Consider the fragment below. Read both the original text and the translation with its notes.

Make your own comments in relation to what you have read:

The Woman in White
by W. Collins (!"#$!!%&
It was the last day of July. The long hot
summer was drawing to a close; and we, the
weary 'ilgrims of the (ondon 'avement
1
,
were beginning to think of the cloud-shadows on
the corn$fields
2
, and the autumn bree)es
3
on
the sea-shore.
*emeia +n alb
de W. Collins (!"#$!!%&
ra ultima !i a lui iulie. "unga #ar$
fierbinte era %e sf&r'ite; iar noi, istovi,i 'elerini
ai str-)ilor (ondrei
1
, (nce%eam s$ ne g&ndim la
umbrele norilor deasu%ra lanurilor de gr.u
2
'i la
aerul r-coros de toamn-
/
la malul m$rii.

the weary 'ilgrims of the (ondon 'avement 0 istovi,i 'elerini ai str-)ilor (ondrei. The translator)s final choice in
rendering the ad*ecti#e weary in the original was istovit, which besides being ade+uate in terms of meaning ,weary-
.physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued, tired Webster 1//0-10112 and style
,es%ecially when %laced in front %osition, adding a %oetic touch to the TT2, also matches the co-te3t ,1the fading
summer left me out of health2 out of s'irits1&. The other #ariants suggested by the 3nglish$Romanian 4ictionary
,4anta', "e#i5chi 1///-12/62, foarte obosit/ trudit/ epuizat/ frnt, could not be acce%ted on account of the following
reasons-
- although rendering the meaning of the original, foarte obosit cannot take front %osition and would ruin the
%oetic effect of the original.
- trudit, although its definition is +uite close to that of weary, i.e. 7 foarte obosit, despre cineva care a muncit din
greu sau a depus eforturi fizice sau intelectuale deosebite8 ,435 1//0-11112, would be ina%%ro%riate in this conte3t and
would sound rather awkward in collocation with 'elerini .
- epuizat/ extenuat, in s%ite of their matching the semantic dimension of the original, would be too modern and
stylistically inade+uate.
- frnt/ sleit would be too strong and would bring about a slight semantic gain; moreo#er, such a collocation as
pelerini frni/ sleii (de puteri) ai strzilor Londrei would sound awkward in the T".
The noun 'avement seems to function as a collecti#e noun in this conte3t; that is why it was translated by a
noun in the %lural, str-)ile, in the TT; it could not be rendered by trotuar, pavaj ,according to the second meaning in
Webster6s 3ncyclo'edic 4ictionary 1//0- 19:/2, which would also be inade+uate in terms of collocability.
2
the corn$fields 0 lanuri de gr.u. ;hen s%eaking about synchronically used false friends < dece%ti#e cognates, "eon
"e#i5chi %ointed out ,1//6-112 that the noun corn can be included among them as it means .gru/ grne; cereale8 in
4ritish nglish, .porumb8 in =merican nglish, .ovz8 in >cottish or Irish. ?owe#er, considering that ;. @ollins is an
nglish no#elist ,1A26-1AA/2, the translator)s only %ossible choice in this conte3t was gr.u7 the other two #ariants already
suggested could not be acce%ted either in terms of collocability ,there is no such collocation as lanuri de grne/ cereale in
Bomanian2 or in order to a#oid a semantic gain ,in Bomanian, cereale co#ers a much wider range of %lants- .grup de
plante din familia graminaceelor (gru, porumb etc.! 435 1//0-1062.
/
the autumn bree)es C aerul r-coros de toamn-, chosen instead of adieri / brize, both in terms of collocability and to
create a contrast with the %re#ious syntagm long hot summer. Durthermore, the singular form is s%ecific to Bomanian.
@onse+uently, it is a case of non-e+ui#alence.
Dor my own %oor %art, the fading summer
left me out of health2 out of s'irits2 and, if the
truth must be told, out of money
6
as well.
