A Unit of Translation

UT is the smallest unit of SL which

has an equivalent in TL; it may have
a complicated structure but its
elements, when taken separately
are untranslatable.
Probable units of translation:
Phonemes
Morphemes
Words
Phrases
Sentences
Entire texts
Phoneme:
transcription (Newton – Ньютен)
transliteration (Newton – Невтон)
transcoding (Newton – Ньютон)
Word:
- word-for-word translation;
- word-for-word combination translation.
Word combination
(idiom / phraseological unit/ “traditional” fixed
word combinations)
- To catch fire - загорітися
- To get dressed - одягнутися
The terrestrial globe is a member of a solar system

Земна куля входить в сонячну систему

Sentence:
proverbs, inscriptions, signal signs, traffic
signs, terms of courtesy, etc.
- Every dark clouds has a silver lining. - …
- Too many cooks spoil the broth. - …
- Wet paint. - …
- Many happy returns of the day. - …
- I have to admit it. - …
“Translating from a source language
which is not that much related to a target
language will usually result in choosing
larger units, while closeness of a source
language and a target language involves
smaller units of translation.”
(W. Koller)
In Conclusion:
Individual translators, with different foci of
attention, may prefer different units as their basic
working units regarding a particular text and its
peculiarities.

“Unit of translation should

be as small as is possible and
as large as is necessary”.
(W. Haas “The Theory of Translation”)
 The invariant
the invariant can be defined as that which
exists in common between all existing
translations of a single work.

Message – a result of merging semantic and

situational information. The invariant in
translation is the message or information for
rendering.
References:
1) Карабан В.І., Мейс Дж. Переклад з української мови на англійську
мову. Навчальний посібник-довідник для студентів вищих навчальних
закладів освіти / В.І. Карабан, Дж. Мейс. – Вінниця: Нова книга, 2003. –
608 с.
2) Корунець І.В. Вступ до перекладознавства. Підручник. – Вінниця: Нова
книга, 2008. – 512 с.
3) Esteki A. What Is to Be Considered as A Unit of Translation? Дата
звернення 19 березня 2023 р.
https://www.translationdirectory.com/articles/article2124.php