TYPES OF

TRANSLATION
TRANSLATION AS A MEANS OF
INTERLINGUAL COMMUNICATION
 Target text (TT, that is the translation) is not fully
identical due to the limitations imposed by the formal
and semantic differences between the source language
(SL) and TL.
 Nevertheless the users of TT identify it, to all intents and
purposes, with ST – functionally, structurally and
semantically.
 The functional identification - the users (or the translation
receptors - TR) handle TT in such a way as if it were ST
(purpose, intention).
 The structure of the translation should follow that of the
original text:
 there should be no change in the sequence of narration or in the
arrangement of the segments of the text.
 The aim is maximum parallelism of structure which would
make it possible to relate each segment of the translation to the
respective part of the original.
 Semantic identification of the translation :
 the translation has the same meaning as the original text;

 no discrepancy between the transmitted and the received

message;
 the presumption of semantic identity between ST and TT is
based on the various degrees of equivalence of their meanings.
The translator usually tries to produce in TL the closest possible
equivalent to ST.
Thetranslating process includes two
mental processes:
understanding and verbalization

Dynamic aspects of translation: the

translator actually makes a mental travel
from the original to some interlingual level
of equivalence and then further on to the
text of translation.
MODELS OF TRANSLATION
 A model is a conventional representation of the
translating process describing mental operations by
which the source text or some part of it may be
translated.
 Translation models can be oriented

 either toward the situation reflected in the ST contents

or
 toward the meaningful components of the

ST contents.
 The situational (or referential) model - based on the identity
of the situations described in the original text and in the
translation
 The semantic-transformational model postulates the similarity
of basic notions and nuclear structures in different languages.
SITUATIONAL MODEL

• the described reality, the

facts of life that are
Original text
represented by the verbal
description
• mental representation
Extratextual of the extratextual
situation
situation

Translation • “the same

things” in TL
TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL
 The transformational model postulates that in any two
languages there is a number of nuclear structures which
are fully equivalent to each other. (grounds –
transformational grmmar)
 Each language has an area of equivalence in respect to
the other language. It is presumed that the translator does
the translating in three transformational stages.
 provides the translator with the appropriate tools of
analysis and synthesis, makes him/her aware of what he
is to look for in the original text, what type of
information must be conveyed in TT and how to act to
achieve his goal.
 • Transformation of the original
the stage of structures into the nuclear structures
analysis within SL

the stage of • Replacement of the SL nuclear

translation structures with the equivalent
nuclear structures in TL.
proper

• Development of the
the stage of latter into the
synthesis terminal structures in
the text of translation
“It is very strange this domination of our intellect by our
digestive organs”

“domination of our intellect” and “domination by our digestive

organs”
 Passive vs. Active
“organs dominate” and “they dominate intellect”
“органи домінують” and “вони домінують над
розумом/впливають на розум/ володіють/керують розумом”

“Дивно, якою мірою органи травлення володіють

нашим розумом”
 Contemporary translation activities of a translator are
characterized by a great variety of types, forms and levels of
his responsibility

 Different types of texts (style, genre, language features

 Different communicative situations and participants

 Different subject areas

 A number of stressful factors (time limitations)

 Each type of translation has its own combination of factors
influencing the translating process
 Different types of translation can be singled out depending on
the predominant communicative function of the source text
or the form of speech involved in the translation process.