Euring the %ast year I had not managed my
%rofessional resources as carefully as usual; and
my extravagance
8
now limited me to the
%ros%ect of s%ending the autumn economically
0
between my motherFs cottage at ?am%stead and
@&t des%re umila-mi %ersoan$, #ara care se
sf&r'ea m$ l$s$ f-r- vlag-2 f-r- chef de via,- 'i,
de ce s$ nu recunosc, chiar 'i f-r- bani
6
. Gn
ultimul an nu-mi administrasem #eniturile la fel
de bine ca de obicei, iar cheltuielile mele
extravagante
:
nu-mi l$sau acum dec&t
%osibilitatea de a-mi %etrece toamna +ntr$un mod
mai chib)uit
0
(ntre c$su5a din ?am%stead a
1
my own chambers in town. mamei 'i a%artamentul meu din ora'.
#
out of health2 out of s'irits2 out of money 0 f-r- vlag-2 f-r- chef de via,-2 f-r- bani; the re%etiti#e %attern was
chosen to %reser#e the rhythm and the stylistic effect of the original.
8
my extravagance C cheltuielile mele extravagante. In order to a#oid making the sentence in the TT sound unnatural,
e#en ambiguous, the translator used an e3%lanatory noun %hrase, also considering its association in the co-te3t with
'rofessional resources2 s'ending the autumn economicallyH
9
economically C +ntr$un mod mai chib)uit; the nglish ad#erb, used here with its second meaning ,8as regards the
efficient use of income and wealth8 Webster 1//0-6:22 could not be rendered only by a one-word e+ui#alent;
conse+uently, an ad#erbial %hrase was used.
The evening, I remember, was still and
cloudy
:
; the "ondon air was at its heaviest; the
distant hum of the street-traffic was at its
faintest
A
; the small 'ulse
%
of the life within me,
and the great heart of the city around me,
seemed to be sinking
19
in unison, languidly and
more languidly, with the sinking sun. I roused
myself from the book, which I was dreaming
o#er rather than reading and left my chambers to
meet the cool night air in the suburbs. It was one
of the two e#enings in e#ery week, which I was
accustomed to s%end with my mother and my
sister. >o I turned my ste%s northward in the
direction of ?am%stead.
Eu%$ c&te (mi amintesc, +n acea sear-
lini;tit- cerul era +nnourat
1
; aerul "ondrei era
mai a'-s-tor ca niciodat-; !gomotul (nde%$rtat
al str$!ii era mai slab ca niciodat-
A
; 'ulsul
firav
/
al #ie5ii dinl$untrul meu 'i inima %uternic$
a ora'ului din *urul meu '-reau s- se sting-
19
(ncet, tot mai (ncet, odat$ cu soarele ce a%unea.
I-am des%rins de cartea deasu%ra c$reia mai
mult #isam dec&t citeam 'i am ie'it din cas$ ca s$
res%ir aerul r$coros din suburbii. ra una din cele
dou$ seri din s$%t$m&n$ %e care eram obi'nuit s$
le %etrec cu mama 'i cu sora mea. ='a c$ mi-am
(ndre%tat %a'ii c$tre nord %e drumul s%re
?am%stead.
:
The evening was still and cloudy C +n acea sear- lini;tit- cerul era +nnorat- a case of non-e+ui#alence. The
translator could not follow the word-order in the original >ub*ect J com%ound nominal %redicate ,co%ulati#e #erb J two
%redicati#e ad*ecti#es2 as the Bomanian sear- does not collocate with +nnourat ,Keara era lini!tit !i "nnorat.2;
conse+uently, the meaning of the ad*ecti#e cloudy was finally rendered by a full-fledged clause, whereas the meaning
con#eyed by the rest of the sentence was rendered by means of an ad#erbial modifier of time.
!
at its heaviest 1 at its faintest 0 mai a'-s-tor ca niciodat-7 1 mai slab ca niciodat-; the symmetrical structure was
rendered as such in order to %reser#e the stylistic effect of the original.
