A Seminar - 2013

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

You have just been assigned the job of painting that extra room in my apartment for a GOOD amount of money. (Yaaaay!)

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Which of the following are you more likely to do?

Read up on theories of painting.

Just paint!

Ask me about how I want my room to be painted.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation December 20, 2013

Reading up on theory is: Time-consuming. Plagued with jargon and technical language. More than likely not helpful when it comes to guessing or deciding the needs of the client (my needs, in this case) on behalf of her. To just paint is: A completely unprofessional behavior, even if I happen to like it. Lets face it, I wont like it! To ask me is: To save time and effort. To ensure the quality of the service you provide. To show that you respect my needs as a client.
Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Like painting, translation is an industry, a business and a profession; it involves a transaction: money for service. Normally, translators are required to ensure that the quality of their service perfectly caters for market needs. Therefore, like painting professionals, they are confronted with the same three options: to study translation theory, to just translate, or to ask clients and then translate accordingly.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

In order to figure out the how of translation, you need to find out the why and the who.

Purpose of Translation [the why]

Types of Translation Readers [the who]

Types of Translation [the how]

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

(Or Why Translation Theory Cant help)

There have been several theoretical contributions aiming at providing classifications of translation purposes, types of readers and types of translation. However, for a myriad of reasons, none of these attempts has managed in its own right to produce one comprehensive, clear and accessible methodology that could help in the professional realm of translation.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Complex Terminology

Theoreticians use terms that are complex and inaccessible for clients and translators. They seem to be more concerned with designating, rather than solving, the problems of professional translation.

Concern with Lit Texts

Interest in lit. texts has led theoreticians to focus on abstract concepts (like intention) when accounting for the purposes of the translation. This interest has also led them to ignore tech. texts which come across as radically different from lit. texts, thus requiring a different typology of purposes.

None of the available theoretical accounts suggests direct communication with the client. Instead, they relegate the full responsibility of finding out the why, the who and the how to the translator mainly through tedious textual analysis that more often than not proves Overlooking Translator-Client useless in this regard.
Relationship

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

 Because theoreticians come from different disciplines, they usually end up inventing new terms for the same things. (Consider existing typologies of trans. types.) Lack of Uniform This lack of clearly defined terms brings more confusion and causes more breakdowns in communication.
Terminology

Unnecessarily Exhaustive Typologies

The criteria suggested for deciding the right type of translation according to the type of text is unnecessarily long and detailed (p. 50-51). Some suggested types overlap to the point that they become mutually cancellable. The typology helps theoreticians describe finished translations more than it helps translators choose the right type of translation.

Scattered Material

Up to this moment, translators who choose to depend on theory for answers to their professional problems will have to assemble material from different theoretical references, which is highly impractical. There is a noticeable lack of consensus when it comes to establishing step-by-step methodology for finding out the why, the who and the how .

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

(Or Why You Cant Just Do It)

It is a universally acknowledged fact that embarking on the process of translation without knowing the purpose and the audience of the translation yields catastrophic results. Evidence? It didnt work for the EDF translator!

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

(Or Why Professional Solutions Simply Rock!)

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Knowing the purpose and the audience of the translation decides how you translate. Getting this type of information from your clients is a mixture of two things:

Pure Common Sense

Basic Business Administrat ion

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

For information, not for publication For publication For advertising and marketing For use as a legal document

Intended for one user or a small group of users who need to know what the ST says and will probably discard the translation once theyve found out. Speed, correct rendering of info, style and quality unimportant.

The reputation of the author/organization depends on the translation. Utmost accuracy, maximum revision, attention to style and formatting specs.

Preserving the persuasive effect comes before faithful reproduction. Knowledge of marketing methods and strategies in the T culture, plus creativity.

Used as evidence in court. Responsibility and quality control.

For text scanning and abstracting

Partial translation; the translator reads through the text and extracts relevant info. Summary.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Bottom of the Range (not normally provided by pros)

Trans. Types Most Commonly Supplied

Word-for-word Translation: A very basic type of translation, one you could you use when helping a tourist in a local supermarket to tell if that white powder is sugar, salt, detergent or rat poison.

Straight Translation: Nothing corrected or adapted. Tidied Translation: Authors mistakes corrected, but the translation is not adapted. Naturalized Translation: Authors mistakes corrected, form and style adapted so that it feels like an original text in the target culture. Reduced Translation: Just the basic information or message is translated.

Top of the Range

Artistic Translation: Literary translation produced by the likes of Ted Hughes.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Purposes
For information, not publication

Translation Types
- Straight (if authors mistakes must be reproduced) - Tidied (if authors mistakes to be corrected) - Naturalized (for national audience) - Internationalized (for international audience) - Naturalized - Artistic - Straight (if the text is to be used as evidence) - Tidied (with permission, if the text is a contract or other legal act)

For publication

For advertising and marketing For use as a legal document

For text scanning and abstracting

- Reduced
Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation December 20, 2013

In-house Readers (Family)

In-house colleagues, who dont mind exclusive jargon and may even prefer it. Friends are outside the organization, but kindly disposed to it, willing to make a few concessions.

Informal Outsiders (Friends)

Public Foreigners Foreigners are outsiders who may be skeptical, even hostile, and need to be (individual, specialist addressed differently. and general readers)
Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Briefing

At this stage, the translator makes use of every communication channel available to get info from the client (author or commissioner of the translation) about the purpose and audience of the translation.
Getting Down to Work That being done, the translator will be able to choose how to communicate the ST content (via translation) to the specified audience in accordance with the specified purpose.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Authors (wrote the ST)

Wrote the ST in their mother tongue: want it translated for others to understand. Wrote the ST in a foreign language: want it translated into their mother tongue. (Difficult client)

Middlemen (between readers & authors: trans. agencies, secretaries instructed to get this translated)

Good Clients: know the purpose of the translation, understand SL & TL. Bad Clients: know nothing (purpose & langs.), care only about deadlines and fees. (Difficult client!)

Readers (dont understand the SL)

The sole reader. One of many potential readers.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

The Original

The Translation

What was it written for? To inform To persuade To express the author's feelings/ideas Who was it written for? Insiders Specialists General Public

What is it being translated for? To inform To persuade To express the author's feelings/ideas Who is it being translated for? Insiders Specialists General Public

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Although theory and practice are often at odds, the possibility of reconciling the two remains feasible; the translation standards we have at hand provide ample evidence. What translators need, however, is one international standard that can stand on its own as a universal reference for both practitioners and learners.

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013

Shaimaa Suleiman, Pre-MA, Written Translation

December 20, 2013