II. The problem of translatability

Situation 2

Communicative

C2

Situation 1 R2 S2

where C1 – is culture 1 (source culture);

L1 – language 1 (source language);

S1 – sender 1 (source language speaker);

R 1 – receiver 1 (source language addressee);

R 2 – receiver 2 (translator/ interpreter in the mode of receiving in-coming messages);

S2 – sender 2 (translator/ interpreter in the mode of performing translation);

R 3 – receiver 3 (target language receiver);

L2 – language 2 (target language);

C2 – is culture 2 (target culture).

According to this scheme translation may be defined as a two-stage process of interlingual and intercultural communication, during which a translator, on the basis of an analysed and transformed text in L1, creates another text in L2 which replaces the source text in the target language and culture.

It should be also added to this definition that translation is a process aimed at rendering communicative effect of the ST modified by the difference between two languages, two cultures and two communicative situations.

In the past the possibilities and value of translation were very often disputed and underestimated. According to some critics the original work is to be regarded as “a living thing” and its translation is to be likened to a “mirror reflection”. As M.Servantes said “ translation is like the reverse side of the carpet. The main thing is seen, but everything is blear (затуманене)”.

Nowadays the translatability of any text is no longer questioned.

As V.N.Komissarov writes “ replacement of ST by TT of the same communicative value is possible because both texts are produced in human speech governed by the same rules and implying the same relationships between language, reality and human mind”.

Regardless of what their theoretical preferences are, most translatologists acknowledge the possibility of attaining exact faithful translation.

III. The general theory of translation: object and objectives.

A theoretical description of the translation phenomenon is the task of the theory of translation. Theoretical research is to discover what translation is, to find out what objective factors underlie the translator’s intuition, to describe the ways and methods by which the identity of the communicative value of ST and TT is achieved.

The theory of translation provides the translator with the appropriate tools of analysis and synthesis, makes him aware of what he is to look for in the original text, what type of information he/ she must convey in TT and how he / she should act to achieve his/ her goal.

The objective knowledge obtained can then be used to help the translator to improve his/ her performance as well as to train future translators.

Translation is a complicated phenomenon involving linguistic, psychological, cultural, literary, ergonomical and other factors. Different aspects of translation can be studied with the methods of the respective sciences.

!! Up to date most of theoretical research of translation has been done within the framework of linguistic theory of translation, the basis of which is linguistics in the broadest sense of the word (i.e. macrolinguistics with all its new branches, such as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, text linguistics, etc. studying languages in close connection with many extra-linguistic factors).

In most theoretical sources the term ‘ theory of translation’ is used in the meaning linguistic theory of translation’. In this meaning the theory of translation embraces ‘ The general theory of translation ’,’P articular/ specific (частный) theories of translation ’ and ‘Special translation theories’.

The core of the translation theory is the general theory of translation which is connected with the fundamental aspects of translation inherent in the nature of bilingual communication and therefore common to all translation events, irrespective of what languages are involved or what kind text under what circumstances was translated.

Basically, replacement of ST by TT of the same communicative value is possible because both texts are produced in human speech governed by the same rules and implying the same relationships between language, reality and the human mind..

!! The general theory of translation deals, so to speak, with translation universals and is the basis for all other theoretical study in this area, since it describes what translation is and what makes it possible.

The basic principles of the general theory of translation hold good for each and every translation event.

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