 Literary and informative translation,

 written and oral translation (or interpretation)
 Literary translation deals with literary texts, i.e. works of
fiction or poetry whose main function is to make an emotional
or aesthetic impression upon the reader. Their communicative
value depends, first and foremost, on their artistic quality and
the translator’s primary task is to reproduce this quality in
translation.
 Informative translation is rendering into the target language
non-literary texts, the main purpose of which is to convey a
certain amount of ideas, to inform the reader.
 However, depending on the type and function of the ST, its
translation can be listed either as literary or informative only as
an approximation.
 A literary text may, in fact, include some parts of purely
informative character.
 Contrariwise, informative translation may comprise some
elements aimed at achieving an aesthetic effect.
 Literary works are known to fall into a number of genres
 prose, poetry or plays

 The translator of a belles-lettres text is expected to make a

careful study of the literary trend the text belongs to, the other
works of the same author, the peculiarities of his individual
style and manner and so on. This involves both linguistic
considerations and skill in literary criticism. A good literary
translator must be a versatile scholar and a talented writer or
poet
 Subdivisions of informative translations

 scientific and technical texts, newspaper materials, official

papers, public speeches, political and propaganda materials,
advertisements, film scripts, comic strips
 intermediate - there is a certain balance between the expressive
and referential functions, between reasoning and emotional
appeal
 In technical translation the main goal is to identify the
situation described in the original:
 the predominance of the referential function

 a good command of the technical terms and a sufficient

understanding of the subject matter
 stylistic requirements of scientific and technical materials to
make text acceptable to the specialist.
 official diplomatic papers as a separate type of informative
translation.
 the specific requirements to the quality of their translations;

 important documents every word of which must be carefully

chosen as a matter of principle.
Journalistic (or publicistic) texts
dealing with social or political matters
may feature elements more commonly
used in literary text (metaphors, similes
and other stylistic devices) which cannot
but influence the translator’s strategy.
SPECIAL TYPES OF WRITTEN (LITERARY
AND INFORMATIVE) TRANSLATION
 Full translation – preservation of all elements of original
texts; no modifications are possible.
 Abbreviated (shortening) translation – methodological,
political, ethical reasons – translation of some parts of
the original texts, omission of parts.
 Adaptation – to render the gist, to preserve the general
information, omission of culturally specific verbal
features (idioms, stylistic peculiarities, long sentences/
 Abstracts translation – to represent general conclusions
and results
THE QUALITY OF TRANSLATION
 Literally (word – for – word) translation – full
correspondence between structure and meaning of SLT
and TLT – the preservation of structure and form for the
sake of correctness - is restricted in the sphere of
application
 Adequate translation – faithful translation – equivalence of
formal, structural, communicative parameters of SLT – TLT

 Free translation, adaptation – preservation of the general

content of the SLT – restricted to the literary types of written
translations
TYPES OF TRANSLATION BASED ON
THE PERFORMANCE
 Manual translation – executed by a human
 Machine translation – performed with the help of special
computer programs/
 a computer program analyses a ST and produces a target text
without further human intervention.
 however, machine translation typically does involve human
intervention, in the form of pre-editing and post-editing
 an exception to that rule:
 e.g., the translation of technical specifications (strings of technical terms
and adjectives), using a dictionary-based machine-translation system.

 Mixed-type translation
 Author’s and authorized translations
MACHINE TRANSLATION
 In regard to texts (e.g., weather reports) with limited
ranges of vocabulary and simple sentence structure,
machine translation can deliver results that do not
require much human intervention to be useful.
 Also, the use of a controlled language, combined with a
machine-translation tool, will typically generate largely
comprehensible translations (AirSpeak)
 Relying on machine translation exclusively ignores the fact
that
 communication in human language is context-embedded and that
 it takes a person to comprehend the context of the original text with a
reasonable degree of probability.
 even purely human-generated translations are prone to error.
 such translations must be reviewed and edited by a human
 However, current systems are unable to produce output of the
same quality as a human translator, particularly where the text
to be translated uses casual language
TYPES OF TRANSLATION ACCORDING
TO THE SL-TL CORRELATION
 Intralingual – rendering of signs in one language
 Interlingual – translation proper or translation of SLT
into TLT
 Transposition – translation between different genres or
functional styles
TYPES OF TRANSLATION ACCORDING
TO THE PRAGMATIC FUNCTION
 Working translation, pre-translation
 Consultative translation

