Translation Studies

Alberto Luís González García

Roberto Gallo Soljancic

José Javier López Ramón

Outline

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Introduction:

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Translation definition.

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Translation vs. Interpretation.

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The role of translator: skills.

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Translation Process: specifically the different stages carried

out when translating. (According to García Yebra).

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Comprehension stage

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Expression stage

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Type of translation:

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Direct vs. inverse Translation.

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Specialized vs. Non-specialized Translation.

Outline

(II)

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Translation techniques: (According to Vinay and Darbelnet)

Morphosyntactic Level

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Loan word

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Calque

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Literal Translation

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Transposition

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Equivalence

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Adaptation

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Modulation

Semantic Level

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Expansion

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Reduction

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Compensation

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Translation as a tool in SLT/ SLL.

Introduction

Definition of Translation

Munday: “the process of turning an original or "source" text into a text in another language”.

Translation vs. Interpretation

Translation ---> written texts
Interpretation ---> uses oral channel

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1.3 The role of a translator: skills

What do you need to become a good translator?

1. Complete knowledge of both source and target speech.

2. Write appropiately in both source and target language.

3. Ability to have language intuition ““to grasp various expressions, idioms and specific

vocabulary and their uses””

4. Be aware of the “”cultural divergence and diverse strategies in the source and target

verbal communication””

5. Be aware of diverse registers, styles of speaking, and social stratification of both source

and target language.

6. You have to be provided with encyclopedias and bilingual dictionaries in a specific

context

7. You have to take control of the different kind of speeches in both source and target

language.

Translation Process:

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Garcia Yebra:

Two stages

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Comprehension stage: The translator

decodes the sense of the source text into an

activity called semasiology.

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Expression stage: recodes the sense of the

text in the target language.

Type of translation:

•

Direct vs. indirect Translation:

–

Direct: Translating from a foreign language
into your mother tongue. Example: a
Spanish translator who translates from
English into Spanish.

–

Indirect: Translating from your mother
tongue into a foreign one. Example: a
Spanish translator who translate from
Spanish into English.

Type of translation:

•

Specialized vs. Non-specialized Translation.

–

Specialized: The translator requires an
excellent quality and precision into an area
of knowledge. Examples: medical
translation; legal translation.

–

Non-specialized: It is not required a great
knowledge in the area to translate.

Translation techniques:

The explanation of each procedure, according to Vinay

and Darbelnet

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Two levels: Morphosyntax level and Semantic level.

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Morphosyntax level techniques:

-Loan Word: A word taken from a language without translating it: Coyote

(from Spanish), Pizza (from Italian)…

-Calque: A class of loan where syntax is taken from source language and

translated literally. English: week-end Spanish: fin de semana. English:
science-fiction. Spanish: ciencia-ficción. Sangre azul → Blue-blood

-Literal Translation: translating word by word from source to target

language, respecting the collocations of the target language. English:
You are rich. Spanish: Tú eres rico.

Translation techniques (II)

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Transposition: Translating one part of the speech to other one,
without changing the sense of the message. English: out of order.
Spanish: no funciona. Le gusta nadar → She likes swimming.

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Modulation: Variation of the message, through a change in the point
of view. English: Puzzle. Spanish: Rompecabezas. You can have it → Te
lo dejo.

Translation techniques (III)

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Equivalence: Transmitting the same situation by
using different stylistic and structural resources.
English: no right of way. Spanish: prohibido el paso.
The Sound of Music → Sonrisas y Lágrimas.

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Adaptation: “Cultural equivalence”. E.G.:French
talking about Belgian jokes → English talking about
Irish jokes.

Translation techniques (IV)

Semantic Level

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Expansion: needed amplification for structural reasons. Example: in

Spanish is needed to specify the gender.

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Reduction: the same as expansion, but it is needed a reduction.

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Compensation: combination of the other two techniques. Tu/Usted

(Sp.) → You (Eng.)

Translation as a tool for
SLT/SLL

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SLL is the process by which people learn a second language.

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Translation is taught as a separated skill from L2 acquisition, as first,

you have to master L2 to be a good translator.

Conclusion

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Remind some specific terms:

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Difference between translation and
interpretation

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Different kind of translation:

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Loan words

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Calque

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Etc.

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Specific vs non-specific translation

Thank you very much for your

attention!

References

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www.translationcentral.com/translation_vs_interpretation.php

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http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Skills-Are-Required-To-Be-A-Good-Translator?&id
=911804

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http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words/loanwords.html

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http://www.translationschools.org/translation/specialized/

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López Guix, J.G. & Wilkinson, J.M. (1997).

Manual de traducción inglés-castellano. Teoría y práctica

. Gedisa

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http://www.jstor.org/pss

/392747

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http://people.umass.edu/bparient/Research/CompleteThesis-
BeatrizParienteBeltran.pdf

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logos.uoregon.edu/research/

second_language.shtml

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http://isg.urv.es/publicity/masters/sample/techniques.html

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en.wikipedia.org

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Stibbard, R. (1994). The Study of Translation in a Foreign Language Teaching.
Perspectives: Studies in Translatology.

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Cordero, A.D. (1984). The Role of Translation in Second Language Acquisition. The
French Review, Vol. 57, No. 3, pp. 350-355.