Lecture 1

1. Object and objectives

2. Translation as the means of interlingua communication: functional, structural and semantic identification of TT (target text) with ST (source text)

3. Translation as practice, art and the object of scientific study

4. The linguistic theory of translation, the general theory of translation, its tasks and problems

5. Special theories of translation

6. Problems of the theory of translation. Branches of theory of translation

7. Other kinds of lg communication

1. Object and objectives

1. linguistic science of translation is still very young, that’s why it has no common names, different scholars call it differently, it has the following names:

   • translatology – переводоведение

   • translation theory

Translation as a special kind of speech activity became an independent linguistic science in the 2^nd half of the 20^th century. As for translation itself – a very ancient kind of human activity, in ancient time different empires were created not with the help of translator, because different countries of old times were inherited by people speaking different languages. Translation also caused the spread of religious and social teachings. The history of Translation is very long, it dates back to the times when different separate lg-s appeared, it was at this times that necessity appeared to use people who could speak several lg-s, who could act as a mediator in the communication process of the representatives of different lg communities, 20^th century – Golden Age of Oral Translation.

Translation became a widely spread kind of human activity due to the development of science and special technology (Simultaneous Translation, computer, internet).

In 1953 Pierre Fraunciois Calle founded in Paris the International Federation of Translators (FII), this Federation is professional, non-political and non-commercial, its task is to unite Translators organizations of different counties, Russia its member also. The middle 20s of the past century is the growth of international contacts. This time new countries appeared at the map of the world, international organizations and movements came into motion. The grate scientific and technical growth caused the necessity of exchanging information. All the changes in the life of mankind caused the necessity of translators and Translations. According to the Unesko about 40.000 Translations are actually published in the world.

Translation Theory attempts to find out the way of the Translation of the ST to the TT and the regularities that underlie the translators’ activity.

That time the growth significance of Translation couldn’t help attracting linguists’ attention. But it was only by the middle of the 20^th century.

That Translation process had become the object of wide scientific research. Linguists focus their attention on the meaning of lg unites and speech utterances, the connection of lg and thought, the connection of lg. with reality and culture. Now linguistic disciplines and spheres of research appeared:

• Psycholinguistic

• Sociolinguistic

• Textlinguistic

• Speech acts theory

Psycho process began to be more demanded. The necessity of the scientific treatment of Psycho process was also conditioned by the necessity of the preparation of experienced and qualified translators. Translation process concerns the sphere of culture, i.e. to be a good translator is not enough to know lg.

2. Translation is a means of interlingua communication. The translator produces in the TL a text which has an identical communicative value with the ST that the text of translation should be communicatively relevant. The tt is not fully identical with the ST due to the formal and semantic difference bw the SL and the TT.

Nevertheless the users of the TT identify it with the ST functionally, structurally and semantically.

The functional identification is revealed in the fact that the users (translation receptors) handle out the TT in such a way as if it were a ST, a creation of the ST author.

The translation is published, quoted, criticized……… as if belongs to the foreign sources.

The functional stator of translation is supported by its structural and semantic similarity with the original. The translator is expected to retain from any remarks or any intrusions in his text, which may betray his authorship. The structure of the translation should follow that of the original text. There should be no change in the sequence of narration or of the arrangements of the segments of the text. The translator of the text is about to resort to a description or interpretation only in case direct translation is impossible. Similarity in structure should be preserved in respect to the smallest segments of the text.

2. The semantic identification is presumed that the translation has the same meaning as the original. No exchanging of information is possible if there is discrepancy bw the transmitted and received message. The presumption of semantic identification bw the ST and the TT is based on the various degrees of equivalents of their meanings. The translator usually tries to produce in the TL the closest possible equivalent to the ST.

Translation is a process of interlingua and intercultural communication during which a secondary TT is built of on the basis of a translation analyses. The secondary TT is supposed to replace the ST in the new lingual and cultural theories that is nowadays it is important to know two lg-s.

As a kind of practical activities translation is a set of actions performed by the translator while rendering the ST into another lg. These actions are mainly intuitive and the best results are achieved by well trained, capable and talented translators.

Masterpieces in turn are created by the musters of art true, artists in their profession. Best translation is a creation of talented translators. On the other hand translation is the object of scientific study, which is ailed understandingly, its nature, its components and their interaction as well as various factors influencing it or linked with it in a meaningful way. The science of translation is concerned both with theoretical and applied aspects of translation studies. A theoretic 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 underline the translators intuition to describe the ways and methods by which the identity of the communicative value of the ST and the TT is achieved. The T of T provides the translator with the appropriate tools of the analyses and synthesis makes him aware of what he is to look for in the original, what type of information he must convey in the TT and how he should act to achieve his goal. In the final analysis however the translator’s trade remains in part. Science gives the translator the tools but it takes translator intuition and talent to handle the tools with great proficiency. Translation is a complicated phenomenon which involves the linguistical, psychological, cultural, literary and other factors. Different aspects of translation can be studied with the help of the method of the Theory the respective sciences, but most of the researches on translation is done within the frame work of linguistics.