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Translation Theory

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Diana Adamyan
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20 views4 pages

Translation Theory

Uploaded by

Diana Adamyan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 1.

What is meant by the concept of "translation"?


Translation is the transfer of information from one language to another while
maintaining the content and meaning. It can be defined as transforming speech in one
language into a speech form of another language, preserving the meaning (O.S.
Akhmanova, L.S. Barkhudarov).

What are the tasks and goals of translation studies?


The tasks and goals include understanding the content of the original text, conveying
this content accurately in the target language, and ensuring the translation meets the
requirements of equivalence and adequacy.

What is the difference between the work of an interpreter and a translator?


An interpreter works with spoken language in real-time, either consecutively or
simultaneously, while a translator deals with written text, translating it into another
written form.

What is meant by "equivalence", "adequacy", "translatability"?


Equivalence refers to maintaining the relative equality of meaning, style, and function
between the source and target texts.
Adequacy concerns whether the translation meets the communicative conditions of the
context.
Translatability refers to the ability of a text to be accurately translated into another
language.

Which translation is preferable: literal, free or adequate? Why?


Adequate translation is preferable because it balances accuracy and contextual
appropriateness, avoiding the pitfalls of being too literal or excessively free. Literal
translations may be awkward or incorrect, while free translations may deviate too
much from the original meaning.

What level of equivalence is required for translation?


The translation must achieve a level of equivalence where substantive, meaningful,
semantic, stylistic, and functional-communicative information is preserved between
the original and the translation.
Why is background knowledge important for a translator?
Background knowledge is crucial because it helps the translator understand and
accurately convey the context, cultural references, and specialized terminology of the
source text.

What are the main tasks a translator needs to solve?


The main tasks are to correctly understand the content of the original text and to
convey this content fully and accurately in the target language.

What is necessary for a successful translation of scientific and technical


literature?
For successful translation, it is necessary to have a good vocabulary in English,
knowledge of grammar and terminology, understanding of lexical, grammatical, and
stylistic issues, the ability to use dictionaries effectively, and familiarity with the
specific field of knowledge related to the text.

Lecture 2.
What semantic relationships between lexical units of two languages do you
know?
The semantic relationships between lexical units of two languages can be categorized
into three main types: full correspondence, partial correspondence, and no
correspondence.

What is lexical (dictionary) correspondence?


Lexical or dictionary correspondence refers to a word in one language that is close in
meaning to a word in another language, used frequently as a way to convey meanings
in translation.

Are there many equivalents in languages?


No, there are relatively few equivalents in languages. Equivalent correspondences are
rare and usually include proper names, geographical names, scientific terms, and other
specific words with one clear meaning.

Give examples of words that have no correspondence in another language.


Examples of words with no correspondence include:
English: "paramedic" (медик парашютно-десантных войск)
Russian: "именинник" (birthday person), "кипяток" (boiling water).
What is the essence of using the transcription/transliteration technique in
translation?
Transcription/transliteration involves recreating the form of a word from one language
in another language using letters or sounds. Transcription focuses on sound
reproduction (e.g., "Internet" to "Интернет"), while transliteration focuses on the
letter-by-letter rendering of the word (e.g., "Novgorod" to "Новгород").

What is a tracing of a word in translation?


Tracing, or calque, is a method of translating a word or phrase by translating its
individual components and adding them together, such as "sky-scraper" to
"небоскреб."

What is the difference between an explanatory translation in a dictionary and a


descriptive translation of a word in context?
An explanatory translation in a dictionary provides the general meaning of a word,
while a descriptive translation in context explains the specific meaning of a word
based on its use in a particular text or sentence.

In what cases should a translator provide explanations and notes that are not in
the original text?
A translator should provide explanations and notes when a term or concept in the
original text may not be familiar to the target audience, or when using techniques such
as transcription or transplantation, where the meaning may not be immediately clear
from the context.

What is the essence of an approximate translation?


Approximate translation involves selecting the closest possible equivalent for a word
or concept that does not have an exact match in the target language, providing a rough
but understandable version of the original meaning.

What is transplantation?
Transplantation (or foreign-language inclusions) is the practice of retaining words and
expressions from the original language in the translated text to preserve authenticity,
often without explanation, unless clarification is needed.
What is the role of context when translating a word? What types of context do
you know?
Context is crucial in determining the meaning of polysemantic words. There are two
types of context: narrow (a phrase or sentence) and broad (a paragraph, chapter, or
entire work). The narrow context usually reveals the meaning of a word, while the
broad context may be needed in more complex cases.

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