Jul

Modulation
vs Equivalnce
11,
2013

The important point in

modulation is that you
change your point of
view. 
Imagine that you are
going to translate this
sentence: il est facile
de demontrer (literal
translation: it is easy
to show) and you
translate it as such: it
is not difficult to show.
In this example you
completely change
your point of view. You
change "easy" with
"not difficult".
But equivalnce is when
two languages describe
the same sense by
different words and it
is used for translation
of idioms and provebs.
In equivalne you do
change your point of
view, you just
substitute one proverb
in SL with its
equivalnce in your TL.

Example is taken from

" Introducing
Translation Studies"
book.

Cryptorchid Thank you! Jul 15, 2013

TOPIC STARTER

I think I get it: the focus is different between the two, so that
modulation is all about changing view point, whereas
equivalence is about being idiomatic. It's just that there's quite
a bit of overlap... It's very clear when it comes to idioms and
proverbs being translated with their idiomatic equivalents, or to
optional modulation such as the one you give an example of,
but what about other cases? Such as changes that do entail a
change in viewpoint, but that are made in order to retain
idiomaticity rather than because we want to look at things from
a different point of view? Then what are we dealing with:
equivalence or (obligatory) modulation?

Idiomatic translation: it reproduces the 'message' of the original but tends to distort
nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms where these do not exist in the

original.

Communicative translation: it attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the

original in such a way that both content and language are readily acceptable and

comprehensible to the readership (1988b: 45-47)

Modulation: it occurs when the translator reproduces the message of the original text in the

TL text in conformity with the current norms of the TL, since the SL and the TL may appear

dissimilar in terms of perspective. (Newmark, 1988b:88) – different points of view