Translation Seminar Outline
Solutions to Some EngTg / TgEng Problems

A translation seminar outline is required in order to direct participants through a general eye view of what to expect. However this kind of outline works only when many examples are provided under each translation problem. The participating translators themselves can offer their own examples from their native language.

Introduction

According to David Crystal, “It is sometimes said that there is no task more complex than translation – a claim that can readily be believed when all the variables involved are taken into account.”

What does a translator need before he or she can translate?1 The translator must know the source language well.2 The translator must have a thorough understanding of the field of knowledge covered by the source text.3 The translator must have a thorough knowledge of the culture of the target language.4 The translator must know the target language well.

The translator must know the source language well.

The translator must understand how the source language functions – the structure (grammar) and the types of devices used in the language. For example, in Filipino or Tagalog, there are lots of expressions we use that cannot be translated directly into English. These include idioms.

Idioms:

these are expressions that don’t mean what they say on the surface. For example:

Para siyang basang-sisiw.
Mahilig siyang magbuhat ng sariling bangko.
Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo.

Grammar

a. In translating English to Tagalog, one difficulty is in finding exact equivalent for nouns.

b. English distinguishes between the active and the passive voice, and depending on the voice used, the translation into Tagalog will have to decide on the emphasis. (Natural Tagalog always begins with the verb whereas active English always begin with the subject).

c. In English there are so many connectors, but in Tagalog, we only have “ng” and “sa” and these can mean of, in, on, at, etc.

Of course there are other things the translator has to know about the source language. These few examples are just to give you an idea of some important issues.

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The Translator must have a thorough understanding of the field of knowledge covered by the source text.

The translator is required to know the text of the source language well. He/She must know how to discover the original meaning of the text. He/She must know the cultural background in which it was written. He/She must know the purpose for which it was written. He/She must know potential areas of difficulty in the text.

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The translator must have a thorough knowledge of the culture of the target language.

This is the reason why the best translator is usually a native speaker of the language. Aside from having constant exposure to the culture of the language environment, he or she is an active participant and knows nuances dictionaries or memory tools won’t be able to access or supply.

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The translator must know the target language well.

It is important for the translation to sound natural. But it should also be clear and accurate. Only a native speaker who has wide exposure to the nuances of the language will be able to reflect a dynamic translation that does not sound like a translation.

• Accurate: the translation must give the exact meaning (as nearly as possible) of the original message.

• Clear:The translation should make the meaning easy to understand. There should be no phrases which are confusing, or which could be understood in a wrong way.

• Natural:The language of the translation should be natural. It should not sound like a translation at all, but like someone speaking naturally in the new language.

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See a handout example that deals with some issues mentioned in this translation seminar outline.

Translation Seminar Outline
Specific Solutions to Translation Issues

Primary and Secondary Meaning of Words

Below are 10 different uses (meanings) of the word “Run” (English)

1 the boy runs
2 run along
3 color runs
4 run the computer
5 vine runs
6 boss runs a company
7 runs for president
8 time runs fast
9 run over
10 dry run

The primary sense of the word is usually the sense in which that word is commonly used in the language. It is the sense which native speakers of the language will think of when they hear the word in isolation. The other senses are often referred to as secondary senses.

Cross Language Mismatch

The meaning of words often does not match up across languages.
Some examples of mismatch:

English to Tagalog ; He/She = Siya (for both he and she) ; Husband/ wife = asawa (needs “na babae” for wife; “na lalake” for husband) ; Babysitter = tagapag-alaga ng bata ; Caregiver = tagapag-alaga ng matanda

Translation Solutions

In translation into another language, the word which gives the correct sense in each separate context should be used. This means that it will not always be possible to translate the same word in the source language using an exact equivalent in the receptor language.

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• Breaking Down the Meaning of a Word

  Sometimes, there does not seem to be a word in the new language to express certain ideas. But it may be possible to break down the meaning of the word so that it is expressed by a phrase. It is the underlying meaning that is translated

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• Using a More General Word

  In some contexts, the translator can use a word which has a wider, more general meaning than the original word, without changing the real sense of the original

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• Using a More Specific Word

  Sometimes, a word which has a narrower, less general meaning than the original word can be used.

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Acient times have words which are unknown today because the concrete equivalent of those words don’t exist anymore, or is not ever seen or heard in the target language environment.

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Some solutions in translating unknown things:

• Use descriptive phrases (possible loss in translation)

• Substitute a word for something similar which is known

• Borrow the word from the source language (disadvantage – ordinary people may not know what they mean. Translator should use a few foreign words as possible)

Similes

A simile is a comparison used for the purpose of illustration. Every simile has three parts: topic, similarity, illustration

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However sometimes, all three parts are not openly stated. One or even two parts may be understood only because of the context of the whole passage.

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Metaphor

A metaphor, like a simile, is a comparison between two “unlike” objects (define unlike). The difference between a simile and a metaphor is that in a simile, the comparison is explicit and often indicated by the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ while in a metaphor, the comparison is implicit. Like a simile, a metaphor has three parts

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EuphemismA euphemism is the use of an substitute word or phrase in place of a direct one in order to avoid being offensive. Every language has its own euphemism, the meaning of which is quite clear to a native speaker of the language. But if they are translated word for word into another language, they are very puzzling.

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Other figures of speech
a. Sometimes, an expression is used that has an actual meaning which is different from what it at first appears to say. The purpose of such expression is not to make the meaning obscure and difficult, but rather to emphasize the meaning and to make the style lovely and varied.

b. In English, they say, ‘the kettle is boiling’ but what it means is ‘the water in the kettle is boiling.

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