Introduction to Translation Study Notes.

By M.Ashiq / City University English Department.

Translation with method/technique:

"The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky in
shades of orange and purple. A flock of birds flew across the
sky, heading towards their nests. The air was cool and fresh,
and the sound of waves crashing on the shore was soothing.
I sat on the sand, feeling the warmth of the day fading away.
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the
moment"

Translation:
‫ آسمان کو نارنجی اور بنفشی رنگوں سے سجا رہا تھا۔ پرندوں کا ایک غول‬،‫سورج افق کے نیچے غروب ہو رہا تھا‬
‫ اور ساحل پر لہروں کے ٹکرانے‬،‫ اپنے گھونسلوں کی طرف۔ ہوا ٹھنڈی اور تازہ تھی‬،‫آسمان کے پار اڑتا ہوا جا رہا تھا‬
‫ دن کی گرمی آہستہ آہستہ ختم ہوتے ہوئے محسوس کر‬،‫کی آ واز دل کو سکون بخشتی تھی۔ میں ریت پر بیٹھا ہوا تھا‬
‫ اس لمحے کی خوبصورتی سے لطف اندوز ہوتے ہوئے۔‬،‫رہا تھا۔ میں نے اپنی آنکھیں بند کیں اور گہرائی سے سانس لیا‬

Translational Technique:
The technique used in translating the passage is
equivalence, which focuses on conveying the meaning and
emotional impact of the original text rather than translating
word-for-word. This involves:

 Cultural Adaptation --- Certain phrases may

need adjustment to resonate with the target audience.
For example, describing the sunset in colors familiar
to Urdu speakers ensures cultural relevance.
 Descriptive Language --- Maintaining the poetic
quality and sensory details is crucial. The translation
 captures the beauty of the scene through rich,
evocative language.
 Fluidity --- Ensuring that the translated text reads
naturally in Urdu, maintaining the flow and rhythm of
the original while being grammatically correct and
stylistically appropriate.

Reason for Employing the Technique:

Using equivalence helps preserve the essence and
emotional tone of the original text. It allows the translator to
create a vivid image and evoke similar feelings in the target
language, enhancing the reader's experience while
remaining true to the original intent of the author. This
approach is essential for maintaining the artistic quality of
literary works.

“Annie brisset theory”

Annie Brisset was a Canadian linguist and scholar who
specialized in translation studies and discourse theory. She was a
professor at the University of Ottawa and a member of the Royal
Society of Canada. She studied how translation can be used to
create and express a cultural identity, especially for minority
groups or nations. She focused on the case of Quebec, a French-
speaking province in Canada, where translators used their own
language and culture to translate plays from other languages.
She argued that these translations were not just linguistic
transfers, but also political and ideological acts that aimed to
assert the distinctiveness and legitimacy of Quebec’s culture and
nationhood.
She focused on the case of Quebec, a French-speaking province
in Canada, where translators used their own language and
culture to translate plays from other languages, such as English,
Swedish, Russian, and German. She argued that these
translations were not just linguistic transfers, but also political
and ideological acts that aimed to assert the distinctiveness and
legitimacy of Quebec’s culture and nationhood. She used the
concept of linguistic functions, which are the different roles that
a language can have in a society, such as being a native
language, a foreign language, a standard language, or a
vernacular language.
She showed how Quebec’s translators changed the linguistic
functions of their language by using it as a native language, a
language of community and resistance, instead of a foreign or
subordinate language.
She also analyzed how they adapted the original texts to fit their
own cultural context and values, sometimes even changing the
plot or the characters. She called this process “sociocritique”,
which means a critical analysis of the social and historical factors
that influence translation choices. She claimed that translation
can be a powerful tool for creating and communicating a cultural
identity, but also warned that it can be manipulated or distorted
by political interests or ideologies.

