Intellectual Contexts: Introduction and Skills Session 5 October 2011 Dr Georgina Collins
Overview Aims and objectives of the module Methods of assessment Relation to optional modules Translating between French and English Translation strategies and methodologies Comparing and editing translations
Aims and Objectives to demonstrate appropriate factual knowledge and good understanding of key theoretical concepts to present material and analyses orally and in a scholarly written format to apply relevant theoretical concepts and use the appropriate technical vocabulary to undertake further advanced study of materials
Methods of Assessment For this particular module there are three choices of assessment: word essay translation with a commentary commentary on the publication history/reception of a translated text Course Director: Dr Oliver Davis
Relation to Optional Modules Language specific (texts and theories) Bringing theory and practice together Translating and translation Broad range of text types
Translation Strategies: Newmark Introduction being a translator the impact of mistranslation transmitting culture the translator’s choices – a puzzle translation today
Translation Strategies: Newmark The Analysis of a Text reading the text – 2 purposes: understanding and analysis intention of the text and translator? style of the text? readership? the register? multiple layers of meaning? culturally embedded words?
Translation Strategies: Newmark The Process of Translating translating for exams/translating for real two methods: sentence by sentence, add features later translate when you have your bearings dictionaries / encyclopedias / forums ‘naturalness’ collaborative exercise give yourself time read aloud
Translation Methodologies: Vinay et Darbelnet Direct or oblique translation methods 1.Direct translation methods: l’emprunt - borrowing le calque - calque la traduction littérale – literal translation
Translation Methodologies: Vinay et Darbelnet 2.Oblique translation methods la transposition - transposition la modulation - modulation l’équivalence - equivalence l’adaptation - adaptation
What is a ‘relevant’ translation? (Derrida) a ‘good’ translation does what you expect of it performs its mission, honours its debt, does its job/duty inscribes the most relevant equivalent uses language that’s the most: right, appropriate, pertinent, adequate, opportune, pointed, univocal, idiomatic (p24)
What is a ‘relevant’ translation? (Derrida) Nothing can be either untranslatable or translatable (p25) Most pieces of work sit between the two (p26) To know what a ‘relevant’ translation can mean and be, we need to know its mission and goal (p29) Translation allows a text to ‘live on’ (p46)
Common terms and abbreviations SL / TL ST / TT Skopos Domestication / appropriation Foreignisation Norms and conventions (Toury) Equivalence (Nida) loss and gain interlingual/intralingual/intersemiotic (Jakobson) adequacy / quality
Comparing and Editing Translations Analysing, discussing, comparing and ‘improving’ your translations: Funk Upon A Time (Re)Play Analysing and critiquing published translations Martyrs
Questions and Comments?