Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
Hemza ZEGHAR
حمزة زغار.أ
M2 #Traductology
Lecture 2 Main points: 1. Nida's definition of translation 2. Formal vs Dynamic Equivalence 3. Translationese 4. Surface Structure / Deep Structure. 5. Kernel 6. Peter Newmark’s definition.
Remember :
«Each language has its own genius»
Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
Eugene Albert Nida’s Definition Nida’s views of translation are mainly embodied in his books Toward a Science of Translating and The Theory and Practice of Translation, in the former work, he regards translation as a scientific subject and points out that “the transference of a message from one language to another is a valid subject for scientific description” (Nida, 1964, p.3). In his opinion, translation is an art; the best translations are those which are not usually viewed as translation but the original. He believes that “each language has its own genius, and anything that can be said in one language can be said in another, unless the form is an essential element of the language.”(p.4)
:مثال بسيط ST: A business cycle is a short-term pattern of economic expansions and contractions. - A business cycle is a noun phrase meaning دورة/ دورةةاقتصادية العمال - is (verb be) cannot be translated into Arabic when it is present, and translators therefore should search for a natural equivalent by turning the whole sentence into verbless sentence جملة إسميةor using a verb such as تعتبرin case the translator decides to render it into a verbal sentence جملة فعلية -
Short-term pattern is an adjective and noun construction meaning نمط قصير الجل
- and of economic expansions and contractions is a prepositional phrase meaning من التوسع والنكماش القتصادي
Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
- Note that translators can use the plural sense and say فتراتة التوسعةأو النكماش القتصادي - Given this explanation, the ST sentence can be rendered as: تعتبر الدورةع القتصاديةع أحدع النماطع قصيرةع الجلع لفتراتع التوسعع أو .النكماش القتصادي
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الدورةع القتصادية عهي أحدع النماطع قصيرةع الجلع لفتراتع التوسعع أو .النكماش القتصادي
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Regardless of the difference between culture and language, one can translate the works through the process of finding equivalent words and recombining them in a new form.
Then on discussing the nature of translating, Nida defines translating as the “closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style” (p.12).
This definition contains three terms ——the closest, natural and equivalence. From these points, the translators need to find the closest words and recombine them in a proper way opposing to translationese. The proposition of Dynamic Equivalence plays a great role in translation study and it is an improvement for the traditional translation. Unlike the traditional Free Translation, it demands the translation reproducing the meaning of the source text to the largest extent.
Translationese ________________________________________________________________
Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
Translationese = A generally pejorative term used to refer to TL usage which because of its obvious reliance on features of SL is perceived as unnatural, comical and impenetrable. The language is described as stilted. ________________________________________________________________
Surface Structure and Deep Structure Deep structure: - the underlying structure of a sentence that conveys the meaning of a sentence Surface structure: - the superficial arrangement of constituents and reflects the order in which the words are pronounced - Ahmad broke the window. - The window was broken by Ahmad. > The difference in their surface structure = difference in syntactic forms > BUT they have the same 'deep' or underlying structure = One deep Structure = One Meaning
Nida seeks to establish a scientific theory for translation studies and he introduces the linguistic theory of transformational generative grammar into his studies. He regards the translations as surface structure, whereas the source texts are underlying kernels.
Kernel The term kernel is used in a broadly Chomskyan sense to denote “the basic structural elements” (Nida & Taber 1969/1982:39) which can be said to underlie the syntactically more elaborate “surface structure” of
Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
any language. ويستخدمع مصطلحعالساس kernelهناع بمعناهع التشومسكيع الواسعع ليدلععلى التيع يمكنع القولع بأنهاع تكمنع وراءع "التركيب " العناصرع البنائيةع الساسية" السطحي" surface structureالكثر إحكاما من الوجهة التركيبية في أية لغة.
Languages “agree far more on the level of the kernels than on the level ”of the more elaborate structures إنة اللغاتة" تتفقة علىة مستوىةالسس أكثرة بكثيرة منة اتفاقهاةعلى مستوى التراكيب الكثر إحكامةا" kernels consist of combinations of items from four structural categories : المفاعيل - objects, الحداث بما فيها الفعال - events (including actions), - abstracts (as features of objects, events, and other abstracts), المجردات بوصفها ملمح للشياء والحداث والمجردات الخرى أدوات الربط ”- and relationals مثال بسيط جدا: يمكنع تحليلع كلمةع"رجل" وفقاع للمكوناتع"ذكر" ،ع"بالغ" ،ع"بشر" ؛ع ويستخدمعفي الترجمةع لختيارع أدقع المكافئاتع علىع مستوىع المفردات،ع حيثع يتمع مقارنةع كلمةعمن اللغةع الصليةع بكلمةع قريبةع منهاع أوع مرادفةع لهاع فيع اللغةع المستهدفةع ولكنهاعليست مكافئةع لهاع تماما،ع ويتمع فيع البدايةع إظهارع مكوناتهماع المتشابهةع ثمع مكوناتهما المختلفة بعد ذلك ،وذلك بغرض تحقيق أكبر قدر من الدقة. مثال بسيط: -
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يضرب للرجل يشتد حمقُه، سد َ وزيد َ فيهِ. ُ مدّت بماء = يُضرب للمرعفَ ُ ثأطة ُ أ ة = )الطين( إذا أصابها الماءُ ازدادت فسادا ورطوبة. ن الععثَأطَعع َ ل ّ = زاد الطين بِلةّ = زاد المر سوءًا أو خطورةً َ Surface structures are different.
Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
But they have the same deep structure = One meaning.
- Add fuel to the flame(s) - Add insult to injury = - to worsen an unfavorable or uncomfortable situation Surface structures are different. But they have the same deep structure = One meaning.
Peter Newmark’s definition of translation What is translation?
According to Peter Newmark, « often, though not by any means always, it is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text” (Newmark, 1988, 2001, p.5). » In his opinion, translating a text should begin with a detailed analysis of a text, such as the intention of the text and of the author, its readership, attitude, to name just a few.
As far as Newmark is concerned, there are no absolute in translation and everything is conditioned. Therefore, he never goes extremism and always gives his own definition of some notions in a conditioned sense.
Example : Having regard to the traditional dichotomy between translatability untranslatability, he makes his position: “everything
and
is translatable up to a point, but there are often enormous
Hemza ZEGHAR - #Traductology - #M2
difficulties” (p.73).
Peter Newmark takes a compromising attitude, not going extremism.