Translation Strategies

Ways of dealing with

structural and lexical
differences between English
and Italian.

Malones Strategies

Equation Substitution
Divergence Convergence
Amplification Reduction
Diffusion condensation
Reordering
By referring to these strategies
translators can justify adjustments of
form depending on the semantic, stylistic
and communicative requirements of the
TT.

Equation: the soft translation

option
Equation: refers to some form of automatic equivalence.
Loan words are the most obvious example, when the
loan word has the same referent in both languages:
software, rap.
Sometimes loan words can achieve equation even when
the equivalent term exists in two language.
e.g. rucola
Calques:
e.g. dribblare, crossare, faxare
Equation is, however, considered to be the default
position. An item should be translated by its clear oneto-one equivalent, unless there is asemantic, pragmatic,
culturally motivated or stylistic reason for doing so.
E.g. man in Taylor (p.49)

Further reasons for abandoning

Equivalence
e.g. Lorenzo ferm la macchina e si volt verso il giovane: Allora tu vieni su o vuoi restare qui?
Lorenzo stopped the car and turned towards the youth: Well, then, are you coming up or dyou
want to stay here?
The continuous tense replace the simple present to express the imminent nature of the event.

False cognates are the most well known examples of lexical items that require substitution
because despite their morphological similarities their meanings diverge.
e.g. editore/ editor (publisher).
Partial cognates can be translated with equation or substitution, depending on context:
(Taylor p.50)
e.g. direttore

Abstractions
e.g. realt Taylor (p.50-51)

However it is important to remember that equation and word-for-word translation is justified

where cognates match in terms of meanings as well as morphology.
Literal translation should where possible be adopted, but in most translations others strategies
are needed.

Substitution
The implementation of a translation that
bears little or no morphological
resemblance or semantic relation to the ST.
Often a feature of grammar (certain aspects
of verbs); prepositional phrases instead of
Saxon genitive.
At a semantic level rather than a morphosyntactic one, proverbs, sayings and
idiomatic expressions often require
substitution, songs (in which rhyme and
scanning plays a part). Taylor 53

Divergence
Divergence consists in choosing a suitable
translation from a potential range of
alternatives,
e.g. girare
Sempre/niente (see taylor p.53-p54)
Grammatical paradigms:
e.g. dovesse succedere/ youd better go early/
non serve lamentarsi (Taylor 54)
As always contextual and co-textual clues
help translators in making the right use of
divergence.

convergence
Rendering a range of alternatives
with a single lexical item:
e.g. tu,Lei voi, Loro with you
commercialista, ragioniere,
contabile, with accountant.

Amplification

Requires the translator to add some element to the ST to

facilitate comprehension.
e.g. translators notes,
Though many additions are structural:
e.g. collocation gaps. When a single lexical item in one
language requires a co- selected collocate.
e.g. hanno interesse a tenere il prezzo basso/ a vested interest
(Taylor p-55).
Amplification often is required to decode certain ST items
whose linguistic, semantic, or cultural components may not
be immediately clear.
It is especially typical of proper nouns.
e.g. County lost four none/ (Taylor 55)
dopo Courtrai/ after the Battle of Courtrai
It is also fairly frequent in technical and academic texts as an
aid to comprehension.

Reduction
Reduction consist of omitting an element
in the TT text because it is regarded as
redundant, or even misleading.
e.g. carta geografica/ maps; globo
terrestre/ globe /esporre in modo visibile/
display.

Diffusion
While amplification and condensation refer to addition or
subtraction of elements to a lexical item, diffusion refers to
providing elaboration to bring out its meaning.
e.g. Magari!/ If only I could/ would that it were/ I wish that were
the case.
e.g. Perfect conditional
La banda avrebbe rapinato altre tre banche
Requires use of the allegation form:
e.g. The gang is alleged/ said/ thought/ reported to have robbed
three other banks.
The common imperfect form of dovere, in sentences like
doveva saperelo, needs diffusing to: he should have known
that.
The same principle is at work when tackling certain Italian
lexemes which are count nouns in English and often require
premodifying determiners and prepositional phrases.

condensation
This entails producing a more economic text in the TT.
e.g. A buon prezzo/ cheaply
far vedere/show
When Italian is the TT, prepositional verbs are regularly
condensed.
to make up for/ compensare
A noted example of condensation is the use of
compounding and noun strings and univariate strings to
translate corresponding Italian sentences marked by verbs,
adjectivals, and adverbial or prepositional phrases.
e.g. Environmental Department Air Pollution Report Findings
scandal/ Lo scandalo suscitato dai risultati del rapporto del
Ministero dellAmbiente sullinquinamento dellaria.
(see Taylor pp 58-59 for commonest types of compounds).