...A. Major Works in the Field of Translation June 03, 2015 Contents A. Major Works in the Field of Translation 2 I. Introduction 2 II. Translation Works in Europe and Asia 3 III. Conclusion 6 Works Cited 7 A. Major works in the field of translation I. Introduction Translation studies covers the science of written translation as well as that of oral translation, commonly referred to as interpreting. In this paper, I shall focus on well-know historical written translations. Specifically, how they came into being, what instigated the process by which they made their, relatively speaking, universal debut and to conclude, a word or two about how these translations were received. In the rational, temperate climate that permeates the society of today it is often difficult to imagine the trials and tribulations that early translators had to face. Some translators were simply too educated and ultimately, their life work led them to their downfall at the hands of those who would not accept change. These forces conspired to undermine the efforts of those who were driven simply by curiosity. As Jeremy Munday points out: Any translation diverging from the accepted interpretation was likely to be deemed heretical and to be censored or banned. An even worse fate lay in store for some translators. The most famous examples are those of the English theologian-translator William Tyndale, and the French humanist Etienne Dolet, both burnt at the stake. (23) ...
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...work will attempt to give a general view of the problem and a brief analysis of possible solutions. The Past First England, then the US, have been for at least the last three centuries the most powerful countries in the world. England had a very early Industrial Revolution and its development of machines and ships led to its vast overseas empire. Even during the centuries when Spain was the most powerful nation and its ships traveled the entire world, its war crafts and equipments could not match the British fleet and armies. For a while there was France, with its beautiful Revolution for liberty, equality and fraternity, spreading the power of the bourgeoisie all over Europe. Then arose Napoleon, the Revolution’s emperor, trying to conquer new lands and colonies for France. In the long run, he was no match for the British power either. His ships were blockaded and destroyed at sea and his weary armies were finally crushed at Waterloo in 1815. 1 Then there was Germany, united after many decades of Prussian-German internal feuds and external wars, trying to gain access to colonies already controlled by France and Great Britain. The First World War unleashed and England, then with France as its valiant ally and the timely intervention of the US armies in the European theater, could still prove its resiliency and...
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...A Translator’s Coming of Age by Omaya Ibrahim Khalifa Through studying the three translations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet done by Mohammed Enani in 1965, 1986 and 1993 respectively, this study adopts a diachronic approach. In addition to examining the historical dimension, this study attempts to address itself to crucial questions related to the process of translating a literary text. A few of these are: how a translator can approach a given text in three different ways and how each translation changes according to the approach and the methods chosen by the translator. More importantly, the study proposes to discuss the pragmatic conditions governing the act of translation and how far these result in prominent modifications in the relationship between the source and target texts. The first part of this study discusses the problem or problems which confront a translator attempting to transpose Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into Arabic, and the second analyses the three translations and how each deals with the problems discussed. Mohammed Enani, in his introduction to his third translation of Romeo and Juliet, singles out tone as the main difficulty that faces any translator attempting a rendering of the play. In the Elizabethan era romance was regarded as a subject for comedy and as such allowed playful treatment. Harry Levin explains that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was an innovation at the time. He reveals the effect of the play on contemporary audiences...
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...The Interaction between Imagery and Allusions in translating Chinese PoetryBased on Tu Fu’s Poems Shih-ying Liaw Prof. Wang Linguistics and Translation June 18 2012 Shih ying Liaw1 Shih-ying Liaw Prof. Wang Linguistics and Translation June 18 2012 The Interaction between Imagery and Allusions in translating Chinese PoetryBased on Tu Fu’s Poems Though Chinese poetry has been translating for almost a hundred years, there are still many questions about the translation strategies and situations worth discussing. In this paper, the interaction between imagery and allusions when translating are discussed and the practical situation used when translating are presented. To discuss the interaction between imagery and allusions, the first thing is to identify and define each term. First is imagery. Imagery is thought to be the most important factor to the poetry. I use Ezra Pound’s word as definition because he is not only a pioneering translator in Chinese poetry and also a great poet. He says that “an image' is that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” Further explanation is given by Professor Liu in “The Art of Chinese Poetry” by putting imagery into two categories. The first is “simple imagery,” which is defined as “a verbal expression that evokes a mental picture, which not merely picture in words but also arouses emotional associations and enriches the poetic context”. The Shih ying Liaw2 second category...