Explaining the Meaning:

It means that translation can be a good way to show and share
your culture and who you are with other people, but it can also
be used to change or twist the meaning or the message of the
original text for some reason or purpose. For example, if you
translate a story from another language, you can use your own
language and culture to make it more interesting and relevant
for your audience, but you can also change some parts of the
story to make it fit your own opinion or agenda, or to make the
other culture look bad or wrong. This can be done by some
people who have a lot of power or influence, or who want to
achieve something by using translation. Annie Brisset said that
translation can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on
how you use it and why you use it. I hope this explanation makes
it easier for you to understand what she meant.

Sociocritique Approach:
The sociocritique approach is based on the idea that translation
is not a neutral or objective process, but a creative and
expressive one that reflects the translator’s culture and identity.
It also recognizes that translation can have consequences for the
original text and the target culture, such as creating new
meanings, values, or representations. The sociocritique approach
tries to understand why and how translators make certain
choices, and what effects they have on the text and the culture.
It also tries to evaluate the quality and the ethics of translation,
by considering the translator’s responsibility and accountability.
The sociocritique approach is one of the ways to study
translation as a cultural phenomenon.

Example:
Let’s say you are a translator who lives in Quebec, and you want
to translate a play from English to French. The play is called
“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, and it is about the life
and struggles of an American salesman named Willy Loman. The
play is set in New York in the 1940s, and it reflects the American
culture and values of that time, such as the American dream,
capitalism, consumerism, and individualism.

According to Annie Brisset, you have two options:

you can either try to be faithful to the original text and use a
standard or neutral French, or you can use a more creative and
expressive French that reflects your own culture and identity as a
Quebecer. If you choose the first option, your translation will be
more like a linguistic transfer, and it will not show much of your
cultural identity. Your translation will be similar to other
translations of the same play in other languages, and it will not
have much impact or relevance for your audience. Your
translation will also reinforce the dominance of English and the
Canadian federal government, and it will not support the
independence movement of Quebec.
IF you choose the second option, your translation will be more
like a political and ideological act, and it will show your cultural
identity. You can use your own language and culture to translate
the play, and you can adapt it to fit your own cultural context
and values. For example, you can change the name of the play
to “Mort d’un commis voyageur”, which means “Death of a
Traveling Salesman”. This way, you can emphasize the difference
between the American and the Quebecer culture, and you can
also make a reference to another famous Quebecer play called
“Les Belles-soeurs” by Michel Tremblay, which is about the lives
and struggles of working-class women in Montreal. You can also
change some of the characters and the situations in the play to
make them more relatable for your audience.
For example, you can make Willy Loman a French-Canadian
salesman who works for an English-Canadian company, and who
faces discrimination and oppression from his boss and his
colleagues. You can also make his sons Biff and Happy more
rebellious and defiant against their father’s expectations and
values. You can also use some Quebecer slang and expressions
in your translation, such as “tabarnak”, “câlisse”, or “osti de
crisse”, which are swear words that are derived from Catholic
terms. By doing so, you can show that you are proud of your
language and culture, and that you want to share it with others.
You can also make a political statement, because you are
challenging the dominance of English and the Canadian federal
government, and you are supporting the independence
movement of Quebec.
By using this example, you can see how translation can
represent cultural identity according to Annie Brisset’s theory.
Translation is not just a linguistic transfer, but also a political and
ideological act that reflects the translator’s culture and values.
Translation can be used to create and express a cultural identity,
especially for minority groups or nations. However, translation
can also be manipulated or distorted by political interests or
ideologies. Therefore, Annie Brisset suggests that translators
should always be aware of the social and historical context of
their translation, and that they should be able to justify and
explain their choices.

“Levy's approach”
Levy was a Czech scholar who studied translation theory and
history. He wrote several books and essays on the topic, such as
The Art of Translation, Czech Theories of Translation, and
Problems of Comparative Versification. He was interested in how
translators make decisions, how translation reflects different
cultures and periods, and how translation can be used for literary
analysis and criticism. He died in 1967 at the age of 40.

The Theory of Translation:

The theory of translation by Levy is a general framework that
explains the nature, function, and principles of translation. It
states that translation is a form of communication that involves
both linguistic and extralinguistic factors, and that translation is
a creative activity that requires both analysis and synthesis. It
also proposes some criteria for evaluating translations, such as
adequacy, equivalence, fidelity, and beauty.

