TS Lecture1

8/13/2019 TS Lecture1

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Translation Studies

1. Introduction to the theory

of translation

Krisztina Kroly, Spring, 2006

Sources: Klaudy, 2003; Baker, 1998


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The nature of the translators

activity = creative activity

The translator faces a number of choices anddecisions.

decisions are partly subjective, partlyobjective (some of the translators subjectivechoices are based on objective factors)

their ambition to explain translationphenomena and create theories is closelyrelated to the very nature of this activity,regulated, on the one hand, by certainobjective rules, and permitting,on theother, a number of subjective choices(Klaudy, 2003, p.23)


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The medium of the translators

activity = two languages

communicating in two Ls at the same time

can never be as instinctive and

unconscious as communicating only in one

in translation, even the most instinctive

translator develops ideas about the

relationship between the two Ls, their

similarities and differences, theirrelationship with reality, the similarities and

differences in the way the two Ls segment

reality linguistically, etc.


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The object of the translators

activity = the text

Theories are related to the object of the

translators activity, i.e. the text, because

every text (e.g., a piece of literature, ascientific research article, an advertisement

or an editorial), allows forseveral possible

interpretations

the translator often has to defend his owninterpretation of the text against the

potentially differing interpretations of critics,

readers, and the public at large.


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Is there continuity in the theory

of translation?

Practicing translators will often make

spontaneous contrastive linguistic observations(Hungarian prefers verbs as opposed to Indo-Europeanlanguages which prefer nouns.)

spontaneous text-linguistic observations (The

sentences of Indo-European languages start with a longerintroductory part than the corresponding Hungariansentences and have to be shortened in the Hungariantranslation or English, German, and Russian texts aremore impersonal than Hungarian texts.)

spontaneous stylistic observations(English scientific

texts are like small talk compared to German scientifictext), or

spontaneous sociolinguistic observations(Russianslike diminutive suffixes better than Hungarians.)

were not pooled for centuries!


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(1) Translation as a profession

Earlier: translation was mostly done forpleasure by writers, poets, statesmen,priests, and scholars to satisfy theirindividual literary, political, and scientificambitions.

Second half of the 20th century: translatingbecame a massactivity (source of earninga living)

has become a profession in its ownright


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(2) Translation as a subject in

training

Second half of the 20th century: manytranslator and interpreter traininginstitutions established

theoretical trainingbecame necessary

(practice was not enough) requiredcertain generalizations on the basis ofexperience gathered by translators theformulation of some objective rules

terminologyand conceptual apparatuswas needed need for theoreticalresearch aimed at providing a principledbasis for the teaching of translation.


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(3) Translation as an object of

research

Earlier: theorizing = privilege of non-

professional translators (writers, poets,

statesmen, priests, scientists, etc.)

Second half of the 20th century: translationscholars (e.g., linguists) separated from

practicing translators

Todays scholars: also interested in the

process of translation (modeling the

activity + describing regularities) applied

and basic research


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The main reason for the 3

changes:

= radical shift in the ratio of literary to non-literary translation ( = rapid increase in theamount of non-literary translation: politicalspeeches, international contracts, courtrecords, business letters, recipes, pricelists, etc.)

the separation of the science oftranslation from theories of literature

thinking about translation has shifted fromliterature to the science of linguistics


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Cont. lit./ling. approach:

(4) Lit.: concentrates on the productof translation

Ling.: also explore the processof translation(what goes on in the mind of the translator)

(5) Lit.: normative(prescriptive) by naturewhattranslation should be like, what translators

should doLing.: descriptivewhat the translation islike and what the translator does whiletranslating.

(6) Lit.: containsevaluation

Ling.: avoids evaluationand regardseverything that is intended as a translation bythe translator or the publisher as a legitimateobject of study.


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Translation theory and

contrastive linguistics (CL)

birth of the former almost exactly coincided with thatof the latter (CLlanguage teaching)

CL developed research methods for the synchronicanalysis of languages (vs. traditional comparativelinguistics = historical (diachronic)comparison of

Ls)CL often worked (and still work) on translatedmaterials, because the effects of the two principalcategories of contrastive linguistics, transfer(Jakobovits 1969, Selinker 1972), influencing the

process of FLL positively, and interference (Juhsz1970), influencing it negatively, can easily bedetected in translations.

frequently applied method of CL: error analysis(Corder 1973)often conducted on (trainees)translations.


