SOURCE-TEXT ANALYSIS
Pre-Translation Process
LANGUAGE AND DISCOURSE
o Our language has different levels of structure: sounds, words, grammar,
and so forth. But just as language does not exist in a social void, so the
elements of language do not exist in a vacuum either.
o Words do not ‘contain’ meaning in themselves and meaning is not
‘discovered’ in them: meaning is something we construct, as social
beings, in our own minds.
o We all have different minds, personalities and individualities, and so we
also construct different meanings, for ourselves and for each other, in our
use of language. And if it is through our social and linguistic relationships
with the rest of the world that we construct meaning, then without the
context of those relationships our language is essentially meaningless.
THE intended meaning will be understood perfectly
– in the context!
Since meaning is constructed – negotiated, if you
prefer – in our social practice of language, rather than
simply contained in words, then it follows that the
relationship between the forms and functions of our
language is necessarily flexible.
"Translation process involves both the transfer of
language and culture". The definition clearly stated
that culture and translation are something cannot be
separated. As is said by Munday (2009, p. 179)
translation is "a more complex negotiation between
two cultures".
ANALYZING THE SOURCE TEXT
Any text is a 'communicative event', written
in a situation or context.
"Texts adopt different linguistic features
and forms (vocabulary, syntax,
organization,… etc.) dependent upon
extra-linguistic factors such as the
characteristics of the audience they
address, the textual function, the motive for
production, and the time and place of
reception". (Colina, 2015: 43-44)
TIME, PLACE AND MEDIUM OF
PUBLICATION
Time of reception: When was your ST
published/received by its audience? Are there
any elements in the text which tie it to its
time of production?
Place of reception: Where was the ST
received (a class handout – to the national –
a newspaper – to the international – a
website that is available worldwide, a course
book,…etc)?
…
Medium: In what form was it distributed
(printed on a page, displayed on a screen,
handwritten)?
Has the method by which the ST has been
distributed has imposed constraints on its
production (eg the convention for shorter
paragraphs in a web article; a particular
publication’s house-style; the requirements
of a text, like a children’s story …etc?
FUNCTION AND MOTIVE
Function: What is the text trying to get
its reader/receiver to do?
Texts have purposes and authors have
intentions: to convince someone to do
something, like vote labour, or to inform
someone about something, like a talk that is
taking place, or persuade someone to do
something, like eat more healthily, or teach
someone how to do something , and so on.
Motive: What was the impulse that
prompted the production of this text? Perhaps
new health advice has been issued by the
government, a new product has been
launched, and so on.
TARGET READER/AUDIENCE
Who is receiving this text? It is important to consider the
education backgrounds, the age, particular knowledgebase,
belief system or political stance which will make the
audience react in a certain way to a text.
Eugène Nida (1964) was the first to consider the role of the
reader as a factor in translation. He classified readers into
four types as follows:
the capacity of children, whose vocabulary and cultural
experience are limited;
the double-standard capacity of new literates, who can
decode oral messages with facility but whose ability to
decode written messages is limited;
the capacity of the average literature adult, who can handle
both oral and written messages with relative ease; and
the unusually high capacity of specialists (doctors,
theologians, philosophers, scientists, etc.), when they are
decoding messages within their own area of specialization.
GENRE
It is important to know which ‘genre’ your text
falls into, because each genre of text has its own
conventions, and these may differ between
Source Culture and Target Culture (for example
instruction leaflets will use the infinitive in French
and the imperative in English, there are different
conventions in the formulation of headlines
between French and English).
Within the broader groupings there are plenty of
sub-genres, each of which will have their own
characteristics or conventions which are translator
must take into account: reference books, recipes,
blogs, lectures, advertisements, letters, tourist
brochures, reports, speeches, plays, poetry, etc.
Fidelity defines exactly how precisely a translated
document conforms with its source. It can allude
to how a document corresponds with its source in
a variety of ways, from being ‘faithful to the
message’, to being ‘faithful to the author’. Also
one must factor in the register, the languages and
grammar, the cultures and the form. Fidelity
theory and its discussion has dominated the
history of translation studies. In the early days,
adherence to the source text in a verbatim way
was seen as the best fidelity. However, as time
has progressed, society has learned to define
fidelity quite differently.
Levý defines translation as a communication
process in terms of its goal and as a decision
process in terms of the translator's working
situation, which forces the translator to make
steps or moves, similarly as in a game, which
consist in choosing among a certain number of
alternatives.
HOW TO WRITE A TRANSLATION
COMMENTARY
(Post-Translation Activity)
Decision-Making Process
in Translation
There is not necessarily a ‘right way’ to structure
and organise your commentary. It must be logically
organised and well expressed.
Why did you choose this ST, and what is the
purpose of your TT?
Why are you translating or re-translating this text?
What were your priorities when translating this text?
For example;
Fidelity to the source? In what way?
The creation of a ‘successful’ target text?
Considerations of audience? Creative self-expression
Who are you addressing? Please specify
for whom you are translating. (Target Reader)
Who will its audience be?
How will it shape the target culture’s perception of the
source culture and its literature?
When addressing the reader, please bear in mind that
your readers may include people with and without
knowledge of your source language. You should have a
sense of how this will affect your approach.
**Why you’re doing what you are doing!**
What overall strategy have you adopted, in
order to achieve the effect you are aiming for?
The purpose of the commentary is to allow
you to reflect in a critical way on the
translation decisions you have made. To do
so, you need to make precise reference to
specific examples from your translation.
Please describe a range of potential solutions
to a given translation problem, before
explaining why you opted for your final
choice. You may also wish to make reference
to appropriate parallel texts in the target
language which have informed your choices.
VERMEER'S SKOPOS THEORY /
VERMEER'İN SKOPOS KURAMI
Skopos Theory was developed by Hans Vermeer in the
late 1970s as part of functionalist approaches to
translation. It emphasizes the purpose (skopos) of a
translation rather than strict equivalence to the source
text.
Skopos Kuramı, Hans Vermeer tarafından 1970'lerin
sonlarında geliştirilmiş ve çeviriye ilişkin işlevsel
yaklaşımların bir parçası olmuştur. Kaynak metne birebir
bağlı kalmaktan çok çevirinin amacına (skopos)
odaklanır.
…
• Skopos: The purpose or aim of a translation.
Skopos: Çevirinin amacı ya da hedefi.
• Target Audience: The group of people for whom the
translation is intended.
Hedef Kitle: Çeviri metninin ulaşması gereken
okuyucu kitlesi.
• Functionality: A translation must serve its intended
function in the target culture.
İşlevsellik: Çeviri, hedef kültürde beklenen amaca
hizmet etmelidir.
• Source Text Adaptation: The source text may need
to be modified to suit the purpose.
Kaynak Metnin Uyarlanması: Kaynak metin,
çevirinin amacına uygun olarak düzenlenebilir.
…
1. Purpose Determines Translation Strategy
Amaç, Çeviri Stratejisini Belirler
1. The translation process is guided by its purpose.
2. Çeviri süreci, belirlenen amaca göre yönlendirilir.
2. Target-Oriented Approach
Hedef Odaklı Yaklaşım
1. A translation should be effective for its target
audience.
2. Çeviri, hedef kitlenin ihtiyaçlarına uygun olmalıdır.
3. Translator's Role as a Cultural Mediator
Çevirmenin Kültürler Arası Aracı Rolü
1. The translator makes decisions based on the target
culture.
2. Çevirmen, hedef kültüre uygun kararlar verir.
