12 PRELIMINARIES TO TRANSLATION AS A PROCESS

translation proper: the ST message content can never be precisely reproduced in the TT, because of the very fact that the two forms of expression are different.

It has also become clear that there are other important respects in which the three types of intralingual translation are on an equal footing with translation proper. They all require knowledge of the subject matter of the source text, familiarity with the source language and source culture in general, and interpretative effort. But they also require knowledge of the nature and needs of the target public, familiarity with the target culture in generalÐand, above all, mastery of the target language. Synopsis-writing, reported speech, intralingual rephrasing and exegesis are therefore excellent exercises for our purposes, because they develop the ability to find and choose between alternative means of expressing a given message content. This is why the first exercise in this course is a piece of intralingual translation in English.

PRACTICAL 1

1.1 Intralingual translation

Assignment

(i)Identify the salient features of content and expression in the following ST, and say what its purpose is.

(ii)Recast the ST in different words, adapting it for a specific purpose and a specific public (i.e. a specific readership or audience). Define clearly what the purpose and the public are. Treat the ST as if you were recasting the whole book of Genesis, of which it is a part. (As a rule, whenever you do a translation as part of this course, you should proceed as if you were translating the whole text from which the ST is taken.)

(iii)Explain the main decisions of detail you took in making the textual changes. (Insert into your TT a superscript note-number after each expression you intend to discuss, and then, starting on a fresh sheet of paper, discuss the points in numerical order. This is the system you should use whenever you annotate your own TTs.)

Contextual information

The text is from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611. The best way of making sense of it is to read the rest of Genesis 3, from which it is taken. Adam and Eve have tasted the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Realizing then that they were naked, and afraid to be seen by God, they have hidden among the trees. Adam has just admitted this to God, who now replies.

THINKING ITALIAN TRANSLATION 13

ST

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

5 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

10 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

15 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat

20 the herb of the field;

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

(Genesis 3, v. 11±19)

1.2 Intralingual translation

Assignment

Below are two short extracts from Italian classics, together with intralingual translations produced by Italians for foreign students. Taking each in turn,

(i)Identify the salient features of content and expression in the ST.

(ii)Identify the principal differences between ST and TT, paying special attention to cases where the TT adds to the ST, omits something from it, or rephrases it more or less faithfully.

Extract 1.

(Contextual information. The extract is from Machiavelli's Il Principe (1513), a treatise on the aims and methods of good government, and is the concluding paragraph of a chapter in which Machiavelli discusses the relative merits of mercifulness and cruelty, and whether it is better for the ruler to be loved or to be feared.)

14 PRELIMINARIES TO TRANSLATION AS A PROCESS

ST

Concludo adunque, tornando allo essere temuto e amato, che, amando li uomini a posta loro e temendo a posta del principe, debbe uno principe savio fondarsi in su quello che è suo, non in su quello che è d'altri; debbe solamente ingegnarsi di fuggire l'odio, come è detto.

TT

Concludo, dunque, tornando al problema di essere temuti o amati: poiché gli uomini amano secondo ciò che fa loro comodo e temono in base alla volontà del principe, il principe saggio deve basarsi sulla sua capacità di farsi temere, non sull'amore; deve soltanto fare in modo di evitare l'odio, come si è detto.

(Machiavelli 1995:34±5)

Extract 2.

(Contextual information. The extract is from `Frate Cipolla', one of the stories in Boccaccio's Decameron (c.1353). Frate Cipolla is a Friar of St Anthony. On his annual visit to the town of Certaldo, he is celebrating Mass. He pauses from the ceremony to make the following announcement.)

Turn to p. 14

ST

`Signori e donne, come voi sapete, vostra usanza è di mandare ogni anno a `poveri del barone messer santo Antonio del vostro grano e delle vostre biade, chi poco e chi assai, secondo il podere e la divozion sua, acciò che il beato santo Antonio vi sia guardia de' buoi e degli asini e de' porci e delle pecore vostre; e 5 oltre a ciò solete pagare, e spezialmente quegli che alla nostra compagnia scritti sono, quel poco debito che ogni anno si paga una volta. Alle quali cose ricogliere io sono dal mio maggiore, cioè da messer l'abate, stato mandato; e per ciò con la benedizion di Dio, dopo nona, quando udirete sonare le campanelle, verrete qui di fuori della chiesa la dove io al modo usato vi farò la predicazione, 10 e bascerete la croce; e oltre a ciò, per ciò che divotissimi tutti vi conosco del barone messer santo Antonio, di spezial grazia vi mostrerò una santissima e bella reliquia, la quale io medesimo già recai dalle sante terre d'oltremare: e questa è una delle penne dell'agnol Gabriello, la quale nella camera della Vergine Maria rimase quando egli la venne a annunziare in Nazarette.' E questo 15 detto si tacque e ritornossi alla messa.

TT

`Signori e signore, come sapete, è vostra abitudine mandare ogni anno ai poveri del barone messer Sant'Antonio un po' del vostro grano e della vostra biada, chi poco e chi molto, secondo la possibilità e la devozione, affinché il beato Sant'Antonio protegga i buoi, gli asini, i maiali e le pecore che avete; di 5 solito poi quelli che sono iscritti alla nostra confraternita pagano una

THINKING ITALIAN TRANSLATION 15

piccola quota, una volta all'anno. Io sono stato mandato dal mio superiore, cioè dal messer Abate, a raccogliere queste offerte; quindi con la benedizione di Dio, dopo le tre del pomeriggio, quando sentirete suonare le campanelle vi invito a venire qui fuori della chiesa, dove come sempre io vi farò la predica e voi 10 bacerete la croce. Poi, siccome so che siete tutti molto devoti al barone messer Sant'Antonio, per una grazia speciale vi farò vedere una reliquia bella e santissima, che io stesso tempo fa ho portato dalla Terrasanta; è una delle penne dell'angelo Gabriele, rimasta nella camera della Vergine Maria quando le portò

1.3

Gist translation

Assignment

You will be asked to produce a gist translation of an extract from a newspaper article (Tabucchi 1995). The text will be given to you in class by your tutor. The tutor will tell you how long you should take over the translation.