Translation Techniques 1

LEXICAL

TRANSFORMATIONS Lexical transformations change the semantic core of a translated word: 1.Lexical substitution/putting one word in place of another. It often results from the different semantic structures of the SL and TL words.

 Adj.

young is not always tnr, TR depends on the combinability with other words: the day was still young era dimineaa devreme.

 Substitution

as a translation technique can be of several subtypes: a. Specification, or substituting words with a wider meaning with words of a narrower meaning: Will you do the room? Vei face curenie n camer?

 b.

Generalization, or substituting words of a narrower meaning with those of a wider meaning: She bought the Oolong tea on her way home. n drum spre cas, ea a cumprat ceai Chinezesc. Oolong- a kind of Chinese tea

 c.Differentiation

-substitute a word by another one with parallel meaning, denoting a similar species: bamboo curtain cortina de fier. Bamboo and fier(iron) are materials known for their hard nature.

 They

are used to denote the barriers between the Western and Communist countries (bamboo curtain in reference to China, cortina de fier in reference to other Comecon (Council for Mutual Economic Aid) states.

 d.

Modulation is a logical development of the notion expressed by the word: The title of the chapter 7 from Alice n ara minunilor de Lewis Carrol called A mad tea-party was translated into Ro Ceaiul nebunilor

2.Metaphoric transformations are based on transferring the meaning due to the similarity of notions. The TL can re-metaphorize a word or a phrase by using the same image. Dont dirty your hands with that money! Nu-i murdri minile cu banii tia!; El ne va ntoarce banii la patele cailor - He will pay us our money back when hell freezes over.

 GRAMMAR

TRANSFORMATIONS are morphological or syntactical changes in translated units. They are subdivided into the following types: Grammar substitution/transposition He is a poor swimmer. El noat prost,

 Beatrix

Potter is generally regarded as one of the most influential founders of childrens literature. Se consider c Beatrix Potter este unul dintre cei mai influieni fondatori ai literaturii penru copii.

 Word

order change. Usually the reason for this transformation is that En and Ro sentences have different information structures, or functional sentence perspective. A new press conference was held in Washington yesterday Ieri, la Washington, a avut loc o nou conferin de pres

 Sentence

partitioning is the replacement of a simple sentence in the ST with a complex sentence (with some clauses) I want you to undestand this transformation Eu vreau ca voi s nelegei aceast transformare.

 Sentence

integration is a contrary transformation. It takes place when we make one sentence out of two or more, or convert a complex sentence into a simple one:

 In

ancient Rome, garlic was believed to make people courageous. Roman soldiers, therefore, ate large quantities of it before a battle. nainte de lupt, soldaii romani mncau o cantitate considerabil de usturoi, deoarece n Roma antic se credea c usturoiul i face pe oameni mai curajoi.

 COMPLEX

TRANSFORMATIONS This type of transformations concerns both the lexical (semantic) and grammatical level, i.e. it touches upon structure and meaning. The following techniques can be associated with lexical and grammatical transformations:

Explicatory translation-rewording the meaning into another structure so that the receptor will have a better understanding of the phrase. Sometimes this transformation is named as explicitation, defined as the technique of making explicit in the TT information that is imlicit in the ST I have a nine-to-five job. Eu lucrez de la ora 9 dimineaa pn la ora 5 seara.

 Reduction

(omission, implicitation) is giving up redundant and communicatively irrelevant words: Elvis Presley denied being lewd and obscene. Elvis Presley a negat faptul c sar fi purtat indecent.

 Integral

transformation is the replacement of a set phrase with another clichd structure that has the same speech function: How do you do! ncntat de cunotin!; Wet paint. Atenie, vopsit. Help yourself. Servii-v.

 Antonymic

translation is describing the situation by the target language from the contrary angle. She is not unworthy of your attention. Ea chiar merit atenia D-str.

 Complex

compensation is a deliberate change of the word/structure by another one because the exact equivalent of the TL word or phrase is unable to produce the same impact upon the receptor as does the SL word or phrase. Their food, clothing and wages were less bad than they had been. Acum, hrana, mbrcmintea i salariul lor nu erau att de rele ca pe vremuri.