%
the small 'ulse C 'ulsul firav. The translator chose firav in order to a#oid the re%etition of the ad*ecti#e slab,
%re#iously used to render at its faintest as well as to stress the contrast with the great heart C inim- 'uternic-.
<
seemed to be sinking C '-reau s- se sting- instead of c se sting to %oint out graduality and to refer back to the
ad#erb languidly; to sink was rendered by a se stinge instead of a cobor" / a scdea / a disprea, in terms of
collocability and in order to maintain the rhetoric e+uilibrium with the sinking sun 0 soarele ce a'unea.
2
#ents which I ha#e yet to relate make it
necessary to mention in this %lace that my father
had been dead some years at the %eriod of which
I am now writing; and that my sister >arah and I
were the sole sur#i#ors of a family of fi#e
children. Iy father was a drawing-master before
me. ?is e3ertions had made him highly
successful in his %rofession; and his
affectionate anxiety to 'rovide for the future
of those who were de'endent on his labours
11
had im%elled him, from the time of his marriage,
to devote to the insuring of his life a much
larger 'ortion of his income than most men
consider it necessary to set aside for that
'ur'ose
"
. Thanks to his admirable %rudence
and self-denial my mother and sister were left,
after his death, as inde%endent of the world as
they had been during his lifetime. I succeeded to
his connection, and had e#ery reason to feel
grateful for the %ros%ect that awaited me at my
starting in life.
Gnt&m%l$rile %e care urmea!$ s$ le
%o#estesc m$ oblig$ s$ men5ione! aici c$ tat$l
meu murise cu c&5i#a ani (naintea %erioadei
des%re care scriu acum; 'i c$ doar eu 'i sora mea
>arah mai r$m$seser$m din cei cinci co%ii. Tat$l
meu fusese 'i el %rofesor de desen. >tr$dania sa (i
adusese mult succes (n %rofesie; iar gri=a sa 'lin-
de afec,iune 'entru viitorul celor care
de'indeau de munca lui
11
(l (ndemnase (nc$ de
la (nce%utul c$sniciei, ca, 'entru a$;i asigura
restul vie,ii2 s- 'un- deo'arte o anumit- sum-
din venitul s-u cu mult mai mare dec.t cea
considerat- necesar- +n acest sco' de
ma=oritatea b-rba,ilor
12
. Iul5umit$ admirabilei
sale chib!uin5e 'i de#otamentului s$u, mama 'i
sora mea au r$mas, du%$ moartea lui, la fel de
inde%endente de cei din *ur ca 'i %e #remea c&nd
tr$ia el. u i-am c$lcat %e urme 'i am a#ut toate
moti#ele s$ fiu recunosc$tor %entru %ers%ecti#ele
care mi se ofereau (nc$ de la (nce%utul #ie5ii.

his affectionate anxiety to 'rovide for the future of those who were de'endent on his labours 0 gri=a 'lin- de
afec,iune 'entru viitorul celor care de'indeau de munca lui. The #erb to 'rovide was not rendered in the surface
structure, but its meaning ,8to make arrangements for supplying means of support, money, etc." #e provided for his
children in his will.8 Webster 1//0- 11:12 is im%lied in the co-te3t ,see, in the TT, in the same sentence gri=-1or 1
'entru a$;i asigura restul vie,iiH2. 4esides, the translator could not %refer such a #ariant as grija plin de afeciune
pentru a asigura viitorul!in order to a#oid the re%etition of the #erb a asigura and to a#oid making the sentence sound
unnatural in the T". =s for the nglish noun labours, it could not be rendered by its Bomanian e+ui#alent, munc-, in the
%lural because munci occurs in com%letely different collocations and conte3ts ,see 435 1//0- 0012 and it would be
ina%%ro%riate here.
