Katharina Reiss

Decison making in translation

Type, kind and individuality of text
Interlingual translation

-Change of message during the communicative process

communicative difference
(intentional or unintentional)

-The translating process

-Analysis

-Text type: informative, expressive, operative (mixed)

-Text variety (super-individual acts of speech or writing)

-Text style (analysis of a particular textual surface)

Reverbalization
Thesis - The text type determines the general method of translating
- The text variety demands consideration for language and text
structure
conventions

-Normal cases,Problematic cases, Special cases

-Intention
-Functional equivalence
-Function
-Mode of translating
 This slide marks a transition from Daniela to Matteo’s presentation.
 KATHARINA REISS

TYPE, KIND AND INDIVIDUALITY OF

TEXT
Decision making in translation

INTERLINGUAL TRANSLATION = bilingual mediated process of communication; production of a TL starting from a functionally
equivalent SL

•Use of two natural language + employment of the medium of the translator = change of message during the
communicative process

•Haseloff (1969) “ideal” communication is rare because the receiver brings his own knowledge and expectations
that are different from those of the sender [Plett (1975) clls it “communicative difference”]
 UNINTENTIONAL CHANGES
• Unintentional changes may arise from the different language structure as well as from differences
in translating competence

INTENTIONAL CHANGES
• Intentional changes occur in translating, if the aims of the translation are different from those of
the original

Written texts/texts put in writing = “one-way communication” (Glinz 1973)

• Non linguistic elements such as gestures, intonation or facial expressions are partly verbalized (alleviating
the analysis) ≠ Limitation of the possibilities of explicit verbalization of such elements + spatio-temporl
separation between addresser and addressee + lack of feedback during the act of communication (text
analysis made more difficult)
•Action is intentional behavior in a given situation (Vermeer 1972). “Intention”  speech purpose, speech
aim, motive leading to language communication. Through the intention, verbalized by the author in his text,
this text receives a communicative function for the process of communication.
•Written text = single or plural intentions
•Language = temporal phenomenon  subject to the conditions of time Consequences: a) necessity of re-
translating the same SL, functional equivalence not guaranteed b)loss of understanding of the original SL
text function
The translating process

1) Phase of analysis The translator should clarify the functions of the SL text in a three-stage-process (from
the smallest textual unit and ending with the text as a whole or viceversa). In practice, the three stages
correspond.

•Establishment of the text-type (informative, expressive, operative/mixed) Roman Jakobson includes the
phatic and the poetic functions; both are realized in all three basic forms of communication.
An additional type Multi-medial text type (eg: music and text, picture+text, slides and text etc.)

•Establishment of the text variety (super-individual acts of speech or writing). Its phenomenon is not confined
to one language ore one culture.

•Establishment of the text style Text individual placed in foreground. Necessary semantic, syntactic and
pragmatic analysis.

2) Phase of reverbalization Detailed analysis proceeding from the word, the syntagma, the phrase, the
sentence, the section up to the entire text.
THESIS: - The text type determines the general method of translating
- The text variety demands consideration for language and text structure

conventions

•NORMAL CASES a) If the SL text is written to convey contents, these should also be conveyed in the TL text
Mode of translating: translation according to the sense and meaning (Implicit contents should be explicated in
both texts).
b) to convey artistic contents form the SL to the TL, these should be transmitted in an analaogously artistic
organization  Translating by identification
c) to convey persuasively structured contents in order to trigger off impulses of behavior  adaptive translating

- Form and function of language signs do not show a relation of 1:1 so the
same SL sequence may be represented in the TL by any other language sequence
depending in text type, text variety or their function.

•PROBLEMATIC CASES If elements of poetic language are used (loan structures  Hantsch 1972), they must be
expressed in an analagously poetic form. If this is not possible without the loss of the unity of contents and
artistic form, then retention of content > maintenance of an artistic form (puns and other kinds of play with
language should be ignored)

•SPECIAL CASES In changes of function the aim of the translating process is not anymore the attainment of a
functionally TL text, but a TL text possessing a form which is
adequate to the “foreign function.” “to what end and for whom is the text translated?”
(Different aims for different situations)