UNIT 2: TRANSLATION AND
INTERPRETATION
The field of translation and interpretation is especially demanding because of
the variety of complex tasks that are involved in terms of:
1. general knowledge.
2. cultural knowledge.
3. specific translative / interpretive skills.
All these tasks are in addition to proficiency in the language to be used, which
is clearly a prerequisite for study in translation and interpretation.
In the first instance, translation and interpretation involve an enormous
amount of knowledge in a variety of areas.
“A good translator/interpreter has to be a veritable mine of information no
matter what subject he is dealing with. If you are interpreting a lecture on
genetics and you don’t know what a chromosome is, you are in deep trouble!
Or, if you have to translate a paper on the effects of increased taxation on
aggregate demand, you are up the proverbial creek without a paddle if you
have never had a course in economics. Besides, vocabulary is not enough - in
order to make any sense out of a text or a speech, you have to understand
what the author is really saying. Translation and interpretation
involve ideas, not words.”
For this reason, the course of translation and interpretation will need to
involve studies of subject areas such as international economics, political
science and international studies which are frequently called upon for
translation.
“Becoming an accomplished translator or interpreter means you will have
to be constantly expanding your awareness of the world around you.”
Before we can translate or interpret a message, we must understand the total
meaning of the message within its own cultural context.
“You must first understand the ideas behind the words and, going one step
further, you should have clear knowledge of the culture which formulated
those ideas. This step is usually the most exciting. A growing awareness of
different lifestyles brings home the idea that rendering accurate
translations is really not that simple. Not only must you lend a
sympathetic ear to two separate cultures, but you must also enjoy working
with words. And one of the main purposes of the institute’s course in
Translation Theory is to make you aware of the possible meanings of a
word in different contexts. We study the semantic and morphological
aspects of communication in an attempt to better understand language
usage.”
For example, translator and interpreter will need to study how words
communicate, what “bias words” are, i.e., words that communicate positive
meanings and negative meanings, such as “underdeveloped country” vs.
“backward country” vs. “developing country”.
As well as understanding the meanings of the words, we will need to
understand the meaning conveyed through the style. Is it formal? informal?
personal? impersonal? Is the author or speaker humorous? serious? sarcastic?
emphatic? Is his expression subtle? overt?
The hardest part is yet to come in bridging the conceptual gap between two
cultures when we try to convey the total massage by way of the concepts and
symbols (i.e., thoughts and words) of a different language. Cultural sensitivity
and creativity will be called upon maintaining the style of the total
communication. Different languages often communicate similar meanings via
different number of words, different kinds of words, different intonation and
pitch, different gestures. If we translate/interpret literally, our version may
result in a loss of the message.
In addition to a wealth of general knowledge in relevant subject - areas, the
ability to switch cultural contexts and to solve problems of inter - cultural
communication, translation and interpretation are specific and complex skills
which require the development of particular psycholinguistic strategies.
While some of these strategies overlap, others differ according to the type of
translation or interpretation involved. It will be important to distinguish
between translation and interpretation, and to be able to identify the particular
strategies involved.