"
to devote to the insuring of his life a much larger 'ortion of his income than most men consider it necessary to set
aside for that 'ur'ose 0 'entru a$;i asigura restul vie,ii2 s- 'un- deo'arte o anumit- sum- din venitul s-u cu mult
mai mare dec.t cea considerat- necesar- +n acest sco' de ma=oritatea b-rba,ilor- a case of non-e+ui#alence. In order
to render the meaning of the original as clearly as %ossible and to a#oid making the TT sentence sound awkward in
Bomanian, the translator finally chose to %ro#ide it with a rather communicati#e translation which, although bringing
about some changes in the word-order and e#en in the syntactic structure of the >T, %erfectly renders its message and
semantic content, also being ade+uate in terms of style.
,;. @ollins, #$e %oman in %$ite in lena @roitoru, Dloriana Lo%escu, Mabriela Eima, Culegere de
texte 'entru traducere. #ol. I, ditura #rika, 4r$ila, 1//0-26-2:2
#ranslated, interpreted and commented b&'
( )abriela *olipc, major student in #ranslation and +nterpretation , ,---(.///;
( 0lina 1arton, +sabela 1eril, major students in #ranslation and +nterpretation, .//,(.//.;
( 0na 1aria 2rsu, major student in #ranslation and +nterpretation, .//,(.//.3
N Translate2 inter'ret and make similar comments on the following excer't:
3
The +uiet twilight was still trembling on the to%most ridges of the heath; and the #iew of "ondon
below me had sunk into a black gulf in the shadow of the cloudy night, when I stood before the gate of
my motherFs cottage. I had hardly rung the bell before the house door was o%ened #iolently; my worthy
Italian friend, Lrofessor Lesca, a%%eared in the ser#antFs %lace; and darted out *oyously to recei#e me,
with a shrill foreign %arody on an nglish cheer.
On his own account, and, I must be allowed to add, on mine also, the Lrofessor merits the honour
of a formal introduction. =ccident has made him the starting-%oint of the strange family story which it is
the %ur%ose of these %ages to unfold.
I had first become ac+uainted with my Italian friend by meeting him at certain great houses where
he taught his own language and I taught drawing. =ll I then knew of the history of his life was, that he
had once held a situation in the Pni#ersity of Ladua; that he had left Italy for %olitical reasons ,the nature
of which he uniformly declined to mention to any one2; and that he had been for many years res%ectably
established in "ondon as a teacher of languages.
;ithout being actually a dwarf - for he was %erfectly well %ro%ortioned from head to foot - Lesca
was, I think, the smallest human being I e#er saw out of a show-room. Bemarkable anywhere, by his
%ersonal a%%earance, he was still further distinguished among the rank and file of mankind by the
harmless eccentricity of his character. The ruling idea of his life a%%eared to be, that he was bound to
show his gratitude to the country which had afforded him an asylum and a means of subsistence by doing
his utmost to turn himself into an nglishman. Qot content with %aying the nation in general the
com%liment of in#ariably carrying an umbrella, and in#ariably wearing gaiters and a white hat, the
Lrofessor further as%ired to become an nglishman in his habits and amusements, as well as in his
%ersonal a%%earance. Dinding us distinguished, as a nation, by our lo#e of athletic e3ercises, the little man,
in the innocence of his heart, de#oted himself im%rom%tu to all our nglish s%orts and %astimes whene#er
he had the o%%ortunity of *oining them; firmly %ersuaded that he could ado%t our national amusements of
the field by an effort of will %recisely as he had ado%ted our national gaiters and our national white hat.
I had seen him risk his limbs blindly at a fo3-hunt and in a cricket-field; and soon afterwards I saw
him risk his life, *ust as blindly, in the sea at 4righton...
Ret so it was. If I had not di#ed for Lrofessor Lesca when he lay under water on his shingle bed, I
should in all human %robability ne#er ha#e been connected with the story which these %ages will relate - I
should ne#er, %erha%s, ha#e heard e#en the name of the woman who has li#ed in all my thoughts, who has
%ossessed herself of all my energies, who has become the one guiding influence that now directs the
%ur%ose of my life.
,;. @ollins, #$e %oman in %$ite in lena @roitoru, Dloriana Lo%escu, Mabriela Eima, Culegere de
texte 'entru traducere. #ol. I, ditura #rika, 4r$ila, 1//0-2:-212
6
: