
- •Table of Contents
- •Preface
- •Translation theory Chapter 1. Historical overview of translation
- •1.1. The notion of translation theory
- •1.2. Trends in the development of translation theory
- •1.3. Branches in translation studies
- •The map of translation
- •1.4. The object of investigation, aims and tasks of linguistic translation theory. Methods of analysis
- •Chapter 2. Contrastive linguistics and translation studies
- •2.1. Interconnection of contrastive linguistics and translation studies
- •2.2. Major points of difference between contrastive linguistics and translation studies
- •2.3. Levels of comparative translation studies
- •Chapter 3. Theoretical models of translation
- •3.1. Models based on componential analysis
- •3.2. Sense-text model of translation
- •3.3. Situational models of translation
- •3.4. Pragmatic models of translation
- •3.5. Cultural-semiotic and cognitive models of translation
- •Chapter 4. Basic notions and categories of linguistic translation theory
- •4.1. The notion of translation
- •4.2. Typology of translation
- •4.3. The problem of the unit of translation
- •Chapter 5. Equivalence and adequacy of translation
- •5.1. Equivalence and adequacy of translation: points of difference
- •5.2. The problem of translatability
- •5.3. Adequate translation and the role of context
- •Chapter 6. Transformations in Translation
- •6.1. Translation transformations: definition, causes, classification
- •6.2. Levels of translation transformations, operations and techniques of translation
- •6.3. Classification of translation transformations according to techniques of translation
- •Chapter 7. Translation theory and lexis
- •7.1. Main types of semantic correlation of English and Russian words
- •7.2. The notion of lexical correspondences. The theory of regular correspondences by Ya.I.Retsker
- •7.2.1. Equivalent correspondences: definition, classification, types of equivalents
- •7.2.2. Variant correspondences: definition and the difference between variant correspondences and partial equivalents
- •7.2.3. Contextual correspondences: definition and types of contextual correspondences
- •7.3. Analogues as a special type of lexical correspondences. Drawbacks of translation analogues
- •Chapter 8. Translation studies and lexis (cont.)
- •8.1. Lexical problems of translation at word level
- •8.2. Translation of words having no equivalents in tl
- •8.3. Problems of translating neologisms
- •Chapter 9. Translation studies and lexis (cont.)
- •9.1. Ways of rendering proper names
- •9.2. International and pseudo-international words in translation
- •9.3. Translation of terms
- •Chapter 10. Translation studies and lexis (cont.)
- •10.1. Lexical problems of translation at word-group level
- •10.2. Problems of translating phraseological units
- •10.3. Modality in translation
- •Chapter 11. Translation studies and grammar
- •11.1. Two levels of grammatical problems of translation
- •11.2. Grammatical divergences of English and Russian
- •11.3. Translation problems at textual level
- •Chapter 12. Translation studies and grammar (cont.)
- •12.1. Passive voice forms in translation
- •12.2. Problems of rendering word order in translation
- •12.3. Ways of rendering tense-aspect forms
- •Chapter 13. Translation studies and grammar (cont.)
- •13.1. Ways of rendering the English article(s) in Russian translation
- •13.2. Problems of translating English absolute nominative constructions into Russian
- •13.3. Rendering Russian verbal adverb phrases in English
- •Chapter 14. Translation studies and style
- •14.1. Rendering newspaper headlines
- •14.2. Grammatical peculiarities of translating newspaper articles
- •Who?- (did) what? (how?) where? when?-why?
- •14.3. Lexico-phraseological and stylistic peculiarities of translating newspaper articles
- •Part II. Workshop in translation Unit # 1. Basic notions of translation studies Points for discussion
- •1. Read and compare the following Russian and English texts: analyse the units of translation chosen on different levels
- •Unit # 2. Translation correspondences Points for discussion
- •1. Translate the following text into Russian. Find and write out units of translation which have been translated by different types of lexical correspondences.
- •3. Translate the following sentences into English using appropriate correspondences
- •Unit # 3. Transformations in translation Points for discussion
- •I. Compare the following slt and tlt, state the types of all transformations made in translation
- •II.Translate into Russian making the necessary changes
- •III. Translate into English making use of appropriate transformations
- •Unit # 4. Lexical problems of translation Points for discussion
- •I. Suggest, where possible, different ways of translating the following proper names into Russian
- •II. Translate the following sentences into English. Explain the ways of translating words and word-groups having no correspondences in tl.
- •III. Translate the following sentences from English into Russian, analyse the ways of translating neologisms.
