Oblique methods of translating

Procedure 1: Transposition

This method involves replacing one word class with another without changing the meaning of the message. Transposition also involves changing the order of words in the target text as compared to the source text. Typically, an English sentence has a "subject+predicate+object+adverbial adjunct+place+time" word order: A delegation of Zaporizhzhya National University students arrived in Gainesville yesterday. Учора в Гейнзвиль прибула группа студентів із Запорізького національного університету. A typical Ukrainian sentence would generally have a reverse word order: time+place+predicate+subject+object+adverbial adjunct.

The most common case of Transposition is the change of word order in the sentence structure. It is known that the word order in English and Ukrainian or Russian sentences is different. It means that the Theme and Reme pattern is not the same for English and Ukrainian or Russian sentences.

E.g.: A suburban train was derailed near London last night.

Учора ввечері поблизу Лондона зійшов з рейок приміський поїзд. Вчера вечером вблизи Лондона сошёл с рельс пригородный поезд.

Procedure 2: Modulation

Modulation is a variation of the message, obtained by a change in the point of view. This can be justified when, although a literal, or even transposed, translation results in a grammatically correct utterance, it is considered unsuitable, unidiomatic or awkward in the target language.

As with transposition, we distinguish free or optional modulation and those which are fixed or obligatory.

Modulation is a translation method consisting in throwing a different light on, or looking from a different angle at, the lines to be translated : E.g.: - How long have you been here? : Quand êtes-vous arrivés quand ? Ви коли приїхали? (instead of "Vous êtes là depuis combien de temps ?/ Скільки часу ви тут знаходитеь?") (chronological shift)

Two types of modulation are encountered :

metonymical modulation (the cause substituted for the effect, the container for the content, the part for the whole, etc.)

E.g.:

- Do it by the book: Faites ça dans les règles (the part substituted for the whole) Дій за правилами

- a life jacket : un gilet de sauvetage (the means substituted for the result)/ рятівний жилет

- I've got her under the skin: je l'ai dans la peau (change of location)

- war's wrenching effects on ordinary lives : les effets dévastateurs de la guerre sur le commun des mortels (the people substituted for their lives) руйнуючий вплив війни на звичайних людей

grammatical modulation (affirmative form → negative form; injunction → interrogation; passive voice → active voice, etc.).

E.g.:

The houses were all dark : Pas une maison n'avait de lumière (the opposite in the negative form) У будинку не було світла.

- The doors had been taken off their hinges : On avait enlevé les portes de leurs gonds (active instead of passive form)

- He was knee-deep in water : L'eau lui arrivait jusqu'aux genoux (the subject becomes the object) Вода доходила йому до колін.

- How grave he was! : Il était d'un sérieux... (affirmative form substituted for exclamative form)

- Keep this to yourself : N'en parle à personne Нікому не кажи.

Generalization - substitution of a translated word having a narrow specific meaning with a foreign-language equivalent having broader and generalized meaning.

Procedure 3: Equivalence

Most equivalences are fixed and belong to a phraseological repertoire of idioms, clichés, proverbs, nominal and adjectival phrases, etc. In general proverbs are perfect examples of equivalences.

e.g.: Too many cooks spoil the broth - у семи нянек дитя без глазу /У cеми няньок дитя без носа.

As well be hanged for a sheep, as for a lamb - Сім бід - один одвіт. Сім смертям не бути, а одної не минути.

To buy a pig in a poke - Купити кота в мішку.

The method of creating equivalences is also frequently applied to idioms. For example, to talk through one’s hat and as like as two peas cannot be translated by means of a loan.

Procedure 4: Adaptation

Adaptation is used in those cases where the type of situation being referred to be the source language message is unknown in the target language culture. In such cases translators have to create a new situation that can be considered as being equivalent. Adaptation can, therefore, be described as special kind of equivalence, a situational equivalence. They are particularly frequent in the translation of book and film titles.

E.g.: The type of translation adaptation- the return to the first primary source- is generally used in the case when the screen version title doesn’t correspond to the title of writing, which was the source of the plot. For example, “Sleepy Hollow”- in the Russian translation is “Сонная Лощина” (but the subtitles propose another variant, which is closer to the literal source- “Легенда о Всаднике без Головы”). Thus the analysis of film titles, translated into Russian and Ukrainian, has shown a quite many-colored picture. The foreign film titles translated in Russian and Ukrainian language have different variants (in different editions, in central and regional press). Moreover, the analysis showed that the translations of the titles often follow the fixed adaptation strategies.

The procedures presented here is by no means undeniable. This classification is not proof against criticism. Other schemes have been elaborated and highlighted by different approaches to the problem of transformations in translation. Thus, for example, some scholars distinguish also such transformations as differentiation, generalization, specification and meaning development (sorts of modulation), substitution, antonymic translation, addition, compensation for losses in the translation process, omission, holistic transformation, etc.

Checklist

• Explain the difference between direct and oblique methods of translating. Give your arguments.

• Dwell on the direct methods of translating. Provide your examples.

• Dwell on the oblique methods of translating. Provide your examples.