Translation Procedures

1-Transference: a source language word is taken directly to the target language text
with no translation.

Examples: 

-names of newspapers, geographical names, street names, etc.

-new technical terms that don’t have equivalents in the source language: Hollywood,
blog, web , internet…

-‫( المعادلة الصفرية‬zero equation)

-‫( الالشيئية‬nothingness)

 The argument in favor of transference is that it shows respect for the SL

country's culture.
 The argument against it is that it is the translator's job to translate, to explain.

2-Naturalisation: a transferred word is adapted to the target language (change in

pronunciation)

Examples: 

-direction in French ‫دركسيون بالعربي‬

-salon in French ‫صالون بالعربي‬

-technology ‫تكنولوجيا‬

-physics ‫فيزياء‬

3-Cultural equivalent: this is an approximate translation where a SL cultural word is

translated by a TL cultural word.

Examples:

-Robin Hood ‫أدهم الشرقاوي‬

-‫فتك بعافية‬ goodbye

-Romeo & Juliet ‫قيس وليلي‬

-Superman ‫عنتر ابن شداد‬

4-Functional equivalent: the using of a culture free word / expression in a translation
for a cultural word / expression in the source text.

ST TT
Robin Hood ‫السارق األمين‬/‫نصير الفقراء‬
‫ثانوية عامة‬ secondary school/ high school
i.e. deculturalising a cultural word.

Examples:

5-Descriptive equivalent: the meaning of the original word is explained with several
words.

Examples:

‫الهراوة‬ Truncheon

Club

‫الدبش‬ Cattle ‫))الماشية‬

Rubble (‫)الطوب والزلط المتكسر‬

6-Synonymy: the word "synonym" is used in the sense of a near TL to an SL word in

a context, where the precise equivalent may not exist (particularly adjective or verbs
of quality).

 A translator cannot do without synonymy, but unnecessary use of synonyms is

a mark of many poor translations.

Examples:

PRESIDENT / HEAD OF STATE

KING / MONARCH

HUSBAND / HUBBY

CROCODILE / SCALY CREATURE

UN / INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION / WATCHDOG

7-Through-translation (also calque or loan translation): the literal translation of
common collocations, names of organizations, the components of compounds and
perhaps phrases.
Examples:

Football ‫كرة قدم‬

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ‫منظمة األمم المتحدة لألغذية‬
‫والزراعة‬

Good governance ‫الحوكمة الرشيدة‬

Emerging economies ‫االقتصادات البازغة‬

8-Shifts or transpositions: involves a change in the grammar from SL to TL.

SL TL

(SING to PLURAL)-Basket of meat ‫سلة لحوم‬

(SING to PLURAL)-To secure stability in the country ‫لتأمين االستقرار في البالد‬

(GERUND )-Going to the market, I met her. ...‫أثناء ذهابي للسوق‬

(PAST PARTICIPLE) -Assassinated in 1988, Sadat was a good ...‫حين اغتيل السادات‬
president)

(ADJECTIVE) -Hungry, I went to eat something. ...‫ألنني كنت جائعا‬

9-Modulation: a variation through a change of viewpoint or perspective.

Examples:
 SL TL
‫لم أكن جائعا‬. I was full.
‫أنا غير سعيد‬. I am sad.
‫أنا غير مشغول‬. I am available.
She is not unhappy. ‫هي سعيدة‬.
450 patients arrive at the hospital ‫ تستقبل المستشفى‬...
daily.

12-COMPENSATION
This is said to occur when loss of meaning, sound-effect, metaphor or pragmatic
effect in one part of a sentence is compensated in another part.

13-COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS
This is the splitting up of a lexical unit into its sense components, often one-to-two,
-three or -four translations.

Unclean ‫??????????? غير نظيف‬