Translation Performance

Translation performance is determined by the effectivness of the translator. There are different nonlinguistic factors that have an impact on performance, such as the time of delivery of a translation, familiarity with the subject, sociocultural aspects, writing and reading skills, etc. A translator that lacks a cultural knowledge, subject understanding or has limited skills, may provide an unreliable translation.

Also, a translator should have analytical and research skills as well as a good use of translation tools such as dictionaries, glossaries, online aids, computers, etc., so he can check if the chosen term is the appropiated one. Such specialized skills are obtained through practice and training.

The complexity of a translation increases with the complexity of the Source Text, and at the same time, a translator's performance range will depend on his previous knowledge, skills and translation tools used.

An individual's translation performance level depends on [1]:

1. Command of two languages


2. Ability to excercise congruity judgement and apply a translation methodology.


3. Familiarity with the cultural context in both languages.


4. Knowledge of terminology in specialized fields.


5. Ability to finalize the product within time constraints and according to specifications

Reference:

[1] ILR. (2006). ILR Skill Level Descriptions for Translation Performance. Retrieved on March, 12th, 2010 from: http://www.govtilr.org/skills/AdoptedILRTranslationGuidelines.htm

Translation of Proper Names

As translators we'll face the translation of proper names. Some of them are can be easly translated, like countries' names, such as England [Inglaterra], Spain [España], etc. But when facing the translation of a person's name, it not might be that easy to do so.

Names change according to culture, conveying different meanings. When translating names on literature, a translator can consider whether to translate the name keeping the conveyed meaning, or keeping the original name but explaining what it means on the Source Language.

Concerning translation of proper names, Newmark (1988) said that they are translated in order to preserve nationality when they are not related to the text. Names that have a meaning in literature, comedies, etc., the procedure of translation should be taking into account, except when nationality is important. And when both, nationality and connotation, it is suggested that at first the name should be translated into the Target Language and after that the translated word should be adapted and naturalized into a new proper name.

Lincoln Fernandes (2006) proposed the following set of procedures to follow when translating proper names:

• Rendition: This procedure is used when the name is transparent and is in a standarized language, thus acquiring "meaning" should be translated into the target language.


• Copy: In this procedure, the names are preserved in the translated text exactly as they appear on the source text without ortographic adjustment.


• Transcription: This procedure is an attempt to transcribe the name into the closest sounding letters in the target language.


• Substitution: In this procedure, the proper name is substituted by an semantically unrelated name existing in the target text.


• Recreation: This procedure recreates a name that doesn't exist neither in the SL nor the TL, but trying to reprocude similar effects.


• Deletion: This procedure removes a source-text name and it occurs when the name is of little importante or is not relevant enough to be translated.


• Addition: This procedure adds extra information to the original name to inform the readers about the meaning.


• Transposition: This procedure replaces one word clas with another without changing the meaning of the original message.


• Phonological Replacement: In this procedure the Target text attempts to mimic phonological features of a Source text name by replacing it with an existing name in the Target language equal to the sound image of the replaced name.

So when translating proper names, try to consider what the Source text wants to convey and choose what you think would be the best option.

References:

Lincoln, F. (2006). "Translation of Names in Children's Fantasy Literature." Translation Studies. 2(P. 44-57)

Mizani, S. (2008). Proper names and Translation. Fars Science and Research Azad University, Iran. Found in Translation Journal: http://accurapid.com/journal/45proper.htm

Newmark, P. (1998). A text book of Translation. London: Prentice Hall.

Prelude

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”

[Proverb]

Some people may think that wisdom and knowledge are synonyms, but they are different in the way they procede. While Knowledge [1] associates with facts, truths, or principles from study and investigation; Wisdom [2] is the knowledge of what is true or right just from judgement. A good translator should have both: knowledge of theories and methods of translation and the wisdom to judge what is the most convenient way to procede while translating, because sometimes experience helps more than knowing all theories by heart.

It is enticing how wondering leads you to wisdom and knowledge. I spent 2 days thinking on what to write on this blog, so I thought that maybe a quote would help me find my way. I wanted something related to "beginning", and as soon as I saw that quote I knew it was the right one. Curiousity aroused in me; I looked up in a dictionary to know the meaning of wisdom, not because I did not have an idea of what it means but because I wanted to differentiate it from knowledge, and that lead me to the first paragraph I wrote. It is wonderful how events relate between themselves.

Shouldn't that be an actitude proper of a translator? To 'wonder' and find out words' meaning while increasing considerably our vocabulary in the process.

By Denisse Martínez.

[1] American Psychological Association (APA):
wisdom. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved March 10, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom

[2] American Psychological Association (APA):
knowledge. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 10, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knowledge


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Want to practice...

Reading:

I know some of you might not have time to drop by the SIL and read, or just don't feel like doing it (Like me haha ;D ) So you may be interested in reading online. Today I'll share a link where I did most of my English and American Literature's homework!

Bibliomania: http://www.bibliomania.com/

Listening:

Want to practice Listening AND pronunciation? What about some tongue twisters? Or maybe you would like to read Children's stories out loud? Why don't you try this site out?

Repeat after Us: http://www.repeatafterus.com/

Writing:

I can see a headache coming! How many of you have ESSAYS to write and don't even have an idea of where to begin?! If you're one of the ones that gets a huge headeache everytime teachers say "Essay" then maybe you should visit this site.

Basic guide to Essay Writing: http://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/

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Leave a comment if you want to leave a suggestion, you can also tell me about any mistakes you find. I appreciate the feedback. Thanks!