Fundamentals of Translation

Contents
Introduction:
What Is Translation?
Translation Approaches
Types of Translation
Translation Fields
Translator’s Qualities and Ethics
Dictionaries
Levels of Translation
Arabic & English Structures
Translation Problems and Solutions
Steps of Translation
Practical Exercises
Introduction:
There are 7139 officially known languages in the world. This
fact leads us to a very important question; “What is language?”
There are many definitions of language, but we are going to take
the one that helps in our content which says, “Language is a
means of communicating information, ideas, knowledge, and
emotions among respective group of individuals.
So far so good, but what if we want to convey such things
among different groups of people who do not speak the same
language. Here comes the importance of translation. So what is
translation?

What Is Translation?
Translation is a linguistic activity that takes place between two
languages during such activity the denotative, connotative,
figurative, and intended meanings are transferred. The first
language called source language (SL) and the second is target
language (TL).
Types of Meaning
We mention here most common types of meaning that must be
put in mind during the translation process.
Denotative Meaning:
It is the meaning found in dictionaries.
Connotative Meaning:
It is the feelings and ideas associated with a word, adding some
figurative and emotional or cultural aspects to the word.
Contextual Meaning:
It is the meaning that a word acquires according to its context.
Intended Meaning:
It is the meaning that the speaker or writer wants to convey.

Translation Approaches
Literal Translation
Literal translation refers to a method to render of text from one
language to another by following closely the form of the source
language. Definitely different from mechanical translation (word
for word translation), literal translation shall provide fluent and
accurate translation that is easily comprehended by the readers
of the target language.
Free Translation
Free translation is a method to deliver the intended meaning of
the source text without paying attention to details such as
syntax, style and so on of the original text.
Communicative Translation
Communicative translation is a translation method that attempts
to render the exact contextual meaning of the source language so
that both content and language are readily acceptable and
comprehensible to the readers.
Dynamic Translation
It is a method of translation that focuses on rendering the culture
and emotional response of the target audience in mind.
Functional Translation
A translation of a text or part of a text, or an approach to
translation, where the target text is intended to replicate the
function of the source text rather than to explain or analyze it in
close detail.

Types of Translation
Written Translation
Oral Interpretation
- Consecutive Interpretation

- Simultaneous Interpretation

- Whisper Interpretation

At Sight Translation
Subtitling

Translation Fields
As a matter of fact, translation is needed in all fields and
disciplines. However, the language used in one field may be
completely different from the language used in another.
Therefore, we can classify the translation or the translator
according to those fields and disciplines, such as religious
translation, legal translation, medical translation, and so on.
Most translators start to work as general translators till they find
the field in which they can excel and avoid some other fields
that they do not know much about. Accordingly, the capacities
of translators vary depending on the degree of their knowledge
about the field of the text being translated. Nonetheless, a
translator can do a great job in different fields if he/she widens
his / her knowledge and makes a lot of research in the field of
the text being translated.
Translator’s Qualities and Ethics
- Proficiency in both the source and target languages;

- Deep awareness of the cultures of both languages;

- Good knowledge in the field of the text being translated;

- Punctuality and time management;

- Faithfulness and honesty; and

- Proficiency in using the computer and searching on the

internet. (Preferable)

Dictionaries
Dictionaries are the most important and indispensible tool in the
translation activity. However, the need for dictionaries decreases
as the translator experience increases. There are many different
types of dictionaries. The two main types are monolingual and
bilingual. A monolingual dictionary gives definitions of words
in a single language, while a bilingual dictionary gives the
translation of a word in a different language. During the
translating process, the translator may need source-target
dictionary, target-source dictionary, source monolingual
dictionary, and target monolingual dictionary. For example, if
the translation takes place between Arabic and English, the
translator will need English-Arabic dictionary, Arabic-English
dictionary, Arabic monolingual dictionary, and English
monolingual dictionary. Regarding the field of the text being
translated, the translator may also need specialized dictionaries,
which provide more definitions and entries in the specific field.
So, what should a translator do if he/she did not find a specific
word or phrase in his/her dictionaries?

Levels of Translation
- Morphological level: In this level we translate the words
and morphemes (morpheme is the smallest unit of
language that carries meaning). Morphemes can be smaller
than words, for example: impolite is one word, but it
consists of two morphemes; im is a prefix indicates
negation or oppositeness and the adjective polite.
Therefore, all of the morphemes in the ST must be
transferred into the TT.
- Syntactic level: In this level we focus on transferring the
structure of the text (phrases, clauses, and sentences).
- Semantic level: This is the most important level in which
we put emphasis on the meaning of the whole text or
discourse to be transferred into the target language.
Having said all that, there are some very important questions
need to be discussed.
When can we say that the translation is incorrect?
What is the best translation?
Is it possible to have two or more correct translations for the
same text? (Give reasons)
Arabic & English Structures (done)
Translation Problems and Solutions
(not yet _ page 17 -25)