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Translation theory in practice.
Thread poster: LilyLowe
Inga Petkelyte
Inga Petkelyte  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 18:50
Lithuanian to Portuguese
+ ...
Seconded Aug 30, 2015

Andy Watkinson wrote:

" ...which is the most important idea (unknown to some autodidacts): you translate ideas, not words, so idioms cannot be translated word-by-word, and if there is an abbreviation you don't understand, you cannot simply keep it unchanged in the target text."

I'd say that people who don't apply the above in their day-to-day translation practices are not lacking in theory but in common sense.



My first thought was the same: it's just common-sense issues!
Each time I happened to get any theory in my hands, I always had a feeling I already knew that. The most enriching source for myself is, actually, ProZ (some Russian threads analyse specifically mistranslations) and a site on the English language usage, with thorough analysis of various usage aspects.


 
Jean-Christophe Duc
Jean-Christophe Duc  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 19:50
English to French
+ ...
Yes, and yet Aug 31, 2015

Nadja Balogh wrote:

...had to attend some classes called “translation sciences”. They were the most boring classes I ever had to sit through ... I would never ever gain anything out of it in practical life, and this has proven to be true.


I can relate to that, these subjects are all too often taught by non specialists lured by the word science.
However, it is a bit like Latin or Greek, very few practical/direct uses, but huge wealth of personal knowledge/culture.
Also, there is one practical aspect to language theory at large which we will all have to pay attention one day or the other: machine translation.


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 19:50
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Most translation theory is logical Aug 31, 2015

Inga Petkelyte wrote:
Each time I happened to get any theory in my hands, I always had a feeling I already knew that.


Yes, well, most theories about how translation works would seem perfectly logical or obvious to any number of experienced translators, and that simply means that the theory makes sense. Even so, reading different theories helps one get different perspectives on that which one has learnt from experience.

Nadja Balogh wrote:
The usefulness of translation theory really depends on what the term “translation theory” is referring to.


That is true. I was a little surprised to see that quite a few replies in this thread used the word "translation theory" to refer to learning things like grammar, styles, idiomatic expressions, and language dynamics in general. I am under the impression that "translation theory" is far more specific, i.e. theories about how translation works (not useful tips on how we should translate better).

...the main purpose of “translation sciences” seemed to be to describe the translation process as meticulously as humanly possible - it was like an exercise in abstraction. What these classes did not do (on purpose, I think) was to deal with too many specific language examples...


Ditto for my translation diploma. Translation theory was but one of many sub-fields of linguistics, but it was independent of any language (or at least it tried to be).


[Edited at 2015-08-31 07:44 GMT]


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 19:50
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
All practical work IS language-specific... Aug 31, 2015

Samuel Murray wrote:

Nadja Balogh wrote:
The usefulness of translation theory really depends on what the term “translation theory” is referring to.

...the main purpose of “translation sciences” seemed to be to describe the translation process as meticulously as humanly possible - it was like an exercise in abstraction. What these classes did not do (on purpose, I think) was to deal with too many specific language examples...


Ditto for my translation diploma. Translation theory was but one of many sub-fields of linguistics, but it was independent of any language (or at least it tried to be).


[Edited at 2015-08-31 07:44 GMT]


We did have some useful discussions in 'pragmatics' as one professor called them, about whether for instance a contract should be source-oriented or target-oriented in translation, and how to adapt a document to readers who possibly do not understand the basic assumptions in the same way as speakers of the original language.

But most of it IS language-specific, context-specific and so on. The 'universal' essences you can extract are very abstract indeed.

You can have quite a useful discussion, to take just one example, about a contract under Danish law translated into English and still looking like a Danish contract. (As opposed to a typical contract drawn up by an English lawyer) It will never be a contract drawn up to comply with English Law - or American Law or wherever.
In theoretical terms, it is source-oriented and not target-oriented.

It is still a working document, and where Danish law differs from any other country's law, you need to avoid confusion if possible.
Of course you can work out a lot of good theory from there, but it does not necessarily apply to other languages and other contexts. The practical details of working documents will vary enormously.

That is why some of us have such an aversion to 'translation theory', even though we all collect good advice and rules of thumb... and apply them every day.


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 20:50
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Now we are talking about different things Oct 20, 2015

With translation theory I would mean a theory that applies to all translators. describing the function of a translator in human society. Theories about how to translate Danish to English are part of language studies, that apply to all speakers of these languages.

 
DLyons
DLyons  Identity Verified
Ireland
Local time: 18:50
Spanish to English
+ ...
I'm not really up to speed on the etymology of Hindi :-) Oct 20, 2015

Balasubramaniam L. wrote:

The Hindi word for pallid is pheeka, which does sound a bit like plavojka. A coincidence?


But I notice फीका being used for lilac and primrose - both palish colours (as well as being flowers). You'd be a better judge as to whether this is coincidence (or just Internet weirdness).


 
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Translation theory in practice.







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