4.4. Machine Translation

Automatic (machine, computer) translation is complicated through the ignorance of extra-linguistic factors by computer programs. This is a very serious impediment on the way to a high quality translation. Computer translates Clinton’s rule as „правило Клінтона” in analogy with „правило де Соссюра”, and not правління, though “rule” means both правило and правління. Computer does not know, that Clinton is a statesman of the U.S., its president. If it had known, then the translation could have been correct.

Similarly: “hands of child” and “hands of clock” in both cases will be translated as „руки“, when in the second case it should be translated as „стрілки“. Homonymy is currently being unsettled issue for the automatic translators.

Lexical meanings in one language (expressed by vocabulary units), in another language can be grammatical (expressed “by non-vocabulary means”). Even within the framework of one and the same language identical meanings in some cases can be expressed both by grammatical and lexical means:

Having entered the room she found out a stranger.

and:

After entering the room she found out a stranger.

Absence of these or those grammatical (as well as lexical) means in one of languages does not create any insuperable hindrances in the process of translation.

The role of translator is very significant, and much is required of him in every way. He should be a highly educated person, have extensive and versatile knowledge. The interpreter of scientific and technical literature, naturally, should know well a given specialty; the interpreter, engaged in translation of newspaper and publicistic materials, should keep abreast of modern international events, to know political system, economy, geography of different countries, etc. Every interpreter should study literature, history, culture of other nations and especially the country, which language he translates from. He should know life, customs of this nation, i.e. he should be familiar with the so-called realities. Realities are understood as features of life, domestic economy, state system of every country, its customs, traditions, believes even prejudices – everything which creates its original, national image. This ignorance results in translation mistakes, discolours it, deprives it of national colouring. It might also result in gross blunders creating false and sometimes repulsive impression of the country and its people.

It’s clear that Leo Winner – the American translator of the novel by L. Tolstoy “War and Peace”, absolutely unfamiliar with Russian customs and traditions of the epoch, described by L. Tolstoy, makes a gross blunder when translating the following passage from the novel:

Графиня, повертаючись у вітальню, подивилась на нігті та й поплювала з веселим обличчям. (Після того, як лікар сказав, що Наташа почувається краще і починає одужувати.)

The countess looked at her nails and spat out, and returned to the drawing-room with a happy face.

L. Tolstoy implies a very peculiar “sign” (as if saving from putting the evil eye – „наврочити“), the interpreter transfers the word „поплювала“as spat out – „сплюнула“. This mistake creates a wrong picture of culture, life and customs of Russian aristocracy of that epoch.

An interpreter should have general philological knowledge, as many problems of translation can be resolved only on a wide philological basis. Such training can protect the interpreter from mistakes. Interpreter should deeply know both languages. This statement is not a banality. In translation practice, unfortunately, the word-for-word or literal translation frequently occurs, and it still remains very undesirable phenomenon. In the deep knowledge of language the knowledge of its every aspect is implied: phonetics, grammar, lexicology, stylistics. Without them practically none of grammatical, lexical or stylistic problems can be resolved.

Questions for discussion:

1. How to cope with lexical and grammatical ambiguity in translation?

2.What are the grammatical problems of scientific-technical translation?

3. What are the grammatical differences between English and Ukrainian?

4. What types of grammatical transformations are used in scientific-technical translation?

5. What is permutation?

6. What is substitution?

7. What is addition?

8.What is omission?

9. What is complex transformation?

10. What are lexical and grammatical problems of machine translation?

Translate the following definitions into English:

Комп’ютерна лінгвістика займається питаннями комплексного рішення таких науково-технічних проблем, як автоматичний інформаційний пошук, анотування та реферування ділових, науково-технічних та суспільно-політичних текстів та їх машинний переклад, створення автоматизованих навчальних систем і навчальних лінгвістичних автоматів. Наука ця порівняно молода. Зародилася вона в середині 40-х р.р. ХХ століття разом із першими ідеями про машинний переклад і сформувалася як наука в середині 50-х р.р. разом із першими результатами експериментів з машинного перекладу (1954-1955 р.р.). На теперішній момент вона накопичила вже достатній арсенал знань, взаємодіючи з такими науками як кібернетика, теорія перекладу, психологія, педагогіка, методика тощо. За своєю функціонально-комунікативною направленістю вона об’єднує три основних тісно взаємопов’язаних та інтегруючих напрямки: статистичну (обчислювальну) лінгвістику, інженерну лінгвістику та алгоритмічну (програмуючу) лінгвістику (комп’ютерну лінгводидактику).

Плеоназм – 1. Надлишковість виразу як постійна властивість мовної одиниці. 2. Багатослів’я, вираз, який містить однозначні а отже надлишкові слова (якщо тільки це не пов’язано зі стилістичним завданням, наприклад, в ґрадації, побудованій на синонімії).