- •IV. Translate different kinds of shortened names:
- •V. Translate the following groups of “cultural words” and phrases:
- •Unit # 5. Lexical problems of translation (cont.) Points for discussion
- •I. Think of the ways of translating into English nationally specific Russian phraseological units:
- •II. Offer variants of translating the following terms:
- •III. Translate the text from English into Russian; qualify the underlined terms as international words proper and pseudointernational words:
- •IV. Translate into Russian the English headlines paying attention to premodified noun phrases:
- •V. Discuss different ways of rendering in Russian the imagery component of the following English phraseological units:
- •VI. Think of the ways of translating nationally specific Russian phraseological unis:
- •Unit # 6. Grammatical problems of translation (cont.)
- •1. Compare the following slt and tlt, find cases of different grammatical divergences and analyse the ways of their rendering
- •II. Compare the Russian slTs and English tlTs. Discuss levels of eguivalence achieved in various cases:
- •III. State the type and genre of the following texts, translate them into Russian/English, discuss translation problems at textual level
- •Please have your boarding pass ready
- •In return we offer varied interesting work which includes dealing with
- •33 Cambridge Gardens Hastings East Sussex
- •Unit # 7. Grammatical problems of translation (cont.) Points for discussion
- •I. Translate the following sentences into Russian paying attention to Absolute Nominative constructions
- •II. Translate the following sentences into English, identify the means of compensating for Russian verbal adverb phrases
- •III. Translate the sentences into Russian using various means available in tl to make up for the English articles
- •IV. Translate specific English structures into Russian
- •Unit # 8. Grammatical problems of translation (cont.) Points for discussion
- •1. Translate the following texts into Russian paying attention to Passive voice structures:
- •II. Translate the following sentences into English /Russian, explain the ways of rendering tense-aspect forms:
- •III. Translate the following into English/Russian, state the ways of dealing with modality:
- •Unit # 9. Problems of style in translation
- •I. Suggest ways of translating English headlines:
- •IV. Compare the variants and choose the better of the two:
- •V.Translate into Russian the following abbreviations, state the types of tl correspondences
- •Unit # 10. Stylistic devices and expressive means in translation Points for discussion
- •I. Identify expressive means and stylistic devices in slTs and render them in English/Russian
- •II. Render the text in English, discuss transformations made to compensate for its stylistic features
- •III. Translate into English rendering properly imagery components of Russian lexical units:
- •IV. Compare the ways of rendering connotational properties of the English zoonames in Russian. Which of them do you find the most appropriate? Give your reasons.
- •V. Translate into English retaining the emotional effect of the means of creating emphasis in slTs
- •Part III sample tests test # 1: Lexical problems of translation
- •I. Translate into English. Explain the ways of translating phraseological units:
- •III. Translate the text into Russian. Find 3 examples of international words and 3 examples of pseudointernational words. Illustrate the differences in the latter case.
- •Test # 2: Lexical problems of translation
- •III. Translate the text into Russian. Find 3 examples of international words and 3 examples of pseudointernational words. Illustrate the differences in the latter case:
- •IV. Translate the following sentences into English/Russain. State the ways of translating terms:
- •V. Translate into Russian using and stating the types of transformations:
- •VII. Translate the text into Russian, write out examples of different types of tl correspondences:
- •Test # 3: Grammatical problems of translation
- •I. Translate the following text into Russian, state the types of grammatical transformations used and explain their causes
- •II. Render the following sentences in English paying attention to compensatory means to make up for grammatical divergences:
- •III. Translate the sentences into Russian choosing means available in tl instead of the English article(s).
- •IV. Translate the text into Russian focusing on English attributive groups.
- •V. Render the sentences in Russian paying attention to English adverbial verbs
- •VI. Translate the following sentences into Russian using various compensatory means for Passive voice structures
- •Test # 4: Final Revision Test
- •I. Translate the text into Russian, analyse ways of translating terms
- •II. Translate into Russian the newspaper article, state different types of transformations used in translation
- •III. Render the following sentences in English, discuss the ways of rendering cultural words
- •IV. Translate the text into Russian, analyse the ways of rendering grammatical lacoonae
- •Test # 5: Final Revision Test
- •I. Render the following Russian/English headlines in English/ Russian, discuss transformations made in translation
- •II. Translate “cultural” terms into Russian, analyse the ways of their compensation
- •III. Translate into English paying attention to new Russsian coinages
- •IV. Translate the text into Russian, write out examples of different kinds of lexical correspondences
- •VI. Translate the follwing sentences into English/Russian, state the ways of translating terms
- •VII. Translate into English. Explain the ways of translating phraseological units
- •Appendix I
- •I. Study the scheme of translation analysis of a tlt, discuss the main requirements set for evaluating the quality of a translation text: scheme of translation analysis of a tlt
- •II. Compare the following English/Russian texts and their translations, make the translation analysis of the tlTs applying the scheme given above
- •1. Balance sheet layout
- •III. Translate the following texts from Russian /English into English/Russian. Make the translation analysis of the tlTs according to the points of the scheme relevant for the texts.
