What Is Translation? Translation Is the Process in Which a Written
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What is Translation? Translation is the process in which a written communication or a text in a first language is produced as the written communication or text in the second language interpreting the same meaning. Here the text in the first language is the "source text" and the equivalent text that communicates the same message is the "target text" or "translated text". Initially translation has been a manual activity. Today, together with manual translation, there is also automatic translation of natural-language texts, which is referred to as machine translation or computer- assisted translation which use computers as an aid to translation. Translation is one way to bring the world closer. Origin of the term Etymologically, "translation" refers to "bringing across" or "carrying across". Originated from the latin word "translatio", the perfect passive participle of which is "translatum" or "transferre". Trans implies "to transfer" and "ferre" implies to "to carry to bring across". For the modern Roman, Germany and Slavic European language, the word "traducere" is used for translation which implies "to bring across" or "to lead across" in English. The Greek term for translation is "metaphrasis" which implies "a speaking across". "Metaphrase" implies a word-for-word translation or literal translation while "paraphrase" in Greek means a saying in other words. Factors to take in Consider for Translation Translation is not so easy as it sounds to be. Moreover, translation does not mean a simple word for word for correspondence between any two languages. It is not a mechanical process where each word is translated to the target language. Rather, many factors are to be taken into consideration to get the exact output in the target language. The factors are as follows: Actual context The rules of grammar of the two languages The spellings in the two languages Their writing conventions Meaning of idioms and phrases The usage of points and commas to separate decimals and thousands within numbers. This is to be noted that some languages follow reverse style. For example, while in English we write 1,000.01, the same is written as 1.000,01 in Spanish languages, except for Panama, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the United States itself. Again text translation also implies the translation of right-to left alphabets (such as Arabic and Hebrew). Beside the above factors, to get the final document all activities are equally important like The document needs to be read The document needs to be translated The document is then edited The document is then proofread, not to mention retyped and often reformatted. Sometimes, research is also required for translation. Thorough knowledge of the native language is required by the translator. Translation requires a complete understanding of the customs and lifestyle of a group of people so as to translate in a manner that communicates to that culture's world view. Success of Translation For the success of translation, four requirements are to be fulfilled: Making sense. Displaying the spirit and manner of the original. The translated document has a natural and easy form of expression. The translated document produces a similar response. TYPES OF TRANSLATION In the changing world of today, translation needs vary greatly, and so do the kinds of translations. Translation agencies use various terms to refer to different kinds of work they have to perform, and this article will help you to understand better what they mean. There are five main types of translations, technical translation, scientific translation, artistic (literary) translation, translation of documents, and general translation. 1. Administrative translation The translation of administrative texts. Although administrative has a very broad meaning, in terms of translation it refers to common texts used within businesses and organizations that are used in day to day management. It can also be stretched to cover texts with similar functions in government. 2. Commercial translation Commercial translation or business translation covers any sort of document used in the business world such as correspondence, company accounts, tender documents, reports, etc. Commercial translations require specialist translators with knowledge of terminology used in the business world. 3. Computer translation Not to be confused with CAT, computer assisted translations, which refer to translations carried out by software. Computer translation is the translation of anything to do with computers such as software, manuals, help files, etc. 4. Economic translation Similar to commercial or business translation, economic translation is simply a more specific term used for the translation of documents relating to the field of economics. Such texts are usually a lot more academic in nature. 5. Financial translation Financial translation is the translation of texts of a financial nature. Anything from banking to asset management to stocks and bonds could be covered. 6. General translation A general translation is the simplest of translations. A general text means that the language used is not high level and to a certain extent could be in layman's terms. There is no specific or technical terminology used. Most translations carried out fall under this category. 7. Legal translation Legal translations are one of the trickiest translations known. At its simplest level it means the translation of legal documents such as statutes, contracts and treaties. A legal translation will always need specialist attention. This is because law is culture-dependent and requires a translator with an excellent understanding of both the source and target cultures. Most translation agencies would only ever use professional legal to undertake such work. This is because there is no real margin for error; the mistranslation of a passage in a contract could, for example, have disastrous consequences. When translating a text within the field of law, the translator should keep the following in mind. The legal system of the source text is structured in a way that suits that culture and this is reflected in the legal language; similarly, the target text is to be read by someone who is familiar with another legal system and its language. 8. Literary translation A literary translation is the translation of literature such as novels, poems, plays and poems. The translation of literary works is considered by many one of the highest forms of translation as it involves so much more than simply translating text. A literary translator must be capable of also translating feelings, cultural nuances, humour and other subtle elements of a piece of work. Some go as far as to say that literary translations are not really possible. In 1959 the Russian- born linguist Roman Jakobson went as far as to declare that "poetry by definition [was] untranslatable". In 1974 the American poet James Merrill wrote a poem, "Lost in Translation," which in part explores this subject. 9. Medical translation A medical translation will cover anything from the medical field from the packaging of medicine to manuals for medical equipments to medical books. Like legal translation, medical translation is specialization where a mistranslation can have grave consequences. 10. Technical translation A technical translation has a broad meaning. It usually refers to certain fields such as IT or manufacturing and deals with texts such as manuals and instructions. Technical translations are usually more expensive than general translations as they contain a high amount of terminology that only a specialist translator could deal with. a) Machine translation Also known as automatic translation, this is any translation that is done without human intervention, using software, hand-held translators, online translators such as Babelfish, etc. Machine translation is extremely limited in quality and usefulness. b) Machine-assisted translation Translation that is done with a machine translator and a human working together. For example, to translate "honey," the machine translator might give the options le miel and chéri so that the person could decide which one makes sense in the context. This is considerably better than machine translation, and some argue that it is more effective than human-only translation. c) Screen translation Translation of movies and television programs, including subtitling (where the translation is typed along the bottom of the screen) and dubbing (where the voices of native speakers of the target language are heard in place of the original actors). d) Sight translation Document in the source language is explained orally in the target language. This task is performed by interpreters when an article in the source language is not provided with a translation (such as a memo handed out at a meeting). e) Localization Adaptation of software or other products to a different culture. Localization includes translation of documents, dialog boxes, etc., as well as linguistic and cultural changes to make the product appropriate to the target country. Types of Interpretation: Consecutive interpretation (consec) The interpreter takes notes while listening to a speech, then does his or her interpretation during pauses. This is commonly used when there are just two languages at work; for example, if the American and French presidents were having a discussion. The consecutive interpreter would interpret in both directions, French to English and English to French. Unlike translation and simultaneous interpretation, consecutive interpretation