The text (story, article) is concerned with… (deals with)…
The subject of the text is…
At the beginning (of the text) the author describes (depicts, dwells on, touches upon, explains, introduces, mentions, recalls, characterizes, analyses, comments on, enumerates, points out, emphasizes, stresses, underlines, generalizes about, criticizes, makes a few critical remarks on, reveals, exposes, accuses, blames, condemns, mocks smth, ridicules, praises, gives a summary of, gives his account of.
The article (the author begins with a (the) description of, by mentioning, the analysis of, a (the summary of, a comment on, a review of, an account of, the characterization of, his opinion of, (his) recollections of, some (a few) critical remarks about, (of concerning), the accusation of, the exposure of, the (his) praises of, the ridicule of, the generalization of…
The article opens with …
Then (after that, further on, next) the author passes on to, goes on to say that, gives a detailed (thorough) analysis (description).
In conclusion the author…
The author concludes with…
The article ends with…
At the end of the article the author draws the conclusion that…
To finish with the author describes…
At the end of the article the author sums it all up (by saying).
What Every Novice Translator Should Know
By Antar Solhy Abdellah
Ph.D. on a translation programme
for pre-service language teachers
Qena faculty of Education,
South Valley University,
Egypt
Translation is ultimately a human activity which enables human beings to exchange ideas and thoughts regardless of the different tongues used. Translation is, in Enani's (1997) view, a modern science at the interface of philosophy, linguistics, psychology, and sociology. Literary translation in particular is relevant to all these sciences, audio-visual arts, as well as cultural and intellectual studies.
Translation is, in Chabban's words (1984:5), "a finicky job," as it has not yet been reduced to strict scientific rules, and it allows for the differences that are known to exist between different personalities. Translation is a heavily subjective art, especially when it deals with matters outside the realm of science where precisely defined concepts are more often expressed by certain generally accepted terms.
In the final analysis, translation is a science, an art, and a skill. It is a science in the sense that it necessitates complete knowledge of the structure and make-up of the two languages concerned. It is an art since it requires artistic talent to reconstruct the original text in the form of a product that is presentable to the reader who is not supposed to be familiar with the original. It is also a skill because it entails the ability to smooth over any difficulty in the translation, and the ability to provide the translation of something that has no equal in the target language.
In translation, the richness of vocabulary, depth of culture, and vision of the translator could certainly have very conspicuous effects on his/her work. Another translator might produce a reasonably acceptable version of the same text, which, however, may very well reflect a completely different background, culture, sensitivity, and temperament. Such differences cannot, in Chabban's view (1984), detract from the merit of either translator. This is simply because translation is decidedly a more difficult job than creation.
Translation problems can be divided into linguistic problems and cultural problems: the linguistic problems include grammatical differences, lexical ambiguity and meaning ambiguity; the cultural problems refer to different situational features. A bad model of translated pieces of literature may give misconceptions about the original. That is why Fionty (2001) thought that poorly translated texts distort the original in its tone and cultural references, while Zidan (1994) wondered about the possible role of the target culture content as a motivating variable in enhancing or hindering the attainment of linguistic, communicative and, more importantly, cultural objectives of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) education. Hassan (1997) emphasized this notion when he pointed out the importance of paying attention to the translation of irony in the source language context. He clarified that this will not only transfer the features of the language translated but also its cultural characteristics.
These problems, and others, direct our attention to the work and the character of translators, how they attack a text so as to translate, and the processes they follow to arrive at the final product of a well-translated text in the target language.
Enani (1994:5) defines the translator as "a writer who formulates ideas in words addressed to readers. The only difference between him and the original writer is that these ideas are the latter's". Another difference is that the work of the translator is even more difficult than that of the artist. The artist is supposed to produce directly his/her ideas and emotions in his/her own language however intricate and complicated his/her thoughts are. The translator's responsibility is much greater, for s/he has to relive the experiences of a different person. Chabban (1984) believes that, however accurately the translator may delve into the inner depths of the writer's mind, some formidable linguistic and other difficulties may still prevent the two texts from being fully equivalent. Therefore we do not only perceive the differences between a certain text and its translation, but also between different translations of the same text.
On the procedural level, El Shafey (1985:95) states: "A translator first analyzes the message, breaking it down into its simplest and structurally clearest elements, transfers it at this level into the target language in the form which is most appropriate for the intended audience. A translator instinctively concludes that it is best to transfer the "kernel level" in one language to the corresponding "kernel level" in the "receptor language."
Прочитав текст, составьте ассоциативный комплекс, ядром которого будет сочетание «A translator’s responsibility».
Достарыңызбен бөлісу: |