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...CHALLENGES OF HUMOUR TRANSLATION IN FICTION Reda Baranauskienė, Laura Pociūtė Šiauliai University Introduction Humour is not a modern invention nor is humorous literature. However, what concerns its perception, it appears that humour is highly dependent on cultural background of the perceivers not to mention different cultures and different languages in which people express themselves. All these factors affect the understanding of humorous material and its ability to travel from one culture to the other. Although humour has been studied from philosophical and psychological point of view in the first place, linguistics is not an exception. The patterns of humour and its mechanisms have been studied by Hazlitt (1903), Raskin (1994), Attardo (1994), Alexander (1997), Chiaro (2010) and Berger (2010). The problems of translation have been studied by Nida and Taber (1969), Newmark (1991), Bell (1991) and Chiaro (2010). What concerns translation into Lithuanian valuable contribution has been made by the Lithuanian linguists Armalytė and Pažūsis (1990). Translation of humour has been researched by Alexieva (1997), Chiaro (2010) and Lithuanian linguist Pažūsis (2006). The novelty of the work: the problems of translating English humour into Lithuanian have not been thoroughly studied, therefore it has been chosen as a subject of this paper. The article reveals the complexity of humour phenomenon which exists in every part of the world, nevertheless, travels from one language to another...
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...The most widely known English translation of the Kama Sutra was privately printed in 1883. It is usually attributed to renowned orientalist and author Sir Richard Francis Burton, but the chief work was done by the pioneering Indian archaeologist, Bhagwanlal Indraji, under the guidance of Burton's friend, the Indian civil servant Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, and with the assistance of a student, Shivaram Parshuram Bhide.[16] Burton acted as publisher, while also furnishing the edition with footnotes whose tone ranges from the jocular to the scholarly. Burton says the following in its introduction: It may be interesting to some persons to learn how it came about that Vatsyayana was first brought to light and translated into the English language. It happened thus. While translating with the pundits the 'Anunga Runga, or the stage of love', reference was frequently found to be made to one Vatsya. The sage Vatsya was of this opinion, or of that opinion. The sage Vatsya said this, and so on. Naturally questions were asked who the sage was, and the pundits replied that Vatsya was the author of the standard work on love in Sanscrit[sic] literature, that no Sanscrit library was complete without his work, and that it was most difficult now to obtain in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript obtained in Bombay was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Benares, Calcutta and Jaipur for copies of the manuscript from Sanscrit libraries in those places. Copies having been obtained...
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...and Foreignization in Translation Wenfen Yang School of Foreign Languages, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China Email: wfyoung@163.com Abstract T his essay gives a brief study of Domestication and Foreignization and the disputes over these two basic translation strategies which provide both linguistic and cultural guidance. Domestication designates the type of translation in which a transparent, fluent style is adopted to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for target language readers; while foreignization means a target text is produced which deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original. In the contemporary international translation field, E ugene Nida is regarded as the representative of those who favour domesticating translation, whereas the Italian scholar L aw rence Venuti is regarded to be the spokesman for those who favour foreignizing translation, who has also led the debate to a white-hot state. Index Terms domestication, foreignization, translation strategies I. OVERVIEW OF DOMESTICATION AND FOREIGNIZATION Domestication and foreignization are two basic translation strategies which provide both linguistic and cultural guidance. They are termed by American translation theorist L.Venuti (qtd. in Schaffner 1995:4). According to Venuti, the former refers to -language cultural values, bring the author the linguistic and cultural designates the type of translation in which a transparent...
