Some Principles Of Translation

Some principles of translation
a. Meaning. The translation should reflect accurately the meaning of the original text. Nothing should be arbitrarily added or removed, though occasionally part of themeaning can be ‘transposed’, for example, He was limp with fatigue might become: Estaba tan cansado que no podía dar un paso.
Ask yourself:
- is the meaning of the original text clear? if not,where does the uncertainty lie?
- are any words ‘loaded’, that is, are there any underlying implications?
- is the dictionary meaning of a particular word the most suitable one?
- does anything in thetranslation sound unnatural or forced?
b. Form. The ordering of words and ideas in the translation should match the original as closely as possible. (This is particularly important in translatinglegal documents, guarantees, contracts, etc.) But differences in language structure often require changes in the form and order of words.
c. Register. Languages often differ greatly in their levels offormality in a given context. To resolve these differences, the translator must distinguish between formal or fixed expressions (Please find enclosed...) and personal expressions, in which the writeror speaker sets the tone.
Consider also:
- would any expression in the original sound too formal/informal, cold/warm, personal/impersonal... if translated literally?
- what is the intention of thespeaker or writer? (to persuade/dissuade, apologize/criticize?) Does this come through in the translation?
d. Source language influence. One of the most frequent criticisms of translation is that ‘itdoesn’t sound natural’. This is because the translator’s thoughts and choice are too strongly moulded by the original text. A good way of shaking off the source language influence is to set the textaside and translate a few sentences aloud, from memory. This will suggest natural patterns of thought in the first language (L1), which may not come to mind when the eye is fixed on the SL text.
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