- •Compare the following definitions of translation offered by Russian and foreign scholars. Choose the one(s) that you like best giving your reasons
- •Requisites for Professional Translators
- •Competence in translation: a complex skill, how to study and how to teach it
- •Conclusion
- •References
- •Lexicographic sources
- •List of fiction
14.2. Grammatical peculiarities of translating newspaper articles
As was stressed above, an English news article is structured differently from a Russian one since it attaches a special significance to the leading paragraph which determines its functions, semantic features and peculiarities in form that have to be taken into account in translation.
From the functional point of view the lead is closely connected with the headline as it expands upon the gist of the information given in the headline.
Semantically, many words in the headline and the lead are synonymous, though there are conspicuous differences between them, namely, in the lead the words tend to be longer (cf. bid – protest, ban – prohibition) and more narrow and concrete in meaning. Through repeated use short headline units become cliches which are easily recognizable. At the same time they preserve their emotional force in a headline: being fuzzy in their nature such units are capable of implying a greater amount of information. Besides headline vocabularyt may serve as a basis for creating various stylistic devices. In addition to examples given above we can refer to some more,
Car-makers drive up profits (pun)
Crash scene like a battlefield (simile)
Ministers read the riot act by PM (metaphor)
In form a translator has to be aware of a number of restrictions which are still active in English newspapers. The formal (grammatical) demands of translation observed in the leads are as follows:
1) arrange the content of the lead according to the following pattern:
Who?- (did) what? (how?) where? when?-why?
This pattern is known in English Grammar books as SVO(M)PT or the 6-Wh- rule and it helps to structure information in a sentence. In Russian a typical pattern is different:
when?- where? – (did) what? – who?,
that is the TPV/p-S pattern is typical of a communicative structure of a Russian sentence with its rhematic position at the end, thematic elements opening a sentence.
In view of this difference a translator has to apply the transformation of restructuring, i.e. changes in the word order, e.g. Вчера во время встречи президента Франции Николя Саркози и президента России Дмитрия Медведева было подписано новое Соглашение о сроках вывода российских миротворческих сил из Грузии. – French President Nicolas Sarcozy and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met yesterday to agree on a new timetable for withdrawing Russian peacekeeping troops from Georgia. .
2) Refer to sources of information in English using the patterns: M (message) – S (source) instead of the Russian pattern: S (source) – M (message). Alongside changes in word order apply other grammatical transformations:
как заявил X ---- X said / X is reported as saying
как сообщается из X --- it is reported from X
как сообщают из X ---- it is reported from X
согласно заявлению X ---- according to X
E.g. Как сообщает источник в министерстве внутренних дел Ингушетии, в среду в крупнейшем городе республики Назране был застрелен кузен президента республики. – A cousin of the Ingush President was shot dead in the republic’s largest city Nazran on Wednesday, a source in the republic’s Interior Ministry said..
3) Change adverbial modifiers in Russian di-rhematic utterances into a grammatical subject of an English sentence, e.g. В совместном заявлении подчёркнуто, что стороны согласны расширять обмены в области культуры и образования. – The joint statement stresses that both sides have agreed to step up cultural and educational contacts and exchanges.
4) Leave out redundant information from a Russian sentence for the sake of compressing information in an English utterance, e.g. Согласно данным ВОЗ, главным фактором смертности являются сердечно-сосудистые заболевания. – According to the WHO statistics, cardio-vascular diseases are the No. 1 killer.
When translating from English into Russian a translator has to resort to the lexico-grammatical transformation of addition in keeping with the norms of the newspaper writing in Russian, e.g.
The settlement may be considered to be of primary importance to a number of home industries. – Можно считать, что заключение этого соглашения будет иметь решающее значение для ряда отраслей отечественной промышленности.
The example shows that there is a syntactic change in the type of sentence (simple sentence > complex sentence) and a greater number of notional words compared to functional words in the Russian sentence (12 units against 3) while in the English sentence the correlation of notional and functional words is opposite (8 to 8).