Translation solutions for many languages Anthony Pym Stellenbosch

Translation solutions for many languages Anthony Pym Stellenbosch University, 11 March 2104

Please translate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Mc. Donalds Oleksandr Turchynov He had three brothers: John, aged 6, and Mary, aged 5. before you could say Jack Robinson I had second thoughts about the deal. I was not a little suspicious of the deal. He is an Etonian On se tutoie… [we can use the intimate second person] "The public service is carrying out ongoing adjustments to its tax review policy. " 10. We arrived safe and sound. © Intercultural Studies Group

Taxonomies differ © Intercultural Studies Group

Copying n Taking words straight into another language, e. g. "software, “ "punk. " n The target language has no (generally used) equivalent: "sputniks. “ n The source-language word sounds more prestigious. n To retain some "feel" of the source language: "Madrileños are surprisingly unworldly. " © Intercultural Studies Group

Copying n Sub-categories according to what you copy: n Phonemes: fútbol, Žaks Širaks (Latvian) n Graphemes/morphemes: Макдоналдс, Олександр Турчинов n n Syntax: Governor General Unknown items (planta noctis) Irresolvable ambiguities Linguistic analysis © Intercultural Studies Group

Perspective change n Non-obligatory changes that see the same object from a different position: n n Negation of negation: I was not a little suspicious of the deal, No Vacancies Passive/active: I got the job from a friend / Mi amigo me cedió el trabajo. Verb/noun: Depuis la revalorisation du bois / As timber becomes more expensive Direction: From: / Expéditeur: , Te lo dejo (I leave it to you] / You can have it. © Intercultural Studies Group

Zooming n Giving more or less information (zooming in or out) in the same part of the text: n Generalization/specification of referents: verónica / bullfighter’s flourish / lance n Explicitation / implicitation: Green Party federal election money / an old Etonian n (Non)repetition: We arrived safe and sound © Intercultural Studies Group

Regeneration n You go from form to components/function and then to a new form (and there is no change in the overall context): n Componential neologisms (balompié, rascacielos) n Functional idioms (before you can say Jack Robinson) n Functional metaphors (baseball replaces cricket as a referent, but without relocating the text) © Intercultural Studies Group

Compensation for context n Changes in different parts or levels of the text, to account for a new cultural context or type of receiver: n Changes in text complexity (register, sentence length, density of technical terms) n Politeness conventions: on se tutoie n Translator’s paratexts referring to the ST context. © Intercultural Studies Group

Recontextualized content n Changes in text content to account for a new context, without reference to the ST context: n Corrections (without note of the fact) n Updating (deadlines, legal contexts) n Functional referents (baseball, cricket) that relocate the text n Editing, summary translation n Added explanatory material not referring to the ST context © Intercultural Studies Group

Translation solution types n n n Copying (phonemes, graphemes, syntax, text structure) Perspective change (negation, passives, deverbalization, directionality) Zooming: generalization, explicitation, repetition Regeneration: idioms, recomposition of terms, corresponding referents Compensation for context: text complexity, politeness conventions, paratexts on ST context Recontextualized content: corrections, updating, editing, paratexts not on the ST context © Intercultural Studies Group

In principle… u u u No solution type is obligatory. All solution types can be applied to all problems. All solution types can be combined. Some solutions require more effort than others. Some solutions incur a higher risk of failure than do others. So you choose solutions according to how much you like working and how risk-averse you are. © Intercultural Studies Group

An application… u u Vertalings vir wolfneusgewel, rûens, droëland, drif. Dink dit uit. Altyd ‘n gelag by die werk […] (Agaat (2004: 8): Marlene van Niekerk) Translations for wolfneusgewels, rûens, droëland, drif: jerkin-raised gables, ridges, dry farming-land, crossing. Prosaic. Devise something: wolfnosed gables, humpbacked hills, dryland, drift. Always the laughter at the office […] Agaat (2006: 6): Translated by Michiel Heyns and Marlene van Niekerk. © Intercultural Studies Group

So, which solution types? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Mc. Donalds Oleksandr Turchynov He had three brothers: John, aged 6, and Mary, aged 5. before you could say Jack Robinson I had second thoughts about the deal. I was not a little suspicious of the deal. He is an Etonian On se tutoie… [we can use the intimate second person] "The public service is carrying out ongoing adjustments to its tax review policy. " 10. We arrived safe and sound. © Intercultural Studies Group

Applying theory u u Working in pairs (as far as possible), analyze each other’s translation of the Turkish Bath text. Which solution types did your partner use the most? Now check your partner’s analysis of your translation. Would you agree? Do the solution types depend on the language pair, or on the type of translator you are? © Intercultural Studies Group

Final questions u u Is it easy to distinguish between the solution types? If not, why not? Do you think the categories could be improved? If so, how? © Intercultural Studies Group