”
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Theories of Translation W3

HANDOUT 2. TRANSLATION METHODS

(Peter Newmark 1988)

today he out hand hit me true. He hit me hurt die mother.”

 focuses on factors such as readability and naturalness

SEMANTIC TRANSLATION COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION

 written at author’s linguistic level  written at readership’s linguistic level

 used for expressive texts  used for informative texts

 expressive components rendered  normalized or toned down, neutral

 personal and individual  social

 tends to over-translate  tends to under-translate

 pursues nuances of meaning  pursues message

 inferior to its original  better than its original

 has to interpret  has to explain

 less freedom  more freedom

 Preserves the theme, plots, characters only

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