Annotated Translations PDF

Annotated Translations Page 1  Introduction Catford (1965: 1) in A Linguistic Theory of Translation states that translation is the replacement of textual material in one language (Source Language) by equivalent textual material in another language...

Annotated Translations Page 1  Introduction Catford (1965: 1) in A Linguistic Theory of Translation states that translation is the replacement of textual material in one language (Source Language) by equivalent textual material in another language (Target Language). Newmark (1988: 5) states in A Textbook of Translation that translation is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text. He also adds that translations as a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/or statements in one language by the same message and/or statements in another language. Nida and Taber (1982: 12) in The Theory and Practice of Translation state translating as a process of reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first, in terms of meaning and secondly, in terms of style. Page 2  Introduction Hence, translation can be defined as transferring the meaning from source text to target text. On the other hand, however, style depends on each translator. Thus, we may conclude that a translation process is not only about translating words, phrases or sentences from the source text to target text, but it is also about how translators redefine the message from the source text without changing the original meaning. Moreover, translators should produce equivalent translation products. Despoina Panou in Translation Theories: A Critical Evaluation (2013: 2) mentions that equivalence was meant to indicate that source text and target text share some kind of “sameness”. Page 3  Introduction The word “sameness” refers not only to meaning but also the effect that the target text readers get should be equal to the effect that source text readers receive. Nida as quoted by Hatim and Mason in Discourse and the Translations (1990: 16) proposes four basic requirements of translation, namely 1. making sense; 2. conveying the spirit and manner of the original text; 3. having a natural and easy form of expression; 4. reproducing similar response. Moreover, Larson (1998: 485) in her book Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross- Language Equivalence mentions that a good translation must fulfill three criteria: 1) Accuracy, meaning that every information or message of source text must be convey to target text; 2) Clarity, meaning that the translated message should be understandable without causing ambiguity; 3) Naturalness, meaning that the translated message must be natural. Page 4  Introduction Alan Duff (1990:10-11) in his book entitled Translation explains 6 (six) principles of translation as follows: 1. Meaning. The translation should reflect accurately the meaning of the original text. Nothing should be arbitrarily added or removed, though occasionally part of the meaning can be ‘transposed’. 2. Form. The ordering of words and ideas in the translation should match the original as closely as possible. (This is particularly important in translating legal documents, guarantees, contracts, etc.) However, differences in language structure often require changes in the form and order of words. 3. Register. Languages often differ greatly in their levels of formality in a given context (say, a business letter). To resolve these differences, the translator must distinguish between formal or fixed expressions and personal expressions, in which the writer or speaker sets the tone. Page 5  Introduction 4. Source language influence. One of the most frequent criticisms of translation is that ‘it doesn’t sound natural’. This is because the translator’s thoughts and choice of words are too strongly moulded by the original text. A good way of shaking off the source language (SL) influence is to set the text aside and translate a few sentences aloud, from memory. This will suggest natural patterns of thought in the first language (LI), which may not come to mind when the eye is fixed on the SL text. 5. Style and clarity. The translator should not change the style of the original. However, if the text is sloppily written, or full of tedious repetitions, the translator may, for the reader’s sake, correct the defects. Page 6  Introduction 6. Idioms. Idiomatic expressions are notoriously untranslatable. These include similes, metaphors, proverbs and sayings (as good as gold), jargon, slang, and colloquialisms (user-friendly, the Big Apple, yuppie, etc.), and (in English) phrasal verbs. If the expressions cannot be directly translated, try any of the following: § retain the original word, in inverted commas: (yuppie} § retain the original expression, with a literal explanation in brackets: Indian summer (dry, hazy weather in late autumn) § use a close equivalent § use a non-idiomatic or plain prose translation The golden rule is: if the idiom does not work in the LI, do not force it into the translation. Page 7  Annotated Translations In a translation process, a translator may deal with problems that can be found either in the source text (ST) or the target text (TT). A translator may frequently deal with finding words, phrases, or sentences having to be translated very far from their literal senses. If each problem in the translation process is then analyzed and given a commentary, it is called an annotated translation. Annotation is the translator’s responsibility for the equivalent words and/or terms chosen. In annotation, the translator explains the problems found during the translation process and the solutions to the problems supported by logical reasons. Page 8  Annotated Translations Williams and Chesterman (2002: 7) in their book The MAP – A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Research in Translation Studies state that “a translation with a commentary (or an annotated translation) is a form of introspective and retrospective research where you yourself translate the text and at the same time write the commentary on your own translation process” A translator has to be able to find solutions to problems encountered in a translation process. Thus, a translator needs to comprehend various theories that he uses in his solutions to translation problems encountered. His comprehension on various theories he uses in his solutions to the translation problems is represented in the form of commentary or annotation on his translation process. Hence, the translator does not only translate, but he also gives comments in the translation process. Page 9  Annotated Translations Introspective and retrospective research are included in this annotated translation. Introspective method is carried out when “... the process of observing and reflecting on one’s thoughts, feelings, motives, reasoning processes, and mental states with a view to determining the ways in which these processes and states determine our behaviour.” (Nunan, 1992:115). Thus, in introspective method, a translator himself translates the text and, at the same time, writes annotations on the result of his translation. Furthermore, Nunan (1992:124) in Research Methods in Language Learning states that the retrospective research is conducted when “... retrospective data are collected some time after the event under investigation has taken place.”. Retrospective research is a study investigating the mental processes through a translator’s original memory immediately after he has translated the text. Page 10  Data Sample 1 Source Text Target Text When summer came on, he Ketika musim panas tiba, dia elected to sweat out a hot and memilih untuk menunggu dengan dusty existence in the city and to cemas di kota yang panas dan toil incessantly. berdebu dan membanting tulang terus-menerus. Page 11  Analysis of Data Sample 1 According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary,...came on... is a phrasal verb which means to find or happen on someone or something. A phrasal verb belongs to an idiomatic expression, and...came on... is translated into a non idiomatic expression...tiba... in the target text. Principles of Idiomatic Translation Idiomatic expressions are notoriously untranslatable. These include English phrasal verbs. If the expressions cannot be directly translated, try one of the following: use a non idiomatic or a plain prose translation. Translation Strategy Semantic Strategy: Paraphrase. The paraphrase strategy results in the target text that can be described as loose, free, in some contexts even under- translated. This is a typical strategy for the translation of idioms, for instance, for which no corresponding idiomatic expression can be found in the TL. (Chesterman, 2000:104). Page 12  Data Sample 2 Source Text Target Text Remember the values he attaches Ingatlah nilai kehidupan yang dia to his father and mother. pelajari dari ayah dan ibunya. Page 13  Analysis of Data Sample 2 Literally the word attach in Longman (2005) is defined as a verb which means to join. In any bilingual dictionary, English-Indonesian, the word attach means among others melampirkan. If the sentence is translated into Ingatlah nilai kehidupan yang dia lampirkan dari ayah dan ibunya, the word lampirkan then does not reflect the meaning and it does not sound natural. Therefore, in this context the word attach should be translated into pelajari instead of lampirkan, so that the translation of that sentence is...kehidupan yang dia pelajari dari.. This translation is in line with Duff’s principle of translation namely source language influence (2011:11). In addition, to make this translation sounds natural, Larson’s naturalness (2008:482) is used. Page 14  Questions? Page 15