Ch.

7 Translating into and out of English

In this chapter, we will look at:

1. The role of English in translation industry

2. Different kinds of translation (focus on interlingual translation)
3. The strengths and limitations of translation
 Ch. 7 Translating into and out of English
- English is the most translated language in the world (English
to other languages) ;
- It is also the language most frequently translated into (From
other languages into English);

- However, translation industry is usually a one-way street

- More than half (55-6%) of all book translations are from
English to other languages
- i.e. books in other languages are less likely to be translated
into English
- Its always English books being translated into other languages
 Reading A: What is translation?
-Translation is the process of
- interlingual translation:
- intralingual translation:
- Intersemiotic translation:

A: Translation ( ):

B: Interpretation ( ):
1. Simultaneous and consecutive (conference) interpreting:

2. Public service interpreting:

-important for migrants, interpreters switch between both languages
- interpreters usually take side of whoever they are helping out
 Reading A: What is translation?
Machine translation:
- Automatic translation: no human involved, the translation can be
treated as rough draft
- Semi-automatic translation: the machine will stop to let a human
translator solve ambiguity problems before it goes on again

Advantages:

Disadvantages:
 Strengths of translation

- overcoming limitations
- Translation facilitates communication across cultures ()
 Limitations of translation:
Limitations of translation:
-A text can only be fully understood against the cultural context in
which the text is produced
-Therefore, translating process is not the contact of two languages but
also the contact of two cultures
- Conventionalisation of meaning through languages within a
particular culture is important (nativise the ideas)
- e.g French translation of Harry Potter (considering cultural differences)

Source text:
Now, yer mum an dad were as good a witch an wizard as I ever knew.
Head Boy an Girl at Hogwarts in their day! (45)
Target text
...Ton pre et ta mre taient dexcellent sorciers. Toujours premiers de la
classe Poudlard, lpoque ou ils taient tudiants! (60)
Back translation:
Your father and your mother were excellent wizards. Always top of the
class at Hogwarts, at the time when they were students!
 Limitations of translation
1. How do you translate culture in spoken communication?
a. Read Activity 7.8, if you were the interpreter, what would you say,
will you explain the context in addition to interpreting (visibility of
translators?
b. Many Arabic expressions reflect religious nature, should
interpreters translate terms word for word (literal translation)?
- Interpreters consider the context of communication, they may not
translate every word, they translate the meaning (free translation)

- E.g. Hows your health Ali Thanks be to God! (In Arabic)

How are you Ali Very well, thanks. (In English)

- Some may think that free translation is different from the original
- Translation is not context-free
 Limitations of translation
In Reading B: Reframing conflict in translation by Mona Baker
-The writer, Mona Baker investigates translation for the Arabic
documentary entitled Jenin Jenin
- The documentary has been translated into many languages, including
English (aiming at American audience)
-Mona Baker concludes that political purposes / background of
translators may affect how they translate the source text (e.g word
choice) in order to reframe the same event in another language
(dominance and resistance)
- In this sense, translation is not neutral
 Some more limitations of translation:
- Untranslatability of vocabulary and grammar (e.g. English vs Russian)
[Lack of fit between langauges]
- Something of the spirit of the original languages is lost in translation
- Linguistic relativity hypothesis: a language determines a unique way of
seeing the world (Pavlenko, 2005)

- Therefore, one language is incapable of representing experience in the

same way as another language. The language you speak determines how
you think.
 Some more limitations of translation
1. Translation of wordplay, e.g. rhymes, puns (very difficult!)
- Sounds may be an integral part of the meaning of a poem
- Pun: e.g. The importance of being earnest
The sound of the word earnest is the same as the character of this book, Mr Ernest.
- Its difficult to find the same pun in the translation
- Solution: change the name of the character (Mr Ernest) in the translation.
2. How to translate realia which carry symbolic meaning in the source text?
- E.g. Green Wellington boots and print headscarves worn by a woman driving 4x4s in the
English countryside are symbols of belonging to rural upper class
- Translators should also translate these symbolic meaning of realia appeared in the
translation (target text), otherwise readers may not be able to understand the text (story)
accurately
- Solutions (Venuti 1995):
i. introduce the unfamiliar and culturally aliens to readers (foreignise the language)
ii. Converting them into something more homely and familar ( nativise the ideas, the
terms )
 Conclusion
After knowing the limitations of translation, some people may argue that:

1. The use of translation (written) and interpretation (spoken) may diminish

the favour of English (untranslatability of puns, grammar and some words)

2. Anglophone countries exporting their cultures but have less incentive

knowing others cultures (because more than half (55-6%) of all book
translations are from English to other languages)

3. For readers, it seems that we have more chances knowing Anglophone

cultures than other cultures (imbalanced) (since culture is embedded in
languages)

4. The translation industry, to a certain extent, helps to spread the dominance

of English and its culture to other places (hegemony / imperialism/
linguicide?).