Adequacy:
Adequacy refers to the degree to which the translation conveys
the meaning of the source text in the target language in a given
situation. It involves taking into account the purpose, function,
and context of the translation, as well as the linguistic and
cultural differences between the source and target
languages. Adequacy is more concerned with the effect and
relevance of the translation than with its form and structure.

Equivalence:
Equivalence refers to the degree to which the translation
matches the source text in terms of form, content, and style. It
involves finding linguistic units that have the same or similar
meaning, function, and expression in both
languages. Equivalence is more concerned with the form and
structure of the translation than with its effect and relevance.

Fidelity:
Fidelity refers to the degree to which the translation respects and
preserves the intention and tone of the author of the source text.
It involves being faithful to the original message, without adding,
omitting, or distorting any information or nuance. Fidelity is more
concerned with the ethical and moral aspects of translation than
with its linguistic and pragmatic aspects.

Beauty:
Beauty refers to the degree to which the translation achieves a
pleasing and harmonious aesthetic effect in the target language.
It involves using appropriate and elegant language, avoiding
errors and awkwardness, and creating a smooth and coherent
text. Beauty is more concerned with the artistic and creative
aspects of translation than with its technical and functional
aspects.

Levy’s approach translation as a

process of decision making:
He argues that translation is a process of making decisions,
where the translator has to choose the best option from different
alternatives, according to some rules and goals. He compares
translation to a game, where the translator has to balance the
risk and reward of each choice. For example, he shows how
translators can use different strategies to deal with the problem
of translating idioms, such as literal translation, substitution,
omission, or explanation.
According to Levy, translation is a decision making process
because the translator has to choose the best option from
different alternatives, according to some rules and goals. He
compares translation to a game, where the translator has to
balance the risk and reward of each choice. He also considers the
historical and cultural context of translation, and how different
translations reflect different styles and norms.
Using different methods of translation, such as literal, free,
adaptive, interpretive, expressive, and artistic, depending on the
purpose, function, genre, and context of the translation. For
example, a literal translation might be suitable for a legal
document, while an artistic translation might be suitable for a
poem.

The concept of Fidelity, Equivalency,

transparency:
The concept of Fidelity in translation:
The concept of fidelity is a way to measure how accurately a translation
conveys the meaning of the original text without changing or losing
anything important. Fidelity can be viewed from various angles, including
language, culture, purpose, ethics, and criticism. It can also relate to
different aspects of translation, like its purpose, medium, style, and type of
equivalence.

Fidelity is not a fixed idea; it is more relative and subjective, meaning it can
change based on the situation and what the translator and the audience
expect. It is often compared to other ideas like transparency, equivalence,
loyalty, and adaptation.

Fidelity in translation means how closely a translation matches the original

text. It’s important that the translation keeps the same meaning as the
original. Different types of texts may require different levels of fidelity. For
instance, a legal document needs a very exact translation because every
word is crucial. On the other hand, a literary text can be translated more
freely, as the translator might want to make it more beautiful or engaging in
another language.

The concept of transparency in translation:

The concept of transparency in translation refers to how clear and natural a
translation is, without showing any traces or signs of the original language
or culture. A transparent translation tries to make the reader forget that
they are reading a translation, and make them feel as if they are reading an
original text in their own language and culture. A transparent translation
may use various techniques, such as domestication, localization, or
adaptation, to achieve this effect.

One of the earliest and most influential theorists who introduced the
concept of transparency in translation was Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-
1834), a German philosopher and translator. Schleiermacher contrasted
transparency with fidelity, which is another concept that refers to how
faithful and respectful a translation is, towards both the original author and
the target reader.