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...poems from Gitanjali and other texts; a performance of Frank Bridge’s gloriously passionate settings for tenor voice and piano of two poems from The Gardener (composed in 1922: the poems are Nos. 29 and 30, ‘Speak to me, my love’ and ‘Dweller in my deathless dreams’); a presentation on Sriniketan and Dartington (Tagore and Elmhirst) by the The Tagoreans, an old-established London-based group; and a song and dance sequence called ‘The Golden Boat’, designed and performed by the Tagore Centre UK. Also, poem No. 9 from ‘Prantik’ was read in the original Bengali and in English, French, German and Slovenian, to illustrate the ‘third Tagore’ – not the Bengali Rabindranath, not the English Tagore, but the new and fuller impression that is emerging the world over through new translations. One particular memory I shall keep from the evening is the way the two poems I chose from Gitanjali came wonderfully alive as read by my PhD student Mayurika Chakravorty. Listening to her highly dramatic reading in her Calcutta-accented English of Nos. 48 (‘The morning sea of silence’) and 57 (‘Light, my light, the world-filling light’), I realised for the first time that the rhythms of Tagore’s English Gitanjali are Indian rhythms. They need to be read by an Indian voice, with an accent and intonation similar to Tagore’s own, as those were the rhythms that were in his head when he wrote his English versions. It’s taken me...
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...Descriptive Translation Studies as in its application in translation practice and translation analysis. Since early 20th century, translation studies gradually broke away from the marginal status within other related disciplines and established itself as an empirical science. From then on, schools of thought have kept coming out and each claims its legitimacy for existence. Among these schools is Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS). DTS approaches translation from an empirical perspective. Translation is viewed to be a social activity having significant importance in the receiving culture and for the target community. Therefore, translation is dealt with beyond the linguistic realization and language comparison, and is incorporated in social and cultural context. My attention was first directed to DTS by its peculiar characteristic of observation, description and explanation. The subject is whatever happens in translation practice, from the determination of prospective function of translation to the process of translator’s choice of strategies, brainstorming and the revision, to the final product making appearance in the target community. The method of DTS is basically descriptive. The prescriptive tendency and the problem-solution pattern is abandoned. Translation phenomena are noted down. With accumulated data, some underlying truths about translation will come out which will prove to be instructive not only for theoretical probe but also for applied translation practice...
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...Professional Study Program “Technical Translation” Text Types and Decision Making in Translation TERM PAPER Riga 2011 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Theoretical Part 4 Practical Part 10 Conclusion 41 Bibliography 42 Appendixes I Glossary of Terms II Source Text Introduction The author of the present term paper is a student of Riga Technical University, Institute of Languages, Georgijs Mitikovs. The term paper titled “Text Types and Decision Making in Translation” consists of two parts: the theoretical part and practical part. In the theoretical part the author of this term paper reviews different types of texts and specific characteristics of each of them as well as a set of methods of translation with examples taken from the translation of a text provided in the second, practical part of this term paper. The practical part consists of translation of a text from the book “The Ascend of Money, A Financial History of the World” (New York, 2008) written by Niall Ferguson. The title of the chosen chapter this book is “Blowing Bubbles”. The author of the term paper has also included all the figures and tables from the source text in the target text. The aim of the author in this term paper is to define different types of text types and to find out the factors which impact the process of decision making in translation. In the practical part of given term paper the aim was to apply the most appropriate translation strategies, methods, approaches...
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...TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT Translation quality assessment has become one of the key issues in translation studies. This comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of translation evaluation makes explicit the grounds of judging the worth of a translation and emphasizes that translation is, at its core, a linguistic operation. Written by the author of the world’s best known model of translation quality assessment, Juliane House, this book provides an overview of relevant contemporary interdisciplinary research on translation, intercultural communication and globalization, and corpus and psycho- and neuro-linguistic studies. House acknowledges the importance of the socio-cultural and situational contexts in which texts are embedded, and which need to be analysed when they are transferred through space and time in acts of translation, at the same time highlighting the linguistic nature of translation. The text includes a newly revised and presented model of translation quality assessment which, like its predecessors, relies on detailed textual and culturally informed contextual analysis and comparison. The test cases also show that there are two steps in translation evaluation: firstly, analysis, description and explanation; secondly, judgements of value, socio-cultural relevance and appropriateness. The second is futile without the first: to judge is easy, to understand less so. Translation Quality Assessment is an invaluable resource for students and researchers...
