Polysystem and Descriptive Translation Studies

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Questions and Answers

What term describes the dynamic hierarchy in which literature operates, incorporating social, cultural, and historical contexts?

Polysystem (correct)

Discourse Patterns

Sociocultural Model

Translation Norms

Which of the following best describes a primary position of translated literature within the polysystem?

Adopting innovative external models (correct)

Reflecting conservative perspectives

Conforming to target cultural norms

Maintaining a peripheral role

Which initial norm in Descriptive Translation Studies is concerned with prioritizing source or target culture norms?

Product Norm

Operational Norm

Initial Norm (correct)

Preliminary Norm

What is the focus of Gideon Toury's Descriptive Translation Studies?

Cultural and literary products shaped by norms Signup and view all the answers

What does the Law of Growing Standardization in translation norms imply?

Simplifying ST relations to align with TL norms occurs. Signup and view all the answers

Which translation norm focuses on ethical responsibility towards the translation process?

Accountability Norm Signup and view all the answers

In the Hallidayan Model of Discourse, what do language choices primarily reflect?

Sociocultural functions and contexts Signup and view all the answers

Which type of literature occupies a secondary position in the polysystem?

Conservative works conforming to norms Signup and view all the answers

Which factors are primarily involved in the concept of patronage in literature?

Ideological, economic, and status Signup and view all the answers

What does differentiated patronage allow for?

Independent control of its components Signup and view all the answers

How does feminist translation theory challenge traditional views on translation?

By re-evaluating fidelity to the writing project Signup and view all the answers

Which consideration often overrides linguistic factors in translation decisions?

Ideological and poetological concerns Signup and view all the answers

What is highlighted by feminist translation practices?

The active participation by women translators Signup and view all the answers

What issue is raised by queer translation studies regarding markers of gay identity?

They often disappear or become pejorative Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'dominant poetics' refer to?

The genres, symbols, and roles of literature in society Signup and view all the answers

What common misconception does traditional translation assume?

Translation is a derivative process and less valuable Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Field' refer to in the context of Register analysis?

The subject matter being discussed Signup and view all the answers

Which type of translation evaluates cultural elements to align with target text norms?

Covert translation Signup and view all the answers

In House's Model for Translation Quality Assessment, which aspect is NOT emphasized?

Style Signup and view all the answers

What analytical focus does Baker's approach emphasize?

Pragmatic and textual levels Signup and view all the answers

What do the ideational, interpersonal, and textual functions relate to in translation?

Understanding sociocultural contexts Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by 'transitivity' in the context of Hatim and Mason's analysis?

The active/passive roles in discourse Signup and view all the answers

What shift is emphasized by the cultural turn in translation studies?

Understanding the broader cultural and ideological implications Signup and view all the answers

Which concept represents translation as a form of reshaping literature across cultures?

Translation as rewriting Signup and view all the answers

What is a key concept of Mary Snell-Hornby's Integrated Approach to translation?

Incorporation of various fields such as cultural history and literary studies. Signup and view all the answers

What does Justa Holz-Mänttäri's concept of Translatorial Action emphasize?

Purpose-driven translation that involves multiple roles and interactions. Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect is emphasized in Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion?

The translator's responsibility to maintain equity and faithfulness. Signup and view all the answers

What is one key critique made by Tejaswini Niranjana regarding traditional translation practices?

Translation often rewrites colonized cultures to fit the colonizer's narrative. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Skopos Theory assert regarding the target text (TT)?

The TT is determined primarily by its intended purpose. Signup and view all the answers

According to Gayatri Spivak, what does 'translatese' accomplish in the context of translation?

It erases the rich identities of diverse cultural voices. Signup and view all the answers

What concept does Homi Bhabha introduce in relation to colonial discourse?

Ambivalence and hybridity that challenges colonial authority. Signup and view all the answers

How does Steiner critique prior triadic models in translation?

He dismisses them as sterile and less effective. Signup and view all the answers

What role does the Commissioner play in Justa Holz-Mänttäri's model of Translatorial Action?

Initiates the translation process by contacting the translator. Signup and view all the answers

What is emphasized about translators in postcolonial translation theory?

Translators engage with overlapping cultural spaces and power dynamics. Signup and view all the answers

What does postcolonial translation theory argue about the nature of translation?

Translation exists as a site of power struggle and cultural negotiation. Signup and view all the answers

Which rule is prioritized in the Skopos Theory?

Skopos rule. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'equivalence' refer to in the context of translation?

Cases where the ST and TT share the same function. Signup and view all the answers

According to the concepts discussed, what do colonial practices in translation serve to reinforce?

The dominance and image of the colonizer. Signup and view all the answers

What is the first movement in Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion?

Initiative Trust Signup and view all the answers

What critique is associated with the 'Aggression' movement in translation?

It is seen as a violent process akin to appropriation. Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant outcome of the 'non-translation' approach advocated by Sathya Rao?

Preservation of cultural differences and integrity. Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'Incorporation' movement represent in Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion?

The integration of source text meaning into the target language. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the influence of feminism within postcolonial translation theory?

Feminism critiques the hegemonic languages used in translating marginalized voices. Signup and view all the answers

What are the two potential effects of incorporation mentioned in the framework?

Sacramental Intake and Infection. Signup and view all the answers

What role does the 'Compensation' movement play in Steiner's model?

It balances the energetic interactions between the source text and target text. Signup and view all the answers

How does Steiner describe translation in relation to cultural systems?

Translation alters both the source text and target text. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents a risk associated with the 'Initiative Trust' movement?

Overwhelmed by expansive meanings. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary concern regarding the translator's role in power dynamics as explored in the content?