 Word-for-word (subscript) translation

 Training (back translation) for the purpose of language

acquisition
TYPES OF TRANSLATION ACCORDING
TO THE HUMAN ACTIVITY

translation /
interpretation

general specialized
GENERAL
TRANSLATION/INTERPRETATION
 the translation or interpretation of non-specific language
that does not require any specialized vocabulary or
knowledge
 However, the best translators and interpreters read
extensively in order to be up-to-date with current events
and trends so that they are able to do their work to the
best of their ability, having knowledge of what they
might be asked to convert
 good translators and interpreters make an effort to read
about whatever topic they are currently working on
SPECIALIZED TRANSLATION OR
INTERPRETATION
 refers to domains which require at the very least
that the person be extremely well read in the
domain.
 training in the field (such as a college degree in
the subject, or a specialized course in that type of
translation or interpretation)
 common types of specialized translation:
 financial translation and interpretation
 legal translation and interpretation
 literary translation
 medical translation and interpretation
 scientific translation and interpretation
 technical translation and interpretation
 military translation
AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION (AVT)
 an exciting new field in translation - a growing
professional demand
 dubbing and voice-over

 surtitling - a caption projected on a screen above the

stage in an opera, translating the text being sung
 subtitling
TRANSLATION AND INTERPRITING
 In written translation the source text is in written form,
as is the target text.
 In oral translation or interpretation the interpreter listens
to the oral presentation of the original and translates it as
an oral message in TL.
 As a result, in the first case the recipient of the
translation can read it while in the second case he hears
it.
 There are also some intermediate types. The interpreter
rendering his translation by word of mouth may have the text
of the original in front of him and translate it “at sight”.
 A written translation can be made of the original recorded on
the magnetic tape that can be replayed as many times as is
necessary for the translator to grasp the original meaning.
 The translator can dictate his “at sight” translation of a written
text to the typist or a short-hand writer with TR getting the
translation in written form.
SETS OF CONDITIONS IN WHICH
THE PROCESS TAKES PLACE
 Continuous
 In written translation the original can be read and re-read
as many times as the translator may need or like. The
same goes for the final product. The translator can re-
read his translation, compare it to the original, make the
necessary corrections or start his work all over again. He
can come back to the preceding part of the original or get
the information he needs from the subsequent messages.
These are most favourable conditions and here we can
expect the best performance and the highest level of
equivalence.
 Momentary
 The conditions of oral translation impose a number of
important restrictions on the translator’s performance. Here the
interpreter receives a fragment of the original only once and for
a short period of time. His translation is also a one-time act
with no possibility of any return to the original or any
subsequent corrections. This creates additional problems and
the users have sometimes to be content with a lower level of
equivalence.
TYPES OF ORAL TRANSLATION
 Consecutive
 In consecutive translation the translating starts after the
original speech or some part of it has been completed.
 The interpreter’s strategy and the final results depend on
the segment to be translated. If the segment is just a
sentence or two the interpreter closely follows the
original speech.
 the interpreter is expected to translate a long speech which has
lasted for scores of minutes or even longer -
 to remember a great number of messages and keep them in
mind until he begins his translation;
 to take notes of the original messages, various systems of
notation having been suggested for the purpose;
 special exercises to develop his memory.
 to reduce his translation considerably, selecting and
reproducing the most important parts of the original and
dispensing with the rest;
 This implies the ability to make a judgement on the relative
value of various messages and to generalize or compress the
received information. The interpreter must obviously be a good
and quick witted thinker.
 Simultaneous
 In simultaneous interpretation the interpreter is supposed to be
able to give his translation while the speaker is uttering the
original message. This can be achieved with a special radio or
telephone-type equipment. The interpreter receives the original
speech through his earphones and simultaneously talks into the
microphone which transmits his translation to the listeners.
 This type of translation involves a number of psycholinguistic
problems, both of theoretical and practical nature.