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...Express, an International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research ISSN: 2348 – 2052 , Vol. 1, Issue 2, Feb 2014 Available at: www.express‐journal.com The Cultural Agenda of Translation & Arabization: Aspects of the Problems by Dr. Ali Albashir Mohammed Al-haj Department of English Faculty of Arts& humanities Jazan University Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abstract Translation is activity – a cultural activity at that-intended to widen the area of human understanding and communication with reference to general and specific information. The basic requirement relevant to good translation is that the translator must have a thorough knowledge of the cultures of both the source language and the target language. The translator needs not sit biting nails and rush to the dictionary every ten minutes. When it has been accepted that translation is not only important but also necessary to our Arab World, there is no point in pondering over the problems of translations. Cultural proximity is a big advantage for translators, it is rewarding for them to look for this when they choose their work. Arabization is part and parcel of the whole journey of the Arab societies to its roots. The starting-off point for any translator is their preferred future; in order to arrive at the destination then it is clearly important to know what the destination is. But it is perhaps better to think 1 Express, an International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research ...
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...Most Bible contradictions may be dismissed as translation errors as we will prove throughout this article with the assistance of lexicons. Other difficulties are resolved once we explore the context of the conflicting passages, examine older manuscripts which verify some contradictions as simple scribal errors, and apply logic to solve philosophical dilemmas. One thing I find in common with those who distribute Bible contradictions is their use of the 1611 King James Bible. However, this is a 400 year old English translation- not an original Biblical language. Linguistic scholars have learned a lot in regards to how the Bible should more accurately translate into English. Although the KJV sufficiently gets the point of salvation across to the reader (the fundamental purpose of th Bible), I strongly suggest using a more modern and accurate translation and the use of lexicons when examining the Bible in depth. We will now answer some common criticisms of those who have answered Bible contradictions in the past. TRANSLATION ERRORS Many Biblical critics do not reference the original Hebrew and Greek texts when searching for errors. In my opinion, this is poor, irresponsible scholarship. Such critics fail to realize translation difficulties are not exclusive to the Bible. Any text translated into another language will contain errors due to the use idioms, archaic terminology, and puns that do not translate properly into other languages. In order to finally resolve...
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...What is the percentage of native English speakers in the world? Only about 5.43 %, including those in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. For comparison, native Russian speakers account for 2.33% in Russia, Ukraine, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. A “native speaker” means learning and using a language from early childhood and is the primary means of concept formation and communication What areas do you see the importance to correctly communicate for avoiding any ramifications? Legal – vendor and employee contracts, product warranties, application forms for services, correct product or equipment use, patent infringement, export and import documentation, Safety – for employees and customers, or OSHA, FDA, EC requirements What other areas would benefit if you could communicate clearly and effectively? Marketing – increased sales, company awareness, competitive advantage Production – employee loyalty, accurate deliverables, faster time to market World is getting smaller and endless ways to connect, but communication not. Shipping speeds, internet, smart phone, technology enables faster easier ways to get your message out, but the purpose of translation is making sure they understand that message. It takes a doctor to prescribe a medicine, it takes a lawyer to interpret the law, and it takes a driver to driver a vehicle…. Therefore, it takes translator who can convey the real meaning of your text, only a Christian...
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...global trade, international companies cannot afford to make costly advertising mistakes if they want to be competitive and profitable. Understanding the language and culture of target markets in foreign countries is one of the keys to successful international marketing. Too many companies, however, have jumped into foreign markets with embarrassing results. Out of their blunders, a whole new industry of translation services has emerged. Faulty translations The value of understanding the language of a country cannot he overestimated. Translation mistakes are at the heart of many blunders in international advertising. Since a language is more than the sum of its words, a literal, word-by-word dictionary translation seldom works. The following examples prove this point. Otis Engineering Company once displayed a poster at a trade show in Moscow that turned heads. Due to a poor translation of its message, the sign boasted that the firm’s equipment was great for improving a person’s sex life. The Parker Pen Company suffered an embarrassing moment when it realized that a faulty translation of one of its ads into Spanish resulted in a promise to “help prevent unwanted pregnancies”. Automobile manufacturers in the United States have made several notorious advertising mistakes that have been well publicized. General Motors learned a costly lesson when it introduced its Chevrolet Nova to the Puerto Rican market. Although “nova” means “star” in Spanish, when it is spoken,...
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