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Differences between TS and CL

(1) CL: contrasts the systemsof the two languages

TS: comparison involves the realizationsof thetwo linguistic systems, i.e. texts.

(2) CL: contrasts the total systemof the two language

TS: selective,only deals with phenomena thatpose problems in translation.

(e.g., although the system of verb tenses inEnglish is different from Hungarian, since it doesnot cause problems in translation, it does not formpart of the research on translation.)

(3) CL: compares elements in the two languagesoccurring on the samelevel of language (e.g.,infinitives in German and Hungarian)TS: does not necessarily focus on elements onthe same level.

(e.g., the comparison of infinitives in German andfinite clauses in Hungarian).


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Translation theory and

contrastive text linguistics (CTL)

studies in CTL:based on texts that are not the translations ofone another (independent texts in Ls Aand B)

translation theory

contrasts the realizationsof two Lic systemsthat depend upon each other(!) (T = render anidea formulated in language Ain language B)

is interested in the extralinguistic elementsof

the situation of translation, too (e.g., role ofhuman participants in the situation: SL sender,TL receiver, translator; context: geographical,historical, cultural, political, religious, etc.)


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Translation theory as an

interdisciplinary field of study

explore the relationship between the two Ls, theSL and the TLcontrastive linguistics

compare the two texts (SL+TL)textlinguistics(terminology: anaphors, cataphors,

deixis, ellipsis, etc., developed for the study ofcoherence)

reveal the behavior and mental processes ofpeople participating in the situation of

translation, especially those of translators andinterpreterspsycholinguistics

provide a precise description of the historical,cultural, and social circumstances of thesituation of translationsociolinguistics


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Translation theory as applied

linguistics

Appliedsciencessocial

usefulness and interdisciplinary

nature (Szpe, 1986)

TS = interdisciplinaryfield

applies the results, terminology,

research methods, etc. of various

disciplines to investigate theprocesses, products and functions of

translation.


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TS = usefulscienceits results

may be applied widely:

in designing curriculafor translator andinterpreter training institutions,

developing materialsfor interpretation andtranslation,

in devising criteria for the assessmentoftranslations,

in unifying the documentationof multinationalcompanies,

in forming the professional profileof translators

and interpreters, in designing market strategiesfor translator and interpreter agencies,

in calculating pricesfor translation andinterpretation,

in producing translator desksand interpreter

booths, etc.


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The definition of translation

theory/translation studies

is a sub-discipline of applied

linguistics

studies the processes, products,and functionsof translation,

taking into account all of the

linguistic and extra-linguistic

elementsof the situational context

of translation.


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The linguistic componentsof

the situation of translation are:

the source language,

the target language,

the source language text,

the target language text.


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The extra-linguistic components

of the situation of translation are:

the source language sender,

the target language receiver,

the translator (who, in one person,combines the function of SL receiver

and TL sender), and

the historical, geographical, social,and cultural context of the SL and the

TL.


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Kinds/typesof translation

(including interpretation studies):

1. writtentranslation of a writtentext

2. oraltranslation of a writtentext (sight

translation)

3. oraltranslation of a spoken text(interpretation)

(a) simultaneous translation of a spoken

text (simultaneous interpretation)(b) consecutive translation of a spoken

text (consecutive interpretation)

4. writtentranslation of a spoken text


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Factors influencing

translatorss decisions:

not primary (monolingual)

communication= secondary communication

influencing factors are duplicatedis

also influenced by the interrelations

between these factors

translational language use


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Level Primarycomm.in L1

Primarycomm.in L2

Secondary comm.in L2

Liccompet.

system of L1 system of L2 systems of L1 and L2

Licperform.

use of L1system

use of L2system

usage in L1 and L2

ExtraLicreality

context of L1 context of L2 contexts of L1, L2

relations betw. systemsof L1 and L2e.g., missing gr.-cal

categoriesrelations betw. usage inL1 and L2

e.g., D structuringrelation betw. contexts

of L1 and L2e.g., political systems,power relationsRelation betw.translational use in L1-L2

e.g., experience ofprevious translators


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And now lets see the tasks

Documents

TS Lecture1