Translators may reinforce cultural imbalances through their choices. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Polysystem Theory (Itamar Even-Zohar)

Literature, including translated works, operates within a larger system (social, cultural, historical).
Translated literature can occupy primary or secondary positions.
- Primary: Associated with innovation, shaping the literary center (e.g., young literatures adopting external models).
- Secondary: Reflects a peripheral role, conforming to target culture norms.
Advantages: Integrates literature with sociocultural forces, moves beyond isolated text analysis.
Criticism: Over-generalization, reliance on outdated models.

Descriptive Translation Studies (Gideon Toury)

Translations are cultural and literary products shaped by norms and sociocultural contexts.
Methodology:
- Analyze the target culture system
- Analyze source text-target text segments for comparisons
- Identify patterns across translated texts
Translation Norms:
- Initial Norm: Prioritizing source or target culture norms
- Preliminary Norms: Translation policy and directness
- Operational Norms: Presentation and adjustments (omissions, additions)
Laws:
- Law of Growing Standardization: Simplifies source-target relationships to align with target language norms.
- Law of Interference: Source text patterns influence target text, positively or negatively.

Chesterman's Translation Norms

Product/Expectancy Norms: Reader expectations influence translation evaluation.
Professional Norms:
- Accountability Norm: Ethical responsibility
- Communication Norm: Ensuring clarity
- Relation Norm: Appropriate source-target relations based on context and audience.

Hallidayan Model of Discourse

Language choices reflect sociocultural functions.
Framework:
- Sociocultural Environment: Governs genre, conventions, and context (political, historical).
- Register: Links social context to language (Field, Tenor, Mode).
  - Field: Subject matter
  - Tenor: Relationship between participants
  - Mode: Medium of communication
- Metafunctions:
  - Ideational: World representation
  - Interpersonal: Social relationships
  - Textual: Coherence and cohesion

House's Model for Translation Quality Assessment

Focuses on source text-target text register analysis.

Baker's Analysis (Textual and Pragmatic Levels)

Focus Areas: Textual features (structure and cohesion) and pragmatic elements (coherence, presupposition, implicature)
Key Points: Adjusting thematic patterns for genre conventions, handling cohesion shifts carefully, and addressing cultural differences in implicature.

Hatim and Mason: Context and Discourse

Emphasis on ideational, interpersonal and textual functions in translation.
Key Analyses: Examining shifts in transitivity (active/passive roles) and modality (certainty/possibility), highlighting sociocultural and power dynamics.

The Cultural Turn in Translation Studies (Bassnett & Lefevere)

Translation and Culture: Focus on how translation interacts with culture, history, and ideology.
Translation as Rewriting (André Lefevere): Translation reshapes how literature is perceived across cultures.
- Influences include professionals within the literary system and external forces like politicians, publishers and institutions.
Patronage: Involving ideological, economic, and status components.
Dominant Poetics: Genres, symbols, and the role of literature in society.
Ideology and Poetics in Translation: Ideological and poetological considerations often supersede linguistic factors
Translation and Gender (Sherry Simon): Critique of traditional translation studies, seeing translation as similar to the repression of women.

Language, Identity, and Translation

Queer Translation (Keith Harvey): Focus on translations between English and French, examining cultural identity markers in LGBTQ+ discourse; markers of gay identity sometimes disappear or become disparaging.
Language reflects and constructs identity.
Cultural and ideological context shapes translation strategies.

The Cultural and Political Agenda of Translation (Lawrence Venuti)

Value-Driven Nature of Translation: Translation norms are shaped by sociocultural, ideological, and institutional factors (e.g. governments, censorship, promotion).

Invisibility of the Translator

Translators are often invisible due to fluent, idiomatic translations appearing as original works.

Domestication and Foreignization

Domestication: Adapting foreign text to target culture, prioritizing fluency, minimizing foreignness.
Foreignization: Highlights source text foreignness, employing non-fluent style to make the translator visible.
Ethical Implications: Domestication and foreignization reflect attitudes toward foreign cultures, strategies inherently partial and influenced by the receiving culture.

Investigating Translation Practices

Venuti suggests analyzing translation through linguistic comparison, interviews, and examining trends in book translations.

Postcolonial Translation Theory

Cultural Studies and Translation: Examines colonization's influence on power dynamics in translation.
Gayatri Spivak's Contribution: Critiques western feminism and its use of hegemonic languages in translating "Third World" literature.
Tejaswini Niranjana's Critique: Translation perpetuates colonial power by rewriting colonized cultures to fit colonizer's ideologies.
Key Themes and Issues: Power relations in translation

Hermeneutic Motion

George Steiner's translation model, comprising four interrelated movements: Initiative Trust, Aggression, Incorporation, Compensation.
Emphasizes meaning, understanding, and ethical considerations in translation.

Critique of Prior Models

Steiner argues prior translation models are too simplistic and sterile, advocating for a more dynamic moral framework.

Summary of Contemporary Translation Theories

Mary Snell-Hornby: Integrated Approach: Combines linguistic, literary, cultural, and specialized subject studies (e.g. legal, medical). Prototypes: Text types are categorized. Translation as interdisciplinary process.
Justa Holz-Mänttäri: Translatorial Action: Translation as a purposeful outcome-driven process, involving human interaction. Focus: Intercultural transfer, ensuring functionally oriented communication. Roles include initiator, commissioner, source text producer, translator, target receiver and user.
Hans Vermeer & Katharina Reiss: Skopos Theory: Translation is guided by its purpose or goal (skopos). Target text is determined by its skopos. Translation must be coherent with the source text and meet the purpose.

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Description

Explore Polysystem Theory by Itamar Even-Zohar and Descriptive Translation Studies by Gideon Toury. This quiz delves into how literature and translations function within broader sociocultural systems and examines their methodologies and criticisms. Test your understanding of these pivotal concepts in translation studies.