Transformation in the process of translation

Translator's transformations are major and minor alterations in the struc­tural form of language units performed with the aim of achieving faith­fulness in translation.They are carried out either because of the incompatibility of the tar­get language means of expression, which makes the transplanta­tion of some source language units to it impossible, or in order to retain the style of the source language passage and thus maintain the expressiveness of the source language units. There are two main types of transformations:

1. «inner» or implicit transformations taking place at the lexi­cal/semantic level of the target language as compared with the corre­sponding source language units;

2. «outer» or explicit transformations causing some alterations in the target language as compared with the structure of the corre­sponding sense units of the source language units.

A vivid illustration of «inner» transformation is realized in genu­ine internationalisms through their synonymous or polysemantic mean­ings. For example, the noun icon apart from its direct Ukrainian mean­ing ікона may have in some context also the meanings зображення, портрет, статуя. Any of the last three forms of the word ікона represents an implicit/inner transformation of icon. Similarly with the noun idea which may mean apart from its genuine international sense ідея also думка, задум, гадка.Therefore, inner or implicit transformations disclose the semanticpo­tential of the source language units in the target language.

A peculiar type of outer transformation is observed at the pho­netic/phonological level, when conveying different types of proper names, internationalisms and some lexical units designating specifi­cally national (culturally-biased) elements of the source language. For example: Ireland Ірландія, Maine Мен.

Grammatically Predetermined Transformations

Apart from the semantically conditioned transformations, a bulk of sense units of the source language can be faithfully trans­lated into the target language only through their structurally trans­formed semantic equivalents. Such kinds of transformations usually become necessary because of the difference in the means of expres­sion in the target language. They are mainly employed in the following cases: 1) when translating antonymically;2) when rendering the mean­ing of most passive constructions, and 3) when translating sentences with an inverted order of words.

Antonymic translation requires:

a) an obligatory substitution of an affirmative in sense and structure source language unit for a semantically corresponding negative in struc­ture sense unit of the target language:For the thousandth time I'vetold you, to keep your nose outof the business. -Тисячний раз тобі кажу,не втручайся ти в цю справу.

b) а reverse transformation of negative in structure sense units of the source language into semantically equivalent affirmative in struc­ture sense units in the target language:In reality, of course, the doctor hasn't the least idea aboutwhat is wrong. -Насправді ж лікар маєтільки туманне уявлення процю хворобу.