The concept of Equivalency in translation:

Equivalence in translation is a concept that helps translators check how well
they’ve done their job. It means making sure that the meaning of a text is
conveyed accurately from one language to another, even if the languages
use different styles or structures. Equivalence is very important in
Translation Studies and often tests the skills of the translator.
For Example:
For example, take the English phrase "He kicked the bucket." This is an
idiom that means "he died." If we translate it directly into Urdu, we get: " ‫اس‬
‫( "نے بالٹی ماری‬which means "he hit the bucket"). This doesn't make sense in
Urdu.

To express the same idea in Urdu, we can say: " ‫اس کا دم توڑ گیا‬," which
means "his breath broke." This is a common way to say "he died" in Urdu.
This shows equivalence in translation, where we use different words and
phrases in each language to convey the same meaning.

“Koller’s approach”
Introduction to Koller’s Equivalence Theory:
Werner Koller was a translation expert who developed a theory to help
translators create accurate and meaningful translations. He identified five main
ways, or “equivalences,” to make sure that the translated text closely matches
the original in meaning, tone, and effect. Each type of equivalence addresses a
different aspect of translation, making it easier for translators to capture not just
the words, but the full impact of the original text.

Five Types of Equivalence in Koller’s Theory:

 Denotative Equivalence --- This focuses on matching the literal or basic
meaning of words between languages.
 Example --- The English word "cat" has the same meaning as "gato" in
Spanish. They both refer to the same animal.

 Connotative Equivalence --- This type looks at the extra meanings or

emotions a word may suggest.
 Example --- In English, "rose" can symbolize love or beauty. A translator
might find a word in the target language that carries a similar romantic
feeling.

 Text-Normative Equivalence --- This makes sure that the style and
format of the text match what’s expected in the target language.
  Example --- If the original text is a recipe with ingredients and steps, the
translation would follow the same format, like in French or any other
language.

 Pragmatic Equivalence --- This focuses on ensuring that the translation

achieves the same effect or purpose as the original.
 Example --- The slogan "Just do it" is meant to motivate people. In
Chinese, it could be translated to something like "Fear nothing" to inspire
a similar feeling.

 Formal Equivalence --- This keeps the artistic style or form of the
original text.
 Example --- If translating a song or poem, the translator would try to
keep the rhyme, rhythm, or style to make it sound beautiful in the new
language too.

Conclusion:
Each of these types of equivalence helps translators make sure that the
translation respects the original text’s meaning, emotion, and style, making the
text feel natural and accurate in the new language.

Denotative Equivalence and Connotative

Equivalence --- are terms used in translation studies,
semantics, and linguistic theory to describe different approaches
to achieving equivalence between a source text and its
translation. Here’s a comparison of the two:

Definition:
Denotative Equivalence --- refers to the equivalence in the
literal or
dictionary meanings of words and phrases between two languages. It
focuses on the factual or objective meaning (denotation) that a word
carries, which is generally stable across contexts.
Example --- The English word "house" and the French word
"maison" are denotatively equivalent, as both refer to the same
concept of a building used for human habitation.
Connotative Equivalence --- refers to equivalence in the
emotional,
cultural, or associative meanings (connotation) that a word carries. This type
of equivalence takes into account the nuances and associations that words can
evoke, which often vary across languages and cultures.
Example --- The English word "home" and the French word
"maison" may have different connotative meanings, with
"home" often
evoking feelings of warmth, belonging, or family, while "maison" may not
carry all of those emotional associations.

Focus:
Denotative Equivalence focuses on literal meanings and
aims to ensure that the core message is accurately represented
in the target language. It seeks to preserve the basic, direct
meaning of a term or phrase without altering its factual content.
Connotative Equivalence focuses on subjective or
associative meanings, aiming to retain the emotional or
cultural impact of a term or phrase. It addresses how a word
might make the reader or listener feel and the cultural
connotations it might carry.

Summary:
Introduction to Geography --- Notes.

 Denotative Equivalence --- Focuses on literal,

dictionary meanings (objective).
 Connotative Equivalence --- Focuses on emotional,
cultural, or associative meanings (subjective).
Denotative is crucial for precision; Connotative is essential for
emotional and cultural resonance.

By M.Ashiq / City University English Department.