Translation as an object of linguistic study

Verification of the model against the source and target context (semantic, grammatical, stylistic), situation and background information resulting in generation of the final target text.

Synthesis of the translation model and

Analysis of the source text, situation and background information;

D. Generates the target text on the basis of the verified model

C. verifies the model of the target text against context, situation and background information.

The process of translation

Translation is the process of rendering the meaning of a SL word, word group, sentence or passage in the TL. During translation one intuitively fulfills the following operations:

a. deduces the target language elements and rules of equivalent selection and substitution on the basis of observed source text elements;

b. builds a model consisting of the target language elements selected for substitution;

Thus the process of translation may be represented as consisting of three stages:

Verification against semantic and grammatical contexts is performed either simultaneously (if the grammatical and semantic references are available within a syntagma) or the verification against semantic context is delayed until the availability of a relevant semantic reference which may be available in one of the following rather than in one and the same sentence. Cases when the grammatical, semantic or situational references are delayed or missing present serious problems for translation.

Translation means both the process and the result, since alongside with the source the translated text is one of the two sets of observed events we have at our disposal if we intend to describe the process. In order to describe translation we need to compare the original (source) text (ST) and the resulting (target) one (TT).

However, the formation of the source and target texts is governed by the rules of the source and target languages. Hence the systems of the two languages are also included in our sphere of interest. These systems consist of grammar units and rules, stylistic variations, and lexical distribution patterns (lexico-semantic paradigms)

Moreover, when describing a language one should never forget that language itself is a formal model of thinking, i.e. of mental concepts we use when thinking.

In translation we deal with two languages (two codes) and to verify the information they give us about the extralinguistic objects and concepts we should consider extralinguistic situation and background information.

Having considered all this we shall come to understand that as an object of linguistic study translation is a complex entity consisting of the following interrelated components:

a. elements and structures of the source text;

b. elements and structures of the target text;

c. transformation rules to transform the elements and structures of the source text into those of the target text; systems of the languages involved in translation;

d. conceptual content and organization of the source text;

e. conceptual content and organization of the target text;

f. interrelation of the conceptual contents of the source and target texts.

In short, translation is functional interaction of languages and to study this process we should study both the interacting elements and the rules of interaction. Among interacting elements we must distinguish between the observable and those deducible from the observables. The observable elements in translation are parts of words, words and words combinations of the source text. It has repeatedly been observed and verified by both experience and research that no word in one language is completely equivalent to a word in another (e.g. smell) In this respect, languages are synonymic; each language expresses a concept somewhat differently, placing the nuance in each instance one step higher or lower on the ladder of perceptions.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-11