Anna Hägg Translating Swedish University Webpages Into English
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Estetisk-filosofiska fakulteten Anna Hägg Translating Swedish University Webpages into English A study of translation strategies Engelska C-uppsats Termin: Vårterminen 2011 Handledare: Elisabeth Wennö Karlstads universitet 651 88 Karlstad Tfn 054-700 10 00 Fax 054-700 14 60 [email protected] www.kau.se Abstract Titel: Translating Swedish University Webpages into English. A study of translation strategies. Författare: Anna Hägg Antal sidor: 31 Abstract: The focus of this paper is on university webpages and the translation of these. With the help of existing translation strategies, it aims to map out the strategies used in Swedish webpages in English with a focus on names and words/expressions for which there are no direct equivalents in English. The study shows that the most common strategies regarding the translation of names were translating word for word and using the nearest equivalent. Regarding language-specific expressions, the most common strategies were using cultural equivalents and reduction. Not surprisingly, additions in the text were most often matters of importance to an international audience, and the most common omissions were matters that only had a local interest. Nyckelord: University webpages, translation, translation strategies, Swedish, English Table of Contents 1. Introduction and aims ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Aims ........................................................................................................................... 1 2. Background ....................................................................................................................... 2 2.1. What is translation? ................................................................................................. 2 2.2. Problems in translation ............................................................................................ 3 2.3. Translating webpages .............................................................................................. 4 2.3.1. Translating culture-specific phenomena ........................................................ 5 2.4. Translation strategies ............................................................................................... 6 2.4.1. Translating names .................................................................................................. 6 2.4.2. Translating language-specific expressions ........................................................... 7 3. Method and materials ...................................................................................................... 8 4. Results and analysis ....................................................................................................... 10 4.1. Translating names .................................................................................................. 10 4.2. Translating language-specific expressions ........................................................... 15 5. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 20 6. References ....................................................................................................................... 22 6.1. Primary sources ...................................................................................................... 22 6.2. Secondary sources ....................................................................................................... 27 1. Introduction and aims 1.1. Introduction Translating is an area in which many problems can arise. As we all know, there are differences between countries and cultures since we construct and experience the world differently. There are, for example, different types of food that we know of depending on where we live, differences in school systems, environments and landscapes and at work. This situation affects language and translation. If a certain type of food or natural phenomenon does not exist in a country, there is no need to have a word for it. Culture-specific phenomena, fixed expressions and names, for example, therefore pose a special challenge to translators. If there is no corresponding word or expression in the language we translate into, one or more translation strategies must be used to overcome this problem. There is no clear rule as to when to use a particular strategy; the translator must make this choice while taking the possible effects on the translated text and the target audience into account. Translations into English that are aimed at an international audience rather than at a specific English-speaking language culture are even more problematic. My study will centre on a category of Internet texts of this kind in which English is used as a lingua franca to communicate information to a diverse lingual audience. 1.2. Aims This study will examine the translation of the webpage in English that introduces a Swedish university, with a focus on names and words/expressions for which there are no direct equivalents in English. With reference to previous definitions in research, the strategies used to solve translation problems will be identified in the texts and exemplified. Is there a variation in strategic choice, or is the same type of solution predominant? I will also try to explain why a certain strategy is chosen. 1 2. Background This section will define translation as such, the problems that can arise when translating and how these can be solved through different translation strategies. 2.1. What is translation? Although translation as a practice has a long history, the academic field of translation studies is comparatively young. As Bassnett-McGuire points out, it was not until recently that translation became a field of its own and not only studied as part of foreign language teaching (1985: 1). Moreover, translation has long been perceived as something of secondary importance, more as a “mechanical” than a “creative” process, meaning that almost anyone with knowledge of the particular languages could translate. It has therefore been regarded as an occupation with rather low status (ibid, 1985: 2). In Sweden, translation studies became an academic subject as late as in the 1990s, some forty years after its establishment internationally (Lindqvist, 2005: 11). Translation is defined as “The process or result of converting information from one language or language variety into another” (Hartmann & Stork 1972: 242), or “The action or process of turning from one language into another; also, the product of this; a version in a different language” (The Oxford English Dictionary 1991: translation). Depending on how close the languages are regarding grammar and other linguistic features, translations can be word-for word, literal (in which only a few adjustments are made on the phrase level), and free which reads like an original text (Hartmann & Stork 1972: 242). But translation can also refer to a wider context. According to Jacobson (1959/2004: 139, quoted in Munday 2008: 5), there are three different translation categories, namely intralingual translation, interlingual translation, and intersemiotic translation. Intralingual translation is rephrasing or summarizing a text in the same language, interlingual translation is translation between two different verbal languages, and intersemiotic translation refers to translating a written text into, for example, music or film. Interlingual translation is the traditional focus of translation studies (ibid 2008: 5) and is also what this study will deal with. There are many ways of translating texts because different types of texts require different approaches. Some texts types are complex (for example, a novel can contain a recipe) and 2 some are simple. A translator benefits from knowledge about the different text types when striving to produce pragmatically well-functioning translations. By comparing the different text types, translators will more easily be able to elucidate the differences in style and text types in the language or languages that they are translating. Some examples of different text types are: informative text (e.g. encyclopedia, diagrams, newspaper articles, historical texts), expressive text (e.g. lyrical poetry and drama), imperative or appealing text (e.g. recipes, instructions, warnings, suggestions), and convincing text (commercial, sermon, negotiation, discussion) (Ingo 2009: 216-218). The texts on university webpages are mostly informative but they also contain persuasive elements. Who can translate what then? Do translators need to specialize in a few areas or can they have a general knowledge in many and nonetheless do a good job? There are of course different views on this subject, and of course it depends on the subject involved in the translation. According to Martin (2011), everyone in the translation industry seems to agree that a translator needs to specialize because of the expansion of knowledge, i.e., no one can have knowledge about everything because there is simply too much to have knowledge about. However, the Internet has enabled translators to deliver translations rapidly to customers anywhere, thus promoting their own special skills and services. The Internet has also made it easier for translators to find information on new and more specialized areas. Martin claims that there is